May 2017 marks Chris T-T’s 20th anniversary making music, so let’s celebrate his 20 years of loyal dissent with a first-ever career retrospective: the imaginatively-titled, double CD Best Of, out 19 May 2017. Preorder it on the XMR online shop or via iTunes.
For the first time Chris will also compile his song lyrics into a book, published to coincide with its release. Disc 1 focuses on Chris’s most loved songs from over the years and disc 2 is a rarities collection of Chris’s favourite studio recordings that haven’t been released on CD before. Full tracklisting is below. Watch the new video for 'The English Earth', originally from 2001's The 253 album and featured on Best Of.
The same week in 1997 that Tony Blair came to power, Chris moved to London. Before the end of May he’d played his first solo gigs (Chris that is, not Tony) and self-released his debut 7” single.
Shortly after, Chris home-recorded and self-released his debut album Beatverse – years before this became commonplace – on a MiniDisc four-track with no computer. Beatverse was barely distributed but won Chris label interest and Radio 1 plays from Steve Lamacq, who championed the song ‘Shit From All Angles’ on the Evening Session. By Christmas, Chris was guesting live on the show.
Over two decades since then, Chris T-T has been walking his own path, with visionary psych pop, startling humour and unflinching, sometimes discomforting, radicalism. He’s released ten solo albums to consistent praise and played over 2,300 shows worldwide. Ten years ago he joined the Xtra Mile Recordings family, signing in 2007 on the suggestion of fast-rising young singer and fan Frank Turner. He has released four albums with Xtra Mile: Capital (2008), Love Is Not Rescue (2010), The Bear (2013) and 2016’s 9 Green Songs.
Charlie Caplowe, MD of Xtra Mile Recordings says this about Chris T-T and the Best Of release:
“From the very start it’s been an absolute pleasure to work with Chris both in a business and social sense. We're really proud to have been along for the ride for at least half of his amazing 20 year career. Here’s to another 20!”
Chris is also doing a short run of ‘Best Of’ 20th anniversary concerts in the UK as well as playing his first appearance at the illustrious Cambridge Folk Festival. Full dates announced so far can be found here.
Chris T-T Best Of tracklisting
Disc 1
- Dreaming of Injured Popstars
- Ownership
- The English Earth
- Shit From All Angles
- You Can Be Flirty
- Drink Beer
- Sellotape (Dawson's Creek)
- Eminem is Gay
- 7 Hearts
- Giraffes #1
- The Huntsman Comes A-Marchin'
- Preaching to the Converted
- (We Are) The King of England
- A Box To Hide In
- Market Square
- Elephant In the Room
- The Bear
- Gulls
- Love Me, I'm A Liberal (full band version)
Disc 2
- The Idris Lung (1997 version)
- Cutler (7" version)
- A Hole Full of Submarines (band version)
- Tendon #3
- What if My Heart Never Heals? (7" version)
- Tomorrow Morning (7" version)
- N253 (band version)
- Decksweep
- The Headcold Bit of the Winter
- 100,000 Turkeys
- Back in the U.S.S.R.
- Bored of the War
- You Can't Stop the Machine
- In the Dressing Room
- A-Z (Xtra Mile High Club piano version)
- Nintendo (piano version)
- Words Fail Me (acoustic version)
- The Outer Darkness Theme (with Gill Sandell)
- Dancing On My Own
- 31 Pills (band version)
Still busy as ever, in the past year Chris has released grief-stricken ecology record 9 Green Songs (sequel of sorts to 2005’s 9 Red Songs), been sole musician (piano accompanist) on the Jim Bob (Carter USM) album Jim Bob Sings Again, completed a set of narrative folk ballads as Creative Fellow at the National Trust Workhouse, Southwell, and played more guest piano on fellow Xtra Mile artist Non Canon’s self-titled debut. Meanwhile his weekly late night folk music show Midnight Campfire on Sussex radio station Juice 107.2 has a growing loyal following.