Rachel Hunter eagerly anticipated the moment she would listen to Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now” vinyl record. After patiently waiting for weeks, she carefully placed the orchid-colored vinyl with Ms. Swift’s face on her record player and gently placed the needle. However, instead of experiencing the familiar rhythms of Ms. Swift’s music, she heard the voice of another woman echoing through the room.
“I quit seeing people, quit looking at the flakes of flesh and dancing organisms,” the unfamiliar voice proclaimed, devoid of any accompanying music.
Confused, Ms. Hunter wondered if there was an issue with the speed or if this was one of Ms. Swift’s infamous Easter eggs. She flipped the record to the other side, only to be greeted by an eerie male voice repeatedly asking, “The 70 billion people of Earth, where are they hiding?”
“It was a little unnerving. I was alone,” recounted Ms. Hunter. “I couldn’t help but question if I was in a horror film. It didn’t feel like reality, especially when I was expecting Taylor Swift.”
As it turns out, the vinyl was not haunted but had been mistakenly pressed with British electronica music. Universal Music Group, representing Taylor Swift, and Above Board Distribution, a small British label, shared the same printing plant in France. Due to an error, the plant accidentally pressed “Happy Land,” a compilation of British electronica from the 1990s, onto the purple vinyl intended for “Speak Now” and placed it in the album jacket.
The initial song that played for Ms. Hunter was “True Romance” by Thunderhead, an 11-minute electronica piece, followed by “Soul Vine,” a deep-house track by Cabaret Voltaire, a highly influential group in the genre.
Ms. Hunter took to TikTok, sharing her unusual experience, asking if anyone else’s “Speak Now” vinyl lacked Taylor Swift. The video quickly garnered over four million views, leading to a widespread discussion on Discogs, an online music database, among collectors hopeful to find another copy. Fans of Cabaret Voltaire even reimagined the band’s vinyl covers with titles of Ms. Swift’s albums, and one creative individual blended Ms. Swift’s “All Too Well” with Cabaret Voltaire’s “Nag Nag Nag.”
Universal acknowledged the mistake, declaring awareness of the limited circulation of incorrectly pressed vinyl copies. They advised customers to contact their retailers if they received a misprinted vinyl. However, Ms. Hunter, who purchased her album from Ms. Swift’s official store in Britain, had yet to receive a replacement as of Friday.
Dan Hill, Above Board’s managing director, estimated a few hundred copies of “Happy Land” had been printed. He believed that an oversight led the stamper to be used for the “Speak Now” discs. While misprints occasionally occur in the music industry, including instances with Beyoncé and the Beatles, this particular incident gained significant attention.
Mr. Hill speculated that another pressing of the same kind might exist. Like any dedicated record collector, he remained on the lookout for it.
Joe Muggs, a British music writer who reviewed the reissue of “Happy Land,” described the compilation as a mix of genres from heavy dub reggae to industrial and electronica. The tracks combine to create a “narcotic” sound that defined the 1990s. Mr. Muggs emphasized the music’s ability to surprise listeners even now.
Stephen Mallinder, one of the original members of Cabaret Voltaire, expressed his hope for the band to reach a new audience through this unexpected collaboration with Taylor Swift’s fan base. Embracing the cultural clash, Mr. Mallinder sees it as an opportunity to introduce more people to electronica and club music.
In conclusion, the accidental inclusion of British electronica music on Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now” vinyl record caused quite a stir. However, it also sparked creative discussions among fans, collectors, and music enthusiasts, opening doors for unexpected collaborations and expanding musical tastes.
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