Band:HROSSHARSGRANI
Title: Ancient Tales
Reason for (yet another) update: The long sought Werwolf tape pressing has finally been located, completing the 'family' of Ancient Tales releases!
'Ancient Tales V' - it's beginning to sound like some form of cheesy horror film series; maybe this album is the Freddy Krueger of the Castle Nazgul collection...
Today's quick post is to celebrate the hunting down and capture of the final piece in the "Ancient Tales" family, a tape which has proven so elusive that it has taken literally 7 years plus to track a copy down. When we last updated this saga in 2013 it was to note the fact that fellow collector Thomas Kahr had managed to find a copy of his own (the lucky devil), and also to feature the colour artwork for the cover that Hugin had tucked away in his archive. Really, this coverage by proxy was almost a tacit admission that it was looking more and more likely that it was the only way that this particular tape was going to find its way onto Honour and Darkness, so elusive was it proving to be.
Indeed, there was a false dawn some years ago when a copy was listed for sale on the Discogs site showing the Werwolf artwork but which in fact turned out to be the third tape pressing and not the actual featured item at all. That was a bummer, let me tell you!
However, back in March of this year an honest to goodness real copy of this tape was finally spotted for sale in Poland and a deal was struck faster than you can say, 'give-me-that-bloody-tape-plea
It cost a little more than your average Hrossharsgrani tape of this period, though quite frankly given the scarcity of the thing I'd have paid double to get my hands on it!
All of which is a cautionary tale in the dangerous area of obsessive collecting. Digressing into a little anecdote; Nazgul found himself at one of his regular haunts the other week, Camberley's finest musical emporium The Rock Boxchatting amiably to one of the ever-helpful staff, Andrew, about the Honour and Darkness website. The Rock Box is in fact the only place in the known universe where a complete stranger has ever come up to Nazgul to complement him on his Blog, so will forever hold a special place in my coal-black heart.
Anyway, there we were chatting away and the subject of obsessive collecting behaviour came up, reminding Nazgul once again that maintaining his collection comes at a real risk of mental and financial instability...!
If you're in the area, it's well worth paying a visit to the Rock Box, blessed as it is with tidy, well stocked shelves and a cute, well stacked girl to admire in equal measure. Oh. and whilst you're busily admiring things, you might also want to visit Andrew's own Jezus Factory label to see if you like the look of anything there too.
The conclusion to 2013's update IV stated that "as and when an original copy eventually finds its way to the Castle Library, Nazgul will organise a family photograph of the "Ancient Tales" releases to date". And so, ladies and gentlemen, here it is: 7 years in the making and quite possibly the only place in the world where you'll see all 5 pressings in one place?
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| "We are family...." |