Editors - Behind The Back Room (2006)

Editors are a UK indie-rock band, formed in 2002 in Birmingham, and consisting of  Tom Smith (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Russell Leetch (bass guitar, synthesiser), Geraint Owen (drums), Chris Urbanowicz (lead guitar), and Elliott Williams (keys, synthesisers, guitars). The band met while studying Music Technology at Staffordshire University, but while living in Birmingham and playing at venues such as the Jug Of Ale and the Flapper & Firkin. The band was initially known as Pilot and played its first show under this name in 2002, but they soon realised the name was already taken by the 1970's Scottish pop group, so they changed it to The Pride. Following a change in personnel, with Ed Lay replacing Geraint Owen on drums, this lineup became known as Snowfield, and they played their debut gig at the request of Fused Magazine in March 2003. The following summer the band self-released a demo six-track EP, all of which went on to become future Editors songs, and word of mouth helped them become a popular unsigned band. They sent out a one track demo CD of 'Bullets', earning them the interest of several British labels, and in 2004 they signed to Newcastle based indie label Kitchenware Records, when they became Editors. 
The band released debut single 'Bullets' as a limited edition of 1000 copies in 2005, selling out on the day of release. 'Munich' followed in April of that year and gave them their first Top 25 hit, and 'Blood' was released two months later, reaching number 18 in the UK Singles Chart. With these releases their fanbase continued to grow and on 25 July 2005 their debut album 'The Back Room' was released to critical acclaim and commercial success. It was a great album, and contained some of their best songs, but then fans who had followed them from that first single would have expected nothing less, as the band had consistently put great new songs on the b-sides of the many different formats of their first four singles, none of which eventually made the album. We were left thinking that if they could afford to leave these songs off the album then what is on there must be exceptional, and it was. This album is made up of just the b-sides of the singles that they released in 2005 and early 2006, and there are enough new songs here to make up a brand new album which could have been released at the same time as 'The Back Room', which is why I've titled it 'Behind The Back Room'. You don't hear much of the band these days, and the musical direction of their recent albums have changed quite a lot, so I no longer listen to them, but I do have a soft spot for these early tracks, and so this CD that I burned back in 2006 is definitely worth sharing.  

Track listing

01 Colours (b-side of 'Munich' 2005)
02 Come Share The View (b-side of 'Bullets' re-issue 2005)
03 Dust In The Sunlight (b-side of 'Bullets' 2005)
04 Release (b-side of 'Munich' 2005)
05 Heads In Bags (b-side of 'Blood' 2005)
06 Crawl Down The Wall (b-side of 'Munich' 2005)
07 Forest Fire (b-side of 'Blood' 2005)
08 You Are Fading (b-side of 'Bullets' 2005)
09 I Buried The Devil (b-side of Bullets' re-issue 2005)
10 French Disko (b-side of 'All Sparks' 2006)
11 Find Yourself A Safe Place (b-side of 'All Sparks' 2006)
12 Let Your Good Heart Lead You Home (b-side of 'Blood' 2005)
13 The Diplomat (b-side of 'All Sparks' 2006)
14 From The Outside (b-side of 'All Sparks' 2006)