Debuting on vinyl and available for pre-order today, the album features three B-sides, plus an unreleased alternative mix
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Los Angeles, CA (August 6, 2024) – Craft Recordings and Independiente are proud to announce an expanded vinyl reissue for Martina Topley-Bird's 2003 critically acclaimed and Mercury Award-nominated debut album Quixotic. Available for pre-order today, and due out September 6th, the expanded 2-LP edition housed in a gatefold sleeve features the original album and three B-sides, plus an unreleased alternate mix of the album’s lead single “Sandpaper Kisses.” It will also be made available digitally.
Martina Topley-Bird, the revered singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist gained immediate attention as the voice of Maxinquaye, on Tricky’s groundbreaking 1995 debut album. The album is still considered to be one of the most innovative and influential albums in modern music, and her breathtaking and instantly recognizable vocals positioned her as the voice of trip-hop.
Topley-Bird went on to work on another three Tricky albums, before launching a solo career in 2003, releasing Quixotic via Independiente to critical acclaim. Admired for her ability to deliver an album with such a wide range of musical styles, yet retain her unique vocal style, Mojo called Quixotic “[a] sensual, endlessly inventive record”; while Q Magazine praised the album’s “...classy, laid-back” and “beyond human” experience. Pitchfork applauded the vocal performance: “Topley-Bird’s voice continues to be a strange and beautiful thing.”
The album features production and accompaniment from several luminaries including Mark Lanegan (vocals) and founding member of Queens of the Stone Age, Josh Homme (guitar). David Holmes produced “Too Tough to Die,” which was also covered by both Neneh Cherry and The Twilight Singers. Tricky collaborated on “Sandpaper Kisses” and “Ragga’.” David Arnold, famed composer of five James Bond soundtracks, arranged strings on “Soulfood” and “Stevie’s (Days of a Gun)” (the latter retitled “Aaron’s (In the Daze of a Gun)” for this 2024 reissue). “Sandpaper Kisses” has been featured by The Weeknd on his song “The Birds pt. 2” and by Stephen Marley on his song “You’re Gonna Leave.”
Topley-Bird went on to release further solo albums (Anything (2004), The Blue God (2008), Some Place Simple (2010) and Forever I Wait (2021)) and collaborate with Massive Attack, Gorillaz, Common, Diplo and The Prodigy.
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About Craft Recordings:
Craft Recordings is home to one of the largest and most essential collections of master recordings and compositions in the world. Its storied repertoire includes landmark releases from icons such as Joan Baez, John Coltrane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Celia Cruz, Miles Davis, Isaac Hayes, John Lee Hooker, Little Richard, R.E.M., Joan Sebastian, and Traveling Wilburys. Plus, the catalog recordings of celebrated contemporary acts including A Day to Remember, Evanescence, Alison Krauss, Nine Inch Nails, Taking Back Sunday and Violent Femmes, to name just a few. Renowned imprints with catalogs issued under the Craft banner include Fania, Fantasy, Fearless, Musart, Nitro, Panart, Prestige, Riverside, Rounder, Specialty, Stax, Vanguard, Varèse Sarabande, Vee-Jay and Victory, among many others. Craft creates thoughtfully curated packages, with a meticulous devotion to quality and a commitment to preservation—ensuring that these recordings endure for new generations to discover. Craft is also home to the Billie Holiday and Tammy Wynette estates which preserve and protect their respective names, likeness and music through day-to-day legacy management of these cultural trailblazers.
Craft Recordings is the catalog label team for Concord. For more info, visit CraftRecordings.com and follow on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
