Vinyl Review: Thursday 'Full Collapse' Anniversary

My friends tend to call me the excuse machine. For example, when it was announced that Thursday’s genre-carving sophomore album Full Collapse would be re-pressed on vinyl to celebrate its 20 21 year anniversary, I immediately shook my head. “Is there anything Tony Brummel and Victory Records WON’T DO to exploit this poor band?” Turns out Victory Records sold their label to Concord Music Group in 2019! Well that’s fantastic news! Now Thursday might actually make some money on this Concord/Craft release. Maybe I'll buy it. 

Butttttttt…. I already own a limited-edition 5th Pressing (Clear Blue 33 RPM). I don’t need another copy, do I? What’s that? This time it’s going to be pressed at 45 RPM!? Allowing more sonic information in each second of playback?! Hell yeah! My current copy doesn’t sound that great. How could I not make this purchase?

But it’s north of $100! That’s insane for a vinyl release, right?! Come again? This variant includes a high-quality, embossed book with never-before seen photos from their original Full Collapse tour?!? Well shit…

As I was at my desk contemplating such difficult life choices, I heard a knock at my door. UPS? I didn’t order any dog food. Oh, snap. it’s a copy of the new Full Collapse release sent my way to be reviewed through Music Connection! Well, I’ll be damned. Sometimes procrastination does pay off! So if you’ve been on the fence about this collector’s item, let’s break down the differences between my two copies to help you make your decision.

THE COVER

I’m not normally a fan of changing an album cover on a re-release, but this new pressing is B-E-A-UTIFUL. The iconic dove pops in a way that makes the original feel a little flat side by side. The new back cover is equally impressive, further showcasing the poetry surrounding this record that I keep meaning to ask a dedicated fan more about. What the hell do those snippets mean? Is it about the whole robot concept with the ones and zeroes? Geoff’s secret AI assistant? Is it what you hear when you spin the songs backwards?! Who the hell knows. New Jersey art, amirite?! … All I know is that such a redesign makes one wonder just how much of a hold Victory had on the original art and if that played a role in this fantastic redesign. 

THE INSIDE

The collector’s book starts with a note from photographer Nathaniel Shannon telling the story of how his relationship with Thursday began. He traded photos for some merch at their booth! The next several pages are stunning black and white photos of vintage Thursday circa Full Collapse’s original release. And how on-brand is it that Thursday uses their anniversary to promote someone else’s art? My 5th Pressing, by contrast, has a standard insert of lyrics, thank yous, and liner notes. 

THE PRESSING

A good buddy recently described me as a “nerdy audiophile with too high of expectations.” Little does he know I printed and framed that Facebook Message and it’s now hanging above my record collection. “The majority of fans probably don’t notice the things you call out,” he explained. While that may be true, I still believe bands should respect their fans by meeting a minimum quality bar for vinyl. You can even charge me $5 more if that’s the concern—or I guess in Thursday’s case, $65 more! The point is: I’m stoked that Thursday/Concord spent extra money to print on 45 RPM and used higher quality manufacturing to avoid added noise. The only downside for fans here will be how often you have to flip and switch out vinyl (around every two songs). On my fifth pressing (blue 33 ⅓ pictured), however, the middle of the album projects a mid-range mess of sound. The vocals sink beneath the bass while the groove distortion wrecks “Cross Out The Eyes” and “How Long Is The Night” equally. 

THE BONUS CONTENT

I didn’t even notice this while unboxing, but there’s a hidden 45 in the back of the book which includes Jet Black New Year on Side A and another demo (or maybe live version?) of Jet Black New Year on side B. I’m a little rusty on my early AbsolutePunk message board facts, but I think this track was originally going to be on Full Collapse and was later released on an EP instead to get out of their Victory deal? I’m not going to go search the emo encyclopedias in my dark study because this review is due in an hour, but you can learn all about the drama that ensued from Full Collapse’s original release in the post-hardcore biography “Sellout: The Major-Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore (1994-2007)

TL;DR: if you’re on the fence like I was about buying this album on vinyl AGAIN, know that these 45s play better than previous pressings and the band may actually make some money this time around! I thoroughly enjoyed reading the history, looking at photographs, and trying to decipher whatever the hell all that text printed on the records meant. OH! IS IT THE ROBOT’S DREAMS?! … Anway, if you have the disposable income I say pull the trigger. Maybe eat a few PB&Js instead of Chipotle to offset the cost, because they are limiting these to 5,000.

Catch Thursday on tour through the rest of October and pre-order the vinyl at Craft Recordings.

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Unsure what version of Taking Back Sunday’s Tell All Your Friends to buy on vinyl? See Andy’s side by side comparison of new and old here.