We Are Pretentious Assholes

Making Amends for September

2011-11-08T21:28:00.001-05:00

Boom! October is a great month for records I feel. I don't know what it is, I don't even remember what I got last October, but I bet it's great for most people. I actually crossed some major wants off my list, including one that has been in my top ten wants for years now.

The most notable finds here are the ones that I have been searching and searching for, without wanting to resort to ebay, discogs, or whatever other electronic means there are. Those would be first and foremost Bloodflowers, From Her to Eternity, and The Idiot, in that order. I think I may these albums may be entitled to posts of their own.

Other finds of importance: The Cure's "Catch" 12" single, which is significant because it's a German single with the b side being made up of two live tracks from The Cure In Orange performance, which has as of yet only been released on VHS and laserdisc (which had the audio terribly out of sync from the video), meaning high quality versions of these songs are not available. This performance is actually incredible, Simon is a boss in it, and the film is a must see/own for any major Cure fan. All you need to know: they play mostly goth material in an outdoor ampitheatre built by the Romans two thousand years ago. I also got the "Killing The Arab" seven inch, and at a decent deal, but to cut a long story short, I coul've had it for a measly three bucks. It's got that cool embossed centre thing going on that old singles had. Does nobody do that anymore?

Oh and Quickness is awesome. I bought that album on tape in Victoria's Fan Tang Alley back in 2008 or so, and it rips. Even the reggae track. Probably my third favorite Bad Brains album. Stoked to get it on proper vinyl, so I passed the cassette onto Finner. Apparently "Don't Blow Bubbles" is super homophobic, but it kinda just comes across as nonsense (Trash Pits?).

Some new records in there too. Lost Tribe's debut LP is incredible, Condominium I haven't spun too much to be honest. Cutest Band in Hardcore is on No Way, not the legendary Mutha label, so no hype here on that front.

Shoutouts to AK, Blank Stare, Rotate This' 20% sale, Not Dead Yet, Turning Point, the new Sonic Boom in Kensington, trcoffins, Alex and Creem, Blind Prophet, some Zine distro, Grave Mistake, and Hits and Misses.

Sorta Dull Monthly Roundup

2011-10-10T20:08:00.000-04:00

I neither have much in they way or quantity or quality to report here. This picture also has two items that weren't in August's snapshot that should have been, thus reinforcing September's inactivity. Some cool stuff for sure, but nothing crazy, no major wants crossed off my list, no heroic stories.

At the same time though I don't want to be implying that the releases from RXF or Pukeoid or not of quality, because they rip. Rather they're just not boastable (yet) from a record collecting stand point. The Death In June record is a repress, so that's a snoozer on that front as well. Red Lorry Yellow Lorry is the best tangible find of the month.

September was a busy month for me with school and a new job, so I guess that explains this paltry effort, but October is young and already has some craziness involved, including two items scratched off my ever changing top ten wants (I want to write it down and make it a static pursuit). It will only get nuttier with a fall reading week offering respite from reality but even more importantly Not Dead Yet before that.

September shout outs to Blank Stare (who put out a Canadian version of the RazorXFade LP, Vertigo, Jo, and someone's Toronto distro which was brought to Ottawa for the Punkottawa garage sale.

This Month's Plans : Issue II

2011-09-01T17:09:00.000-04:00

After a long hollow void, WAPA is on its way back with a new issue. I hope to begin printing by the end of September. As for content, there will be interviews with OMEGAS and CULO, as well as some general articles and photography. But in reality, it's worth it just for either one of the interviews. The title of the Omegas LP sums them both up nicely: they're simply Blasts of Lunacy.

Also, it seems the Ottawa Public Library is a fan of X (but then again, who isn't?):

Also, I have already plugged this, but the new Blank Stare zine is out and features an article written by me about arbitrary rarities and coloured vinyl. Check it out here.

End of Summer

2011-09-01T17:01:00.000-04:00

EDIT: I totally forgot to put some releases in this, I'll have to redo this post as a result. Shiiiit.

I suppose that the Earth's axis would claim there are another three weeks left, but with school recommencing in less than a week, I would say otherwise. With August over, another record scores update is due.

Highlights: Blasts of Lunacy Euro press (spins at 45, makes it worth it right there), Germ Attak swan songs, and a mini Sex/Vid collection.

Shoutouts to Blank Stare (pick up their freshly printed zine here), some Toronto guy's distro, Thurston Moore for shopping at Vertigo, and Dead Lights.

Another July Has Passed...

2011-08-10T08:04:00.001-04:00

...which means one more month until summer's end. I've been doing this thing where I keep track of what I accumulate through the month, and then culminate it with a monthly photo. I hadn't posted any here, but I suppose I'll start doing that starting now with the month of July.

I spent much less on records in July because my summer was basically over. I was no longer travelling to Montreal or Toronto every week, my vacation had already been spent on a trip to LA, and I mentally switched from vacation mode to workfulltimeandpayforschool mode. Regardless still found a couple decent things.

The bottom of this picture is the four 7"s that came with the BEGN of the new Fucked Up album. I love that band, and I think the album is decent, but I think they went overkill with all these releases. Ideally I would have trimmed down the 2XLP in length a bit, and avoided these redundant 7"s. There is nothing about them that makes me want to jam them. This is especially true of the middle ones, but it's just pictures of people or things, and nothing really attention grabbing. What made the slew of the Fucked Up releases in their earlier period exciting was the fact that tons of different (and much smaller) labels were putting them out, meaning each 7" had its own unique vibe. All 7"s released since signing to Matador however come in the exact same packaging and format, rendering their run of releases somewhat stagnant if I were to speak boldly. The constant white bar and text that has been there since "Police" is great because it creates a subliminal bond with their whole catalogue while securing an aesthetic, but all other format opportunities have been somewhat lost in recent times. Long story short: shake things up!

Other notable finds in this lot: A French Cure bootleg (whose picture disc properties are excused by the fact that it features a picture of Robert Smith with Santa), The Cure Happily Ever After (a double LP compiling Faith and Seventeen Seconds for American audiences, Billy Bragg Peel Sessions, some New Order and Depeche Mode, and finally the gayest record I now own: the "Disappointed" 12" single featuring Neil Tennant by Electronic (the music duo of Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr). In conclusion, not enough punk this month.

Shoutouts to: Ross P., AK, Erin Power, Krista, Beatnik Records, Aux 33 Tours, and Vertigo Records.

Finally, I figure I would post the past couple of months here, because they are no longer posted anywhere else. April, May, June:

Epilogue

2011-08-01T17:41:00.000-04:00

So obviously I have been inactive with this thing, but should anyone really take a blog seriously?

Lately my main man Finner has been working on Blank Stare with Sterling, a label that had a running start having already released several tapes from hardcore bands in Ottawa, Toronto and even NY. The latest release was a Canadian version of the RazorXFade LP, something people will surely be seeking out in the years to come. I just wanna quickly mention that I love when a record has geographic variations.

Which brings me to the purpose of this post: Variations. The last line of Issue I of the zine said something to the effect of "Coloured vinyl doesn't matter." I expand on my frustration for this mostly arbitrary variation in a short article I wrote for the inaugural issue of the Blank Stare zine which will be forthcoming in the following weeks. I'll probably be contributing some other stuff too, so look out for that before I really work on Issue II.

A Few Things

2011-04-15T00:02:00.001-04:00

Went to the Omegas LP release show in TO, Mad Men opened and were incredible of course. Got the new Omegas LP, which from cover to the songs is incredible. It only makes me laugh when people hate them. Get into it! Mad Men were supposed to have a 7" but it experienced pressing plant delays. Jonah said they might sell some tests instead, which led to Finner and I stressing out over who, when and where was going to be selling them. Needless to say, none were had, so I bought 2 pins instead.

Photos by my brother Logan. It was his first hardcore show.

I also established a new personal record shopping rule. I've long wanted a Cure discography collection, probably since I was about fifteen. Due to the extensive nature of their releases, I figured I would start with the LPs. Well years later I have most the LPs, but there are some rare ones that are holding out (namely Wish and Bloodflowers!!!). So after having not bought any Cure records in a couple years, and after having constantly passing on the singles, I decided if I found a single I didn't own, and it was under $10, it would be a must buy. I have since made an extensive excel sheet to help me with this quest. I then found this amazing website. I wonder if there are similar sites for other cool bands. Anyway, as cool as it is, I'm bummed cause I just found out my copy of Three Imaginary Boys my ex bought me years ago is a 90s boot. Kinda cool I guess, cause the quest continues!

Lastly I'm moving in May, up one floor, so I'm deciding a whole new record storage format. I'll post about that and try to post about other things as they happen.

Also, lots of cool mail order in lately. Maybe I'll post about it on my dumb tumblr. Record store day this Saturday, only excited for Fucked Up and maybe Bad Brains (the LP not Pay to Cum).

Also, who bothers going to record stores that don't have used vinyl when that option is available?

Long Time No Post

2010-12-15T00:29:00.000-05:00

Yeah things are moving along here, but the internet and a blog have been less of a priority. Sorry if I haven't replied to emails regarding trades or whatever, I just didn't have any copies to do so.

Issue I sold out relatively fast, and has been gone for a few months now. Not surprising considering the quality of the 7" alone. For those interested, I'm looking into pressing another 100 copies or so.

Issue II will begin to be made once I finish school on Friday. Anyone's band interested in participating with a 7" release?

I started a lame tumblr which is much easier to update. It's just pictures of records I get and shows I go to, no lame reblogs.

My band, Young Stalin, is basically done. We only had four original songs and played only 7 shows; Ottawa (4), Montreal (2), Toronto (1). We might record our songs later this year, for historical purposes of course. I'll post some live pix at the bottom.

My quality records of 2010 list (with a more detailed analysis in Issue II, I'm sure):
GERM ATTAK - Death to Cops (duh!)
OMEGAS - Sonic Order EP
MAMMOTH GRINDER - Extinction of Humanity
URBAN BLIGHT - Total War
SURROUNDINGS - S/T
NOMOS // THE MEN - Split CS
THE MEN - Immaculada
ANS // ANB - Tribute to Gang Green
CULO - Military Trend
VILE GASH - EP
NAZI DUST - EP
FUCKED UP - Year of the Ox (but more so the B-Side). The split with Serena Maneesh was pretty good too.
VACCINE - Human Hatred
INEPSY - Madness and Overkill
INEPSY // TOXIC HOLOCAUST - split

Young Stalin:

Hanging out:

Thanks to Andrew Carver, Julie and Lemire for photos. Special thanks to Lemire for always coming out, hanging out, photoing out, and being a good dude.

ACAB Lifestyle

2010-07-25T16:39:00.001-04:00

Let's discuss the Zine a bit more with a not so shameless plug. It comes with the latest Germ Attak 7", Death To Cops. Four tracks of that great Germ Attak sound, but all revolving around anti-cop themes. This was a split label effort. I did 100 copies with the zine, and then 3 other labels did 300. Jo's Capitalicide handled Canada, Loud Punk from the US, and Yellow Dog in Europe. A global effort for the group that recently toured Indonesia, Malaysia and Japn after several North American ventures and one in Europe. Each label had the same crazy cover art, done by Scott Benz, but all had their own variations.

Anyways, this post was made simply to hype the new video, by Ottawa local Paul Galipeau. I think more groups should take on music videos. I think they're an awesome medium, and this Germ Attak video is prrof that a simple concept can still be entertaining. Although it inevitably gets used for promotion, I believe that it can be created and exist outside of this purpose. If you're really into the music, you may simply be looking for a new avenue to experience the music. It's part of the reason fanatics love finding demos and live footage. Sure the music is the same, but it's placed in a new context outside of the album it is compiled with. Anyway, here's one track from the Death To Cops 7".

Wasted (by the heat, by the police)

2010-07-08T12:09:00.000-04:00

After being assaulted by the police a few short weekends ago, Ontario is now being assaulted with an intense heat wave, so I'm sticking inside to avoid provocation with either. I was spending that last week outside biking, hence no updates.

Any discussion of the police should provoke a discussion of Black Flag. Each action has an equal opposite reaction right? Well, actually I guess even they did not believe it was equal; "Understand we're fighting a war we can't win..." Anyways, a recent thread on VLV (which is currently down so I cannot link you) prompted the following question:

Which is better; the Black Flag or Circle Jerks rendition of the Ginn masterpiece, "Wasted" ?

I think it is pretty crazy that we even have these two versions, both with Morris on vocals. Of course Circle Jerks stole the song, along with other Black Flag tunes such as "I Don't Care" which appears as a demo on Everything Went Black, and "Red Tape," which was never properly released, as well as some Redd Kross songs. Black Flag's response was to re-record "I Don't Care" with new lyrics. This is the song "You Bet We've Got Something Personal Against You!", the last track on the Jealous Again EP.

So which is better? If you know me at all, then you know my vote is being given to Black Flag. Don't get me wrong though, even with the stolen song stigma, Group Sex rips. More interestingly however, is how each respective take on the song represents the group. For example, The Circle Jerks, and Group Sex, are enjoyed by most as a quirky and fast punk band - a great representation of early Cali hardcore. Their version matches this description, with it's sped up tempo, fairly clear guitar sound, and shouted vocals. Black Flag on the other hand are a whole other entity, even if this may not have been established at the time of the Nervous Breakdown release. Even just the way their name is brought up sounds serious and heavy, music verging on psychotic. Their original version of Wasted matches such an identity as it is being formed. For a seminal classic punk 7" (and years before side two of My War was even conceived), the whole sound is heavy as fuck, and not to be messed with. The instrumental opening is simply brooding, whereas the Circle Jerks version jumps in with vocals immediately. The Black Flag version is simply more

In conclusion, the Black Flag version is better because the Circle Jerks version sounds like an angry punk kid, whereas the Black Flag version sounds like a crazy guy who might attack you with a knife. It's simply much more memorable. This will get examined in greater depth later.

Anyway, while we're on a tangent about police or something, remember that you should buy the zine because it comes with the new Germ Attak 7", Death to Cops, with crazy artwork to boot (view side panel). Toronto: my band is playing there on Saturday, I'll bring copies with me.

NXNE Mode

2010-06-21T22:12:00.000-04:00

Sorry for those who ordered zines and have not gotten them yet, I was away in Toronto for NXNE, but I'm back now and they have been shipped. I wished some more Toronto hardcore was playing the fest.

For those who are in Toronto, you can now get copies of the zine at Hits & Misses on Bloor and Rotate This! on Queen West. For those in Ottawa, you can of course meet up with me in person, or Vertigo on Rideau St may still have copies left.

Toronto and NXNE was sweet, long story short saw (in this order) Mudhoney, X, Demon's Claws, Exene and John from X, Man or Astro-Man, Mudhoney, The Stooges, Man or Astro-Man, Cold Cave and a bit of Porcelain Forehead. I took some pictures which I'll upload later if they turn out. Here's a blurry cell phone photo from my Stooges vantage point, standing in front of 20,000 people. Shout out to the guy standing next to me whose shirt comprised of 100 safety pins which slowly would come undone throughout the set.

Also went to 8 record shops in one day; here's the loot from the trip, including a couple things I picked up for friends. Most excited about the Fucked Up 7"s. and the Kill City LP since The Stooges actually played the title track. Gay-Porno resembling VHS tapes are for Finner:

In other Toronto news, my band, Young Stalin is playing the city on July 10th with Point Break from Calgary at Siesta Nouveaux. No flyer yet. But we're playing this show for Ottawa folk.

Transmitting, A Week Later

2010-06-08T02:19:00.000-04:00

A week after initially being released, the inaugural issue of the zine about 1/3 gone. Second batch of international orders have shipped, and I hope there are more to come. I'll be in Toronto for NXNE to see the Stooges, X and tons of other bands, so I'll bring some copies down there to attempt to unload on the record shops there. Issue 2 is far away, but anyone with a (good) band who might be interested in releasing a 7" with that issue, get at me.

headed to multiple hemispheres

In other news, this is a repost from the Vinyl Noize blog. Before SST became the infamous record label run by Greg Ginn and Black Flag, it was Ginn's electronics company. Ginn was a smart guy who held many electronics patents, mostly relating to radios. The company's name, Solid State Transmitters, would stick out as he released SST-01, the Nervous Breakdown 7". Listed on eBay now, however, is the real SST-01. The seller doesn't seem to make the connection to the record label. If he did, he'd probably get a lot more attention. Regardless, I'm tempted to bid...

Updated Prices & Moonhop to Moonstomp

2010-06-03T23:15:00.003-04:00

Shipping to the US was cheaper than I thought, so the prices have been reduced. I also added options for buying multiple copies.

To tide you over, watch the progression of the following song. A bit of a departure from the music usually covered here but I was talking about skinhead culture with a friend last night.

The song begins as Moon Hop, by Jamaican Derrick Morgan in 1969. Quickly the song is appropriated by skinhead reggae/ska group Symarip. Later in Derrick Morgan's career, he would cater more closely and purposefully to the skinhead crowd. A decade later, with the explosion of two tone and other post punk wave genres, The Specials bring the song back to popularity, and Trojan would reissue the Symarip version. Show this to friends who doubt the non racist origins of the movement.

Derrick Morgan - Moon Hop (1969)

Symarip - Skinhead Moonstop (1969)

The Specials - Skinhead Moonstop (1979)

Zine is Ready!

2010-05-31T18:19:00.002-04:00

This 8.5" x 7" (store with your 7"s!) 24 page zine is now ready.

Contains:

New Germ Attak 7", Death to Cops, hand stamped and numbered out of 100.
Interview with Pink Eyes (Fucked Up, Pink Eye, Millennial Reign)
Belated best of 2009 list
Other ramblings

$5 and this is yours. Buy in person, or use toolbar on the right.
You can contact me at 33.3revolutions@gmail.com to arrange a meet up, or just comment if you want to get a copy.

Zine Out ASAP

2010-05-15T05:57:00.000-04:00

Alright, everything is compiled and editted, I have new photos thanks to Julie, and I have written some new reviews... so why isn't the zine out?

I keep coming up with new ideas, and thus I keep writing more. So once I finish working on the following pieces, photocopying will begin. This will hopefully by within a week. I wanted to write some things that examined records more closely, as I feel I had been treating them too superficially, as such I'm working on the following:

Humour and Sexuality in Later Years Black Flag
The Cure and The Smiths: Uncomparable Groups Based on Ideas of Identity
Deciphiring Formats: Why Tapes, 7"s or 12"s

I am also about to leave for Toronto in a few hours for the following show, so hopefully I'll have lots of new records to talk about.

Also, Young Stalin are playing a second show; June 27th with Libyans, from Boston, who sound pretty cool. This is again at 443 Kent St. More details coming.

This is the Quebec-Windsor Corridor not LA

2010-04-18T19:53:00.000-04:00

High Anxiety, the label run by legendary Chris Colohan* is issuing its first LP after a slew of great 7"s culminating with the Omegas 7". This LP will actually be a compilation with the A side being Toronto and B side being Montreal bands. Read more about that here. I'll be interested to see if it will be new songs or recordings, but either way some great bands on there. Most stoked for Career Suicide, Mad Men, Urban Blight (TO); Omegas, Inepsy, Ilegal (MTL). Kinda surprised Fucked Up isn't on there, but I suppose each comp can only handle so much Jonah**.

This corridor is ripping with great bands. Ottawa may be under represented, but in other scenes there are some waves being made. White Wires, who seem to already be well established, have their new LP coming out on Portland's Dirt Nap records, and Mother's Children have something coming out on Deranged*.

* Speaking of Chris Colohan, the new Burning Love 7" is up for preorder on Deranged, with the A side being a single from their upcoming album, and the B side being a Nick Cave cover.
**Speaking of Jonah (guitar in Career Suicide, drums in Fucked Up, everything in Mad Men), Mad Men have some of the best fucking punk songs ever written. Im not just saying oh this would fit in in 1981, Im saying this would have been a must own in 1981. There were originally a few scarce tapes out, but then these were compiled with a bonus track by an anonymous European "bootlegger." It's been out for awhile, and initially sold out immediately, but some copies appear here and there.

What the Fuck is Going On

2010-04-08T18:10:00.000-04:00

So if you're keeping up at all with hardcore these days you know that "Mysterious Guy Hardcore" is all the rage, not so mysteriously. We have those chaotic gold rush style Youth Attack updates to thank for that mostly, as thousands of kids F5 the bigcartel page with the hopes of drawing out another few centimeters of cassette tape from a band they've likely never heard. Some of the stuff is good, like the new Veins tape. Regardless, it is all ridiculous.

So now that Youth Attack is getting played out (not really) mysterious bands need to step up their game. Well here's something that I don't fucking understand. Why is the new Total Abuse LP available on BestBuy.com? It's being released on PPM records, but a quick google search finds pre-orders on Bestbuy, and CDUniverse, but no regular punk distros. Bestbuy claims that the original release date is 1910. Rusty Kelley, the singer, is known for his mysteriousness, just check out his lyrics, his blog, his zine, his movie, and all his small run releases for Youth Attack etc.

Next on the mysteriousness is Charles Manson. I don't know how mysterious he is anymore, because few people probably take him serious, which is important when you want to mysterious (they rhyme). Anyway, he has a 7" coming out on Holy Terror records (you know, the label run by Dwid from Integrity, who always uses Manson iconography) limited to 100 on red. Check out this wacky cover art, looks like he's dressed as a cosmo seal. Sounds like some sort of mediocre Blues record.

Jello Biafra

2010-04-04T13:43:00.002-04:00

I've spoken a fair bit about the Dead Kennedys on here so I figure this post is appropriate. Last night Jello came through town with his new band the Guantanomo School of Medecine or something. I was contemplating going, and decided I would when I found out Andrew Weiss was playing bass. But then I heard conflicting reports as to whether he was or not, so I saved my money. Anyway, maybe he did play, I'm not sure.

More importantly is Jello was into some local flavour, as apparently he picked up some Sedatives and White Wires LPs. Pretty hard not to be into tunes like these:

Pick up these tunes from Going Gaga, Douchemaster and Deranged.

Young Stalin

2010-04-04T13:16:00.001-04:00

So my band played it's first show the other day. We've only had maybe four or five jams, and about the same amount of songs, making our set 7 minutes long. Its like punk or hardcore or something. Cal from Raised By Wolves taped our set, and you can watch it below. Far from flawless but still a lot of fun.

Young Stalin's First Show from Calum Green on Vimeo.

We also have a four track now, so we'll probably attempt to record something soon.

Also I just moved and the record gods have been good to me. I was stressing out because I had a few parcels coming in, and thought that they would arrive after I moved. Instead fortune was on my side and I got my last parcel card the day I moved. I also received a reward for my efforts on a long essay; as I left to go hand it in, a box had been placed at my apartment door, rather than left downstairs. How nice. Lots of new music to play once I get my stereo set up.

Putter Along

2010-03-24T00:16:00.000-04:00

Man, am I ever slow. This zine should be out soon. I mostly just need to finish assemblement, which everyday I just contemplate what would be the best way. In related news, I have the Germ Attak 7"s, they've been stamped and numbered, and are just awaiting the zine. Great.

Recently Ottawa hosted its second annual Record Convention, separate from the usual convention that comes to town. It seemed like a huge success, with a lot of vendors, a crazy amount of shoppers, and thankfully room to move unlike last time. There also seemed to be a lot more punk/metal bins, or at least I was able to access more.

I was conservative with my spending, so I jsut picked up Venom - Hell At Hammersmith. It proudly boasts that it's only limited to 10, 000 copies in the UK. In today's Youth Attack underground scene that would be certified Diamond. I also contemplated some Dead Kennedys and Motorhead, but passed.

Road Trippin'!

2010-03-06T01:46:00.003-05:00

Yeah so I was thinking about my Record shopping guide to glorious Winnipeg, MB, and thought it would be fun to write another. Note: I wasn't planning on this, and these photos were taken just to the sheer ridiculousness, so they're simply sneaky cell phone photos.

This time I hit up Kingston, ON. This trip was not made to go digging, because driving an equal two hours in the opposite direction would yield much more magnificent results, in Montreal. I went with my pal/band mate Eric to buy a bass cab, and record shopping is an obvious time killer (read: obsessive necessity?).

The first shop we're directed to is Brian's Record Option. I'm gonna get this out of the way, and make this perfectly clear. This graveyard should never be an option for record shopping. If you're in the area, pop in quickly to be amazed that anyone could allow their shop, what they rely on for their income, and where they spend the better part of their week, to degenerate to such an extent. This place looks like WWII bombarded France, where the flooring is not hardwood or carpet, but shattered records and ripped sleeves. The (assumingly) once organized bins are now impossible to slip through, because not only are they jam packed beyond capacity, but theyre are not even in single file (view photo).

This is the Metal section. No, the Thin Lizzy record was not worth buying. Brian also told us it is apparently alphabetized.

Genres are split haphazardly, and are advertised through means of sharpie on the particle board shelving, or just a decrepit piece of cardboard. Any of the fun or joy one would normally gain through flipping is completely diminished when Brian tells you the new arrival section is the 50 LPs cascading across the floor, like I said, there is no room left in the bins.

I know it's hard to read but this is the "Woman Artist" section... or something.

And what's the point in flipping anyway? Sure there's a record you enjoy here and there, but they're destroyed, a product of their environment. On top of that, they're priced as if they are mint copies. I found a copy of Iron Maiden - Powerslave that looked like someone had used sandpaper to clean it. Devo's Are We Not Men? We Are Devo! had a large crusty stain on the back. Maybe he had used it as a plate during his lunch?

Bingo! The Punk section... oh.. wait. It sucks. And the Picture Disc section appears to only contain one picture disc. WHAT IS GOING ON?

Brian's sanity may be called into question, but I have a feeling this all stems from living in Kingston too long. Anyone I've ever spoken to in Kingston, and the locals I encounter on my sparse visits leaves me with the conclusion that Kingston simply breeds some of the strangest people I've ever had to meet. Use this photo of the "singles" section as an analogy for the typical Kingston mentality.

Where singles come to die. :(

I did noy leave empty handed though. He has loads of tapes, and evolution has graced tapes with a strong plastic exo skeleton that is impervious to the gulag like environment of the record shop, so it was in relatively good condition. It was a Henry Rollins spoken word tape, Big Ugly Mouth, that I got for Finner, who had bought it for me on vinyl years earlier.

The next shop we went to was Zap Records. It was diametrically opposed to Brian's shop, neat tidy and a great atmosphere. The guy working was completely cool to talk to, but unfortunately no records that interested me there. Anyway, everything was alright in the end because less than a week later I went to Montreal to see Fucked Up and got tons of great records at some of my favourite shops. Maybe I'll do a proper guide for Montreal next.

My Montreal finds plus three Fucked Up 7"s I bought off VLV user Doody (The top right 3). Oh wait, and I got Celtic Frost from Eric. But I also got the Morrissey "Suedehead" 12" single as a gift for Ross, so that took its place.

I also found this youtube documentary about Brian, but it does not showcase the ultimate disarray of his shop. It reminds me of that single dude (who am I kidding they're all single) from that documentary Vinyl who stacks all his records vertically.

Week Off

2010-02-17T01:19:00.004-05:00

EDIT: Check out the potential cover of the zine on the side panel. Photo Cred to my brother.

About to put in the rest of the work necessary to get this out in Zine form, with the new Germ Attak 7", Death To Cops. Proof as found below. I've been getting lots of records in the mail, many of which tie into previous themes. I got a copy of Regulations - Electric Guitar with a pink cover (Euro Press) and a poster, among many other great finds. I'm going to make up for my online shopping by crate digging in Kingston tomorrow, which hasn't been fruitful in the past, but maybe this time will be different.

Oh yeah, Pretentious Assholes isn't really a label, but when it does release things, releases will be serialized as such: PASS№XXX (Xs are variables, not straight edge in this case.)

Crisis Of Conformity

2010-02-08T17:25:00.004-05:00

Hilarious SNL homage to hardcore with a song that evokes a strong Dead Kennedys and Suicidal Tendencies vibe.

Norton-Cadena wedding must be referencing Dez of course, and potentially a member of Husker Du? He also calls up Greg (Ginn), Steve (Zing? Blush? etc), and Lyle (Preslar). Their band is called Crisis (Corrosion) of Conformity, which is actually a really great name.

"When Ronald Reagan comes around, he brings all the fascists to the town."

Downer/Upper Punk (My Mix)

2010-01-31T14:56:00.002-05:00

Finner has a project called No Revolution which works in mysterious ways. By day it is a label, by night he hosts mix tapes made by pretentious assholes, who also explain all their choices. I just made a mix, and struggled coming up with a necessary theme, but I figured that out. After many thwarted attempts, I settled on two opposed side to the digital "tape". The A side would be downer punk. Punk songs that create a sense that goes beyond usual passionate anger. Sometimes this passion devolves to apathetic macabre, and I used that as a template to pick songs. Side B is the opposite, upper punk, essentially just upbeat catchy songs that make you wanna move rather than stab yourself in someone else's basement. These songs can still have dark lyrical themes, creating an interesting paradox within the songs structure.

Interestingly, there are also links between the two sides. "Love and Dying in High Society" has male/female vocal interaction that matches that of "Death Valley 69." Anti police jams by the Dicks on Side A and Cockney Rejects on side B, and, well, a lot of Crass.

Please check it out here, and note that the artwork included is meant to be a J Card, turn it into a real cassette!

A Forked Path - The Two Worlds of Collecting Fucked Up

2010-01-21T01:55:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned just a few hours ago, I got in a few records today. From Free Cake I got the Virgin Witch 7" I pre-ordered, along with Pulling Teeth - Paranoid Delusions | Paradise Illusions. The Virgin Witch 7" is pretty cool; it's limited to 666 copies (evil!), with a screened cover and B side (the band logo). The first 100 copies had a different colour cover, and a different screen on the B Side (the leviathan style pentagram). Both songs are pretty good, they'll certainly get some rotation over the coming weeks, so not much to say yet, although right off the bat the two songs are very different, and would have worked well serving opposite sides of the record. The first song is very slow, with a long buildup, where as the second song kicks off at a frenetic pace and has a blitz of a solo near the end.

I moreso just had to mention those as a formality, as this post is more concerned with the second package, the new singles compilation from Fucked Up, Couple Tracks. This one was also pre-ordered a few months ago. Thinking back on the process of initially hearing about this record, to actually heaing it today was really an archetypal example of why I love records.I have been following Fucked Up for a few years now, albeit not as long as others, right before Hidden World came out. In my mind, they are not the type of band for the casual listener, and to truly appreciate them, you have to dive right in and explore all their material. It is no secret that they have built a reputation for a constant slew of odd, rare releases spanning many genres of the alternative type. So as it so happens, I became a big fan, and any big fan will attempt to acquire all their releases, as they would with any band.

Fucked Up however, are different than any band, and they truly epitomize the joys of record collecting for me. Part of this lies in fortunate timing, as I am glad I discovered them mid-way through their career, as they began experimenting and evolving from the simple punk/hardcore formula. Being able to say you were there from the start is just some boring elitist sentiment, and makes it seem like you're only still here because it caught on. In my case, with Fucked Up I was able to enjoy the two worlds of record collecting as I see it divided; discovering the old vanguard classics, and following the current evolution of music. You see, finding one of the many, many old Fucked Up 7"s, released before their first LP, is on par with finding some classic Dischord record. Sure Fucked Up are still around, but not strictly in that format, and songs such as "Circling the Drain", "Police" and "Generation" have cemented themselves as classics of this generation, and I get a similar excitement from these songs as punk classics from other times. With their back catalogue so thick, its as unlikely that you'll complete a Fucked Up collection as fulfilling all your classic punk wants.

Meanwhile, following this plethora of golden hits, they're still an extremely active band, in fact amongst the most active of punk bands, as they continue to release material and tour incessantly. At this point the band fulfills my other favorite side of record collecting, and that is keeping up with a band you love, and not only getting what they put out, but watching them evolve, and wondering what they will do next, a question that is constantly asked with a band such as Fucked Up. And with releases coming so often, the excitement sticks around, and doesn't die with some tortuous two year wait time between albums.

I will admit that the one record collecting quality Fucked Up does not fulfill, through no fault of their own, is that following either side of their career is one that must be done online. Surely you can find represses of the classic 7"s in record shops, but the gems are hoarded for eBay, and new records are best to be pre-ordered if you want first dibs, which you surely do. This was the case for the new double LP singles collection, Couple Tracks (Quick hint: Matador seems to always have some coupon, whether its some holiday season, or just because it's a pre-order, so sniff one out before ordering from them!). I ordered it as soon as I saw it, in late October, and knew there would be a couple months long wait time before I got it, but no worries. Over this time, there were many updates as to what was going on with it, which just added to the excitement of getting the record. Normally I totally forget I pre-ordered something and it's just a welcome surprise when it comes, so this created a different welcomed anxiety.

I first got an e-mail from Matador a month after ordering, explaining that there was now a very limited 7", with the same name and cover as the collection (those tricksters!), that would be sold, as a bundle with the collection, and that because I ordered so early, it would be included gratis. Ideally they probably would have included it as a surprise, but knowing the chaos fans would raise for thinking they missed out on a record, they had to send out an email. As time went on, the Fucked Up blog was posting about both records, with pretty hilarious explanations. Finally I received in the mail today, six days before it's official release date. I listened to the 7" first, excited about new material. The A side, fittingly, is about record collecting, while the B Side is a positively proud song about the birth of Pink Eyes' son. Listening to it I noticed that the labels were backwards, and finding these sort of oddities about records on your own really rather than reading about them is thrilling as a record collector.

Finally, the compilation of singles and rarities only helps other newcomers to the band understand and appreciate the band, while the faithful fans read the liner notes and laugh at the appropriately unflattering photo on the back of the jacket.

Bachelordom

2010-01-20T22:47:00.001-05:00

After recently becoming single for the first time in years, my records became even more important in my life, as priorities were shifted around. On top of that, there is no better way to brood than some slow drudgy record with the lights off. That being said, B9 threads such as List reasons why records are better than women. make me wonder if maybe I should just stick with my record collection instead. Best reason posted:

My parents don't have a problem with me bringing a black record home.

In other news I got some records in the mail today, so I'll probably post about those later tonight.

Final Cursed 7" Availible Now!

2010-01-11T15:50:00.001-05:00

Released posthumously on Colohan's own High Anxiety records, which is handily distro'd by No Idea. It contains 5 tracks spanning their 3 LPs, but rerecorded from the floor as they would play them. These recordings came from some sort of BBC session. 1000 copies, 100 Black mix, 250 Purple mix, and 650 Gray Salmon.

In other Cursed related new, the single off the new Burning Love LP has had its art revealed. Available soon on Deranged.

Progress Report

2009-12-31T01:11:00.002-05:00

The following things are happening:

I got a really long stapler for Xmas to enable the binding of the zine
Essentially finished my interview with Pink Eyes
Confirmation that I will be releasing copies of the new Germ Attak 7", Death to Cops, with the zine.

So yes, as I have been mentioning for the past 3 posts, blog activity has been scarce, but the zine is still thriving. I wanted to do a post about Christmas punk, not sure if its too late.

In my personal record life, I got a copy of Iron Maiden - Powerslave and Sleep - Dopesmoker for Xmas, along with a couple other records I already owned (I suck at keeping lists organized apparently). I have a bunch of records coming in the mail (from Forcefield, Free Cake, 1234 Go), and the anticipation/anxiety will be the death of me.

From the Pink Eyes interview:

Q: Are there any records that scared you somehow the first time you heard them or perhaps you just found them strange or intolerable, but are now an essential part of your collection?

A: Oh yeah! I hated Integrity the first time I heard them and now they are one of my favorite bands. I remember going over to this dude in Toronto house to buy the Turning Point 7" and seeing a poster of Poison Idea on the wall and laughing at the fact that they had a guy called Pig in the band. I used to just ignore any record with a synth on it when I was digging for obscure records and now I kick myself for doing that. G.I.S.M. was another band I didn't get at first.

A Quick Update

2009-12-17T15:49:00.001-05:00

Posts have been sparse, mostly because this is the worst time of the year for school work. Anyway, update on the zine portion. I was aiming at having this out in January. This is still totally doable, but I'm going to push it back to sometime in February, because this zine will be released with a 7", and it just takes a while to get those in.

In the mean time, rather than reading my ramblings about records, check out the new post on Looking For Gold about Fucked Up's new singles collection, Couple Tracks. It's pretty entertaining. You'll see in the photo below the sleeves for the singles included, but some of these don't actually exist... it's all explained in the post.

Chris Colohan (Cursed) Collects

2009-12-10T00:41:00.000-05:00

Chris Colohan has a great blog, many great bands past and new, and what must be an expansive record collection.

One of his bands, Burning Love, just completed a UK tour about a month ago. Here's a quick rundown of the BL discography. They recorded a demo tape which was released through Nervehold Records. That sold relatively quickly, and on a Canadian East Coast tour (sold out when they played Ottawa), they dubbed more copies in Montreal. For their UK tour it was pressed to a 7" by 30 Days of Night (Black/Grey/White ltd to 300 and Red/White ltd to 200). That brings us to the present, but the future will be prosperous. They're in cahoots with Deranged to bring a domestic copy of that demo 7", a single for "Don't Ever Change" with a Nick Cave cover on the B-side, and an LP. There's also a potential split 5" in the works with Rot In Hell (haven't heard them but they look like a Holy Terror band, so could be cool), but it's a little unclear who is releasing that.

Anyways, the point of this post was to point out that Chris just updated his blog, where he talks about his record scores from the UK tour. An eclectic mix for sure.

Post Nazi Germany is Great

2009-12-03T23:54:00.005-05:00

When imports are brought up, I think most people would think of two things. Crazily expensive (it must be because of the shipping...) Japanese imports with those weird cardboard panels with all the Japanese letters, and the mandatory 3 B Sides that no one in any other hemisphere got. And then there's boring UK imports, which are generally CDs of dumb bands that people buy in malls. Rather than a cool panel like the Japanese have with cool writing, some bald sticker with some Helvetica ripoff typeface proclaims: UK Import. Boring.

I don't know about other music, but it seems like in the underground scene, there's a lot of cool German pressings of stuff. I guess they're not imports, but I import them through the power of eBay I guess. Here's a select few.

Minor Threat's Out of Step EP or LP, I don't even know what to classify it, was pressed in the UK (not all UK stuff is boring I guess) as well as Germany. The trademark blue/turquoise stripe gets a green treatment, and recommended price is a very fair 12 DM (Deutsch Marks). The UK has similar changes; red stripe and £2.50 . What makes the German pressing superior to the others is the song titles are listed in German. Ex: Betray becomes Verraten. How bad ass is that? Despite being a German pressing, this remains on Dischord.

Black Flag had a few albums pressed in Germany on what is possibly the coolest label name ever: Aggressive Rockproduktionen. Everything Went Black is pretty cool for a few reasons. First of all, one thing that pisses me off about this album, is that most versions say Everything Went Black on the cover, and then the spine says Everything Went to Black. SST has got to get their shit together like Aggressive Rockproduktionen, who got it right both times. This is also a double LP, but it's a gatefold, with lyrics and pictures of other Aggressive Rockproduktionen releases. The back is similar to the normal one, with a Black Flag bio, but this one is in German. I wonder if the translation is decent or not.

This last one is something I saw on eBay that I don't own, but would like to. The Gorilla Biscuits self titled 7" was apparently pressed on a 12" in Germany. Has the original pressing's lighter blue lettering, and a full size insert, that looks different from the 7" version. Maybe I'll bid hard and include a better writeup for the zine. Speaking of the zine, it will feature other cool German pressings, so you can't always rely on this online garbage as being complete. These photos were garbage, so expect much better photos in the zine that won't result in way too much flash.

Shout out to Soural

I Aint Got Time For This School

2009-11-30T00:32:00.001-05:00

Lack of updates is not due to a lack of interest. Rather it is because I have had a lot of school work with it being the end of the semester.

So as a quick post I'm going to plug this new band Virgin Witch. Cool name with even better songs. They are releasing a one sided 7" (screened B side) on Free Cake. It's limited to 666 copies, with the first 100 preorders being special somehow, I think mostly just different colourways. But it doesn't really matter, because those are all gone. This has been on preorder for a long time, with an anticipated release of Halloween, but they didn't make it. It's being screened right now, so should be ready soon. Anyway, you can listen to one song which rips, and has an amazing blitz of a solo here. Id also like to mention that the lyrics are awesome, and the first two lines have been stuck in my head, but not in the kind of way where you want to get them out.

Sights unseen by my eyes

Sights that I recognize

Get in the Van - A Guide to Winnipeg

2009-11-23T18:31:00.000-05:00

As everybody knows, road trips are great fun, and there are uncountable different reasons or excuses to leave your own boring city to experience the freshness of a new one. Yes, Ottawa has some great stuff going on within it, as I have uncovered in some previous posts, but sometimes it's just important to leave. How else are you supposed to realize how great you've had it? No matter what reason you had to initially leave your city, one of the highlights is (almost) always the record shopping in a strange city. Whether it's a city where you perused the bins countless times, but always months apart so they're always fresh to you, or a completely new city, where the record shop requires some exploring to find your genre, and further exploring within that bin. Even if nothing is found in this new bin, the experience was worth it.

To elaborate on my point, last winter, around New Years I was visiting family in Winnipeg. I know lots of people will defend this city, and its apparently vibrant scene, but I find it to be mostly but dull and cold. I've never been to a show there though, so maybe it does, but I know it would not be worthy of living a day to day existence in Winnipeg. Anyway, despite this prejudice, I found some cool record stores, and these along with the records I bought would be the highlight of my trip. I also found some sub par record stores, but we'll just ignore those...

The first I went to was called Music Trader. It was a pretty cool shop, but heavier on the CDs than vinyl. They didn't have too much punk, but what they did have was pretty decent. I scored a reissue of the class Government Issue - Make an Effort EP on Dr. Strange Records. The staff was also very friendly, and helped me locate some other stores more suited to my interest.

Next up was Into the Music. This was a fairly large shop, and from what I remember, even in stock between CDs and vinyl. They had a punk and metal section, but it was mostly new. Their used vinyl was mostly catered to the standard rock/pop stuff, but I doubt much rare punk comes through Winnipeg's shops, just as is the case in Ottawa. I didn't buy anything here, but the store was well laid out and I enjoyed browsing. They had some cool Misfits bootleg 7"s, but they were overpriced.

The last stop worthy of mentioning was War On Music. This shop has since changed locations, but hopefully it is still as cool as it was when I went. I came in shortly before close, so I was a bit rushed, but this shop is run by punks for the punk etc. They only carry punk releases, they have zines and other literature for sale, and they had an arcade machine. Apparently they also hold shows there. I bought a couple records here. First was a picture disc; Hard Skin - Hard Nuts and Hard Cunts on Broken Rekids. For the record, I'm not really into picture discs, but I was glad to own a Hard Skin record. I saw them open for Fucked Up in Toronto for their first and only Canadian show earlier that year and they were great. They didn't have any merch left except for a CD and a shopping bag that said "Shopping is for Cunts" or something like that. According to Wikipedia this album has sold over 100,000 copies, but I don't see how that's possible. Anyway, for anyone interested in hearing "a new wave of close shave," check it out. I felt awkward buying something with the word Cunts on it in front of my Uncle and baby cousin, but he didn't seem to mind. The next thing I found was Rabies - Final, a 7" released by Exterminator on grey marbled vinyl. I loved this band's first 7", but their LP, Test Your Might, was lackluster, as least in comparison to their singles. I got them to play it for me as I browsed and this 7" really rips, and its a shame it would be their last, as Final marks the end for this band. Anyone who is into nardcore along the lines of Annihilation Time and ANS would be into this. In fact it sounds a lot like Annihilation Time - I, with the different singer.

A Deranged Order

2009-11-20T02:16:00.001-05:00

Most of the music I listen to came out between '77 and '86, so when a cool new band comes along I'm not always on the forefront of these things. I know there are lots of great new bands out there, and those of them that I like general sound like they fit in that given period, or at least were extremely influenced by it. So when I post little reviews or features, I'm not trying to be on the cutting edge, I'm just plugging something I like.

About a month ago I got an order in from the always amazing Deranged. Included were the Total Abuse LP on purple (the label on one side was all bubbly), the Urban Blight demo 7" I should have gotten a long time ago, the Brutal Knights new 12" EP Total Rebellion and the even newer (I think) Nomos 7". I'll focus on the later two.

Excuse the horrible photo, it's one of the things that will be of more importance for the zine, when I retake them.

First though, I was skeptical of getting the Total Abuse LP. I had heard good things about it, but had also heard lots of bad things about the band themselves, and they had beef going with a band I really like, Seasick. The more powerful force that made me hesitate from getting it though was the fact that some friends of mine saw them and got the LP at the show for only $5. Id have to pay double that plus shipping... but once I saw it was available on coloured vinyl and I was planning on getting some other stuff from Deranged I went ahead and got it.

The new Brutal Knights release is great. Total Rebellion was initially released on P. Trash over in Europe to coincide with their Euro tour. Luckily Deranged had a couple of copies, and this was what really motivated this order. Sounds a bit different then other Brutal Knight records somehow, the vocals seem somewhat subdued or in the background. Still great though, and some really catchy songs such as "This is Electronics" and "Why the Beard?" make this a memorable release. I saw them play on Halloween at the Fucked Up weekend, and dressed as the "Brutal" California Raisins, they played one of the tightest sets I've ever seen them play, and they played both of the aforementioned songs.

This Nomos 7" is quite intriguing. It has that mysterious style of cover art that appears in many hardcore covers lately. There is no words anywhere, but rather a sticker on the plastic sleeve mentions the band name. Its surprisingly good, the music is noisy hardcore with some great slow parts, especially in the song "Pax." The recording is quite muddy and distorted, but if anything it adds to the sound, and falls in line with the mysterious aura they seem to be attempting to erect. It also makes sense since apparently this was originally done as a tape run of 100. Although the cover and the labels offer no information (I had to check the matrix to make sure I was playing side A first), the inside of the sleeve has lyrics, but little other information. The lyrical themes are what you'd expect; broad dwellings on suicide, religion and world's end, but don't get me wrong that's not a bad thing. Deranged put this on vinyl, and mine is white, but I don't know any numbers. Nomos were also supposed to play the Fucked Up Weekend, but couldn't make it to the border. I heard that the drummer or someone hadn't bothered getting a passport.

Enema of the Preorder

2009-11-18T20:50:00.007-05:00

I wouldn't normally be one to get excited about any re-issues, but this is definitely something special. Considering this is the band that got me into punk, and punk got me into record collecting, it would be important to own these releases on vinyl. Well Blink 182's Dude Ranch and Enema of the State are being re-released, with a multitude of options. Enema of the State was the first CD of theirs I bought, and Dude Ranch is the obvious favourite, so I'm stoked that these were the two to get reissued. Enema of the State has 6 different colour options, each limited to 500. This album sold like 7 million units, so 3,000 copies will likely sell fast. Dude Ranch has a 180G black release, as well as three colour options, all of which limited to 500 again.

This preorder went live today, but they won't ship until January 12th, so no Christmas gifts here.

Rude Awakenings

2009-11-18T20:28:00.002-05:00

Record collecting is no doubt something that has the potential to quickly escalate into a dangerous obsession. Like from drug addictions and women, this obsession can creep its way into the subconscious and reappear in our dreams. I'm not sure whether to call these instances of delusions welcomed good dreams, or hellish nightmares. Like many nightmares, which recur, there is always the same mythical record shop in my dreams, in an unknown city which seems to be laid out similar to downtown Victoria. I seem to associate die cut picture discs hung all over the walls. They carry a lot of punk and alternative music, but its split up and arranged in some unknown sporadic manner, and whenever I think I'm finished shopping, I find a new bin.

My most memorable dream of this record store was finding Minor Threat - Out Of Step, but an old Canadian pressing, with a maple leaf on the lower front cover. I guess I should also mention that I have almost every pressing of this record, including the UK and German import. This Canadian pressing was obviously a huge deal, not only because I didn't own it, but I didn't even realize that it existed. Once I woke up, I was delirious, and it wasn't clear whether I found it, owned it, or if a Canadian pressing even existed. Once I began to reach full consciousness, I realized that there was no Canadian pressing, and I didn't own it. Rude, rude awakening.

A more recent dream was set in a Value Village. Normally, in conscious reality, I don't have the patience to flip through the bins, but in this subconscious paradise, I found a sealed copy of some rare New York Dolls record, which also doesn't exist, but had a colour scheme similar to this Tom Petty record. Remember, dreams don't need to make sense. Anyways, the clever record collectors at Value Village were aware of the value of this record and had it priced at 49 dollars. I peeled off that price tag and found a tag underneath listed at 2 dollars. Bingo bingo bango.

Working on this zine project has been quite exciting for me, and constantly brainstorming new ideas has made me toss and turn in bed unable to sleep. I recently sold some rare NOFX records, 8 of the original 7" of the month club releases on colour. The guy I sold them to referred to these records as his white whale, the ones that had been keeping him up at night.

All in all, it seems records are unhealthy to anyone attempting to maintain a regular sleep pattern.

Perhaps if I just read this very nice magazine it will all go away

2009-11-17T01:01:00.002-05:00

This will one day be a zine, which I hope you know by now. So in keeping with this theme, as a continuation from the poster post, and perhaps encouraged by the Going Gaga split I talked about yesterday, this post will be about records that come with zines of some form. The theme is zines but really it's just an excuse to talk about a couple records specifically. Wouldn't it be neat if I reversed this power structure and released a 7" with this zine? I'm thinking about it and exploring various roads that could lead to this ambitious goal. But onto a few zines!

First of all, there's the Going Gaga comp. I talked about this yesterday, but essentially this comp comes with a short zine in which each band designed a page. A pretty awesome concept, but to be honest I think some of the bands could have put a bit more effort into it. Come on guys, create a brand, take lessons from Stalin and create a cult of personality. There are avenues leading to mind control beyond your musical format.

Next up, while were talking about bands that have already been covered, is the Dead Kennedys. Specifically the album in question is Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death. There's quite a bit to say about this from a release stand-point. It was the last release to be approved of by Jello, and thus the last to be released on Alternative Tentacles, before all the legal bullshit between the band (as if they hadn't already suffered enough in the courtroom already). At first glance it seems like a sort of greatest hits compilation, but it is actually different versions of album songs, or completely new songs altogether. The title follows the theme of their whole work, as a compilation would, and ties in nicely with what was said earlier about the poster for Fresh Fruit. Apparently this album has gone gold in the US (500,000 copies), as well as gold in the UK (100,000 copies) making it their best selling release. Woah, this is mind blowing to me. That is an insane amount of records, for any band, and if I had to guess, I would have assumed that Fresh Fruit had landed the gold status.

When I bought this at Vertigo, I bought it for two reasons: it was the Dead Kennedys, and it must have been an older press because it was on Alternative Tentacles without a bar code. When I got somewhere safe and opened it up, surprise after surprise began to hit me. With all the excitement at Vertigo, I didn't even check the status of the record. Boy oh boy, what a sheen, perfectly clean. But what's this? Oh no big deal, just a twenty year old zine hidden inside the sleeve entitled Domestic violence week begins. Just from the front page you know this zine is a hilarious slice of satire. "A sunny day when bodies cam from the sky," and in a small typeface "Perhaps if I just read this very nice magazine it will all go away." Each page of the zine gets a page, with some of the more important songs getting a full two page spread treatment. Like the poster, its mostly collage art to go along with lyrics, but this time it's very much focused song to song. The page for "Holiday in Cambodia" is labelled as a special travel feature. This zine was printed on some newsprint sort of paper, so it has yellowed with age, and it smells like vintage. This was not the last surprise of this dandy of a release though. Ol' Jello himself thought that 15 tracks on the LP weren't enough, so the original release gets a flexi thrown in. This is the only flexi in my collection, and having never seen one before, I wasn't even sure what it was. But it plays, and it plays great. The songs on the flexi share a page in the zine. The final touch is the original mail order card still intact, white as the day it was printed.

Next up is a compilation I found this summer in Montreal at Sonik Records along with a bunch of other great LPs. Another Canadian Comp with a zine, Smash the State Volume Three is a compilation of Canadian punk circa 1978-82, i.e. when Punk ruled hardest. This was released on No Exit records in 1999 I believe. This series started as a book of an entire discography of Canadian punk from the era, and included a bonus 7". They then did 3 volumes of comps, but these comps were different from the KBD comps these bands were initially associated with because they were not single songs, but the entire 7", and they were authorized to be reproduced. It is clear a lot of work went into all of these releases. According to the zine, volume three was over three years in the making. How do you even track down band members from that long ago? Who holds rights to the music? It's hard enough to come by these releases as it is, and even these comps are scarce.

Volume three features eight bands, including two from Ottawa. From Ottawa it feature the Bureaucrats Feel the Pain and the Red Squares Ottawa Today other bands are Gentlemen of Horror, Siggy Magic and the Hey-Hoe Band, Allies, Discords, Reaction, and Da Slyme. The zine is extremely in depth and impressive, as I mentioned, a lot of effort went into this. I'll focus on the parts about Ottawa bands. The Bureaucrats, get two pages with a quick history, basically explaining how punk they were, especially since the Sidwell brothers were from England, and lived there for the '77 explosion. So no, that is not a fake accent. Neat fact: 1,000 copies of their single was pressed, but apparently they only printed off a few hundred sleeves. The Red Squares get three pages worth of press, with their own quick history. Members of this band were also in England for the punk 'splosion. Their single must be impossible to collect all the variations of. 500 were pressed, but the labels were reversed. Some labels were xacto'd and reglued on the proper sides. The cover was supposed to be red on a green background, but it came out orange on yellow, of which 250 sleeves were made. 80 were made with a completely different sleeve advertising the B side rather than Ottawa today on colour xerox, and 50 of these were sent to England. Who knows what the rest look like.

Recently there's been some talk about a Bureaucrats reunion, and someone was wondering if these two bands had ever played together. According to this zine they surely did, multiple times, even outside of the city. It can be seen from the short histories provided that there were many links and similarities between the bands aside from their geography. Both were in England for the birth of Punk, both were considered house bands for the Rotters club, and both seem to have singles without sleeves. Well I guess this comp and zine excuse were a great way to talk about Ottawa punk in a strange abstract way.

I was planning on going over some other records with zines, but I took up more space with these ones than I had anticipated, so this will suffice.

On a final note, another old Ottawa punk band, The Action (who are listed in the Smash the State discography) are playing two reunion shows on November 28 and 29 at the Dom.

New Arrivals

2009-11-16T01:57:00.002-05:00

Picked up some new records today. First on this list, but last chronologically is the new AFI, "Crash Love." Keeping this one short and sweet, it's a flashy full cover gatefold cover, with lyrics on the inside. Despite being a gatefold, it's a single LP pressed at 180G. Controversial opinion: "Decemberunderground" > "Crash Love". But I will maintain that Medicate is better than Miss Murder (which sucks).

Earlier in the day I met up with Ian Manhire, the busy man behind Going Gaga, who also plays with amazing local acts The Sedatives and The White Wires (probably other bands I'm not aware of as well). He's probably gonna read this and wonder why these band names aren't in caps. I got two LPs off him, the first is The Sedatives new LP, which is eponymous. Despite this band being local to Ottawa, they don't keep things local. In other markets, they just played a Euro tour, which I heard was a surprisingly great success from their guitarist Emmanuel, who happens to run a great blog about Ottawa happenings. For this tour they also released a 7" on a German label, Taken By Surprise records. Go get this screened cover 7" from Vertigo like I did. I'm off track though, because I'm supposed to be talking about their LP, which was released by Deranged out of Vancouver. In my opinion, Deranged is one of the best labels to put out punk in the last 5 years or more. With a roster including Fucked Up, Brutal Knights, Career Suicide, Statues and Nitad, you know they didn't pick up Sedatives by mistake. This LP rips, but there's nothing too special about the release itself to talk about in this forum.

Secondly, is the Going Gaga comp. This is a compilation of 15 Ottawa bands, put out by a local label. If this were to get any more local they'd have to form a union or something. Anyway, this comp is no crock. Some may be dissuaded by the fact that its a local comp, especially those from other cities, probably with the logic that the bands were picked based on their geography rather than their tunes. 50 of these are in Germany now, and if that doesn't change anyone's mind, as of writing this, I'm nearing the end of side A, and like The Sedatives LP, it rules. Stand out tracks on the A side are going to the Sedatives (Quel surprise...) and the Million Dollar Marxists. Anyway, Ian and his label obviously put a lot into this. It's different from other comps because it is all new exclusive songs, recorded on the same gear by the same people, so it has great flow. Secondly, the packaging is done with a total DIY feel, but it works great. A sheet of paper glued on each side to a blank sleeve. Hand numbered out of 300; awesome. Finally, the finishing touch -- a zine where each page was done by one of the contributing bands. Best page goes to Botched Suicides. 15 copies of this are left with Ian, so get your hands on one of the last copies or else you'll have to find one at a used record store in Germany. It's listed as Volume 1 though, so maybe he'll bless us with a second next year.

Finally I wanted to point out that according to the label sleeve, 12 of the 15 bands have a "the" name. But really I think Suppositories and Fucking Machines would get a "the" as well, meaning only one band, Uranium Comeback" lacks such a moniker. A sign of the times? A Going Gage conspiracy? A coincidence?

PS - Side B is great so far too.

eBay watch

2009-11-13T14:56:00.003-05:00

The Misfits's live release of "Evilive" was originally a 7" offered only to Fiend Club members. This pressing is readily identifiable for many reasons; it is a 7" version with the original artwork, but more importantly, on the back cover, there was a drawing of the Crimson Ghost reading a newspaper with the Crimson Ghost on it. If I'm not mistaken this logo was hand stamped, making it all that more special. You could also tell the pressing by the colour of the center labels. Amongst this first fiend pressing there were other special editions limited to 33 or something ridiculous with slightly altered artwork (It gets a little too complicated for the purpose of this post). Later pressings would have other images on the paper, before moving to a 12" release which would eventually have entirely different artwork. Example of the Fiend Club pressing is shown in picture below, courtesy of the great misfitscentral.com

Anyway, this original fiend club release can easily fetch 600 USD. There is a copy on eBay now that will reach nowhere near that price. This is because the person is advertising it as an original, but it is clearly the 12" reissue, and I have no clue what is going through this guy's head. Maybe he just didn't properly convey what he was trying to say... either way he's wrong.

First pressing from 1987!

Yeah... the Misfits were broken up by then...

Edit: Sold for a whopping 12.50. Pretentious Assholes are smarter than that.

"Record collections should be carefully cultivated, like in horticulture"

2009-11-13T01:23:00.003-05:00

Finner linked me to this interview with Stephen Blush, the man behind both renditions of American Hardcore. Another Black Flag fanatic, but his collection certainly dwarfs mine. Other similarities in our collection includes Captain Sensible's infamous "Wot", but I have the 7" as well as the LP (Stephen displays the 12" single.) See for yourself here.

Q: Dirtiest, sexiest , filthiest album cover you know or own?
A: Nig-Heist Snort My Load

The Writing is on the Wall

2009-11-11T19:39:00.001-05:00

Of course there are numerous factors that make records desirable to record collectors. Obviously not all records we own can be extremely rare, so sometimes they need additional attributes to make them stand out from all the Fat Wreck in your collection. Amongst many different options, posters definitely match this criteria. And I mean something more substantial than an insert with lyrics. The appeal of a poster is somewhat ironic because as a record collector, Ill never use the poster for its intended purpose. If the value is of any financial or personal value to me, there's no way I'll allow it to face the peril of everyday life on my wall. Rather, I'll leave it tucked in its sleeve, folds remaining crisp until I decide to look at it again in a few months time. In any case, a good poster will make one record stand out over another. So anyway, here are some examples from my own collection.

A classic has to be the poster for Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables. Actually, the Dead Kennedy's did a great job of the packaging of most of their albums, but I'll get some of their other examples another time. Anyway, its basically just a great black and white collage parodying nuclear family values. A great example of punk art propaganda, but less powerful then what Crass would be constantly creating. This poster is is a 6 panel double sided print, with the lyrics printed on the bottom of one side. Lyrics weren't often printed with records in those days, but most politically motivated bands would print their lyrics, as we'll see with Crass. On another note though, I'll admit this was one of the first records I bought (a used repress), and I had this one on my wall for awhile, but I was not a Pretentious Asshole at that point. I have since learnt the error of my ways.

Next up is Crass - Stations of the Crass. I'd consider this to be Crass' magnus opus, but others would disagree. Maybe not the best punk songs, as they begin to become more noisy, but it is definitely, like its artwork perhaps most representative of the Crass idea. On a personal, emotional level, I associate this album with the fall, which has somewhat of a depressing effect, but that's the way I like my punk. This is most seen with songs like "Contaminational Power." Anyway, most Crass records were not issued in regular sleeves. Rather, a 6 panel posters, similar to the Dead Kennedys one, was printed on a heavy paper and folded around the records. Folding this album is somewhat tricky because it's a double album, but it's an interesting concept. They even did this for many of their 7"s. To elaborate on my previous point, I certainly couldn't put these posters on my wall because then the records would be left without a sleeve. You'll notice in the pictures that Crass, being a very political band, also printed their lyrics.

Alright, so their poster for their first album is so... powerful that I had to include it too. And now that I'm going over these records again, I notice that these posters are extremely powerful. Perhaps the only presenting their message stronger than their music were these posters. It is possible to readily identify their message and ideals, mostly of a pacified anarchism through the printed lyrics, the artwork (by Gee Vaucher, who was considered a band member although she did not contribute musically), the graffiti campaigns represented in the poster, and even news clippings about them are presenting, acknowledging the huge difference in ideals between them and mainstream culture. Gee's artwork, as seen on the cover and throughout appears at first glance to be collages, similar to the Dead Kennedy's aesthetic, but they are actually intricate original paintings.

Many bands would follow the archetypal Crass imagery as well as format, and Fucked Up would do this with their Litany single. This was a 7" released on Test Pattern records, but would also be released as a very limited 12" single to further emulate the Crass albums. The 6 panel design follows many Crass precedents, especially with another common Crass motif, crucification. Another Fucked Up project, Bergenfield Four would follow the aesthetic with the stenciled letters around the border on the limited version of their 7" on Lowdown records. The version shown is a repress on Havoc, but for those interested I do have the first press on Test Pattern on White out of 2500.

A final poster that I don't know too much about is the Disfear // Doomriders split put out by Deathwish. This one is different from the others that it is a 7" with a 9 panel design and is in... colour! This poster is also one that wraps around the record as the sleeve. It was also available for a short time as a separate print, without the band names on it.. Artwork was done by Thomas Hooper, who seems to have quite a bit of similar artwork being put forth in this scene. This version is the Cream/Beer coloured vinyl out of 300. "All paths lead to nothing, there is only death."

On a final note sorry for the poor photos, Im working on coming up with a better photo set up.

It's My First Time

2009-11-09T23:36:00.000-05:00

The first record I ever bought was the UK press of "Girl's not Grey" by AFI, released on Dreamworks, with some involvement by Nitro, in 2003. This single was apparently the less rare version of the two singles released for the song, even though it was a UK import. The B side was a live cover of "The Hanging Garden" by The Cure. Finally, it was poetically pressed on a marble grey vinyl.

I bought it in 2004, online at Interpunk, shortly after moving across the country. Right before I moved, my neighbor died and his widow had given me his record player. I had been talking about how I had wanted to get into records. This desire stemmed from my love of AFI, and seeing their rich past in the record world, mostly through self-released hardcore 7"s. I also remember seeing pre-orders for The Newfits - Project 1950 and making a connection between punk rock culture and records. Luckily I never got the horrible Newfits album, but I still stand by AFI.

Anyways, after moving, and getting this 7", I excitedly played it on my unused record player (which would turn out to be a huge piece of crap. The belt always slipped off and I'd have to take it apart to replace the belt on the drive.) which didn't have any speakers connected to it. I don't know what I was expecting without speakers, but I was enamoured just watching it spin, and was surprised to hear the cartridge emitting a little bit sound itself. I hooked it up to my 5 disc CD player and played it through the AUX input, which was quiet but satisfying. In a new city without any friends or connections, I felt grounded by this record.

This record would also fuel my want to collect records, rather than just own records. This was based on the fact that even before buying it, I knew it was special as it was advertised as Limited Edition. I felt as though I was getting something in line with the Dork 7". I became part of a devoted, specialized fanbase, which I would value considering the new status AFI received with Sing the Sorrow (the beginnings of a pretentious asshole it seems). This feeling would be repeated with my second purchase, Tiger Army's "Ghost Tigers EP". I randomly found Vertigo Records while exploring downtown for my first time and purchased it mostly due to a sticker proclaiming it to be limited to 3000 copies. Before my first 7" I didn't even realize vinyl could be coloured, and the variety of what was out there suddenly became much vaster. Likewise for the "Ghost Tigers" EP, picture discs and 10"s were all new concepts to me, and the culture of record collecting began to unfold in front of me.

Once again, my own scan.

Edit: there used to be an incredibly comprehensive website that hosted all of AFI's discography and pressing information, once again similar (but far beyond) to misfitscentral, but I guess it has changed or is down, because I can't figure out the new site which is a forum.

Anti-Parent

2009-11-08T12:14:00.001-05:00

2008, in terms of record collecting, was defined for me by Black Flag. After listening to Black Flag for several years, something clicked, and I had gained a deeper understanding of the band - and yes that includes the last 2, 3, or 4 + albums depending on how much of a skeptic you are. So a search began to gain ownership of a large chunk of hardcore history; the mighty Black Flag discography, with as many pressings as I could. This would unfortunately be a hunt largely carried out over the internet, but I also found some good stuff in Montreal and through trades. If I compare this scavenger hunt to a baseball games, I've easily covered first base (current pressings), 2nd base has mostly been cleared (Original pressings and promos that aren't too rare) and I've been running to 3rd base (90s reissues on coloured vinyl, which are surprisingly more costly than most first presses). Home base would of course be an original copy of Nervous Breakdown with the Black Cover in a baggie sealed with an SST sticker... one day.

Anyway, I began to document the pressing information of the records, in an effort to createsomething similar to misfitscentral.com, but stopped because I had no scanner for LPs, but you can see my work in progress here.

Creating that site made me change the way I looked at records. Like my Black Flag worship, I dove deeper than ever before, and a hobby became a historical archive. Going through every fine detail of each record, including noting the matrix engravings, uncovered things I would have never noticed before, and hadn't read anywhere else before. Example? 4th Pressing (red cover, gold vinyl) and onward of Nervous Breakdown has a typo of the timing for Nervous Breakdown (2:55 instead of 2:05). A discovery only titillating for assholes I guess.

This is my scan, please don't steal.

Dumb blog

2009-11-08T01:12:00.000-05:00

So here is yet another blog about music. This one is different from others in the fact that it has a strong ambition to evolve into a zine by year's end. This blog's purpose then is to ensure that we keep writing, as stagnation has plagued us too long. This is also different from other music blogs because we are too lazy to upload albums for you to download. Instead, being the pretentious assholes that we are, we'll just tell you what you should listen to, and then we'll brag about how rare it is to find and how we have a copy that we paid very little for (oh and did I mention that it's hand numbered?).

Anyway we have lots of ideas, let's see how many we can carry through.

And a quick shout out to the KINGS OF PUNK