Welcome to the latest newsletter. We are excited to announce the arrival of the vinyl LPs! They look and sound fantastic. Remastered from original tapes, they provide a higher fidelity sound than even the CDs. The inner sleeve looks particularly deluxe, with pictures and lyrics on both sides. It makes the record a very special package. We have sent all pre-orders out so you should be receiving yours today or very soon. Thank you to everyone who bought the record before release. It allowed us to make the record really exceptional.
All those fans sitting on the fence waiting for the actual record to arrive - we understand why you’d prefer to buy it when in stock, and now is the time! We have special bundles as well as the clear and classic black vinyl, so take a look here, click on the any of the pictures to get to the collection page - and enjoy the record! This is Anthony's solo album, and takes a step outside the usual Squire sound yet includes all the hallmarks - the electric 12-string guitar, the songwriting, the pop influence and the voice, capturing a deeper timbre to reflect the more adult or serious lyric.
Indeed, the overarching message in the record is reflection and contemplation. Whether staring out of the window as a passenger on a train, or into the lake with solitude surrounding, the sensation is the same. Inside and outside, fast yet slow, moving and still, near but far, shallow and deep, real and imagined, clear and confused! The imagery in the songs appear as momentary reflections yet timeless experiences.
This is also mirrored in the artwork, and you may find symbolism in every corner of the sleeve! The electric guitar outside, the acoustic inside, both photos are staged sitting against trees, both shots are grounded in nature. The clear vinyl reminds us of ripples on the surface of the lake, while black represents the murky depths!
Even the macabre coincidence of shoes off, symbolising death, or even suicide, a track on the album, while ‘Solitude Surrounding’ references the silver water. The paper label on the vinyl mirrors the sleeve on the A side but the B side is only the tree and lake- the swans and Anthony have become invisible.
The original Japanese release included pictures in the studio, this time we decided against including hardware shots of mixing desks to keep the imagery pastoral. However, the two curious swans that happened by, mirror the two white chairs with curved backs in the studio, that appeared on the original sleeve!
The lyric inner sleeve B side shows the swans have turned around and are heading away. We could extend the imagery of the swans to suggest the album may have been conceived as a swan song - or final gesture, rather than a new beginning, and ponder what lies at the bottom of the lake...!
All coincidences perhaps, but those who have pored over Beatles record sleeves looking for clues, especially connected to the ‘Paul is dead’ myth, may enjoy hunting for clues and connections embedded in Passengers On Trains!
For instance, the ‘Abbey Road’ sleeve procession and clothing is said to depict John as the preacher, Ringo as the undertaker, Paul out of step and barefoot signifying death, and George as the gravedigger, with the car in the background number plate 28 IF depicting Pauls age if he had lived! All nonsense but great fun for fans!
So Passengers On Trains is an album for everyone to enjoy, whether listening to the music or studying the sleeve and inner sleeve, and the LP size reminds us of how the big format release provides so much opportunity to enjoy the whole package, compared to a CD and booklet.
If you haven’t done so, this is the last week to join in the competition to win the 'Get Ready To Go' white label test pressing together with a 'The Young Idea' Tee Shirt!
The question is in two parts:-
We have held competitions for all but two of the coloured vinyl single releases.
- Name one of the missing records!
- What has been your favourite newsletter so far?
Email your answers to info@squirenet.co.uk and please mark the subject line as ‘competition’ so we can spot them easily! We will pick the winner on Saturday 22nd April and you can see who wins live on screen!
We are especially keen to know what type of articles you enjoy so we can include them amongst the news, gig, archive dives and release info.
All the best from Squire!