The Wicker Man OST 40th Anniversary Edition (2nd press) - A Special Piece of Vinyl

Originally released in 2013 for the 40th anniversary of the cult 70’s horror film, only 500 copies of The Wicker Man 40th Anniversary Edition were pressed on black vinyl which have become highly sought after. The 40th Anniversary Edition has a different track listing to the preceding OST double album, selecting only the songs to make a single LP. Silva Screen commissioned artist Richey Beckett to come up with artwork for a poster and sleeve and the original 2013 pressing contained a certificate from the artist. This repress on white vinyl contrasts beautifully with the artwork, which is printed on reverse board. It does not contain the certificate but does have the stunning original printed inner sleeve. -Silva Screen Records

I had my eye on this lovely thing in March when it was on pre-order with Norman Records (my favourite online indie record retailer) but decided I would hold fire a while as my wantlist is never ending and prioritising is a troublesome affair some times.

With the recent death of the very excellent Christopher Lee, who stared in the original cinematic masterpiece, I thought I would check back and see if Norman had seen a surge in sales on this special edition of the soundtrack and lo, they had just one copy left. (EDIT: 06/07/2015 - They now have more in stock!)

I hit the order button with some violence and received my copy a few days later.  The artwork is beautiful, no doubt, and certainly captures something of the spirit of the film.  The opening track, Corn Riggs, which also plays over the opening credits of the original film is hauntingly lovely but you really know this record is something a bit special when you hear The Landlord's Daughter without the raucous pub noise.  There are some lush instrumentals and a trance inducing bassline provided by the drum, which is Paul Giovanni's signature throughout the LP.

You get to travel through the film song by song, transported to this scene and that.  You could literally be stood in the summer breeze next to the maypole, soaking up the weird Summer Isle atmosphere when Maypole plays.  The recording is so multidimensional and the soprano is frankly heavenly.  So Da iawn to the sound engineers and masterers who worked on this, they did a beautiful job.

I liked the ringing Scottish accents in Flame Leap and it is so nice to hear Christopher Lee himself on The Tinker of Rye.

Willow's Song is transformed when listened to out of the context of the film and the lyrics and music actually tell a story full of love as well as lust, though Britt Eckland's Scottish accent is still dodgy... sorry love!  It does make me wonder how I would feel about this album if I had never seen the film - they are not traditional folk songs, nor was Paul Giovanni a folk musician (he was an actor, playwright and director as well as a singer and composer).  Even the 'folk band' who recorded the music was formed especially for the purpose and yet there is no doubt in my mind that the music born of this union was a major influence in the following few phases of folk music history.

Towards the end of the LP, you get the sense of excitement, and a little dread, of the carnival starting.  The final bit of dialogue at the end is a really nice touch,  I don't know if the standard edition of the soundtrack has it, but it contributes to making this an emotional album!

There are still some copies available out there from other online retailers, would I recommend you get one?  Oh yes.  Do I desperately want a copy of the 1st press of this on black vinyl?  Oh yes indeedy.