Announced: Babyshambles – Down In Albion (20th Anniversary Edition)

Babyshambles’ iconic debut album Down In Albion will be remastered and reissued to mark its 20th Anniversary.

Released in November 2005, the band’s first full length record will be available expanded to include a number of sessions tracks, rarities and b-sides from the time in a double vinyl edition. It will be available on limited edition cream-coloured vinyl plus a blue-coloured vinyl edition only available via the Babyshambles and Rough Trade Records webstores.

The 20th Anniversary edition, will be released via Rough Trade Records on 12th December. Paying tribute to Babyshambles’ late guitarist Patrick Walden, who passed away earlier this year, his portrait photographed by Hedi Slimane has been embedded within the sleeve using a special UV gloss.

Additionally, on a very limited number of copies frontman Peter Doherty will personally recreate the hand-draw artwork he sketched out for the album’s first release. These editions are exclusively available from Babyshambles and Rough Trade Records’ online shops and can be pre-ordered now.

“A beloved and beautiful man, and a rare and remarkable musical talent, ‘Down in Albion’ is perhaps Patrick Walden‘s finest hour as a guitarist and composer” says Peter Doherty, dedicating this new edition to his late bandmate, “Let it ring out!”

Initially formed in 2003 when Doherty was temporarily excluded from The Libertines as he grappled with a period of substance abuse, Babyshambles quickly evolved into an alternative creative outlet for the songwriter, allowing him to explore a different range of themes within a fluid, spontaneous musical landscape.

With the frontman forging an expressive, collaborative partnership with bassist Drew McConnell, drummer Adam Ficek and lead guitarist Walden, as the Babyshambles’ line-up solidified, Down In Albion managed to not only bottle the lightning of a group who always sailed close to the wind – creatively, culturally and personally – but it is also filled with insightful and timeless songwriting that effortless skips between vivid narratives and full throttle emotions.

The nihilistic-titled ‘Fuck Forever’ surged with anger, heart and a deceptive hopefulness; ‘Kilimanjaro’ ruminated around an urgent bass groove and chiming guitars; ‘In Love With A Feeling’ smouldered with a surprisingly touching romanticism, while in near title track ‘Albion’, Babyshambles created one of the first true 21st century anthems, beautifully marrying state of the nation observations with melancholic yet heart-swelling music.

While the likes of ‘Pipedown’ and ‘8 Dead Boys’ found their roots in the chaos and squalor that sometime engulfed their creator’s life at the time, ‘The 32nd Of December’ and ‘What Katie Did Next’ boasted a smile and wry eye that ensured Babyshambles’ debut delivered a truly immersive and invigorating web of feelings.

Produced by The Clash’s resident innovator, Mick Jones, and boasting a vocal cameo from Kate Moss, Down In Albion evokes the sights and smells of its era yet also possesses a forward looking perspective which creates a perpetually relevant body of work that both charts and soothes the human condition.

Accompanying the album’s original 16 tracks, the anniversary edition includes are five carefully chosen songs from the band’s archives, with several – despite bootleg fame amongst the band’s fanbase – getting their first official release.

‘Gang Of Gin’ and ‘352 Days’ were both recorded around the album and were considered as possible b-sides but never officially released, while ‘Why Did You Break My Heart/Piracy’ did feature on the flip side of the single release of ‘Albion’.

‘Do You Know Me’ and ‘My Darling Clementine’ are both taken from the fan favourite session for Zane Lowe’s BBC Radio 1 show, which was recorded in October 2004 and helped to lay the creative foundations for Down In Albion.

Babyshambles have released three Top 10 albums: Down In Albion (2005), Shotter’s Nation (2007) and Sequel To The Prequel (2013)… scored four Top 10 Singles ‘Killamangiro’, ‘Fuck Forever’, ‘Albion’ and ‘Delivery’.

Babyshambles are Peter Doherty (vocals/ guitar), Mick Whitnall (guitar), Drew McConnell (bass guitar) and Adam Ficek (drums).

Pre-order / pre-save Down In Albion (20th Anniversary Edition) here.