Celebrating 20 years of Vashti Bunyan’s ‘Lookaftering’, and her 80th birthday, an expanded 2 x Lp edition is now available for pre-order (released 30th January 2025).
This gatefold edition features the original studio album, a second LP with live, alternative and demo versions of the original album tracks, photographs, sleeve notes (Vashti, Max Richter, Devendra Banhart and Dave Howell), and a16-page lyric booklet with paintings by Vashti's daughter Whyn Lewis.
Dating from 2001 to 2005, the demos were recorded at home by Vashti, accompanying herself on guitar while experimenting with synths – from piano to strings, pipe organ, harmonium, recorders and accordion. The sound is, of course, stripped back compared to that of the finished album, but the live version of Lately recorded at a 2006 early “comeback” gig in L.A, is absolutely pitch perfect.
“It felt like a community project; a family of people coming together” – Max Richter
“the beautiful photograph of Max in the studio playing wine glasses with his young daughter’s violin bow, brings it all back to me - how very fortunate I have been.” – Vashti Bunyan
Listening to the demos and the final versions side-by-side while reading the sleeve notes is a wonderful experience, learning and hearing how the songs and the Lp evolved, with Vashti and Max Richter (who produced - and played on - the album), explaining how the artists involved (Devendra Banhart, Johanna Newson, Adem Ilhan, Robert Kirby and members of Vetiver), touched by Vashti’s original 1970 album (‘Just Another Diamond Day’), jumped at the opportunity to be there.
Nov 27
