For those of you that don't tread the facebook water here's the post from earlier today:
Carnival Redux
Tickets (and T-shirts) are selling very well for our Global Gathering on 24th October. We will be giving more details of this broadcast very soon. Meanwhile we have had a separate project in the pipeline...
CARNIVAL – REDUX
We have always felt that Carnival was the one album where the recording, mixing and mastering didn’t bring the end result close to what we had originally intended in the writing. So when our label, Edel, declared their interest in licensing and reissuing the album (with others to follow), we discovered four associated tracks (B-sides and unreleased songs) to add to it and saw an opportunity to ‘reimagine’ the album as a whole.
We are aware that it is very dangerous for any band to ‘go back’ (and especially unusual for us) – so we made one absolute rule, that we wouldn’t re-record anything and we’d ask Lee Smith, who mixed From Here and Winter, to remix it using only the original multi-tracks, without too much involvement from us. Some songs have changed very little, others quite a lot. And to our minds, this has worked well and has enhanced the album’s principle qualities, particularly the wealth of original musical ideas, at last arranged in a sonically satisfying way to bring out the power, energy and inventiveness of the record. In the spirit of this ‘reimagining’, we have altered the order of the songs a little to include the additions - while our artist, Joolz Denby, has recreated the cover artwork in a wholly new original version.
The album will be available as a limited edition media-book pack and on high quality white double-vinyl. We hope you will enjoy it.
TRACKLISTING:
1. Water
2. BD3
3. Rumour and Rapture (1650)
4. Red Earth
5. LS43
6. Island
7. Carlisle Road
8. One Bullet
9. Bluebeat
10. Too Close To The Sun
11. Another Imperial Day
12. Prayer Flags
13. Stoned, Fired and Full of Grace
14. Caslen (Christmas)
15. Fireworks Night
The album will be released on November 20th but you can pre-order copies through our Shop:
WHITE VINYL DOUBLE LP and or BOOKPACK CD
Your pre-order will automatically entitle you to an instant free download of a digital download of the first ‘single’ – ISLAND – and, exclusively through our Shop, the opportunity to pre-order a special-price T-shirt featuring Joolz’s stunning angel design.
Most humble greetings, all ye, me lovelies...
I. I. I, I, I am completely flabbergasted, dumbfounded, speechless, and utterly shocked - in a frightening, yet weirdly thrilling, exciting, but most
comforting way - to learn of this highly unconventional NMA music news, update. This seriously needs
a lot of digesting, ruminating, thought pondering, on my part. I am in a state of trying to grasp, understand NMA/JS' will, intent and reason
(s) behind such a colossal - potentially, incredibly perilous, though remarkably commendable - and fervently -
most courageous NMA musical endeavour, thus far, to date.
There is
so much for us to mull over, about it all... especially for me to contemplate, etc. "
Carnival" is, for me,
the singular NMA album that flipped my world on its head and changed
so much of me, such an integral part of me, my perception, my way of thinking, my way of
living and my way of navigating through this and my world. The world as I knew it, saw it, grew to understand it, was largely shaped by this very special NMA album. And now, "
Carnival - Redux" will inevitably reconfigure and reshape, tweak-up my world
(s), etc.
at least once more, if not perpetually. This is precisely where I am enraptured, yet frightened to the core, really.
Going
back to make things right, correct, tweak or touch-up the past, is
always a very delicate, critically risky, and extremely tricky thing to master, do... I imagine. It takes some serious balls of steel, I think, to even contemplate such an attempt, let alone follow through with it. Meddling with the past could and can potentially, seriously fcuk up
everything, in the
now and
all, if anything, that is up ahead. NMA/JS et al... You noblemen, musical soldiers of
worth,
good,
truth, and
valour are completely deserving of utmost reverence,
astoundingly astonishing! Fearless! Stronger and braver than any other(s) I ever, ever known. You will do extremely well, just and true, indeed and otherwise. Keep faith. Do not fear or doubt in each other, nor in and of yourselves
especially,
ever... d'you hear? Use the
force (yeah, that was a Star Wars reference, just in case folk didn't get that), innate within each and everyone of you, and things will work out. You'll see.
I haven't even heard a single note off "
Carnival - Redux" yet. But I have to say, you gentlemen put the album in truly great hands! Mr. Smith did a
phenomenal job on both NMA albums, "
Winter" and "
From Here". Extremely pleased to learn Mr. Smith has been entrusted to care and handle
the goods, from "
Carnival" as well. As for me, I'm going to wait 'til November to listen to any part of it. I want the moment to be as, if not even moreso, special than when I first heard the initial, original version of the album. I'm going to make an event and thorough experience out of it, listening to "
Carnival - Redux", and wait for the whole package to arrive, come. I might even wait 'til late December. But
when the feelin's right, I'm gonna to take it in, and take it whole... in all it's splendour,
just, as every NMA
release should be.
xxxxxDeepest thanks to you Mr. Savage, for posting this incredible news here and to NMA for emailing me about it too! You wonderful people made my day, night, week!! Thank you SO very, very much!
Seriously, I
love you people!
Thank you. Now, if only John the shop elf would just get back to me about getting Blackballed's latest CD in the shop so I can order everything altogether, would be beyond fantastic! Wink. Wink. Nudge. Nudge.
