The Misfits - Halloween 7"

Well, this will be the last Misfits 7" post for a while. My wallet couldn't take the strain!

I guess I saved the best for last because growing up, "Halloween" was the song that hooked me on the band. It's pretty awesome and quite satisfying to have the original now.

I love the overall look and feel of this single as the band had made the move to Doyle on guitar and had changed their logo to the Famous Monsters of Filmland style font. This was the version of the Misfits I was most familiar with and enjoyed the most, mainly due to the awesomeness of the "Walk Among Us" lp.

On the collecting side, this was also the easiest and cheapest (relative term when it comes to this game) seven inch to obtain.

One pressing of 5000 on black vinyl. That's it. No label variants or different covers. One set of matrix numbers. You can't ask for more clear cut than that!

Of course Misfits Central gets into 10 copies that Danzig gave to friends with a photocopied cover, but whatever. Good luck chasing that down.

The insert is a lyric sheet for the song "Halloween". Not all copies came with the insert for whatever reason. That is pretty much the case with all their original records. The lyrics for the B side, "Halloween II" are on the back cover.

Bootlegs exist for this as with all the Misfits 7"s, but they are pretty easy to spot with this release. Blank labels and wrong matrix numbers are the big giveaways. Also, the insert has been bootlegged as photocopies on orange paper, but the original isn't exactly indian ink on high end parchment paper either.

I was also going to post on 3 Hits From Hell, but I ran into some bad luck. After all my histrionics about bootlegs, the research I do and the questions I ask of sellers - I ended up with a $300 bootleg.

I swear the listing was fine. The labels looked good, cover looked legit with sharp colors and lines, insert included, everything looked good. The Buy It Now option is always appealing as well.

The first sign of trouble was the record showed up in a bubble envelope. No cardboard backing, no box. How it survived the trip I have no idea.

I opened the package up and slid the record out of the sleeve. I can't tell you how close to a heart attack I had when I held the record up to the light to read the matrix number "Promo 7003". A far cry from the "Masterdisk PL 1013-A/B" or "R-10261/2" I was hoping to see.

I'm too fucking old for this kind of stress.

The insert is an obvious copy as well as part of the image is cut off on the top from the original.

I am working on a return (money and record) with the seller who was bummed to find out it was a bootleg. He bought it from a indie record store for big bucks too. Makes me wonder if any of this is worth it...

Then I look at my Halloween, Horror Business, Evilive and Beware records and yeah - sometimes it's worth it!

React! Showcase Box Set and other goodies

I don't think there is any secret in my love for React! Records. Aram puts his heart and soul into the label and consistently releases top shelf straight edge hardcore records from amazing bands. That is why it seriously bummed me out that I could not make it to the React! Showcase that happened back in April. For collectors, there is always a buzz with what fests and Showcases can deliver in the way of special limited press vinyl. I live for this shit!

However, being a full time corporate office drone, plus full time husband and dad, pretty much cramps my ability to run off to festivals anymore. Luckily, I have known Aram for a long, long time and had no problem hitting him up by email for a favor.

The email pretty much went, "Hey can you grab me anything special you might have at the Showcase?" Well, let's just say I am pretty freaking happy with what I got.

First up is the infamous React! Showcase box set. This is a set of all the recent 7"s that the label had released. There were a total of 94 made up and they probably could have made another hundred for how crazy the demand has been for them. Leftovers were put on the React! webstore and sold out in about 10 seconds. One sold on ebay right after the Showcase for close to $110. Damn!

All sets all contain black vinyl with stamped dust sleeves wrapped up nicely in a bow!

There are a ton of extras included such as stickers, lyric booklet, two posters and five of those React! inspirational/motivational, "one to grow on" inserts that come with each release.

My set is #88. Youth Crew!!!!!!! (I like to think this was intentional.)

Next up in the big box of goodies was the Get The Most record release press. I'm glad they waited until the Showcase to drop this.

133 pressed on green vinyl. Tasteful foldover 1/4 cover as well. Awesome looking and a hell of an album.

Next up is the most limited color of every new React! release.

Common Cause - Statement of Purpose on gold/100

Damages - Unrequited on orange/100

Praise - Growing.Changing.Healing on pink/100

Lastly, is one record I wasn't expecting at all. Aram let me know that my package was on the way and that he threw something extra in there. Well hot damn, this is a hell of a throw in.

Fuck yeah, record release of the new Betrayed - Suffering 7".

These songs are amazing. Betrayed have been a favorite of mine for a long time and I was so happy to hear they were starting up again. This record just solidifies for me everything good about hardcore. Thoughtful lyrics, hard and fast yet melodic songs played by dare I say it, professional musicians.

More important than having the record release (which is awesome) is hearing all four songs early. Hell yeah. Good mail day.

The Misfits - Horror Business 7"

Continuing on with my insane Misfits buying spree, the next record to arrive in the mail was the Horror Business 7".

Maybe it's because of the pressing numbers, the age of the record or that it is on color vinyl, but damn this sucker was expensive. I guess it makes sense, the older you get in the Misfits catalog - the higher the prices. Boy, I can't wait to see how much I am going to end up spending on a Bullet or Cough/Cool 7"! Good times!

According to Misfits Central and a couple other Misfits reference websites, the only pressing of this record your punk asses are ever going to see is 2000 on clear yellow vinyl.

25 black vinyl copies were pressed quickly for an upcoming Misfits show by Glenn without sleeves. They were mainly distributed to promoters to get some shows and were sent out in screened envelopes. Whatever the deal is, I'm not going near it. The idea of having one or even seeing one in my lifetime is preposterous. Let's move on.

As far as the regular yellow vinyl goes, the matrix numbers for Side A are: PL 1009 A

The matrix for Side B: PL 1009 B

Of course there are black and also red vinyl bootlegs out there but those will be pretty easy to spot.The bootlegged item you have to look out for is the insert.
If the line of text on the insert "(note esp. Teenagers From Mars)" has a capital N on the word note, it is a bootleg. Devious mf'ers!

I guess there is also some way to tell a bootleg insert by the contrast of the picture and the type of paper, but if you have never seen one in the first place, how the hell are you supposed to tell?

Oh and there is also the issue of the alternate rejected back cover picture, but you can read about that from better collector websites than this one. I'm just glad this thing arrived in one piece and is in such great shape!

Three down, two to go...for now.

The Misfits - Beware

Continuing on with my Misfits buying spree, this one was especially satisfying just because of what I had in place of the real deal for so many years.

Yeah, this.


Back in 1989, Calgary had an import record store called The Attic. They specialized in music no one had ever heard of and certainly you wouldn't see on Much Music. It is the store where I bought way too many Revelation cassette tapes instead of records and where on one fateful day I ran into this piece of shit. Damn! I didn't even know what a bootleg was.


Before the internet, I had no clue what Beware was supposed to look like. It sure wasn't like they were being stocked in the local Sam the Record Man. (sorry - Canadian reference) That day it was either Napalm Death - Scum or Beware. I went with the songs baby!

So ever since I found out what the real deal actually was, it has stuck in my craw that I had this in my collection.

Thankfully, with help from Vinyl Noize and the seller Paul Richard from Adrenaline OD, I now have a honest to goodness, real deal, Beware.


All the tell tale signs are there. The Beware title white goes to the top of the cover, the smoke effect off Jerry Only's shoulder and of course the run off matrix numbers.

Side A Matrix: ARMAGEDDON PLP-009-A2 LYN7721-2T MAX


Side B Matrix: PLP-009-B LYN7722-1T MAX


The cover was surprisingly light and flimsy. I think I creased it by breathing on it. Still, the vinyl is super clean and when I cleaned with my VPI machine it might as well have been new.

Anyone want a red vinyl bootleg?

The Misfits - Evilive 7"

You know, for the last 22 years, I was perfectly happy and content with my lousy Misfits record collection. I had a 4th press Walk Among Us, a third press Legacy of Brutality, good old regular mall bought copies of Collection I, Earth A.D. and Evilive and a 3,546,274 press of Die Die My Darling.

I had the songs, I loved the band - I was fine. I always knew that original Misfits records were pricey, heavily bootlegged and you had to have a CSI forensics degree to spot the real deal. Too much work, too much trouble, too much risk.

Then along comes one of the best blogs EVER, Vinyl Noize. Vinyl Noize is run by Bane t-shirt collector extraordinaire and the man behind How's Your Edge?, Brian Murphy. The man knows his business. Between Brian and his contributors, I now literally have experts doing the leg work checking out ebay listings and confirming as far as they can tell, the authenticity and availability of these rare records I was always so leery of.

Well ten days after seeing my first Misfits post on Vinyl Noize, I have bought five ridiculously expensive Misfits records. Let's just say its going to be quite a credit card statement this month.

The second record I bought, and first to arrive in the mail was Evilive. Not just your average run of the mill original Evilive 7", but the limited Fiend Club version.

The Fiend Club version comes with a live band shot on front cover as opposed to the regular version with Glenn and Doyle.

The back cover is different from the regular press as well. The Crimson Ghost is stamped on the cover and each copy is hand numbered by Glenn Danzig himself.

This one is #235. Very evil!

This comes with yellow labels. The matrix etched on the dead wax is for Side A: PL-1019-A For side B: PL-1019-B MASTERDISK

There is a bootleg of the Fiend Club version out there with the number #512 on the book spine. There are a lot out there as 1000 bootlegs were pressed. That is just crazy since there were only 900 pressed of this original.

As with most original Misfits records, you are lucky if you get an insert. This one did come with one in mint condition. Very nice.

Whatever discomfort I had buying this record was immediately gone once I saw who I was buying it off of. As I have previously mentioned in past posts, nothing beats buying hard to find, old original records off of someone who was in the band or part of the early hardcore scene. As luck would have it, this one comes from Jamie Sciarappa, the bass player from the mighty SSD.

Man, how cool is that?

Integrity - To Die For "Red" 2nd press

As promised from the good folks at A389 Recordings (Dom from Pulling Teeth's label), the second press of Integrity's "To Die For" album has finally arrived. This went up for pre-order back when there was snow on the ground, so I am pretty happy to finally have it in my hands.

Just like the first press earlier this year, Dwid designed the theme of the vinyl to follow a specific Manson Family girl. The first press was based on Sandra Good and her nickname "Blue". (My write up of that one can be found here) This time around we have Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme. Guess what Squeaky's nickname was? (Well - in addition to "Squeaky".)

Once again, the record was released on a 10". 500 pressed on clear red vinyl.

The two presses are very similar as they have the exact same A & B side labels with the only difference being the color.

The insert is once again a picture of Squeaky Fromme and Sandra Good together. No liner notes, lyrics or thank yous. At least this time they have their clothes on.

The first press of 500 sold out extremely fast. This one sold just as well, as almost all of them were gone with the pre-order. Checking the A389 webstore, you can still get a copy but only through the "Rarities Vault". Jump on it while you can. Oh and the record crushes, but we knew that already.

Cap'n Jazz - Analphabetapolothology lp

Hello, my name is Doug and I buy 90's emo records.

Back in the dark 1990's, I was a full on banana at heart (I just couldn't buy into the look). I loved the whole backpack and cardigan wearing sensitive male, breaking down crying, emo/screamo "hardcore" that everyone who didn't have Floorpunch tattoos did. I'm just man enough to admit it!

Cap'n Jazz was a very polarizing band. Love or hate. Very little middle ground. Back then my love for this band and the rotation it held in my car stereo actually dictated who would drive with me on road trips or gig runs.
My friend Shawn drove with me from Calgary to Vancouver as my only passenger out of a group of 5 because I was playing nothing but Cap'n Jazz, Still Life, Embassy, Navio Forge and Indian Summer. 12 hours of emo on the way to see the Sex Pistols reunion tour for god's sake! Good times!
I just might break out the Cap'n Jazz at Shawn's bachelor party next month. Aram will love that...

When I saw that the Cap'n Jazz discography (I'm not typing the title again) was finally going to be released on vinyl for the first time (It has been on cd since '98.) I jumped on it despite the hefty price tag. What can I say? I love that Kinsella magic!

The vinyl is (was) available as a first pressing of 2500. 300 on white and 2200 on black. The white sold out from Jade Tree's online store in less than a day. Luckily, I was able to get one.
Oddly, the next day there was a clear version out of 200 available. Whatever. I'm good.


The packaging is really very nice with a full color gatefold sleeve.


It also comes with a huge 8 page insert booklet as well.


One curious thing, the cd of this had a total of 34 songs. This double lp only has 24. I guess they didn't want to go all out and release a triple lp to cover everything. To tell you the truth, the lp and two 7"s are here and that is really that is all you need. Some of their compilation tracks just sucked. "90210 theme" or "Winter Wonderland" anyone?

For kicks here is the Cap'n Jazz 28 word title lp that I have no patience to write out (let's just say it starts with burritos.) that is the primary reason to buy the discography. It has also been called the Shmap'n Shmazz lp from the a side label. This sucker was out of print, rare and expensive back in 1995. A couple years ago one sold for $275. These days $70 will do it.


I would have taken pictures of their 7"s that I own, but I just can't be that bothered. Oh Messy Life...