ATTN: bboys vinyl collectors

[xvanx]

ok so ive been slowly building my BBOYS vinyl collection in the past years (really slowly) haha but anyways, i just came back from ameoba and i think i may have scored a ill communication test press?

i cant find anything anywhere about it, so hopefully if you guys can help me!


its on clear blue, it says gr006, C/D
its definitely side C & D of the double LP,

and it says date april 1st 1994

the sleeve is blank and has the date printed in blue on the right corner and thats it. theres no insert of any sort


ameoba had it labeled as "beastie boys test press, sound of science" but its definitely ill communication

anyways, any help is appreciated! i can post pictures if you guys want too.

i also got a 7inch and another LP. life is good hah

[silence7]

I dropped an e-mail to BigFatLove (http://www.beastiemania.com/collector/interviewbigfatlove.php) about this, he's the only one I know who would have information about this, I'm sure there are others, but he's my Go-To guy on these matters :)

Nice find BTW..

S7

[xvanx]

thanks!
i also emailed the record pressing plant, ill see if they can give me any infos on it


i almost decided to not get it since i cant really afford records right now haha, so im pretty excited

[kensai]

I googled it. Check the first link at this site: http://www.beastiemuseum.com/services/auctions.htm

[silence7]

This is who won it.....
http://www.beastiemania.com/collector/interviewbeastienut.php

S7

[xvanx]

holy......

i am so glad i got this now haha. and i paid 11$ for it hahah

i mean it went for ALOT, but it kinda sucks we cant see the other bids, id like to know if the dude who won it just went super high just to be sure to get it, cause a 1000$ is alot of money, but if the dude has alot of money, the records arent worth that much hah

[Sir SkratchaLot]

That's a hell of a lot of money for a test press. I'd sell it in a heartbeat.

[bigfatlove06]

I dropped an e-mail to BigFatLove (http://www.beastiemania.com/collector/interviewbigfatlove.php) about this, he's the only one I know who would have information about this, I'm sure there are others, but he's my Go-To guy on these matters :)

Nice find BTW..

S7

I wish I could help you, because that would mean that I have a copy to compare with yours. What are the numbers stamped or etched into the run out groove on both sides of the wax?

[xvanx]

i just got this from the record pressing plant;

Hello to you
well, first it would be highly unusual for us to do a test on colored vinyl
and no, it's from 1994...and Grand Royal no longer exists....paperwork would
be long gone.
sorry!


i still believe that it would be possible that the test press would be on blue since in the bboys. were the regular LPs only on green though?

[bigfatlove06]

That is interesting. When you get a chance post or PM anything that is etched or stamped into the dead wax on both sides and I will compare it to what I have. I think it is conceivable that they would do a test press on a different color (maybe they changed the color of the vinyl after they checked the test press for sound), but if that is the case, they would probably not create a whole different plate to press the vinyl (unless they were unhappy with the sound as well as the color of the vinyl). The real question in my mind is what do the identifying marks on run out groove match? If they are identical to a verifiable official release then it makes sense that it is a test pressing. If, however, we can't match the marks to anything that was ever commercially released then it is only a test press if it ultimately got rejected (probably for sound quality issues). Even if it is a bootleg designed to look like a test press it is worth more than $11 to collectors. I can ask some people who know more about it than I do, but check the dead wax for identifying marks.

[xvanx]

yo ill post them later this afternoon when i have time!

im actually in LA right now far away from my house, so i dont have acces to my other vinyl, but are you saying the numbers on the test press should match the one on the actual pressing as well?

[bigfatlove06]

Yeah, the manufacturers create a plate to press the vinyl. The artist gets a limited run test pressing to check for sound quality. If everything sounds the way that it is supposed to, they use the same plate to press the official release... So unless the record you have was scrapped because the band wasn't happy with the way it sounds, it makes sense that the markings on the vinyl should match the finished product. It does seem odd that anyone would request a test press on colored vinyl because they aren't meant to ever be distributed, but it is still possible that the one you have is legitimate, and then they decided to have the finished product pressed on a different color vinyl. But the only way to be certain that it is not a fake (at least in my mind) is to compare it to a finished product. If the same plate that was used to press your record was also used to press a commercial release, then I would assume that it is a real test pressing, not just a limited run bootleg. The reason to check the etchings or stamps in the dead wax is that if you can show that they match EXACTLY the markings on an official release is that you can say with a much greater degree of certainty that the plate that was used to press your record is the same plate that was used to press the commercial release. The same release may be pressed in 20 different countries from 20 different record pressing plants, so it may not be easy to identify whether or not it matches any existing commercial releases. The good news is that if you have copies to compare the test press against, you can most often find a direct match if it is legitimate. The bad news is that unless you can find someone with a commercial release that it is an exact match, the validity of the record is questionable at best. I have high hopes for you though!

[Documad]

I just collect random stuff that I like so I don't know what you're talking about, but my copy of Ill Communication has a smaller set of numbers on both Sides C and D, as well as the GR006 C and GR006 D. They're almost impossible to read on Side D and my old eyes would need a good light and a magnifying glass but if it would help I will try. :) Or are talking about something else? I feel like an idiot.

Hey, why is a bootleg worth more than $11 to a collector?

[xvanx]

like someone just explained above me, a test press is a very limited vinyl produced to make sure that quality will be perfect for the actual released vinyl. so test presses are really limited & rare, and most of the time only the band/label will get them.


also, big fat, can you post the number on the actual lets say US version of ill communication? ill go get the number on my test right now


and im mainly into hardcore/punk and i know a couple of bands that have test press on colored vinyl, so it definitely could be the real deal that we have! haha

[Documad]

Yeah, I know what a test pressing is. I just wondered whether the numbers you were looking for might be on my LP because that seemed too easy and why wouldn't the collector have a copy of Ill Communication. I guess the answer is that your test pressing might not have been the final US one. Oh well.

[mikizee]

Ahhhhh bigfatlove. My ebay nemesis. We have had many glorious ebay bidding wars together, most of which he has won. I thought I had a decent collection, until he told me his. I felt about 3 inches tall then.

The guy's a legend.

[bigfatlove06]

I just collect random stuff that I like so I don't know what you're talking about, but my copy of Ill Communication has a smaller set of numbers on both Sides C and D, as well as the GR006 C and GR006 D. They're almost impossible to read on Side D and my old eyes would need a good light and a magnifying glass but if it would help I will try. :) Or are talking about something else? I feel like an idiot.

Hey, why is a bootleg worth more than $11 to a collector?

Because collectors who collect bootlegs want one of everything, and I have only seen one other copy of this one (if indeed it is a bootleg).

[xvanx]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/xvanx/v02.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/xvanx/v01-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/xvanx/v04.jpg


and thats the stuff i got this past month

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v185/xvanx/v03.jpg

[bigfatlove06]

Yeah, I know what a test pressing is. I just wondered whether the numbers you were looking for might be on my LP because that seemed too easy and why wouldn't the collector have a copy of Ill Communication. I guess the answer is that your test pressing might not have been the final US one. Oh well.

That's kind of what I meant. The colored vinyl (green was only released in Canada). It makes much more sense to post the etchings or stamps from the record in question and see if anyone can find a match than to list all of the info on all of the dead wax on all of the known releases in the world.

[bigfatlove06]

Ahhhhh bigfatlove. My ebay nemesis. We have had many glorious ebay bidding wars together, most of which he has won. I thought I had a decent collection, until he told me his. I felt about 3 inches tall then.

The guy's a legend.

Before I bought my first one I didn't have any, so in that regard we started off in the same place... If it makes you feel any better I am DEFINITELY not the biggest fish in the pond.:)

[xvanx]

Because collectors who collect bootlegs want one of everything, and I have only seen one other copy of this one (if indeed it is a bootleg).

i really dont care about bootlegs though haha

anyways, here are the numbers

215900? sides C & D?

i really cant tell what it says though

[xvanx]

http://cgi.ebay.com/CROSSED-OUT-s-t-7-TEST-PRESS-infest-siege-neanderthal_W0QQitemZ300220526288QQihZ020QQcategor yZ306QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

and heres another test press (from another band) on colored vinyl. stupid girl at the pressing plant :mad: haha

[Documad]

http://cgi.ebay.com/CROSSED-OUT-s-t-7-TEST-PRESS-infest-siege-neanderthal_W0QQitemZ300220526288QQihZ020QQcategor yZ306QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

and heres another test press (from another band) on colored vinyl. stupid girl at the pressing plant :mad: haha
How do you know that one was pressed at the same place? :confused: (I'm trying to learn stuff.) I have a shitload of vinyl but I don't pay any attention to the details.

[Documad]

That's kind of what I meant. The colored vinyl (green was only released in Canada). It makes much more sense to post the etchings or stamps from the record in question and see if anyone can find a match than to list all of the info on all of the dead wax on all of the known releases in the world.

Do the little numbers mean anything -- or are they just random?

I don't suppose that plants in California start with one number and plants in some other place start with another number or anything that easy? (I enjoy when they put funny words and phrases in the dead wax.)

[bigfatlove06]

like someone just explained above me, a test press is a very limited vinyl produced to make sure that quality will be perfect for the actual released vinyl. so test presses are really limited & rare, and most of the time only the band/label will get them.


also, big fat, can you post the number on the actual lets say US version of ill communication? ill go get the number on my test right now


and im mainly into hardcore/punk and i know a couple of bands that have test press on colored vinyl, so it definitely could be the real deal that we have! haha

The US vinyl that I have reads like this:

Side C from left to right:

There is a sideways "S" etched into the vinyl with an "R" enclosed in the top curve of the S and a "C" enclosed in the bottom curve of the S.
Then the following sequence is etched "C1-1-29398-F1"
Then the following sequence is etched with a line scratched through it "(C1 28599)"
Lastly VERY FINELY ETCHED IS "1-1"

Side D from left to right:

There is a sideways "S" etched into the vinyl with an "R" enclosed in the top curve of the S and a "C" enclosed in the bottom curve of the S.
Then the following sequence is etched "C1-2-29398-F1"
Then the following sequence is etched with a line scratched through it "(C1 28599)"
Lastly VERY FINELY ETCHED IS "1-1"

Your much better off inspecting your copy, though. If you post what your wax has it will be much easier for other collectors to attempt to identify it.

[bigfatlove06]

Do the little numbers mean anything -- or are they just random?

I don't suppose that plants in California start with one number and plants in some other place start with another number or anything that easy? (I enjoy when they put funny words and phrases in the dead wax.)

I assume they mean something to the people who manufacture the records... you know some way to catalog the different pressings. It isn't some kind of industry standard... every pressing plant probably has their own way of identifying their own pressings, and with so many different worldwide pressings I think it is unlikely that you could ascribe any meaning to the numbers other than the fact that if the numbers on a test press match the numbers on an official release the test press is a precursor to the actual official release.

Just as a side note though..

The sequence of numbers I posted from the US vinyl are common in the actual catalog numbers of the vinyl released in the UK, UK limited, and the Canada (black vinyl) releases. The only place that I have seen the numbers that are scratched through on the US vinyl (29398) in a catalog number are from the Greek release. Not knowing how the industry works, or having any insight about how the source recordings are distributed etc... I couldn't make even an educated guess.

[Documad]

I think this whole thing is fascinating. I really do.

I tend to collect LPs with pretty or funny covers and ones that I played to death back in the day.

I could never get into collecting CDs. I don't have an emotional connection to them and the artwork is so small and squished into the little cases. :p

[bigfatlove06]

i really dont care about bootlegs though haha

anyways, here are the numbers

215900? sides C & D?

i really cant tell what it says though

That doesn't match anything I have, but I only have the US version, The UK numbered edition, and the Canada Green Vinyl...

Anyone who has the Canada black vinyl could tell you whether or not 215900 is etched or stamped into the vinyl... The reason that I suspect it is a test pressing (or bootleg) based on the Canada release is that it is the only country I know of that had the GR006 catalog number, excluding a 2xLP bootleg...

Anyone have a copy of the Canada black vinyl or the 2 x LP bootleg (unlike the official copies this version has the track listing on the back, and does not come in a gatefold sleve)?

[xvanx]

ill look better tonigh though, i cant even tell if they were letters or numbers

[Sir SkratchaLot]

Few things:

It could be a US test pressing that never saw the light of day because of the sample of the french lady at the begining of B-Boys Makin' With The Freak Freak. That sample was taken off of the US Capital/Grand Royal version of the album (in the US, a lot of the Beastie Boy's vinyl came out in two different pressings: a small-batch "Grand Royal" pressing; and also a much bigger, simultanious pressing that had both Capitol and Grand Royal logos on the packaging. The Grand Royal pressings often came out on colored vinyl.) I might be wrong here, but unlike a lot of the other Beastie records at that time, I don't think Ill Communication ever got a "Grand Royal" small-batch press in the US. I've only ever seen the Canadian, green vinyl press with the "GR006" catalog number. As far as US pressings, I've only ever seen the Capital/Grand Royal version on black vinyl, which doesn't have the sample. That could mean you have a test press of the US Grand Royal press (with the sample?) that never came out. That would explain why there's a different number on yours that doesn't match the official U.S. version, or any other version that came out. You might check to see if it has the sample on there.

Also, there's no way to tell for sure, but I highly doubt RTI would be bootlegging Beastie albums (especially in April of 1994). RTI stamps those dates on there so the date is probably accurate. I've got a lot of RTI test presses and your's looks legit to me. Considering that Ill Com was a major release, it would be odd for someone to get ahold of it and bootlegg it before the official release drops. Plus, bootlegs usually come from overseas somewhere. It would be ballsy for a bootlegger to use the same pressing plant the Beasties were using to bootlegg their album.

Oh yeah, about the run-offs on the vinyl. At the very end I know you can add stuff that the plant will put on there and that's why you often see all sorts of crazy shit written in the run-off. Some of it might come from the plant, but I know some of it comes from the customer.

[Meatloaf]

In my collection sits an Ill Communication double LP pressed on clear brown vinyl.. in a gatefold sleeve.
The only reason I bring this up is because I've never seen any mention of it anywhere either.

[bettadays]

post some pics meatloaf!

why cant i ever find anything good at Amoeba SF!

bigfatlove, its been a few months, i should be expecting a new offer anytime soon lol.

[xvanx]

ill check for the sampler!

but yea, i have a feeling this isnt a bootleg, its legit and im happy about it haha


i usually always find stuff at ameoba, since my collection is a pretty average size, they usually have some stuff i couldnt afford to get a while ago. nothing rare though

[bigfatlove06]

[QUOTE=xvanx;1581757]ill check for the sampler!

but yea, i have a feeling this isnt a bootleg, its legit and im happy about it haha

Based on what I know from other people who collect this kind of stuff, I am inclined to agree with you. If you ever decide to give it up, let me know!

[bigfatlove06]

post some pics meatloaf!

why cant i ever find anything good at Amoeba SF!

bigfatlove, its been a few months, i should be expecting a new offer anytime soon lol.

Why must you torment me? BTW, the last offer I made still stands! Come on man PULL THE TRIGGER.

BFL

[xvanx]

so what are the offers for my test press? :p

[silence7]

so what are the offers for my test press? :p

Well, Being as I'm the one who put you in touch with BFL, and you only paid $11, I'll give you $22 so you can feel good about doubling your money. :rolleyes:

S7

[xvanx]

i know whats this worth and im not dumb

but thanks anyways :)

[bigfatlove06]

Well, Being as I'm the one who put you in touch with BFL, and you only paid $11, I'll give you $22 so you can feel good about doubling your money. :rolleyes:

S7

I will double S7's offer. Mighty tempting huh?:rolleyes:

[xvanx]

honestly, ill be selling to someone with a serious offer
i know whats its worth and i know its a one in a lifetime occasion that ive found this.

i have 700$ left to live until september and i cant legaly work in the US, so i need money.

PM me with serious offers!

[Sir SkratchaLot]

I'm going to to report you to the immigration police unless you give me your $700 dollars. You can keep the record.

[xvanx]

im not doin anything wrong sir :p

[Sir SkratchaLot]

im not doin anything wrong sir :p

Well, that really cuts down on the effectiveness of my threat then. FUCK! You haven't seen the last of me!

[xvanx]

Anyone interested?
i'll sell it for "cheap" :)