The Breeders – Last Splash: 30th Anniversary 2LP + 12″ 4AD Records

**30th Anniversary Original Analog Edition!
*Remastered from the original 1/2″ tape!
*Cut at half-speed at Abbey Road Studios!
*Includes 12″ of two unreleased session tracks!

A defining album of the 90s, Last Splash by The Breeders turns 30 this year. To celebrate, the band have returned to the original tapes to give it it’s first-ever remaster, and by doing so have also unearthed two lost tracks that will delight fans. Recorded by the ‘classic’ Breeders line-up of Kim Deal, Kelley Deal, Josephine Wiggs and Jim Macpherson and featuring singles ‘Cannonball’ and ‘Divine Hammer’, Last Splash was “an alt-rock classic” (Pitchfork’s Top 100 Records of 1990s) on release; a fast seller too, quickly attaining Platinum status in the US. Despite having had the boxset treatment on it’s 20th birthday, the album was still left to be remastered so 10 years on, the original ½” tapes were taken out of the archives and have been lovingly worked on by Kim Deal, Benjamin Mumphrey and Miles Showell (Abbey Road). Never sounding so good, the album for it’s 30th anniversary, it’s getting the ultimate vinyl pressing. Entitled Last Splash (the 30th Anniversary Original Analog Edition), this new version has been cut at half speed at Abbey Road by Miles Showell, now spanning two LPs and running at 45rpm. This edition contains an exclusive, one-sided etched 12″ which features two previously unreleased tracks – ‘Go Man Go’ and ‘Divine Mascis’ (‘Go Man Go’ is a track that Kim co-wrote with Black Francis while ‘Divine Mascis’ is a different version of ‘Divine Hammer’ with Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis on lead vocals). Both tracks originate from the original sessions and were left forgotten until the sessions were exhumed to create this new master. The attention to detail continues to the album’s art, which equally celebrates Vaughan Oliver’s iconic sleeve. With Vaughan sadly no longer with us, his long-time design partner Chris Bigg has gloriously reimagined the album’s sleeve for this new version.

FROM ALL MUSIC GUIDE:

Thanks to good timing and some great singles, the Breeders‘ second album, Last Splash, turned them into the alternative rock stars that Kim Deal‘s former band, the Pixies, always seemed on the verge of becoming. Joined by Deal‘s twin sister Kelley — with whom Kim started the band while they were still in their teens — the group expanded on the driving, polished sound of the Safari EP, surrounding its (plentiful) moments of brilliance with nearly as many unfinished ideas. When Last Splash is good, it’s great: “Cannonball”‘s instantly catchy collage of bouncy bass, rhythmic stops and starts, and singsong vocals became one of the definitive alt-pop singles of the ’90s. Likewise, the sweetly sexy “Divine Hammer” and swaggering “Saints” are among the Breeders‘ finest moments, and deserved all of the airplay they received. Similarly, the charming twang of “Drivin’ on 9,” “I Just Wanna Get Along”‘s spiky punk-pop, and the bittersweet “Invisible Man” added depth that recalled the eclectic turns the band took on Pod while maintaining the slick allure of Last Splash‘s hits. However, underdeveloped snippets such as “Roi” and “No Aloha” drag down the album’s momentum, and when the band tries to stretch its range on the rambling, cryptic “Mad Lucas” and “Hag,” it tends to fall flat. The addition of playful but slight instrumentals such as “S.O.S” and “Flipside” and a version of “Do You Love Me Now?” that doesn’t quite match the original’s appeal reflect Last Splash‘s overall unevenness. Still, its best moments — and the Deal sisters’ megawatt charm — end up outweighing its inconsistencies to make it one of the alternative rock era’s defining albums. -All Music Guide