unboxing vinyl

I'd heard his song High in the background here and there, but didn't pay much attention. Then I liked You're Beautiful when I heard it, but it didn't stick to me either. It was when I clicked on Oprah in time to see James at a piano and heard this:

Did I disappoint you or let you down?

Should i be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?

'Cause I'd saw the end before we'd begun,

Yes I saw you were blinded and knew I had won..."

I am a dreamer but when I wake,

You can't break my spirit, it's my dreams you take.

And as you move on, remember me,

Remember us and all we used to be.

I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile

I've watched you sleeping for a while.

I'd be the father of your child,

I'd spend a lifetime with you...

By the end of the song Goodbye My Lover became part of my soundtrack. I downloaded half the album that day. When his second CD came out I had been seeing the video for 1973 while watching early morning VH1. Could anyone not love this song? When I went to buy the CD, it sat in front of a special 2 CD edition of his first release for 10 bucks, disc 2 being a live performance with Goodbye My Lover. I'm a sucker for special editions with bonus material, and I love buying a pair of CDs from someone new (to me).

I knew more songs on Back to Bedlam than I realized, and I instantly loved nearly every song on both CDs.

I loved the Bedlam cover/inside art and titles, and longed for the days of 12x12 album covers, but hated the blurry and boring art for All The Lost Souls. 

How did this happen, they are from the same people: http://www.bosecollins.co.uk/

Bedlam is 180g vinyl pressed at RTI in a single jacket with lyric sheet.

Lost Souls is a gatefold with the same photograph collages from the CD (skull and butterfly), as well as a printed record sleeve with lyrics, holding regular weight vinyl.

Browsing for other James Blunt stuff, I found a 12x24 perforated promo flat for Lost Souls and it looked like the perfect substitute cover, a favorite photo I used for a myspace banner of James with a beard! He should ALWAYS have a beard.

I just saw there is now a special 2 CD edition of Lost Souls with a new studio track (Love Love Love) as well as live songs and all the videos from the album- I will be picking that up as well as hunting for the hot pink 1973 single!

Below: promo flat turned perfect alternative album cover.

All his videos can be seen on his site http://jamesblunt.com/