In 1995, Damon & Naomi went into the studio with Galaxie 500 producer Kramer to record their debut for Sub Pop. Not everything went according to plan, however; or rather, it turned out Kramer and Damon & Naomi each had a different plan for what should result. Damon & Naomi put down tracks for what they thought would be their first “acoustic” album, the beginnings of the folky sound they would develop in years to come. But Kramer, in the engineer and producer’s seat, finished it according to his own idea: closer in spirit to the psychedelic record the duo and he had previously recorded together, More Sad Hits. When Damon & Naomi asked for changes, the mercurial Kramer—Phil Spector of indie rock—flew into one of his famous rages, insisting the album was already as it should be. In the end, he made the changes, but only under protest. And when band and label asked to hear the original version again to compare, Kramer said too late: he’d erased the tape.
Flash forward a number—OK, a lot—of years. Old arguments are forgotten or forgiven, and fortunately no one has been murdered (this is still indie rock, after all). Damon & Naomi receive a message out of the blue from Kramer: a friend of his has found a bunch of master tapes from the old studio, some might be yours, here’s the address. Damon climbs the stairs of a Tribeca walk-up, where a dusty plastic bag sealed with duct tape is waiting for him. Inside… Kramer’s original master of Wondrous World. Not erased after all!
So here it is. Different mixes, different sequence, and one otherwise unreleased song. Limited-edition vinyl pressing, with official bootleg art.