National Album Day today announces a list of exclusive debut albums that are being released or re-issued on vinyl and CD to coincide with this annual event celebrating the art of the album. The titles, which will be available to purchase in participating UK indie stores, HMV and Fopp, Amazon and other outlets on the day, can be pre-ordered now.
Multi-platinum selling singer-songwriter Jake Bugg and Pip Millett, one of Manchester's most exciting homegrown talents have also been revealed as the latest artists to be confirmed as National Album Day ambassadors. With Jake’s debut reaching a pinnacle 10 year anniversary on National Album Day and Pip is set to release her much anticipated debut, When Everything Is Better, I'll Let You Know this October, they will join Franz Ferdinand, KSI, The Mysterines, Sam Ryder and The Staves in championing their love of the album.
Albums being re-issued or released for National Album Day (See full list at end)
It’s 10 years since Nottingham singer-songwriter and National Album Day ambassador, Jake Bugg’ burst onto the scene with his self-titled debut. To mark the occasion, his acclaimed No.1 LP has been remastered, with 16 previously unreleased tracks. It is being re-released as 2-LP set on black and gold vinyl (D2C) and as a 3-CD set, which additionally includes the full performance of his 2014 concert at the Royal Albert Hall. All formats will feature sleeve notes from Dean Jackson, who ‘discovered’ Jake and unseen images from Jake’s photoshoot with Kevin Westenberg.
Fellow National Album Day ambassadors, The Staves – the indie folk trio of sisters Emily, Jessica and Camilla Stavely-Taylor – are repressing their debut album Dead & Born & Grown on recycled coloured vinyl to mark its 10th anniversary.
Though just six years old, the self-titled debut from Manchester’s Blossoms is already a classic of the rock genre. The No.1 LP and 2017 Mercury Prize nominee is reissued on orange vinyl and includes the band’s lead single Blow.
Outlandos d'Amour – the seminal 1978 album by The Police announced the band to the world, containing the era-defining hit singles Roxanne, Can’t Stand Losing You and So Lonely. Ranked by Rolling Stone as among the 40 best debut LPs ever, this special edition reissued for National Album Day is available on limited edition blue vinyl.
Travis’s 1997 debut Good Feeling returns to vinyl for its 25th Anniversary this year with a special ‘Fan Thank You’ sleeve. Originally produced by Steve Lillywhite, who teased out the anthemic hooks of the group’s debut single, All I Want To Do Is Rock, and helped them craft their Top 20 breakthrough hit, More Than Us, the LP also includes the singles Happy and Tied To The 90s.
The eclectic 1995 debut by Supergrass, I Should Coco, packed with Britpop anthems including the ebullient Alright, and described by critics as ‘the sound of adolescence’, has been remastered for re-issue on black vinyl to coincide with National Album Day. Indie favourites The National are re-issuing their self-titled debut exclusively on white vinyl, and alt-J’s Mercury Prize winning LP, An Awesome Wave, will be re-released on limited edition fern green vinyl.
It’s nearly 30 years since Jamiroquai and lead singer Jay Kay created a whole new dimension in sound with their muti-layered funk and acid jazz infused debut Emergency on Planet Earth. Selling well over 1 million copies and featuring the top-10 hit Too Young To Die, the album is reissued for National Album Day on 2-LP transparent vinyl.
Originally out in 1977, pinnacle British punk band The Damned’s Damned Damned Damned will see a new yellow vinyl edition for NAD. At just half an hour long, the LP is regarded as a ‘stone- cold classic of rock’n’roll fire’. The seminal self-titled debut from iconic London punk band The Clash will be reissued on transparent pink vinyl, while 80s post-punk group The The, led by Matt Johnson, will also see their acclaimed debut Soul Mining remastered on vinyl for NAD.
With a diverse range of genres being celebrated, pop icon Mariah Carey’s self-titled debut will be reissued on coloured vinyl and Jennifer Lopez’s 1999 debut On The 6 is re-released on peach vinyl. A CD reissue comes from 80s group Marine Girls, who combine their 1981 debut Beach Party with their 1983 follow-up Lazy Ways to create a special edition album.
Ranked by about.com as ‘the greatest hip hop album of all time’, Nas’ 1994 debut Illmatic will be re-released on red and blue vinyl. Also arriving from the world of US hip-hop is the iconic debut LP from Wu-Tang Clan Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), which will be released on gold coloured vinyl exclusively for National Album Day. One of the biggest drum ‘n’ bass LPs in a decade, Sub Focus’ self-titled debut will be out on vinyl for the first time. Delving into a variety of styles including house and dubstep, the album is out on red, green and blue vinyl.
Chase & Status released their stand-out debut More Than A lot in 2008 – 14 years on it is being pressed on limited edition pink & black marbled vinyl. The collaborative force of Tom Smith (Editors) and Andy Burrows (I Am Arrows, Razorlight), Smith & Burrows, re-issue Funny Looking Angels on picture disc. Scottish artist Finley Quaye will see his 1997 debut Maverick A Strike released on yellow vinyl – the album, which went on to be BRIT Certified 2x Platinum in the UK, led to a BRIT Award for Best Male Solo Artist in 1998.
Bunny Scott’s The Love Somebody is re-released as an expanded edition. Mastered from the original tapes, it includes some of Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s best productions from the mid-70s, providing a springboard to the career of the one of the finest talents to make their mark on the Jamaican scene. One of the most popular blues artists of his generation, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, will see his debut Kingfish released on limited edition 140-gram translucent yellow vinyl. The album features guest appearances from Buddy Guy, Keb ‘Mo’ and Billy Branch. Gramophone Magazine’s
Editor’s Choice Alexander Ullman’s Liszt: Piano Concertos 1&2, Sonata in B Minor will be released on CD only.
American singer-songwriter Nessa Barrett’s forthcoming debut Young Forever will also be released on CD, as will New in Town – the debut from exciting indie singer-songwriter Rainn Byrns, who has been causing a big stir with his innate talent for writing from the heart through a collection of lo-fi future classics, packed with melodies and a bedroom-pop sensibility. New artist Sharky will release the debut People Are Strange on 23rd September, and will be celebrate the release with a launch show on Tuesday 18th October at GROW in Hackney in support of National Album Day.
Box sets from vinyl curating platform VinylBox – Culture Shifting Debuts and Next Gen Classics, will each feature 3 out of a possible 8 debut LPs by Elvis, Guns ’n’ Roses, Joy Division, Madonna, NWA, Patti Smith, Ramones and Roxy Music – and Amy Winehouse, Bicep, Billie Eilish, Bruno Mars, Lana Del Ray, Lorde, Sam Fender and Tame Impala respectively.
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Full list of NAD titles below:
Alexander Ullman - Liszt: Piano Concertos 1&2, Sonata in B Minor (CD)
alt-J - An Awesome Wave (limited fern green colour vinyl)
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath (limited black & purple splatter vinyl)
Blossoms - Blossoms (limited edition orange vinyl)
Bunny Scott - The Love Somebody (expanded edition CD)
Chase and Status - More Than A Lot (limited pink & black marbled colour vinyl)
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – Kingfish (limited edition 140-gram translucent yellow vinyl)
The Clash - The Clash (transparent pink vinyl)
The Damned - Damned Damned Damned (limited edition yellow vinyl)
Finley Quaye - Maverick A Strike (yellow vinyl)
Jake Bugg - Jake Bugg (10th Anniversary remastered with 16 bonus tracks 3-CD set and 2-LP black & gold vinyl set)
Jamiroquai - Emergency on Planet Earth (2-LP transparent vinyl)
Jennifer Lopez - One The 6 (peach coloured vinyl)
Mariah Carey - Mariah Carey (coloured vinyl)
Marine Girls - Lazy Ways and Beach Party (new edition CD)
Nas - Illmatic (limited edition red & blue vinyl)
The National - The National (white vinyl)
Nessa Barrett - Young Forever (debut album release on CD)
The Police - Outlandos d’Amour (limited edition blue vinyl)
Rainn Byrns - New In Town (vinyl & CD)
Sharky - People Are Strange (Digital fomat)
Smith & Burrows - Funny Looking Angels (limited edition picture disc vinyl)
The Staves - Dead & Born & Grown (recycled Coloured Vinyl)
Sub Focus - Sub Focus (limited edition red, green & blue colour vinyl)
Supergrass - I Should Coco (remastered black vinyl)
The The - Soul Mining (remastered vinyl LP)
Travis - Good Feeling (25th Anniversary vinyl re-issue with ‘fan thank you’ sleeve)
Wu Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (limited edition gold vinyl)
National Album Day is presented in association with official audio partner Bowers & Wilkins and official broadcast partner BBC Sounds, and will celebrate the artists behind these significant and influential bodies of work. Further product and releases, events and other activities will be announced in due course alongside further updates.
Renowned audio brand, Bowers & Wilkins, continues its support for National Album Day as official audio partner. Built on a passion for music, Bowers & Wilkins has been on an unrelenting pursuit of the highest quality listening experiences for music fans for over 60 years, always delivering sound that remains true to how the artist intended their album to be heard.
Since its launch in 2018, National Album Day has been supported by a diverse range of artists and musicians including Kylie Minogue, Joy Crookes, Sharleen Spiteri, Ray BLK, Lewis Capaldi, Mark Ronson, La Roux, Elbow, Paloma Faith, Blossoms, Alice Cooper, Novelist, Tom Odell, Mahalia, Toyah Willcox and Jazzie B among others.
Typically benefitting from a week-long build up, NAD hosts a variety of events that celebrate the album, drawing on Official Charts data and supported by album platforms such as Classic Album Sundays, The Record Club, Tape Notes and Tim’s Twitter Listening Party as well as in-store artist appearances and retail promotions. National Album Day also values the support of its outdoor media partner DIABOLICAL, part of BUILDHOLLYWOOD.
National Album Day is organised jointly by the BPI – the representative voice of independent and major labels across the UK (BRIT Awards and Mercury Prize) – and ERA, the digital entertainment and retail association (Record Store Day), with the support of UK record labels and participating independent and specialist retailers and online and digital/streaming services. The event is presented in association with broadcast partner BBC Sounds and OfficialCharts.com, and is backed by the UK’s recorded music community led by AIM (Association of Independent Music) and PPL together with other trade associations.
Keep track of the National Album Day website for more news and how to get involved over the coming months.
