Clear In The Dust

So here's my first post of 2016, written about one of the late contenders in my 2015 top 10 LP's. 

Fell To Low - Low In The Dust - Revelation Records - 1st Press - Clear /500 

I pretty much gave this record a blind chance on the fact that it got a few Rev collectors feeling weird. A bunch of dudes from hardcore bands releasing a record on a classic hardcore label that sounds nothing like you would assume, based on those two previous facts. 

Another thing that sticks out here is that the 2 tracks that take up the B-Side span about 13 minutes a piece. There were only two colour options here: 180gm Black /300 or Clear /500, and as this was a Christmas gift I didn't get much of a choice in the variant, though I would have picked this anyway as it looks lovely. 

What pushed me to talk about this record early however isn't just the fact that it's incredible, or the fact that it gives me a kick knowing that Revheads are not sure how to take it. I have been pretty hard into the packaging and concept of the artwork from the moment I saw it. Before I owned it, the cover art had a really creepy undertone that I wasn't sure how to take; but having the physical really puts it into context. This is the printed inner.

The other side of the inner contains band personnel, photo and recording// mastering credits. Bob Weston from Shellac mastered this album, which is pretty cool right? However, what's more important for me is this little story at the bottom that explains the artwork. 

For those that can't be bothered to upscale and read it tells the story of the art, which is made of 2 photographs taken in August 1992 by the US Marshall Service. The photos were of Randy Weaver and his family on their property in Idaho. Weaver was under investigation for possessing and making illegal firearms. You can see his Son and Wife in these photographs. Days after these photographs were taken, both Weaver's Son and Wife were killed, by Six US Marshalls and an FBI Sharpshooter respectively. Vicki died holding her 10 month daughter in her arms, and a search of the property yielded insufficient evidence and later a full acquittal of all charges for Weaver. If the artwork wasn't haunting before, it certainly is now. 

On top of the printed inner you also get this poster style insert with live photos on one side and the lyrics on the other. 

According to Discogs there is also another variant of this Clear copy with an additional pre-order insert /35. Considering this is one of the times that the artwork is as important to me as the record is, I would love to see what that is all about. 

Rev159 is fast becoming a favourite from this label for me.