#32: Losing Sleep : Edwyn Collins (Heavenly Records, HVN 205, 2010)
13 September 2010 would see the release of Losing Sleep, the seventh studio album by Edwyn Collins. It was the first completely new album after his illnesses, and such was the love, affection and esteem that he was held in that many musicians went out of their way to contribute to the record, either by helping to write the songs and/or turning up to West Heath Studio, the facility owned and run by Edwyn, to participate in the recording.
A few names…..ex-Sex Pistol Paul Cook on drums, and when he wasn’t banging away, you’d find Dave Ruffy (The Ruts and Aztec Camera among others.Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy (Franz Ferdinand), Johnny Marr, Ryan Jarman (The Cribs), Romeo Stoddart (The Magic Numbers), Barrie Cadogan (at the time part of Primal Scream) and Jacob Graham, Connor Hanwick and Jonathan Pierce, all members of The Drums. Then there was Carwyn Ellis, Sean Read and Andy Hackett, who to this day remain involved with Edwyn in the studio and on the road.
The title track from the album was released as the advance single in mid-August. An upbeat foot-stomper with a nod to Northern Soul complete with a great backbeat and brass courtesy of a trumpet and saxophone, with the lyric referring to the troubles of recent years, but without an iota of self-pity.
mp3: Edwyn Collins – Losing Sleep
Released only on 7″ vinyl and housed in a plain brown cardboard sleeve with a yellow label and a jukebox-style middle. The design would prove to be common to the next two singles, both of which were lifted from the album.
The b-side contained an instrumental version of the song
mp3: Edwyn Collins – Losing Sleep (instrumental)
CDs were still the way that most folk bought singles in 2010, and so his decision to go with a vinyl only release may well have cost Edwyn the chance to have a hit single as there really was a lot of interest in what he was doing and who he was working with at this point in time.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 