Guy Manning's debut album Tall Stories For Small Children celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and the musician has launched a crowdfunding campaign for a new double vinyl version of the album.
The roots of Manning's debut lie in his association with The Tangent's Andy Tillison, with whom Manning played in Parallel Or 90 Degrees.
"I recorded a collection of my pieces, Andy helped out on some drum programs and some keys and so did my old mate Jonathan Barrett on the fretless bass," Manning recalls. "I was very pleased with the performances, arrangements and sound (although a little technically challenged). We did our best! It was 1998!
"I had access to a CDR burning machine and some disc labels, I created a Version 1 release of my Tall Stories For Small Children album and offered it for sale on mail order under artist name Guy Manning. The album title had been fixed since I was 15 at school… I had it penned on my rucksack and everything! I actually sold some copies and so I started work composing the sophomore effort."
Enter Malcolm Parker of the now-legendary Cyclops Records.
"He had been listening more and more to my CDR and it grew on him (huzzah!), he wanted it to come out on Cyclops... BUT, as Cyclops was marketed really as a progressive rock label, he wanted to know if I had few more epic numbers that we could use to replace some of the more singer/songwriter pieces. So, with a bit of juggling and rearrangement, Version 2 (the official one) was ready for release. It was released in October 1999.
"So, here we are 25 years and 15 Manning albums later and about to celebrate its birthday with a performance at Summer’s End Festival and with a new remastered and expanded special vinyl double album potentially.
"My recent online survey revealed in responses that there were enough of you out there who would buy a copy to make it financially viable (as there was no label budget this time and we would simply be using a crowdfunding approach via Wild Thyme Records and Fairsound).
"So please now pledge upfront for your copy, it’s at reduced price initially and a bargain, and once we have reached the manufacturing cost tipping point, the album will go into production, but note, the retail price will also rise at that point to a mo reflected cost."
