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Straight Ahead - Straight Ahead (Colored Vinyl)
1985: The OG hardcore formula comprising equal parts NEGATIVE APPROACH, SSD and VICTIM IN PAIN era AGNOSTIC FRONT began fading into the background while metal was either pumping new life into, or spoiling HC depending on who you asked. Regardless, speed was the order of the day. Enter three velocity-obsessed New Yorkers, whose collective taste was steeped in ultra-fast, and as they called it, "jerky" hardcore who concocted their own reckless and unbridled thrash unit: the short-lived, but nonetheless glorious NYC MAYHEM.
Almost as quickly as MAYHEM burst onto the scene, it had sadly run it's course. However, the breakup almost immediately spawned a reimagined troupe called Straight Ahead in December of '86 featuring NYCM's Tommy Carroll and Craig Setari; this time with Tommy stepping from behind the drums to center stage as Straight Ahead's unruly front man, and Craig continuing to provide the low-end, as well as high-intensity songwriting. The lineup was rounded out perfectly by REST IN PIECES' Armand Majidi, as well as future HELMET/BIOHAZARD guitarist Rob Echeverria. Under the strong influence of the newfangled Youth Crew movement brought forth by YOUTH OF TODAY - an outfit which both Carroll and Setari performed with around the same time - the tornadic force which was Straight Ahead enveloped the scene, particularly in New York, in a manner few bands ever have. Straight Ahead's premiere recorded output came in the form of nine cuts featured on the 1986 7" compilation End the Warzone along with Attitude Adjustment, Larm and Pillsbury Hardcore. Straight Ahead had truly announced itself to the hardcore movement at large with barely a handful of minutes worth of blistering, positive hardcore combined with menacing New York style dancefloor terrorism. As distribution of the EP was extremely limited, a boatload of home-recorded cassettes of Straight Ahead's material began to pop up on tape-trading lists worldwide. The following year, Duane Rossignol, proprietor of NYC's storied record clubhouse Some Records, teamed up with the guys to release the somewhat more polished, yet no less intense 6-song Breakaway EP, which was produced by late, great MURPHY'S LAW/LUDICHRIST bassist Chuck Valle. It was the first and final proper Straight Ahead release. Similarly to NYC Mayhem, Straight Ahead was distressingly short-lived as other bands called; specifically, AGNOSTIC FRONT for Craig and SICK OF IT ALL for Armand. The impact Straight Ahead made in roughly two years remains unprecedented in the hardcore movement. Thankfully, these reissues make it a little easier to recall that very special period in hardcore time. Bio written by Howie Abrams
UPC/ISBN: 098796022115
Release Date: 06/05/2026
Product Information
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This policy outlines our standard for new release and shipped comics, and the industry-standard guidelines we follow.
OUR STANDARD
Books without a stated grade will be offered as Near Mint 9.4 or better. We do not guarantee 9.8 condition on any book unless specifically noted.
We use industry-standard grading guidelines from:
- CBCS Comic Grading Scale
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If you're new to comic grading, the resources above are a great place to start.
WHY WE DON'T GUARANTEE 9.8
Modern comic printing is an imperfect process. Books are printed in massive
runs, bound at high speed, and shipped in bulk to retailers. Even brand
new books off the truck will exhibit minor production characteristics,
and that's normal, and consistent with industry standards across every
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A 9.8 grade represents near-perfection, and the reality is that not every printed book qualifies for that grade no matter where you buy it from.
We can absolutely commit to NM 9.4 or better. We cannot commit to 9.8 on every book, because that's not how comics are made.
WHAT QUALIFIES AS NM 9.4
Per industry standards, a book may exhibit the following minor characteristics and still grade as Near Mint 9.4, as long as there's no accumulation of defects:
Bindery characteristics:
- Minor to moderate corner tears
- White edges along the spine (common on most modern printings)
- Covers slightly offset from interior pages (common on cardstock covers)
Printing characteristics:
- Slight color rub on back covers
- Small paper wrinkles present from the paper roll prior to printing
- Wavy paper texture from the printing process
Spine characteristics:
- 2-3 small color-breaking spine ticks
- Minor non-color-breaking spine dings
These are normal modern production characteristics, not damage from handling or shipping. They are present on books across the industry, regardless
of retailer.
OUR RETURN & EXCHANGE POLICY
We do not accept returns or exchanges on books that meet our NM 9.4 or better standard.
We will replace or refund:
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