This week’s blog is a little more self-indulgent, as we are ready to open up pre-orders via the Unspun Heroes Bandcamp. We have a new page up and running that details our releases and which will be used to let you know what’s coming up. Yes, we may only have one release right now, but news of a second (and more) will be coming very soon.
During conversations with James’s wife, we became aware of a notebook that contained a number of his early drafts of lyrics that became the final songs on Chance And Time. Written in his own hand, these are artefacts that no one had seen before.
We thought, and still think, these are something quite special.
As production of the vinyl reissue was well underway when these lyrics came to light, it was too late to incorporate them into the final package. So a plan was hatched to offer high quality printed reproductions of the seven songs within James’s notebook. To do this, we had to elicit the help of a very talented man: Chris from Benson’s Bookbinding.
Chris is a dear friend and has been a huge supporter of Unspun Heroes from its humble beginnings. Together we worked out how to house the lyrics in a handmade outer sleeve alongside the album itself. And to ensure that it was still affordable (Chris can make things worth £1,000s, but we were working with a small budget).
What Chris has created is a yellow Colorplan sleeve. A tab slides to hold it closed, and this tab also has debossed black foil lettering to highlight James’s name and the album’s title. It’s shown opened out in the image below.
This thick card contains individual paper leaves with the lyrics printed on. With the cover shown at the top of the page, it makes 10 sheets. Even though there are only seven songs written out, the notebook contained alternative lyrics, crossings out and reworkings, as well as chord sequences and ideas. Essentially, you get to see how James created his songs, and how they changed over time.
They really are something quite special.
The photos above are from a prototype that Chris made so we could see how the whole package would come together. I’m very proud of what he has achieved. He’s a talented young man. (Chris also plays in The Jasmine Minks, Scotland’s premier jangly indiepop band, as his talents extend beyond binding books.)
These deluxe editions of Chance And Time are very limited. They are made to order and Chris will make only 50 of them. Once they are sold, no more will be produced. They are only available via our Bandcamp page – or in person if you find yourself in south London and want to get in touch.
If you’d like to pre-order your own copy you can do so.
If you’d prefer just to have a standard limited edition, hand-numbered version with an obi strip, you can pre-order one of those.
And if you’d prefer to support your local independent record store, we’re very happy for you to pre-order via them.
