THE SOUND OF McALMONT & BUTLER – ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Originally released on the 27th November 1995, The Sound Of McAlmont & Butler, the debut album from David McAlmont & Bernard Butler, is being reissued to mark its anniversary. For this anniversary reissue, the album has been mastered for 2-LPs to enhance audio quality over the original 1-LP version, drawn from the original studio tapes and overseen by Bernard Butler, with the mastering handled by his longtime studio partner, George Shilling. The album is also available as a 2CD set featuring outtakes, demos and remixes.
The album was preceded by two classic singles, ‘Yes’, and ‘You Do’, the former being the sound of Summer in 1995, with its instant-classic sound, augmented by soaring ’60s strings.
Speaking about the song to The Guardian last year, Butler said, “Someone suggested I go and see David McAlmont playing at the Jazz Cafe. During his first song, the drummer Makoto Sakamoto came on and started smashing the shit out of his drums – it was the greatest sound I’d ever heard. Then David started singing, and I was like, “Well, there it is.” I knew I needed both of them.“
McAlmont’s deceptively simple and beautiful lyric for ‘Yes’ was inspired by a real-life situation, “I had been dumped. I was still smarting. I took a gamble. What would I say to him if I were famous? The concept was weird and risky, I had to become famous to justify it“. David also says, “Over the years, I’ve met women who have told me they left abusive relationships thanks to ‘Yes’. After our second Top of the Pops appearance, the sister of the show’s producer came over to say she’d been unable to walk and the song had helped her to get up. It has a power I can’t account for.“
When the album followed in the late autumn of 1995, the duo had already imploded, but The Sound Of McAlmont & Butler was an immensely satisfying and beguiling mix of classic songwriting, immaculate production, and blending of rock and soul. The album was also singled out by critics as one of the year’s very best. The Guardian newspaper awarded it a maximum 5 stars while The Times critic commented “The monumental climax to the seven-minute-long ‘You Do’ provides a fitting end both to the album and to a relationship that shook so hard that perhaps it had to shatter.”
McAlmont & Butler – The Sound Of McAlmont & Butler Anniversary Edition Newly Mastered 2LP Green/Blue Coloured Vinyl Set & 2CD Strictly Limited Signed Vinyl & CD Editions Also Available
Released 18th September On Demon Records
Available For Pre-Order Now https://demonedsel.lnk.to/thesoundof