This was one of my favorite albums of the 1980s (it came out on Slash Records in 1983), and I’ve been looking forever for a decent copy on vinyl. This box set, as you’d expect from Craft, is amazing. It includes a newly remastered version of the self-titled album itself, plus additional LPs of demos and live recordings, and a 7″ single: Ugly / Gimme the Car.

When it was first released, the box set included an older mastering / lacquer cut of the debut album – missing the key “KGP@CA” inscription in the runout indicating the Kevin Gray cut. Craft Recordings, to their credit, sent replacements of that first LP to folks providing proof of purchase – even if you’d purchased from a retailer (I got mine from Rough Trade). It reinforced what a difference a great mastering for vinyl can make – the one I initially received sounded flat, muddy, muffled – the replacement one sounds dynamic and crisp.

The live recordings are from the Beneath-it-all Café and The Jazz Gallery, in Milwaukee, and Folk City in New York, NY. The demos and live tracks were also included in Rhino Records Deluxe Edition CD reissue in 2002 but I believe this was their first issue on vinyl.