DS Record Radar: This Week in Punk Vinyl (The Real McKenzies, Cock Sparrer, SACK… PLUS Black Friday Vinyl Deals)

November 18, 2022 | 6:45 pm

Greetings, fellow degenerates! Welcome to the latest installment of the Dying Scene Record Radar. If it’s your first time here, thank you for joining us! This is a weekly column where we cover all things punk rock vinyl. In addition to new releases and reissues, this week we’ll also be highlighting some Black Friday sales on vinyl records that may interest you. So kick off your shoes, pull up a chair, crack open a cold one, and break out those wallets, because it’s go time. Let’s get into it!

British punks Grade 2 have a new self-titled album on the way. The record produced by Rancid‘s Tim Amstrong is due out in February 2023 on Hellcat Records. Check out their new single “Under the Streetlight” below, and go here for links to where all the different color variants of the LP can be purchased.

If you read our latest Ten Underrated Punk Bands That Should Be On Your Radar column, you know who SACK is. If you didn’t read it (fuck you, why didn’t you read it? I worked really hard on that!) SACK is fronted by Kody Templeman (Teenage Bottlerocket, Lillingtons, etc.). Their new record Ripper! was released on CD earlier this year, and is now finally available on vinyl thanks to the friendly people at Red Scare. Pre-order this beast here.

Also from Red Scare (in case you missed our story about it earlier this week): A first-time vinyl release of Sludgeworth‘s Losers of the Year. For those who aren’t in the know, this was a short lived project of Screeching Weasel‘s Dan Vapid that also featured his SW bandmate Brian Vermin on drums. This album was originally released on CD in 1995 through Lookout! Records, and old school pop-punk aficionados have been clamoring for a vinyl reissue for a long time. The wait is over! Head over to Red Scare’s webstore to grab your copy.

Punk supergroup Fake Names (ft. members of Bad Religion, Refused, Fugazi, etc.) have announced their new album Expendables will be released on March 3rd, 2023 through Epitaph Records. Check out the first single “Delete Myself” below, and pre-order the record here (yellow vinyl, US) or here (“black & white galaxy” vinyl, EU).

Today marks the release of Celtic punk veterans The Real McKenzies new covers album Songs of the Highlands, Songs of the Sea. Fat Wreck Chords is sold out of colored vinyl, but you can still get it on black wax from their webstore. For those outside of the states, the record is available here (CA), here (EU), and here (AUS).

And because you can never have enough Fat Wreck Chords in your life, here’s another new release from Fat! NOFX frontman Fat Mike has teamed up with Get Dead‘s Sam King on a new project called Codefendants. Check out the band’s new single below and order their 10″ split with Get Dead from Fat Wreck’s webstore.

A few Record Radars ago, we let you that the Transplants‘ self-titled debut album was getting a 20th Anniversary reissue. Well, those sold out really fucking quick so Hellcat Records has announced some additional, retailer-exclusive color variants. 1-2-3-4! Go Records and Smartpunk each have their own unique variants here in the US, and Banquet Records has an EU exclusive “cool blue” color variant.

Pirates Press Records is reissuing all seven Cock Sparrer LPs in honor of the band’s 50th Anniversary. You can get them individually for 20 bucks each, or as a set for $125 (that’s a savings of 15 dollars, folks!). No pretty colors here, just good ol’ black wax.

Just in time for the holiday season, Chris Farren‘s Like a Gift from God or Whatever is back in print on neon green colored vinyl. Head over to Asian Man Records‘ webstore and get a piece of this yuletide wax 🎄

Fraser from the Murderburgers is a busy guy! In addition to his current band Wrong Life (featured in Dying Scene’s Ten Underrated Punk Bands You Need To Check Out Right Now column) he has now announced another project called Absolute Melt. Check out the single “2am (The Face Changes Shape)” below, and go here to pre-order their upcoming 10″ EP. All profits from physical and digital sales will go to Scottish Women’s Aid, who help women, children and young people in Scotland affected by domestic abuse.

Black Friday Sales

The first Black Friday sale we’ll be highlighting comes to us from the purveyors of pop-punk at Mom’s Basement Records. For one day only, everything on their webstore (including that awesome distro section with The Windowsill‘s album that I just gave a 5-Star review 😉) will be 30% off! Stay tuned to the label’s social profiles for more info. This is the sale of the year as far as I’m concerned.

Merchbar’s entire store is perpetually “on sale”, but their Black Friday Preview sale sees stuff marked down a bit more than usual. The sale has already started, and considering it ends in three days, I assume they’ll be having a proper BF sale later in the week. If you’re just looking for punk records and don’t want to waste precious time searching, you can find most of them here. Some highlights include the Ramones‘ Rocket to Russia ($17.99), NOFX‘s Pump Up the Valuum ($15.99), and Operation Ivy‘s Energy ($15.99).

If you’re looking for some gifts for the rude boy (or girl) in your life, Jump Up Records has you covered. They’re not having a sale per se, but they do have some awesome new shit on their webstore for Black Friday, including brand new reissues of some 90’s Moon Ska LPs, alongside a bunch of 7″s, CDs, and cassettes. Happy skalidays! 🎅

Everyone’s favorite indie record store Walmart is having a sale of their own. All vinyl records are $15 in-store at all Walmart locations (exclusives are discounted on their website as well). I’ve seen plenty of pearl-clutching going on about this sale, but I don’t give a fuck 😊 There are some good deals to be had here. I got The Clash‘s 3xLP Combat Rock + The People’s Hall for $15. There were a ton of WM’s new exclusive pressings of Green Day‘s American Idiot and International Superhits at my local store as well. There’s an ample supply of soundtracks and Luke Combs records, too, if you’re into that kinda thing. Sale ends Sunday, November 20th.

And of course, Wally World’s red competitor Tarshay has a sale, too. Starting Sunday, November 20th, all records (and movies, CDs, misc. other media) will be Buy 2, Get 1 Free. Is that cheaper than Walmart? I don’t know, I’m too lazy to do that math (probably not though). This sale will be online and in store, and there’s no limit on how many records you can buy. So if you really want all 375 copies of the new Adele album your local Target has in stock, load up that god damn cart!

Last but not least, we have Record Store Day Black Friday. Again, not much in the way of deals here, but there are some exclusive releases that may interest you. In addition to the 10th Anniversary reissue of Masked Intruder‘s debut LP we highlighted last week, you may also be interested in Goldfinger‘s Hello Destiny (reissued in honor of its 15th Anniversary), and a new Joe Strummer live acoustic album Live at Music Millennium. The only place you can (potentially) get these and all the other RSBF releases is your local record store on Black Friday (November 25th).

And that’s all, folks! Another Record Radar in the books. As always, thank you for tuning in. If there’s anything we missed (highly likely), or if you want to let everyone know about a new/upcoming vinyl release you’re excited about, leave us a comment below (or send us a message on Facebook or Instagram), and we’ll look into it. Enjoy your weekend, and don’t blow too much money on spinny discs. Please note: the Record Radar will be closed next week in observance of Thanksgiving. Have a safe and happy holiday, friends!

*Wanna catch up on all of our Record Radar posts? Type “Record Radar” in the search bar at the top of the page!

by Staff Writer Screeching Bottlerocket

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DS News: Red Scare reissuing “Losers of the Year” LP from Dan Vapid’s Sludgeworth

November 15, 2022 | 11:37 am

Our pals at Red Scare Industries have announced they will be reissuing Chicago punk band Sludgeworth‘s long out of print Losers of the Year LP. For the uninitiated, this short-lived project was fronted by Screeching Weasel‘s Dan Vapid and also featured SW bandmate Brian Vermin on drums. Losers of the Year was originally released on […]

Our pals at Red Scare Industries have announced they will be reissuing Chicago punk band Sludgeworth‘s long out of print Losers of the Year LP. For the uninitiated, this short-lived project was fronted by Screeching Weasel‘s Dan Vapid and also featured SW bandmate Brian Vermin on drums.

Losers of the Year was originally released on CD in 1995 through Lookout! Records. This is the career-spanning compilation album’s first-ever pressing on vinyl. It will also be getting a CD/digital release with two previously unreleased bonus tracks.

This is a highly sought after record among pop-punk collectors, and it’s going fast. Head over to Red Scare’s webstore to grab your copy (and be sure to snag SACK‘s new record while you’re there, that beast is finally available on vinyl, too!).

For a weekly rundown of all things punk rock vinyl, check out the Dying Scene Record Radar every Friday!

by Staff Writer Screeching Bottlerocket

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DS News: A Vulture Wake (ft. Chad Price from ALL) streaming new album

November 11, 2022 | 3:42 pm

A Vulture Wake‘s long awaited new album One.Kingdom.Animal was released today through Thousand Islands and Lockjaw Records. This is their sophomore LP, following 2018’s The Appropriate Level of Outrage. Check it out below and go here to buy the album on the format of your choosing. For the uninitiated, A Vulture Wake is fronted by […]

A Vulture Wake‘s long awaited new album One.Kingdom.Animal was released today through Thousand Islands and Lockjaw Records. This is their sophomore LP, following 2018’s The Appropriate Level of Outrage.

Check it out below and go here to buy the album on the format of your choosing.

For the uninitiated, A Vulture Wake is fronted by longtime ALL singer Chad Price. He’s backed by bassist Dave Klein who’s done time with Black Flag and Screeching Weasel and John Hernandez of They Stay Dead on drums.

by Staff Writer Screeching Bottlerocket

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Dying Scene Album Review: The Manges – “Book of Hate for Good People”

October 15, 2022 | 1:21 pm

The beautiful country of Italy has provided us with countless luxuries for which we should be eternally grateful. The list includes but is certainly not limited to: Subway’s Italian herbs & cheese bread, the Super Mario Bros. video games, and arguably their greatest export, The Manges! An Italian pop-punk institution since 1993, the Manges are […]

The beautiful country of Italy has provided us with countless luxuries for which we should be eternally grateful. The list includes but is certainly not limited to: Subway’s Italian herbs & cheese bread, the Super Mario Bros. video games, and arguably their greatest export, The Manges!

An Italian pop-punk institution since 1993, the Manges are back with their sixth full-length album, and I think it may be their best one yet. I was extremely impressed with 2020’s Punk Rock Addio. At the time, I thought it was by far the band’s most well produced, polished, and complete studio recording. With their new record Book of Hate for Good People, the Manges have once again one-upped themselves.

The songwriting is on another level from anything this band has done before. Starting things off is the high octane album opener “Lucky Tiger”, complete with an infectiously catchy chorus and a healthy dose of Screeching Weasel style lead guitar parts. This song sets the bar quite high, but the rest of the album has no difficulty clearing that bar. “Back to Bangcock” – a song that’s been in my regular rotation since its release as a single months ago – keeps the energy up and delivers big time with its hook: “Once again, dripping red, a small fish in the net, feeling trapped, in the same old crap”.

Having listened to this album about a dozen times, I can pick out a few songs that I’m not totally into. “Jesus is My Homeboy” is an fun little rock ‘n’ roll track, but it kinda ruins the flow of the tracklist being sandwiched between ultra-energized songs like “I Shot Cyrus” and “High on Stress”. The only other song that doesn’t quite stick the landing is “Too Many Freaks”. Obviously, the Manges are massive Ramones fans, but this attempt at a Dee Dee style hardcore song doesn’t quite do it for me.

Enough negativity, back to blowing smoke up some asses! The back end of this record is killer. “The Hate Parade” and “I’m Not a Sissy” throw back to the Manges’ tougher sound from their Bad Juju record. “Red Flags” closes out the album on one final high note. This one’s got another chorus that super glues itself to your brain; the guitar driven melody on this track is awesome as well.

So yes, this record has surpassed Punk Rock Addio as the best Manges record. I can say that with absolute certainty. Book of Hate for Good People is essential listening and is one of my Top 10 albums of 2022.

Buy Book of Hate for Good People:

Digital / CD / Blue vinyl / Yellow vinyl

by Staff Writer Screeching Bottlerocket

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DS Album Review: Pinoles – Just Wanna

September 19, 2022 | 8:00 pm

Ramonescore: a campy sub-genre of a sub-genre, paying tribute to a legendary band that helped birth that very sub-genre. Bands who participate in the act of Ramones worship typically play light-hearted, upbeat songs about drinking, girls, and drinking because of girls. Some people appreciate Ramonescore for what it is. Others write it off as vacuous, repetitive pop-punk, played exclusively by guys with Screeching Weasel tattoos. And while I understand those criticisms, you have to be a real stick in the mud to outright hate this shit. It’s fun!

Sure, if you listen to enough of the stuff, you’ll certainly hear a lot of similar (if not exactly the same) chord progressions. And reading through tracklists, you might get overwhelmed by the amount of things these bands do and don’t wanna do. I view all of these idiosyncrasies as a set of strict parameters that must be adhered to when writing songs. It’s easy to write a shitty Ramonescore style pop-punk song (believe me, I’ve heard my fair share), but quite difficult to write good ones when playing by these “rules”.

With their debut album Just Wanna, the Pinoles pass the test. This record delivers everything an old school pop-punk fan could ask for. Nine tracks in 20 minutes, all simple, catchy, and easy to sing along to even after you’ve thrown back a few. Some of my favorite songs are “Padded Walls”, “You Make Me Sick”, “I Don’t Love You Anymore”, “Santa Cruz”, and the title track. These guys don’t fuck around. Just like the Ramones, they get you in and out quick. I appreciate the efficiency.

Like most Ramonescore bands, these Californians wear their influences proudly on the sleeves of their leather jackets. Their frontman uses a Mosrite guitar to deliver a barrage of downstroked bar chords, à la Johnny Ramone. The little “whoa oh-oh-oh” bit on the album’s title track is lifted straight from Screeching Weasel’s “High School Psychopath”. And there are numerous references to classic songs and records sprinkled throughout the lyrics across this entire album. There is no shame in their game, and that’s perfectly fine by me.

Regardless of whether you enjoy this brand of pop-punk, I highly recommend checking out Just Wanna. It’s a very well produced record with fun, no-nonsense songwriting. Listen to the album below, and head over to the Pinoles’ Bandcamp page to download it.

Official Review Score:
4/5 Converse All Stars

by Staff Writer Screeching Bottlerocket

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Dying Scene Album Review: Screeching Weasel – “The Awful Disclosures of Screeching Weasel”

July 25, 2022 | 6:45 pm

There’s no denying Benjamin Foster, otherwise known as Ben Weasel, is a controversial figure in the world of punk rock. But whether or not you like the guy, there’s also no denying he is one of the genre’s most prolific songwriters of all time. This is evidenced by the sheer number of classic songs spread across Screeching Weasel‘s entire catalog; “Don’t Turn out the Lights”, “Peter Brady”, “Second Floor East”, “Cool Kids”… the list goes on and on. With The Awful Disclosures of Screeching Weasel, the band’s fourteenth studio album, Mr. Weasel has proven once again why he’s still standing after 36 years in the music business.

Since 2011’s First World Manifesto, Mike Kennerty of the All-American Rejects has handled production duties on every Screeching Weasel recording. Everything between that record and The Awful Disclosures… has had a very similar, polished sound, almost like they were all recorded during the same studio session. However, the songwriting and instrumentation on the latest LP is varied enough to set it apart from the band’s recent output. Of course, the signature “nursery rhyme” style guitar leads are as present as ever (and I hope they never go anywhere), but there are a few curve balls thrown in the mix to spice things up. Most notably, there is an abundance of keys on this album. “Hey Diana” is a really fun song with a melody driven by a Renaissance style organ, while “In the Castle” employs a more traditional sounding keyboard as a subtle accent piece. I also enjoyed the spacey synthesizer used on “Just Another Fool”, which reminded me of one of my favorite newer bands Giant Eagles; perhaps Benjamin shares my appreciation of synthy Dutch pop-punk bands.

Now, with all that said, this record still boasts plenty of songs with a more traditional “Classic Weasel” sound. The lead single “Any Minute Now” fits this description, and when I first heard it, I knew I was probably gonna like the album. Other notable tracks in this category include “All Stitched Up”, “My Favorite Nightmare”, “Pandora’s Eyes” (on which the organ makes its first appearance), and “Dead Alive”. All of these songs would have slotted in nicely on the tracklists of First World Manifesto or Some Freaks of Atavism, which for me is a good thing, because I love those records. “Just Another Fool”, “Gates Lift High Your Heads”, and “Tell Me Your Lies” have a slightly darker, more sinister tone that kinda reminds me of The Lillingtons‘ last album. These tracks offer a nice change of pace while not straying too far from the formula Screeching Weasel has continued to perfect since they ruled the roost of 90’s pop-punk.

Listening to the album on Spotify on its release day, it didn’t completely grab me. But when I got the record in the mail and dropped the needle for the first time, I was hooked. With that said, is this going to dethrone Anthem for a New Tomorrow as my favorite Screeching Weasel album? Probably not, but that’s okay! The Awful Disclosures… is a fantastic LP that will make a worthy addition to any Screeching Weasel fan’s record collection. Creeping up on four decades in the game, Ben Weasel just keeps pulling rabbits out of his hat. Love him or hate him, you have to admit, the man’s staying power as a songwriter is quite impressive.

Buy The Awful Disclosures of Screeching Weasel:
Vinyl / CD / Digital

by Staff Writer Screeching Bottlerocket

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Dying Scene Album Review: Florida Men record killer punk album

July 2, 2022 | 5:32 pm

Florida men are usually in the news for all the wrong reasons. Whether they’re getting high on bath salts and eating a homeless person’s face off, being arrested for drunk driving on a Segway, or stealing a cop car while butt-ass naked, Florida men are always up to something. Their latest venture? Joining forces to start a band and release a fucking awesome album of loud, fast, snotty, pop-tinged punk rock. One small caveat: these guys aren’t actually from the Sunshine State, they’re Dutchmen. But, as a native Floridian, I accept them as one of my own.

Florida Men (the band) features members of Sun-0-Bathers and Drunktank, among others. Their twelve song debut album clocks in at under 20 minutes, delivering really fun, short bursts of melodic pop-punk, fueled by a barrage of Johnny Ramone style buzzsaw downstrokes. There’s a liberal application of the earwormy “nursery rhyme” style lead guitar parts popularized in the 90’s by The Queers and Screeching Weasel, paired with the frantic pace of bands like DeeCracks, Teenage Bottlerocket, and The Manges.

All of the songs are great, but some of my favorites include “Better Safe than Sober”, “Tiki Bar”, “Greatest of All Time”, and “No Fit”. The subject matter ranges from getting cheated on by your trailer trash girlfriend who has face tattoos and a tramp stamp, to getting drunk at a Tiki bar after nobody came to your band’s show. I must say, for a bunch of Dutchmen, these guys sure know a lot about… Florida stuff.

For old school pop-punk fans, I’d consider this “easy listening”. It’s a quick blast of fun, catchy songs. All the hallmarks of the genre are here, but these guys do “pop-punk by the numbers” way better than a lot of other bands. The singing, playing, and production are all on point. Florida Men made a really, really good album that would serve as the perfect soundtrack to any felonious acts you may want to commit.

It’s a fuckin’ bargain, too! Morning Wood Records is selling the digital version for just two bucks, and the CD can be had for the low price of five freedom dollars. Shipping to the United States (more specifically Florida) is another issue, but it’s still quite reasonable. Buy, buy, buy!!!

by Staff Writer Screeching Bottlerocket

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Dying Scene Record Radar: New punk vinyl releases & reissues (Green Day, New Found Glory, OFF! & more)

July 1, 2022 | 2:39 am

Welcome to the first installment of the Dying Scene Record Radar! This is a weekly round up of all things punk rock vinyl. We’ll be highlighting new releases to look out for, as well as all those ultra limited reissues that get the collector nerds’ hearts racing. So, let’s get into it… Kicking things off, […]

Kicking things off, New Found Glory! Back in April they released a 20th anniversary reissue of Sticks and Stones. Well, that shit sold out really quick, so they’re doing a second pressing of the reissue, limited to 2,000 copies. Go here this Friday, July 1st at Noon Eastern time to get your hands on it. Or wait ’til they sell out again and pay some clown $100 for it on Discogs.

Bad Religion is also reissuing two of their classic albums. Up first is Generator getting a 30th anniversary reissue. There are different variants for the US, UK, and Australia. Links to order all of those can be found here.

2002’s The Process of Belief is also getting the same reissue treatment for its 20th birthday. This one was announced a few weeks ago but there’s still plenty available. Links to order those are here.

Up next on the reissue train is the best band to name themselves after a Frenzal Rhomb song, Local Resident Failure, with the 10th anniversary reissue of their debut album A Breath of Stale Air. The variants are quite pretty! Americans and Canadians can get it here, Europeans here, and Aussies right here. And you can listen to it, right here! ∨∨∨

Nitro Records participated in Record Store Day 2022 with a reissue of their classic 1996 comp Go Ahead Punk… Make My Day. The compilation features AFI, The Vandals, Guttermouth, The Offspring and Jughead’s Revenge. 5,000 copies were made, and this is its first release on wax. There are still plenty of these out there. You can even get it on Discogs at a very reasonable price.

Now, here’s something that’s sure to ruffle some feathers: Walmart’s Exclusive pressings of Green Day‘s Dookie, American Idiot, and International Superhits. “Green Day? Walmart? That’s not punk!” No fucking shit, but who really cares? Sure the Waltons are one of the most despised families in America and they don’t need any more of your money, but look at the pretty colors! Help fund Billie Joe’s move to the UK, I’m sure he could really use the money.

The Bouncing Souls‘ self-titled record turns 25 this year, so they’re celebrating with four colorful polyvinyl chloride discs. Links to get all the different variants can be found here. East coast! Fuck you!

More reissues! Keith Morris’ OFF! is offering up new pressings of their back catalog, including the stellar First Four EPs, which is now available as a 12″ LP for the first time. These records kick ass. Buy, buy, buy.

Hey, here’s some new music! Screeching Weasel has a new record coming out on July 15th. It’s called The Awful Disclosures of Screeching Weasel. The LP is pricey at $30, but the two songs Mr. Weasel has put up for streaming have been good (stream below), and I enjoyed their last album a lot. Americans can pre-order here, and Europeans can get it here.

Skate punk veterans Cigar have stepped out of a time machine from 1999 to release their sophomore album. The Visitor is due out on September 9th through Fat Wreck Chords. Colored variants are long sold out, but I urge all self respecting skate punk fans to grab it on black wax here in America, here in Europe, and here in Australia. Listen to the debut single while you order!

1-2-3-4 Go! Records has spent the last year reissuing the entire Pinhead Gunpowder discography. The latest installment includes the Shoot the Moon LP (my personal favorite) and 8 Chords, 328 Words 7″. Everything in this series has been Grade A quality, and these reissues are a lot more affordable than original pressings of these records. You can get your hands on these here.

Pop-punk tastemakers Eccentric Pop Records have a bunch of new stuff up on their webstore. For the ridiculously low price of $16 (seriously Travis, how can you sell shit this cheap?!), you can get your hands on Dan Vapid and the Cheats‘ new LP Escape Velocity (listen below), and a new prepress of Horror Section’s long out of print self-titled record. Support a great label and add some awesome records to your collection!

Here’s a highly recommended pickup for those who worship at the altar of Joey Ramone. The Budweisers are a fantastic pop-punk band from Spain, and their new record Look Out Below is great! Plenty of fan service here for everyone who longs for the days when Lookout! Records ruled the pop-punk universe. Monster Zero has it up for pre-order now.

Target joins the “big box store reissuing classic punk albums” party with an exclusive 40th anniversary pressing of The Clash‘s Combat Rock on red vinyl. I grabbed this from my local Target a few weeks ago, and it sounds fantastic. I even signed up for the Red Card and saved 5% – what a deal! I love this record. “Rock the Casbah” is one of mankind’s greatest achievements. There’s a UK pressing on green vinyl as well – you can get that one here.

And I think that oughta do it! There’s undoubtedly a lot of stuff I missed, but hey, shit happens. The world keeps spinning, and we live to see another day. Like I said earlier, these recaps of new colorful plastic discs to waste your money on should be a weekly thing, but I could use a little help. Is there a new record you think should be highlighted in next week’s Record Radar? Suggestions are welcome – send us a message on Facebook or Instagram and we’ll look into it!

by Staff Writer Screeching Bottlerocket

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