gruff rhys record store day album don't WELCOME THE PLAGUE AS A BLESSING/ THE BABELSBERG BASEMENT FILES

Gruff Rhys releasing alternate version of 'Babelsberg' for RSD20, shares "Negative Vibes"

Gruff Rhys at Roundhouse
photo by Christopher Jesse Juarez

Gruff Rhys‘ 2018 album Babelsberg was made with the 72-piece BBC National Orchestra of Wales which gave the record a sweep unlike any the Super Furry Animals frontman had made before. He’s now, however, releasing the version of the album that existed before the strings came in. It’s titled (Don’t) Welcome The Plague As A Blessing / The Babelsberg Basement Files and is a Record Store Day exclusive, due August 29, which is the first of three RSD “Drops.”

“I love the finished album (Babelsberg) and Stephen McNeff’s arrangements and Samur Khouja’s mix,” says Gruff. “This is a companion piece that unearths the live band that played on everything and it’s how we toured the album mostly, so it’s great to have a document of that. The Babelsberg band — Kliph / Steve / Osian are ridiculously talented musicians — they could step into any Wrecking Crew.”

Gruff goes on to add, “I must point out that these records were pressed in Autumn 2019 in preparation for an April RSD 2020 — I would have never put plague in the title if I knew there was a pandemic on the way. I wouldn’t want to remind people of their suffering. Although I think it’s scandalous how the horrific miss-handling of the pandemic is not viewed as an utter scandal in the UK at least.”

You can the 8-bit lyric video for the “Basement” version of “Negative Vibes” below.

gruff rhys record store day album don't WELCOME THE PLAGUE AS A BLESSING/ THE BABELSBERG BASEMENT FILES

Tracklist:
1. Frontier Man
2. The Club
3. Oh Dear!
4. Limited Edition Heart
5. Take That Call
6. Drones in the City
7. Negative Vibes
8. Same Old Song
9. Architecture of Amnesia
10.Selfies in the Sunset