Gnarweek(end) Part 4.

OKay, so we've covered the 7''s. I posted about the album not so long back, so now it's only tapes to go I guess? 

Gnarwolves - Fun Club - Brain Ache Record - 1st Press - Green Shell /50

Close up of the cover art. 

This seems to be about as perfect as you can get for a demo tape. It looks like the art on Fun Club, just done with a lot less time and money. All copies of the cassette case were screened by VinoSangre I believe. 

Back Cover // B-Side. Both sides of the shell are pretty identical. I'm not sure if something happened with the printing of this case, and a little of the design came away. Stuff like that doesn't bother me too much, especially on a demo tape. It adds to the gritty feel of this release, and kind of just looks like a shredded skateboard. 

Close up of the back cover. 

If you know that track one is called Party Jams then you won't really have a problem deciphering the rest of the track-listing I guess? 

As you can see from the back cover photo, there is a lip that lifts to open up the packaging. Underneath that panel is this one, with the Brain Ache logo underneath. Maybe I got one towards the end of the production run, and so the print is a little faint. I know this happened with the Downpour//Serial Killer 5'' by Converge. People got real nerdy about that too. 

Here is how the package opens up. Pretty neat, and way more fun than standard library case packaging. 

Turns out it was Mikee who did the packaging, check this URL for a little more about that! 

http://www.vinosangre.co.uk/post/18965330758/gnarwolves-one-colour-white-print-on-black

Insert.

I like this Gnarwolves typeface here, 

Track-listing and short list of thanks. It's about all you need at this point right? It's something different; most tapes involve scanning around the tiny font on a J-Card. Inserts are the way forward for tape I reckon. Get weird with the packaging. 

Finally. Spine view. 

Onward we go. 

Although I'd already bought Cru on vinyl, I couldn't pass up the cassette version too when it started lurking around. 

Gnarwolves - Cru - Cats?Aye! Records - 1st Press - Green Shells /100. 

I think a big selling point for me on this was that both the tapes were green, and it kind of completed a set. The artwork for the tape is the same from the 7''; which sounds cool in theory, but shaking up a square design to fit a cassette J-Card was always going to make the design look a little off kilter right? 

Back Cover // B-Side. 

I like that although the cassette labels were printed, the 'A' and 'B' are still hand-drawn. It still gives a little bit of a DIY aspect to the release. The labels also contain the centre label designs from the vinyl release

Finally. The J-Card. 

The other side is blank, so we can cover it in one photo. 

Going from left to right we have: 

Track-listing. 

Spine view with the C?A! logo on the end. 

Front cover 

Back cover (also with a C?A! logo in the corner). 

I never bought The Chronicles of Gnarnia. I know a lot of people did, but for me there seemed to be little point. I even staved off buying the tape, there was just no need for it. I still contemplate selling off the tape versions of these; as I always play the vinyl over these and the money from this could buy me more records right? I don't know. I wouldn't go out of my way to sell unless I really had to, or really didn't see the point in owning something anymore. 

It's been fun! 

Thanks for sticking with me. 

Gnarweek(end) Part 3

Well, here's to the last 7'' installment of this little thing I've been doing over the last day or two. Also, post 100. Who would've thought?

Gnarwolves - Funemployed - Big Scary Monsters // Tangled Talk - 1st Press - White w/ Blue & Green Splatter (Band Exclusive). 

Cover art. 

James Burgess handled the art for this, which was a departure from the Wolf Mask art of previous stuff. It kind of cuts a little too close to the art of the early EP's for me; but there's worse things going on in the world I guess... 

Back cover. 

Not a particularly great design for me. Bongs are lame, and we continue with the pop-punk cliches. It's weird as this band really sticks out for me as something a little different. 

With this 7'' there is a printed inner. Whether intentional or not, there are 3 7''s with 3 separate methods of packaging the records. Fun Club was housed in a gate-fold sleeve with clear dust covers. Cru had plain dust covers and a printed insert. Finally, Funemployed has a printed inner. Cool right? Or not. 

First side is just lyrics and a few doodles. 

This is a pretty long list of thanks, and that's cool. The LP had a similar long list, it seems like they've tried really hard to not miss anyone out. Moose Blood getting a shout out too!

This was the rarest 1st press colour again. It was straight from the band's online store, and the 1st press of this sold out in just a few hours. Mad hype around this band! The 2nd press went up before this one had even been pressed. 

Finally. B-Side. The centre label art here is stupid, I don't mind the pizzagram though. I guess this art works well with the variant. 

I also bought a double of this variant for Darren Harvey at Dog Knights, as he was away in Japan at the time. He's helped me out a bunch with DKP releases and sold me some gems from his personal collection; it was nice to return the favour. 

On to the tapes! 

Gnarweek(end) part 2 (Cru)

On to part 2! I think I might do this with a couple of bands, it's pretty cool. 

Gnarwolves - Cru - Tangled Talk // Day by Day - 1st Press - Clear w/ Snot Splatter /100. 

And again, art for this was handled by Wolf Mask. Scottish dude who works in London (are you happy you pedantic bastards?). This was the first release I bought from Gnarwolves after liking History is Bunk. I just lurked on the Tangled Talk store and it was sat there with the rarest variant still available; so I jumped in. 

Back cover. 

More wolves, more skateboards, more goff stuff. 

The artwork to this reminds me (a little) of the All Hallows EP by AFI. They did well to fit these 6 tracks on a 7'', and it holds up sound wise. 

Insert. 

Single sheet, two sided deal. All the lyrics on this side, with a border. Such pop punk. 

Other side of the insert. 

Live photos are always good, but it has that grainy quality to it that looks cool in person but is a little difficult to photograph. 

Thanks and credits and all that good stuff. I like the colour scheme change here; red doesn't really fit too well, but it's all okay by me. 

A-Side. 

This is the rarest variant of this 7'', and went fairly quick at pre-order. I had no clue they were a big deal at all. I guess I just got lucky on this one. 

B-Side. 

The colour of this is pretty unreal, and looks great in person. The splatter is really thick and creates odd patterns in the record. It's hard to explain, but the splatter on the A-Side shows through on the B-Side from a different angle. Definitely a record worth hunting down if you're into this band. 

The only other copy of this I'd be into owning is the record release they did. I think 25 or so were made? One went on eBay for silly money, the internet moaned. Such is life. 

Part 3 coming soon!

Gnarweek(end)

I try and keep up with what's going on with record collecting blogs. The Endless Quest (search it, love it and abandon mine, I get it) has done a Dino Jr. week so I'm going to do something a bit similar, just way less cool (Dinosaur Jr. are the coolest so...)

Gnarwolves - Fun Club - Dog Knights Productions - 1st Press - Black w/ Silver Glitter /100

I mean, I know this wasn't their 1st vinyl release. It's cool though, we'll head on a chronological thing for now, and this was the debut. 

Dog Knights Productions worked super hard on this one, and there were some crazy delays and a little internet bitching. Darren is a solid dude though, and this was the only pre-order I've ever had from him that wasn't around on release day. The first 2x7'' for the label, and limited to 600 units over three colourways. 

On to the gatefold. All of the art for this was handled by London cartoonist Wolf Mask. He may have done the Cru artwork for Gnarwolves too, but I'll double check that one a little later. 

Here's one side of the gatefold. 

Here's the other. Dog Knights have had a couple logos in the past. This has stuck around for a few years now and I think this one is way cooler. I heard a story about a Rot in Hell 7'' being cut and pressed by hand in a shed. I like to think the Doge here is on a similar path. 

Lyrics, thanks, credits etc. 

On to the wax. 

People were griping about how the glitter records (this variant) sounded inferior on their record players. For a start, it's a record with glitter in it. It will sound different to a record without glitter in it, that is obvious. Plus, you can moan all you like but any record is going to sound shite through a Crosley all in one. It's okay though, as the record will last about 4 plays before it gets destroyed by your turntable and that's what you deserve for moaning over nothing. My setup is decent (but definitely no audiophile deal worth thousands or whatever) and I think this record sounds fine, and have bought other glitter records since that have also sounded fine. Previously it was only available on tape. Deal with it.

I don't know how I managed to take a perfectly okay photo on Side A, and not Side B. Nevermind...

7'' number two. I'll talk about that in a second. 

So all the centre labels are different. They use the characters from the sleeve design, which is pretty neat. It's easy to be boring with 2x7''s I guess, but here is a different story. 

So about this other record. Fun Club is pressed on the 1st 7'', and on this is 4 cover versions of cool songs you all know. Covers aren't normally a huge thing for me, but neither is the idea of releasing something on 7'' that was once a cassette without even a sniff of bonus material. So this was a cool thing; sadly though the band super slacked on getting them done apparently. 

Finally, back cover artwork. Here are the other characters you see on the centre labels. Coffin shaped skateboards, who knew. 

By the way, on the covers 7'' there is no cover of Pulling Teeth by Green Day; instead we get Basket Case. I'd rather have heard Pulling Teeth but it's cool. I'm guessing The Boy Who Destroyed the World has some ties to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater too. 

Old release, new artwork, new format, new songs, great label, cool band. According to the DK Bigcartel, 2014 will see a re-press of this too.

There we go, record one. I'll try and get this done in good time. Might even hit post 100 before long. 

Get Well // Free Whirl

It's been a little while. Sorry about that; life has been pretty hectic. But I got something I had to write about, so I'll make the time. The wording may be a little rushed, the photography may be a little worse, but it'll all be there. 

A couple of days ago I went to see Nothing at the Oobleck in Birmingham. As it stands, it's a two way toss up for my favourite show of the year, and Guilty of Everything is in a two way toss up for my favourite LP of the year. Fancy that. 

At the merch stand, they had this (and a couple of other things that I picked up - not vinyl related // not important) which I wanted to get on release, but held out on the hopes of it being available on the night. I also got it signed, with some minor cover adjustments. 

Whirr // Nothing - Split - Run For Cover Records - 1st Press - Pink /1000 (w/ Etched B-Side).

First up, lets look at the cover. I first asked Nicky (singer) to sign this. 'Straight on the cover?', and about 5 seconds later I had an LP being passed round the band to be signed, after he'd slammed a massive dick on the cover. No regrets at all; it shows underneath that these dudes have a great sense of humour. I've never seen a bunch of guys so happy, and they were all super friendly. Also, it's a nice little reminder of the night. 

On to the inside of the gate-fold. Yup it's completely blank. I get the funny side of it now. 

As a cool extra though, there's a 'Making of ' DVD that follows the two bands through a 3 day bender at Studio 4 with Will Yip. It's mostly footage of Nick Bassett (Bassist in Nothing and Guitarist in Whirr) fucking about in the control room and Brandon shotgunning beers. I'll watch it again a few times I'm sure. 

Back cover.

The tracks are all piled on to one side which makes way for an etching on the other. Whirr kick off the split, and both bands do two tracks each, as you can see from the track-listing. RFC logo in the middle. I'm sure the Mixed Singles stuff that RFC does (and maybe some of the splits too) has a similar layout. Main photo in the background and the text is separated the same. I'm pretty sure, but not certain. 

Insert. 

Single sheet, two sided full colour insert. This is a photo of Nicky from Nothing, with about 2/3 of a Strat in his hands. It's probably not the first time it's happened. If you scroll through the Nothing tumblr, you can see some photos from the same gig. The same photo is used as the DVD central design. 

Insert. 

This thing is well laid out and easy to follow. Lyrics to the two Whirr tracks, lyrics to the two Nothing tracks. In the middle are the credits. I believe Loren Rivera has something to do with Whirr (maybe the old vocalist), and she handles all the photography for this split. 

Spine View. 

RFC: 109 

On to the LP.

There is a bunch of White mixed into this Pink variant, and that's cool. RFC are always on top of their game with the colours. The centre label is a little weird, but it works. I have no idea who the baby is mind. 

B-Side. 

The etching is a take on the Nirvana 'Smiley' logo. Whirrvana. I do like the inclusion of the Whirr and Nothing logo as the eyes, and I'm sure this logo has been used before for a tour or something? As a quirky side note, I believe Brandon from Nothing has a Nirvana tattoo. 

Finally. stickered sleeve. 

I'm sure I've said this before, but I do love a sticker on the poly-sleeve. Which is funny considering I get miffed at stickered shrink wrap. This kind of tells you everything you need to know about the record too, which is helpful. 

As a parting note. These are some truly incredible songs from both bands. Probably their strongest to date. These are my favourite Whirr tracks, and Nothing never let me down. Will Yip did a great job on making it sound right, and his work over the last few years has been mad consistent. Finally, RFC may be the strongest label for me this year, I think I've picked up around 2/3's of their 2014 output, which doesn't happen for me too often. Especially considering it's an overseas label. Beyond chuffed with everything about this release.

Sea View

When you find out your favourite album of 2012 is getting a re-press, you get pretty excited. When you find out that it isn't just a re-press; but a complete re-issue with a name change, bonus tracks and released through a new label, you start to get really excited. We've all been there, you lurk the web-store furiously and as soon as it goes up you are on it so fast. And then we wait... 

A few weeks later this pops up on my door step. The one on the left; a lot of you probably know all about it. The one on the right - we'll get on to that a little later. 

Warm Thoughts is the new name for Dad Punchers, and 'Mar Vista' is the new name for the Self Titled LP that has had a spangly new re-issue from a great label. 

Warm Thoughs - Mar Vista - Asian Man Records - 1st Press - Clear Blue /500. 

I did a post on the S/T Dad Punchers LP on here if you want some comparison: 

http://23rotations.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/dad-punctures.html

Most things have been changed up from the original pressings. New name, new font. The colour of the sleeve is different, the centre labels are different and the Asian Man logo is dotted around here and there. 

Back Cover // B-Side. 

I really do love the colour of this record. This is the first time it has been pressed on a clear colour way. I'm not sure if it was intentional or not to do this, but I think it makes a nice statement. 

For anyone interested, 'Mar Vista' is Spanish for 'Sea View' I believe. It is also a neighbourhood in Los Angeles. Both seem appropriate in a sense for this band / album, so I'm not sure where the reference lies. Either way I'm cool with it.

Close up of the Back Cover. 

Here you can see the A // B Side track-listing. Also, I think that the front and back photos have been edited to be lighter on the re-release. Either that or the darker background colour brings out the photo a little more? 

Here we get on to probably the most important part about this re-issue, the bonus tracks. 3 acoustic re-workings of Dad Punchers songs, and all home recorded (I believe) by Elliot Babin. In most cases this would seem like a cop-out for a re-issue right? Wrong. These songs have been messed with a little; there's new lyrics here and there, new instrumentation and even structure changes. I adore album closer 'Rivets', a re-working of 'Tire Swing'. The album closes where it begins, and still manages to feel like a completely different song. 

Insert. Single sheet double-sided deal; and this is done in favour of the printed inner sleeves we have seen previously. This hasn't changed up at all since the Dad Punchers layout, and it really doesn't need to be.

Second side of the insert. 

Not an awful lot has changed here, but there are some changes: 

1. There is an Asian Man Records logo in the bottom right corner, in the place of the Sssealegs logo. 
2. There are the extra credits added in the second paragraph for the bonus tracks. Here it states that these were recorded by Elliot Babin. The songs' original titles are: Everything Must Grow // Redwoods // Tire Swing. 
3. Lastly (well as far as I can see) is the additional thanks tacked on to the end of the original list of thanks. Mike Park (owner of Asian Man) and Bob Vielma (I think he guests on the new Smith Street Band LP, but I may be wrong. Aside from that I have no clue!) 

Now we get on to the fun bit. The mystery bit...

It's a test press. Obviously it was going to be a test press. With the bonus tracks and new label, new plates needed to be made and a new run of tests. I reached out to Sssealegs a bunch of times about getting a 1st press test, but I never got a reply. Thankfully, Mike Park was happy to sell one of these to me, and I was super happy to have one. Seriously one of the nicest guys I have ever done this kind of deal with, and really gives you the time of day. 

B-Side. 

In order to not bend the record or sleeve in transit; this Firestone Brewing Company box was cut up and put in a poly-sleeve for support. Curiously enough though, I like it so I am keeping it in there for the time being. It's a little funny and definitely better than having a record just sat in a poly-sleeve on the shelf. It gives it a little more bulk too. 

Close up of the test press label. These were done at Rainbo Records, and so was the SsseaLegs press. I don't have a test from this plant, so it was something a bit different on both counts. 

Not the easiest thing to photograph but the matrix etching reads 'Dad Punchers - Side A' and 'Dad Punchers - Side B' on the respective sides. I do like that despite the name change, the old name is still sticking in some form or another. Obviously this turns up on the standard variants too. 

The dust cover is numbered 10/10. Nothing too fancy, but a nice touch all the same. 

What is a nice change however, is the Certificate of Authenticity you get with any Asian Man test press. 

Warm Thoughts - Mar Vista - Asian Man Records - Test Press - Black - 10/10

These are numbered, designated and signed by Mike Park. I know some labels used to do this back in the day, but it's not exactly common practice anymore. I really like it though, and it's the only test I own with something like this. To be fair, I don't own that many tests, but this one really is special. 

Finally. Money Shot. 

This was a single colour press, but I can guarantee you that if and when it gets re-pressed I will definitely be snatching up whatever I can. 

This was a bit of a long one. Sorry not sorry. 

I said this last time, no words I ever write will do this record or this band justice. But I'll do my best. Now just to hunt down The Exquisites split re-press and I'll be back up to date with this collection. In the meantime I'll be chasing whatever tests I can too. As always, I'll keep you posted.