I Against II

A couple of weeks ago I posted about a gold vinyl copy of I Against I that I’d picked up recently and now I managed to find a copy on blue vinyl from a seller in Germany for a fair price. 

The record is not in mint condition because one owner, I’m guessing the original owner, put his address on the A-side label and also wrote his name on the dust sleeve. What’s more interesting though is that he also wrote down a date: February 19, 1991. I’m guessing again that this is the date he got the record. I checked on Discogs and the colored versions are listed as represses. However, there’s no release date listed on Discogs for any of the represses on colored vinyl. The sleeve of the records says 1986, but I’m not sure if the colored records were pressed back then as well. If the original owner actually got this record early in 1991, the coloured represses, or at least the blue one, was probably released sometime in 1990. Obviously this is just guess work. The Flex Discography doesn’t provide any information on this either unfortunately. Does anyone have more info on this? 

13 Chambers

I don't remember exactly who I saw posting about this record on Instagram, but when I saw a picture of this, I knew I needed to get a copy. And yes, I know (now) that this has been around for 10+ years, but apparently I do live under a rock so this was news to me. I've never really listened to mash ups and I'm sure it's pretty easy that those can turn horrible, but in this case, I just love the result. This is by far my most listened to record in 2024 so far and I don't see that changing any time soon. 

 The "worst" part about this record is the vinyl color and even that isn't that bad if you take a look at the whole package. The music on 13 Chambers is awesome. The tracks are put together so well. But it's not just that. The names of both "band" and album are perfect, as is the cover art, right down to the "promotional copy" fake stamp and the labels, which are are fake stamped as well I guess, but it looks dope. 

2024 Repress on Black and Gold Swirl /1000

Somewhere, Sometime

Meant To Let You Down by Kill Holiday is one of my all-time favorite songs. However, the first time I listened to their sole LP Somewhere Between The Wrong Is Right, I did not like it. I guess, I wasn’t ready for it. Plus, the sound is so different from Meant To Let It Down. Over the last few years I though, I listend to more of the music that inspired this record, and when I decided to check it out again, it clicked. Now, none of the songs on this record comes close to Meant To Let You Down, but I can totally appreciate this record for what it is on its own. 

RSD 2016 Press on Purple Vinyl /717

Love Your Friends

There are so many different reasons that make me pick up certain records and many of them only make sense to me. Peace Of Mind was a hardcore band from Germany in the 90s and I’d probably have never heard of them if it wasn’t for a podcast I listen to regularly. Shout out Und Dann Kam Punk. One of the hosts mentioned that he’d played in this band (and dozens of other bands, most notably probably Highscore, who you should definitely check out if you’re not familiar with them). 

Anyway, I was browsing through some bins at the local record store when I came across this one. The cover intrigued me, the name somehow rang a bell and when I read the back of the cover, one of the band member’s name caught my eye. All of this made me want to pick up the record and it definitely helped that it was very cheap. The music is 90s hardcore alright, but truth be told, it’s not that great. Maybe it’ll grow on me. 

2nd Press w/ Different Artwork #531/500 (?)

Buy In Bulk II

I managed to fill some more holes in my collection curtesy of the same seller I got the last two 7“s from. I was always a big fan of those Soul Control 7“s, but for some reason I never picked up a copy of Involution. This record is such a flashback to the mid-2000s. The music can definitely be pinpointed to that era, but there‘s always been some element of weirdness about Soul Control‘s music, which I just love. The color scheme of the vinyl and the swirl itself is very much off the time as well. And of course Rivalry Records was one of the premier record labels back then. 

1st Press on Red / Orange Swirl on Rivalry Records /200

This particular record had been on my want list pretty much since it came out. I don‘t actually remember which Blacklisted record I heard first. Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God or No One Deserves To Be Here More Than Me since they only came out a year apart, but I do remember being completely in awe by what I heard on either record. No One… still takes the top spot for me in the Blacklisted catalogue, but Heavier… is a very close second. I had a copy of the European pressing on Reflections Records on blue vinyl I got when the record was released, but as soon as I saw a picture of this variant, I wanted to have this one. It looks simply amazing in my opinion. It‘s not a particularly rare record, but for reason this variant was hard to find in Europe, at least for a reasonable price. 

My friend who had tipped me off to this collection actually collects Blacklisted and had already bought this record from the seller, but since he knew I really liked this colorway and he didn‘t have the blue variant I had either, we did a quick trade. Mike, you‘re the best!

1st Press on Blue w/ Black Haze on Deathwish Records /1500

Buy In Bulk

I love when friends text me after finding a record collection for sale or an online seller that they want to order from, but since they're good friends, they look out for you, too. That's also how you spend even more money on records you hadn't necessarily planned on buying. 

I've been listening to a lot of Undertow these last few months after ignoring the band for a couple of years almost completely. That's how it goes sometimes. So when I had the chance to pick up a missing piece for cheap money and shipping, I jumped at it. The orange vinyl works pretty well with the cover. Well done, Indecision Records. 

Clear Orange on Indecision Records /345

I also picked up a copy of Dirty Money's No Escaping This. I got hyped on Dirty Money when High Vis covered the Dirty Money Intro off the demo. I knew the band existed when it was around but I don't think I ever listened to them back then, which clearly was a mistake, but hindsight is always 20/20. Unfortunately, there's no pressing info on Discogs for this variant. If anyone can help me out with this, I'd appreciate it. 

First Press (?) on Grey Vinyl /???

Australian Hardcore

A few weeks ago I received another care package from my mate in Australia as part of our ongoing open trade. There are some great bands going on down under and I'm always thankful to get records from bands I otherwise wouldn't probably know about. 

First up is a 7" by Engage, aptly called Eight Songs. This is really good meat and potatoes hardcore for those of you who like their hardcore a little bit more on the punk side. But there's also a youth crewish element to it. 

Last Ride Exclusive Colour on Recycled Vinyl /50

All In crank up the youth crew a couple of notches on What Remains. Everything you expect from a youth crew record, fast parts, mosh parts, and plenty of singalong. Seeing them live should be a lot of fun I expect. Love the full color eight page lyric sheet / booklet. 

Purple Marble / Recycled Vinyl /50

Extortion are an older band from Australia, but not as old as their sound might suggest. Degenerate was released in 2006, but could have been released in the early 80s as well. Just look at the cover and you get the idea what they might sound like. I'm guessing at least two people in the band have a Black Flag tattoo and the majority also likes a lot of power violence. 

There are many variants listed on Discogs, but unfortunately not this one. 

If you like Down To Nothing, definitely make sure to check out No Peace. I've been a fan since my friend sent me their 7" and they don't disappoint on Something More. There are few bands out there that sound like DTN, at least that I'm aware of, so this is very welcome to me. 

Transparent Orange /100

Best for last. This has definitely been the highlight of this batch of records for me. I'd never heard of Division before, but I was hooked from the first note. Fragments is their debut release and the first band it reminded me off was Give. But of course you could also go further back and cite Revolution Summer bands as inspiration. Unfortunately there aren't many copies and the band doesn't have an online presence where you could listen to their music, but if you have the chance, check them out.

Black Vinyl /150

     

Funky Kingston

There‘s a used record store in the bigger city close to where I live and I try to go there as often as I can. It‘s just nice to flip through actual record bins instead of clicking or swiping to the next page. I don‘t always find something I like, but from time to time I do find a record or two I need to pick up. Funky Kingston by Toots & The Maytals had been on my want list for quite a while and I’m really happy I managed to get a copy from an actual record store. This is just a perfect reggae record. After picking up this record it was on repeat for days while I was working in the office. 

UK Press on Trojan Records (“1976“ on the sleeve and “1974“ on the labels)

Bare Faced Cheek

Why only buy one record by a band you like if you can buy two? Another early Toy Dolls LP that for some reason I didn‘t own yet. Not their best work, but there are some hits on there. Yul Brynner Was A Skinhead and Fisticuffs In Frederick Street are the highlights for me.  

Idle Gossip

A few weeks ago I was both feeling nostalgic and like I need something fun to listen to, so I reached for a couple of Toy Dolls records and sort of fell into a wormhole. When checking my records I noticed that I didn't own all of their early records, which was a big surprise to me. Luckily, their records aren't that hard to find and don't cost an arm and a leg. 

I realize that The Toy Dolls are very silly, but sometimes you need something silly in your life. At least I do. Also, it's sort of an accomplishment in itself to have what feels like 50% of the band's catalogue dealing with the lives of soap opera characters. Having said that, Olga is such a phenomenal guitarist, and while the subject matter is rather silly in itself, the lyrics are constructed quite cleverly.

Their Live in Tokyo record sounds like a ton of fun and I'm seriously contemplating going to one of their shows if they happen to play not too far from where I live. I also might read the band biography again. Silly me. 

Bleach

Nirvana have been part of my life for many decades, but only sort of. I caught the tail end of their career on MTV and I remember reading about Kurt Cobain's death in some teenage magazine shortly after it happened. I liked the songs I heard on MTV, but since the metalheads at my school wore their shirts and sweatshirts, I never bothered to dive deeper into their music. Which obviously is a very stupid move, but hey, teenagers aren't always know for their smart choices. A couple of years later I dove headfirst into punk and hardcore and grunge seemed not that exciting and rather boring. Also, all my money went into skateboards, skateboard videos and punk and hardcore records, and I didn't even think about buying records from other genres. Some time ago, I made the conscious decision to finally check out the band's catalogue and after almost 30 years of knowing the band, I bought my first Nirvana record. 

2019 (?) Repress

The Crew on Blue

I am sort of breaking my own self-imposed rules, because I'm not posting in strict chronological order, but first of all I wanted to keep going with the 7 Seconds theme, secondly, I haven't been this stoked about picking up a record in a long, long time and lastly: reasons not rules make us strong. 

So, on a Saturday a couple of weeks ago I was having a lazy winter morning. The kiddo let us sleep until 8am, we had a long breakfast and I found some time to check for records early in the morning. I even had enough to take the full tour on Discogs, local listings and eBay. Rare occasion that actually paid off.

I found a record that I thought might interest Marcus, because he'd just picked up a bunch of records by this band. Then I shot him another message because I'd found this 7 Seconds record, but for an absurdly high price. The message consisted of the link and my comment "White whale for me, but that price is ridiculous.", to which he agreed. I left it at that because the price was way out of my league and I had an important date to go sledge riding with my son later that morning. While I was out with my son, all of a sudden I received a message from the seller offering an incredible discount on the record. My brain was spinning and I had to do some serious thinking on the way home. When I was back, I shot the seller a counter offer and miracle of miracles, he accepted it. I couldn't believe that turnaround. Oh yeah, and the seller was from Germany as well, so I didn't have to worry about customs either. 

A few days later I received the record and couldn't believe I’d managed to find a copy of this record, but there it was - The Crew on blue vinyl. It doesn't look like much in the first picture, even though it doesn't look exactly like black vinyl either as I had always thought. You can see that there is some color involved. However, when you hold up the record against the light, you can actually see this incredible shade of blue. It has somewhat of a green tint to it, but it's clearly blue and it just looks awesome. 

I love 7 Seconds and The Crew is easily their best output. Owning this record in this particular colorway is a collector's dream come true for me. Nobody knows exactly how many copies there are of this colorway, but the Flex! Book says there were 250 copies pressed. The book also states there's a red colored vinyl version, but I've never seen one of these. This is one of the top 5 records in my collection for sure. I'm sorry I'm gushing, but I'm just so stoked about owning this record. 

Whenever someone asks me why I buy records, I'm going to show them this record. Well, maybe I'll show them only the picture, but still. 

Repress on Blue Vinyl on BYO Records /250 (Source: Flex! Book)

Soulforce Revolution

From the same seller I bought New Wind, I also got Soulforce Revolution. 7 Seconds go even more pop, but I'm still onboard. I don't think the more pop influenced songs would work well with many other hardcore bands, but Kevin Seconds' vocals have always been very melodic and somehow they pull off these songs. Also, this record has my second favorite artwork of all 7 Seconds records. 

Standard Pressing on Black Vinyl on Restless Records (Printed in Canada)

New Wind

Whenever bands change their sound, this can be highly controversial. 7 Seconds noticeably changed their sound after Walk Together Rock Together was released. They went more pop and not everybody liked this. I wasn‘t witness to that first hand, but that‘s what I was told and read. Now, this is admittedly not one of their best records, but it‘s not as bad as people made it sound. I for one am happy to add this to the collection. 

Score - The Sequel

So, a few months ago I made a rather big record score. There were a bunch of records I had to leave behind at the time, because, well, you know, money and so on, so I was more than happy that some of the records I didn’t buy initially were still available a couple of weeks later. Not all of the, but I’m still very happy with the second haul as well. 

I managed to pick up the record release edition of Go It Alone’s Histories LP and I’m equally as happy that I managed to pick up a copy that was made for Sound And Fury Fest. Hard to fathom nowadays that a band, even a well established one, would make 100+ copies of a record just for one festival. 

Sound And Fury Edition #18/110

I picked up this 7” because it was a gap in my New Age collection, but it is anything but a gap filler. Good 90s hardcore that ended up on New Age for a reason. 

1st Press on Opaque Green w/ Blue Labels on New Age Records /150

I also picked up this limited variant of the s.t. Reserve 34 7”. When I first heard this record eight years ago, I immediately fell in love and all those years later, it still holds up. If anything, I like this 7” even more these days. 

Red Vinyl w/ Limited Sleeve on Moo Cow Records #25/101