Crackout and I go way back. When I was 16 there was a band called Vex Red who I very quickly became a huge fan of. They'd had songs played on the Radio 1 Rock Show, had been in Kerrang! magazine and seemed like a really exciting new band. The first time I saw Vex Red was on the NME Upstarts Tour - a national tour NME was putting on of three new bands - Vex Red, The Pattern and Crackout. I think four of us ended up going to the show in the Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth. Crackout impressed us way more than we were expecting - I have memories of the drummer going between sitting and standing a lot during songs and the whole band wearing suits. There was a free cd given out at the end of the night featuring one song from each of the bands, which would serve as our introduction to Crackout's recorded output.
My friend Olly was the most impressed by Crackout that night and ended up buying their debut album, This is Really Neat. I don't think I heard it before I eventually got a copy, but I knew he'd been enjoying it greatly. I found a copy in MVC in Winchester when they were having a huge sale one day (it was the same day that I first discovered The Paper Chase, which was a pretty significant day for me musically). It was £4 and I figured if Olly was enjoying it that much that I'd get £4 of enjoyment out of it. Turns out that This is Really Neat is a huge album and one that I still get a kick out of now, 13 years later.
I think the charm in This is Really Neat is that it's not trying to be clever, it's just a really fun punk-rock record full of huge songs and great choruses - 142 is such a strong opener and then they take it up a level with I Am the One, which might be their finest moment and has one of the best choruses on the album. And if that wasn't a strong enough start, you then get Joey Lost His Mind; I love that no one told these guys about not blowing their load too soon. Breakout also has a huge, memorable chorus and Guillotine and Barricaded round off an incredible Side A (despite the latter being listed as being on Side B - presumably since the layout matches that on the back of the cd). You Dumb Fuck doesn't hold back in opening the second half and I remember thinking that song was great from the first time I heard it - the little break before the chorus is so pleasing, and the chorus itself is even more pleasing. I have a great acoustic version on a 7" b-side where the word "fuck" is replaced with "truck" to great effect. Over My Head is another great song and Fairytale Nothing is the classic "epic closer".
A year and a half later, I found this copy on vinyl in a record shop in Leeds that I'd almost certainly never find again (assuming it still exists). If I remember correctly, I'd been to see the Manics the night before in Manchester and stayed with my friend in Leeds. He'd left me to my own devices during the day, so I tried to seek out some record shops. I remember being disappointed I couldn't find any great shops (this was long before smartphones and Google maps) but eventually found one shop of interest. Even they didn't have much, but did have two promo copies of This is Really Neat (again, for £4). At the time I was on the fence (partly because I was knackered by this point in the day) but I'm so glad I bought this album. Strangely, the gatefold opens the wrong way to normal, and the record slides out of the middle like cds often do. It's also worth noting that I love the artwork on this album almost as much as the music.
When I went to that NME show in Portsmouth that night I expected to enjoy Vex Red (which I did) but I certainly didn't think that 15 years later I'd still be listening to one of the bands, and certainly not the support band. It says a lot about how much fun this record is that it's endured so well. It's a shame that the same can't be said for a lot of the other music I was listening to back then (and, indeed, that night in Portsmouth). This album really is really neat.
Format: 12", gatefold sleeve, picture sleeve
Tracks: 12
Cost: £4 second hand
Bought: Leeds
When: 18/12/04
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no
