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Rancid/Avail 7"?/Josh's Quest to Collect Lookout R

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My friend Josh recently emailed me the following Paragraph:

i've started a new collecting obsession. i'm on a mission to collect (ultimately on vinyl, but for right now, any format will work) the entire lookout records catalog. I couldn't find a definitive list online, so i did some digging (both online, and in my own records, for old catalogs, zines, etc) and made this Google Spreadsheet.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0Ar4uqyu2es-YdEZ5RURVc1RUVk8zUE4zdnZFSEJDR0E&output=html

While I know that some of you are too young to appreciate this quest that Josh has embarked on, I know that plenty of you got into punk rock like I did with the legendary catalog of Lookout Records. My own personal experience found me as a hip-hop/R&B minded freshman at the University at Colorado at Boulder in 1993. I met some really great guys (who would later start one of Suburban Home's first bands, the Fairlanes) who let me borrow CDs by Green Day, Screeching Weasel, and Operation Ivy, and I can say without hesitation that these albums changed my life. Not only were these incredible albums, but the entire aesthetic that was Lookout Records grabbed me by the neck and had me wanting more. The fact that you could send Lookout $8.00 back in those days and get a copy of the CD sent to you just blew my mind. The catalogs that they sent out with mailorder were so cool (they typically folded out ino a really rad poster and I would spend hours looking at every release they had put out).

Enough about me; if you look at the spreadsheet, Josh did some really great research on Lookout's catalog. He has a lot of work ahead of him, but I figured this post would get folks talking about their own Lookout collections which I have to think some of you must have a pretty close to complete collection of.

When you look at this list, you will see a few odd things, namely the Rancid/Avail split 7" that was never released. I told Josh that the next time I spoke to Tim Barry, I would ask him about it. I spoke to Tim this morning and when asked, he laughed. The split was supposed to come out before the release of 4 AM Friday and both Rancid and Avail recorded 2 songs. Lookout went so far as to print up 7" labels for the release, but the release never saw the light of day. The release was planned around the time Rancid signed to Epitaph and apparently that signing put a stop to this 7". I am sure those close to Rancid could explain the situation differently, but Tim said that he was glad the release never came out. After going back to listen to those 2 songs, Tim said they were just not that good and those songs were later re-recorded and put on 4 AM Friday. Avail's two songs were never released. He did say that he has seen people selling the labels and at one time, he said he had a few at his house, but he has know idea where they are now.

Take a look at the spreadsheet, add your two cents, share any Lookout related stories, and maybe Josh will put his contact info in the comments or on our message board so that anybody willing to help Josh out can get in touch with him. Josh is currently making an Ikea run to Salt Lake City since Denver doesn't have an Ikea yet (not til Fall of 2011). You can also see Josh's collection at this Google Spreadsheet http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0Ar4uqyu2es-YdFVKZU9QTUgwa2hoTFJzNnhNMFR3eGc&output=html

Maybe, he will get around to doing a Vinyl Collector of the Day submission (Josh, come on buddy).

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baldsteve Newbie

baldsteve

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Josh is awesome and I've spoken to him at length about this. My collection basically mirrors his. The Lookout! and Very Small catalog is some of my favorite stuff on the planet.

It's good to hear about that split 7". It brings to mind the Lookout! catalog staple, the almighty 'DOWNFALL' lp that was perpetually 'coming soon'. Ha Ha Ha.

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controlthebleeding Newbie

controlthebleeding

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I love Very Small Records stuff, more so than Lookout Records. I'm curious as to why certain pieces of vinyl are marked orange that say never happened, even though they were pressed. Again, i think i might be off as they might not have been pressed on lookout, but they were pressed on vinyl

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baldsteve Newbie

baldsteve

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I love Very Small Records stuff, more so than Lookout Records. I'm curious as to why certain pieces of vinyl are marked orange that say never happened, even though they were pressed. Again, i think i might be off as they might not have been pressed on lookout, but they were pressed on vinyl

Different color of orange in the spreadsheet. It's numbers that were assigned but have no record associated.

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vardcore Newbie

vardcore

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The Rancid / Avail thing never happened... but it got close. Somewhere... and I do not know where... I have a set of the labels for that record. I do not remember the songs. Someday I will come across them and I'll post a photo.

I was working at a record store in 1994 or 1995 and a kid got into an argument with me that he had a copy of this mythical record. I told him that I'd give him $100 cash if he went home and brought the record to show me (if it was not a bootleg). He would get to keep the record AND take the $100. That's how certain I was that he did not have a copy. He said he'd be back in 5 minutes. He never returned. That's because he was 1.) full of shit or 2.) mistaken.

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chrisappelgren Newbie

chrisappelgren

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Sorry I couldn't but post when I saw this thread in my google alerts.

Indeed, the Rancid / Avail split EP was never pressed. Rancid, who were already signed to Epitaph at the time, were starting to enjoy some significant mainstream success and felt they needed to pull back on all of the splits and one-offs they were planning. Lookout paid for them to go to the studio and record about ten songs, some of which were intended for this split and others of which were for comps and, possibly a second Lookout vinyl EP (tho I could be wrong about that). One of the songs that was pretty interesting - and who knows it if ever was heard by anyone - was Rancid's cover of The Frumpies' (members of Bikini Kill, Bratmobile) song "Inner tube Tomorrow."

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baldsteve Newbie

baldsteve

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Sorry I couldn't but post when I saw this thread in my google alerts.

Indeed, the Rancid / Avail split EP was never pressed. Rancid, who were already signed to Epitaph at the time, were starting to enjoy some significant mainstream success and felt they needed to pull back on all of the splits and one-offs they were planning. Lookout paid for them to go to the studio and record about ten songs, some of which were intended for this split and others of which were for comps and, possibly a second Lookout vinyl EP (tho I could be wrong about that). One of the songs that was pretty interesting - and who knows it if ever was heard by anyone - was Rancid's cover of The Frumpies' (members of Bikini Kill, Bratmobile) song "Inner tube Tomorrow."

That's both good and sad to know.

What are YOU doing now?

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rocknroll76 Newbie

rocknroll76

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I had two sets of these and sold them here on the board last year. Like someone mentioned earlier, there was a big box of these at the Lookout store in Berkley a long time ago. I asked the girl at the counter what the deal was and she said the record was not happening but I could take some labels.

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gravemistake Newbie

gravemistake

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i need a set of those labels!!!!

anyone selling ... hit me up!

i remember in high school listening to rancid on a syndicated radio call in show (modern rock live) maybe around 1995, and some angry punk called and asked them why this split never came out ... i don't think they even gave an answer.

hearing about this split was pretty much the sole reason I bought Dixie (my first introduction to Avail ... who ended up becoming one of my favorite bands).

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