Last week I was looking around the internet for some punk records, as I often do, and I stumbled across someone selling a record that damn near made me shit my pants…
Above is the test pressing for the Negative Element 7″ on Version Sound Records! What makes that so special, or who is Negative Element for that matter? I’m glad you asked…
Negative Element was a hardcore punk band from the early 80s that were from my home town! Well, sort of my home town, they were from my area. It featured my friend, Keith Lyons, on drums, and the infamous Stepe brothers as well, who I didn’t know back then (that I can recall anyway), but shared mutual friends with me, including the Assklowns. They put out one and only 7″ back then and called it a day and all the members went on to other bands. Back in high school, I was given the last 8 copies of the 7″ that anyone had from the stock, all of which I sold to some of the younger punks at my school, except for 2 copies that I kept for myself. The record stands as one of my favorites from back then, and holds high sentimental value as it was a friends band. None of my fellow punks from back then saved anything except for me (of course), and now, preserved for eternity in the punk vault, is the test pressing for this record, which is now 20 years old! The test pressing came with a xerox of the lyric sheet, and the sleeve. Whether this was how it was given out long ago or if the place I bought it from made them, will remain a mystery but I am damn glad to own it (for a very fair price too!), and I can’t help but think it was a bit of fate that led me to it, and having it find its way into The Punk Vault.
SWEET!!!! I haven’t heard that name in years (decades). I will have to come over and hear it sometime soon ….