To celebrate the 15th anniversary of his seminal, magical, Mercury-prize winning debut, Badly Drawn Boy (aka Damon Gough) releases a new deluxe version of the album, including bonus unheard tracks (on the double CD version) and new artwork.

Released in May 2000 to widespread acclaim, ‘The Hour Of Bewilderbeast’ beat other shortlisted nominees including Coldplay, Doves, Leftfield and Richard Ashcroft to that year’s Mercury Music Prize. Like all great debuts, it captured the zeitgeist of the moment, managing that rare feat of sounding both completely of its time, and utterly timeless. The album went platinum and Damon was then asked to write the soundtrack the film of Nick Hornby’s book ‘About A Boy’, which became a huge hit. He went on to release eight studio albums over 12 years, before taking a break over the last couple of years and now he’s back with a fresh focus.

It’s an album that shouldn’t really work on paper, a bewildering assortment of leftfield folk ditties, poetic shanties, experimental passages and nocturnal piano ballads, some recorded in bedrooms, some in studios, with a myriad of different oddball production techniques, and numerous personnel playing most instruments known to man, and several not. However, underpinned by the genius songwriting of Damon Gough and his intuitive ear for melody, it worked beautifully, and charmed a generation of music critics and music lovers. Damon arrived fully formed yet badly drawn, an overnight success which had taken years, simultaneously a little shambolic and in possession of grand vision, somehow both cocksure and yet self-doubting, all of which only endured him to a public growing tired of the over-polished sheen of late 90s.

Andy Votel has updated his classic artwork, loosely based on Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Vitruvian Man’, for the re-release. “I’m very fond of the cover,” says Damon. “It sums up the time as much as the music does. The gatefold vinyl will have the original artwork and when you open it up there’s a new version which reflects everything that’s happened in the last 15 years.”

‘About A Boy’ is an album by Badly Drawn Boy (Damon Gough) released in 2002 as the soundtrack to the film starring Hugh Grant and Rachel Weisz.

‘About A Boy’ is a 2002 comedy-drama film directed by brothers Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz, based on the novel of the same name by Nick Hornby.

Gough was chosen to compose and perform the entire soundtrack. In ‘About A Boy’ author Nick Hornby’s book ‘31 Songs’, he lists Gough’s track ‘A Minor Incident’ as one of the songs that has had an effect on his life.

Of 16 tracks, seven are instrumental passages that realise Damon Gough’s penchant for pretty orchestral reveries. The other nine, meanwhile, are fully formed new Badly Drawn Boy songs, rarely straying far from the templates set on his ‘The Hour Of The Bewilderbeast’ album.

Now reissued on deluxe vinyl by XL Records.

Badly Drawn Boy along with sparring partner Andy Votel began work on "One Plus One Is One" in June 2003 at Stockport's Moulin Rouge Studio. A simpler and more spacious record than "Have You Fed The Fish". It was meant to be that way. Sure there are some sonic shenanigans and a playfulness that speaks of the relaxed atmosphere this record was created in, but it stands or falls on the quality of the songs. It stands. It is truly a return to the homegrown feel of "The Hour Of The Bewilderbeast" and it's probably Damon's most heartfelt record. Sound-wise, there's plenty of piano, and a lovely flute flutters around some of it, but Damon's finger-picking is his best-yet too. He doesn't seem to be goofing around as much, either; it's time to get real, with songs of love, family and friends. From the superb sleeve in this is a cosy, homely record and a big return to form.