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Holy crud. Here’s another one of those collections I like to post so much. Most of the notable items I would say sit in the 2nd teir of USHC, but there are a few top shelfers too. In addition I noticed some “nice deals”. I whittled out a list of 10 interesting, or good items, but somehow it ended up actually being 11:

1. Kraut - Unemployed 7″ - Doug Holland. Such a distinguished career. 5,000 copies pressed of this but it still pushes between $75-100, maybe in part because it was comped on the first volume of Killed By Death.
2. A.O.D. -Let’s BBQ - Let’s BBQ is the template for at least 50% of the current 82-core bands around right now whether they know it or not. Suburbia is one of the finest lead-off tracks you ever will here, and my favorite thing about it is the guitar solo. Well more specifically, there’s a spot where the solo should go but instead, an extra guitar track comes in and plays the same riff the rhythm track is already playing. This is a classic trick on older punk and HC records that is scarcely employed now, and I love it whenever I hear it. Please note readers: this is first press (red letters).
3. CIA - God Guns Guts - Well i believe grand theft audio sufficiently jacked the reissue of this so you’ll never see it any time in the next 10 years. What a scumbag that GTA guy is. This is the best record of the collection and I also expect it will go the highest. I love the jangley breakdown in Commie Control, I love the guitar sound, this is a stylistic best. A perfect encapsulation of what 80’s American Hardcore sounds like.
4. The Mob- Step Forward - This, the best Mob release (IMHO), is for some reason not included on their now semi-irrelevant (because it’s also out of print) collection cd on Profile. I was once at Smash Records in Georgetown with Clif Shumaker (Iron Age roadie, My Luck singer, long time record collector) and passed by this very record thinking “it must be a boot, it’s only $4″. Clif pulled it out and declared “you missed this Mob 7 inch, awesome!”, and so ended that evening. The “Bust-It!” used in the title track is one of the earliest instances of the term, and the surfy breakdown it leads into is sorely under rated. Why did Mental (or failing that, Dumptruck) never use a surf breakdown? If anyone has this record on black vinyl, I demand you stand up and be counted (unless your name is Kyle Hughes, we’ve already counted you buddy).
5. Artificial Peace / Exhiled split - Here’s another DCHC, also ran combo. Artificial Peace is a weird band. First of all there’s a semi legitimate discography of them on Lost and Found, complete with tracks of their precursor band, Assault and Battery, that runs 3o or 40 tracks. The pieces all seem to be in place for classic tuneful DCHC circa-82, but whenever I try to listen to it, I feel things never catch fire. I do sort of like the song Suburban Wasteland from the Flex Your Head comp, but even that I’m not in love with. Nonetheless they were one of the seemingly bigger (or at least more active) local bands of the time, with this being their only non-compilation or demo release. Kind of weird. Some of them went on to Marginal Man, who are even less appealing to my ears. Exhiled are 2nd teir at best, but probably 3rd is more fitting. Just totally vanilla American Hardcore of the time. This is the first release on Fountain Of Youth records, a weird DC area label with pretty much nothing but “also-ran” type releases, other than a couple Government Issue albums and singles. I like Fountain Of Youth though, there are some gems.
6. Mecht Mensch - Acceptance - This is a record I’ve always wanted and never persued. Someone outta boot their split w/ the Tar Babies. It’s about that time for someone to do this, I mean it’s 2008, you know. Great 2nd rate midwest HC. Like a baby Die Kruezen.