Ceremony - Zoo

This post is a long time coming. I really should have been on top of this months ago considering that pre-orders went up early in the new year. I guess I was just waiting for all the pieces to fall in place. It took a while but I'm just glad I got there.
I am not going to review the album or try to describe the new sound Ceremony have gone in. I did that already with the posts I did on the Hysteria 7" and Adult 7"s.

Pre-orders for the new album went up while I was on vacation in January. I would break away from the family once a day to use the hotel business computer where people would check flights or make bookings and I would check message boards and label sites. I caught more than a couple dirty looks for my frivolous browsing. Well fuck them, I got records to buy!
Once pre-orders went up, the only information on the Matador site was that there would be a limited color version, first come first serve. As it turned out, the pre-order color was clear red. There were 300 pressed.

For a while it seemed that there would just be the one color and standard black vinyl. Then on some message board everyone found out there would be more color vinyl coming.

The next rarest color was clear blue. This was the record release/tour version that was rumored to have sold all 300 out on the first night. As it turned out that was not true at all as Mike was able to grab me a copy when he saw them in Boston a month or so ago. What is so impressive is that he gave me the color version and kept the black for himself. That my friends is one swell guy. Thanks again Mike!

Clear green was the next color available and this was only available at independent record stores. I was a little worried that since there were only 500 pressed, not many if any would end up in Canada. My worries were unfounded as I can still find the green ones around town.

Finally is good old black vinyl or I like to call it, the play copy. I'm not sure where I heard it but there might be as many as 1900 on black. I found this one in a local indie record store that I guess wasn't cool enough to make the cut for green vinyl. Funny enough, this was the last one for me to get and hardest to track down.

All the versions come with this huge 24" x 24" foldout insert/lyric sheet. Very cool and complete overkill.

If anyone knows if there was a special record release show cover or any other variation out there, let me know. I always like to try to collect everything I can from Ceremony. I should find a cheaper hobby.

Youth Of Today 2012 Revelation Represses

 To tell you the truth, I'm not sure how I feel about this recent re-release of the two Youth of Today albums from Revelation. For anyone just getting into the band, record collecting or just can't afford the originals, this is a great idea and will make tons of Youth Of Today fans very happy. For those of us who busted our asses tracking down the originals, it's still cool. Just maybe not as much.
As you can see, they decided to re-release both albums with artwork as close as possible to the originals. We also know, both were not originally released on Revelation.
I might as well do these one at a time, so age before beauty and first up is Break Down The Walls.
 

Now honestly, going for the original Wishingwell cover art looks great, but I would have preferred another direction. The first Revelation pressing of the album with the yellow and blue theme was just as iconic and awesome as this one in my opinion. If they would have released this with that artwork and the two tone color Rev labels, I would have been more stoked.

The other thing that makes me uneasy is the use of clear red vinyl. That is just too close to the original, iconic, legendary, search your whole life white whale, WW vinyl that thousands of hardcore kids would give their left nut for. I think I would have liked a different color completely.

 

 Revelation also used labels close to the original WW ones, making only the obvious name and logo changes of course.

 The insert is close to the same except for the band name in red and the removal of the Wishingwell logo (of course). Now it is a double sided 12"x12" insert instead of a one sided 12"x24" foldout.

 There are a lot of differences between the Revelation and Wishingwell versions so really, it's not like anyone is going to be confused by the two so I guess it's cool. It's not like I wasn't going to buy it!

Next up is one of my personal favorite albums of all time, We're Not In This Alone.

 Of course this album was originally released on Caroline Records and had at least two original mixes. Go check out Dobek's site if you want more info on all that. The dude is crazy meticulous when it comes to that stuff.
This repress was on white vinyl which looks great and is the first time white was used for this particular record. I think it looks amazing.

 Revelation also stay very close to the original Caroline labels, making only the necessary label name and address changes.

 The insert is a lot closer to the original than Break Down the Walls is, but they do include color in the text this time around.

Just a note on the music, they use the 1997 Revelation remix on both these releases so it is still worth hunting down the Wishingwell and Caroline versions to get the original sound and vibe from these two crucial and necessary albums. In the end, there was no way I wasn't going to pick these up. It's what I do. If there was ever a band that deserves to have their stuff in print forever with new twists to keep it fresh and exciting, it's Youth Of Today.

Moss Icon - Complete Discography

Since Moss Icon are playing their first and only one-off reunion show at Chaos in Tejas this weekend, it seems appropriate to post their recently released Complete Discography  triple lp. I held off pre-ordering or buying this for a while now. I was really hoping that some day I could get all the original first press records so I wouldn't need this.

Well, I saw this locally in my favorite record store and I decided to to pick it up. I guess this means I am giving up. As far as their 12"s or albums go, damn, you could find those anywhere back in the 90's. Every distro and indie record store had that Ebullition "It Disappears" 12" and the "Lyburnium" album on Verminform was pretty easy to find too. But gawd damn, those 7"s were impossible to find. It has only gotten worse with time and now they go for ridiculous amounts of money that I can't really justify or afford. My two decade wish of getting the 7"s is over. Unless someone has a line on them for cheap. Then I'm back baby!

Moss Icon was the band that basically laid out the blueprint for all the 90's emo/screamo that would follow. These guys are literally name dropped as an influence by every single emo band that has existed. The legend has grown way past their popularity they ever had while playing. Now Temporary Residence Records has put out this discography that only makes the legend grow.

The layout is very simple and sparse much like their original records, with all of it in black and white. The tri-fold cover folds out to show the pictures from their three 7"s. They are from left to right, Memorial, Mahpiua Luta, and finally the self titled first 7".
 

 

 

There were some small pressings of color vinyl released but I am more than happy with good old black vinyl. To tell you the truth anything else would throw off the whole aesthetic of the package anyway.

Some of the nicest elements of this album are the inner sleeves. Usually I am not a fan of printed inner sleeves, but this seems to work.I took pictures of a couple to give you an idea. For all I know these are what the 7" inserts look like. Not that I would know.

The third album's b-side is a blank etched picture of the memorial figure. I tried to get a picture of it, but it does look way better in person.

I have no idea about pressing numbers or have any idea about colors. For me, this one is just about the pure joy and the memories I have about those crazy 90's emo days. 19 songs to remind me I used to wear fake black rimmed glasses on stage. As always, I am an idiot.

Champion - Time Slips Away

At the same time as the recent Promises Kept reissue, Bridge Nine also finally decided to release the Time Slips Away compilation. Now of course there is nothing really new or unreleased you would need off this album, it is simply a vinyl version of the cd compilation of Champion's two 7"s.

This is a great way for people new to the scene to get the songs from Come Out Swinging and Count Our Numbers, since both of the original 7"s (B9 and Platinum) are out of press. For myself, if it's from Champion and there is vinyl available - I'm getting it. I never bought the cd when it was released however many years ago, so it is nice to have the large layout and artwork available now. 

Bridge Nine doesn't have any pressing numbers up in their discography yet, but since clear vinyl was part of the package deal with the 24" x 36" poster and Promises Kept on green, I will assume it is the most rare.
 

The next color is white. I think it looks really good with the color and style of the labels.

Finally we have blue. This is probably the most common color out there as it is appearing in different distros and stores. Personally, I think it is the best looking color of the three. I really dig how they matched the color of the vinyl with the cover.

Surprisingly, this album didn't come in a gatefold sleeve as most of the recent reissues from Bridge Nine have. Instead, we get a glossy two sided insert with lyrics and credits.

Musically, you couldn't ask for a better record. These songs were among the very best straight edge hardcore songs of the 2000's, if ever. All three colors are still available at the Bridge Nine webstore as well as the package deal. I still don't know how that is possible. Maybe everyone already has the 7"s.

Verse - Aggression : B9 Repress & Bonus April Fools Day Prank

I wasn't planning on getting this album again. I really wasn't. A few years ago I collected a good half dozen versions of Verse's Aggression lp when it was first released on Rivalry Records. Kyle was always really cool with me and hooked me up with every version right off the bat.

Marcus from Endless Quest made a great point to me once. He told me to not look at represses as a burden for me to collect yet another version, but to stop being so self centered and see them as records for all the people who never had a chance to get them when they were first released. You know, the whole next generation thing. It was a great point.

So lately I have been trying (operative word - trying) to chill out and let represses go. Hell, maybe I can save some money in the process too. Look at me all grown up and shit.

When these were first released by Bridge Nine a couple months ago, I did a great job of holding off buying them. I was fighting it though. The pictures of the vinyl looked great, the album cover looked crystal clear as opposed to grainy and pixelated, it was now on a gatefold, etc. Nope I told myself, I'm good.

Fast forward to March 30. Bridge Nine had posted an offer for a new Have Heart 7" that was meant for a fourth Mystery Box that came in too late to sell. So they offered that if you bought $10 worth of stuff in the webstore, they would throw it in.

Well there went my willpower. I wanted the Have Heart 7". There would only be 500 of them total and I had to act fast. I cracked and bought all three Verse albums. 

In the end, no regrets. Deep down I wanted these. This album is so good and I really believe Verse were heading in an awesome direction before they called it quits. This lp had a serious Modern Life Is War vibe going on. Never a bad thing! Now that Verse are back it will be cool to see what they come up with next.

Bridge Nine don't have any pressing info up yet, so I don't know what the numbers are with these. I do know that the initial reaction was that the white with orange looked the best and was the one casual fans would be picking up based on aesthetics alone.

The other two colors are white with black, and white with grey.

As I mentioned earlier, the album is now on a gatefold sleeve with the lyrics and credits on the inside.

There is also a decent poster that was included that stays with the same layout and color scheme. For the life of me I can't remember if this was with the original Rivalry press. Doesn't matter.

Oh yeah, so by now we all know what the Have Heart 7" was right? It was an April Fools Day prank that Bridge Nine pulled. The 7" was a 7" ruler. I'm not going to get into it here, but I did a write up for Vinyl Noize on it. You can find it here. 

After all the dust had settled, the prank was fairly well received and anyone who was seriously put out could easily sell theirs for pretty good money. Especially if you had a blue one. Speaking of which...

I must have jumped on the deal pretty fast. Of the 500 rulers available, 100 were blue and 400 were red. I can only assume the blue went to those who ordered quickly. I ended up with #19.

Straight Edge indeed...

Champion - Promises Kept : 4th Pressing

There is a bit of a problem when you become a crazed, obsessed, ravenous fan of something. You lose perspective. I guess that would describe me when it comes to Champion and especially their Promises Kept album.

Promises Kept is my favorite album of all time. It just is. I can't explain it or rationally answer why. I certainly can't explain why it means more to me than Bringin' It Down or Age of Quarrel or any other album people regard as the best. I guess the best way to explain my feelings for the record is through this story.

A few years back I had a job that involved a lot of airplane travel. I mean a lot. Now, I can be a bit of a nervous traveler. I know it is among the safest modes of transportation, but then again, there isn't any room for error. If there is a serious problem, I am probably dying.
For five years, on every single flight, 24 minutes before boarding I would play the entire lp on my ipod. It was my good luck charm. That is just the start. Once on board I would cue up the song "Every Word" on my "On-The-Go" Playlist. If there was ever going to be a problem and my time was up, that would be the the song I was going down with and the last sounds I would ever hear.
"What we said and what it meant, every word is meant to last until the end..." Damn right.
Ok, I might be a bit nuts.

As far as record collecting with this album, just take a look at my banner. I want and need every version, every mix, every color. This time around the record is remixed once again with Kurt Ballou and this time they definitely got it right.  I for one am a simple man and like all of them. The songs matter to me and as I kind of already mentioned, they are perfect.

I have been waiting for this last version for almost two years. A couple summers ago Aram mentioned to me while I was sitting in his car after Shawn's wedding that Bridge Nine would be repressing the album once again with a different, final mix. Well that is some anticipation for a fella. Since that day I have been patiently waiting. A week or so before the album went up, Aram gave me a heads up it was coming. I kept my eye on twitter and facebook and I hate to admit it, but did a bit of the old F5 refresh on B9 as well. I literally think I was the first person to jump on the order when it came up. I hit the webstore, ordered one of everything and checked out.

At least that is what I thought I did. In actuality, I forgot to order the package deal with the huge poster and a copy of Time Slips Away. I figured it would be ok as the description said it would include a copy of the rarest color and I didn't know which of the two available that might be. Since I ordered one of each anyway, I would have it covered.

Well after a couple weeks, the message boards started showing that there was a third color with the bundle package deal. My heart sunk and I figured I was screwed. Hell, I thought these would all sell out in one day. Remember what I said about perspective? Well I thought everyone would be like me and have great taste. Order one of everything immediately. I mean christ, it's Champion! I ordered the bundle package, begged for the third color in the comments section and waited.

Of course things worked out and less than a week later it showed up. Let's get started shall we?

The package deal included a copy of Time Slip Away on clear vinyl and Promises Kept on green vinyl. Bridge Nine hasn't released the pressing numbers, but I assume this is the most rare color.

For the first time the album comes in a gatefold sleeve. All the lyrics and insert pictures are on this layout now instead of an insert.

 The package deal also came with this monster large poster. It has to be seen to be believed. I am heading to Michaels to get a frame for it for sure. It will sit nicely beside my original Judge Bringin It Down promo poster.

 The two other colors available that could ordered on their own were clear and gold. Once again, I have no idea how many of each are pressed, but they look great.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was another color hiding out there for friends or band only. If there is, great. I'm in. That all three of these are still available is great for new fans but a bit of a crime as well. I mean who isn't buying this immediately? Why isn't it sold out?