Thursday, February 11, 2010

Project X - Straight Edge Revenge 7"


Now that I am 40 years old, it is crazy to think I have been record collecting for over 3/4 of my life. I now have over 3,200 records from all genres of music (hardcore, punk and metal mostly) . Through all of it, I really only had two rules:

1. Variations and represses are cool, but they are nothing compared to the first press. Never stop until you have the original first press.
2. Never collect bootlegs.

Abiding by these two rules got very tricky when it came to collecting really rare hardcore records from the 80's. The general rule is, if it is collectible and people are paying hundreds (if not thousands) for them, then it is probably has been bootlegged somewhere along the line.
With ebay, you are buying records sight unseen and sometimes for increasingly ridiculous amounts of money. Some sellers don't even know they are selling a bootleg and advertise as original. Some sellers even lift pictures from someone else and sell it as theirs.
It is all of these factors that have shied me away from getting some of the most prized records out there.

So I think I figured out a foolproof way to get the records I need and be assured of their authenticity - buy them from a guy who was in the band!
A couple weeks ago, I bought a few records off Sammy Seigler, drummer from such bands as Youth of Today, Judge, Side By Side and this one, Project X.


I have wanted an original Project X 7" for a very long time, but the thought of it ever actually happening in Calgary back in the 80s-90s was preposterous. My friend Todd and I used to talk about it years ago. The idea of tracking one down and buying it was something rich dudes in the US would do. Not us. No way.
As far as trade lists and boards, the Project X 7" was on everyone's want list and no one's have list. Not that I would have anything to trade with anyways. I left it as a pipe dream and moved on to the next record. There is always a next record.

Well, here we are a few years later. Finally the opportunity arose to get one of my main wants I could safely say was original, legitimate, and buy it without the fury of an auction watched by thousands.

A big smile crossed my face when I saw the hand written labels, showing the band, side and each with a unique message or statement. Mine is "We shaved Xs... In the back of our heads."

Everything is in near mint condition which is awesome considering the reputation the record has for notoriously thin vinyl and a weak paper sleeve.

I will post my next Sammy purchase in a bit. I am very excited about knowing another rare original is in my hands from just about the most reliable source out there.
Here's a hint for my buddy Geoff: Stigma!

6 comments:

  1. Yes...this is definitely one of the easiest records to know if you have a bootleg. The real ones were so flimsy! When this came out I bought 3 from Alex, Had two for the longest time and gave the third to my friend Aaron from Pittsburgh so he could have bragging rights. Alex sold it with the 'zine for $3.00 and was stunned when people were just throwing money at him to get. I don't think Schism had any Project X records left after the first two weeks. This was a highly bootlegged record for many years.

    -Dave K.

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  2. Sorry. I just broke your second rule on my blog.

    Nice score. I figured that Sammy's stuff was going to sell WAY TOO HIGH for me, and I stayed right away from it.

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  3. I searched high and low for the project X 7" - I believe I have a bootleg from about 1989 it costed 5 bucks at Raunch Records in SLC. But, as one of the few, I was very happy for the bootleg. L&F did a "unofficial boot" of it years later to CD, but I stuck with vinyl, though still a boot. I was always bummed to hear there was another song that never made it to print...until I was able to get it from a live show taped. I've tried to find Can't Keep Me Down in any digital format, but no one has done it from what I have seen. I'm bummed about not having the original project X since the money went into someone's pocket who is not doing it for the right reasons. I'll stick with my search, but refuse to pay such high prices. Along with the hard-to-find Together 7" from revelation (Brad - Raunch wouldn't sell it to me when I saw he had it) it will still be one of the grails to my quest. Until then I'll be happy listening to my original Turning Point, Wide Awake, No For An Answer, Brotherhood, Chain of Strength, Manlifting Banner, 7"s for the time being.
    PS I posted the mp3 of a badly recorded Can't keep me down on Napster years ago, but I don't think it went anywhere.

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  4. I have 1 of the 300 sold at the Anthrax with the Schism fanzine. How much is it worth? Does anyone know?

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  5. I also have most of the early Revelation records incl Warzone on gold, Sick of It All (#381 1st pressing), etc. Where can I find out what these are worth? I bought them all at SE shows at the Anthrax and CBs in the 80s so I know they are not bootlegs.

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  6. Check on ebay for the title, and you'll about what people are willing to pay for them. Or bunch them up in a "lot" and try to sell them that way. Most are 40-50 follars is all. Good luck finding any "collector" willing to pay for them, since any real punk would not fall for the after market pricing since the band doesn't get anything out of it, and most were into it for the sake of getting a message out, not making tons of cash (though it would've been a nice after effect, the message was first for most).

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