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2009 box set by Ash From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The A–Z Series is a series of singles released by Northern Irish rock band Ash. Consisting of 26 singles, each represented by a letter of the alphabet, the singles were first released on a fortnightly basis from 12 October 2009 until 27 September 2010 on 7-inch vinyl and by download.[1] Along with the 26 primary singles the series also includes 21 B-sides, 13 remixes, 7 acoustic tracks and 2 live tracks which were sporadically released in various formats. The series was later released in various other formats, including two compilation CDs Volume 1 (singles A–M) released on 19 April 2010 and Volume 2 (singles N–Z) released on 11 October 2010, a compilation of all 26 tracks on three vinyl LPs was released on 6 November 2012 through Noyes Records and finally a compact cassette featuring 15 of the band's favourite tracks from the series was released for Cassette Store Day, titled Letters from Alphabet City.[2]
| A–Z Series | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
The complete A–Z Series front and back covers mosaic | ||||
| Box set by | ||||
| Released | 12 October 2009 – 27 September 2010 (one single every two weeks) | |||
| Recorded | 2007–2010 | |||
| Studio | Atomic Heart (New York City) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 112:50 (excluding B-sides) | |||
| Label | Atomic Heart | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Ash chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Volume 1 compilation cover | ||||
 Singles A–M Released 19 April 2010 | ||||
| Volume 2 compilation cover | ||||
 Singles N–Z Released 27 September 2010 | ||||
| A–Z Series complete compilation | ||||
 Singles A–Z Noyes Records Vinyl Compilation Released 6 November 2012 | ||||
The series spawned 6 radio singles; "Return of White Rabbit", "True Love 1980", "Space Shot",[3] "War with Me",[4] "Binary",[5] and "Carnal Love".[6]
The way people listen to music has changed, with the advent of the download the emphasis has reverted to single tracks. It hasn't helped that most people have forgotten how to make a decent album. I'm constantly disappointed with records I buy
– Tim Wheeler, June 2007
The band's final conventional record, Twilight of the Innocents, was released on 29 June 2007. From this the band members themselves formed Atomic Heart Records, setting up headquarters in New York City, calling their new studio Atomic Heart. Band members Tim and Mark both moved to New York; "It was a dream of mine, ever since our first American tour in the mid-1990s, to live in New York", whilst drummer Rick resided in Edinburgh's Craiglockhart, commuting to the New York Studio on a regular basis and working in "intensive bursts". The announcement itself of the band's boycott on the album format came at the time of release for Twilight of the Innocents, which the band called "their final album"—sparking rumours over the possibility of Ash splitting up.[7]
Upon entering the studio, the band recorded "Survivor", later titled "Ichiban", "Coming Around Again" a cover of Carly Simon, a Beach Boys cover of "Do You Wanna Dance?". Soon after several early titles of tracks surfaced on the band's official website, including "Survivor"—now titled "Ichiban", "Prypiat" which was written originally for Twilight of the Innocents, however wasn't finished in time to make the album, "Return of White Rabbit" which at the time Tim Wheeler supposedly joked about being their comeback single, "Nouvelle Adventures" which features both Tim and Mark on bass guitar, "No Face (Jesus Christ)", "Daedalus", as well as "Hospital Song" and "Lay Down Your Arms" which were both originally intended for Twilight of the Innocents.[8] Soon after more titles were leaked, including "Space Shot" and "Tracer (Without You)".[9]
In NME, vocalist and guitarist Tim Wheeler stated "We wanted to be the first people to do it like this" also saying, "I think it'll be great for our fans waiting every two weeks knowing they're going to get a song and wondering what it'll be like. It'll be fun".[10] Bassist Mark Hamilton also spoke of the merits of releasing in an alternative way; "we thought we'd come up with a different model where we never really had to be actually be away, that might work better. That was one of the reasons. We had the freedom when launching our own label as well, to try something different, so we're going to give it a go. I think if it works, a lot of people might copy it."[11]
Each single is assigned a specific colour and letter A–Z, prequel track "Return of White Rabbit" features the upside down stylised as ʁ, representing the rabbit. The front of each single simply shows the letter followed by the band's logo below, whilst on the back the track name is shown. The coloured artwork has also been used for the promotion of their A–Z Tour, with each colour representing a place and a letter of the alphabet, similarly the band through their forum Archived 16 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine and the assistance of their webmaster have allowed fans to create their own avatars and use emoticons in the A–Z style.[14] Almost all of the artwork for the series was created by Post 98 Design and Modo Productions, with the exception of the cassette Letters from Alphabet City which was created by Elisa Dalla Tor and handmade "Return of White Rabbit" and "War with Me" CD singles which were created by the band.[15][16]
The 26 singles of the A–Z Series were released once every two weeks through both digital download and 7" limited edition vinyl. The opening to the series was a free download "Return of White Rabbit", released on 18 May 2009, promoting the track were three music videos, an animated one created by Big Button,[17] a home-made one — following the 'White Rabbit' around New York City,[18] and a live footage video, filmed by fans at Thekla in Bristol.[19] The first single to be announced for release was "True Love 1980", opening the series on 12 October 2009, with subscription to the series itself opening on 5 October 2009.
The band in October 2009 confirmed that only the first half of the A–Z Series were "set in stone", with mastering taking place, and the artwork, pressing and release dates confirmed, however the second half of the series would at the time be decided once the series had been launched, with the band holding a then total of 44 tracks recorded, and plans to re-enter the recording studio again in late 2009, "the first six months are set in stone, but the second half is still flexible. It's nice to have that kind of freedom".[11]
The digital subscription for the A–Z Series is offered worldwide, however the United Kingdom service differs to the rest of the world. The subscription service in the United Kingdom is provided by 7digital, with the fortnightly single released on a Monday, and other non-subscription UK downloads through 7digital, Amazon, Play.com, HMV, iTunes and other download services providing the tracks on the day before subscribers.[20] The rest of the world service is provided by Topspin, the band have not used Topspin in the UK as they wanted each single to be chart eligible.[21]
The digital subscription service was set to launch originally on 5 October 2009, however was delayed and launched two days later on 8 October 2009.[22] A free download of 'pre-A-Z' single "Return of White Rabbit" was launched digitally on 18 May 2009, whilst the A–Z Series was celebrated on 14 October by the release of the original 'extended mix' and an 'Atomic Heart' mix of "Return of White Rabbit", available for free download through sneakattackmedia.com.[23]
Our vinyls [sic] are strictly limited collectors items and are something we really wanted to do as we've always demanded our singles are released on 7". Even when previous labels didn't want to release them we forced their hand. The box when complete is worth it's [sic] price, it's a very sexy piece.
We always said we were going to do A–Z compilations. Those who feel duped / ripped off can get off their soapboxes, my heart bleeds for you... We're just past the 1/3 mark of the A–Z and the bonus tracks are only just starting to trickle out to subscribers. We've publicized the sheer quantity of tracks that have been recorded. These are all going to get used. This has been the most prolific writing / recording period of our career and we love the diversity of the output. We're under no illusions that not everyone's going to like every song / direction but hopefully we'll cover all bases by the series' end.
– Mark Hamilton on the subject of release format, February 2010[24]
Subscription for the 7" singles opened on 6 October 2009; the vinyl, whilst costly for both the band and customer, was something the band demanded, as with previous singles whilst still signed, the band ensured all their singles were released on 7-inch vinyl. The singles were each limited to 1000 copies and were each collectors' items; the complete vinyl subscription cost £130, or £140 including a special box to store them all in. The vinyl subscription service was provided by Recordstore.co.uk, whilst other retailers would also be given a small number of the singles, to sell at each release.[25] Steve Wheeler of Recordstore commented on the partnership with Ash as "being chosen by an innovative and popular band like Ash is testament to the quality service that Recordstore.co.uk provide forward-thinking labels and artists"[26]
The band released two compilation CDs of the series: Volume 1 covered the letters A-M and Volume 2 the letters N-Z. The compilations were released on CD, limited CD/DVD and digitally.[27] Some fans criticized the band's choice to release a CD, pointing out its similarity to an album, but bassist Mark Hamilton responded that it was always their intention and it was about making the A–Z Series available for everyone.[28]
On 24 February the Japanese version of Volume 1 was announced, featuring two disks, unlike the standard UK one-disc version, with the first disc holding the A–M singles and 7 B-sides; "Return of the White Rabbit", "Coming Around Again", "The Creeps", "CTRL-ALT-DEL", "Do You Feel It?" and exclusively "Kamakura" and "Disenchanted" with the second disc featuring 14 remixes, acoustics and already digitally released B-sides "Lay Down Your Arms" and "Gallows Hill". The CD was released earlier than the UK version, on 7 April 2010.[29]
On 28 July 2010 RecordStore.co.uk announced the second compilation—A–Z Volume 2 for a release on 11 October 2010. The release unlike Volume 1 did not include any acoustic tracks, remixes or a DVD, and only had three bonus tracks as opposed to the previous five due to the length of Single Y "Sky Burial".[30] The full track listing was revealed on 6 August 2010, with the three new B-sides being "Spellbound", "Nightfall" and David Bowie track "Teenage Wildlife". The Japanese Volume 2 also included two exclusive B-sides—"Running to the Ocean" and "Midnight in the Garden".[31]
A is for Ash is a film documentary of the band's A–Z 2009 tour from Aldershot to Zennor. It was directed by Josh Klezkin and produced by the members of Ash. The documentary features interviews from Tim Wheeler, Mark Hamilton and Rick McMurray of Ash, as well as featuring BBC DJ Steve Lamacq, Emmy The Great & Ian Wright amongst others, as well as live performances on the A–Z tour of Spaceshot and Arcadia, acoustic performances, the final days of recording the A–Z Series in New York and behind the scenes at some of the TV, radio and other media appearances.
The documentary was released onto Region 0 DVD, limited to 5000 copies, released on 19 April 2010 in the A–Z Volume 1 CD compilation.[32]
During the course and after the A–Z tour the band released four short webisodes onto YouTube and NME.com, which acted as promotions for the complete documentary, featuring some footage that would be used in A Is For Ash, and some exclusive content.[33] The trailer for the complete documentary was released on 3 March 2010.[34]
Amongst the core 26 singles were a large number of studio B-sides, which were sporadically released over the course of the A–Z Series.[35] The first three radio singles from the A–Z Series—"Return of White Rabbit", "True Love 1980" and "Spaceshot"—were each accompanied by a digital EP—The Rehash EP and Space Reshot EP, both of which were collections of remixes by Snitch Brothers, Jaymo & Andy George, Pete Doyle, Timothy Allen, Loverush UK.[36][37] An acoustic EP, featuring 7 of the A–Z singles, was also made available on 19 April 2010.[38]
The band worked with a number of directors and companies to produce music videos for the A–Z Series, a selection of the singles—the radio singles were given higher budgets for promotion and consequently the band worked with such people as Nico Jones on "Return of White Rabbit" and "Binary"[39]—who also directed the initial A–Z teaser trailer which previewed many of the upcoming singles.[40][41] Director Daniel Garcia worked on the music videos for "True Love 1980" and "Space Shot"[42] whilst Alex Turvey directed "Carnal Love"[43] and Alex Beck directed "War with Me".[44][45] Many of the non-radio singles also have low budget videos for them—Josh Kletzkin directed "Joy Kicks Darkness", "Arcadia" and "Tracers", KINo sequenced the video for "Neon",[46] whilst singles such as "Pripyat" and "Ichiban" use material not specifically created for Ash.[47]
From 7 October 2009 Ash used NME.com to host a four-part web series of tour videos, directed by Josh Kletzkin. The videos would serve as tasters for the DVD release 'A is for Ash'. Episode 1 featured rehearsals in London, behind the scenes at Live from Studio Five, amongst other interviews. Episode 2 shows the A–Z Tour, from Aldershot to Carlisle, with Episode 3 taking Dundee through to Jersey, and Episode 4 covering the remaining dates.[48][49]
Throughout the A–Z Series the band orchestrated various competitions on both their NME content area and on their official website.[50] One of the first competitions launched coincided with the release of"Return of White Rabbit", the band asked fans to come up with a back-story to the song's title, "where is the white rabbit returning from?"—which would then be judged by the band, with the winner receiving a rare "Return of White Rabbit" handmade promo CD.[51] "Why has the White Rabbit been away?" was the basis for the second competition[52] and the final of the three "Return of White Rabbit" competitions to win handmade promos asked fans to design White Rabbit related art/photos and videos.[53]
The opportunity to win "True Love 1980" test 7"s and handmade "Return of White Rabbit" CD promos began with the release of "True Love 1980".[50] Later in November, NME offered the chance to win more test prints of "True Love 1980", "Joy Kicks" and "Arcadia"[54] followed in January 2010 with "Space Shot" test vinyl.[55] NME also offered the chance to win a free subscription to the A–Z Series.[56] Similarly a free subscription to the A-Z Series was offered every night of the A–Z Tour in 2009—with show fliers containing a unique code—a raffle would then take place and the winning flier holder would be given a free subscription—giving the fliers value.[57][58]
Opportunities to win tickets to all varieties of Ash performances were also given—including exclusive radio sessions with Kerrang! Radio[59] XFM[60] and tickets for Absolute Radio on 15 April 2010—tickets were also offered in a Music-News.com competition.[61] Festival appearances such as Hop farm festival[62] and Truck Festival 2009.[63] Tickets to dates on the 2009 A–Z tour were also offered, as well as 2010 European dates.[64]
Merchandise competitions included a Valentines day t-shirt draw,[65] a chance to win a "Return of White Rabbit" t-shirt,[55] an exclusive limited Atomic Heart Studios staff t-shirt[66] and the opportunity to design a t-shirt which would be sold throughout all of the 2010 shows around the world, and have their winning design sent to them in a special frame.[67] Other creative competitions included remixing single "Binary"[68] the band choose the Argyle Raver Pornographic as the winning remix,[69] and to direct a music video for B-sides to the A–Z Series.[70]
With the 2009 A–Z Tour the opportunity for a one-on-three meet and greet was given for fans[50] similarly in 2010 the chance for fans to win a dinner-date with the band at any stop on the UK tour was given.[71] On the same tour the chance for local bands to support Ash was given—asking that those interested emailed a Myspace link and list of gigs previously played.[72][73]
The band gained significant media attention surrounding the A–Z Series. With interviews and other coverage running through newspapers and magazines such as The Guardian, The Herald,[74] M Is for Music,[75] News of the World, Billboard,[76][77] Kerrang!,[78][79] NME, East Mag,[80] TUFS,[81] culturedeluxe.com,[82] Sport.co.uk,[83] Randomville,[84] Media Wales,[85] MusicRadar,[86] Counteract Magazine,[87] Stereoboard,[88] and Bunch.tv.[89][90]
Radio sessions and interviews included Kerrang!,[59] XFM,[60] Absolute,[61] and BBC 6 Music.[91][92] Televised appearances included appearances on Live from Studio Five broadcast on Five on 15 October 2009,[93] BBC E24,[94] The Friday Show,[95] Children In Need and Sky Sports Soccer AM.[96] Several songs of the A–Z Series were also used on various TV adverts—"Physical World" was used for BBC's coverage of the Formula 1 Qualifying, whilst "Spheres" was used on Film4 and "There Is Hope Again" was used during Sky Sports coverage of England vs Hungary on 11 August 2010.
The band embarked on a 4 date UK tour consisting of performances at Brighton Concorde 2 on 3 June, Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms the following day and two dates at the London Bloomsbury Ballroom on 6 and 7 June 2009. At the performances they showcased new material, including "Space Shot", "True Love 1980" and "Return of White Rabbit".[97][98]
Most notably of the band's touring antics during the A–Z Series was their 2009 A–Z Tour. The tour consisted of 26 dates across the United Kingdom, with each tour location based around the alphabet, choosing towns, cities and villages which correspond with letters A–Z.[99] The tour began in Aldershot and ended in Zennor, gaining significant press coverage because of its uniqueness. Planning the tour bassist Mark Hamilton told eastmagazine.co.uk that the band looked for alternatives to the usual places they would visit on tour; "We told our agent that we don't want to go to the cities we would usually hit on a regular tour. Then he came back with a bunch of dates, but he had quite a lot of work to do on this. But that was good; it was good to make him actually work." going on to say "There were a number of venues we told him to change, saying, 'We usually play there, so get us something different".[11]
In 2009 the band also played dates in their native Ireland—Dublin and Belfast.[100] It wasn't until March 2010 that the band began touring again, playing dates in Tokyo, Japan[101] New York, USA and eventually onto a conventional UK tour circuit.[102][103]
The band announced a full UK tour soon after, scheduled from 13 May 2010 in Paris, France through Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Cologne, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt am Main, Neuhausen ob Eck and Berlin in Germany, Oslo in Norway, Aarhus in Denmark, Vienna in Austria, Zurich in Switzerland, Brussels in Belgium and ending at Hurricane Festival in Scheeßel on 20 June 2010. Parts of this tour were rescheduled, however the majority of dates were completely canceled, with the band citing personal reasons for this decision which they did not take lightly.[104]
After originally being rumored to be playing a number of dates with The Automatic,[105] it was instead announced that Ash and We Are Scientists would be playing a number of co-headline shows in Australia.[106]
| Tour dates of the A–Z Series | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Town/City | Country | Venue | Support | |
| 19 October 2009 | Aldershot | England | West End Centre | Panama Kings | |
| 20 October 2009 | Bradford | The Gasworks | |||
| 21 October 2009 | Carlisle, Cumbria | The Brickyard | |||
| 23 October 2009 | Dundee | Scotland | Fat Sam's | ||
| 24 October 2009 | East Grange, Forres | The Loft | |||
| 25 October 2009 | Falkirk | Behind the Wall | |||
| 27 October 2009 | Gloucester, Gloucestershire | England | Guildhall | ||
| 28 October 2009 | Hastings, East Sussex | Crypt | |||
| 30 October 2009 | Ipswich, Suffolk | Corn Exchange | |||
| 31 October 2009 | Saint Helier | Jersey | St.Helier Havana Club | ||
| 2 November 2009 | Kingston upon Thames, London | England | The Peel | ||
| 3 November 2009 | Loughborough, Charnwood Leicestershire | University | |||
| 4 November 2009 | Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire | Pitz Club | |||
| 6 November 2009 | Newport | Wales | Tjs | ||
| 7 November 2009 | Oldham, Greater Manchester | England | Castle | ||
| 8 November 2009 | Plymouth, Devon | Hippo | |||
| 10 November 2009 | Queen's Park, London | Corrib Rest | |||
| 11 November 2009 | Rotherham, South Yorkshire | The Vault | |||
| 12 November 2009 | Swansea, Wales | Wales | Sin City | ||
| 14 November 2009 | Tunbridge Wells, Kent | England | Forum | ||
| 16 November 2009 | Upper Norwood, London | Gipsy Hill Tavern | |||
| 17 November 2009 | Ventnor, Isle of Wight | Winter Gardens | |||
| 19 November 2009 | Worcester, Worcestershire | Dive Bar | |||
| 21 November 2009 | Exmouth, East Devon | Pavilion | |||
| 22 November 2009 | Yeovil, Somerset | Orange Box | |||
| 23 November 2009 | Zennor, Cornwall | Village Hall[107][108] | |||
| 25 November 2009 | Dublin | Ireland | Button Factory | Panama Kings | |
| 26 November 2009 | Belfast | Belfast Spring and Airbrake | |||
| 18 December 2009 | Darlington | England | Inside Out | ||
| 20 March 2010 | Dublin | Ireland | 7UP, St Andrews Lane | Republic of Loose | |
| 3 April 2010 | New York City | America | Santos Party House | ||
| 6 April 2010[101] | Tokyo | Japan | Daikanyama UNIT | ||
| 7 April 2010[109] | Shibuya, Tokyo | Tower Records | |||
| 17 April 2010 | London | England | Record Store Day, Acoustic session, Rough Trade East[110] | ||
| 19 April 2010 | Southampton | Acoustic HMV session | |||
| 19 April 2010[102][103] | Southampton | Southampton University | El Raccoon | ||
| 20 April 2010 | Cambridge | Acoustic Fopp session | |||
| 20 April 2010 | Cambridge | Junction | Violet Bones | ||
| 21 April 2010 | Norwich | Acoustic HMV session | |||
| 21 April 2010 | Norwich | Waterfront | Blighters | ||
| 23 April 2010 | Birmingham | Irish Centre | The Parlotones[111] | ||
| 24 April 2010 | Leeds | Metropolitan | |||
| 25 April 2010 | Newcastle | O2 Academy | |||
| 27 April 2010 | Glasgow | Scotland | O2 ABC | What the Heroes Say | |
| 28 April 2010 | Manchester | England | O2 Academy 2 | The Parlotones | |
| 30 April 2010 | Bristol | O2 Academy | |||
| 1 May 2010 | Brighton | Concorde | |||
| 2 May 2010 | Oxford | O2 Academy | |||
| 4 May 2010 | London | Electric Ballroom | |||
| 5 May 2010 | Northampton | Roadmenders | |||
| 6 May 2010 | London | Koko | Infadels | ||
| 13 May 2010 | Paris | France | Point FMR | ||
| 14 May 2010 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Sugar Factory | ||
| 15 May 2010 | Cologne | Germany | Luxor | ||
| 16 May 2010 | Hamburg | Logo | |||
| 17 May 2010 | Berlin | C-Club | |||
| 19 May 2010 | Oslo | Norway | John Dee | ||
| 20 May 2010 | Aarhus | Denmark | Vox Hall | ||
| 22 May 2010 | Munich | Germany | 59:1 | ||
| 23 May 2010 | Vienna | Austria | Flex | ||
| 25 May 2010 | Zurich | Switzerland | Abart | ||
| 26 May 2010 | Stuttgart | Germany | Roehre | ||
| 27 May 2010 | Frankfurt am Main | Batschkapp | |||
| 28 May 2010 | Brussels | Belgium | Botanique | ||
| 18 June 2010 | Neuhausen ob Eck | Germany | Southside Festival | ||
| 20 June 2010 | Scheeßel | Hurricane Festival | |||
| 27 June 2010 | Glastonbury | England | Glastonbury Festival, John Peel Stage | ||
| 1 July 2010 | Bwcle | Wales | The Tivoli | The Hutts & Revurb | |
| 6 July 2010 | Barrow-in-Furness | England | The Nines | Switchboard Spectacular | |
| 7 July 2010 | Preston | England | 53 Degrees | ||
| 11 July 2010 | Perth and Kinross | Scotland | T In The Park, Red Bull Bedroom Jam Futures Stage | ||
| 1 August 2010 | Queensland | Australia | Splendour in the Grass | ||
| 30 July 2010 | Naeba | Japan | Fuji Rock Festival | ||
| 3 August 2010 | Sydney | Australia | Metro | We Are Scientists (co-headline) | |
| 4 August 2010 | Melbourne | Billboard | |||
| 17 August 2010 | Belfast | Northern Ireland | Belsonic 2010 | ||
| 19 August 2010 | Gampel | Switzerland | Gampel Festival | ||
| 21 August 2010 | Kempische Steenweg, Kiewit | Belgium | Pukkelpop | ||
| 26 August 2010 | Manchester | England | Manchester Academy 3 | ||
| 27 August 2010 | Leeds | England | Reading and Leeds Festivals | ||
| 28 August 2010 | Reading | England | Reading and Leeds Festivals | ||
| Singles A-M | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| MusicOMH[112] |   |
| Gigwise.com[113] |  |
| BBC[114] | (positive) |
| Q[115] | |
| News of the World | |
| Drowned in Sound[116] |   |
| Contactmusic.com[117] | (positive) |
| AllMusic[118] | |
The first single from the series "Return of White Rabbit" received fairly mixed reactions, with the band showcasing a more unfamiliar electronic side of the band, however NME reacted positively "a weirdly effective funk-pop song"[119] Kerrang! also praised the release saying; "they're only doing singles now, if this new humdigger of a tune is anything to go by, then it will be a decision well made"[120] whilst The Irish Times rated the track 3/5, whilst The Times said regarding the single "...this revelatory rump-shaker, triggering pleasure sensors we didn't even know we had".[121]
Bands such as New Found Glory and Young Guns have criticized the band in Rock Sound magazine, with New Found Glory posting an apology after Rock Sound supposedly twisted their words.[122]
Mark Beaumont wrote on BBC Music "they've lost none of their melodic punch since Girl From Mars fell to Earth" and praised the consistency of singles A-M "the most remarkable thing about the A–Z project is that, thus far, every track really is worthy of being a single."[114] David Welsh of MusicOMH poked fun at the similarities between the conventional album of compilation, however was very positive of the release as a whole "Their subsequent fresh approach and retreat from the album formula appears to have reinvigorated the Downpatrick threesome with a new sense of purpose and, quite curiously, resulted in one of the best albums of their long and illustrious career"[112]
Paul Brown at Drowned in Sound described the release format as "While they haven't quite reinvented the wheel with these songs, they have certainly pumped up its tyres and given it some shiny new hubcaps", speaking with praise of singles A ("True Love 1980") through till H ("Space Shot"); "So great are the high points of the collection that it's a shame that it starts to run out of steam slightly towards the end", yet with final single of the half M ("War with Me") he believed it "revives things at the death with a grand piano motif and yet another mega chorus".[116] Ben Walton of Contactmusic.com believed the singles lack of cohesion as a compilation was the A–Z Series' main strength; "Ash have been set free to sprawl however they see fit across genre boundaries" going onto favor tracks such as "Arcadia" and "Neon", also calling "Dionysian Urge" "one of the best songs Ash have ever delivered".[117]
Phil Mongredien of Q magazine criticized the similarity between a compilation of singles and the conventional album, writing; "it's not obvious how this format differs from the peaks and troughs of a regular album, high points largely canceled out by the more workaday material", however noted the albums merits as "Arcadia" and "Joy Kicks Darkness",[115] Jon Bye of Gigwise.com was critical of the direction taken in some of the singles which use synthesizer parts advising the band to "stick to the rock and roll you're good at" however praised the synth laced "Arcadia", comparing it to Muse.[113]
Mark Griffiths of Kerrang! magazine rated the compilation of singles N-Z 4/5 praising "they've lost none of their melodic abrasive songwriting genius" recommending the highlights of the 2nd half to the series as "Sky Burial", "Binary" and "Physical World".[123] Andy Fyfe of Q magazine recommended "Binary", "Dare to Dream" and "Carnal Love", rating it 3/5—the same rating given to Volume 1.[124]
As of December 2009 the vinyl subscription sold out, with only limited amounts of past and future singles available on the band's official website and other various stores.[125] Despite much publicity, none of the singles reached the UK Top 40, with only "Instinct" reaching the UK Top 75, at No.65. But the singles performed better on the UK Indie Singles Chart, with 15 of them reaching the top ten of that chart.
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There is a total of 26 singles in the A–Z Series, and 21 B-sides. Not all of the singles are radio singles; the ones that are, were accompanied by a music video. The title of each release was revealed the Wednesday after the previous release and was referred to as 'Ash Wednesday'.[126]
| Letter and Colour |
Song and Length |
Release | Details | Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ʁ | "Return of White Rabbit" 3:56[127] |
18 May 2009 Free digital download, handmade limited CD 8 June 2009 – 1000 limited vinyl 14 October 2009 – Extended and remix versions[128] |
Three different artworks were made available, each individual piece of artwork has been hand created by the band themselves,[129] Rick's pack of playing cards, Tim's apocalyptic bunny rabbits and Mark's day-glo stencils. The single was released as a free download on ash-official.com on 18 May.[130] The track itself was penned by bassist Mark Hamilton.[131] The band confirmed that the track is a 'prequel' to the series itself.[132] On 14 October the band released the original full version of "Return of White Rabbit" which lasts for 6:24, as opposed to the original 3:56 cut, along with this was an 'Atomic Heart' remix, both were made available as free downloads on Sneak Attack Media.[128] | The music video for ROWR debuted on 12 June, the music video was conceived by 'Big Button' and has an animated story to it; a boy who becomes jealous of another boy making advances on a girl he has feelings for, struggling to contain his feelings he eventually acts, crashing a car, taking his and the other boys life in the process. "Ash wanted to get away from the standard performance video in favour of something a little more interesting. As a result, Big Button was given free reign [sic] and concocted a dark tale of jealousy and horror wrapped in an accessible cartoon coating"[133][134] The second video created for ROWR titled 'NYC Rabbit' was directed by Karen Lord and features Nickolas Kimbrell as 'the white rabbit', the video shows what a "typical night in NYC is like for a jolly ol' rabbit",[135] the third video promotion for ROWR is a live version of the track, filmed at Thekla, Bristol were the band asked their audience to film the track on personal cameras.[136][137] |
| A | "True Love 1980" 4:06[138] |
12 October 2009 1000 limited vinyl Digital download[139] |
Confirmed on 20 May by NME that the series would begin in September, giving the band the chance to promote the series, 'Return of the White Rabbit' was intended as a prequel to the series itself.[10] The track is reported to be heavily centred around the use of synthesizers and keyboards.[140] The track was premiered live on the band's June 2009 tour dates.[141] A remix by Tiësto was released onto Myspace prior to the tracks actual release on 22 July 2009[142][143] The track itself was premiered on Steve Lamacq's 6Music radio show on Monday 24 August[144] | The band shot the music video for "True Love 1980" in Portland, Oregon, the video was directed by Daniel Garcia, with acting from Meredith Adelaide.[145][146][147] The video was added to music video stations NMETV and Bliss on 9 September 2009,[148] and was added to the band's official website on 15 September, whilst a making of video was added to NME on 12 October 2009.[149][150] |
| B | "Joy Kicks Darkness" 5:55[151] |
26 October 2009 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
The track was announced as the third single in the series on 14 October on the band's official website.[151] A 30 second clip of the track was added to amazon.co.uk on 17 October, whilst the track was premiered live on 19 October, at their performance in Aldershot.[152] | The video was filmed across the A–Z tour, using live and behind the scenes footage. It was directed by Josh Kletzkin. |
| C | "Arcadia" 4:02 |
9 November 2009 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
Announced on 4 November 2009 as 'C'. | A budget music video was filmed on the A–Z Tour, the video features various Arcade games being played by the band. The video was directed by Josh Kletzkin.[153] After the single was voted as the fan favourite of the entire series a second music video for the track was released on 5 October 2010, directed by Nico Jones for Big Button.[154] |
| D | "Tracers" 3:31 |
23 November 2009 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
Originally titled "World Without You". The track was notable performed acoustically with Emmy The Great at a number of tour dates in 2009.[155] | Two budget music videos were shot for Tracers, both directed by Josh Kletzkin. The first music video features guitarist & vocalist Tim Wheeler playing besides a beach, with a funfair and pier. The second music video is a live acoustic video of Tim and Emma-Lee Moss of Emmy The Great performing the song in a small room. |
| E | "The Dead Disciples" 3:46 |
7 December 2009 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
One of the heaviest A–Z singles thus far, comparable to material from the band's album Meltdown, the song is also the first Ash song to use a double-kick drum. The Dead Disciples was written on a festival trip in September 2007 to Córdoba, Spain, with the lyrics making references to Irish writer and poet James Joyce and Greek myth Daedalus.[156] | A music video for The Dead Disciples has been created however has yet to be released.[157] |
| F | "Pripyat" 4:21 |
21 December 2009 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
The song's title is a reference to Prypiat, Ukraine, an abandoned city after the events of the Chernobyl disaster, which lyricist of the song Tim Wheeler describes as a lost citadel and the loneliest place on the planet.[158] Prypiat was written and demoed originally for previous album Twilight of the Innocents.[159] | The music video samples photographs from Robert Polidori's book 'Zones of Exclusion: Pripyat and Chernobyl'.[160] |
| G | "Ichiban" 3:09 |
4 January 2010 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
Ichiban was the first A–Z track to be performed live, appearing at concerts in 2008 for the band's 1977 shows.[161][162] | The music video contains footage from the British 1961 monster film Gorgo. |
| H | "Space Shot" 4:14 |
18 January 2010 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
The track was performed live for the first time at Brighton Concorde 2 in June 2009. For Children in Need "Spaceshot" was televised on 20 November 2009, along with "Shining Light" and "True Love 1980", and was confirmed as letter 'H' on Jonathan Ross' radio show on 28 November. The single will be the second 'radio single' from the A–Z series.[163] | Daniel Garcia, director of the video for previous radio single "True Love 1980", returned to direct. The video has a science fiction narrative, making reference to Star Wars, following a pilot escaping with a blindfolded person, pursued by soldiers and soon by space craft.[164] The video was premiered on Myspace on 10 December 2009.[165] |
| I | "Neon" 4:08 |
1 February 2010 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
Neon was the 27th song written in the A–Z series.[166] It is considered the spiritual successor to earlier A–Z track "Arcadia". Neon is described as a song about chance.[167] "Neon" was remixed by Beat Cave, which was released exclusively on the Japanese A–Z Volume 1 CD. "Neon" was performed in studio for Livestream and The Music Slut two days after release on 3 February 2010 for the first time.[168] Without a fourth member present in the band the synthesizer and piano parts in Neon are provided by a prerecorded backing track. | The music video uses photographs taken and sequenced by KINo of the band in their New York studio, whilst a woman journeys around New York City. |
| J | "Command" 2:35 |
15 February 2010 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
Command was acoustically covered in the A–Z Volume 1 acoustic bundle.[169] | |
| K | "Song of Your Desire" 3:36 |
1 March 2010 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
||
| L | "Dionysian Urge" 4:06 |
15 March 2010 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
||
| M | "War with Me" 3:33 |
29 March 2010 1000 limited vinyl 90 Handmade limited CD[170] Digital |
The song was premiered on BBC6Music's 'Ash Wednesday' celebrations on 17 February, and was the 3rd 'radio single' of the A–Z Series. The band handmade 90 limited edition CD single versions of the track, 50 of which were awarded to new subscribers, whilst the rest were given away in a competition.[171] | The video was shot sporadically over 3 weeks, in China Town on 6 February 2010 and The Hamptons. Tim Wheeler was originally meant to be in the back of a 60s Mercedes in one of the scenes, however it broke down en route to the shoot, instead they used a Jaguar. The video was directed by Alex Beck.[44][45] |
| N | "Dare to Dream" 5:05 |
12 April 2010 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
Dare to Dream was premiered on 11 April 2010 on the band's website. The track was remixed by Mogwai; 1000 limited remix singles were also made available to celebrate Record Store Day. The remix was available digitally to all those who had subscribed by 12 April 2010, free of charge.[172] | |
| O | "Mind Control" 2:52 |
26 April 2010 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
||
| P | "Insects" 3:49 |
10 May 2010 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
||
| Q | "Binary" 4:06 |
24 May 2010 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
Binary was announced on 14 April, and played for the first time on Rory McConnell's BBC Radio 1 show. Binary is the 5th radio single from the A–Z Series.[173] A Facebook campaign was created to try to get 'Binary' into the UK Top 40.[174][175] Bloc Party member and at-the time Ash touring guitarist Russell Lissack remixed the track under the alias CO-PILOTS. It was made available on 25 May 2010.[176] | The first music video was directed by Nico Jones of production company Big Button – who also produced 'Return of White Rabbit' and 'The A–Z Series Trailer'. The video was shot in New York on green screen and then sent over the Atlantic to Birmingham for editing and post-production. The video has a science fiction inspired theme.[177] The video was released on 27 April 2010 and has received airplay on Q and NME TV.[178] A second music video was released on 20 May 2010, exclusively on YouTube the video features long awaited footage from Slashed – an independent horror flick[179] starring Ash, Coldplay and Dave Grohl, amongst others. It was originally shot in 2002, but was unreleased due to never being finished.[180][181] |
| R | "Physical World" 2:48 |
7 June 2010 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
Physical World was announced on 26 May 2010, it was originally coloured green, but later changed to light pink.[182] | |
| S | "Spheres" 6:08 |
21 June 2010 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
Spheres is the only track in the A–Z series where the singles letter – S – corresponds with the title. It was mentioned originally in April 2009 by Mark Hamilton,[183] and later in June 2009 when a photo of Tim recording the track's piano part was posted on ash-official.com.[184] | |
| T | "Instinct" 3:52 |
5 July 2010 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
Instinct was officially announced on 23 June 2010 and was originally a light blue as opposed to brown.[185] It was the highest charting of the A-Z series, peaking at #65 in the UK Singles Chart. | |
| U | "Summer Snow" 3:30 |
19 July 2010 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
Summer Snow was announced on 1 July 2010 by Recordstore.co.uk.[186] It originally corresponded with the colour purple. Summer Snow was first mentioned in a studio update by Tim in June 2009.[187] | |
| V | "Carnal Love" 4:01 |
2 August 2010 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
Carnal Love was the sixth radio single from the series, it was announced on 25 June 2010.[188] Originally 'V' had a lime-green artwork colour.[189] | Preview photographs of the video shoot were posted on the band's website on 22 July 2010.[190] On 22 July 2010 an interview was posted on the band's YouTube with director Alex Turvey talking about the upcoming video. The music video was made available on 27 July.[191] The video was intended by Tim and director Alex to have a perverse theme, using a lot of visual references to sex.[192] Lily Vanilli was hired to prepare the cakes for the video shoot. It features sexually shaped deserts being prepared and served to Tim, who slowly eats course after course, before being covered in custard, fruits and rubbed up and down.[191] |
| W | "Embers" 4:21 |
16 August 2010 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
Embers was announced on 18 July 2010,[193] along with its re-imagined artwork colour, originally a light grey it was changed to orange.[194] Embers is one of the more punk-guitar driven tracks of the later half of the A–Z series.[195] It looked set to hit an all-time high for an A–Z single in terms of chart positions, hitting number 23 in the UK midweek official chart update, before finishing at number 79. | |
| X | "Change Your Name" 3:20 |
30 August 2010 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
Change Your Name was announced on 18 July 2010, with a sample available on Amazon.co.uk the same day.[196] The track was written by drummer Rick McMurray, and first mentioned on the band's website on 18 May 2009.[197] The song charted at number one in the UK Rock Chart. | |
| Y | "Sky Burial" 10:16 |
13 September 2010 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
Sky Burial was announced on 18 July 2010. An instrumental, it is the longest track of the entire A–Z series standing at 10:18, and will be comparable to previous album's title track "Twilight of the Innocents".[198] It charted at number two in the UK Rock Chart. | |
| Z | "There Is Hope Again" 3:48 |
27 September 2010 1000 limited vinyl Digital |
There Is Hope Again was announced on 18 July 2010. A 30 second sample was added to Amazon.co.uk the same day. It was hinted on the band's website ash-official.com that fans should keep an eye on Sky Sports regarding the final single.[199][200] | |
| Song | Date | Release | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Lay Down Your Arms" | 22 December 2009 | Free digital download | Free digital download for all those subscribed to the A–Z Downloads and Vinyl collection. The track was written and demoed for Twilight of the Innocents, however never made the record stage.[159] The track was given as a thank you to fans for subscribing and bearing with the band through the various problems with releasing earlier singles in the A–Z Series, including postal strikes and the band's distribution supplying various online retailers with the incorrect audio files, resulting in some fans experiencing sound quality issues.[201] It lasts 3:43 |
| "Gallows Hill" | 15 January 2010 | Free digital download | Second free B-side to the A–Z Series, released to all those subscribed to the A–Z Series before 14 January 2010. The song is named after Gallows Hill in Downpatrick.[202] It lasts 3:43 |
| "Night Terrors" | 2 March 2010 | Free digital download | Third free B-side to the A–Z Series, released to all those subscribed to the A–Z Series before 25 February 2010. Ash's official site describes the track as: "Musically this dark and menacing memorial merges spiky new-wave punk guitars with uptempo disco beats, overdriven synthesizers and a chorus hook that would kick Dr. Who into a parallel universe."[203] It lasts 3:50 |
| "Empire of Sand" | 27 March 2010 | Free digital download | Fourth free B-side to the A–Z Series, released to all those subscribed to the A–Z Series before midnight Thursday 25 March 2010. It is described on the band's official site as: Strap yourself in for a haunting ghost ride through the nihilistic mind of Richard Wilson McMurray. Empire of Sand is a deeply honest introspection of the crushing void experienced as one's foundations crumble around a devastating life event.[171] It lasts 3:18 |
| "Coming Around Again" | 19 April 2010 | A–Z Volume 1 CD | Cover of Carly Simon, the Ash version was premiered on East Village Radio on 30 March 2010.[204] |
| "The Creeps" | |||
| "CTRL-ALT-DEL" | Written by Rick McMurray | ||
| "Do You Feel It?" | |||
| "Kamakura" | 7 April 2010 | A–Z Volume 1 CD (Japanese edition) | The two track were made available for free at UK April/May 2010 performances on limited handmade CDs, they were not made available online due to contract reasons.[205] |
| "Disenchanted" | |||
| "Pirates Are So 2004" | 4 May 2010 | Free digital download | Fifth free B-side to the A–Z Series, released to all those subscribed to the A–Z Series before midnight 29 April 2010.[206] |
| "No Heartbreaker" | 1 June 2010 | Free digital download | Sixth free B-side to the A–Z Series, released to all those subscribed to the A–Z Series before midnight 1 June 2010. In addition, released as a free download on 10 November 2010 as part of the Shepherd's Bush Empire Free Download EP[207] |
| "Lights Out" | 6 July 2010 | Free digital download | Seventh free B-side to the A–Z Series, released to all those subscribed to the A–Z Series before midnight 6 July 2010.[208] |
| "Midnight Militia" | 28 July 2010 | Free digital download | Eighth free B-side to the A–Z Series, released to all those subscribed to the A–Z Series before midnight 28 July 2010. |
| "Replicants" | 24 August 2010 | Free digital download | Ninth free B-side to the A–Z Series, released to all those subscribed to the A–Z Series before midnight 24 August 2010. |
| "Nouvelles Aventures" | 22 September 2010 | Free digital download | Tenth (and final) free B-side to the A–Z Series, released to all those subscribed to the A–Z Series before midnight 22 September 2010. |
| "Teenage Wildlife" | 11 October 2010 | A–Z Volume 2 CD | |
| "Spellbound" | |||
| "Nightfall" | |||
| "Running to the Ocean" | 11 October 2010 | A–Z Volume 2 CD (Japanese edition) | |
| "Midnight in the Garden" | |||
| Song | Date | Release | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Return of the White Rabbit" (Jaymo & Andy George Remix) | 12 October 2009 digital download 7 April 2010 CD |
Rehash EP A–Z Volume 1 CD (Japanese edition) |
|
| "True Love 1980" (Loverush UK! Remix) | |||
| "True Love 1980" (Pete Doyle's Rocksolid Remix) | |||
| "True Love 1980" (Timothy Allan Remix) | |||
| "Space Reshot" (Pete Doyle's Rocksolid Vocal Mix) | 18 January 2010 digital download 7 April 2010 CD |
Space Reshot EP A–Z Volume 1 CD (Japanese edition)[209] |
|
| "Space Reshot" (Snitch Brothers Vocal Remix) | |||
| "Space Reshot" (Snitch Brothers Instrumental Remix) | |||
| "Space Reshot" (Loverush UK! Dubstrumental) | |||
| "Space Reshot" (Pete Doyle's Rocksolid Instrumental Mix) | |||
| "Space Reshot" (Loverush UK! Club Mix) | |||
| "Neon" (Beatcave Remix) | 7 April 2010 | A–Z Volume 1 CD (Japanese edition) | |
| "True Love 1980" (Vince Clarke Remix) | |||
| "Dare to Dream" (Mogwai Remix) | 12 April 2010 | 1000 limited vinyl Free digital download |
1000 vinyl copies were pressed to celebrate Record Store Day, it was also made available for free for subscribers of the A–Z Series.[210] |
| Song | Date | Release | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| "True Love 1980" (acoustic) | 19 April 2010 digital download |
A–Z Acoustic download EP | Acoustic studio tracks |
| "Joy Kicks Darkness" (acoustic) | |||
| "Arcadia" (acoustic) | |||
| "Tracers" (acoustic) (featuring Emmy the Great) | |||
| "Spaceshot" (acoustic) | |||
| "Command" (acoustic) | |||
| "War with Me" (acoustic) | |||
Over the course of the A–Z Series Tim Wheeler took on much of the production work himself, assisted by Cladius Mittendorfer who worked with the band on previous albums "Meltdown" and "Twilight of the Innocence" as a studio engineer and later a producer, and Ash members Mark Hamilton and Rick McMurray.[213] Musically the band collaborated with few others; a saxophone player–Daniel Rouleau on "Do You Feel It?" a B-side released on A–Z Volume 1,[214] Pete Moses, James Levy and Eric Feigenbaum who provided backing vocals on "Return of White Rabbit" and "Ichiban", and later Emma-Lee Moss of Emmy The Great on an acoustic studio re-recording of single "D"–"Tracers".[215][216]
For 2009 live performances, many new tracks simply used a backing track, instead of enlisting another member, however the band had not ruled out either recruiting a completely new member, or reuniting with former guitarist Charlotte Hatherley in the future, with Tim stating "I do miss her as a friend on tour" as well as stating "It could be good to get someone in for extra guitar and keyboards and add some layers"[217] whilst Charlotte in interview with NME simply said it would be a "possibility in the future" and that her and Tim regularly talk despite her having left the band in 2006.[218]
Tim Wheeler and Emmy The Great performed the track "Tracers" acoustically on a number of occasions in 2009, and for the 2010 release of A–Z Volume 1 an acoustic re-recording of "Tracers" was included featuring Emma-Lee Moss.[219] The collaboration came after Emmy The Great covered "Burn Baby Burn" as a B-side to the single "First Love", famously including the backing vocals "shit! You're a shit! You're not a shit! Lick my shit".[220][221]
On 16 March Russell Lissack was announced as the band's touring guitarist and synthesizer player for their tour dates in New York, Japan and the United Kingdom, Tim Wheeler stated on the band's website; "We first met at the South By South West in 2005, we'd heard he and Kele Okereke met when Russell was playing Ash songs at a party, so we've always felt that connection with him. We've loved Bloc Party since their first single and have always really admired his guitar playing."[222] This came after Russell's band Bloc Party went on hiatus at the end of 2009, NME quoted Russell saying "as soon as they called me I was really excited".[223]
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