The Slackers
Better Late than Never
Moon Ska MR067 CD, released 1996 (U.S.)
Moon Ska Europe MOON CD 013 CD, released 1996 (UK)
Special Potato SP-0003 2xLP / CD, released 2002 (U.S.)
Asbestos ASB041 LP + 7", released 2009 (U.S.)
Brainlab Groove BLGR011LP 2xLP, released 2015 (Italy)
Jump Up! JUMPTAPE016, released 2018 (U.S.)
The Slackers' first album was a game changer. There were some really solid ska albums on the market when this one came out. Better Late than Never raised the bar. Excellent, top to bottom. The only knock on it might be that the production was a little bit bass-heavy, which muted the rest of the sound a bit. The album was remastered years later and re-released on Special Potato (along with three bonus tracks from the original recording sessions). At that point, it was also released on vinyl for the first time - as a double LP on black vinyl. That double LP was a very easy find for several years, and then suddenly became scarce (which mostly coincided with the Jammyland shop closing).<.p>
Asbestos Records repressed Better Late than Never again in 2009. This version did not include the three bonus tracks. It was also done as an LP + 7". The Asbestos version is much rarer than the previous one (150 copies on black vinyl and 350 on white). It stayed reasonably priced for a long time, but those days are gone.
Not done yet. In 2015, Italy's Brainlab Groove re-pressed it again. This one was the double LP version with the bonus tracks. Pressed on clear (ish) and black vinyl. Already pretty tough to get.
| Version | Value ($) | Scarcity | Price Trending |
|---|---|---|---|
| MR067 CD | 6-8 | 4 | Stable |
| SP-0003 2xLP | 35-45 | 6 | Stable |
| ASB041 LP+7" Black | 40-55 | 8 | Volatile |
| Asbestos ASB041 LP+7" White (350) | 35-50 | 6 | Volatile |
| BLGR011LP 2xLP Clear | 30-40 | 6 | Up |
| BLGR011LP 2xLP Black | 25-35 | 5 | Stable |
 Special Potato Disc 1 |
 Special Potato Disc 2 |
 ASB041 LP Test Pressing |
 ASB041 7" Test Pressing |
 ASB041 LP Black Vinyl |
 ASB041 7" Black Vinyl |
 ASB041 LP White Vinyl |
 ASB041 7" White Vinyl |
 BLGR011LP Clear Vinyl |
 BLGR011LP Black Vinyl |
This page was last updated on February 17, 2020.
