Test With Serenity

I've done a couple of posts on Fade, and here's another one. Funnily enough, two separate releases from two different labels and on both occasions I got the test press before I got the standard variant. Plants seem to be really dragging their feet on some releases at the minute, and I'm too excited to not write about this one so here we go: 

Fade - One With Serenity - Neutral Words Records - Test Press - Black /10

This is my first test press of the year and what a way to kick it off right? I don't have that many test presses in my collection (possibly 12 or 13 as a ballpark figure?), but once pre-orders for this went up I emailed the good dudes at NWR and made an offer. Some tests come in really cool sleeves, printed up just for the occasion. Some tests come in plain sleeves // dust covers with nothing going on. This is a nice bit of middle ground, so there's a little to chat about. Neutral Words Records deal primarily in Hardcore (Broken Teeth and Forsaken have both put out stuff on this label) so at first I thought it was a bit of a left field choice. Saying that, dudes from Fade are in a band called Shrapnel, and sound a bit closer to what this label deals with. And who says label's should stick to a certain genre right?

Back Cover // B-Side 

This side is about as plain as you can get, but for a test press what would you really expect? I have test presses that came in a dust sleeve and not much else, so the stamped sleeve / centre label is definitely appreciated.

Which brings us right on to these.

Here's a little close up of the sleeve (well, what you need to see of it anyway). 

NWR012 is the label designation on the right. To the left the sleeve is stamped. It's not totally clear but you can make out 'Neutral Words Records // Leeds' and the central design looks to be in the same vein as the logo on their releases? It's hard to explain, head over to their bigcartel for a better idea (and grab a copy of this 7'' while you're there because it rips). The packaging that this came in was stamped too, just so you know. 

Centre label 

I don't really need to explain what's going on here. Stamped with the band name, release title, date of manufacture (at a guess) and then the label is hand labelled '/10'. I know that there are 10 out there, but it looks like they weren't numbered. Not to worry though right? 

That's about all I can say on this one for now. There's the best part of 12 minutes of music on this 7'', and then there's a bonus digital track that I can't wait to get my hands on. This release took a little more getting used to than the demo, but it's definitely a progression. I haven't picked up the demo since this arrived, and I guess that can only be a good thing? 

If the record plant Gods are in my favour, I should be getting another 3 copies of this soon enough. You can bet I'll be talking all about 'em too.

Cheers!

Burzum Boots

 Black Metal is a thing that although I'm pretty selective about, I get really in to when the mood is right. It seems to be an over-saturated genre these days (aren't they all?) but I like what I like. And the weird stuff that happened in Black Metal circles can't help but draw you in. With that in mind, I'm going to be waxing lyrical about possibly the most infamous name in the genre, Count Grishnackh / Varg Vikernes / Burzum. 

I'm not going to post any pressing info on this post. Purely as I don't know it. There's a hint that only 100 of these exist. But if someone is doing a bootleg release, 100 just seems a little unrealistic. These started lingering about in 2012, and pop up for sale every now and then. 

Back Cover // B-Side (Winter)

Apparently these boots stay pretty close to the original packaging of the official DSP release from 1992. Now it's very unlikely that I will ever throw the £250 odd going rate of a 1st press; but knowing the budget that Euronymous was working with at Deathlike Silence Productions I would imagine there wasn't the greatest sleeve quality holding those records together. The centre labels are definitely different though from what I've seen on eBay auctions and such?

Jannicke Wiese-Hansen (although credited a Wise on the sleeve) was responsible for the artwork on this LP, and did a bunch of work for Burzum, Immortal, Enslaved and a few more back in the day. 

As we're on the subject, lets skip to the next Burzum boot, the Aske EP. 

Some people say this was a 2012 re-issue like the S/T, others say 2013 so both tied in with the 20 year anniversary of the original release. Again, the rumour is that 100 were pressed, but I would imagine it's way higher. The weird one here is that Aske did get a pressing on Red prior to this turning up. However, the different centre labels and the different variant (transparent blood red) are an easy giveaway. The legitimacy of that press is also something that people have a gripe about. All I know is it fetches a bunch more money than this copy probably ever will. 

Much the same as before, the sleeve is a fairly okay repro of the DSP press, but the labels are different to the original. Most of the Black metal scene had a real thing against Lavey for being too soft or something. Don't get me wrong, I love fairly decent chunks of the genre, but some stuff is just a little too out there for me. You won't catch me wearing corpsepaint, unless I'm getting really ironic with some buds. 

Aske is Norwegian for Ashes, and the cover is graced with a post arson snap of the Fantoft Stave Church in Bergen. All aesthetic aside this was a real nice looking church (as were a bunch that got torched through the 90's in Norway). Although Vikernes is highly suspected of both the arson and subsequent photography; he was never proved to be a part of this one. Although this EP cuts in about 20 minutes, I return to this way more regularly than the S/T. 

This is a copy of the S/T held to the light, though they both look pretty similar. The blend inside them both is pretty cool and I don't mind at all that they are boots. It's funny, all the other Burzum records I have are the RSD '13 presses on splatter vinyl. I bought these boots (that worked out only a little cheaper than the RSD press) purely because the RSD release packs both releases together in a 2x12'' deal. I know it makes sense to package them together financially (would anyone drop £22+ on a 20 minute EP?) but they are separate releases and so should be kept that way to me. I'll probably grab the RSD press in time, just to continue on a theme though. For now these will do just fine though. I need to grab a Mayhem record or two next. 

Cheers for reading!

EDIT: speaking to good guy Alan Beningfield it turns out that these are /100. However there are 4 or 5 colours out there from this press. I'm more than happy with this one though!

∞

With a new Cloakroom album due to drop next week (there's already so much coming up in 2015 I'm looking forward to) I thought I'd best add the Infinity EP to my collection. It's one of those that I've listened to time after time and enjoyed a bunch but never actually got round to picking up. Well today it finally turned up so I can get to writing about it! 

Cloakroom - Infinity - Run For Cover Records - 2nd Press - White /550 

The first thing that jumps out about the packaging is the hole in the sleeve right? I think these are referred to as a 'Disco Sleeve' but that's a super dumb name so lets skip over that. 

Although the variant is stated to be White, there is a ton of bleed and looks to be more of a Grey Marble than anything, but this seems to suit the somewhat muddy feel of the record. It's funny how things work out at times I guess! 

Back Cover // B-Side 

Artwork on this release was handled by Reuben Sawyer at Rainbath Visual and it's a style you can tell from a mile off. There's something a little unsettling in all of the work coming out of there. The jackets are quite a thick card and have the appearance of being screened, but I can't find much out on that front. 

Insert

As opposed to a full size insert, this looks more like a bookmark, and it fits quite well in the sleeve without being seen through the centre holes. This side contains all the lyrics. Band personnel, recording credits and thanks (it literally only says thanks) are on the back cover. 

Insert 

The other side of this insert contains the illustrations that grace the centre labels of each side of the record. There's something super bleak about this, which kind of meets the feel of the music I guess? Speaking of the centre labels, I really should have taken photos of the record in the sleeve to see how centre labels fit in the artwork. Balls. 

Listening to this record through my setup has got me really excited for the new LP. Run For Cover had started streaming it early, but I'm holding off 'til I get it in my hands. From the snippets I've seen of the packaging, it looks like a cool one too! 

Cheers!

Blue Hearts

A couple of people have asked me to do a post on this record. I'm not particularly sure why there seems to have trouble finding this, I scored this off eBay without any trouble a year or two ago. I'm missing the Virgin Sails 7'' from this band, which isn't cool as the tracks on that record are incredible. But I go on... 

My Heart To Joy - Seasons In Verse - Asbestos Records - 1st Press - Blue/100 

A couple of people seem to be under the impression that Topshelf Records handled the vinyl release of that. I know they released Seasons In Verse on CD (and a great 7'' called Reasons To Be), but I believe that Asbestos were the only ones handling wax copies of this. 

Back Cover // B-Side 

No Barcode. No Topshelf logo. The back cover doesn't seem to match the cover art too well which is a shame. In the bottom right corner during shipping, this copy got a fairly nasty corner ding that wasn't too cool either. However, I do like the centre labels and how they match the hand illustration on the cover. 

Insert 

This side of the insert contains all the lyrics for the LP against some spooky tree scenes. The first time I heard this was in my friend's car driving around the back roads of our hometown, and the scenes in these photos are a little similar.

The other side of the insert. 

Shitty Greg from TWIABP was in this band, maybe a couple of other members too. List of band personnel, recording/mastering credits and thanks. A bunch of great bands are thanked on this insert too, quite a few of which have sadly fallen by the wayside in the last 6 years (damn, this album has already been out 6 years!). 

There's not an awful lot I have to say on this album, as it came at a weird point for me. I have some great memories of this album that I always return to as soon as it starts playing and that is good enough for me. This record really needs a re-press. There seems to be a few people out there after it, and with only 500 copies out there (across 4 colours weirdly) it's slowly growing more expensive. 

Cheers!

Music Gives Back

Every now and then something comes along in the vinyl community that warms your heart a little. The last great example of this for me was the Soft Speak Records 'Fall Split 7'' Series' Box Set; compiling 8 bands over 4 split 7''s. The 7''s were available to everyone, but an exclusive limited variant was made for the box set and came in exclusive packaging. As for the heartwarming part, 5 charities were represented across these splits, and proceeds went to the charities. I was interested in a good proportion of the bands, I'm a sucker for limited variants and as I mentioned, it's all for a good cause so I grabbed in early for this. It also came in at a pretty good price too which is always a bonus. 

As this was a Fall Series set, it was released one 7'' a month (the box set obviously arrived after all the 7''s had been released). So we'll start off with September: 

Sorority Noise // Radiator Hospital - September Split - Soft Speak Records - 1st Press - Coke Bottle Clear /100 (Box Set Exclusive)

Back Cover // B-Side 

Two tracks. Two covers. Both pretty cool. I'm definitely more familiar with Sorority Noise than I am with Radiator Hospital. Although, I would really like the 'I Want To Believe' 7'' by Radiator Hospital, as any record with Agent Scully on the cover is bound to be dead good right? No insert on this one. 

Frameworks // The Saddest Landscape - October Split  Soft Speak Records - 1st Press - Coke Bottle Clear /100 (Box Set Exclusive)

Back Cover // B-Side 

Again, I am far more familiar with The Saddest Landscape than I am Frameworks. Also, both bands offer up a cover. However, as opposed to the September Split, this is housed in a gate-fold sleeve and comes with an insert. 

Frameworks cover 'Fell In Love With A Girl' originally by The White Stripes; and the cover art on this left hand panel is taken straight from the original artwork, with the amendment to the band name. 

The right hand panel is a live TSL photo, based on No Spiritual Surrender . I missed them on their latest UK run, and I've been kicking myself about it. 

Insert

Another TSL live shot. Apparently it's from a private show played for Frameworks. 

Insert. 

TSL write about the charity they support on this split (To Write Love On Her Arms) along with a few thanks and a little explanation on the record. Frameworks support AccesSportAmerica, and their paragraph explains the work that the charity does. 

Pet Symmetry // Slingshot Dakota - November Split -  Soft Speak Records - 1st Press - Coke Bottle Clear /100 (Box Set Exclusive)

Back Cover // B-Side 

Again, Pet Symmetry are a band that I am quite familiar with. Slingshot Dakota not so much. Potted Plant Meets Vintage Amp: A Katherine Grube Love Story is my favourite song this band has come out with so far. Slingshot cover a Rainer Maria track and it's definitely cool. This is the only 7'' in the set that requires a 45 adapter. At first I thought the slight change in colour between the records and the one 'big hole' was a little strange, as a box set should be a little more uniform right? But as I look at it more and more, I really like the little individual quirks of each release.

Pet Symmetry Side of the Insert. 

Lyrics Credits and Thanks. 

Out of the four 7''s, two come with these small inserts. Over the past 6 months or so I've seen more and more smaller inserts cropping up. They're definitely easier to pop in a sleeve but it doesn't make a world of difference either way. 

Slingshot Dakota Side of the Insert. 

A pretty similar pattern follows this side of the insert, with additional thanks to Rainer Maria. 

Free Throw // Oso Oso - December Split -  Soft Speak Records - 1st Press - Coke Bottle Clear /100 (Box Set Exclusive)

Back Cover // B-Side 

Free Throw offer up a pretty cool new song, and Oso Oso knock out a Christmas classic. Oso Oso is the new forming of State Lines, with a member change round or two possibly? Although all these variants are exclusive to this 7''; this is the only 7'' of the bunch that is completely sold out. The proceeds from this record went to Toys for Tots. 

The sleeve of this 7'' opens up to a snowflake design, which adds a bit of Christmas spirit to proceedings right? 

Box 

Although the records came with the sleeves, they records themselves came housed in this DIY box set. The box only accommodates the records, not the sleeves which is a little odd but not really an issue. Corey Purvis handled all the design and layout for the records, and with them all being pretty similar in style I'm sure I'll find a use for the sleeves. The box is exclusive to the pre-order, and I'm a sucker for a box set so it seems a shame not to use it right? 

Back Of The Box

There was also a note inside the box explaining the who sleeves and box set deal. More importantly, it lists the charities helped out through the sale of this thing. 

Finally. Money shot. 

I know this has been a little longer than normal, but there was a fair amount of effort gone into this box set, and a good few records to cover. Definitely glad I picked this one up, and hopefully something similar might happen again next year? 

Cheers!

FreeWhirl

A bit of a late pass on this record. It's weird, sometimes you can like a band enough to dip in and out of their back back catalogue, but sometimes you miss the boat completely. Even worse in this case, as this LP got a fair amount of hype; and rightfully so. Better late than never though right? 

Whirr - Sway - Graveface Records - 1st Press - Brown // Bone // Yellow /2100 

Sorry about the not so great photographs over the next few posts. Winter here gives us about 15 minutes of sunlight a day, so this is the only way to get things done, and I'd rather post this way than not at all. 

Back Cover // B-Side 

I really like the artwork for this LP, and Whirr generally have great design for their releases. Nickolas Schuller and Ryan McCardle handled art and layout for this one. McCardle did some cool stuff for Wild Nothing in the past. Schuller is definitely a familiar face though, doing work for Nothing and Camera Shy. He also designed the 'Swhirl'. Strangely enough, on Schuller's online portfolio, one of the copies shown of 'Part Time Punks Sessions' by Whirr is a photograph I took. I'm guessing he nabbed the photo from my Instagram? 

Dust Sleeve

The Swhirl. Or Freewhirl as people are calling it. 

Dust Sleeve Pt. 2 

Graveface logos everywhere. 

This is real neat. Sometimes I'm not the biggest fan of printing up dust sleeves to use as an insert and putting lyrics over them, so this is a nice midpoint as far as I'm concerned. 

Gate-fold. 

As I'm limited on space to photograph stuff in direct sunlight, I thought I'd add this in. The gate-fold sleeve works well with the art, and unlike most sleeves the spine isn't super chunky so it sits a bit better on the shelf. 

The first panel is the lyrics to the record. And you really do need them to follow the tracks. The vocals seem drowned in reverb and almost whispered at times. Even in the most abrasive parts of this record, the vocals are kept a big secret. Not that I would have it any other way, I'd just be miffed if I didn't have this to follow the songs with. 

The second panel is a little more sparse. Lineup change, recording // production // mastering credits. Art and design credits. 

Finally

To the right is the Download Code. To the left is something quite cool; the Freddy Points scheme. The more points you get, the cooler the prize. I like free stuff, if you want to send me your unwanted Freddy Points I'll grab a 7'' and say thanks. 

There's not much left to say on this record really. I think it's the best they've done by a pretty long stretch, and now is as good a chance as any to listen if you haven't before? 

Cheers!

You Know You're Right

Okay so recently I got my first car. After having a license for a little over 4 years, I've finally got round to buying a vehicle. This is cool for many reasons, most notably being able to get out and about to visit friends and go to / play gigs more. Another cool thing (well I think it's cool) is that my car is super old and therefore has a cassette deck. This means that I've had a solid rotation of Unplugged In New York and Incesticide by Nirvana among some other classics. With this in mind, I'm going to be talking about  a record that I got quite a while ago, but just never got to talking about! 

Nirvana - Nirvana (Best Of) - Geffen Records // Universal Music Group - 1st Press - Black /? (2X12'')

There's really not an awful lot I know about this record, and not through lack of trying! It just seems to be one of those records that came along at a weird time for vinyl and seemingly slipped through the cracks. Despite 2002 not being a huge time for vinyl, I do like the metallic ink on the sleeve. The lettering is embossed too. Fancy as you like. 

16 Classic Songs

This is stuck in the top right hand corner of all vinyl copies supposedly, although I really haven't seen that many of them. I know that Nirvana collector nerds get all weird about this sticker (on the CD version) as it can indicate where the release came from. That's a whole new level of weird for me, but I do get where it comes from. 

Weirdly enough, I'm not going to spend a crazy amount of time on the vinyl and focus a little more on the packaging. If anyone is wondering why, it's because it's 2 LP's on black with nearly identical centre labels. The only thing that changes is the Side designation at the top of the label and the track-listing on the right hand side. However, I do have photos of all the centre labels so if anyone really wants to see them then I can add them in at a later date? 

The record comes with a 2 page gate-fold booklet, entirely in black and white and with a little story to tell. Half the fun of getting a Nirvana record is opening it out, looking at all the photographs and reading what everyone has to say. I don't quite know why, but Nirvana are just an interesting band even when they look to be doing nothing remotely interesting. 

Inside Part 1 

The images here are decent enough quality that should you want to read all of this, it should hold up by saving and enlarging it. 

Sunday, January 30th 1994 is the story being told for the most part. That was the last recording session Nirvana ever had, and it was the session that laid down 'You Know You're Right' which is only available on vinyl here (aside from a Bootleg 7''). Apparently this was their first time recording in almost a year and that one song was all that came from the session. I was about 16 months old at this point. Damn. 

Inside Part 2

The rest of the text goes through a very brief Nirvana history, explaining the background of some of the hits and grabbing odd quotes here and there from Dave and Krist about who Kurt Cobain was as a person. More importantly, it focuses on the brighter side of life, which is a difficult point to get across with the small text on a colourless background. 

The text to the right is a rundown of the tracks. Recording and Mastering credits are provided here, along with musician credits (for example Chad Channing is credited on About A Girl and such). Some tracks featured here are alternate mixes (the Scott Litt mixes of Heart-Shaped Box and Pennyroyal Tea are on this release) and all the tracks were mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering. Some things I notice in these recordings that I don't notice on the respective LP cuts, others I can't tell the difference. Remasters are for more sensitive ears than mine most of the time. 

For anyone interested, here is a track-listing with credits. Sub-Pop logos are on the centre labels due to 3/4 of the tracks of Side A. I still don't own the Sliver 7''// 12''(?) or the Blew EP; all in good time I guess? I am missing more Nirvana record than I own though. I still don't own Nevermind. Truly slacking at times. 

Back of the booklet. 

Robert Fisher handled the art direction here and everything is pretty on point. In ways it feels like a eulogy, in ways it seems completely about the music and nothing else. It's hard to explain without sounding like an idiot. 

Back Cover 

This could well be a Univox guitar that Kurt is playing. I guess it's not that important. It could also be a Gospel. Someone out there is bound to know. 

Finally 

Track-listing. 

The weird thing about the track-listing is that most versions had 14 or 15 tracks; the last two tracks were either fully or partially omitted from other versions.

Something In The Way was only available on vinyl and the Japanese CD release. 

Where Did You Sleep Last Night was not included on US or Canadian issues of the album. 

So there we go, a strange story about a strange record. 

There was no US issue of this record. It was only ever made in Europe, with most sources indicating that it is from a UK plant. I'm not sure if this effected pressing numbers or not as I can't seem to find pressing information anywhere. Honestly I'm just glad to own it. This is again another amazing Nirvana record that Alan over at Different Kitchen let me buy from his personal collection. This one isn't mint by any means, it looks like it has been played and loved and I wouldn't have it any other way.