David Kitt is releasing a 25th anniversary version of his classic 2001 album The Big Romance in April with a Kittser’s Version and a National Concert Hall celebration gig.
After original label Warners showed no interest in a re-release and still having control of the master recordings, Kittser did a Taylor and went and re-recorded the album and made some changes and additions to it – five new tracks and b-side and fan favourite ‘Saturdays’ – all lovingly and faithfully remade in Ballinskelligs, at Kitt’s home studio, with the help of original producer Ken McHugh.
Two songs from the record – ‘Song From Hope St. (Brooklyn, NY)’ and ‘T’s & Cs’ – both produced by McHugh were released previously.
Today, one of the album’s original highlights ‘You Know What I Want to Know’ and a new song called ‘All Been Gold’ are released, the latter with a video by Charlie Dineen.
“It was really important to get ‘You Know What I Want to Know’ as close as possible to the original and it was way more challenging than I expected. There’s a ton of detail in the vocal harmony arrangement and bassline in particular that I really had to study to get right and certain sonic flavours that were elusive. Ken McHugh did a lot of the heavy lifting on this one, but it’s very much a Kittser production. I spent the bones of ten days on my own in Kerry trying to get it over the line with my younger self very much in the executive producer role and everybody’s finally happy, it’s got that hip hop bounce. It features Emma Gattrill on clarinet, my cousin Eamonn Brady, Ken McHugh and Richard Egan on vocals, and Ruth O’Mahoney on organ.
‘All Been Gold’ is a new track that I’m really excited to get out there and one friends seem to be diggin and people who’ve heard me play it at recent shows. It fits so well on the album and has that bit of Wu-Tang Clan in its DNA.”
The video is by IADT graduate Charlie Dineen, an artist and filmmaker working with primarily multi-format analogue photography and film. His work spans abstract approaches, including street photography, documentary and self-portraiture. grounded in the tactile processes of analogue photography, his evolving film work continues to reflect his enduring fascination with light, materiality, and the alchemy of image-making.
A special performance of the album in full, featuring friends and collaborators old and new, takes place at The National Concert Hall in Dublin on April 10. Tickets for this show are on sale now.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005. He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
