This expanded edition of Mother Earth’s second studio album is a treat for anyone nostalgic for the golden age of acid jazz and the long gone rare groove phenomenon of the early-to-mid- 90s. Unashamedly retro at the time of its release in 1994, Mother Earth revelled in their enthusiasm for all manner of vintage funkiness and strictly analogue vibes.
This ultimate-edition reissue, complete with Dean Rudland’s blow-by-blow account of its long and drawn out recording process, rolls out the red carpet normally reserved for bona fide classics (presumably this is an attempt to shed the unwelcome ‘overlooked’ tag the album has attracted since its original release). Disc One comprises the original 12-track album, plus Warlocks Of The Mind Part 1, previously only available on CD. Disc Two is a mixed bag of acoustic versions, 7” mixes, radio edits, alternative EP mixes and previously unreleased material, including covers of The Small Faces’ Almost Grown and Santana’s Soul Sacrifice. While the original album was dedicated to the memory of Steve Marriott, in his sleevenotes to this edition guitarist and vocalist Matt Deighton extends the dedication to the memory Marriott’s songwriting partner Ronnie Laine. It’s a nice touch, complementing the comprehensive repackaging.
