Love and Rockets announce 'Sweet F.A.' expanded reissue, share "My Dark Twin"

Love and Rockets are continuing their reissues series with an expanded vinyl reissue of their 1996 album, Sweet F.A. (preorder), and a companion double-CD set of outtakes, My Dark Twin, both of which will be out June 9 via Beggars Arkive.

Sweet F.A. was a return to guitars for the trio after 1994’s heavily electronic Hot Trip to Heaven, and was their first (and last) album for Rick Rubin’s American Recordings. It was a troubled production to say the least, as the band lost all their gear, a few of their recordings, and nearly their lives in a fire at Rubin’s L.A. mansion, where they were living while making the album. Its cover art is a photo of Daniel Ash’s charred guitar from the remains. “Sweet F.A. was our coming of age album,” says bassist/singer David J. “A rite of passage and the Phoenix rising from both the literal and figurative flames.”

The Sweet F.A. expanded edition was remastered at Abbey Road Studios, and adds four songs that were previously only available on the limited edition Love and Rockets vinyl box set that was released last year. You can preorder the vinyl now and pick up other Love and Rockets vinyl reissues in the BV shop.

One of those unreleased tracks, “My Dark Twin,” is also the name of the double-CD companion release which contains eight previously unreleased versions and six unreleased songs from the Sweet F.A. sessions. Those include “U. O. ME” which features Genesis P. Orridge, who also nearly died in the fire; “California (Have A Nice Apocalypse!),” featuring Chuck Prophet and American Music Club‘s Bruce Kaphan on pedal steel; and a cover of Mink DeVille’s “Spanish Stroll.” You can listen to a new mix of “My Dark Twin” by Daniel Ash below.

Love and Rockets will kick off their reunion tour — their most extensive run of dates in 24 years — at Pasadena’s Cruel World festival in May, and they’ll hit Brooklyn at Kings Theatre on June 9. All dates are listed below.

Read our interview with Daniel Ash about the reissues, the upcoming tour and more.

SWEET F.A. EXPANDED:
A1. Sweet F.A.
A2. Judgement Day
A3. Use Me
A4. Fever
A5. Sweet Lover Hangover
B1. Pearl
B2. Shelf Life
B3. Sad & Beautiful World
B4. Natacha
C1. Words of a Fool
C2. Clean
C3. Here Come the Comedown
C4. Spiked
C5. Sweet F.A. (Reprise)
D1. My Dark Twin * previously unheard song outside of box set
D2. Butterfly * previously unheard song outside of box set
D3. Venus Child * previously unheard song outside of box set
D4. Pick Yourself Up * previously unheard song outside of box set

My Dark Twin:

DISC ONE
1. The Fever (First Version) *
2. That’s Progress +
3. Sweet Lover Hangover (Edit)
4. Bomber’s Moon +
5. Words of a Fool (First Version) *
6. Libido Talking +
7. Pearl (First Version) *
8. Shelf Life (First Version) *
9. Sad And Beautiful World (First Version) *
10. Returning +
11. Ritual Radio
12. U. O. ME. +

DISC TWO
1 The Glittering Darkness
2 California (Have A Nice Apocalypse!) +
3 Butterfly
4 Venus Child
5 Here Come The Comedown (Rough Mix) *
6 Pick Yourself Up
7 Sweet F. A. (Rough Mix) *
8 Sweet Lover Hangover (Remix)
9 My Dark Twin
10 Spanish Stroll % *

*previously unreleased version
+ previously unreleased song
% previously unreleased cover