Nash, Ed (25 June 2014). "The The – Soul Mining (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved 8 May 2020.

This June, Sony will release a 30th Anniversary deluxe vinyl version of The The’s, 1983 album Soul Mining.Are you engaged in a long term project to actually release a definitive version of Pornography Of Despair? Graphic designer Fiona Skinner, who had become Johnson's girlfriend in 1982, created the bespoke typeface used on Soul Mining. [1] [15] The album and the single "This Is the Day" marked the first appearance of the band's logo, which also used Skinner's font, and which would be used on the majority of the The's subsequent releases. Camelle G. Hinds – bass guitar on "I've Been Waitin' for Tomorrow (All of My Life)", "Uncertain Smile", "The Twilight Hour", "Giant" and "Perfect"

In the meantime you may be curious to read about the making of Soul Mining in the following interviews in Quietus and Monocle The 2014 2-LP "30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition" boxset of Soul Mining includes an authentic vinyl reproduction of the 1983 release, with audio remastered in 2013 (overseen by Matt Johnson at Abbey Road Studios), and is expanded with a second vinyl containing alternate versions, 12"'s and remixes, intended to complete a "purist album experience". British album certifications – The The – Soul Mining". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 27 November 2021. Rylance, Stephen (29 July 2014). "This Is the Day: The The – 'Soul Mining: 30th Anniversary Edition' ". PopMatters . Retrieved 27 November 2021. Mulholland, Garry (2007). Fear of Music: The Greatest 261 Albums Since Punk and Disco. Orion. p.161. ISBN 978-0-7528-8243-7.Featuring a host of talented musicians, including JG Thirlwell (aka Foetus, Manorexia and Steroid Maximus), Zeke Manyika (Orange Juice), electronic DIY pioneer Thomas Leer and Jools Holland, Johnson set out with a clear vision in mind – to produce an album that felt cinematic; a record of width, depth and texture and one which avoided the mundane line-up of the day of guitar, bass and drums.

We have also produced an A2 giclée print with the re-working by Andy Dog of the iconic artwork he created for his brother’s seminal album, Soul Mining. Printed in vibrant colours on heavyweight 315gsm, soft-textured, 100% cotton, archive-quality white paper with the classic THE THE logo hand-embossed into the top left hand corner. Soul Mining is the tale of Matt Johnson raging at a world he had a love/hate relationship with, hence the line “I’m just a symptom of the moral decay that’s gnawing at the heart of the country.” But the album’s beating heart belongs to two songs - “This Is The Day” and “Uncertain Smile”. Both have a timelessness, tenderness and poignancy that sit perfectly in the middle of the story. Matt Johnson and his unusually named "The The" remain the uncrowned heroes of the underground music scene. Such songwriting and musical talent is rare and hard to match, let alone to compete with - delivering one of many magnum opuses throughout his eclectic music career. "Soul Mining" is a call-to-arms, one of the truest in terms of expanding the view of the world around. Introspective as always, but not hard to respond/relate to according to our personal life experiences. There is just something that stays forever enigmatic, brutally honest and pleasantly egocentric about it.

Amongst the goodies in the box is a ‘news-poster’ which contains extensive notes written by Johnson that detail the making of the album. This Is the Day" was released ahead of the album as a single on 2 September 1983, [16] but like the previous singles, it performed poorly in the UK, peaking at number 71. [5] It might just be my attraction towards generally anxious and melancholic albums, but this album truly has no weak moment Holland, Jools; Vyner, Harriet (2008). "Mushroom Men". Barefaced Lies and Boogie Woogie Boasts. Michael Joseph. pp.212–213. ISBN 978-0-14102-677-0. The closer “Giant” is a perfect summary of the album’s manifesto. An incredibly serious piece of music and an existential musing upon the nature of the self - “How could anyone know me when I don’t even know myself?” - it’s a theme Matt Johnson would revisit on the majestic ‘Slow Emotion Replay” from 1993’s Dusk.