When Layouts Change: Records That Are Repressed With New Layouts, Part 2

I had been waiting for something to come in the mail which is why it has taken some time for me to get to part 2 of this series I've star
ted. In case you missed part 1, you can go back and check it out here. To give a quick summary, this series of articles looks back at records that have been repressed with different covers and/or layouts. Now that we have moved into the age of digital downloads, it feels as if the layout is now an after thought and is no longer a necessary part of the album. I still enjoy sitting down and grabbing a handful of CDs and looking back through the layouts...they remind of great shows with people I was once close with though I may no longer see. Oh the nostalgia...anyway, on to part 2. As I stated before: Below are a few examples of records that were originally released by their respected labels and then repressed by either the original or another with a different layout. For now, I've just scanned the covers but Ill try to get the rest of the layouts scanned as well. The original is on the left and the repress is on the right.













Congress - Blackened Persistance (Original and Repress: Goodlife Recordings, 1996)
Congress were the first band that really put the Goodlife name on the map as well the infamous "H8000" scene. Loads of amazing bands were influenced by them in the 90s and they were definitely one of the best. Goodlife originally released "Blackened Persistence" in 1996 if memory serves and was a COMPLETE departure from your everyday run of the mill hardcore band layouts. I mean, look at the cover. Its got a freaking wizard on the cover. Amazing. The original release shows the entire painting of the wizard with his arms in the air, floating over what looks like a planet. This release became one of Goodlife's best selling release to the point that Edward couldn't keep it in stock. It was eventually re-released a short time later, this time with a live set attached to the original record. The cover, this time, shows just the face of the wizard as the cover. Normally, I wouldn't agree with this but its not a huge change and they did keep the original artwork as well as the rest of the layout. Overall, not much of a downgrade and an overall great album.













Split Lip (Chamberlain) - Fate's Got A Driver (Original and Repress: Doghouse Records, 1995)
Shifting gears a little, Split Lip was one of those bands that came along at the right time and just blew everyone's minds with their brand of Midwest emocore (this is back when you didn't actually cringe when someone called a band "emo"). After a 7 inch and 2 full lengths (not counting the discography of sorts), Split Lip changed their name to Chamberlain and their sound began to change as well. The band had just released their 2nd album, Fate's Got A Driver, when they chose to change their name. The band decided to re-release the album under the new name, Chamberlain, and re-record the vocals in the newer singing style that they had adopted. Again, the layout isn't a drastic change from the original though they used different photos. I do love the fact that they included a small photo of the original Split Lip cover on the last page of the insert. The original comes in a nice digipak while the Chamberlain release came in a standard jewelcase. I have no real opinion on this one since they are no photos of the band playing live in either release and the layouts are similar though I think I do prefer the cover of the original release.













Another Victim "For The Liars And The Cheaters" Demo (Self Released, 2000)
I know I've been a little wishy-washy with the other two records I've posted so far but now here we go, this is where I get down to it. Another Victim released these 3 songs as their final release before disbanding for the second time and forming the Promise. The songs really shows the direction the band was heading and to be honest, I would have loved to hear another record with the lineup on this demo. Anyway, the first cover shows some chain links...nothing special. But...the Japanese, my wonderful friends from the East got the ultimate treatment. A beautiful full color layout (minus the lyrics side) with fold out wings!!!! This was limited to 75 copies and was labeled as the Japanese demo. A collaborative art layout by GrezDNA, JD and Derrick Van Wie...Americans, we should all feel cheated for the having to receive the original layout as opposed to the Japanese version. Absolutely beautiful.













Disembodied "Diablerie" (Original and Repress: Ferret Records, 1996 and 1999)
Name a band heavier than Disembodied...go on, I'll wait. Yeah. not easy to do. One of the few bands that I've ever found to be as heavy recorded as they are live. But upon hearing Diablerie for the first time, you could tell it was heavy but it just need to be louder. The mastering of the original definitely wasn't anything to shake a stick at but it did the job. When the remaster came out, it sounded as it always should have (by the way, I still don't own a copy of the remaster so if anyone has one to sell, get at me). The layout for the original release is...well, interesting to say the least. What looks like a mannequin on the cover engulfed by a blue-ish background. A small live photo in the insert and the lyrics. The re-release received an all new layout including a change from blue to red and what looks like some sort of religious statue on the front. I haven't seen the insert in many years but I remember there being an angel in the insert. Overall, I prefer the cover of the re-release to the original.

Stay tuned for part 3 coming hopefully sooner than it took me to write part 2.

When Layouts Change: Records That Are Repressed With New Layouts, Part 1

This is an article I've been meaning to write for a long time but just never got around to doing so. A pet peeve of mine is when a label re-presses a record but changes the layout. Sometimes, this is because the band and label didn't have the money or time to put into what they originally envisioned or because a label has bought the rights to the record and re-released it, often with remastered sound. Half of me is alright with this idea at times but the other half of me, the half that is the nostalgic collector wants to have the original. Like I said, sometimes this is fine with me because the original layout may have been...well just not very good. Below are a few examples of records that were originally released by their respected labels and then repressed by either the original or another with a different layout. For now, I've just scanned the covers but Ill try to get the rest of the layouts scanned as well. The original is on the left and the repress is on the right.





















Shelter - Quest For Certainty (Original: Equal Vision, 1992. Repress: Revelation, 1998)
An early release for Equal Vision Records when they still concentrated on releasing only Krishna-core record, this records comes in a close second to Mantra as my favorite Shelter release. The original has a black and white cover with a nice sky blue firewheel while the repress has a new black and white photo but the fonts have been changed to red. This is a case where I'm alright with either release. Both have live photos on the cover and there isnt much of a difference other than the actual photo.




















Culture - Born Of You (Original: Conquer The World, 1994. Repress: Goodlife, 1998)
A record that created an incredible amount of controversy over the past few years, controversy that I am not going to go into here (do a search on here for "Culture" and you'll see). The original release features a picture of the famed "Portrait Of Pope Innocent X" by Sir Francis Bacon. While this cover is very representative of the time, I feel that the repress gives the album more energy with the cover depicting Damien handing out the mic to the crowd. Culture was very much about crowd participation and this cover portrays that to the listener. I only wish that the band would have used the logo that Guav created for that them as opposed to the logo on the repress.





















Doughnuts - Equalize Nature (Original and Repress: Desperate Fight, 1994 and 1996)
A much maligned band, Doughnuts were touted as the first all girl SXE band back in 1995. They released their first record with Desperate Fight out of Umea, Sweden and then signed with Victory Records in America. Equalize Nature, their first release, was originally released in a cardboard sleeve in 1994 and features the legendary "Naked SXE Kid" on the cover. To be honest, I'm not sure where they were going with this image on the cover but the re-release (also on Desperate Fight) shows a blurry live photo of the band. Perhaps Victory asked Desperate Fight to change the cover because they would have trouble getting the naked kid cover picked up in America. That's just my opinion, I have no idea if that's the reason. I have to say that the repress is an upgrade.





















As Friends Rust - The Fists Of Time (Original: Goodlife, 1998. Repress: Doghouse, 2000)
Now here's one where I prefer the original. Goodlife chose to use paintings by vocalist Damien as the cover as well as the insert. If you read the lyrics to the songs on this release, I feel that the cover really does a great job of capturing the mood of the record. When Doghouse released this in America, they included a track from the split with Discount as well as their Circle Jerks cover from the God Hour EP. This time around though, the cover shows a package addressed to the band. Not bad but to me, the cover of the original release conveys the band's message much better.

Check back soon for Part 2.

Voice Of The Voiceless compilation and layout

Here we have the Voice of the Voiceless compilation that was released in 1991 by Smorgasbord Records and later released on CD by Doghouse Records. While nowadays, compilations seem to be a thing of the past, this was a good one when it came out (no I didnt get it when it came out). Great lineup of bands including Split Lip, Endpoint, Youth of Today, Shelter, Worlds Collide, and more singing songs about vegetarianism and veganism. Also notable that Rob R. Rock is featured on here...he was a straight edge rapper from North Carolina. There was a whole big story about him but I don't remember the details so hopefully someone will fill in the holes. I also included scans of the layout. Enjoy

*NEW LINK*

Voice Of The Voiceless Compilation