[kj] Latest KJ Merch

[T.B.]

From: Gathering [mailto:gathering-bounces at misera.net] On Behalf Of Paul

The lyrics book, is nice to pick up from time to time and just read a page or two. My Mrs. slags me off, as I have mine in the bedside locker, she calls it my Gideons Bible.

The first print, the cover was black, with purple inside, but I've seen the wine with yellow inside page and they do look nice.

Youth's picture book did not really appeal to me as I'd seen most of it on FB and Instagram already I believe. I wish he'd of waited till this year and included the Dublin show too, I'd of possibly sprung for it then. I'll most likely just get a tour T shirt though, hopefully with the Dublin date on it.

I too got the CDs and play both Berlin and London regular. I think Geordie, louder in Berlin and Youth, louder in London, but London I agree is definitely the better sounding of the two.

Do you keep the vinyl sealed or will you eventually play them? I never really got into the vinyl collecting, but do still own and play some. I just love some of my old 70s and 80s stuff and on some even the scratches bring back memories of what party or session it got scratched at ...lol  

Anyway, nice review of your KJ purchases and good to know they got the packaging right for mailing/posting, always a worry, especially with vinyl. Have heard some horror stories on this list of how stuff had arrived, not nice after shelling out good money. 

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Regarding the 2018 Berlin and London shows, Geordie's guitar tone sounded really shrill and harsh - I noticed that at the show I caught in LA as well.  It's loud and upfront, but it comes close to sounding like a typical nu-metal guitarist.  I'm glad he kind of took a step back this year and did whatever he did to his rig to get back a bit more of an organic tone.

I do listen to the vinyl versions of the live albums maybe 3-4 times total for each one.  I have a pretty nice turntable rig but admittedly, playing records is such a hassle, it's only on specially occasions (wife and kid out for the day, etc) that I play actual records anymore.  But it's the CD(R) versions I play normally either for headphone listening or in the car.  I really do collect the vinyl releases only because I'm a completest with Killing Joke, especially because I still have my original LP releases from back in the early 80's when I first got into them so I kinda feel compelled to keep the vinyl collection complete with every new release.  I also hope with every release, a new record will somehow be significantly "better" sounding then their cd/digital counterpart which arguably has only happened with the KJ2003 remaster (it's just a bit different, not a massive upgrade).  Kind of silly in that all the live albums since XXV Gathering have been cut from the same digital files as used for CDs.

I'm always a bit leery of ordering stuff from the UK, especially from band websites.  I don't know what the process packages go through to get from there to the US, but it seems going through a paper shredder or wood chipper is part of it.  A few years ago, I ordered the signed/numbered Lucifer soundtrack from Jimmy Page's site and it came in a large flattened box that had tire marks on it and was really beaten to hell.  Miraculously, the album was fine although one corner of the LP sleeve was bent. I also buy Wayne Kinsey's Hammer Films books and he's had to send me duplicate copies for two books because they've arrived in destroyed condition.  I think my DC/DVD copy of Down By The River from Pledge was pretty dinged up when I got it - I know I bought another copy to replace it and wound up gifting my beat up copy.

I really wish I didn't sit out the "Twilight Of The Mortals" photo book.  That seemed like a nicer package then Youth's little book but it apparently sold out quickly.