The Ghost Of White Town Past
Here’s a Crimbo pressie for you lovely peeps: it’s the first record White Town ever released.
Fifteen years ago, when White Town wasn’t just me and a bunch of synths, we released our debut 7″ on my own little label, Satya Records. And now, thanks to the miracle of the cyberwent, you can download that single in all its no-fi glory. The mp3s are transfers from my ageing vinyl, I haven’t got any of the mastertapes, so they’re hissy, noisy and quite, quite glorious. Here are the songs:
White Town
Whisper Away
The Strange Waltz
It’s strange listening to myself singing from so long ago. I think I was singing too deeply for myself, as all young men do, to try and sound older. Now that I’m actually old I’m too busy fighting ear hair growth to worry about how manly I am. Ahhh… youth!
Here’s the front cover:
I didn’t have a computer so that’s some typing off my Dad’s mechanical typewriter, blown up on a photocopier. You can download the hi-res version by clicking here.
Here’s the back:
Sean Phillips isn’t actually on the record. He was in the band though, as were many guitarists. I think I went through around eight guitarists, three drummers and two bassists before taking the hint and just doing everything myself. It’s a lot quicker but much lonelier. Anna, Nick’s sister, played the lovely mournful cello bits on ‘White Town,’ which was very kind of her as I don’t think we paid her owt. You can download the hi-res version of the back cover by clicking here.
And, for historical completeness, here’s the rambling insert I did for the single:
Hi-res version here. I remember typing that when I was feeling very paranoid and depressed. White Town was then, as it is now, a very un-trendy band in Derby terms. All the other Derby bands had fans / good looks / record deals / great hair. I thought, fuckit, even though no-one likes my songs, I like them. So I stuck a 7″ out. Then I photocopied four of the inserts on to a sheet of A4, photocopied that 250 times and then cut out all 1000 inserts myself by hand. It was DIY or do nothing.
Listening back to the single now, I still like the songs. It’s strange for me to hear that my songwriting and vocals haven’t really changed that much in fifteen years. I’m a bit better at producing, occasionally better at pitching but I’m still obsessed by women, sex, death, politics and women. Hey – what else is there?
Please download any/all of the above, put on your Santa hat, have a mince pie and then indie-shimmy around to the ghost of White Town past…
Happy Christmas!
love and kisses,
Jyoti
