This album pretty much went straight into my favourite albums ever when I bought it. Not top 10, but top 50 probably. I'd known the name for years because a friend had been into them from the start but I'd never checked them out. When he passed his driving test I finally had the pleasure of hearing some Against Me! in his car and I was amazed. I'd written it off and very wrongfully. At some point that summer I picked up their new single (White People for Peace) but heard the first two albums were where it was at. A month or so later I was at the end of a holiday in Europe that had ended up in Prague and I had a few hours to myself so I went off in search of a record shop. Somehow I found this incredible shop that I'd certainly never be able to find again (shortly after some guy saw my record bag and asked where the shop was. I couldn't tell him, but did assure him it was awesome and if he found it he was in for a treat). They had some awesome records but I was low on cash and confused by the exchange rate, so I only picked up this one. I could've spent a fortune in there (the plastic sleeve still has the price on - 329 Czech-whatevers. About £8.50).
I couldn't listen to it until a few days later but couldn't get enough of it then, and still can't now. The opener is incredible with a perfect beat and Tom's screaming vocals. We Laugh at Danger and Break All the Rules is my favourite (I'm a sucker for group vocals). The whole first half is unrelenting, and that carries over onto side two. Baby I'm an Anarchist and 8 Full Hours of Sleep then stand out, but are still great. A bit of variety is good.
I picked up other Against Me! albums but none please me as much as this one. I've seen them live a bunch of times since and everytime they play something from this record I can't stop myself from going crazy down the front. At ten songs and half an hour long, its pretty much a perfect punk record (as far as I'm concerned). The moral of this one is that if a friend is raving about a band, it might be worth checking them out (depending on the friend's music taste I guess). I could've been listening to this album for many years more already.
Format: 12", poster inner
Tracks: 10
Cost: £8.50 new
Bought: Prague
When: 21/08/07
Colour: Gray splatter
Etching: Side A: "You can make the border smaller, but you cannot take away my nipple" Side B: "If you can read this, take a bath"
mp3s: no
