Fun fact. I have a 2-year-old daughter. Which means I have a walking wood chipper looking to destroy anything in her path. So naturally when she mad-dashed into my office I rushed to put all my vinyl away before she could get her Wiggles-loving claws on ‘em. Well that led to me putting my August Burns Red liner notes in my brand new At The Drive-In in / CASINO / OUT sleeve. Unfortunately this confusion took me down a Google rabbit hole wondering how the hell “Jeremy of A Day To Remember” – a band that debuted in 2003 – could be featured on a record that was first released in 1998! Ah, shit…I'm an idiot.
Okay. Now that I've completed my Easter Sunday confession (and blamed my daughter's Nana to save face in my Vinyl Collector Messenger Thread), let's get to reviewing this bad boy. As always, this isn't a review of the music itself but how it looks and sounds on wax.
I believe this is the album’s third pressing? The first being in 1998 and another in 2012, making this a Holy Grail for some fans of the Texas punk/alt-rock legends. I was fortunate to receive the Purple & Green Smoke vinyl pictured above, which is the only copy (I think) being sold for this year's Record Store Day festivities. And even though UPS did their best to yuck my yum …
…this record is flat, plays nicely, and has no added noise/distortion on either side. Craft repress strikes again!
“Napoleon Solo” was the clear stand out, with neatly fitted harmonics sliding perfectly into the mix in a way I must have previously missed! Additional hat tip to the percussion on “Shaking Hand Incision,” with every snare rim shot front and center, but never taking away from the full ensemble. Could be because I've never listened via headphones, but I've got a new-found appreciation for the percussionist Marcelo Rodche credited who is… wait… Omar’s dad!? God bless liner notes! Take that, Spotify!
While I'm sure collectors are sighing as they watch their In / CASINO / OUT stock plummet, the rest of us are happy to be able to get our mitts on a copy for under $120!
Snag yours at your local record shop on 4/20. Limited to 6,500 copies.
