Picture Disc Pending

I'd love to say that I got a copy of the Patent Pending LP today. However, today is not that day. 

For those that don't know, Heavens was the short lived side project from Matt of Alkaline Trio and Josiah from F-Minus (I think). Only one LP and a couple of singles came out from it, and they were all great. Sadly the LP was limited to a single press of 1000 copies and rarely surfaces for under £50; but when this single came up for a couple of quid posted I dived in. 

The B-Side of this picture disc contains a remix, and it sounds about how you would expect a remix to sound. It's pleasant enough but I can't really see it getting played that often. 

Hype sticker on the sleeve. 

There was another version of this 7'' that came on black vinyl with an alternate mix (kind of similar to the Alkaline Trio 'Burn' 7''). Both copies were for Epitaph UK and no pressing info has been released. I haven't picked up the other version, but if I get the urge I can't see it being hard to find. 

What I'm really hoping for is this record getting a 10 year anniversary repress; although I guess the way things ended here doesn't get me feeling too hopeful. 

Cheers! 

Payyyola

Anything Conor Oberst is involved with I will happily give a go. I haven't heard a thing from him that I haven't liked an awful lot. The Bright Eyes LP 'I'm Wide Awake It's Morning' is an album that is super close to me, and I have a lot of time for anything new coming out from him. 

For some reason though, when Payola came out I just wasn't in a place where I wanted to listen to it. I think it had something to do with missing the 7''s that were released leading up to it (they still fetch far more than a 7'' should), and so I denied myself this record for close to a year because I'm an idiot. 

The sleeve design is really cool, but a little more on that in a second. There were a couple of coloured options available, but classy Black seems to work well with the packaging. 

Although the Black vinyl is somewhat plain to look at, the sleeve is a whole other matter. This was the deluxe press /1000 that came in a die-cut jacket with a 4-panel insert. 

The insert also acts as part of the cover art, and when it is pulled away it reveals a bunch of dollar signs printed on the inside of the jacket. It's not the easiest thing to photograph but I hope you get the idea. 

The thanks section of the insert. One of the coolest things about this section is the inclusion of Laura Jane Grace on guest vocals. Slightly off topic but she has a memoir coming out at the end of the year which will be great right? 

Inside of the insert with the lyrics. I find it a little weird that this came out on Epitaph for a couple of reasons. It's a once great label that is now incredibly hit and miss, displaying some incredible artists (Menzingers and Pianos Become The Teeth spring to mind) and some absolute guff (you all know who they are). Also, everything released by this band has either been done off their own back or through Saddle Creek. It's just seems a strange home for them is all. 

Finally, the obligatory stickered shrink. 

New Home

So I have been on a bit of a Ramones kick over the last few months. I've had the CD's for years, but had always heard bad things about the represses through Rhino so I stayed away. More recently I've been trying to grab earlier presses of their records to combat this problem. I'm not saying I'm after 1st US presses or anything like that, but if you crack open the sleeve and it smells a bit fusty then it's good enough for me. A guy who I could more than bet on having a fusty smelling Ramones LP or two is Alan at Different Kitchen, so on my last trip to see him I grabbed this from his 'for sale' pile. 

I'm pretty sure this is a UK press, and I know it's super old. The only other information I can pull from Discogs is that it is the version of Leave Home that has the track Babysitter as opposed to Carbona Not Glue. I believe much the same as the other UK presses, this surfaced in 1977, and Alan definitely had a couple of copies of this LP. 

The only strange thing about the information on Discogs is that it states that 'Babysitter' is not on the sleeve or insert, however they appear on both with this copy. So either this isn't a UK press (although the labels state 'Made In England') or this is a version yet unlisted on Discogs. 

Best band logo ever right? Along with Misfits, Black Flag, Minor Threat, I've always been obsessed with these logos from old iconic punk bands. Although there isn't much of a connecting style artistically, there was definitely something in the water back then. 

Not quite the Roberta Bayley portrait we all know and love, but this photo is pretty great too. 

The other side of the insert (which has these odd angled edges at the top) contains all the lyrics (bar California Sun which was originally by The Rivieras). Yup, that's the lyrics to 13 songs. All of 'em. Also, this record manages to crack through 14 perfect songs in under half an hour, only like Ramones can. I've bought another few records from this band since then, so this may be the first of a few posts. I've kinda slacked on buying around this time like I do every year in preparation for RSD, and for all the moaning everyone does about that day, there are a few records I'm really enthusiastic for. 

As a parting note about this record. It's coming up for being 40 years old, and from what I can gather my copy is also coming up for 40 years old too. It still plays a dream with very little surface noise and definitely no pops or skipping. Both a testament to how sturdy this format can be when made well, and a hats off to Alan for looking after his wax so well!

Cheers

I Fell Asleep And Watched TV

Over the years of doing this blog, I've probably not done an awful lot of posting about Nirvana. Most likely cause of that is that I don't have an awful lot, so when this arrived, before it even went on the turntable I quickly grabbed a few photos of it and this is where we're up to today.

This is the 1st UK 12'' press on the Tupelo Recording Company. There was also a Second UK Press of Blue vinyl. There are no pressing numbers available, and to my knowledge there is no US 12'' press on Sub Pop. 

Back Cover with this great live photo with a Tupelo label on the centre label. The Live version of About A Girl on the B-Side is definitely worth digging out too. It's a lot faster than the studio version and by the second verse all this distortion kicks in. 

Kurt comes under as Kurdt here and Krist comes under as Chris. Jane Higgins has done a lot of design work for Nirvana and other Sub Pop bands like Mudhoney, Dwarves and some others. 

Finally, here is the text along the record. It doesn't sit on the spine, but rather the bottom of the sleeve. The sleeve also opens from the top as opposed to the side. There is no insert or dust sleeve with the record. 

Dick Heaven Goes 'Murican

Okay, so here is a quick preface to this guest entry. Richard Heaven has been reading this blog pretty much since I started writing it; has previously featured in it and even sold me records that have inevitably wound up on here. He's got far more of an artistic eye than me, definitely has better photography skills and has approached this from an angle that I wouldn't even have though of (despite owning the single LP press too myself). I am thankful for his input, and hopefully it will be one of many. Cheers dude!

I've wanted a repress copy of American Football's self titled album ever since it was announced but, for one reason or another, I never got round to picking one up. Still, things change, and recently I ended up buying the single LP repress from a facebook but/sell group. It arrived fine and sounded great but I soon realised that I wanted the expanded artwork and booklet that came with the double LP reissue. Well, as luck would have it, I was at a friend's house show a few days later and managed to buy his copy for a good price.

Records ei, they're like busses...

Anyway, I managed to sell my single LP version but before sending it out I offered to do a comparison post for my home boy Kane. Which brings us to here...

Working from the inside outwards, the first major change I noticed was the labels. The double LP repress featured a cleaner, airer design whilst the single LP labels felt very tight. The colours have been reversed although personally I feel like they both suit the variants. 

Next up is the inner sleeves. As Kane has said before, the photos used in the newest pressing are perfect for the LP and really add something to the whole experience which is impressive considering that they were taken to work with imagery created fifteen years ago. The single LP version comes in a standard white paper sleeve which does very little for the overall package.

Now, I actually quite liked the lyric sheet on the older pressing. It doesn't hold a candle to the annotated photo book but it's printed on a nice textured stock and laid out very clearly.

And lastly we have the back cover. The contents have been shaken up a little to incorporate the additional LP leading the recording and pressing info to be relocated to the booklet. I actually prefer the layout of the single LP - although the red and yellow colour scheme suits the artwork I feel like the muted yellow and green text ties the two sides together more effectively.

So there we are, a brief side-by-side of the two represses. Both sound great and I don't think you'd regret buying either copy although I don't think you'll ever regret spending out a little more for the expanded package!

The 1975 Live

So a few days ago I made some last minute plans with a mate to catch The 1975 on their 3rd night out of 5 Sold Out shows at Brixton O2 Academy (last night, or the 7th for anyone catching this late). They kicked off their tour there, so it seemed as good a place as any. So from my house, we had about a 90 minute drive, grabbed a train, a tube stop or six and there we were outside the venue. The queue was around the venue, but we managed to get in with a good spot in plenty of time to catch the support band (The Japanese House - who were cool), and watch The 1975. They were great, the light show alone was worth the price of admission, but to play a nearly two hour show that held my attention at all times was really special. I could gush about it all day, but this post is going to be heavy enough as it is. Here is the merch I grabbed from the night, so here we go: 

First up I bought a couple of wristbands. They are identical with both sides shown here. I originally bought one for my niece who couldn't attend the show, and then got one for myself too. 

They were selling the LP and the CD, but I hadn't seen a cassette version of this before and it was reasonably cheap so I bought it. I probably won't listen to it much with having the LP already, but it's a nice souvenir to have. From what I can see, this is an Urban Outfitters exclusive, but their copies have a small Parental Advisory sticker in the bottom right corner that could well just be an alternative shrinkwrap. There is also no real indicator online as to what colour the shells are for Urban Outfitters, but I assume they are the same as this. 

I would like to find the Love Me / Ugh! promo tape too, but for now I'm pretty happy with this. I have no clue on pressing numbers for this one either.

Much the same as the LP gatefold, the J-Card for the cassette contains this photo set, with the track-listing. There are 9 tracks on the A-Side, with 8 on the B-Side. It's a neat touch that the A-Side of the J-Card contains the first 9 photo sets too right? 

And here is the B-Side of the J-Card for lack of a better phrase, with the remaining 8 photo sets and thanks. No lyrics, but it's pretty well packed out as it stands. 

Lastly I bought a tour shirt. It's a terrible compulsion that I can't really go to a gig without grabbing one. The front of the shirt is the album art. 

And here is the back. The dates carry on down the shirt through til Mid-April, but I'm sure you get the idea. There's no tag in the back shirt and is instead printed with the band logo, size and washing instructions. 

Splattered Life

Every now and then a record comes along that surpasses all expectation, and becomes an old friend very quickly. This is a record that I bought, not knowing quite how much attention I was going to give it. It ticks all the boxes, it looks incredible, it plays great and the art is a great representation of what the record is all about. 

I Love Your Lifestyle - We Go Way Back - Dog Knights Productions - 1st Press - Ultra Clear W/ Blue & Orange Splatter /150 

I'm always a sucker for a nice splatter variant, and I'm sure I read somewhere that Pirates Press were responsible for the pressing, so they look great. Each copy is different from what I assume, and I like that mine has a big chunk where the splatter isn't there. 

The art for this is lovely, and the accompanying merch that DKP put up for it worked together really well. I can't find much on the artists that worked together on this, but compared to the creepy insert on their debut 12'' I'm feeling this one a bit more. 

The back cover has about all you need on it, so I'm pretty set. I think Art Is Hard released either a lathe or a flexi of Jazz Nights that I missed out on.

The first side of the insert is a little hard on the eyes, as White text on a pale Blue background when your eyesight sucks is never going to work out great. 

Some more of the Bjurbo designed cartoon characters. The Cat at the top of the photo ended up on the merch that came out; there;s also a Dog counterpart that I'm quite smitten by. 

The other side of the insert changes up the colour scheme a little, making it a bit easier to follow. 

Thanks and credits reside on this side too. 

Finally, this kind of thing looks great held up to the light so this got chucked on to the end of this post. 

2 Songs

I've been on the lookout for this tape for quite a while, but I always had a price in mind that I wasn't going to go over. One came up for sale last week, and it was fairly smooth sailing. It's a hard one to guess a price on, with them largely circulating in buy/sell/trade groups as opposed to eBay or Discogs channels.

Basement - Two Songs - City Of Gold Records - 1st Press - Clear Shell /100 W/ Yellow Variant Cover /25

There are four covers on four colours, each out of 25, and they make up the variants as all the shells are clear. I honestly wasn't fussed which one I ended up with. It contains two demo tracks of songs that would end up on 'I Wish I Could Stay Here', namely 'Plan To Be Surprised' on the A-Side and 'Every Single Word' on the B-Side. 

You know this came out a while back when City Of Gold released it right? I'm sure a few readers had issues with that label at some point (myself included), but they did release some cool stuff for Basement. 

Inside the J-Card are the lyrics for the two songs, and a thank you. The text at the bottom is so small I struggle to read it, but I assume it could be recording credits maybe? 

I was happy with this, as aside from the demo cdr that I've never seen a copy of this meant I had one of each release. Now they go ahead and release the Promise Everything promo tape that I'm going to have to chase down. Anyone know anyone selling?

Cheers!