CIRCA '77 aka ABSENTEE DEBATE / CRUSHED ON YOU

Year of release:
1995

Tracklist:
A: Absentee debate
B: Crushed on you

The farewell recordings. Released after the band broke up. From what I know so far there are 8 different variants you can tell apart. Apparently New Age pressed the regular black vinyl, green cover, pinkish red center label version more than once but the 'final press' that is listed here is only different from the first regular copy I got around the time it was released by a slight difference in color on the back of the cover. Which makes it impossible to tell how often it was actually pressed and how many copies are in circulation. But just recently I became aware of one in-between black vinyl, green cover pressing that doesn't have the pinkish red center labels but black and white ones instead. Get in touch if you have a spare copy of that variant. Ferry xthreesomex still needs one so hit him or me up if you're willing to sell or trade.

TEST PRESS
there was one set of test pressings made for New Age Records and two for 31G Records so there are three different sets of test pressings for this release.

New Age Records Test Press from the collection of Ferry xthreesomex
rumors have it that 10 were made

A-Side Matrix: NA29-1 DT L-46575
B-Side Matrix: NA29-B DT L-46575-x

At first I believed the below copy to be another NA Test Press I downloaded from somewhere I can't remember but taking a closer look at it now that I know there are 2 Test Pressings on 31G I think this is the 1st 31G Test Press. I bought a copy of the 1st 31G Test that I will get later this year (2023) and I'll add pictures of that one and more info when I have it but it definitely has Erika Labels instead of the blank white labels of the 2nd 31G Test.

31G Records Test Press out of 6 made.
pics of the copy from the collection of Ferry xthreesomex

A-Side Matrix: Recordpressing.com THREEONEG30 -A RR-21434
B-Side Matrix: Recordpressing.com THREEONEG30 -B RR-21434

the Matrix tells us that this is the Test Press for the pink vinyl pressing on 31G that was released after  the clear vinyl 31G pressing which has a completely different Matrix etching.
So it is the 2nd Test Press on 31G.

in these pictures the labels appear to be blank and it's really hard to see when you actually hold the record but one side is not really blank which the following pictures clearly show.

in this pictures i played with the contrast to make the print come out but it seems that what's showing probably is not printed on the label but got transferred from another label that may have lied on top of this one right after having been printed...

...because this picture is not only b/w with a higher contrast but also mirror imaged you can now actually read a bit of it.

Someone else's 31G Test Press downloaded from somewhere I can't remember

It's hard to make out from this picture but...

... this upside down, high contrast picture shows the matrix of this particular copy to have the same etching as Ferry's.

And now (2023) I can finally add a picture of my own Test Press copy and as you can see the plain white dust sleeve looks different on all those 3 copies which I think is a little weird and might speak to more than one set of Tests but I don't think that happened. For whatever reason Ferry's dust sleeve has a sticker with the 31G address while the pics form the web show the dust sleeve being stamped with the exact same address and my copy has handwritten info on the dust sleeve.

Version 1:
Label: New Age Records
Cat. #: NA 29
A-Side Matrix: L-46575 NA29-1 DT
B-Side Matrix: L-46575-X NA-29-B DT
Vinyl color: dark clear purple
77 pressing w/ Walk Proud Labels on both sides and extra cover
press run: 77
The scans of the vinyl do look black which is why I included the picture of the vinyl in front of the window to show that it's actually purple and NOT BLACK VINYL.

The scanner didn't pick up the actual color of the vinyl. It's clear purple. NOT BLACK.

The scanner didn't pick up the actual color of the vinyl. It's clear purple. NOT BLACK.

Version 2:
Label: New Age Records
Cat. #: NA 29
A-Side Matrix: L-46575 NA29-1 DT
B-Side Matrix: L-46575-X NA-29-B DT
Vinyl color: black
Comes w/ the 77 pressing cover but regular black vinyl and labels

Press run: The inside of the cover states there were 200 of the 77 cover made so it would be logical that there are 123 of this variation but I doubt that. I haven't ever seen another copy like this. Which is not supposed to say it's unique but there are probably less than 77 I guess.

No idea why this info sheet also came with this variant.

Version 3:
Label: New Age Records
Cat. #: NA 29
A-Side Matrix: L-46575 NA29-1 DT
B-Side Matrix: L-46575-X NA-29-B DT
Vinyl color: dark clear purple
Press run: 200 But I don't know if that includes the 77 pressing. Probably not but that's just a guess.

 

 

 

No idea why this xerox of an old flyer was included.

Version 4:
Label: New Age Records
Cat. #: NA 29
A-Side Matrix: L-46575 NA29-1 DT
B-Side Matrix: L-46575-X NA-29-B DT
Vinyl color: black
This is the standard New Age Records pressing

Version 5:
Label: New Age Records
Cat. #: NA 29
A-Side Matrix: L-46575 NA29-1 DT
B-Side Matrix: L-46575-X NA-29-B DT
Vinyl color: black
This limited edition package was allegedly made for the Eric Allen Memorial Show and features a standard black vinyl copy with regular sleeve, labels and insert coming in an A4 size envelope that has the flyer for that show screen printed on the front and is hand numbered 30/300 on the back. Also included is a screen printed metal plate.

Press run: 300 

Others claim this packaging came with the video tape of the memorial show, therefore later and not with a record. Either way it hardly ever comes up anywhere so it's hard to say who's right. Most likely it did not originally come with the record though. The pink vinyl, black cover "and/ fall on proverb" 7" numbered /666 was specially made for the memorial show so I'd expect that one to be in the envelope rather than a standard New Age pressing which at the time was most likely sold out considering 31G was going through the at least 4th pressing already. Anyway, it's beautiful and I also do have both versions of the NTSC cassette. The black variation of those came from the same guy that sold me this envelope / record combination. So I come down on the good side whatever the verdict.

Version 6:
Label: New Age Records
Cat. #: NA 29
A-Side Matrix: L-46575 NA29-1 DT
B-Side Matrix: L-46575-X NA-29-B DT
Vinyl color:black
green cover, BLACK & WHITE LABELS

Version 7:
Label: New Age Records
Cat. #: NA 29
A-Side Matrix: L-46575 NA29-1 DT
B-Side Matrix: L-46575-X NA-29-B DT
Vinyl color:black
This copy was advertised as the 'final pressing' on the New Age Records website. When I saw this both 31g pressings had already been released for a while. I ordered it because I thought there would be at least some difference in the matrix or some other minor detail compared to the previous pressings and at first I thought there wasn't but then I realised that the color on the back cover is slightly different. 

I should post some comparison pictures.

Version 8:
Label: three.one.g
Cat. #: 31-G30
A-Side Matrix: 31-G30 A "BECAUSE WE MUST"
B-Side Matrix: 31-G30 B "I'VE GOT TO SEE TO BELIEVE... I'M SORRY" (+something too small to decipher)
Vinyl color: clear
Has a picture printed on the inside of the glue pocket sleeve.

Version 9:
Label: three.one.g
Cat. #: 31-G30
A-Side Matrix: Recordpressing.com THREEONEG30 - A RR-21433
B-Side Matrix: Recordpressing.com THREEONEG30 - B RR-21434
Vinyl color: clear pink

Has the same picture printed on the inside of the glue pocket sleeve as the clear pressing.
I bought my copy at the Burning Fight Book Release Show at the Glasshouse in Pomona, LA.
It was probably made for that occasion but I'm not too sure.

 

Version 10:
Label: three.one.g
Cat. #: 31-G30
A-Side Matrix: ?
B-Side Matrix: ?
This is most likely another clear pink vinyl copy but I can't be sure because it's sealed and I'm going to leave it that way. I had never seen a sealed copy of this record before I came upon this one. turns out there are more for sale on discogs. The pink vinyl is the latest pressing I know of so I guess that's what this is. also there was another not sealed copy in the distro box i unearthed this one from and that one was pink.

But then someone added a listing on discogs for a red vinyl pressing so I had to break the seal. No luck though. Also a pink vinyl copy and I don't think there is a red vinyl pressing. The color of this pressing actually is sorta inbetween pink and red. Some people see it as red and others call it pink but it is the same record/ pressing. If you want to prove me wrong send me a red vinyl copy. Or show me a picture of both variants next to each other.