The The / Soul Mining: 30th anniversary deluxe vinyl box set

This June, Sony will release a 30th Anniversary deluxe vinyl version of The The’s, 1983 album Soul Mining.

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.

Amongst the goodies in the box is a ‘news-poster’ which contains extensive notes written by Johnson that detail the making of the album.

The track Perfect is absent from the main album, which is as Johnson always wanted it (it was added by the US label without his consent) and additional songs included on the original cassette version are also excluded since at the time these were attempts at re-recording tracks from the aborted 1982 album Pornography Of Despair and are not really part of Soul Mining. 

This set also comes with a digital download code for MP3s which are vinyl rips (or ‘Dubbed-From-Disc’ technology) using Matt Johnson’s original 1982 Thorens TD-147 gramophone player!

The overall presentation looks very similar to the excellent Nick Drake vinyl sets  that Universal have been putting out for the past 18 months, with the lift-off lid rigid box, although this is arguably better since it includes the bonus vinyl.

Soul Mining 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition is reissued on 30 June 2014

• • UK Pre-order: Soul Mining (2LP 30th Anniversary Deluxe) Edition)
• • USA Pre-order: Soul Mining (2LP 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
• • GERMANY Pre-order: Soul Mining (2LP 30th Anniversary Deluxe)
• • FRANCE Pre-order: Soul Mining (2lp 30th Anniversary Deluxe)

Track listing:

LP 1 – SOUL MINING

• 1. I’ve Been Waitin’ For Tomorrow (All Of My Life)
• 2. This Is The Day
• 3. The Sinking Feeling
• 4. Uncertain Smile
• 5. The Twilight Hour
• 6. Soul Mining
• 7. Giant

LP 2 – SOUL MINING Recollected 

• 1. Uncertain Smile (New York 12” version)
• 2. Perfect (New York 12” version)
• 3. This Is The Day (12” version)
• 4. Fruit Of The Heart
• 5. Perfect (London 12” version)
• 6. I’ve Been Waitin’ For Tomorrow (All My Life) (12” mix)