Hot Cross – Risk Revival
Now this is what I like to see. This picture disc version of Hot Cross’s Risk Revival still comes in full packaging instead of letting the disc itself act as the packaging. This is a nice gatefold with really great artwork. Just let the pictures speak for themselves. 2007 Equal Vision/Level Plane Records.
Track List:
Side A:
01. Exits And Trails
02. Turncoat Revolution
03. Resent Resist Rebuild
04. Fire The Foundations
05. Cardiac Silence
06. Kill The Name
Side B:
01. Silence Is Failure
02. Fatefully
03. Existence
04. Rejoinder
05. Finance Fuels The Sickness At Heart
06. Blame Truth
07. Scrape Wisdom
Black Flag – Everything Went Black (Previously Released Black Flag Recordings 1978 – 1981)
Everything Went Black is a compilation album released by Black Flag in 1983 on SST Records which chronicles the different (pre Rollins) eras of the band with their different singers. This record was first released during the band’s legal dispute with Unicorn/MCA Records over the distribution of the band’s 1981 release Damaged. During this period, the band was not allowed to release any material. They did anyway. The first pressing of this record had the name “Black Flag” blacked out and the Black Flag logo was whited out. The names of the band members appeared in the black bars over the band’s name, the only indicator that this was a Black Flag record. Later pressings of the record came after the lawsuit was settled so the name and logo did not need to be covered up. As you can see by the pictures, my copy of the record is a later pressing. The first three sides are comprised of early recordings featuring the bands early singers: Keith Morris (Johnny “Bob” Goldstein), Ron Reyes (Chavo Pederast), and Dez Cadena. Side D contains the track “Crass Commercialism” which is a compilation of radio advertisements for Black Flag shows.
Track List:
Side A: (Johnny “Bob” Goldstein Era) (Keith Morris)
01. Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie
02. I Don’t Care
03. White Minority
04. No Values
05. Revenge
06. Depression
07. Clocked In
08 Police Story
09. Wasted
Etching: ROBO IS GOD – SPACING OUT TO THE BEAT OF A DIFFERENT DRUMMER
Side B: (Jealous Again Era-Chavo) (Ron Reyes)
01. Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie
02. Depression
03. Police Story
04. Clocked In
05. My Rules
(Jealous Again Era-Dez) (Dez Cadena)
06. Jealous Again
07. Police Story
08. Damaged I
09. Louie Louie
Etching: FEELING UNEASY? – CHAVO SEZHERE COMES DEZ – JEALOUS ANYONE?
Side C: (The Dez Continuum) (Dez Cadena)
01. No More
02. Room 13
03. Depression
04. Damaged II
05. Padded Cell
06. Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie
Etching: SO MAYBE WE’RE WAITING FOR A HEAVY ALLOY SAVIOUR, OZZIE?
Side D:
01. Crass Commercialism
Etching: NO CORN IN MY HORN, NOT WHERE THIS BOP DROPS, Y’ALL
EVIL CLUTCHES – LET NO MAN FALL PREY ||||
Baroness – Second 12″
Baroness are a metal band from Savannah, Georgia. This is their second release (I’m sure you guessed that…) which was put out by Hyperrealist in 2005. There are 3 songs on this 12″, all of which appear on side a. Side b has an etching of skulls and serpants. The etching was a little difficult to photgraph. I had to play around with the contrast, exposure, and saturation. I bought this record brand new from Long In The Tooth in Philly. I was excited to find it since it’s out of print.
Track List:
Side A:
01. Red Sky
02. Son Of Sun
03. Vision
Side B:
ETCHING (See pictures below)
Björk – Volta UK 2xLP
This is Volta, Björk’s 6th studio album, released in 2007 by One Little Indian. The packaging for this LP is incredible… or annoying if you actually want to open it. The figure on the front is actually a sticker which is meant to be removed so you can open up the flaps to get to the inside. Upon opening their LPs for the first time, some fans found that the sticker rips easily, or loses it’s stickiness after a while and will no longer hold the flaps shut. An alternative way to open the box is to unfold the flaps at the top and slide the contents out (as pictured below). While this method keeps the sticker intact, it is still annoying to do and it can wrinkle the box. Anyway, what’s inside this mystery box? This record has been out for just over a year so most Björk fans already know, but in case you’re new, 5 “Russian Doll” style folders, each with a different flame letter pic, house 2 180 gram heavyweight LPs. The packaging as definitely beautiful and original, although annoying to deal with. At least the music on the inside is worth the trouble.
Track List:
Side A:
01. Earth Intruders
02. Wanderlust
Side B:
01. The Dull Flame Of Desire
02. Innocence
Side C:
01. I See Who You Are
02. Vertebrae By Vertebrae
03. Pneumonia
Side D:
01. Hope
02. Declare Independence
03. My Juvenile
The Polyphonic Spree – The Fragile Army 2xLP
The Fragile Army is The Polyphonic Spree’s third full length album. It was released by TVT Records (along with Good Records) in 2007. I bought this record from a store called Long In The Tooth in Philadelphia. This album continues the same style you have come to know from their previous records. Some people who haven’t really listened to the Spree seem to think they are a cult, which is kind of silly. I saw them perform in 2004 at the First Unitarian Church in Philly and it was one of the best live shows I have ever seen. This is the first Spree record to have more than 10 tracks.
Track List:
Side A:
01. Section 21 [Together We're Heavy]
02. Section 22 [Running Away]
03. Section 23 [Get Up And Go]
Side B:
01. Section 24 [The Fragile Army]
02. Section 25 [Younger Yesterday]
03. Section 26 [We Crawl]
Side C:
01. Section 27 [Mental Cabaret]
02. Section 28 [Guaranteed Nightlife]
03. Section 29 [Light To Follow]
Side D:
01. Section 30 [Watch Us Explode (Justify)]
02. Section 31 [Overblow Your Nest]
03 Section 32 [The Championship]
Hall And Oats – Private Eyes
Yet another in the series of “free records I got from my neighbor when she threw them away.” This is Private Eyes by Hall And Oats. I’m not really a big Hall And Oats fan. “Private Eyes” is probably the only song I knew from them before listening to this record. Aside from knowing it from the radio, this kid Dom I used to work with always sang it while we were working. I don’t know why. So I guess I picked this up for some of that nostalgic value. A lot of the records I have hold either some kind of nostalgic or camp value. The artwork on this record is pretty cool and was weird to photograph, especially the back cover, but I think it came out ok. Side A is listed as Side A on the disc label and Side B is listed as Side One on the other side. Released in 1981 by RCA.
Track List:
Side A:
01. Private Eyes
02. Looking For A Good Sign
03. I Can’t Go For That
04. Mano A Mano
05. Did It In A Minute
Side B:
01. Head Above Water
02. Tell Me What You Want
03. Friday Let Me Down
04. Unguarded Minute
05. Your Imagination
06. Some Men
Radiohead – Pyramid Song 12″
“Pyramid Song” is a single from Radiohead’s 2001 album Amnesiac. This is the 12″ vinyl version of the single which was also issued on CD. “Pyramid Song” is on Side A, while two B Sides (er, that is to say “non-album tracks”), “Fast Track” and “The Amazing Sounds Of Orgy” are on, well, Side B. I paid $10 for this record at Tunes in Ocean City, NJ in 2001. Released by Parlophone/EMI.
Track List:
Side A:
01. Pyramid Song
Side B:
01. Fast Track
02. The Amazing Sounds Of Orgy
Ink & Dagger/Le Shok Split
Ink & Dagger’s split with Le Shok came out in 1999 on Initial Records. Each band has one song. “Catch The Flashback” for I&D and “Electric Digits” on the Le Shok side. I don’t remember exactly when or where I bought this (right around the time it came out) or how much it cost me. I do remember, however, that it contains 1 of 2 Le Shok songs I have heard that I think are any good (“TV In My Eye” being the other). So there you have it, two good songs from one great band and one band with only 2 good songs (as far as I know..)
Track List:
Side A:
Ink & Dagger – Catch The Flashback
Etching: BEGIN THE FREAKOUT!
Side B:
Le Shok – Electric Digits
Etching: JOIN THE SECRET SERVICE!
Yusef Lateef – The Diverse Yusef Lateef
The Diverse Yusef Lateef is another one of the records reccommended to me by my friend when I asked him for some good jazz. This is by far my favorite of what he gave me. This record incorporates world music rhythms and tonalities and combines it with American jazz and the result is amazing. This record only has 4 songs on it. I don’t know if that’s because it’s a promo copy or if that’s how it was originally released. I have seen CD Rhino reissues of it online with many more tracks added. This copy was released in 1970 by Atlantic.
Track List:
Side A:
01: Live Humble
02: A Long Time Ago
Side B:
01: Eboness
02: Chandra
Björk – Isobel/Hyperballad 12″ Single
The Isobel/Hyperballad 12″ single is part of a series of 5 UK singles that were released by One Little Indian in 1997 during the Post era. For whatever reason, the singles are listed on the bjork.com discography as part of the Possibly Maybe singles, even though (a remix of) the song only appears on one of the singles. Anyway, as you can see, the packaging and art for this single (as well as the other 4) is very simple. All the info and track listing is on the front along with the bar code. The back is blank. The embossed Björk logo at the top right is pretty cool, but overall it’s very minimalistic.
Track List:
Side A:
Isobel’s Lonely Heart (Goldie Remix)
Side AA:
Hyperballad (Robin Hood Riding Through The Glen Mix)
