As the title says, the Mother Earth – The People Tree 30th Anniversary double vinyl edition is now on pre-order in limited numbers.
It’s a strange one, really. I still vividly recall this coming out and being really impressed with it. The expectation was that the album would take the band more into the mainstream, but it never quite happened. Yet this is still a really good album, the band’s high point and a really polished affair. It deserves its second shot as a 30th-anniversary edition.
As basic maths will tell you, the album was released back in 1994 and still stands up today. Its ‘vintage’ mix of soul, funk, and rock has aged well. Having the likes of Paul Weller, Dee C Lee, and Brand New Heavies’ Simon Bartholomew probably helped it too.
The album ‘as is’ is reissued here, but as a bonus, an extra slab of vinyl includes three previously unreleased tracks and a further six that have never before been on vinyl. The entire package has also been remastered from the original analogue recordings. Those bonus tracks include the previously unreleased alternative ‘Apple Green’ (with a ‘distinctive’ female backing vocal), an alternative version of ‘Illusions’, and the title track. First-time vinyl cuts include the alternate master of ‘Jesse’, as well as the wonderful ‘A Trip Down Brian Lane’ and the heavy funk of ‘Slide Sweet Baby’.
The package also has two printed inner sleeves, with in-depth notes from Eddie Piller and unseen photos from the original cover shoot by legendary music photographer Gerald Mankiewicz. So, it’s well worth picking up if you are a fan.
Tracks below, and if you want one, there are 1,000 being made available worldwide. You can pre-order now for £28 at Acid Jazz or Rough Trade, as well as Amazon.
Tracklisting:
Side A
1/Institution Man
2/ Jesse
3/ Stardust Bubblegum
4/ Mr Freedom
5/ Dragster
6/ Find It
Side B
1/ The People Tree
2/ Apple Green
3/ Time Of The Future
4/ Saturation 70
5/ Illusions
6/ A Trip Down Brian Lane
Side C
1/ Jesse (Alternate master mix) *
2/ Institution Man (Single edit) *
3/ Warlocks Of The Mind Pt1 *
4/ Time Of The Future (Alternative EP mix)
5/ Find It (In The End) – Radio Edit
6/ Almost Grown (Featuring Paul Weller)
Side D
1/ Apple Green (with Harmony Vocal) ^
2/ Illusions (no horn mix) ^
3/ Take A Trip Down Brian Lane (7-inch Edit)*
4/ Slide Sweet Baby *
5/ People Tree (No mellotron mix) ^
6/ Jesse (Alt Brendan Lynch Radio Mix) *
*First vinyl release
^ Previously unreleased
