Lawrence Arms- Ghost Stories LP (Random Color Marble Vinyl)

Musically, this release from the Lawrence Arms has a better produced sound (the songs are also structured much more intelligently and interestingly) compared to their early Asian Man Records effort "A Guided Tour of Chicago," though it keeps a rougher, more honest feel compared to their well polished Fat Wreck Chords release "Apathy and Exhaustion." The songs are quite catchy and well put together, although aren't as instantly accessible as the aformentioned, more pop oriented (in my opinion) "Apathy and Exhaustion." The Punknews review for "A Guided Tour of Chicago" points out that it was thrown together quite quickly and the band was generally not 100% satisfied with their work. Honestly, I agree with Brendan Kelly (vocals, bass) as I find this album to be much more interesting and fun to listen to. 

This album is definitely one of my favorites out of my collection. If you are just getting into the Lawrence Arms, I really think you can't go wrong with either this or their newer release "Apathy and Exhaustion." Both have different feels to them, and depending on my mood I'll like one better than the other. "A Guided Tour of Chicago" is an album I feel you should probably pick up after you've gotten their last two releases and want to complete your Lawrence Arms collection. 

1st press: 500 gray 
2nd press: 550 clear 
3rd press: 300 white; 500 maroon 
4th press: 330 clear blue 
5th press: 414 random color in regular jackets/86 random color with hand screened jackets numbered 1/86 2017 on the jacket.