there are two label variants for the original uk pressing, one has a small black rectangle stereo box middle top label, the other is without this box. both are otherwise identical with uk stamped matrices. in the early days of collecting, it was generally thought that the label with the black box was the earliest pressing. if anyone knows the history of deram pressings and has info as to which came first with other deram releases showing the same label variants, eg moody blues lps? then maybe they could give some advice to the listing. i think the black box label is the absolute first press, or first off the same run and given those labels til they ran out. i own that version and have also owned the other. and theres no other difference, and both have stamped original matrices.

If you look at Deram's SDL 1 up to SDL 8 releases, not a single one of the brown & white labels is pictured with a black 'stereo' box; they all look like this one shown here. A black 'mono' box on a brown & white label does exist in the DML series and 'stereo' in the SML series on red & white labels. My preliminary conclusion would be that your comment does not apply to SDL 1 - 8.

Amidst Leprechauns and UnicornsTunes on Swaddling Songs are frilly and juicy and their instrumentation is really rich. “Bring snowy lady with the laughing, spread your sailing angels over me, tell a tale of old sinfuls, look for you to change their face. Do not cry, for all your leaden tears graced a lorded man whose gift was all too free, he came to fall upon a faithless smile, leaning eyes towards the clay.” The songs have a feeling of fairytales about them and Mellow Candle is a troupe of medieval bards telling fabulous stories to the gorgeous music. “Tell me, show me, teach me where you've been did you see shadows of unicorns? Did you wear laurels or a crown of thorns? Dance through sadness, dance through tears of rage, dance for the poet, dance for the Queen, dancing for something you've never seen. Rhapsodising pain will make you blind, harmonising rain can help you find the way to understand and learning how to cry.” Lyrics are sparkling with imagery and the singing is polyphonic and lucid.

The copies with the handwritten matrix numbers were a 'collectors replica' counterfeit edition issued in the 1990s. I remember seeing one on a record trader's market stall back then - it was a beautiful, perfect copy (right down to the inner sleeve details and colouring) and the chap selling it said that the hand-written matrix number was the only sign that it wasn't a Deram original. They were selling for about £25 each. I would have bought it, but I was too busy spending all my money on Pink Floyd at the time. The same chap had other (really excellent quality) replicas; the Pink Floyd 'See Emily Play' EP from Spain and the 'Gary Walker's Rain' LP (apparently a psychedelic classic!) both spring to mind.

Im a little bit skeptic about the note. I have the Mellow Candle "Swaddling Songs" UK Deram LP. But with handwritten matrix and orginal blue-white Deram stereo innersleeve. The Labels are brown/ white. Ive got the LP from my father and he said to me that he bought the vinyl 1972 in a UK record/book store. And it was the only "SS" vinyl in this shop. He didnt know the band but he liked the songs. That is why he bought the LP. So i cant believe that the "SS" with handwritten matrix is a repress or bootleg.

You are absolutely right!! No handwritten matrixes on a Deram original....

actually the labels on the repress are brown/white too. maybe the repress came out shortly after the original?

Mmm, I have never seen a hand-etched matrix on any original Deram LP (I have them almost all).I do guess you have this one here:Mellow Candle - Swaddling SongsRed/white labels? Repress...

Apart from this being nowadays the most expensive Deram album, this Irish folk band's sole LP presents truly magical psychedelic folk with two excellent female singers. Less fragile than Trees, more mystical than Fairport Convention, the sound is full of surprises and the songwriting is strong. Lyrically much revolves around loneliness, not in a self-pitying way, but rather accepted as a key fact of life. Consolation is exclusively found in nature and in the presumption that something ''beyond'' must be existing. The sheer quality of the performance makes it perplexing that they did not find any recognition at the time.

just before this gets ridiculous, look at the picture here:https://www.screencast.com/t/yh16MFF6I1tI wrote this review in 1995 (!) for Vernon Joynson's 'Tapestry', from which book the scan above is takenmany of my reviews have been plagiarized during the past decades, I actually lost count...thanks, though, for pointing out another illegal practice, Acid Archives is perhaps in troublean apology from your side would not be a bad idea...

eh what? I wrote this for Vernon Joynson some 20 years agowhy are you accusing me?

FYI, The above comment is plagiarized from Acid Archives.