A Record Collector's Guide

The Slackers - Albums

Better Late than Never

Moon Ska MR067 CD, released 1996 (U.S.)

Moon Ska Europe MOON CD 013 CD, released 1996 (UK)

Special Potato SP-0003 2xLP / CD, released 2002 (U.S.)

Asbestos ASB041 LP + 7", released 2009 (U.S.)

Brainlab Groove BLGR011LP 2xLP, released 2015 (Italy)

Jump Up! JUMPTAPE016, released 2018 (U.S.)

The Slackers' first album was a game changer. There were some really solid ska albums on the market when this one came out. Better Late than Never raised the bar. Excellent, top to bottom. The only knock on it might be that the production was a little bit bass-heavy, which muted the rest of the sound a bit. The album was remastered years later and re-released on Special Potato (along with three bonus tracks from the original recording sessions). At that point, it was also released on vinyl for the first time - as a double LP on black vinyl. That double LP was a very easy find for several years, and then suddenly became scarce (which mostly coincided with the Jammyland shop closing).<.p>

Asbestos Records repressed Better Late than Never again in 2009. This version did not include the three bonus tracks. It was also done as an LP + 7". The Asbestos version is much rarer than the previous one (150 copies on black vinyl and 350 on white). It stayed reasonably priced for a long time, but those days are gone.

Not done yet. In 2015, Italy's Brainlab Groove re-pressed it again. This one was the double LP version with the bonus tracks. Pressed on clear (ish) and black vinyl. Already pretty tough to get.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
MR067 CD	6-8	4	Stable
SP-0003 2xLP	35-45	6	Stable
ASB041 LP+7" Black	40-55	8	Volatile
Asbestos ASB041 LP+7" White (350)	35-50	6	Volatile
BLGR011LP 2xLP Clear	30-40	6	Up
BLGR011LP 2xLP Black	25-35	5	Stable

Special Potato Disc 1	Special Potato Disc 2	ASB041 LP Test Pressing	ASB041 7" Test Pressing
ASB041 LP Black Vinyl	ASB041 7" Black Vinyl	ASB041 LP White Vinyl	ASB041 7" White Vinyl
BLGR011LP Clear Vinyl	BLGR011LP Black Vinyl

This page was last updated on February 17, 2020.

 

Redlight

Hellcat 80403-1 LP / 80403-2 CD, released 1997

Hellcat 0403-2 CD (Europe)

Epic/Sony ESCA-6828 CD (Japan)

Pirates Press ‎PPR167 LP, released 2017-19 (U.S.)

Jump Up! SPTAPE005 Cassette (U.S.)

Something big happened in 1997: Tim Armstrong got the go-ahead to form Hellcat Records, a subsidiary of Epitaph. When this happened, it shifted the balance of power in the ska world tremendously. Hellcat went out and snatched up a good number of top ska bands in one shot: The Slackers, Hepcat, and The Pietasters all made the jump at the same time (along with The Gadjits). The Slackers's second album, Redlight, was their first on Hellcat. I consider this album to be basically perfect. It is one of my all-time favorite albums by any artist, with no exaggeration. Available on black vinyl from the start. Re-pressed many times, I'm sure, but each Hellcat pressing looked the same, so it's impossible to tell. The original black vinyl version remains easy to procure.

Then, 2017 rolled around. Pirates Press started cranking out re-presses of Redlight. These got out of control quickly. All of these came with foil-stamped sleeves, art prints, and some previously unavailable digital bonus tracks. There have been four pressings (so far), each with slightly different colors. The first re-press was of 750 copies on black vinyl and 250 copies on "clear w/ oxblood, cyan, & white splatter vinyl". The second press was of another 750 on black vinyl (identical to the first re-press) and 250 on "oxblood inside ultra clear w/ cyan, black, & white splatter vinyl". Yes, really. Re-press number three featured 250 copies on "oxblood inside cyan inside ultra clear" color-in-color-in-color-oh-god-make-it-stop vinyl. The fourth re-press was on "oxblood & cyan twist" vinyl. I saw a picture of one on clear glow-in-the-dark vinyl, but I have not seen this one officially for sale. Of the re-presses, the first two colors have gotten a bit expensive, but the others are still pretty common.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
Hellcat 80403-1 LP	15-20	1	Stable
‎PPR167 LP Clear w/ Oxblood, Cyan, & White Splatter	30-40	7	Stable
‎PPR167 LP Black	15-20	1	Stable
‎PPR167 LP Oxblood Inside Ultra Clear w/ Cyan, Black & White Splatter	30-40	7	Stable
‎PPR167 LP Oxblood Inside Cyan Inside Ultra Clear	20-30	6	Stable
‎PPR167 LP Cyan & Oxblood Twist	15-20	3	Stable

Original Black	Clear w/ Oxblood, Cyan, & White Splatter	Black Re-press
Oxblood Inside Ultra Clear w/ Cyan, Black & White Splatter	Oxblood Inside Cyan Inside Ultra Clear	Cyan & Oxblood Twist

Test Pressing	Original: Black vinyl, white labels Re-press: Purple vinyl, white labels

This page was last updated on February 17, 2020.

The Question

Hellcat 80410-1 2xLP / 80410-2 CD, released 1998 (U.S.)

Hellcat 0410-2 CD (Europe)

Epic/Sony ESCA 7379 CD (Japan)

Whatevski WHTVSKI-39205 2xLP, released 2013 (U.S.)

Jump Up! SPTAPE001 Cassette, released 2017 (U.S.)

Self-released 2xLP, released 2018 (U.S.)

The Slackers' third had a little bit of everything. They threw a lot of material into this one. Very good overall. Released as a CD and a black vinyl double LP, which went out of print pretty early on. There were only 250 of these, so the price escalated quite a bit over time. It was getting up close to $100 for a while, but came back down with the re-presses. It's still expensive, but down from its peak.

Whatevski Records was responsible for the first re-presses, starting in 2013. There was a crowdfunding campaign to get it all done. The 2013 version was identical to the 1998 version. The only way to tell the difference was by the trail-off wax codes. Oh, and they did a color vinyl version in addition to black for this one. The black one was (again) limited to 250 copies. The clear ("coke-bottle blue") version was limited to 40. 40! And it was only made for those who funded the Kickstarter campaign at a certain level. That one is brutal to find if you want one.

But why stop there? In late 2013, Whatevski and The Slackers pressed a small run of these on random color vinyl, and the band sold them at their holiday shows. The sleeves were the same, but I guess they had run out of labels, because the labels were just plain white (leading some to believe they were unofficial pressings...not the case). According to Whatevski Records, there were fewer than 100 copies on random color vinyl. Known colors: dark turquoise, light pink, dark pink, mint green, orange. Whatevski Records emailed me the following in 2014: "There was a wildcat pressing for their xmas tour run. It was somewhere between 78-100 copies and was done in a variety of colors...the totally mix and match set we called "The Loaded Question" edition (came in at least 4 colors like dark turquoise, dusty pink, dark pink, mint - it was whatever they had left over), and the orange dirty swirl version for Florida run was called "Orange you glad you asked The Question" edition." I am not 100% sure whether the orange ones were a separate pressing or whether they were part of the 78-100 on random colors. I THINK they were a separate run. I'm treating them that way.

The band did their own re-press in 2018, for sale at their shows. There were 1,000 of these, all on black vinyl. They looked very similar to the previous black vinyl pressings, but the labels were stripped of the Hellcat logos and credits. They also had difference matrix codes from the previous editions. It's kind of crazy - with 1,000 in this pressing, there were more pressed than all previous pressings combined.

How to tell the black vinyl pressings apart:

• 1st pressing - side A matrix code: #80410A S-39205 MASTERED BY TRUTONE PA 8-98
• 2nd pressing - side A matrix code: DIP-39205-A (plus an illegible production mark)
• 4th pressing - side A matrix code: PIRATESPRESS - THEQUESTION A 169451E1/A (also, no credits on the labels)

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
Hellcat 80410-1 2xLP Black	50-60	7	Stable
Whatevski WHTVSKI-39205 2xLP Black	45-55	7	Stable
Whatevski WHTVSKI-39205 2xLP Clear	75-100	10	?
Whatevski WHTVSKI-39205 2xLP Random Color	75-100	9	?
Whatevski WHTVSKI-39205 2xLP Orange	75-100	10	?
Self-released 2xLP Black	30-40	3	Stable

1st Pressing Black	2nd Press Test Pressing	2nd Pressing Black	2nd Pressing Clear
3rd Pressing Random Colors	3rd Pressing Orange	4th Pressing Black

Test Pressing	2nd Pressing: Black vinyl, generic Brooklyn Phono labels, stamped matrix code and date

Recent Sales Data - Original Black Vinyl:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2019	9	54	Discogs, eBay
2018	9	63	Discogs, eBay
2017	4	51	eBay

Recent Sales Data - Clear Vinyl:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2019	0	N/A	N/A
2018	1	51	Discogs
2017	0	N/A	N/A

Recent Sales Data - Random Color Vinyl:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2019	0	N/A	N/A
2018	1	80	eBay
2017	2	68	Discogs, eBay

This page was last updated on February 21, 2020.

Before There Were Slackers There Were the Nods

Special Potato CD, released 1999

I had trouble determining where to put this CD in the whole framework of the Slackers discography. This material predates The Slackers, but the album did not actually see official release until 1999. It is hard to find now and not cheap. There are some very interesting recordings on here, though. Some are characteristic Slackers songs, while others sound nothing like them. I would definitely suggest getting this one. The tracks were included on the Before There Was Hellcat release, but that's not any easier to find (actually much more difficult).

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
Special Potato CD	35-45	7	Volatile

This page was last updated on February 18, 2020.

Live at Ernesto's

Hellcat 80426-2 CD, released 2000 (U.S.)

Hellcat 0426-2 CD (Europe)

The Slackers' first official live album - only available on CD. Recorded in Sittard, Netherlands, at what has become one of the band's favorite venues. This is an excellent live recording, and an accurate depiction of the live Slackers experience of the time. It fully captures the tremendous talent of the band. The CD is inexpensive and relatively common.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
Hellcat 80426-2 CD (U.S.)	3-5	4	Down
Hellcat 0426-2 CD (Europe)	6-8	4	Stable

This page was last updated on February 18, 2020.

 

Wasted Days

Hellcat 80429-2 CD, released 2000 (U.S.)

Hellcat 0429-2 CD (Europe)

Epic/Sony ESCA 8300 CD (Japan)

Hellcat 80429-1 LP, released 2001 (U.S.)

Whatevski DIP-802491 2xLP, released 2014 (U.S.)

Jump Up! SPTAPE004 Cassette, released 2017 (U.S.)

I get the bass line from the title track of this album stuck in my head all the time. There's some really good material on here. Interestingly, the vinyl was actually a very different release from the CD. The vinyl contained 10 tracks vs. 16 on the CD. 9 of those 10 tracks were different (the title track was the same): the LP contained "So this is the Night (alt. version)", "Don't Break My Heart", "Fifteen", "Information Error (alt. version)", "Wasted Dub", "Tales of the Rugaroo" (Remix of Tales of the Mongoose), "A Fifth of Slack" (Remix of Made up My Mind), "Old Days" (alt. version), and "Remember When". The vinyl was readily available for a good long time, and then suddenly turned rare. I think the word finally got around about the alternate set of tracks. This first pressing was on black vinyl. Prices are all over the place.

In 2013, Whatevski ran a crowdfunding campaign on Big Tunes to release a deluxe double LP version of Wasted Days. The deluxe version came with many (but not quite all) of the tracks from the original CD and vinyl releases. It ultimately came out in 2014. The sleeve was slightly different from the original - the lettering was green. There were also different reward tiers in the campaign, and one of those got you a beautiful green marble version of the vinyl. All of the above are expensive now.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
Hellcat 80429-1 Black	50-80	6	Volatile
DIP-804291 Green Marble	100-120	9	Up
DIP-804291 Black	90-120	8	Up

Original Pressing

2nd Press Test Pressing

2nd Pressing Green Marble

2nd Pressing Black

Test Pressing	2nd Pressing: Black vinyl, generic Brooklyn Phono labels

Recent Sales Data - Original Black Vinyl:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2019	11	55	Discogs, eBay
2018	1	61	eBay
2017	2	98	eBay

Recent Sales Data - Green Marble Vinyl:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2017-19	0	N/A	N/A

Recent Sales Data - Black Vinyl 2xLP:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2019	2	88	Discogs
2018	0	N/A	N/A
2017	2	114	Discogs

This page was last updated on February 21, 2020.

The Slackers and Friends

Special Potato 38071 CD, released 2002 (U.S.)

Select Cuts SC2020 CD, released 2003 (Germany)

This CD was a fun batch of Slackers collaborations. An 11-track version came out in the U.S., and a 13-track version was released in Germany (the extra tracks were "You Turn Me On" and "Since I Found You", both with Susan Cadogan. I believe the disc was reissued domestically with the extra tracks, but I am a little hazy on the details. Only released in CD form, though a four-track 12" sampler also came out in Germany.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
Special Potato 38071 CD	6-8	3	Stable
Select Cuts SC2020 CD	8-10	3	Stable

This page was last updated on February 18, 2020.

Close My Eyes

Hellcat 80455-1 LP / 80455-2 CD, released 2003 (U.S.)

Hellcat 0455-2 CD (Europe)

Sony Music Japan EICP 478 CD, released 2005 (Japan)

The Slackers' sound continued its steady development. The vinyl followed a similar story as some other Slackers albums: readily available for years, then suddenly rare and expensive. All copies were on black vinyl.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
Hellcat 80455-1 LP Black	50-75	5	Up

This page was last updated on February 18, 2020.

The Slackers/Pulley Split

Do Tell DTR-009 CD, released 2003 (U.S.)

This was kind of a random split CD that the Slackers did with Pulley. You probably couldn't have figured that out from the title. Bizarre artwork. CD only, and that CD is a bit scarce now.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
DTR-009 CD	15-20	6	Stable

This page was last updated on February 18, 2020.

Upsettin' Ernesto's

Music Machine MMRLP 003 2xLP / MMRCD 003 CD, released 2004 (Netherlands)

Here we go...time to decide whether you are really going to be a Slackers collector. This was the first record that made it clear that there were going to be some hard-to-find Slackers releases. The scarcity of The Question double LP had not yet caught on. This was the one. The vinyl was produced in the Netherlands and limited to 500 hand-numbered copies. The prices have fluctuated so wildly in recent years that it is tough to value. The CD isn't the easiest find, either, but it's usually pretty cheap when you do. The vinyl contained two extra tracks: "I Still Love You" and "Midnight Rendezvous". Oh yeah, it's also a very good performance - another live set from Ernesto's, accompanied this time by Glen Adams and Susan Cadogan. Black vinyl.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
MMRLP 003 2xLP Black	70-100	6	Volatile

Recent Sales Data - 2xLP:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2019	5	59	Discogs, eBay
2018	3	108	Discogs
2017	1	96	Discogs

This page was last updated on Febraury 21, 2020.

An Afternoon in Dub

Special Potato SP007 / Do-Tell DTR-014 CD, released 2005 (U.S.)

Echo Beach EB 056 CD (Europe)

Radiola RR011 CD (Brazil)

Ska in the World SIWI-045 CD (Japan)

Asian Man AM180 LP, released 2009 (U.S.)

Lots of Slackers songs done dub-style. I don't get dub...I don't know why. Perhaps it is my complete lack of interest in the illicit substances that might be prerequisites for being able to enjoy dub. This one was released on CD in many different countries with a variety of album artwork. It did not appear on vinyl until 2009, when Asian Man got ahold of it (which resulted in dramatically different artwork - the yellow one above). It was on black vinyl - the price of which has kind of skyrocketed in recent years.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
AM180 Black	50-75	6	Up

Test Pressing

Test Pressing	Black vinyl, plain white labels

This page was last updated on February 18, 2020.

Slack in Japan

Ska in the World SIWI-025 CD, released 2005 (Japan)

Guess what this is? No, don't be ridiculous. It's a Slackers live album from Japan! A very solid live performance, at that. The highlight has to be their version of "Linda Linda" by The Blue Hearts (and it's not even the full song). My sister actually once got on stage with The Slackers and sang that song in Japanese (not in Japan). The CD was only released in Japan, but some copies have made it to the States.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
Ska in the World SIWI-025 CD	15-20	3	Stable

This page was last updated on February 19, 2020.

 

Peculiar

Hellcat 80479-1 LP / 80479-2 CD, released 2006 (U.S.)

Hellcat 0479-2 CD (Europe)

Epitaph EICP 607 CD (Japan)

Союз/Hellcat 80479-2 CD (Russia)

Pirates Press PPR231-1 LP + 7", released 2019 (U.S./Europe)

Peculiar was a very solid Slackers album with some odd, yet very cool, artwork. Originally released on black vinyl in the U.S., which is still fairly easy to procure. There were several CD versions released in different countries. The Japanese version had a bonus track, "Rider", from the International War Criminal EP. That was the only track from that EP that did not make an appearance on the other versions of Peculiar.

2019 brought with it a bunch of re-pressed variants of Peculiar, all on Pirates Press. The re-press came with a black vinyl 7", which contained "Rider", along with a dub version of "Propaganda". The variants were electric blue (limited to 1,500), "electric blue & white galaxy" (this was the European pressing, limited to 500), "white inside electric blue inside bone" (a Pirates Press mail order exlcusive limited to 250 copies), and "electric blue & bone pinwheel", which was a band exclusive only sold at their shows (limited to 250 copies). Those last two seem like the ones to get.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
Hellcat 80479-1 Black	20-30	3	Stable
PPR231-1 LP Electric Blue (+ Black 7")	20-25	3	Stable
PPR231-1 LP Electric Blue & White Galaxy (+ Black 7")	20-25	5	Stable
PPR231-1 LP White Inside Electric Blue Inside Bone (+ Black 7")	25-30	7	Stable
PPR231-1 LP Electric Blue & Bone Pinwheel (+ Black 7")	30-40	7	Stable

Original Black	Electric Blue	Blue & White Galaxy
White Inside Blue Inside Bone	Blue & Bone Pinwheel	Bonus 7"

This page was last updated on February 19, 2020.

Big Tunes! Hits & Misses from 1996 to 2006

Ska in the World SIWI-063 CD, released 2007

Big Tunes is a CD of greatest hits, only released in Japan, to commemorate ten years of Slackers releases. Not much else to say, really. It's getting rarer.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
Ska in the World SIWI-063 CD	25-30	5	Stable

This page was last updated on February 19, 2020.

The Boss Harmony Sessions

Special Potato SP-11 CD, released 2007 (U.S.)

Rockers Revolt RRCD-001/RRHITCD1E CD (UK)

Ska in the World SIWI-091 CD/DVD, released 2008 (Japan)

The Boss Hamony Sessions contained some interesting originals, covers, and alternate versions of Slackers favorites, as recorded by DJ Boss Harmony. Definitely worth your time. No vinyl for this one. A limited press run, but you can still find it. The Japanese version was released on Ska in the World, and came with a DVD (which I have never seen, so I can't really comment on it).

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP-11 CD (U.S.)	10-12	5	Stable
RRCD-001/RRHITCD1E CD (UK)	6-8	2	Stable
SIWI-091 CD/DVD (Japan)	25-35	6	Stable

This page was last updated on February 19, 2020.

Self Medication

Special Potato SP-21 LP, released 2008 (U.S.)

Indication IND 2 CD (U.S.)

Rockers Revolt RRHITCD4 CD (UK)

Moanin' MOACD 8013 CD (Germany)

Ska in the World SIWI-098 CD (Japan)

Hey, look - a Slackers album! The vinyl for this release contained very different artwork from the CD (it's the red sleeve above). Black vinyl, no longer easy to find or cheap.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
SP-21 Black	40-60	7	Up

This page was last updated on February 19, 2020.

Lost and Found

Special Potato SP-27 CD, released 2009 (U.S.)

Paper & Plastick PP0030 LP (U.S.)

Ska in the World SIWI-138 CD/LP (Japan)

Whatevski DIP004 Digital Album (U.S.)

This release made me happy. It was a collection of random material that The Slackers recorded over the years that had, to this point, never seen the light of day. There are some really excellent recordings on here. The vinyl came out on three different colors: the standard black, a yellow/black split, and a greenish "mustard mix" vinyl. The mustard mix was limited to 100 and supposedly only available through Interpunk, but I got it later from Paper & Plastick. I'm not positive the color of this version was what they were going for. If you look closely, it is actually two different colors, split down the middle, but the colors ended up being very similar...kind of a greenish brown mess.

As far as I know, the yellow/black split was only available directly from Paper & Plastick or from the band. It's a tough find - took me over a year back around when it came out. Black vinyl copies are more common than the others, but all are really tough to find. The Japanese LP was the standard U.S. black vinyl with a "Ska in the World" sticker added to the outer packaging. NOW...be forewarned: the vinyl did not contain as many tracks as any of the other versions. In fact, it had substantially fewer (12). The digital release contained a bonus track.

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
PP0030 Mustard Mix (100)	70-85	9	Volatile
PP0030 Yellow/Black	60-75	8	Volatile
PP0030 Black	35-50	7	Stable
SIWI-138 Black	35-50	7	Stable

Mustard Mix

Yellow/Black

Black

Sleeve	Gatefold

Recent Sales Data - Mustard Mix Vinyl:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2019	2	93	Discogs, eBay
2018	0	N/A	N/A
2017	3	75	Discogs, eBay

Recent Sales Data - Yellow/Black Vinyl:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2019	1	72	Discogs
2017-18	0	N/A	N/A

Recent Sales Data - Black Vinyl:

Year Sold	Quantity	Median Price ($)	Platform
2019	1	27	Discogs
2018	0	N/A	N/A
2017	1	54	Discogs

This page was last updated on February 21, 2020.

The Great Rocksteady Swindle

Hellcat 80515-1 LP / 80515-2 CD, released 2010 (U.S.)

Hellcat 0515-2 CD (Europe)

Ska in the World SIWI-134 LP / SIWI-131 CD (Japan)

Whatevski DIP009 Digital "Album and Fun Pack", released 2010 (U.S.)

This Slackers album saw them go back to Hellcat. The vinyl came in red and black varieties. The red one was only available through Kings Road Merch. The black one went to everyone else. As with Lost and Found, the Japanese LP was just the U.S. one with a Ska in the World sticker on it. It is mainly more valuable because 1) it was in Japan and 2) the retail price was so much higher. The digital release contained a whole extra set of tracks (25 live tracks plus an interview).

Version	Value ($)	Scarcity	Price Trending
80515-1 Red	30-40	5	Stable
80515-1 Black	20-25	4	Stable
SIWI-134 Black (Japan)	30-40	5	Stable

This page was last updated on February 19, 2020.

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