Lend An Ear
Which edition do I have?
Recently, Lend An Ear has been in demand for surprisingly high value second-hand, so to keep the record straight, here is a detailed guide to knowing if your copy is a first or second edition.
About the EP
Lend An Ear was my first attempt at a solo recording. It was recorded between my student bedroom and the chapel at York St John University. I didn't really know what I was doing, the performance was rushed and I accidentally deleted the mixes half way through, but for some reason decided to release the partially finished mixes anyway. I don't like it but other people like it and my music is for them, not me.
​
Two editions were made. I cannot remember the quantities of each, but if I had to guess, I think I'd say there were fewer an 100 of the first edition and 200 of the second edition. They were mostly sold in pubs and small folk club venues.
As you will see, I made a few typos on the first edition, so tried to correct them in the second and made some different typos. Typical me. I hope you find this thread as comical as I do, looking back!
The first edition has no writing on the spine.
​
This is the easiest way to identify a first edition.​
The second edition has writing on the spine.
​
But put it next to other CDs and what do you notice? Not only is going the wrong way up the spine... it's back to front too!
The first edition has slightly lighter silver decoration and writing.
​
The second edition has darker, almost purple-tinted decoration and writing.
​
In this picture, the first edition is on the top.
The first edition has gold around the edge of the disc.
​
The second edition has silver around the edge of the disc.
​
In this picture, the first edition is above the second edition.
The first edition has the typo 'andcopying' in the liner notes.
​
The autograph on this photo was written on afterwards; there is no autograph printed on any edition.
The first edition credits Ye Jacobites By Name as 'Traditional'.
The second edition corrects the 'andcopying' typo so it is written as two separate words.
...before instantly making another typo in the process of trying to correct the incorrect crediting on the previous edition.
​
It should say 'Robert Burns' but instead says 'Robert Burs'.
​
Unbelievable.
Fun fact: the black-and-white logo on the back is the cover of Valénor - an older album made with Ben Burnell, Nathan Greaves and Dan Crompton that had already been recorded but would not be released until the following year in 2014. This appears on the reverse of both albums.
​
There is also a lyrical reference to the following album, Into The Green - but you'll have to spot that yourself!
I do not know if these early CDs are worth any more than the £7 they were sold for originally, but if they do hold a high second-hand value, I hope this guide helps you know what you are buying or selling. I am grateful to the people who bought these off me first time round; the money earned from selling them gave me the small boost I needed to get working on the next project: Into The Green, and I gradually built up from there.
​
Here's to a long future of albums riddled with typos.
​
Josh x