Tracey Thorn: A Distant Shore, Expanded Edition

In 1982, 19-year-old Tracey Thorn, who was soon to become half of Everything But The Girl, recorded some songs with Pat Bermingham in his garden shed studio where she had previously recorded the Beach Party album with her band Marine Girls.  She sent the songs, which were recorded for 138 pounds, to Mike Alway, the A&R rep who signed her to Cherry Red (the label that had released the Marine Girls album).  She thought they were basically demos, but he said he felt they were perfect and should be released just as they were, resulting in her debut solo release A Distant Shore.  The album, which has been newly mastered at Abbey Road Studios for this reissue (available on CD and vinyl), is a gorgeous piece of work presenting the music at virtually its most basic with nothing but Thorn’s beautiful vocals accompanied by her guitar work (usually acoustic).  Along with seven originals, the album has a brilliant interpretation of Velvet Underground’s “Femme Fatale”, which she turns into more than just a cover with her unique delivery.  This reissue also contains five previously unheard demo recordings that Tracey found in a box of cassettes.  “Lucky Day” is a song that was recorded during the same session but was left off the album, while the remaining four were recorded at a later session and actually ended up being re-recorded for the debut Everything But The Girl album, Eden.  These bonus cuts flow seamlessly with the rest of the album and are a fantastic addition.  It’s also interesting to hear the future Everything But The Girl tracks in their infancy, especially “The Spice Of Your Life”, which is more intense than the mellow, jazzier version that came later.   

(Cherry Red Records)