15th Anniversary Edition On 180g Double LP!
First Time On Vinyl! Original Album Plus Bonus Tracks!
Growing up in the '70s and '80s in Akron, Ohio, Joseph Arthur's musical life started off like many others, with mandatory piano lessons. But once he realized he could use the piano to conjure up his own musical worlds, he took to the instrument and began writing songs, eventually playing in bands while in high school. Days after graduation, he moved to Atlanta with a band, playing bass and supporting himself with day jobs at a music store and tattoo shop. At the time, Arthur aspired to be a world-class jazz or fusion bass player in the vein of the late Jaco Pastorius. But when a demo tape of Arthur's songs made its way to Peter Gabriel, it was the lyrics that attracted Peter, as he realized the talented songwriter was a great fit for his label Real World Records. Within a few months Arthur was signed and Big City Secrets was recorded at Real World Studios with Marcus Dravs (Bjork, Coldplay, Mumford and Sons) producing the album, which was released in 1997. Two years later, he recorded an EP called Vacancy, followed in 2000 by Come To Where I'm From, which features his signature song, "In the Sun". The track was covered by R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe and Coldplay's Chris Martin in 2006 on a charity single to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina, having previously been recorded a decade earlier by Gabriel for a Princess Diana tribute album. After releasing four EPs collectively called Junkyard Hearts, his third album, Redemption's Son, came out in May 2002.
Redemption's Son 15th Anniversary Edition contains the original album plus nine bonus tracks, all of which have been previously unreleased. Presented on 180-gram double LP with the original artwork, this is the first time the album has been available on vinyl.
The nine previously unreleased songs now form a 'lost album' which Arthur has named Morning Star. "We decided to turn these tracks into their own album called 'Morning Star' rather than a collection of this that and the other thing," Arthur remarked. "It's a great feeling when the past burps up a gift. Things forgotten and submerged by the vortex of time which reveals its illusions thru a process such as this. First listens of old things are a lot like taking the wrapping paper off a gift. That excited smile comes over you (hopefully) and it's kinda wonderful. But soon you get transported back to the time these things were new and then they become fresh elements to work with. No more a gift but a responsibility. Like if you got a dog for Christmas. What they say about a work of art being never finished but abandoned is accurate. And I learned here that you can essentially un-abandon them. We took these old things and we set out to make something current."
When the album was originally released in 2002 it had been two years since his Come To Where I'm From album had reviewers alluding to Kurt Cobain and the great New York songwriters, but Joseph and his ever-generous muse had kept near-daily appointments. Redemption's Son is consistently inspired, occasionally frazzled, and often startlingly beautiful; it's the kind of record you can build a slow, sustainable love affair with, its rich textures, vulnerability and acute, poetic lyrics guaranteed to slacken jaws and raise goose bumps. Reassuringly, it was made by a man with a self-effacing sense of humour and a complete lack of pretension. Recorded in various locations over a two year period, the album was mixed by Tchad Blake (Peter Gabriel, Sheryl Crow, Pearl Jam, Bonnie Raitt). Joseph plays most of the instruments himself, but a gold star is also due to Pat Sansone who contributed bass, piano and mellotron parts. Elsewhere, cellist Nadia Lanman appears on Favorite Girl.
All kinds of exquisite details add subtle colour to the album. "Touring Come To Where I'm From I think I developed as a musician a lot," says Joseph "...and that live sampling thing I do (in gigs) is part of this record, too, and hopefully that adds personality and risk. I didn't try and make an art record, but I didn't bend to the commercial realm, either." Like Big City Secrets, like Vacancy, like Come To Where I'm From, Redemption's Son features sleeve-art by Joseph himself. This time, though, the emphasis is on sculpture. "There's this florist's shop near my apartment," he explains, "and they have the flowers delivered in these big plastic vessels in all kinds of weird shapes. I use them as a canvas and put stuff all over them: toy soldiers, dolls, plastic flies and trash I've found in the street. There're photos of the finished sculptures on the cover."
Redemption's Son is a special, special record which we warmly invite you to explore.
"Redemption's Son exhibits the sure sign of a classic album. The best songs are not nervously loaded at the front. Some of the real gems - the slow, creepy Permission, the unbearably beautiful Favorite Girl and the irresistibly poppy In The Night - emerge nearly an hour into the album." - The Times (UK)
"2000's Come To Where I'm From was a near masterpiece. This time round, Grammy-bagging mixer Tchad Blake has replaced T-Bone Burnett as producer and brought added intimacy without sacrificing dreamy magnetism... Arthur's vocals [are] as much soothing balm as quiet venom. Blake's deft touch makes bedfellows of gentle acoustic guitar and gliding strings - I Would Rather Hide and Termite Song are stunning... If there's really a God, the Super Furries-goosing-up-Cockney Rebel wizardry of In The Night ought to be the FM smash of the summer" - Uncut (UK)
"In the current pop singer-songwriter renaissance, Arthurs art stands out as the most emotionally naked and musically ambitious." Entertainment Weekly
Features:
180g Vinyl
Double LP
15th Anniversary Edition
First time on vinyl
Original album artwork
Limited time digital download incudes 9 previously unreleased bonus tracks
Selections:
Side A:
1. Redemption's Son
2. Honey And The Moon
3. You Could Be In Jail
4 I Would Rather Hide
Side B:
1. Innocent World
2. September Baby
3. Nation Of Slaves
4. Evidence
Side C:
1. Buy A Bag
2. Termite Song
3. Permission
Side D:
1. Favorite Girl
2. You Are The Dark
3. In The Night
4. Blue Lips
5. You've Been Loved
Digital Download :
Morning Star (Previously Unreleased Tracks)
1. Ghost
2. Downtown
3. Pictures Of A Life
4. Forgive Your Heart
5. Afraid To Feel
6. Cracking Heart
7. Secret Ghost
8. Cinderella Under Glass
9. Morning Star
First Time On Vinyl! Original Album Plus Bonus Tracks!
Growing up in the '70s and '80s in Akron, Ohio, Joseph Arthur's musical life started off like many others, with mandatory piano lessons. But once he realized he could use the piano to conjure up his own musical worlds, he took to the instrument and began writing songs, eventually playing in bands while in high school. Days after graduation, he moved to Atlanta with a band, playing bass and supporting himself with day jobs at a music store and tattoo shop. At the time, Arthur aspired to be a world-class jazz or fusion bass player in the vein of the late Jaco Pastorius. But when a demo tape of Arthur's songs made its way to Peter Gabriel, it was the lyrics that attracted Peter, as he realized the talented songwriter was a great fit for his label Real World Records. Within a few months Arthur was signed and Big City Secrets was recorded at Real World Studios with Marcus Dravs (Bjork, Coldplay, Mumford and Sons) producing the album, which was released in 1997. Two years later, he recorded an EP called Vacancy, followed in 2000 by Come To Where I'm From, which features his signature song, "In the Sun". The track was covered by R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe and Coldplay's Chris Martin in 2006 on a charity single to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina, having previously been recorded a decade earlier by Gabriel for a Princess Diana tribute album. After releasing four EPs collectively called Junkyard Hearts, his third album, Redemption's Son, came out in May 2002.
Redemption's Son 15th Anniversary Edition contains the original album plus nine bonus tracks, all of which have been previously unreleased. Presented on 180-gram double LP with the original artwork, this is the first time the album has been available on vinyl.
The nine previously unreleased songs now form a 'lost album' which Arthur has named Morning Star. "We decided to turn these tracks into their own album called 'Morning Star' rather than a collection of this that and the other thing," Arthur remarked. "It's a great feeling when the past burps up a gift. Things forgotten and submerged by the vortex of time which reveals its illusions thru a process such as this. First listens of old things are a lot like taking the wrapping paper off a gift. That excited smile comes over you (hopefully) and it's kinda wonderful. But soon you get transported back to the time these things were new and then they become fresh elements to work with. No more a gift but a responsibility. Like if you got a dog for Christmas. What they say about a work of art being never finished but abandoned is accurate. And I learned here that you can essentially un-abandon them. We took these old things and we set out to make something current."
When the album was originally released in 2002 it had been two years since his Come To Where I'm From album had reviewers alluding to Kurt Cobain and the great New York songwriters, but Joseph and his ever-generous muse had kept near-daily appointments. Redemption's Son is consistently inspired, occasionally frazzled, and often startlingly beautiful; it's the kind of record you can build a slow, sustainable love affair with, its rich textures, vulnerability and acute, poetic lyrics guaranteed to slacken jaws and raise goose bumps. Reassuringly, it was made by a man with a self-effacing sense of humour and a complete lack of pretension. Recorded in various locations over a two year period, the album was mixed by Tchad Blake (Peter Gabriel, Sheryl Crow, Pearl Jam, Bonnie Raitt). Joseph plays most of the instruments himself, but a gold star is also due to Pat Sansone who contributed bass, piano and mellotron parts. Elsewhere, cellist Nadia Lanman appears on Favorite Girl.
All kinds of exquisite details add subtle colour to the album. "Touring Come To Where I'm From I think I developed as a musician a lot," says Joseph "...and that live sampling thing I do (in gigs) is part of this record, too, and hopefully that adds personality and risk. I didn't try and make an art record, but I didn't bend to the commercial realm, either." Like Big City Secrets, like Vacancy, like Come To Where I'm From, Redemption's Son features sleeve-art by Joseph himself. This time, though, the emphasis is on sculpture. "There's this florist's shop near my apartment," he explains, "and they have the flowers delivered in these big plastic vessels in all kinds of weird shapes. I use them as a canvas and put stuff all over them: toy soldiers, dolls, plastic flies and trash I've found in the street. There're photos of the finished sculptures on the cover."
Redemption's Son is a special, special record which we warmly invite you to explore.
"Redemption's Son exhibits the sure sign of a classic album. The best songs are not nervously loaded at the front. Some of the real gems - the slow, creepy Permission, the unbearably beautiful Favorite Girl and the irresistibly poppy In The Night - emerge nearly an hour into the album." - The Times (UK)
"2000's Come To Where I'm From was a near masterpiece. This time round, Grammy-bagging mixer Tchad Blake has replaced T-Bone Burnett as producer and brought added intimacy without sacrificing dreamy magnetism... Arthur's vocals [are] as much soothing balm as quiet venom. Blake's deft touch makes bedfellows of gentle acoustic guitar and gliding strings - I Would Rather Hide and Termite Song are stunning... If there's really a God, the Super Furries-goosing-up-Cockney Rebel wizardry of In The Night ought to be the FM smash of the summer" - Uncut (UK)
"In the current pop singer-songwriter renaissance, Arthurs art stands out as the most emotionally naked and musically ambitious." Entertainment Weekly
Features:
180g Vinyl
Double LP
15th Anniversary Edition
First time on vinyl
Original album artwork
Limited time digital download incudes 9 previously unreleased bonus tracks
Selections:
Side A:
1. Redemption's Son
2. Honey And The Moon
3. You Could Be In Jail
4 I Would Rather Hide
Side B:
1. Innocent World
2. September Baby
3. Nation Of Slaves
4. Evidence
Side C:
1. Buy A Bag
2. Termite Song
3. Permission
Side D:
1. Favorite Girl
2. You Are The Dark
3. In The Night
4. Blue Lips
5. You've Been Loved
Digital Download :
Morning Star (Previously Unreleased Tracks)
1. Ghost
2. Downtown
3. Pictures Of A Life
4. Forgive Your Heart
5. Afraid To Feel
6. Cracking Heart
7. Secret Ghost
8. Cinderella Under Glass
9. Morning Star
