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Aztec Camera Dust Off Rarities for ‘High Land, Hard Rain’ Reissue

aztec camera, high land, hard rain, reissue

Aztec Camera’s 1983 debut album High Land, Hard Rain turned 30 this year, and to celebrate, Domino Records is planning a special anniversary reissue. Due February 4 (which is technically closer to the record’s 31st birthday than 30th, but whatever), the upcoming retrospective spans two discs and collects a host of rarities, B-sides, alternate mixes, and live tracks culled from various radio sessions.

The Scottish New Wavers’ first full-length will also be repackaged in vinyl format, complete with a download card for digital versions of the original album and the second disc of extra material. Pre-orders are currenly available through Domino. The first 400 fans who reserve the vinyl edition will also receive a bonus 7-inch containing four rare tracks. 

As Slicing Up Eyeballs notes, the forthcoming North American reissue follows a European re-release of High Land, Hard Rain that was put out in 2012 by Demon Music Group. The U.K. label reissued all six of Aztec Camera’s albums (from High Land, Hard Rain to 1995’s Frestonia), each with a different number of tacked-on extras. 

Aztec Camera main man Roddy Frame honored the record’s 30th anniversary in his own way: By performing the LP in full during a trio of gigs. Scroll down to watch him play standout single “Oblivious” below, and further still for track list details, as well as cover art.

//www.youtube.com/embed/q2AwcZ5xB9o?rel=0

High Land, Hard Rain track list:

Disc 1:

1. “Oblivious”
2. “The Boy Wonders”
3. “Walk Out to Winter”
4. “The Bugle Sounds Again”
5. “We Could Send Letters”
6. “Pillar to Post”
7. “Release”
8. “Lost Outside the Tunnel”
9. “Back on Board”
10. “Down the Dip”

Disc 2:

1. “Pillar to Post (Original Single Version)”
2. “Queen’s Tattoos”
3. “Orchid Girl”
4. “Haywire”
5. “Walk Out to Winter (Tony Mansfield 7-inch Version)”
6. “Set the Killing Free”
7. “Back on Board (Live on CFNY)”
8. “We Could Send Letters (Live on CFNY)”
9. “Walk Out to Winter (Kid Jensen Session)”
10. “Down the Dip (Kid Jensen Session)”
11. “Back on Board (Kid Jensen Session)”
12. “Release (Kid Jensen Session)”
13. “Walk Out to Winter (John Brand Unreleased Single Version)”
14. “Walk Out to Winter (Tony Mansfield 12-inch version)”
15. “Oblivious (Colin Fairley Remix)”
16. “Oblivious (Langer / Winstanley Remix)”

Bonus 7-inch:

1. “The Boy Wonders (Capital Radio Session)”
2. “Release (Capital Radio Session)”
3. “We Could Send Letters (C81 Version)”
4. “The Bugle Sounds Again (Bedroom Demo)”