Various ‘First Edition’ LP (EG records EGED 15 (2335 238))

‘FIRST EDITION’ was a compilation album from the EG records label, released in early 1982. It featured a sample of the artists to have appeared on EG records over the years, more slanted towards the Eno/Fripp axis or Eno-produced artists along with Phil Manzanera, Penguin Café Orchestra, Lounge Lizards and even Adam and the Ants showing face courtesy of the Jubilee soundtrack outing, ‘Deutscher Girls’. A nice sleeve design courtesy of Stylo Rouge, it comes complete with an inner sleeve.

At the same time, EG re-issued a number of albums and I picked up their promotional ‘Editions EG Catalogue’ which listed this series of re-releases. A nice little fold-out, multi-page pamphlet, a record shop freebie, EG styling themselves as an eclectic label of taste and adventure, now Editions EG. The inner sleeve of ‘First Edition’ printed the sleeves of this particular reissue collection, the catalogue also shows them along with tracklisting, brief description and also a cut out and post order form.

As far as I’m aware it was only ever issued on vinyl and cassette. Subsequently though, I’ve come to realise that different countries reordered the tracklisting quite a bit for their own editions.

The tracklisting for the UK vinyl edition is shown below.

‘First Edition’
EG records, 1982, cat. no: EGED 15 (2335 238)

Side One:
Adam And The Ants: ‘Deutscher Girls’
Robert Fripp: ‘Under Heavy Manners’
Phil Manzanera: ‘Impossible Guitar’
Brian Eno: ‘Task Force’
Lounge Lizards: ‘Harlem Nocturne’
Edikanfo: ‘Nka Bom’
Penguin Cafe Orchestra: ‘Walk Don’t Run’
Robert Fripp: ‘The League Of Gentlemen’

Side Two:
Laraaji: ‘Dance #1’
Phil Manzanera: ‘Bogota’
Brian Eno & Snatch: ‘R.A.F.’
Jon Hassell: ‘Courage’
Brian Eno & David Byrne: ‘Very Very Hungry
Penguin Cafe Orchestra: ‘The Ecstasy Of Dancing Fleas’
Brian Eno: ‘Shadow’

As well as the UK edition it appears there are a couple of variations from elsewhere with different track permutations. In Canada the album was pressed as a 10″ record instead of the regular 12″ and the Eno & Byrne track, ‘Very, Very Hungry’ was replaced by Brian Eno’s ‘Seven Deadly Finns’ instead. The American edition was a 12″ but with two further changes – as well as including ‘Seven Deadly Finns’ instead of ‘Very, Very Hungry’ as per the Canadian issue, Fripp’s ‘Under Heavy Manners’ was dropped (replaced by Killing Joke’s ‘Change’) and ‘Cat Food’ by King Crimson was added as an extra track to the end of side one.