BLACK BOX RECORDER – England Made Me (25th Anniversary Edition) – LP (180g) + 10” Vinyl

LP + 180g – Limited 25th Anniversary EditionHeavyweightVinylwith Bonus 10”housed in a Gatefold Sleeve with a6- page booklet featuring photographs and lyrics.

English indie rock group Black Box Recorder formed in London in 1997 and featured Sarah Nixey, Luke Haines (of The Auteurs), and John Moore (of The Jesus and Mary Chain)

Their debut album, England Made Me, was released on Chrysalis Records in 1998. The album was named after the eponymous Graham Greene novel and fuses indie rock and easy-listening pop stylings with lyrics that explore life and the experience of growing up in England. Pitchfork’s Michael Sandlin described the sound of the album as “mildly morose but slightly tongue- in- cheek Sylvia Plath-meets-Paul McCartney pop sensibility”.

The album has a wonderfully restrained, languid charm and many brilliant songs, including opener Girl Singing in the Wreckage, Child Psychology (sample lyric Life is unfair, kill yourself or get over it), Swinging and a fine cover of Althea and Donnas 1977 UK number one Uptown Top Ranking.

England Made Me was originally issued on CD and as probably fairly limited 2LP vinyl set pressed at 45RPM. Its other vinyl outing was as part of the Life Is Unfair box set, issued in 2018 by One Little Indian (now One Little Independent). The afforementioned single ‘Child Psychology‘ was recently back in the spotlight with a viral moment on social media after being championed by Billie Eilish.

This new anniversary edition has been curated with the assistance of the band and features a newly remaster version of the album, along with a bonus 10″ vinyl that includes six b-sides, 4 of which are first time on vinyl. All audio has been remastered from the original production tapes by Phil Kinrade at AIR Mastering and and cut by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios.

Tracklist:

LP: England Made Me:
Side A
1. Girl Singing In The Wreckage
2. England Made Me
3. New Baby Boom
4. Its Only The End Of The World
5. Ideal Home

Side B
1. Child Psychology
2. I.C. One Female
3. Up Town Top
4. Swinging
5. Kidnapping An Heiress
6. Hated Sunday

10 Single:
Side A
1. Brutality*
2. Seasons In The Sun*
3. Watch The Angel Not The Wire

Side B
1. Factory Radio*
2. Wonderful Life*
3. Lord Lucan Is Missing

* = First time on vinyl