Wipers – Over The Edge

Does everyone else’s first pressing have some random white dots throughout the cover, front and back? I even see it on the listing pictures here, just not in the same places as the ones on mine. And as well as the label, the little lines that cut off the white text? Mine has that exact same thing too. Anyone else?

The first two Wipers LP on Park Avenue label were not easily found in the UK in 1982. Funhouse records sold them on their mail-order list, and they even had the Better Off Dead 45 for 3 pounds at one point - I missed that one. The Vinyl Solution record shop in London had copies of Over The Edge LP in stock, along with the 3 Wipers 45s, in 1983 (hearing Better Off Dead for the first time just floored me - so this is how punk should have been), and some 40 years later, I still think Over The Edge is the greatest punk LP. It was the first angry punk record that really connected with me - I could get with the Wipers' existential view of the world. The more hardcore outfits were typically incoherent or musically sloppy (Husker Du took a while to get there, but Zen Arcade was the first of theirs I really liked).

In comparison, the Brit punks from 6 years earlier were just the McLaren's Monkeys' tea party - let's do/say something outrageous to get press coverage. Even my teenage brain in late 1970s could see it was all inept BS, stoked by the music press and the tabloid dailies. I felt the American punk bands that came a few years later were more intense, honest about the music, better musicians, had something to says to me, and I needed to hear some competent guitar playing as UK music scene was mostly awash in a sea of crap bands with keyboard players hoping to get a top 40 hit.

The first two Wipers LPs were reissued on Psycho label in 1984, which is when I was able hear them, and Youth In America is the other key 1980s record that I still love playing today. I like the Greg Sage and later Wipers stuff also, but Youth In America and Over The Edge are the two key early LPs.

Original pressing of Over The Edge on Brain Eater label is a lovely pressing, a really solid, thick record. I cannot comment on reissues or whether they have a better sound. Youth In America is a deeper record than Over The Edge, with more varied sound textures, but the relentless guitar blast of Over The Edge sounds just fine as it is to my ears.

It took a while, but I found a first US press in the UK for around a tenner. Decent. I do wish Greg would give the tapes to a fresh set of ears. I love his entire output and I think the man's a genius, but the lack of any bass, kick drum and snare really does this masterpiece a disservice. And for that reason, it's a 9.5/10.

´Over the edge` may be the strongest release of the Wipers in musical , but soundwise it is far inferiour to most other Wipers Lps. The earlier `Youth...` for ex. sounds huge in comparison. The latest remaster by Jackpot/ Zeno Records is a touch better than previous versions, but has not solved the problem of an overall weak, faint sound, there is still seemingly no deep bass anywhere. The only thing that has a little punch are vocals and snare. Call me blasphemic, but I would like to see this REMIXED.
Two other great but crappy sounding records that come to my mind were Blasts "Its in my blood" and Garden Varietys 1st Lp, I own both in remixed versions and am very happy that they did the remixing, cos both are rocking now.
I certainly dont know Sage personally, but I guess he would not agree to do a remix. In the end it is nothing to feel bad about, since there are many great sounding Wipers records.

just realized my copy comes w/ A side label on both sides... misprint!

4* / 4,5* for sure.

I have an edition that looks exactly the same, but i'm pretty sure it's a bootleg, 'cos i bought it new few years ago. It has no matrix number, and looks the same than Wipers - Over The Edge, but mine is in black vinyl and it's not handnumbered. It would be great if someone could add the matrix number of the original edition.
It looks like there is a hell of Wipers bootlegs

Exists a reisssue which looks completely identical? Does anyone knows?