NewsCrowded House / Help is Coming
Vinyl Factory are to release a special limited edition seven-inch vinyl version of Crowded House‘s 1995 song Help Is Coming in support of Syrian Refugees.
The track originally featured on the Afterglow compilation album and the single will include a previously unreleased song Anthem on the B-side. In true Crowded House tradition, the sleeve has been designed by Nick Seymour.
This release has been the initiative of music writer and broadcaster Pete Paphides and his wife, author and Times columnist Caitlin Moran. Production costs for the single have been waived with all proceeds going to Save The Children. Also, the artist, publisher and licensing label will donate all royalties from the release to the charity, who are working to provide aid to Syria’s displaced peoples.
“I first heard Help Is Coming in 1999 and it absolutely stopped me in my tracks. Sixteen years later, watching harrowing footage of the mass exodus from Syria playing out on my TV screen, this was the song that started playing in my head. Before Mat Whitecross made the incredible film that went with it; The Vinyl Factory was my first port of call to see if I could get the song released in aid of the relief effort. A song as beautiful as this deserves to exist in the physical world.” – Pete Paphides.
This will be officially released on 28 September but you can pre-order from Vinyl Factory’s website. The physical release will be limited to 1000. You can also download the song via iTunes.
- A: Help Is Coming
- B: Anthem (exclusive)
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Well it seems that people dont believe me or think I’m a moron not capable of reading a few numbers….
Here’s what I have on my invoice:
ELP IS COMING
CROWDED HOUSE Special Edition UNIVERSAL / THE VINYL FACTORY £12.5 1 £12.5
Goods £12.5
Shipping £20.35
TAX £0
TOTAL £32.85
The only objection I had before I ordered was the addition of VAT – I see that George Osborne is getting his pound of flesh.
Apparently Osborne has agreed to waive the VAT (credit to Stella Creasy for persuading him) but I presume that in practice that means it still has to be levied and re-funded or something. I’m sure it’s automatically programmed into the e-commerce system anyway.
If its being released to raise funds for for refugees, why limit it to 1000 copies? Odd…
Not sure where people are coming up with the £20 postage charge. My total for my order (including postage to the USA) was £16.25. Happy to support the cause and get an unreleased song as a bonus.
I think the confusion comes from one of the very early posts – someone said ‘it’s over £20 once you add postage’, but it may have got misconstrued as on top of the original £15, rather than including the original £15.
I live in Australia, so judging from other comments it would only cost me just under £20 (a smidge under $AUD40). It may not seem a lot to some people, but it is to me at this point in time. I’m a huge CH fan, but I don’t have a record player so there are people who would appreciate it more than I would. It’s a limited pressing so if I bought it, someone else misses out. I know that’s a really pathetic excuse…..
There’s no need to be judgmental on those who don’t buy it, because IT’S A LIMITED EDITION. If they don’t buy it, someone else will, and if they do buy it, someone else misses out. The same amount of money will be raised no matter what.
If there had been a variety of formats available, I wouldn’t be so nit-picky about it. It will be a nice exclusive collector’s item. Especially as iTunes doesn’t include the b-side. But I would also love to see a general release CD single – it could be sold in music stores, banks, post offices, newsagents, etc. throughout Australia, NZ and the UK (the Finn fan triangle) and maybe even the US. It would be seen by a lot of people who wouldn’t be aware of it otherwise. Hell, even if it was a mail order CD single, I’d buy it. But not a $AUD40 vinyl 7″, despite the worthy cause.
But like I said…..the copy I don’t buy will go to someone else who will appreciate it more.
I just watched the video and wow! I tell you what if I lived in that environment… and let’s face it, it has been a war zone for years now the last thing I would be doing is having kids.
We really need to treat root cause with this issue and unite to sort out the issues in Syria.
Thanks for the post Paul.
Thanks Paul for this opportunity to support a worthy cause, I purchased this 7″ for less than £20 + P&P UK.
Why ??
Because I know there are more than 1,000 Crowded House collectors and it will be a physical reminder that I did something + just like the live aid picture disc I once owned, when I am in need of a few quid I can resell.
Yours a capitalist with a conscience
Just 5 pounds to Australia so ex VAT was 17 pounds all up. For a good cause; happy to support.
Thank Paul S and Paul B,
I have just ordered my copy. The postage is less than a fiver NOT £20 as stated above – so it’s £20 in total and we are all helping a worthy cause and getting a physical product in return and a belief in the fact that we are helping a worthy cause…
Hey I get it “don’t wanna get ripped of by the ‘man'” well f**k that… Dig deep into your heart and support ‘tomorrow’s future’ i.e. The Children
If you don’t want to subscribe then DON’T. Only true believers need apply
Love and respect to all.
5£ if you live in the UK…. and there’s A rest of the world, and for non UK residents it’s 20£using Fedex or DHL!!!!!!!
Making this a niche product on vinyl limited to 1000 copies or digital only kind of defeats the purpose of raising money. I’ll bet the download isn’t £15 and it obviously doesn’t have extra charges for shipping. What about a good old cd single for say £5-6, heaps cheaper to ship and have it on sale everywhere?
That was my first thought too, limited edition charity singles always seem an odd concept, but I suppose there may be contractual reasons why Universal were only willing to allow a limited number of copies to be pressed. And of course you wouldn’t want to over-manufacture and devalue them.
15 quid is a lot of money but I suppose we all know that if they sold them for a fiver half of them would be on Ebay for £20 soon enough. At least this way we know where the money’s going.
I don’t know if it was me the guy not keen to pay…. I ordered it, the 15£ is not really a problem but the 20£ for shipping is outrageaous, sending this by DHL and no other option, not fair (and that money is not for charity!!!!!)
I think that I’m the guy not keen to pay £15, and certainly won’t pay £35. My conscience just seems to rebel at paying a premium price for a deluxe object in order to support people who have nothing but the clothes they left home in. My cognitive dissonance is stretched to breaking point by that one.
That is purely my point of view, my conscience and not a judgement on Peter Paphides and Crowded House, who are clearly wanting to do what they can to help. Neither is it a criticism of anyone who does buy it.
Just because it’s for a ‘good cause’ doesn’t mean price shouldn’t be an issue.
Some people will be put off by the price (especially for something as ‘niche’ as limited edition vinyl) whereas a cheaper, more accessible format might generate more sales and raise more funds.
Sure it’s also on iTunes, but a lot of people aren’t on iTunes.
Ordered. Thanks for highlighting this Paul.
Completely agree with Brian. Ordered mine without hesitation – not even a CH fan!
Reply to the guy who is not “keen to pay £15 for this”: You are looking at this the wrong way. It is not simply a sale of a record for £15. (If it was, I would agree with you.) Think of the record instead as a thank-you for contributing to a cause of paramount importance. As stated in the article, nobody is profiting on this. What you are “getting” for your money, in addition to the record, is the opportunity to help people in desperate need. Perhaps at some point to have made charitable contributions as large or larger and neither received nor expected anything in return. Viewed in that light, this is a pretty great deal.
@Brian – Couldn’t have put it better myself!
CJ I think you miss the point… It’s to raise a bit of funds for a desperate situation going on in the world while giving fans chance to get their hands on something collectible.
The Song was although released on the Crowded House Album Afterglow.
A B-side and Rarities compilation.
Didn’t I say that?
Yes you did, but by the same token, you also refer to it as a “seven vinyl version.”
Don’t see the connection, but thanks for pointing out the typo.
15£ plus 20£ shipment….. talk about being supportive!!!!!!
Just 1,000 copies available according to the website as Paul points out. £15, yes..? Neil Finn is fairly prolific and I’d imagine he has loads of unreleased tracks gathered and worked on down the years. I don’t know anything about the track ‘Anthem’ but I would have thought if it was a cover version it would have been flagged up as that and make it even more collectable. Just a thought.
Is the b-side the Leonard Cohen song? Would be worth a listen if it is.
Can’t say I’m keen to pay £15 for this.
Well, it’s actually over £20 once the postage has been added. If most of the money goes to Save The Children then I don’t mind – I get an unreleased song, so it’s all good.