Sunday, November 6, 2011

Youth Of Today - "Crucial Times" 7"

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The infamous Youth Of Today - "Crucial Times" 7"

In a very odd and almost unexplainable occurrence, I literally found on my basement floor, what just might be the most interesting and rarest version of the Youth Of Today "Can't Close My Eyes" EP.

If you think back to the cover of Schism Fanzine issue 8, with that jaw dropping, all glorious record collection collage photo, you'll recall that on the inside of the cover, where they listed every record included in the photo, there was a Youth Of Today "Crucial Times" 7" listed. Now if you were like me, when I noticed that listed record, you did a whole lot of head scratching. After some research, we found out that what was seen on that cover and listed, was basically a hoax, or at least a 7" that didn't actually exist.

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Schism Fanzine issue 8 cover photo

What the Youth Of Today "Crucial Times" 7" turned out to be, was an original cover concept drawn by long time Anthrax club flyer artist, Jim Martin in 1985, but was essentially rejected by the band. Basically one of the YOT guys took that original drawing and glued it to the cover of a "Can't Close My Eyes" EP and threw it into that collage of records that ended up on the cover of Schism 8. I assume one of the Skiz guys thought it would be interesting to list the record, and throw off a ton of people. Well I for one was definitely thrown off.

Now here's where I start scratching my head again. This past Saturday, I'm down in my basement, where we just had some construction done over the past 3 days. I'm walking around, checking out the work that had been done, when I notice on the floor, below a pile of other stuff that's been stacked and stored in a basement closet, a 7" with a black and white, hand drawn cover, lying on the floor. I walk over and pick it up and discover that it's indeed the infamous Youth Of Today "Crucial Times" 7".

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Take note of the highlighted Youth Of Today - "Crucial Times" 7' on the cover of Schism 8

At first thought, I'm thinking it's a xeroxed copy of the original drawing, still not knowing how it ended up in my house and on my basement floor. Upon further inspection, I discover it is the actual, original drawing and 7" stored in a standard plastic 7" sleeve. I start thinking and questioning to myself, how I have this and where it came from. But some how or another I'm thinking that the only possible and logical answer is that I must have gotten it from Ray Cappo when buying some records off of him in the late 90's. Some how I'm guessing it got separated from the rest of the records, stacked in a pile of stuff and stored for the past 15 years. I'm assuming, with all the construction that's been going on over the past 3 days, the record was shaken loose from a pile and simply fell to the floor. But honestly, I'm still not exactly sure.

What I do know, is that what I have is the original hand drawn artwork by Jim Martin, which has been glued to the cover of an actual "Can't Close My Eyes" EP cover. Inside that cover is an old black and white Youth Of Today sticker and a Ray Cappo/Becky Tupper prom photo (which really leads me to believe this was Ray's). There's also a Batman stamp on the 7" dust sleeve, a lyric sheet and a black vinyl 7" inside. Pretty damn cool and quite possibly my oddest hardcore record find ever. -Tim DCXX

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The Schism 8 record cover collage listing

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Another shot of the "Crucial Times" cover and what was inside

By Livewire Records at November 06, 2011

22 comments:

  1. derek doleNovember 6, 2011 at 7:42 PM

    It's amazing how you didn't know you owned it. I would have been so stoked when I found it.

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  2. DOUBLE CROSSNovember 6, 2011 at 7:50 PM

    I was pretty blown away over the summer when I discovered I had a Judge "Bringin' It Down" test pressing yet previously had no idea, but this easily took the cake as the biggest surprise. How I didn't know is honestly beyond me. And yes, I was definitely STOKED!!!

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  3. Jim PittsNovember 6, 2011 at 9:43 PM

    One of the tiny handful of records I still own is Kevin "Seconds" test pressing of the YOT 7"......(signed to Kevin from the members of YOT)

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  4. Jim PittsNovember 6, 2011 at 9:45 PM

    I traded REM records to Kevin for it in the early 90's.....

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  5. KMBNovember 6, 2011 at 11:04 PM

    Always a treat to be surprised nowadays with old gems! Thanks for sharing.

    Is Jim Martin still doing some artworks ?

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  6. smytheNovember 7, 2011 at 3:29 AM

    How this was stacked in a basement, loose, and not in a record bin with your YOT stuff, sealed in plastic is beyond me! In the late 90's Cappos was cleaning out some stuff from his parents and he found that box of records. I know he gave Porter an Abused 7" and I'm guessing this must have come from that collection. Cool artwork. I remember aquinting at that skiz-8 cover and trying to see what the Crucial Times record was. I thought that maybe it was a live bootleg or maybe it was a joke on people like me who needed every record on that cover. I eventually heard rumors that it was the latter but still it seemed like a lot of work to go through just for a prank. I still wonder if it was a proposed cover design that never was used and they just slapped it on the Cant close my eyes ep to see what it would've looked like. It;d be interesting to find out the story behind the illustration.

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  7. LeckyNovember 7, 2011 at 4:55 AM

    I had this on my want list for years after reading that issue of Schism, I thought it was just a mistake or they were getting it mixed up with the Make It Work comp or something. Shame it's a one off, I'd love to get one it's much better than the cover of Ray screaming, any chance of a photocopy?

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  8. andyNovember 7, 2011 at 5:19 AM

    x'd up warrior. love it!

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  9. BrushbackNovember 7, 2011 at 5:46 AM

    Yeah, that cover's really cool

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  10. XtimtonicXNovember 7, 2011 at 7:35 AM

    great artwork!

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  11. ERIC SXENovember 7, 2011 at 7:37 AM

    I would love to see that artwork on a shirt! Maybe DCXX could do a short run of those?? Check with Jim Martin and YOT and see if they would be down. =)

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  12. AnonymousNovember 7, 2011 at 8:09 AM

    Awesome post!

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  13. AnonymousNovember 7, 2011 at 12:44 PM

    SO... IT EXISTS!!!!. YOU LUCKY MAN!!!.

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  14. Ben EdgeNovember 7, 2011 at 3:03 PM

    Alzheimer's is a bitch.

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  15. AnonymousNovember 7, 2011 at 3:15 PM

    92/100 - have originals/diff versions of a few (beware, specials, make it work); no crucial times :(

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  16. AnonymousNovember 7, 2011 at 8:28 PM

    I think it would be more suitable as a Limpwrist or Youth of ToGay cover. I love it.

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  17. M and T Online BankingNovember 7, 2011 at 8:46 PM

    Gotta say that guy doesn't look like the youth of today.

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  18. dangercloseNovember 8, 2011 at 8:17 AM

    I love that it was "just sitting in your basement" along with a Judge test press--it's like "Oh I walked out of my house and my 'tree-that-produces-awesome-stuff just dropped a jet-pack and a diamond'"---seriously though nice post

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  19. AnonymousNovember 9, 2011 at 5:59 PM

    Like oh my God! Your the coolest HC nerd ever!

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  20. RayNovember 25, 2011 at 11:29 AM

    lame...

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  21. AnonymousNovember 25, 2011 at 10:05 PM

    that damn record elf has struck again. He planted A Chung King 12" in my flower boxes, and a one off pressing of Flex Your Head in my shower. I just can"t explain how they got there.

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  22. robertJanuary 15, 2012 at 2:21 AM

    i like this blog...
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    http://www.jobscharger.com/JobState/-Nebraska-.html

    ReplyDelete

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