The Fluid released six LPs and EPs between 1986 and 1993. The way in which those albums were released was a little screwy. Between the U.S. and Germany (Sub Pop and Glitterhouse), sleeves changed, track listings changed, hairstyles changed...all of these albums are worth your time, though.
The Fluid's first album. It was first released on a Colorado label called RayOn, which was specifically assembled to put this record out. It was picked up by the German label Glitterhouse, given one of the ugliest album covers in human history, and re-released with an extra track, "Graveyard Tramps." This was once a ridiculously difficult album to find. It took me three years in the pre-eBay world. Now, it shows up for auction every few months. The Glitterhouse version comes up more often than the RayOn one (and is also less expensive).
The record represented a significant moment in record producing history...The Fluid was Glitterhouse's first link to a Sub Pop band (even though they weren't one yet). Glitterhouse and Sub Pop maintained a relationship for many years.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| RayOn RAY0001 | 30-50 | 6 | Stable |
| Glitterhouse GR0022 | 20-30 | 4 | Stable |
 RayOn RAY0001 |
 Glitterhouse GR0022 |
| Year Sold | Quantity | Median Price ($) | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 7 | 42 | Discogs, eBay |
| 2018 | 1 | 20 | eBay |
| 2017 | 5 | 30 | Discogs, eBay |
This page was last updated on November 16, 2019.
Fluid Album #2. The Glitterhouse version came first for this one, all on black vinyl. The Fluid then signed to Sub Pop back in the label's very early days. There are a number of sources that cite the Afghan Whigs as the first non-Seattle Sub Pop signing, but..nope. It was The Fluid. F'real. Anyway, Sub Pop took the album, replaced four of the tracks (all of the replacement songs were available on the Freak Magnet EP), changed the sleeve, and put it out in 1988. The first pressing was on blue vinyl and limited to 500 copies. Later versions were on pink marble and black. On the sleeves for the later pressings, the shaded areas appear to be darker. It's significant enough to where I can eyeball the difference easily in a record store. The first pressing came with Sub Pop's first catalogue, a double-sided full page detailing SP10 through SP19.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glitterhouse GR0026 | 8-12 | 2 | Stable |
| SP16 Blue | 15-25 | 5 | Stable |
| SP16 Pink Marble | 10-15 | 3 | Stable |
| SP16 Black | 8-12 | 3 | Stable |
 Insert - Side 1 |
 Insert - Side 2 |
 Test Pressing |
|
 GR0026 |
 SP16 Blue |
 SP16 Pink Marble |
 SP16 Black |
This page was last updated on November 16, 2019.
This release only came out on Glitterhouse, all on black vinyl. Four of the tracks were released on the Sub Pop version of Clear Black Paper. The versions of the other three songs found on this EP were never released in the U.S. A different version of "Don't Wanna Play" did come out on the Colorado Krew III 7" compilation. The EP is quite easy to procure now.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glitterhouse GR0041 | 6-10 | 1 | Stable |
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This page was last updated on November 16, 2019.
Released concurrently on Sub Pop and Glitterhouse in 1989. The sleeve was the same for both except for the coloring. The Glitterhouse one had an olive green tint, while the Sub Pop one was more pink. As with all others, the Glitterhouse version was on black vinyl. The Sub Pop version...not so much. A member of the band told me that the first pressing was of equal numbers of pink marble and red marble copies, and believed it was a total press run of 1,000. The grey marble and black copies were later pressings.
I knew that other colors might exist, but imagine my surprise when one of the original Sub Pop discographers wrote to me a few years ago to tell me of two others - a clear red and a clear green copy. Supposedly, these were pressed in quantities of about 50 each. I had seen a clear red one advertised for years, but assumed that it was the red marble one and moved on with my life. As soon as I got that message, I bought that copy...sure enough, clear red. Who knew? The difference is a little hard to tell in the pictures, but I promise...one is clear red and the other is solid red marble. I have never been able to verify the clear green one, so for the time being, it remains in the rumors section. I actually don't think that one exists. It would have appeared by now.
For reasons I do not understand, the red marble version has consistently sold for more than the pink marble version in recent years, despite (theoretically) equal quantities. My guess is that people are more drawn to the red marble one because of the clear red version, but who knows. The clear red one has been going for more then either of those, but that makes sense.
The only CD version of the full Roadmouth album was on Glitterhouse. It contained a version of "Saccharine Rejection" (probably the best version, for what it's worth) that was otherwise only available on the Motor City Madness compilation. Most of the album was later released on a single CD with the Glue EP by Sub Pop. Two songs were left off the combined CD: "Big Brother" and "Leave It". "Big Brother" is a cover of "Hey Big Brother" by Rare Earth - not sure if there was a rights issue for the CD release or something, or if it was just coincidental that this particular track was left off of the CD.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| GR0055 (Black) | 4-6 | 1 | Stable |
| SP36 - 1st Press (Pink Marble) | 12-18 | 5 | Stable |
| SP36 - 1st Press (Red Marble) | 20-40 | 5 | Volatile |
| SP36 (Clear Red) | 40-50 | 9 | Stable |
| SP36 (Grey Marble) | 8-12 | 4 | Stable |
| SP36 (Black) | 5-8 | 2 | Stable |
 Glitterhouse |
 Pink Marble |
 Red Marble |
 Clear Red |
 Grey Marble |
 Black |
| Rumors | Clear green version |
|---|
This page was last updated on November 16, 2019.
Glue...the last Fluid release on either Glitterhouse or Sub Pop. It was later combined with Roadmouth (minus two tracks from Roadmouth) for a Sub Pop CD/cassette release. Glitterhouse copies of the Glue EP were all on black vinyl. The first Sub Pop pressing was on purple vinyl, limited to 1,000 copies. Later pressings were on mint green marble and black vinyl. The prices on all of the above have dropped way down. I have been told by a reliable source (i.e. in the band) that a grey version also exists, but I have never seen one. I have always wondered if he was confusing this with the grey Roadmouth. I will only know for sure if I find a grey Glue.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| GR0094 Black | 3-5 | 1 | Stable |
| SP64 Purple Marble | 10-12 | 3 | Stable |
| SP64 Mint Green Marble | 6-10 | 4 | Stable |
| SP64 Black | 4-6 | 1 | Stable |
 Glitterhouse Test Pressing |
 Sub Pop Test Pressing |
||
 GR0092 |
 SP64 Purple |
 SP64 Mint Green Marble |
 SP64 Black |
| Test Pressing | Sub Pop: Black vinyl, plain white labels Glitterhouse: Black vinyl, generic Pallas "Unverkaufliche Musterplatte" labels |
|---|
This page was last updated on November 16, 2019.
The Fluid made the jump to the majors in 1993, probably a year or two too late. Purplemetalflakemusic, the longtime publishing name of the band's songs, was the title of their Hollywood Records debut (and, sadly, swan song). I consider this their best album. I think it was promoted very poorly, despite four promo singles (three CDs, one 7") being released. There were three or four songs on the album that were quite commercially accessible, but they were (mostly) not the ones that were chosen as singles. I digress. Hollywood put out a vinyl version of the album on purple vinyl that is somewhat difficult to come by. A couple of copies have sold for larger amounts over the years, but it has stabilized in the $20-25 range.
To my surprise, 25 years later...a black vinyl version surfaced. It was an Italian version. The catalog number matches the U.S. purple vinyl version. In fact, everything matches the U.S. version, except that "DISTRIBUZIONE DISCHI RICORDI S.p.A." is printed on the back of the sleeve below the other credits. And, of course, it's on black vinyl. The labels have the import stamps seen on the Rocket from the Crypt Yum Kippered 7". I have seen precisely one copy in 26 years. Brutally rare.
Some (all?) of the U.S. CDs came with a limited edition purple metal flake sticker. The Japanese version of the CD had a bonus track ("Cell"), which also appeared in demo form on the Spot the Loon EP and the Pill promo CD.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR-61445-1 Purple | 20-25 | 6 | Stable |
| HR-61445-1 Black (Italy) | 50-75 | 10 | Volatile |
 U.S. Purple Vinyl |
 Italian Black Vinyl |
This page was last updated on November 18, 2019.
| Scarcity Score | Definition |
|---|---|
| 10 | Near impossible: Fewer than 50 copies or publicly sold every few years |
| 8-9 | Very rare: 50-199 copies or publicly sold 1-2 times per year |
| 6-7 | Rare: 200-499 copies or publicly sold a few times a year |
| 4-5 | Medium: 500-999 copies or publicly sold ~10 times a year |
| 1-3 | Common: 1000+ copies, readily available, or publicly sold 20+ times a year |
Estimated values are based on recent auction results or online sales. Commercial use of images on this site is not permitted. Non-commercial use of images permitted, with attribution to Pette Discographies. All images copyright their respective owners.