Another day, another The Shape of Punk to Come pressing. I believe this brings the personal total to 7 different pressings of this essential album. This one just dropped from Newbury Comics and is limited to only 500 copies. $29.99 is certainly not a bad asking price for this double LP, and as of the time of this writing, they are still available from Newbury. Yes, 7 copies of the same record may seem a bit excessive, but as long as they keep pressing variants of this seminal album, I’ll keep buying them.
Category Archives: Colored Vinyl
Red / Blue
Red vs. Blue. Right vs. Left. Early Beatles vs. Later Beatles. Unfortunately, life is whittled down to these black and white decisions (red and blue in this case). Personally, I feel there should be a purple option, neatly fitting between the extremes. It’s all good, as far as I’m concerned, one side is just (arguably) better than the other.
It’s All in the Reflexes
Man, do I love Mondo. Though there is a SDCC (San Diego Comic Con) pressing on clear vinyl with blue splatter (limited to only 500 copies), I’m more than happy to own this retail version on blood red splattered vinyl. This soundtrack to John Carpenter’s unquestionable classic, Big Trouble in Little China, is a remastered, double LP set, and sounds absolutely perfect. If you don’t already own the original 1986 soundtrack, or hell, if you do, treat yourself (right now) to this essential classic, and remember, it’s all in the reflexes.
Off Broadway
Between my fits of laughter over movie quotes pertaining to tomorrow’s post, I remember an old, short-lived Chicago punk band from the Asian Man Records label. The Broadways released one studio album in 1997’s Broken Star. Presented here is a reissue from a questionable, yet recent year on gray marble vinyl. It’s either from 2008, 2014, or 2016. My memory tends to lag these days. Anyway, check out 15 Minutes for a good idea of this seminal band. You’re welcome.
Mr. Bruce
To be completely honest, I’m not exactly sure where, or by what means I acquired Lenny Bruce’s first two records. Ebay maybe? This would have been quite some time ago, but it’s been a while since I spun either of them. Relatively tame, all Lenny Bruce-things considered, I’d still suggest both of these Fantasy Records releases to those of you into history and comedy, and generally anything good. To my knowledge, there are both red and black vinyl versions of both, so, you know, pick your poison.
Golden Planet
I’d been holding out for an original pressing of Digable Planet’s debut, 1993’s Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space), that was, until I discovered this limited gold vinyl 25th anniversary reissue from February of this year. As the first official vinyl reissue, this double LP is limited to 1000 copies worldwide, and doubles as an “Indie Record Store Exclusive” which is exactly where I found it. The Planets released a total of two studio albums (spanning 1993 – 1994), both of which are essential owns. Next up is 1994’s Blowout Comb, which I’m hoping will get the same 25th anniversary treatment next year.
Watt Are You Talking About?
“I never gave a damn about the meterman, ’til I was the man, who had the read the meters, man.” – Mike Watt
Care
Well, a very, very bad mistake can now be put to rest, thanks to my wife (thank you!). You see, I’d stupidly passed up a chance to acquire the limited, aqua blue double vinyl release of Old 97’s classic, Too Far to Care. Little did I know that the next opportunity, and the only other opportunity (for nearly 5 years) would price this album 3x – 4x higher than that copy I’d originally put back on the shelf (for shame!). Missed opportunities die a slow and painful death in the life of a record collector, as you well know, so I’m grateful to finally put this one into the ground.
Two Tickets to The Park
Leave it to Mondo. Am I right?! At the end of May they reissued the 2 LP soundtrack to John Williams’ Jurassic Park. This 180g yellow and red swirl with black splatter color variant showed up on their site for about a day, and is now no longer available. Preowned copies are up on Discogs for $79 to $199.99, so I’m glad I ignored my hesitation and nabbed this gem when I did. Nobody beats John Williams. Nobody.
Technicolour Explosion
That’s the official vinyl color for this recent pressing (May 25th) of Odessey and Oracle by British chaps, The Zombies. Technicolour Explosion. (Yet) another Newbury Comics exclusive (limited to 1000 copies), this gorgeous reissue feels like 180 gram vinyl, though this perk isn’t noted anywhere in the item’s description. This is now our third version of this essential album, with (at least) one more to come… the US alt cover reissue from 1969.
Still Avail?!
It surprises and kinda weirds me out that this double LP of Deltron 3030 Instrumantals is still available from Newbury Comics. Limited to a staggering 300 copies, this 12-track giant strips out Deltron while preserving Dan the Automator and Kid Koala’s legendary foundation. If you have half a mind, are in to amazing conscious hip hop, and have $24 in your pocket or bank account… GET THIS ALBUM!
Pulse (The Goodies)
It was a Front 242 type of morning, as you can clearly see. I’d all but forgotten about all the groovy goodies inside the 2016 release from Alfa Matrix titled, <Filtered> Pulse. The gold record is limited to 242 pressings, and included is a nifty poster, a postcard type thing, and the 9-track CD of the record. For a solid (gold) EBM fix, look no further than <Filtered> Pulse (also available on clear & solid purple, solid yellow & black, and solid purple colored vinyl. All colors limited to only 242 pressings.)
30° Somewhere
The Promise Ring’s debut album, 1996’s 30° Everywhere is, was, and will forever be the soundtrack to dark and dreary winter evenings in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Originally released on Jade Tree Records in a variety of colors (blue, grey, red, white, yellow…), this 12-track opus is considered an integral part of emo’s second wave. Most scoff at the term emo, and they’re not necessarily wrong, as the term has ballooned into absurd and embarrassing proportions, but this album, this band, at that time… well, there was little better.
Black & White
Light in the Attic released a beautiful remastered double LP of the classic Black Monk Time back in 2009 (original, Germany-only pressing from 1966 fetches a hefty $1500 price tag). Then came a nifty collaboration with Newbury Comics of a limited white vinyl pressing from 2016 limited to only 300 copies. Whichever your color of preference, Black Monk Time is essential spinning material.Just One Fits
Ministry’s 2001 greatest hits album (appropriately titled Greatest Fits) received its first vinyl release via means of Run Out Groove last month. Double, colored, 180g vinyl, this 13-track monster is considered the only vinyl pressing to include the band’s contribution to Steven Spielberg’s A.I. film, What About Us?. Over the past several months we’ve seen Ministry do a fantastic job of releasing limited, and very often first-time albums on vinyl. Certainly, nobody is complaining here.
Phobia
Man, I need to catch up on my spins. For their 24th studio album, The Kinks released Phobia. A 17-track diddy that would prove to be the band’s last studio effort. For Record Store Day this year, a double LP of Phobia was released on this fancy orange swirl colored wax. What’s better than The Kinks participating in RSD is that Phobia was only previously released on vinyl in Spain upon its original release back in 1993, and with copies going in the $800 range, this beautiful reissue was a no-brainer.
Meow and Purr
Harry Nilsson’s 1974 collaboration with John Lennon falls a bit short from misguided expectations, but is still a necessary inclusion to any collection focusing on pop music history. Pussy Cats was hyped as having been recorded during Lennon’s 18-month “Lost Weekend,” a period he’d spend in the early 70’s apart from Yoko. Nilsson’s broken voice and (obviously) medicinally-influenced demeanor are something to note in this gluttonous series of 10 tracks. Buy it not expecting much, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. This 2018 RSD release on hardwood vinyl is limited to 1500 copies. Enjoy.
Moosebumps
Finally… the much anticipated Moosebumps has arrived. Limited to 1000 copies on clear w/ blood splatter colored vinyl, this Dr. Octagon website exclusive comes with a unique cover in addition to the exclusive vinyl color. Moosebumps is the first time that DJ Qbert, Dan the Automator, and Kool Keith would collaborate as the mighty Dr. Octagon since 1996 with their debut, Dr. Octagonecologyst. An instant classic, this sci-fi hip hop trio does not disappoint, given the 22 year gap, and Moosebumps is a necessary addition to any collection with room for the extreme. There’s also a hemoglobin red exclusive still available out of Newbury Comics, for those interested.
80
Bay area ska-punksters Link 80 were huge among my inner circle back in the late 90s thanks, in large part, to their inclusion on Asian Man Records’ 1998 compilation, Mailorder is Fun!. If you’re in the mood for upbeat skacore with a punk attitude, look no further than Link 80, and for the love of everything holy, get your hands on Mailorder is Fun!. 29 tracks of pure, late 90s ska-punk bliss!
Mad
If you can get past the nearly unavoidable reflection of the photographer, you’ll notice that you’re looking at two versions of Duck and Cover by Solvang’s reggae-ska-punks, Mad Caddies. The first release, you’ll want to look to the record on your left, is the standard black vinyl release, the first pressing, from way back in 1998. Until 2011, this was the only version available for pure, listening pleasure. That’s where the record on the right comes in. Limited to a slim 199 pressings, this splatter green vinyl is the second of only two pressings of this essential album, and today, fetches from a cool $70, to a whopping $189.99 on Discogs. My advice, check Fat Wreck Chords early, and often.
The Prudent Groove 