Following the sell-out, limited edition release of See Without Being Seen in its original cassette format for ‘Cassette Store Day’ 2019, this extended CD version features an additional 3 bonus tracks (on top of the 3 extra instrumental tracks from the same period that featured on the cassette re-release). In the style of all of THE THE’s previous Cineola releases, it also includes a deluxe 36-page booklet, replete with information concerning the origins and the restoration of this material, lyrics and images of the original cassette sleeve and artwork.
See Without Being Seen is the lost first album by the teenage Matt Johnson, now reissued under the moniker of THE THE. Originally ‘released’ as a limited edition cassette in 1979, the master tapes were thought lost for many years. Recorded in the cellar of the then teenage Johnson’s parent’s pub, The Crown, in Loughton, Essex and at the time sold at underground gigs on cassette, these legendary archive recordings, featuring 13 tracks retrieved and restored from Matt Johnson’s personal archive, were recorded in 1978-79 a couple of years before ‘official’ first release Burning Blue Soul.
Sharing the cellar ‘studio space’ with his late older brother Andrew (Andy Dog), a talented artist responsible for both the cover portrait on this release and many of THE THE’s iconic sleeves, the tracks were recorded on a rudimentary set-up including an Akai 4000DS MK2 reel to reel tape recorder, a Crumar electric piano, a borrowed Telecaster copy and a handful of effects pedals.
Located amongst a box of unmarked tapes and severely damaged due to natural deterioration, the original tape had to undergo a time-consuming restoration process of baking, digitising and was mastered for the first time by Matt Colton at Metropolis Studios.
