No Anchor No Chart No Rudder No Sails

This is a new, completely re-mastered and re-worked version, including the addition of some different, long forgotten tracks, and was the vision of Adam Barringer at the Champion Version label, who are releasing this separately as 4x 7" Lathe Cuts. Most of the tracks on 'No Anchor No Chart No Rudder No Sails' are my very first attempts at writing and recording my own music. A lot of the other early tracks appeared on 'A Negative For Francis' and a couple surfaced on 'Forty Years To Find A Voice'. The majority of those very first recordings are on this collection, which I originally put out on a few cassette releases and three of which I put out before the band was even formed. At the time I didn't actually have a name for the band, that came later after I met Crawford Blair. It was my good friend Nick Olofsson who suggested I try and record my own material as I had actually decided to give up trying to join a band. So he said, "Why not do your own thing?". About 75% of the tracks on this release were recorded at Nick's flat in Kentish Town onto his Fostex Porta 05 four-track cassette recorder. Without him and his partner, Anet Mook, I doubt the group, and this music, would ever have existed." This from Champion Version, who are so kindly releasing this as 4 x 7" Lathe Cuts; Composed between 1997 and 1998, 'No Anchor No Chart No Rudder No Sails' was originally released in 2001 by the Burning Shed label on CDr as a collection of rare Rothko recordings. Mark Beazley has perfected his ethereal lullabies to create this definitive edition which is remastered and includes five new tracks with repackaged design by Department EH. Unquestionably, the timing of this reissue could hardly be more significant, not only because of Rothko's forthcoming new album on Trace Recordings but also the recent and sad decision for the band to cease live performance. Essential updates of any versions you may already have in your record collections and quite possibly the finest moment on Champion Version to date, 'No Anchor No Chart No Rudder No Sails' is one of the very best and most unique bass driven records of all time. Simply sublime for the entire duration, this is the soundtrack to the most wonderful dream you ever had.