Out Of Print But Not Out Of Reach: Vinyl you need to hunt down now

As every major media outlet has taken to reporting recently, vinyl is back in a big way–to that, we say, “Duh,” followed by a “Where have you been for the past decade?” In our eyes, vinyl never went out of style–although unfortunately, lots of crucial records have gone out of print. Of course, half the fun of collecting vinyl is tracking down that obscure record none of your friends have in their collection, and to that end, we offer you this checklist of top-notch wax worth dropping some cash on. Happy hunting!



By Scott Heisel







BRAND NEW’s Your Favorite Weapon LP (IODINE)

While most of you probably own Your Favorite Weapon on CD courtesy of Triple Crown Records, true Brand New fans should be on the lookout for the vinyl version, which features alternate cover art (pictured above), a bonus track (“…My Nine Rides Shotgun”) and a lyric insert that features all four members’ driver licenses. (Talk about some babyfaces!) There are rumors of an eminent YFW repress, but we’ll see it when we believe it–and besides, owning the original pressing is always cooler. (Photo: Juan Dinez)







THE HOLD STEADY’s Boys And Girls In America LP (SABOT)

Why on earth is the Hold Steady’s best album out of print? It makes literally no sense. This album is essential turntable listening, just as the comic book that comes with it is essential reading. It comes on three different colors (baby blue, baby pink and boring ol’ black), but they all sound great with your eyes closed, so bite the bullet, click “Buy It Now” on that eBay auction and get stoked.







JIMMY EAT WORLD/JEJUNE’s Split 7-inch (BIG WHEEL RECREATION)

Before Jimmy Eat World conquered the mainstream with 2001’s Bleed American, they were major-label washouts retreating to the friendlier waters of indie labels. A slew of JEW split 7-inches came out in the late ’90s, but none were better than their pairing with female-fronted emo trio Jejune, whose “Early Stars” completely steals the show on this four-song split. JEW’s tracks are no slouches, either; “What Would I Say To You Now” and “Speed Read” are among the band’s finest, most aggressive second-wave emo moments. Even though label Big Wheel Recreation has since folded, there are a whole bunch of these 7-inches floating around, some with the original cover pictured above, and some with a gigantic ampersand on the cover instead. Regardless of which variant you stumble across, it is an essential part of your collection. (Photo: RRD)







BRAID/THE GET UP KIDS’ Post Marked Stamps 7-inch (TREE)

When Tree Records folded in 2003, it took with it a wealth of incredible records, including the damn-near-perfect Post Marked Stamps split 7-inch series. The nine-record monthly series (with a special 10th record for those who subscribed) featured incredibly unique packaging, with postmarked stamps on the cover (hence the series name), fold-over covers sealed with custom stickers, envelopes full of photos and lyrics and clever, geographically centric labels on the records. Oh, and then there were the bands themselves–the tracklisting to this series reads like a who’s who of first- and second-wave emo, with exclusive contributions from Rainer Maria, Ida, Still Life, Tim Kinsella and a dozen more. But the true gem of the series is the Braid/Get Up Kids split, which captured both bands at the top of their respective games and still fetches a pretty penny on eBay, more than a decade after its release. Over 2,000 copies of that 7-inch alone were printed, and it’s still a hot item. If you see one, grab it–and really, that goes for this whole series, as they’re all excellent records and all woefully out of print. (All nine 7-inches were later compiled onto a Post Marked Stamps compilation CD that featured awesome retrospective liner notes, but that too is out of print–it’s a cruel, cruel world out there.)







FRANKLIN’s Franklin 2xLP (TREE)

We just talked your ear off about how great Tree Records was, so here’s an encore: One of this editor’s personal all-time favorite records is the self-titled swansong by Philadelphia dub-punk group Franklin, and since Tree no longer exists, this unbelievably ahead-of-its-time double album (originally available on CD and double LP) has fallen into the realm of the out of print. There are few albums I would recommend buying without hearing a note of, and this is one of them–from the rubber-band bassline of the genius “Major Taylor” to the slow-cooking dub of “DJ Goes Dead” and “Death By Delay” to the spectacular indie-punk jam “Inventor Of Loud,” this is truly a flawless record that sounds phenomenal once a needle hits its grooves. If you find a copy, buy it and don’t like it, I’ll give you your money back. Promise. alt