To celebrate the 20th anniversary of their acclaimed debut album ‘Asleep In The Back‘, Elbow have released a collection of rare tracks from the era to streaming services.

Having already announced the release of exclusive coloured vinyl 10” editions of ‘The Newborn EP’ and ‘The Any Day Now EP’ for Record Store Day 2021, the Mercury-winning Manchester indie veterans today further celebrate two decades since their first album by sharing more early cuts on streaming services.

Alongside the original studio album of ‘Alseep In The Back’ and a number of b-sides hitting streaming, the collection includes tracks taken from their debut ‘Noisebox’ EP, featuring the original recording of ‘Powder Blue’, and their two releases for Manchester independent Uglyman Records, the ‘Newborn’ EP and the ‘Any Day Now’ EP.

Not only that, but Guy Garvey and co have also released six tracks from the band’s headline show at London Astoria from that tour, along with three tracks recorded for Steve Lamacq’s Evening Session on Radio One transmitted in April 2001, and remixes of album tracks including fellow Mancunian Andy Votel’s take on ‘Powder Blue’.

‘Asleep In The Back’ made history upon release, marking the band’s first of four consecutive 9/10 album reviews from NME through to their Mercury-winning breakthrough ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’. Our review of their debut at the time said, “Radiohead finally have a competitor worthy of healthy comparison”, and hailed the lead single ‘Newborn’ as showcasing “such magnificent flight and depth it darkens the skies above most other British guitar groups”.

This comes after the band this week confirmed the date for their ‘Passport: Back to Our Roots’ show at Manchester’s Night And Day Cafe this November, as part of a drive to support the UK’s independent grassroots music venues by assembling a bill of big-name and established artists to headline a series of one-off fundraising gigs at a number of independent venues.

Fans now eagerly await news of the follow-up to the band’s 2019 eighth album ‘Giants Of All Sizes‘. Speaking to NME last September about progress on new Elbow material Garvey said: “We’ve been writing all the way through lockdown.

“As you can imagine, the stuff we’ve written so far has a tone of bewilderment and longing. There’s an international feeling there. We’re going to have [live drummer] Alex Reeves in the room and write as a band. Who knows what that will throw up?”

The 20th anniversary edition of ‘Asleep In The Back’ is out now. Check out the full tracklist below.

‘Asleep In The Back’

Any Day Now
Red
Little Beast
Powder Blue
Bitten By The Tailfly
Asleep In The Back
Newborn
Don’t Mix Your Drinks
Presuming Ed (Rest Easy)
Coming Second
Can’t Stop
Scattered Black And Whites

‘Asleep In The Back’ EPs and B-sides

Powder Blue (The Noisebox EP Version)
Red (The Noisebox EP Version)
Theme From Munroe Kelly (The Noisebox EP Version)
Can’t Stop (The Noisebox EP Version)
Kisses (The Newborn EP Version)
None One (The Newborn EP Version)
Wurzel (The Any Day Now EP Version)
George Lassoes The Moon (The Any Day Now EP Version)
Vum Garda
About Time
Suffer
Lucky With Disease
One Thing That Was Bothering Me
Stumble
Puckfair

‘Asleep In The Back’ sessions, remixes and acoustic tracks

Newborn – BBC Radio 1 Lamacq Session
Don’t Mix Your Drinks – BBC Radio 1 Lamacq Session
Red – BBC Radio 1 Lamacq Session
Powder Blue (Andy Votel Mix)
Press Your Lips (Newborn) (El Presidente Remix)
Coming Second (Fink Remix)
Coming Second (Misery:Lab Remix)
Newborn Bitten By The Black Dog
About Time (Acoustic Version)
The Crow (Acoustic Version)
Newborn (Acoustic Version)

‘Asleep In The Back’ Live At The Astoria October 24, 2001

Bitten By The Tailfly – Live At The Astoria
Coming Second – Live At The Astoria
Don’t Mix Your Drinks – Live At The Astoria
Can’t Stop – Live At The Astoria
Scattered Black And Whites – Live At The Astoria
George Lassoes The Moon – Live At The Astoria