You know the story: a farm boy from Iowa turned into an avant-garde folk hero in 1970s New York, and few celebrated him for his tender genius until after his untimely death at 40. The first batch of Arthur Russell recordings to be collated on a single release was brought together from the mountain of tapes by Russell’s friend Mikel Rouse, and the result was the staggeringly brilliant Another Thought. In the league of off-kilter and minimal pop, few artists contain the power and romanticism of Russell’s voice and cello, both magnetic forces that invoke deep psychedelic meditation as vast as their hooks are interminably catchy. Both versions of Be With’s 2021 reissue of Another Thought have been mastered by Simon Francis and the vinyl cut by Pete Norman. The original artwork has been restored and tweaked at Be With HQ for the gatefold sleeve and the triple-fold digipak, with the essential help of Janette Beckman. Each version comes with an insert reproducing the liner notes and lyrics from the original CD release.
