Soul Mining

Product Information

While the songs for the album were being written, Johnson and Hardiman set about looking for a recording studio in London. Although the only two studios credited in the liner notes for Soul Mining are Advision and Sarm, Johnson has since stated in several interviews that the majority of the album was recorded at the Garden studio in Shoreditch, east London. [7] [11] Soul Mining is a relic of the 80s that went mostly unasummed when it first got released, but has since been hailed as one of the best albums the new-wave craze had to offer. Ever since hearing 'Giant' for the first time in a Berlin club, this album has accompanied me through my life and has constant rotation several times a year. a b Petridis, Alexis (27 June 2014). "The The: Soul Mining reissue review – a brilliant and idiosyncratic pop album". The Guardian. G2 supplement, p. 20 . Retrieved 26 March 2016. A subsequent session, again in New York with Thorne, and featuring David Johansen of the New York Dolls, resulted in ‘Perfect’, yet both sessions, and the deal with London Records, were subsequently scrapped when THE THE made an audacious switch to CBS Records and decided to start the album afresh.

The The’s Matt Johnson personally oversaw the remastering at Abbey Road Studios and this new vinyl-only reissue takes the form of a lavish twelve-inch box set and includes an authentic reproduction of the original LP pressed on 180g vinyl, alongside an extra twelve-inch gatefold vinyl of alternative versions and remixes. MJ: Yeah, I am. In fact I’ve got a load of the tapes in the flat that need baking. I’ve been recommended something called a Dried Fruit Dehydrator that’s supposed to be more effective than the standard equipment. You bake tapes at a low temperature in a convection oven for 24 to 48 hours. These are non-standard solutions to a very new problem. The key thing is to digitize as soon as you’ve got them ready. I’ve got to get my old AKAI and REVOXes serviced and ready to go. I’ve got hundreds of tapes and most of them aren’t marked. What was I thinking? What an idiot. I’m the only person who can do it because I’m the only one who knows what to look for. That’s a process that I’m looking forward to it but it’s so time consuming. The plan is to do a box set. My first actual album was actually a cassette called See Without Being Seen and I do know where that is but it’s so rough. That will be one of those things that I put out without even advertising, purely for the hardcore followers. I was about 16 when I did that album. Pornography Of Despair will be fine. That will sound better than Burning Blue Soul. Spirits I think will sound pretty decent but I have to make sure it sounds good and I’d like to put it out as a nice set with photographs and the history. For as much as I try to expand my taste, I invariably find that the early 80s largely defines it. As such, I've had great success mining that period of music for "new" discoveries, and Soul Mining falls squarely in that camp. What makes it such an exciting find is that its confluence of new wave, synth pop and post punk elements manages to sound unlike anything I've ever heard. Melody Maker placed Soul Mining at number three in its critics' list of the best albums of 1983 [36] and the NME placed it at number 25 in its own list the same year. [37] In 1989 Record Mirror and Sounds both included the album in their critics' lists of the albums of the decade, Record Mirror ranking it at number eight [38] and Sounds ranking it at number 24. [39] Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book. p.307. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.Matt Johnson and his unusually named "The The" remain the uncrowned heroes of the underground music scene. Such songwriting and musical talent is rare and hard to match, let alone to compete with - delivering one of many magnum opuses throughout his eclectic music career. "Soul Mining" is a call-to-arms, one of the truest in terms of expanding the view of the world around. Introspective as always, but not hard to respond/relate to according to our personal life experiences. There is just something that stays forever enigmatic, brutally honest and pleasantly egocentric about it. The original New York-produced 7" single versions of "Uncertain Smile" and "Perfect" were included on the The's greatest hits album 45 RPM: The Singles of The The in 2002, while the two 12" versions were included on the second disc of the 30th anniversary reissue of Soul Mining in 2014. To coincide with this event, we have managed to obtain 15 Soul Mining vinyl box sets to offer for sale, personalised and signed by Matt.

Work on the album was reconvened at John Foxx’s Garden Studios in the then pre-gentrified Shoreditch area of East London with Matt co-producing with Paul Hardiman – the album was subsequently mixed at Martin Rushent’s Genetic Sound studio.Zeke Manyika – drums on "I've Been Waitin' for Tomorrow (All of My Life)", "The Twilight Hour" and "Giant", chant on "Giant" Lyrically prowess such as this can allow for more forgiveness of musical missteps, but that isn't an issue here either. The music is upbeat and catchy for the most part. This is a fantastic album that is a weekly listen if not more and has been since before Christmas last year. I close this out with my favorite lyric, one that gives me hope for my future, however hollow it usually rings during the day-to-day. a b c d e Doran, John (16 June 2014). "Under My Skin: Matt Johnson Discusses Soul Mining With John Doran". The Quietus . Retrieved 27 November 2021. Additionally, you can opt out of some of these services by visiting the Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out portal at: http://optout.aboutads.info/. Staunton, Terry (July 2014). " Soul Mining | The The". Record Collector. No.429. p.101 . Retrieved 27 November 2021.