Life In Slow Motion

Released: 12th September 2005 - Catalogue # -5046797662

Produced By: Marius De Vries

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Life In Slow Motion is the deceptively consummate product of two years of near-constant evolution, described by David as 'the tip of an iceberg' of new material generated along the way. 'It was bloody hard work,' he says. 'Fear and doubt are huge obstacles. In terms of your own work you have to try to overcome them . It would have been so easy to get freaked out but I¹m really delighted that I didn't. I did lose the plot at times in some ways, as you do when you're immersed in something and you're kind of craving it stopping, but you can't let go of it either. And this is a document of what happened.'

Tracklist:

A New Day At Midnight

Released: 28th October 2002 - Catalogue # -5046616582

Produced By: Gray/McClune/Polson

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For all the comparisons with 'White Ladder' that David Gray's new album will no doubt meet, 'A New Day At Midnight is far from simply 'White Ladder Pt2'.

Recorded intermittently between spring 2001 and August 2002 in Iht's Clapham studio (all 20 x 10 ft of it), the results are certain to defy expectations. Here is a record that plays and was built by its own rules, an event and piece of work in its own right.

"After the huge success of 'White Ladder' there was a certain amount of psychology involved in making this record. The task I faced was to get past all that, and get on with the job of writing and recording some music that articulated how I was thinking and feeling in the here and now".

There is an undoubtable shift of tone between the two records, whilst the simplicity of sound and structure remains unadulterated. "I'm just doing what I do. It's not that there's been a decision made to go in this direction, that's just the way it's gone".

The EP's 92-94

Released: 2001,

HUT Records - CDHUT67

Produced By: Dave Anderson

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Released mid 2001, The EP's, it is hard the ignore the general opinion that Virgin/HUT threw together all the recorded material they had of David onto a CD to cash in years after they axed him.

"If you like I was working in black and white when I was just with the acoustic guitar back then." - David Gray - April 2001.

There are some excellent early recordings on this album, not least "L's Song" and the wonderfully underated "The Rice". But one of the best features of this album are the videos of Shine and Wisdom bundled together on the Enhanced CD

Lost Songs ['95 - '98]

Released: June 31 2000,

IHT Records - IHTCD002

Produced By: Gray / McClune / Polson

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Initially an Irish only release. The tracks were written between Sell Sell Sell and White Ladder hence the "Lost" as David describes this as a lost time in his life. It is by no means a "White Ladder Part 2" album and marks David returning to his musical roots before advancing with new material. Releases have been planned for the UK and US markets early this year.

Gray recorded "Lost Songs 95-98" at his own studio in October 1999. "They would have just gone to waste, or become part of a mass of unreleased material," Gray says of the compositions. "[That] was a really prolific time for me. Much as it was a bad time as far as my career went, I was writing like crazy. I wrote three or four albums' worth of stuff and this is a selection of acoustic tracks that went together in a very simple way. It's not really a produced record, it's just a going-in-the-studio, me-and-the-guitar type record. I'm pleased with it. It is what it is, and we're making damn sure people don't think it's the follow-up album."

Tracklist:

1. Flame Turns Blue
2. Twilight
3. Hold On
4. As I'm Leaving
5. If Your Love Is Real
6. Tidal Wave
7. Falling Down The Mountainside
8. January Rain (instrumental)
9. Red Moon
10. Clean Pair Of Eyes
11. Wurlitzer (instrumental)

White Ladder

Released:
1998 IHT Records - IHTCD001

Produced By: David Gray

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This is the album that made David Gray. It's sold over a million copies in Ireland where it initially started to take off following David's extensive touring of the country. Now available in what I've counted as six different versions due to tie-ups with East West Records in the UK and ATO in the US.

To access the secret track play track one then rewind it about 2 mins!

Tracklist:

[secret track] Can't Get Through

1. Please Forgive Me
2. Babylon
3. We're Not Right
4. My Oh My
5. Silver Lining
6. White Ladder
7. This Year's Love
8. Sail Away
9. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

Reviews:
Q magazine
MUSE

Sell Sell Sell

Released: 1996
EMI - CDEMC3755

Produced By: David Nolte

Buy This Album

A very underrated album in my opinion this contains the song that made David a hero of mine: Late Night Radio. This was David's final flirtation with a big label and he got left in limbo following the collapse / take-over of EMI. Deleted from production it became a nightmare for non-Irish fans to obtain until EMI cashed in when David found success with White Ladder. Copies had been passing hands over EBay for nearly $100.

1. Faster, Sooner, Now
2. Late Night Radio
3. Sell, Sell, Sell
4. Hold on to Nothing
5. Everytime
6. Magdalena
7. Smile
8. Only The Lonely
9. What Am I Doing Wrong?
10. Gutters Full Of Rain
11. Forever is Tomorrow is Today
12. Folk Song

Reviews:
Westnet The Boston Phoenix
The War Against Silence

Released:1994
Virgin Records - CDHUT17
Produced By: Dave Anderson
Re-Released July 06 2001, HUT Records

 
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This is one of those albums that you only truly appreciate after a few listens. Clune makes his first appearance on this album. Stupidly deleted from production this album is starting to become difficult to get a copy of outside Ireland but it is still widely available here in most good music shops. As soon as an internet website starts stocking it, I'll put up a link. No doubt Virgin will soon re-release it to cash in on David's success.

Tracklist:

1. What are you?
2. The Light
3. Coming Down
4. Falling Free
5. Made Up My Mind
6. Mystery Of Love
7. Lullaby
8. New Horizons
9. Loves Old Song
10. Flesh

Released (UK): 1993
Warner Chappell Music - CDHUT9
Released (US): 1993
Caroline Records
Re-Released July 06 2001, HUT Records
Produced By: Jim Abbiss

Buy This Album

This was David's debut album and (in my opinion) without a doubt his masterpiece. When this album was recorded, David's sound was young, raw and honest. This album was released to immediate comparisons with Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Van Morisson. It's amazing when you listen to it that it took another seven years for David to see mainstream success.

1. Shine
2. A Century Ends
3. Debauchery
4. Let The Truth Sting
5. Gathering Dust
6. Wisdom
7. Lead Me Upstairs
8. Living Room
9. Birds Without Wings
10. It's All Over

Album Promos

These are album promos given to radio stations, review magazines etc. They are usually quite rare and can differ from the final release significantly or only sample parts of the album.

Flesh
Sell Sell Sell
White Ladder (UK)
White Ladder (US)

White Ladder Alternative Versions

Because of early difficulties with major record labels, White Ladder was released on David's own label, IHT Records. It has since been licensed to East West Records, ATO and Warner which has led to multiple versions of the album being released, some have extra traks etc but most are actually quite similar.

US Release
Irish Re-release
UK Re-release
Australian Release

Flesh

Released:1994
Virgin Records - CDHUTP17

Produced By: Dave Anderson

A teaser handed out to radio stations in an attempt to get them to play David's music in the early years. Surprisingly unsuccessful in this when you consider the quality of the four tracks on it...

Tracklist:

1. Made Up My Mind
2. What Are You
3. Falling Free
4. Coming Down

Sell Sell Sell

Released: 1996
EMI - DPRO-37357

Notice the different track-listing on this than was released. Thanks to Jess for the scans! You can click on them to see a bigger version.

Tracklist:

1. Faster, Sooner, Now
2. Late Night Radio
3. Sell, Sell, Sell
4. Smile
5. Hold On To Nothing
6. Everytime
7. Magdalena
8. Only The Lonely
9. What Am I Doing Wrong?
10. Gutters Full OF Rain
11. Forever is Tomorrow is Today
12. Folk Song

White Ladder (UK Promo)

Released:
2000 East West Records

Produced By: David Gray

Distributed by East West Records to promote their release of the White Ladder album. Noteworthy for some of it's rarer re-mixes

Tracklist:

1. Please Forgive Me
2. Babylon
3. My Oh My
4. Sail Away
5. Please Forgive Me (Orbital Radio re-mix)
6. Babylon (Flightcrank Remix)

White Ladder (US Promo)

Released:

2000, ATO Records

Produced By: David Gray

Distributed by ATO to promote the release of their first album. Notice the inclusion of "Babylon II" at the beginning of the play order instead of at the end.

Tracklist:

1. Babylon (US Radio Edit)
2. Please Forgive Me
3. Babylon
4. My Oh My
5. We're Not Right
6. Mightblindness
7. Silver Lining
8. This Years Love
9. Sail Away
10. Say Hello Wave Goodbye

Buy This Album

The first release on David Matthews' label ATO [according to our] Records. ATO sent David on a mini-tour of the US to promote the album and it is taking off very well in the states as ATO give David the PR his music deserves.

Tracklist:

1. Please Forgive Me
2. Babylon
3. My Oh My
4. We're Not Right
5. Nightblindness
6. Silver Lining
7. White Ladder
8. This Years Love
9. Sail Away
10. Say Hello Wave Goodbye
11. Babylon II

Buy This Album

Interesting due to the addition of Nightblindness and no change in serial number. Never marketed touting "now with Nightblindness" or anything, I only discovered it because myself and my father both had copies of the White Ladder album but I had Nightblindness and he didn't.

Tracklist:

[secret track] Can't Get Through

1. Please Forgive Me
2. Babylon
3. We're Not Right
4. My Oh My
5. Nightblindness
6. Silver Lining
7. White Ladder
8. This Year's Love
9. Sail Away
10. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

Buy This Album

This was what launched David into the A - list of every major UK radio station. When East West licensed the White Ladder album they put on a huge marketing drive, David's face was on every magazine cover in the UK. Whether tha's a good thing or not is still the source for many a debate on the messageboards.

Tracklist:

1. Please Forgive Me
2. Babylon
3. We're Not Right
4. Nightblindness
5. My Oh My
6. Silver Lining
7. White Ladder
8. This Year's Love
9. Sail Away
10. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

(Australian release)
Released: August 5th 2000
Warner Music Australia
Produced By: David Gray

Buy This Album

The album that broke David into the mainstream gets it's Australian release. With the release of Babylon on single sales have started to pick up and he's becoming quite popular there already.

Tracklist:

1. Please Forgive Me
2. Babylon
3. We're Not Right
4. Nightblindness
5. My Oh My
6. Silver Lining
7. White Ladder
8. This Year's Love
9. Sail Away
10. Say Hello, Wave Goodbye