I'm leaning towards genuine promo, it mentions the catalogue number for the (previous) '94/'96/'98 issues so late 1990s or 2000? Anyone know when those computer specs were current?
Very interesting, I'm guessing totally legit. The enhanced content is just weird for a commercial release so I'm guessing an industry promo from between 1998-2000. There are many Joy Division nuts on the forum, I think you should post on a Joy Division thread and see what they say.
Although I'm struggling to name one I have a few examples, the graphics will have been designed and approved long before they applied for the barcode, so promos not only didn't need one, but were sent out before barcodes were even assigned. If I remember something I have with the blank space I'll post a pic. With us our graphic designer will do the art work leaving the space blank and then add the barcode when we receive it from the distributor who handle them for us, I assume it's separate departments for most labels. Obviously you can also get promos where the barcode has been stickered over, but that's generally the standard release with added sticker/s rather than a more elaborate promo.
I quite like Laura Marling, I don't know if she'll be a desert island artist for me but she has some good songs. I Speak Because I Can was the first one I bought as well. The title song contains the couplet "I speak because I can, To anyone I trust enough to listen" which for me is a great encapsulation of introversion, especially as it was written by someone so young. I'm now enjoying Semper Femina, which has a slightly different style to the others.
Don't know if it is significant, but in the text on the Enhanced CD sticker, [Record Company] also looks like a place-holder in square brackets, similar to the "you may wish to add your own legal disclaimers etc, I assume your legal department will be able to advice you on this." text. Could it be some kind of "proof of concept" or early proof copy?
Laura Marling is one of the artists who sums up why charity shop hunting is such fun. I was vaguely aware of her existence due to various articles in newspaper arts sections etc but not sufficiently interested to investigate further. However, when I found A Creature I Don't Know in one of my local shops for roughly the price of a Mars Bar, I thought why not. It's a decent album and, while I'm not a huge fan of her stuff, a decent addition to my collection. I quite enjoyed her set supporting Neil Young & Bob Dylan at Hyde Park a couple of years ago and recognised a couple of the songs as a result. There's no way I'd have shelled out full price for a CD by an artist I wasn't sure about but, given the low prices, charity shops offer you the opportunity to experiment. In the same way I have discovered Clinic, Guided By Voices, Fiery Furnaces, Cosmic Rough Riders, Art Brut, Joy Zipper and countless others. This inspired me to write an article for the Channel 4 News website, about the joys of bargain hunting: A beggar’s banquet on the British high street
I see quite a few Laura Marling CDs on my travels but never bothered picking one up as I assumed she must be like Dido or Duffy or something. Always get a bit suspicious if I see an artist over and over again in a charity shop. I’ll pick one up next time (Probably won’t see one now !!)
I picked these up in a charity shop ages ago but recently found them again in one of the many boxes of CD's in my garage, all boxed up & stored after I moved up north earlier in the year. The One Cut disc looks like I hardly ever played it and the top 2 are We Love You Records comps and all 3 have artwork which makes them collectable because of some fella called Banksy. However, this was a sweet find in a charity shop in Arbroath recently, a minty UK issue complete with booklet.
Great article, thanks for writing and sharing it. As Ry Cooder says in the Beuna Vista Social Club booklet, "Music is a treasure hunt. You dig and dig and sometimes you find something."
yes mate, guilty as charged and the cheque is in the post, am loving the East Coast vibes up here, better than Northampton believe me!
