V/A – Dark Nights: Death Metal Soundtrack

It’s no secret I’m a sucker for cover variants. They’re one of the few variants I collect. And this release will ultimately lead to far more money leaving my bank account than I would ever like.

There are five cover variants for this soundtrack. Dark Nights: Death Metal is a joint comic and music series between DC comics and a handful or bands and artists spanning several genres. In the lead up to the complete soundtrack being released, three comics were released with exclusive flexi discs. These flexi discs featured songs selected off the soundtrack, and cost $15 before shipping. I believe all the comics were the same, at least content wise. Ironically, all three of them were cover variants. Which is an even bigger thing in the comic collecting scene than it is with vinyl.

Admittedly I’m not a fan of comics at all. I’ve never seen the appeal of them. Reading in general really. Which I’m aware is the ultimate irony of someone writing a blog who has a writing degree. So I have no idea what the comic series revolves around. But the music is why most of us are here, and hopefully reading…

The soundtrack features the likes of Manchester Orchestra, Rise Against, Mastodon and of course Tyler Bates: who can’t seem to not be involved with a comic or graphic novel related soundtrack or score. Needless to say I bought this for the Manchester Orchestra song, which happens to be a b-side from the Cope era. So the band has been sitting on this for years. The song was re-worked under the guidance and support of Tyler Bates (executive producer of the soundtrack), who approached the band about being involved with this soundtrack, and it was thusly included on it. The song is titled “Never Ending,” and I’m not sure if that was the title the song originally had or not.

Loma Vista released the soundtrack, which explains the exorbitant amount of variants all around for this record. They shared the wealth with many of the retailers who charge the highest prices for their exclusive variants. Most notably FYE and Newbury Comics. At least I only had to indulge one of them.

Before delving into the full pressing info, here are some of the most pertinent details about this release. All copies are pressed as a double LP, housed in a gatefold jacket, which includes an obi-strip. All the variants except for the black one contain at least one of 11 different trading cards are included, along with a foldout poster. I say at least one trading card because apparently, for whatever reason, some copies come with multiple, while others come with only one. On that note, not all copies come with inserts, while others do. Basically what I’m trying to say is that this release is a convoluted mess of details.

I will start out with the most widely used cover variant, which has multiple record variants inside itself. Pressing info has not been released for all of these variants however, but they do have the most filled out info for any of them. First up is the standard black, which is available everywhere selling this soundtrack aside from retailers that may have an exclusive variant featuring this cover, and limited to an unknown amount. Barnes & Noble (B&N) has an exclusive variant, which is on blue (opaque) vinyl limited to an unknown amount. Brooklyn Vegan and Revolver Magazine each have an apparent variant, but for whatever reason both places are selling both colors. These colors, which are each limited to 500 copies a piece, are red and yellow. The aforementioned FYE exclusive has this cover art, and is pressed on “orchid” color vinyl, which is purple in color. Anyone who knows anything about plants, flowers, orchids in general knows or has a passing fancy of random facts knows that orchids come in a wide array of colors. So choosing a shade of purple is awfully presumptuous. To further complicate matters, there is an apparent European pressing/variant, which is also done on purple. I have not seen actual photos of either of these variants, but the mock up on the FYE web site depicts their exclusive being more of an opaque lilac or lavender color. How many copies were pressed on the FYE nor the Euro pressing/variant have been released.

Because there are so many variants, the standard artwork needs multiple paragraphs. So here we go again. Not to be outdone, Walmart has an exclusive color, pressed on orange (opaque) vinyl, and again without pressing info released. And this paragraph was needed even before going into the pricing of these exclusive variants.

Unsurprisingly the Walmart exclusive if the most affordable of the bunch, coming in at $28. Brooklyn Vegan and Revolver charged $33. B&N charged $30, along with Loma Vista for the black variant. But with that said, pricing on the black variant with the standard artwork varies based on where you buy it. But unless there is a sale or a drastic markdown before any coupon codes, the price won’t be below $25. All these prices are before shipping and tax, should they apply.

Now here come the cover variants. There is an indie record store exclusive cover, which has the record pressed on “electric smoke” vinyl. Pressing info has not been released for this variant, and price will vary based on the store you purchase from. But it will likely be between $27-32. The indie record store cover variant features the Dark Nights Death Metal version of Superman. With the color of the record being a clear base with black smoke. This variant is featured in the gallery below, with very detailed pictures of it.

The next cover variant up is the Newbury Comics one, which features Dark Nights Death Metal version of Batman. It’s pressed on black marble vinyl limited to 2,000 copies. This is the most expensive variant of the bunch, costing $40. The black marble variant is actually a perfect description of the record. It’s impossible to know of the base color is black or grey. Either way, it lives up the marble, which at least has white, black and grey mixed in. This variant also comes with an exclusive obi-strip, which is black in color on the front half, instead of yellow.

Comic book stores were of course not left out of the mix, as they have their own cover variant of the soundtrack. It features the Dark Nights Death Metal version of Wonder Woman, and is pressed on “smoke” vinyl according to item descriptions, despite the fact the hype sticker stating red smoke. Either way, that description could not be further from the truth. This “smoke” variant turned out to be transparent red w/ black marble. Admittedly I’m at a loss for words here with the pricing for this variant, as I’m unfamiliar with comic book stores. This variant is tough to find for sale online from any of the numerous indie comic book stores around the country. The few I have come across are charging upwards of $40 for it, with the most expensive one I found was a ridiculous $60 (before shipping of course). Very few have popped up for sale on the secondary market, and those that have are listed for sale at even higher numbers. Which isn’t surprising if you consider these flippers likely had to pay the aforementioned ludicrous retail prices.

The final variant was a label exclusive. It features the standard artwork, but with a different finish. This different finish is a mirrorboard. It’s limited to 2,000 copies on blue & purple smoke vinyl. Which is actually one of the most accurate descriptions of any of the variants for this record. The first disc is a transparent base with black smoke, and the second disc is a transparent purple base with black smoke. This variant cost $30, and quickly sold out.

Manchester Orchestra – The Million Masks Of God (Regular/Standard, Deluxe & Hard Cover Book Versions)

If there is one word to describe Manchester Orchestra’s latest album it’s grand. A Black Mile To The Surface, pardon the pun, only scratched the surface of the band’s ambitious effort on The Million Masks Of God. Is this album a banger? No. Is it something you can listen to on your daily commute in your car? Probably not. But that has never been Manchester Orchestra’s style. Yes, there have been a bit of head bangers and poppier jams on their earlier albums, but I don’t think you’ll get many, if any, complaints from fans on the direction the band has headed.

The Million Masks Of God is a definite multi listen experience to fully absorb. Most albums are, or at least should be. But this one truly requires it. To fully appreciate this album will take several listening sessions. It flows pretty much seamlessly track to track. It’s a master class in production. You can’t simply skip a song because it’s not your cup of tea or out of form for the artist (say like the new Foo Fighters album). Of all the new material that spawned out of the pandemic, to me at least, this is perfect. You can tell it wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t a cash grab. It wasn’t a vain attempt to capitalize on the moment. It was a group of musicians coming together, however closely that was in person, and knocking it out of the park. This album will hold up over time. Will it be a benchmark on Manchester Orchestra’s career? Only time will tell.

Now with the informal review out of the way, here are some details about the vinyl release of the album. As has been the case with many of their albums, there are multiple versions of it, which has been the case ever since the band’s fourth album Cope. They seemed to have ditched the box set, which was only done once, for Cope, and moved on to hard cover books. They can be on the pricier side; the two they’ve released thus far have each cost $60 before shipping.

Personally I’m bummed I slept on the hard cover book edition of A Black Mile To The Surface, because it not only fetches over $100 on the secondary market, it rarely pops up for sale. I didn’t make the same mistake with the one for The Million Masks Of God, though I did come close to missing out again, as I bought a copy when there were literally nine copies left in stock. Both the band and one of the labels that released the album; Loma Vista Recordings, were the only places to buy the hardcover book edition. The band sold out of their allotment long before the label, which I where I purchased a copy from.

I’m a sucker for these types of releases. Are they necessary? Absolutely not. But they do add another dimension to albums, and Manchester Orchestra has done a good job with them. Bad Books, a side project of some Manchester Orchestra members, has released a hardcover book version of their second full length too, which I also own.

One of the things that set the hardcover book edition of The Million Masks Of God apart from the others the band, or their side projects, have released thus far is that this one is cloth bound. A more accurate description is felt/velvet however. The book is also on the large size in terms of pages. The Bad Books hardcover book is only 28 pages, which may seem like a lot, until you realize the one for The Million Masks Of God is 36 pages.

One thing that some people are not a fan of with the packaging for the hardcover book version is the glossy finish of some of the artwork on the cover. Personally, I’m on the fence about it. It does detract a bit from the overall feel of this version, but it’s not an eyesore. One complaint that is across the board is the fact that the silver foil/stamping/ink on the spine does wear off rather easy. My copy, which come sealed (all copies do), already had some letters beginning to wear/rub off. This issues will only become worse over time through inevitable shelf wear and other wear and tear that may occur. Other than those two issues, the book is well put together, with the record housed inside, in a dust sleeve of sorts that is glued/affixed to the inside of the back cover. This dust sleeve has a spot gloss finish, which can be easy to miss. I’ve done my best to highlight the spot gloss in the photo gallery below.

All copies of the hardcover book edition/version were pressed on white with “blue jay” vinyl, which is white with blue marble/swirl. Pressing info for the hard cover book edition has not been released, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it never is. Pressing info as a whole for The Million Masks Of God is a crapshoot. Some variants, regardless of version, have pressing info released, while the vast majority doesn’t.  Be forewarned; variants and exclusives are nuts for this record.

On top of that, there are still additional versions; a standard and deluxe. The only difference between the standard and deluxe editions is that the deluxe edition comes housed in a glow in the dark, gatefold jacket.  

There are a total of 12 variants for this record, which encompasses the three different editions. Retail prices on them are across the board too depending on the edition. The standard edition cost bwtween $23-27, the deluxe edition cost $36 and the aforementioned hardcover book edition cost $60. All before shipping should you purchase online. The vast majority of the pressing was sold online, and sold out to boot.

Despite there being so many variants and different editions, Loma Vista did a pretty good job at making it easy to decipher between them. Most, if not all of them come with some sort of sticker, whether it be a hype sticker or barcode sticker, that denotes the variant. Some of the barcodes go as far as to list the exclusive retailer of that specific variant. I will devote the paragraphs below to each of the two editions left to be discussed; the standard and deluxe.

The standard edition, which are all pressed on 140 gram (standard weight) vinyl, has seven variants. There are 500 copies on sea blue limited to 500 copies, which is a Brooklyn Vegan exclusive; yes, online zines/news sites are now getting into the vinyl game. Sea blue is transparent turquoise. There is an unknown amount on turquoise with black splatter, which is a Magnolia Records Club exclusive. Magnolia Records Club is yet another “curated” subscription service, which was founded by Nashville musician Drew Holcomb. I do not believe you could buy this variant outside of an actual subscription. There is an unknown amount on “moon” white vinyl, which was exclusive to the band, but once copies shipped the barcode sticker lists this variant as milky clear.

Next up is yet another convoluted mess, as this variant, which is pressed on light blue was exclusive to Criminal Records, an indie record store in Atlanta, but also was the UK/Euro indie store exclusive. How nice to have an “exclusive” be “exclusive” to multiple sources. Light blue turns out to be a similar color to the sea blue; it’s transparent, but is more aqua than turquoise. Barnes & Noble got in on the act too, getting their own exclusive on violet vinyl, which is limited to an unknown amount and comes with an exclusive hype sticker. Some, but not all copies also came with an additional signed “sleeve,” which in reality is a CD booklet.

The last of the standard edition variants is pink “shimmer”, which is a U.S. indie record store exclusive. Though apparently Criminal Records were given 500 signed copies to sell on top of their allotment of the light blue variant. Wouldn’t surprise me if they were given normal, unsigned copies of the pink shimmer as well, but there is no concrete info about that. Not that the info about them getting 500 autographed copies is exactly concrete either. Pink shimmer is opaque pink with purple swirl/marble.

Thankfully the deluxe edition only has four variants. Which is still a lot, but by comparison it’s reasonable. First up is pink & white, which is opaque baby/pastel pink with white swirl/marble. Next is “transparent with pink & blue” limited to an unknown amount. I’m not sure if the record has a clear base and the pink elements bleed in, or if it’s a transparent pink with blue mixed in to add darker hues here and there.

The third deluxe edition variant is “clear with pink & blue” or “clear pink blue.” Which is not to be confused with the “transparent with pink & blue” mentioned in the above paragraph. This variant actually turned out to be opaque purple/blue with pink swirl/marble. The fourth and final variant is a Patreon exclusive, limited to an unknown amount on marbled blue “flame.” This variant turned out to be transparent blue with black marble/swirl/smoke.

I don’t own a copy of the deluxe edition, but for whatever reason the hype sticker for the standard edition, which only certain variants come with, is affixed sideways; running top to bottom along the opening edge of the jacket. This might be done to not obstruct the cover art, but I don’t think a clear, thin rectangle sticker would obstruct the black portion of the artwork it would cover had the sticker been properly affixed to the cover.

The single LP comes housed in a full color, glossy dust sleeve printed on card stock. On top of that, a full size, foldout insert is included as well. However, no download card/code is included. Not sure if you were e-mailed one or had access to one after purchasing if you ordered from the band or label’s web store though.

On top of that, all variants come with a barcode sticker that denotes the variant. So even if a particular variant or edition does not have a hype sticker, you will be able to know what color the record is prior to opening it. Loma Vista appears to be doing this will most, if not all of their releases the past couple years. Which is an interesting approach to take. As not only does it assure the proper variant(s) are being sent out to the proper retail establishments, it also makes it easier for fans to know what they are getting and don’t have to go through a dog and pony show on the secondary market.

Retail price does differ by edition, which led me to hold off on buying any copy of this record. Like I said above, I only bought the hardcover book edition because I’d rather pay the piper now than pay him later. But after seeing how quickly copies of the standard edition were flying off  the proverbial shelves, I decided to bite the bullet yet again and pay full retail price for a copy. I was hoping to take advantage of a sale and not have to pay full retail, but due to Covid sales are harder and harder to come by. Retail price on the standard edition is around $25. The deluxe edition cost around $35. All before shipping of course.

To shed more light on the Patreon exclusive, when the pandemic hit Manchester Orchestra was one of the many bands to jump on the community bandwagon. I’m likely to never join one of these things purely out of principle. I have enough monthly bills, and to add even more of them seems counterproductive from a cost perspective. Though Manchester Orchestra’s Patreon seems to be one of the better ones in terms of bang for your buck and what you get access to; exclusive music like demos, alternate versions, unreleased tracks, behind the scenes videos, etc.

Quite honestly I don’t know how people can afford these things. But I do get the flip side of the coin; a band makes most of their living wage from touring, and the pandemic slammed the brakes on everything. Some bands don’t need the extra income; they’re just greedy. While many bands and musicians actually did need it. But at the same time many fans are living hand to mouth in the same way. Yet lots of things that normally would never sell, started selling out like a charity drive. Personally I was temporarily laid due to the pandemic, and admittedly when I was younger I had a bit of disposable income. But I’m still left wondering how and why people are spending the money they are on things. Adulthood hits hard sometimes folks.

Manchester Orchestra – I Know How To Speak 7″

For whatever reason, likely a combination of ignorance and stupidity, this Manchester Orchestra 7”, which was still readily available, was selling for two, three and even four times retail price on the secondary market. It’s finally OOP as of posting this., and it’s did so in the summer of 2021. Initially released in 2018, I’m shocked it took years for this to sell out.

Typically Manchester Orchestra, and Andy Hull as a whole, has a rabid following. Which leads to anything and everything they release on vinyl selling out relatively quickly. Some of their albums are currently in their fifth pressing. The pandemic led to increased prices on the secondary market, with lots of records and new releases that typically would sit around for years and not sell out, not only sell out, but doing so insanely quick; with this 7” falling into some of those categories. Despite it being readily available for $10 before shipping, that hasn’t stopped people from listing copies for sale from $15 on up while it was still in print, with some copies selling for a kick to the groin to whoever bought a copy for over $40 (before shipping!!!!!!) in February 2021. This also presents the conundrum of the ethical debate over flippers/flipping; they wouldn’t exist without idiots buying records for four times face value.

Pressing info for the “I Know How To Speak” 7” is a bit wishy washy at best. The problem lies with the fact that when it was first released there was a special bundle that included an exclusive t-shirt and art print (both of which featured the 7” artwork, with the art print having a colorized version). So it’s possible just that art print, maybe even the t-shirt too, were/was limited to 1,000 pieces. The fact that this 7” has been available for so long, over three years, has me leaning to towards the 7” itself not being limited to 1,000 copies.

Whether or not the 7” is limited to 1,000 copies; all copies were pressed on clear or coke bottle vinyl. They do not come sealed, and the record itself does not come in a dust sleeve. No download card/code is included with physical copies. And I was not provided a download after ordering from Loma Vista directly. The sleeve (it’s not a jacket) for the 7” is very cheap. And the fact that this cost $10 before shipping, combined with it not coming in a proper dust sleeve, makes the cost a bit of an overreach here. And furthermore, when you consider it’s essentially a single track 7”; it has “I Know How To Speak” on the a-side with a convenient acoustic version of “I Know How To Speak” on the b-side.

In the end, it may be worth buying this 7” simply due to the fact that the song is only available via this format. It hasn’t been released digitally, at least not officially. So both tracks on this 7”, despite them being different versions of the same song, are exclusive to this release. Is it worth $10 before shipping is up to the beholder, but at least, as of posting this, that this 7” is still available for less than the ludicrous and downright inexplicable secondary market prices.

Right Away, Great Captain! – The Lost Sea (1st Press)

Whenever Andy Hull releases music it always sells out rather quickly. His latest vinyl release is no different, as The Lost Sea under his Right Away, Great Captain! moniker was finally pressed with a July 2020 release. Pressed on green marble vinyl limited to 1,000 copies, it sold out in under an hour.

The Lost Sea was initially released back in 2012, and why it took Andy so long to get it released on vinyl is anyone’s guess. He has to be aware his solo material not only sells well, but sells out insanely quick. He’s no stranger to vinyl. Maybe his priorities lied elsewhere in terms of writing new material, touring, family life, etc. One thing that the Covid pandemic has done to the music world is allow time for various projects to get worked on and completed. Things that might have been on hold or on the back burner could now be focused on, well quite frankly because nothing else could be done. Releasing something like this also generates a good amount of revenue for an artist in a time when it’s not only harder, but next to impossible to come by.

Normally I would complain about the cost of this release. It cost $31 after shipping, for a single LP. Obviously I wish it could be cheaper, but given all the circumstances, this was a must buy. Mainly because it was a foregone conclusion it would sell out.

I haven’t touched on the finer details of this release, which I usually do long before this point in a write up. So here they are. I touched on it already, but all 1,000 copies were pressed on opaque vinyl, with the marble being very subtle. The single LP comes in a single pocket jacket, which has alternate artwork than what was used with the original digital release from 2012. The record itself is housed in a printed dust sleeve. Which just has artwork printed on it. There are no liner notes or lyrics on any printed materials included with this record. Nor is a download card/code, which is incredibly lame. All of Andy’s other Right Away, Great Captain! releases have come with download cards/codes.

Andy Hull – Demos (1st Press)

Any Hull’s first solo effort(s) released under his own name on vinyl came in the form of two separate demo packages that were released together in one double LP set. The demos encompass 2006 through 2010, with some of them going on to become Manchester Orchestra songs.

Normally I would complain about how bland the packaging is with this release, as it’s literally plain text pasted onto a solid color background, but in this instance the minimalist artwork lends itself well to the demos. These are demos after all, and these demos in particular are pretty bare bones. The gatefold jacket has the front cover for one set of demos; Who Is Your Humble? (Demos 2006 – 2007), with the back cover for the second set of demos; Born Of You (Demos 2008 – 2010). Inside the gatefold leaves a lot to be imagined, as it’s just the track listing for each set of demos on their respective side of the jacket. There is also a painfully obvious typo on the spine of the jacket, which as “Where” instead of ‘Who’ for the title of the first set of demos.

Each demos album is found on its own LP. With Who Is Your Humble? (Demos 206 – 2007) being on the first disc and Born Of You (Demos 2008 – 2010) on the second disc in the double LP release. I don’t mind that both sets of demos were released together in one package, as it would have likely been more expensive to buy had Andy opted to release each one on its own as s single LP. Based on past things Andy and his various musical projects have released on vinyl, he would likely charge $25 for a single LP. This double LP set cost $28 (or $30 if you didn’t buy this fast enough… I’ll explain below) before shipping.

Ever since Manchester Orchestra started a Patreon page during the Covid pandemic as a way to generate revenue they’re missing out on, Andy and the band have done exclusive early pre-order/purchase access for those subscribers. Apparently at a decreased price as well, for this Demos release at least. The Patreon price was apparently $28, with the price for the general public set at $30. I was not aware of that when I was able to purchase this release through the general public on sale, which did go up a bit earlier than the announced time, so I lucked out and got this for $2 cheaper. This pricing error was a glitch in the web store, that Andy addressed on his social media pages. I will say I would be slightly upset and angry had I bought this for $30 when others were able to take advantage of a glitch. People also complained about the record going up before the announced time, but that is why I always check to see if pre-orders/items are live at least 10 minutes before the announced time.

As expected, and as with every Manchester Orchestra/Andy Hull vinyl release, this Demos record sold out within 30 minutes. There is only one variant, white with red and black splatter, which is limited to 1,000 copies. Prices on the secondary market have steadily increased, with the high mark as of posting this being over $86.

The Offspring – We Never Have Sex Anymore 7″

The Offspring has been known for oddball songs. At least this one is a b-side from their latest album, Let The Bad Times Roll. It’s a version of “We Never Have Sex Anymore” sung in French. The French title, which for some reason is found on the a-side of the 7”, is “Guerre Sous Couvertures;” which does not actually translate to “We Never Have Sex Anymore.” Many of the lyrics are also not translated from English to French properly either. And despite it being sung in French, Dexter still manages to sneak in a couple English words into the chorus.

There are two different pressing for this 7”; a U.S., which is exclusive to indie record stores, and you guessed it… a French one. The only difference between the two pressings, aside from country of origin, is a different hype sticker exclusive to the French pressing. All copies were pressed on “evergreen” vinyl, which is simply translucent green. When I think of evergreen I think of a darker green, like the trees. But the shade of green used in the typical green most people think of, more a kelly green.

Pressing info has not been released. There is no download card/code included, and no copies come sealed; they’re simply placed into a protective poly outer sleeve, which is where the hype stickers are affixed. The record itself also does not come in a dust sleeve, so it’s just the record sliding around loose in the jacket/sleeve. Retail on the U.S. pressing is around $8 depending on where you buy it from.

The Offspring – Let The Bad Times Roll

By this point I hope the majority of readers are aware that the vinyl resurgence has resulted in cash grabs. This record epitomizes that philosophy. Take a band from a bygone era, jump on their first new album in almost 10 years, and release a crap ton of variants in order to take advantage of collectors. That band is The Offspring. That album is Let The Bad Times Roll. And those variants? They stand at 15.

When I became aware The Offspring was releasing a new album I was optimistic. I wasn’t excited or dreading it with the mentality of what kind of piece of hot garbage will they come out with now to further sully their legacy. The Offspring was never a band to be taken seriously. They sold out decades ago. But their early work did leave a lasting impression. I enjoy their catalog for the most part. I love three of their albums (all released prior to 2000), and jam out to a handful of songs scattered since. And I think most can agree, love or hate this band, that Smash is amongst the albums that defined punk in the early to mid 90s.

Let The Bad Time Roll is not without its cheesiness. But there are some bangers on it. Released by Concord Records, they went beyond overboard with the vinyl version of this release.  As stated above there are 16 variants. And I am including the “test presses” as part of that total. Because face it, any sucker who bought one; if they stand at 200 copies, it’s not truly a test pressing. It’s simply yet another variant; and an overpriced one at that.

Concord seemed to hit up almost every retail asset for exclusive variants. Pretty much everywhere that has opted in to the modern vinyl cash grab aside from Walmart has an exclusive variant.  Target has one, Newbury Comics, U.S. based indie record stores, FYE, Banquet Records out of the UK and several music zines all have exclusive variants. And that is only a fraction of the exact list. Going into full detail here will be a long read. So buckle up.

Pressing info has not been released for all the variants. Which isn’t surprising. This is such a large scale pressing that it’s entirely possible the label has no idea how many copies exist. I mentioned the test pressings earlier. So let’s start there. The label was selling  200, yes you read that right, 200 “test presses,” for around $165 (foolishly I screenshoted the UK store instead of the U.S., so the conversion rate may have varied). But it doesn’t stop there. All the “test pressings” were signed and hand numbered. Maybe that explained some of the absurd price tag. But I doubt it. Retail price on this record, a single LP, was between $23-36.

But on top of that, this greedy label didn’t stop at selling “test pressings.” They charged close to double for some variants to be signed. Aside from the “test pressings,” only the sea blue, black/blue marble and white variants had the option to be signed.

I’m not sure how I feel about autographs. I’m kinda jaded to them. I associate them with the experience of meeting whoever is signing an item. I grew up going to Yankee Stadium every weekend super early in the morning to stake out a spot in order to get autographs. Where I got to be face to face with superstar athletes, hand them something, watch them sign it, and in the mean time maybe have a brief conversation with them. Same goes for bands. Either at in store performances or before or after a show. I’ve never paid for an autographed anything. So to spend extra for something that was signed beforehand I struggle to wrap my brain around. But to each their own I guess.

I skipped around a bit here. Which I’m prone to when there are potentially 14 paragraphs I have to map out. This may turn into a thesis by the time I’m done. Unironically, the three variants offered up to be signed (sky blue, black/blue marble and white) do not have pressing info released.  The only other variants that do not have pressing info released are the Target exclusive, which is on “lemonade” vinyl, and black. Black is available pretty much everywhere. I wouldn’t call it a mass retail exclusive, because that would imply places like Target would be selling it, but they are not; they are only selling their exclusive variant.

That’s maybe half the variants down. If I act quick maybe the label won’t release any more!?!?! Banquet Records has an exclusive on “sea” blue limited to 300. What the record looks like depends on how you look at it. When held up to the light, it’s transparent aqua. When laid flat against a solid object it appears transparent blue. There is another variant limited to 300 copies; a Hard Times exclusive forest green. I have not seen pictures of this variant so I do not know what it actually looks like. The site says it’s “forest green translucent.” Quite honestly; I have no idea what the hard times is. I’ve never heard of these clowns before this variant. And I hope I never hear from them again. But apparently they were able to sell out of their variant.

There are several variants limited to 500 copies each. The aforementioned FYE exclusive is on cobalt blue. There is a Vintage Stock exclusive, yet another thing, place, entity I’ve never heard of prior to this, which is on neon violet. And there is a Rock Sound exclusive on clear or “ultra” clear. Rock Sound is a European zine. Vintage Stock’s variant is simply purple. I’ve seen violets. They grow in my backyard. This is not dark enough to be called anywhere close to violet. If you want to call purple “neon violet” then go ahead.  But this variant is opaque purple. Upon a Google search Vintage Stock is apparently an entertainment retailer with a massive 62 stores!

To further make this record ludicrous. Newbury Comics has two exclusive variants. You know, because one overpriced one is not enough. Let’s double down! And that is only somewhat of a joke. Each of Newbury’s variants are limited to 500 copies a piece; “blue jay” and ruby. Newbury was one of the places charging $30 for their exclusive variant(s), and come late November 2021 they slashed the price close to half to $18. On top of that, when I decided to buy one of their variants, they were running a 20% off vinyl sale. So I snagged this for under $15 shipped because I capitalized on the sale and screwed them in the process by placing a pretty big order that qualified for free shipping, picking up things for very cheap. Especially by their lofty standards.

The four remaining variants are the indie record store exclusive, which is on orange “crush” limited to 2,000 copies. Orange “crush” is apparently translucent, but I have yet to see pics of it proving this. All the pics I’ve seen make it appear to be opaque instead of translucent. The JB Hi-Fi exclusive on purple translucent limited to 1,000 copies. JB Hi-Fi is an Australian retailer, which essentially makes this an Aussie exclusive. A “Japanese exclusive,” which was only available from Assai Records. It’s limited to 100 hand numbered copies, with the numbering done on the obi-strip. This “Japanese” variant is the only one to come with an obi-strip. I use the term “Japanese exclusive” because Assai Records is a UK, more specifically a Scotland based indie retailer. It’s on the same orange “crush” as the indie exclusive, so actuality there are 1900 copies of the indie exclusive out there. They only shipped to UK addresses, so if you lived outside the UK good luck getting this for a reasonable price, especially considering they charged $36 for it, before shipping.

There is also an unknown amount pressed on black vinyl, which is available everywhere that does not have an exclusive variant. But that is not to say that the likes of Target and some others won’t start carrying this record on black vinyl at some point.

All variants come in a gatefold jacket, with the single LP housed in a full color printed dust sleeve on thin glossy paper. There is no download card/code included with physical copies. And I’m not sure if you were sent one via e-mail if you ordered directly from the band/label. All the colored variants come with a similar sized and placed hype sticker that denotes the color. There may be some different verbage and logos used on them depending on the respective variant’s exclusivity. Some hype stickers will even say how many copies it’s limited to. Having corresponding hype stickers definitely helps with a release this massive in scale in terms of the amount of variants.

Green Day – BBC Sessions

Just like with the previous Oakland Coffee exclusive vinyl release (Billie Joe Armstrong’s solo cover 7”), their second and third exclusive releases eventually found their way onto an album. I wasn’t surprised, upset or angered by this eventuality. I fully expected it, and will admit I bought those Green Day BBC Sessions 7”s solely from a collector/completionist standpoint. In the grand scheme of things, having this album come out is a nice thing, because it collects all of the band’s BBC Sessions onto one album, and an official release at that.

BBC Sessions contains four separate sessions recorded at the BBC’s Maida Vale Studio from 1994 up through 2001 for BBC Radio 1’s Evening Show hosted by Steve Lamacq.

There are a few variants for BBC Sessions, three in total. There is the standard black pressing that is available everywhere, a band exclusive on blue and pink (LP 1 on transparent blue, LP 2 on opaque pink) limited to a whopping 10,000 copies, and an indie record store exclusive on milky clear. Pressing info has only been released for the band’s exclusive, which is better than nothing I guess considering most major labels never release any bit of pressing info. But at 10,000 copies, is that really limited in any true sense? Yes, Green Day is a very popular band with a massive collector following, but 10,000 copies is typically the total for an entire run; not just a single variant out of an even larger pressing.

Considering retail price on this album is $35 before shipping (should it apply), odds are this record will take a long time to sell out of any of the variants let alone go out OOP. Overall this is a nice release, which is another refreshing thing. Typically major labels opt to cut costs wherever they can while still charging top dollar for vinyl releases. Double LPs used to cost $25 not so long ago; you can’t chalk up inflation, the pandemic, licensing fees (if they apply for this release) or any other logical reason for this record costing $35 in 2021. I bought this for $17 shipped during what will hopefully not be Target’s final B2G1 sale.

All copies come in a gatefold jacket and that’s it. No printed dust sleeves, no insert, no download card/code.  Surprisingly only two variants have hype stickers, which are the same basic circle hype sticker, with the exception that the colors of it differ. The black variant has a pink sticker, while the milky clear has a blue sticker. For whatever reason the blue and pink does not have a hype sticker. But at least it’s still easy to differentiate the variants if you’re after a certain one and are inclined to buy a brand new, sealed copy.

Green Day – The BBC Sessions Pt. 2 7″

I not a fan of subscription services. You’re forced into paying for things you may not want, just because you want maybe one thing. And as a result you pay way more money for that one thing. When Oakland Coffee, a coffee shop in Oakland owned by the three main members of Green Day, started offering up exclusive vinyl releases and/or variants, I took notice. But because of my fairly hard line stance against joining subscription and/or membership services, or crowd funded anything, I was both cautious, and a tad annoyed.

Initially they only had an exclusive variant of Billie Joe’s first solo release, a 7” single featuring songs of his cover album that he released during the pandemic and resulting shutdowns. Eventually they offered up an exclusive release, a 7” featuring two songs from Green Day’s 1994 BBC Session. Even then I held off on subscribing, despite this 7” not becoming available on its own.

Even further down the road a second 7” was released, and became part of a package offered only to new subscribers. Combine that with a 25% off discount code, and they finally suckered me in to subscribing.

It was speculated that there would be multiple 7”s released for this BBC Session, based solely on the fact that the first one released has “Pt. 1” in the title. So it was strongly implied, but never confirmed until the Pt. 2 was formally announced in mid September 2021. Part. 1 was released in June 2021.

The good thing about these records is that they weren’t pre-orders. They shipped relatively quickly. I mentioned this is a subscriber exclusive, but it’s not solely set aside for new customers. Anyone who is already a member has access to purchase either of these 7”s. New subscribers eventually did get a nice welcome package that contained these two 7”s included in the fee. So there was no need to pay for the subscription, and then tack on one or both of these records, which would cost an additional $20.

And therein lies one of my big issues with some subscription services. At some point, you may get screwed.  Had I joined the club to get the first record, the Billie Joe solo 7”, I would’ve had to keep my subscription going for close to a year, while Oakland Coffee allows you to skip shipments and not get charged for them in the process, other subscriptions don’t allow this luxury. The coffee isn’t cheap either. It costs $15 for a 12 ounce bag. I’m not a coffee snob, I buy big cans at the grocery store for around $5 that last me a month. But I will say the Father Of All… Dark Roast is damn good, and I highly recommend getting a bag or cups.

The new subscription box cost $80, and thusly qualifies for free shipping. With the 25% off coupon I paid $60. And for those prices you get both BBC Session 7”s, three 12 ounce bags of ground coffee and an envelope containing a welcome card, a sticker pack consisting of three pointless stickers and two guitar picks that are basically promo pieces for Oakland Coffee. So in the long run, you literally save only $5 by being a new subscriber.

Part. 2 is pressed on purple vinyl and has “Basket Case” on the a-side and “When I Come Around” on the b-side. The session was recorded in either August or May of 1994. I’m not sure which month because the British list the day before the year and in American we list the month before the day. So I’m not sure if this 7” took that into account and listed the date in the American format. But the back of the jacket say 8/6/1994. These songs have been floating around online for decades, and have probably been pressed on vinyl in the form of bootlegs countless times. But these two 7”s mark the first time any of the songs from this BBC Session were officially released on vinyl.

Green Day – The BBC Sessions Pt. 1 7″

I not a fan of subscription services. You’re forced into paying for things you may not want, just because you want maybe one thing. And as a result you pay way more money for that one thing. When Oakland Coffee, a coffee shop in Oakland owned by the three main members of Green Day, started offering up exclusive vinyl releases and/or variants, I took notice. But because of my fairly hard line stance against joining subscription and/or membership services, or crowd funded anything, I was both cautious, and a tad annoyed.

Initially they only had an exclusive variant of Billie Joe’s first solo release, a 7” single featuring songs of his cover album that he released during the pandemic and resulting shutdowns. Eventually they offered up an exclusive release, a 7” featuring two songs from Green Day’s 1994 BBC Session. Even then I held off on subscribing, despite this 7” not becoming available on its own.

Even further down the road a second 7” was released, and became part of a package offered only to new subscribers. Combine that with a 25% off discount code, and they finally suckered me in to subscribing.

It was speculated that there would be multiple 7”s released for this BBC Session, based solely on the fact that the first one released has “Pt. 1” in the title. So it was strongly implied, but never confirmed until Pt. 2 was formally announced in mid September 2021. Part. 1 was released in June 2021.

The good thing about these records is that they weren’t pre-orders. They shipped relatively quickly. I mentioned this is a subscriber exclusive, but it’s not solely set aside for new customers. Anyone who is already a member has access to purchase either of these 7”s. New subscribers eventually did get a nice welcome package that contained these two 7”s included in the fee. So there was no need to pay for the subscription, and then tack on one or both of these records, which would cost an additional $20.

And therein lies one of my big issues with some subscription services. At some point, you may get screwed.  Had I joined the club to get the first record, the Billie Joe solo 7”, I would’ve had to keep my subscription going for close to a year, while Oakland Coffee allows you to skip shipments and not get charged for them in the process, other subscriptions don’t allow this luxury. The coffee isn’t cheap either. It costs $15 for a 12 ounce bag. I’m not a coffee snob, I buy big cans at the grocery store for around $5 that last me a month. But I will say the Father Of All… Dark Roast is damn good, and I highly recommend getting a bag or cups.

The new subscription box cost $80, and thusly qualifies for free shipping. With the 25% off coupon I paid $60. And for those prices you get both BBC Session 7”s, three 12 ounce bags of ground coffee and an envelope containing a welcome card, a sticker pack consisting of three pointless stickers and two guitar picks that are basically promo pieces for Oakland Coffee. So in the long run, you literally save only $5 by being a new subscriber.

Part. 1 is pressed on white vinyl and has “She” on the a-side and “2,000 Light Years Away” on the b-side. The session was recorded in either August or May of 1994. I’m not sure which month because the British list the day before the year and in American we list the month before the day. So I’m not sure if this 7” took that into account and listed the date in the American format. But the back of the jacket say 8/6/1994. These songs have been floating around online for decades, and have probably been pressed on vinyl in the form of bootlegs countless times. But these two 7”s mark the first time any of the songs from this BBC Session were officially released on vinyl.