NewsThe Distractions / Nobody’s Perfect / two-CD deluxe reissue and vinyl
2CD remastered with 34 bonus tracks • plus Vinyl LP with stereo remix
Post-punk/new wave band The Distractions‘ 1980 album Nobody’s Perfect has enjoyed ‘lost classic’ status for a long time and is finally reissued, remastered and expanded with a host of unreleased material.
The Manchester band were label mates with Joy Division in the late 1970s before they were signed to Island Records by legendary A&R man Nick Stewart (he signed U2). Nick is actually putting out this reissue on his own label which brings the story full circle 40 years on. Nick remembers it well:
“In 1979 I went up to Manchester to meet Tony Wilson of Factory Records, with whom I forged a firm friendship. Joy Division weren’t interested in signing to Island Records, so Tony suggested I check out another local band who’d just recorded a single for Factory called ‘Time Goes by so Slow’… I loved it from the moment I heard it… and quickly struck a deal for The Distractions to join Island. My first signing!”
The new two-CD deluxe reissue takes the original 14 track album and expands it to 48 tracks. It contains the original album remastered (by Nick Halliwell and Jason Mitchell), all the non-album Island singles, a track from a compilation album, previously unreleased demos, the entire ‘You’re Not Going Out Dressed Like That’ 12-inch EP and both sides of the Factory single ‘Time Goes By So Slow’ (taken from the original master tape, for the first time). These two CDs include every track released by the original band 1978-81. The second disc also includes a new stereo remix of the album (by Nick Halliwell).
The 2CD set comes presented as a digipack and features sleeve notes by David Quantick. A 180g vinyl pressing features the new stereo remix.
I’m delighted to say that we have an exclusive availability via the SDE shop and all CD and vinyl pre-orders will come with a special 120 x 120mm art print of one of the portraits from the album cover, laminated complete with ‘hot foil’ effect. Additionally, the vinyl includes an A3 poster (folded once).
Nobody’s Perfect 2020 is reissued on 20 March 2020. Pre-order from the SDE shop via this link, or use the buttons below!
NOBODY’S PERFECT – 2CD deluxe
CD1: “Nobody’s Perfect”, 1979-81
1. Waiting For Lorraine
2. Something for the Weekend
3. Boys Cry (when no one can see them)
4. Sick and Tired
5. Leave you to Dream
6. Louise
7. Paracetamol Paralysis
8. (Stuck in a) Fantasy
9. Nothing
10. Wonder Girl
11. Still it doesn’t ring
12. Untitled
13. Looking for a Ghost
14. Valerie
Bonus tracks
15. It Doesn’t Bother Me
16. One Way Love
17. Something for the Weekend
18.What’s the use?
19.Twenty-Four Hours
20.Ghost of a Chance
21. Love is not for Me
22. Leave me
Notes
1-14: Nobody’s Perfect Island LP ILPS 9604. Produced by Phil Chapman and Jon Astley at Revolution, Manchester, 14/1/80-6/2/80. Extra instruments and vocals by The Frozen Jubblies.
15-16: Island 7″ WIP 6533. Produced by Jon Astley, engineered by Phil Chapman at Strawberry Sound, Manchester
17-18: Island 7″ WIP 6650. Produced by John Adcock at Strawberry Sound, Manchester, mixed by The Distractions and Brandon Leon.
19-21: And Then There’s… THAT 7” EP, THAT1
22: From Fools Rush In Where Angels Dare To Tread Martyrwell compilation LP MARY 141. Produced by Richard Strange, engineered by Andy Rose and Jon Astley.
1-18 ℗1979, 1980 Island Records Ltd. 19-21 ℗1981 THAT Records. 22 ℗ 1981 Martyrwell Music Company.
CD2: “Ride Your Ideas Ragged”, 1978-80
1. Pillow Fight (demo)*
2. Sick and Tired (demo)*
3. Still it doesn’t Ring (demo)*
4. Valerie (demo)*
5. Doesn’t Bother Me
6. Nothing
7. Maybe it’s Love
8. Too Young
9. Time Goes by so Slow
10. Pillow Fight
11. It Doesn’t Bother Me (stereo remix)
12. One Way Love (stereo remix)
13. Waiting For Lorraine (stereo remix)
14. Something for the Weekend (stereo remix)
15. Boys Cry (when no one can see them) (stereo remix)
16. Sick and Tired (stereo remix)
17. Leave you to Dream (stereo remix)
18. Louise (stereo remix)
19. Paracetamol Paralysis (stereo remix)
20. (Stuck in a) Fantasy (stereo remix)
21. Nothing (stereo remix)
22. Wonder Girl (stereo remix)
23. Still it doesn’t ring (stereo remix)
24. Untitled (stereo remix)
25. Looking for a Ghost (stereo remix)
26. Valerie (stereo remix)
NOTES
1-4: Previously unreleased demos. Engineered by John Brierley at Cargo, Manchester, September 1978.
5-8: You’re Not Going Out Dressed Like That. TJM 12” EP TJM2. Produced by Brandon Leon, engineered by Phil Bush at Arrow Sound, Manchester, 9-10/11/78
9-10: Factory 7” FAC12. Produced by Brandon Leon, engineered by Phil Bush at Indigo Arrow.
11-26: Credits as CD1 1-16. Remixed by Nick Halliwell.
1-4 and 11-26 ℗ 2020 Occultation Recordings. 5-8 ℗ 1978 TJM Records. 9-10 ℗ 1979 Factory Records.
NOBODY’S PERFECT – 180g vinyl
1. Waiting For Lorraine (stereo remix)
2. Something for the Weekend (stereo remix)
3. Boys Cry (when no one can see them) (stereo remix)
4. Sick and Tired (stereo remix)
5. Leave you to Dream (stereo remix)
6. Louise (stereo remix)
7. Paracetamol Paralysis (stereo remix)
8. (Stuck in a) Fantasy (stereo remix)
9. Nothing (stereo remix)
10. Wonder Girl (stereo remix)
11. Still it doesn’t ring (stereo remix)
12. Untitled (stereo remix)
13 Looking for a Ghost (stereo remix)
14. Valerie (stereo remix)
Notes
1-14: Nobody’s Perfect Island LP ILPS 9604. Produced by Phil Chapman and Jon Astley at Revolution, Manchester, 14/1/80-6/2/80. Extra instruments and vocals by The Frozen Jubblies. Remixed by Nick Halliwell.
℗ 2020 Occultation Recordings.
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It may not be appropriate to mention in this thread, and in fact wasn’t, but may I just add that The Distractions released two more wonderful LPs much later in their career on Occultation. The second album – The End of the Pier – came a full 34 years after the Nobody’s Perfect debut, and the third – Kindly Leave the Stage -a few years after that. Imagine the feisty and flirty young folks of the fantastic debut LP in long-term marriages, heart-sore with repetition of circumstance, and you’re close to how wonderful these latter two records are. Criminally overlooked when Occultation put them out, but always ripe for rediscovery. I have the original Nobody’s Perfect LP and all of the singles and EPs and love this band dearly. Thanks, Paul!
Thanks Tony. We are actually selling both of these on the SDE shop on CD and vinyl! https://www.thesdeshop.com/
Thanks Tony. I run Occultation and was also in the band that made the final two albums, and what you describe is exactly what Steve (Perrin) and I set out to do when we were writing them. I’ve been in quite a lot of bands over the years but being a Distraction was an unalloyed pleasure and they also – perhaps unwisely – allowed me to produce. As Paul says, the two later albums are available from the SDE shop or from us. Incidentally, we also did a couple of gigs with the End of the Pier line-up (Mike Finney, Steve Perrin, myself, Arash Torabi and the late, great Mike Kellie of the Only Ones on drums) in Salford in autumn 2021. There’s a video of us performing the classic “Time Goes By So Slow” here: https://youtu.be/hDVNjLm-0Ng.
Anyway, thanks for your kind comments and I hope you’ll enjoy NP2020.
Will SDE be the only place to buy this?
No it will come out in other places later (without the prints/poster). For now it’s just SDE and the official Distractions store.
Rob,
As Paul says, the print and poster are only available from SDE and sales direct from us (Occultation Recordings). There will be a full retail release on 20/3/20 – unless we sell them all between us, of course! :-)
Hi Paul. I love this site, and I have been a lurker here for a while. I took a listen to a few songs on YouTube and the group sounds right up my alley. Will there be a digital release for the two disc set? I can’t really afford shipping the CD release to Canada, but I’d love to support the artists.
Hi Alex,
I’m afraid there’s no digital release of the whole thing because Universal refused to let us have the digital rights to the Island recordings. So it’s LP and 2CD only.
All the best
Nick
Occultation Recordings
Wow! Can’t believe this is finally happening after all this time.
I had purchased the single of “Time Goes By So Slow” because it was on Factory and so thought it was likely good. It wasn’t good, it was great! I remember thinking that The Distractions were going to be big for Factory and that they were easily going to outsell Joy Division. Boy was I wrong!
They were signed so quickly to Island that they took over the pressing of the Factory single, such that two versions exist – the original, and one that has “distributed by Island Records” printed on the labels. The sleeves stayed the same. I have both versions. Oddly, Discogs only has examples of the 1st version.
Meanwhile, the album is great, but is not that well known in the US and Canada cause Island never released it in North America or anywhere outside Europe. So the few of us here that have it all have the UK album and singles. Glad to see the non-LP singles side are being collected here.
I am so looking forward to this, and I also grabbed CD copies of the two other albums.
Thanks SOOOOOO much for this, Paul!
if it’s not on discogs, it’s because nobody else who has that version has bothered to add it yet.
If you want your 2nd version catalogued on discogs you probably need to put it on there yourself.
It’s a bit confusing really: you get the ‘art print’ with the 2CD, but *not* with the 2CD+LP bundle?…
You get the art print and the poster with the 2CD+LP bundle
Ah ok. The art print is mentioned above the 2CD add-to-cart button, but not above the bundle button.
Hence my confusion, sorry
No apology necessary, it is clear on the actual shop, but you are right, it could be clearer on the buttons and on SDE. I’ll add some text to clarify.
Sounds interesting. Have to give it some more listening. Thanks for the music experience Paul !
In a digipack (so with a plastic tray) and not in an awfull digisleeve??
Thanks Paul! Ordered the vinyl from your store. Looking forward to it!
Thank you
Delighted you are covering this Paul, as it might bring one of my favourite LPs of all time to a wider audience.
I still have my original LP from 1980 when I was 14 years old, so long ago now!!
Have already ordered LP and CD through Occulation (as I’m on The Distractions email list) and I’ve been waiting for years for this to finally be issued on CD with all the extras.
Was due to come out a few years ago with Pledge and Hidden Masters but sadly never got released then so good things come to those who wait.
Have downloaded the demos that you get when you pre-order with Occulation and they sound fantastic.
If you have never heard this LP before, I would recommend it highly as the “lost classic” that Paul mentions above. Waiting For Lorraine and Leave You To Dream being 2 of my favourites.
The Distractions Twitter page says that it has nearly sold, out so get in quick folks!
James and Paul, you’re both right, it’s a joint release on Occultation Recordings and Man in the Moon Records.
Ah, I didn’t understand that you meant the imprint. In any case, it’s gonna be a good one!
This is going to be a great release, but I think you’ll find that the Occultation label is owned by Nick Halliwell and not Nick Stewart. :)
Nick Stewart owns the Man in the Moon imprint which this is coming out on. Nick Halliwell owns Occultation as you say.
Ah, I didn’t understand you were meaning the imprint. In any case, it’s gonna be a good one!