The most prized records in Henry Rollins’ collection: “Insanely rare”
Contrary to the popular perception of punks as being brash, antisocial yobs with spiked hair and a penchant for spitting, most of the figures that once made up the punk landscape are far more mellow and, for want of a better word, nerdy about their devotion to the cause. Case in point: Henry Rollins.
There once was a time in which Henry Rollins was among the most formidable frontmen in punk, fronting hardcore heroes Black Flag with all the fury and confrontation as you might expect from an ex-ice cream shop employee. Today, that reputation lives on in the many videos of Rollins berating bewildered reporters and, in some cases, throwing fists with the rowdy audience members at Black Flag shows but, other than those relics of the past, the modern-day Henry Rollins is considerably more mellow.
Having hung up his microphone long ago, Rollins now spends much of his time reminiscing about the early days of the punk revolution and, more pressingly, expanding his colossal record collection. By his own admission, the frontman has long since been bitten by the vinyl bug, and having a front row seat to the upper echelon of punk meant he has managed to amass one of the greatest punk rock record collections of all time.
As vinyl collectors will be all too aware, punk vinyl can reach eyewatering sums on the second-hand market, largely as a result of the scene’s short-lived independent record labels and tendency to press records in exceedingly small numbers. So, as the punk generation has aged, and more disposable income has entered their bank accounts, the market for punk vinyl has skyrocketed. Even the most flush of record collectors, though, cannot help but look upon Rollins’ collection with exceeding envy.
Back in 2008, the former Black Flag singer spoke to Goldmine about that collection, and highlighted some of his most prized items in the process. “Dischord press testings of the early catalogue, a few very, very rare acetates. Punk rock acetates are about as common as a hen’s tooth,” he revealed, harking back to his early days in Washington DC spent with Dischord Records founder Ian MacKaye. The rarities don’t stop with hardcore acetates, though.
“First singles from big bands, like The Cramps, which I bought at the shows for two bucks,” Rollins continued, striking jealousy into the hearts of fellow punks everywhere. “Lux Interior hand-painted in glow-ink logo on a few Cramps records. There were about 32 of them, and I have one of those.” For reference, you can expect to fork over at least £1000 for a first pressing of the band’s debut single ‘Human Fly’, these days.
Delving further into his collection, Rollins highlighted, “Test pressings of stuff like the UK Subs or the Ruts, which is like insanely rare at this point.”
He did add, however, “I don’t have all that super-rare Sex Pistol stuff, which you pay $8,000 for. I do have some cool punk rock test pressings of stuff like The Damned, but the big areas of punk collecting – Sex Pistols, Clash, Ramones – that’s where you’re paying 800 bucks, 1,500 bucks, 2,000 bucks, I don’t collect those guys. I just have the records; I like the records.”
While Rollins’ collection is sure to cause some mouth-watering from various devotees of safety pins and stage dives, it is ultimately a reflection of his own devotion to the punk movement. He has, after all, spent the majority of his life as a true punk icon, and his collection of rare acetates, test pressings, and signed vinyl are merely the spoils of his war.
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