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15 TRACKS. The First!

The two albums on this compact disc were John Wesley Harding's first two studio efforts (his first release, in 1988, was a live recording). On both albums, he's backed by The Good Liars (half of which was comprised of Pete Thomas and Bruce Thomas from Elvis Costello's Attractions). A strong touring schedule and a cult-like following among college and alt-rock crowds resulted in several tracks on these two albums hitting the Billboard's Modern Rock Charts, including "The Devil In Me" (#17), "The People's Drug" (#29) and "The Person You Are" (#8).

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Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter John Wesley Harding returns with The Sound of His Own Voice out October 11 on Yep Roc Records. The 13 song set features the all-star King Charles Trio, whose lineup includes John Moen, Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee and Nate Query, all members of The Decemberists, Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Scott McCaughey (The Minus Five, The Baseball Project, R.E.M., Young Fresh Fellows). Rosanne Cash, Laura Veirs and John Roderick (The Long Winters) also lend their vocal talents to the record.Recorded at the Type Foundry in Portland, Oregon, The Sound of His Own Voice was produced by Harding and McCaughey and mixed by Tucker Martine (My Morning Jacket, The Decemberists, Spoon). The opening track, 'Sing Your Own Song,' is currently streaming athttp://soundcloud.com/john-wesley-harding/sing-your-own-songIn addition to his work as a recording artist, Harding has written three novels under his given name, Wesley Stace. His first book, Misfortune, was an international bestseller. His most recent, Charles Jessold, Considered as a Murderer, was published to rave reviews from The New Yorker, The New York Times and the Huffington Post, among many others. The Los Angeles Times hailed the book as 'carefully plotted and brilliantly executed,' while the Wall Street Journal called it 'dazzling.'Since his critically acclaimed 1990 debut Here Comes the Groom (lauded by the LA Times as 'the first great rock record of the `90s') John Wesley Harding has recorded 18 records for both major (Sire, Hollywood) and independent (Mammoth, Rhino, Appleseed) labels alike. His novels have been published by Little Brown and Picador in the U.S.

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This remastered re-release of the 1998 CD by acerbic, articulate singer-songwriter and self-proclaimed practitioner of "gangsta folk" is bolstered by five bonus tracks, including a live acoustic duet with Bruce Springsteen on the Boss’s "Wreck of the Highway."

"Awake" boasts a higher-tech and more electronically-influenced sound than some of his earlier releases, but his songs remain as melodic and catchy as ever. Studio versions of concert favorites like "Window Seat," "Miss Fortune," "Burn," and "Something to Write Home About" are among the highlights, full of Harding’s trademark wordplay and wit. "I’m Staying Here (And I’m Not Buying a Gun") is a defiant declaration of pacifism by the transplanted Englishman, who had the misfortune of moving to Brooklyn from Seattle right around the time of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks.

The CD also has plenty of tender movements, including a quiet version of Springsteen’s "Jackson Cage" and the exhausted, troubled love songs "Sweat Blood Tears and Come" "Poor Heart," and the self-flagellating "It’s All My Fault."

Although Harding performs on a wide array of instruments here, including guitars, percussion, synthesizer, and keyboards, he also receives sympathetic contributions from the ubiquitous Robert Lloyd (keyboards), alt.country solo artist Chuck Prophet (electric guitar), and the album’s co-producer, power-pop maven Chris von Sneidern (bass, backing vocals) and members of Seattle’s Young Fresh Fellows.

Balancing sincerity and sarcasm is a Harding trademark well-showcased on "Awake: The New Edition." It’s great to have this CD back in circulation again.

Expatriate British singer-songwriter John Wesley Harding considers the format of his first album, 1989’s "It Happened One Night," to be a mistake. It was a live 17-song recording of an early solo, acoustic club show, and Harding was already moving on. "My first album should have been "It Never Happened At All" – a whole different album of I was making in 1988/89 with great musicians. . . To me, it is my alternative album from a parallel world where you can have two debut albums," he explains.

Critics and listeners were impressed by "It Happened," though: Creem called it "a remarkable live debut" and Harding "a very funny, very passionate man . . .His eloquence can be gut-wrenching." The All Music Guide wrote that the CD captured Harding’s "folk roots and a wonderful sense of humor."

Now Appleseed Recordings offers a 2-CD package that should satisfy everyone: "It Happened One Night & It Never Happened At All" presents a remastered and expanded version of "It Happened One Night" (with two extra songs) plus "It Never Happened At All," a companion disc of 14 previously unreleased 1988/89 studio recordings that Wes wanted as his first release.

"It Happened One Night" presents Wes’s acerbic, keenly observant, and emotionally open songs bursting with words, humor and intensity as high-energy modern folk, whereas "It Never Happened At All" dresses some of those same songs – such as his early signature tune, "The Devil in Me" and later favorites like "Scared of Guns" and "Who You Really Are"– in arrangements ranging from Bo-Diddley-meets-Buddy Holly to folk-rock, rockabilly, C&W, and blues, as well as solo acoustic, frequently with full-band accompaniment by members of Elvis Costello’s Attractions, Lindisfarne, current solo artist Geraint Watkins and others.

Not to be missed: disc one’s "July 13 1985," a hilariously piercing look at the historic Live Aid broadcast, and two different versions of "The Devil in Me," in which Harding sardonically accepts responsibility for the world’s ill’s: "It all just seems like human behavior to me."

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