Shit is getting serious...

This is a record that I have been chasing for four years. Matter of fact, this has been my number one wanted 7" for that long as well. This is an original pressing of the Antidote "Thou Shalt Not Kill" ep from 1983. From what I've read online, and in my Flex book, 1000 copies of this record were originally pressed, all of which on black vinyl.
Now perhaps the biggest factoring reason as to why I haven't been able to get my greasy little mitts on this 7" for four years would have to be because of it's asking price. It's on eBay semi regularly, and I've also seen it getting about on two American forums in the last two years. I even had a stab at one on eBay about three years ago, but when it exceeded my $600 cap I had to bow out. I've never seen this record sell for less than $700AU anywhere. Luckily I was able to negotiate the seller down to a reasonable selling price of $550 postage paid, along with the Knife Fight demo tape thrown in for free. Given how much the KF tape usually sells for, and when you factor in postage costs, you could essentially say that I paid around $510-$520 for this thing. Beyond happy with that.

Now this record has been bootlegged at least one time from what I can tell. Supposedly though, they best way to tell that this isn't a boot is to look to the matrix label. "Life As One" is actually printed as "Life Is One" on OG copies. It'd be fair to say though, that if you were a truly savvy bootlegger, and you were very keen to make some cash (and be a fuck head), that you'd be smart enough to print your boot matrix label like that too. Anyway, I know that the bootleg of this record has different label altogether anyway, I have a copy of it.
Easily my favourite 7" to come out of NYC, and it certainly contests strongly with the Downsided 7" as my favourite record ever.

I'm lucky I suppose, in that I've actually landed an earlier version of this pressing. With earlier versions, the band listed info of a t-shirt deal that they had going on the liner note insert (in the bottom right corner), but apparently with later versions, they crossed out this info as they had sold out of shirts.

Of most of the general NYC sound, this band (and a few before them, notably Urban Waste and the like), had somewhat of a differing sound to most of that 'tougher' hardcore posturing of the time. Where most were happy to slow down parts in favour of dance bits and mosh, with this record, Antidote virtually played straight up thrash hardcore. It's fast, rough, and pissed off. The buzzsaw styled guitar sound no doubt contributes heavily to what I'm talking about.
The boot I talk of next to the OG copy. Take note of the black and white copied sleeve of the boot, and the very different matrix label. I don't even like to refer to this thing as a 'bootleg', it's too off the mark of the original to justify that name. I think i've heard it referred to as a 'fanclub reissue' somewhere in the past, and I like to think that that name suits much more. As far as I know, this boot is from 1998. The sleeve on the OG copy is a one piece folded, glued envelope sleeve. The boot is actually two pieces of paper. One for the front and one for the back. Both the artwork on the insert and the back of the sleeve of the boot are pretty much exactly the same as the OG.
And a photo of the OG next to the official reissue LP put out by Illegal Y Que Records. This is not the bootleg LP pressed by rare Records. I can't find any indication of when this LP was released, though I bought it in California last year in a store, and it's in very good condition, so I don't think it's that old.

I doubt I'll never need to spend this much money on another record ever again, but who knows hey? This one is, of course the new boss of my collection regardless. Shit is now serious/legitimate.