slowly reviewing all my seven inches

Released: July 13, 1985
Released by: Warner Brothers
Hole size: Large
Speed: 45
Color: Black
Pressing: I have no idea
Nerd facts: None really. I guess owning it is pretty nerdy.

Tracks:
Side A:
1. Take On Me

Side B
1. Love Is Reason


I bought this at a “record show” at a mediocre hotel’s even more mediocre “convention center.” It was like a low rent comic book convention but with no costumes and the weirdoes selling things weren’t total d-bags. Which is odd, considering the number of “record collectors” who are total penises.

Really? You have 5 copies of Pelican’s The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw? But they’re all on different colors?

Now I’m not going to hate on colored vinyl or having a smaller pressed color or a different version of the packaging, but multiple copies of the exact same record on different colors just seems wasteful. 5 copies of a $20+ record because one is blue and the other one is dark blue. Who has that kind of gotdamn money? We’re in a fucking recession. And I’m sure they downloaded the album then the thing leaked.

Anyway, A-Ha, Take On Me, you know it know. The video was a big deal, blah blah.

Released: December 1st, 2001
Released by: Sabot Productions
Hole size: Large
Speed: 33 1/3
Color: Black
Pressing: I have no idea, millions of these things have been pressed
Nerd facts: None

Tracks:
Side A:
1. Jordan’s First Choice
2. Those Anarcho Punks Are Mysterious

Side B: 
3. Reinventing Axl Rose
4. We Did It All For Don

The cd version of this 7” has a couple extra songs on it. One of them, Pints Of Guinness Make You Strong, is one of the better songs about a husband drinking himself to death and the wife giving up on life.

Honestly I’ve listened to this release more on mp3 than on the actual vinyl, and I completely forget that Pints Of Guinness Make You Strong wasn’t actually on the record. Lame.

Either way, I contest that these are some of Against Me!’s best songs. The liner notes/insert whatever has a little story about Armageddon, their band van and a accident involving a Mac truck.

Released 2000
Record Nerd Facts - Clear vinyl, English Import

Side A
1. Playground Lover

Side B
2. High School Lover


First off, The Virgin Suicides soundtrack is the best thing Air ever did. The day I bought this I went to a friends house and played over and over until his girlfriend made me take it off. This shit is so fucking good.

Released 2001
Record Nerd Facts - Limited to 1,000

Side A
1. Fair enough to call you friend
2. Brighter Stage
3. Oh-Oh-Oh
4. Give Mine

Side B
5. Why Can’t We Be This?
6. We Work all Day
7. If It Can Be Worked Out
8. Try To Smile 

Asian Man records had this blow-out vinyl sale last summer. It was like 10 bucks for like 20 records. They’ll pick 20 random records and mail them to you. I jumped on that because I wanted copy of The Broadways - Broken Star on vinyl and hell that was 10 by itself so what the hell. Ahiro was one of the records I got along with that Broadways album. 
Honestly, I was kind of dreading having to listen to this record again. I’ve only listened to it once and I think I only made it through one song. I’m glad I gave it a second chance though. It completely reminds me of the poorly recorded hardcore band tapes you’d buy at a show outside the Rancor Pit*. Though clearly Ahiro is no SlamDunk Rancor** or Mislead Youth***. it also reminds me a lot of Minor Threat and other hardcore of that era. All and all this isn’t that bad. 


* The Rancor Pit as a shed with nails sticking out of the walls that were poorly covered with Star Wars bedsheets (like that was actually going to stop nails) that had shows at it.

** SlammDunk Rancor was a hardcore band featuring Matt Nasty.

*** Mislead Youth was the only punk band in Grand Rapids (at the time/ that I knew of) with a girl in it. She sang. I hated them.