Hepcat
Out of Nowhere
Moon Records/Moon Ska MR032 CD/Cassette, released 1993/1995 (U.S.)
Quattro QTCY-2050 CD, released 1994 (Japan)
Hellcat 80425-2 CD, released 2004 (U.S.)
Hellcat 0425-2 CD, released 2004 (Europe)
Hellcat HEP-027 2xLP, released 2018 (U.S.)
Hepcat sprang forth from the L.A. ska scene and quickly became one of the third wave bands with the greatest depth of sound, not to mention one of the most entertaining live shows. Out of Nowhere was a great debut. The production could have been better, but the songs shine through. Prior to 2018, it was only ever released on CD and cassette, though it did come out several times. The first pressing CD can be identified by the earlier Moon Records logo on the front cover. This was later replaced by the Moon Ska logo on the 1995 pressing. The cassette version also exists with each of the two Moon logos. Hellcat later put out a remastered version with different artwork. That version contained some bonus tracks: first, the two songs from the Nigel 7". Then, there were also two hidden tracks at the end of "Club Mediation." One of those was "Doo Wop Heaven at Midnight", which basically sounds like Hepcat screwing around in the studio. The other is "Ooh Ooh A-Hi Hi" from the California Ska-Quake compilation. That was always one of my favorite early Hepcat tracks.
In 2018, we finally got our first ever vinyl version of Out of Nowhere. Hepcat put it out themselves (licensed from Hellcat). It was limited to 1,000 numbeed copies. This was a double LP release, though: the second disc was a dub version of the album (labeled "Dub Outta Nowhere"). The first disc was on black vinyl and the second was on a light blue marble vinyl, and came in an inner sleeve with cool, custom artwork. This one got really expensive really quickly. The price has fluctuated wildly this year, though.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moon Ska MR032 CD (1st) | 8-12 | 5 | Down |
| Moon Ska MR032 CD (2nd) | 3-5 | 3 | Down |
| Hellcat 80425-2 CD | 5-8 | 5 | Stable |
| Hellcat 0425-2 CD | 5-8 | 4 | Stable |
| Hellcat HEP-027 2xLP 1xBlack/1xBlue Marble | 45-90 | 3 | Volatile |
 Out of Nowhere LP |
 Dub Outta Nowhere Inner Sleeve |
 Dub Outta Nowhere LP |
| Credits | Charlie Leonard: Cassette information. |
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This page was last updated on April 2, 2020.
