My record collection
[261] The Wondrous World of Damon & Naomi (bootleg edition)

The bootleg edition of Wondrous World was released by Damon & Naomi on their own 20|20|20 record label for Record Store Day in 2013 - although, contrary to RSD rules, they also took pre-orders and released it through their own web site which, I suspect, earned them a slapped wrist?

The Wondrous World of Damon & Naomi (bootleg edition)

The “bootleg edition” is actually just a resequenced, alternate mix of their second album and includes one previously unreleased track. The story is that Kramer mixed and mastered this version and then got upset at Damon and Naomi’s suggested changes but finally succumbed and this mix, thought to be erased, was actually stuck in a plastic bag and duly mislaid.

The sleeve for the album contains a defaced copy of Sonny and Cher’s own “Wondrous World” LP, which, while quite funny doesn’t sit quite right with me. To maintain the imaginary bootleg nature of this release the disc has just white labels so a squint at the run-out groove is required to figure out which side is which.

I loved Wondrous World back in 1995, and honestly am not sure that it needed this version, the changed sequence feels wrong every time I listen to it (so I rarely do). These mixes are apparently “closer in spirit to the psychedelic record the duo and he had previously recorded together, More Sad Hits”… although… are they? Maybe it’s because of close to 20 years of listening to and loving the original, but those original mixes don’t sound as simple or “acoustic” or “folky” … there’s still plenty going on.

I do worry that I sound like some old fart unwilling to accept change when I write things like that… and maybe that is what I am. But having just done a side-by-side listen I’m standing firm to my opinion that this is the second best version of Wondrous World…. While the original isn’t on D&N’s Bandcamp I think you can find it on most streaming platforms, and you can probably get a CD of it for pennies on Discogs!

Since I don’t do Record Store Day I pre-ordered this from D&N in March 2013 for $15, plus postage, but I off-set the postage somewhat by buying LPs of The Earth is Blue and False Beats… at the same time.

• Catalogue Number: AHFOW 12/006
• Artist: Damon & Naomi
• Title: The Wondrous World of Damon & Naomi (bootleg edition)
• Format: LP

Previously in my record collection:

• [005] The Wondrous World of Damon & Naomi (CD)
• [154] The Wondrous World of Damon & Naomi (promo CD)