@mischief_marauder ♬ original sound - Rachel ✨
Taylor Swift’s re-recording of Speak Now, her third studio album, is currently topping charts around the world, but at least one fan who purchased the vinyl hasn’t got the ‘alternative’ version of the LP she was expecting.
A viral TikTok features a somewhat confused Swiftie dropping the stylus and hearing not ‘Taylor’s Version’ of Mine - Speak Now’s opening track - but the spoken word intro to Thunderhead’s True Romance, from 1994.
There’s something strange going on, clearly, and that’s confirmed when the fan - identified as Rachel Hunter from Staffordshire in the UK - plays the other side of the record and hears Cabaret Voltaire’s Soul Vine (70 Billion People), which was released in 1992.
Describing the experience of hearing her vinyl for the first time, Hunter told NBC News: "This voice started, and I was like, 'Oh, my God, do I have, like, a secret message from Taylor on my album? And I was like, ‘that's not Taylor Swift.’"
So what’s going on? As Rachel says, this is very much ‘Speak Now (Not Taylor’s Version). In fact, a pressing mix-up seems to have resulted in her receiving a copy of an electronica compilation called Happy Land (A Compendium Of Electronic Music From The British Isles 1992-1996) (Volume 1), which was released earlier this year on Above Board Projects.
Confirming this to be true, Above Board founder Dan Hill told Resident Advisor: "I dunno what the hell has happened, but Taylor Swift's records seem to have been mispressed with our album. Swift fans on TikTok are calling it 'the cursed version.'”
He added: “It's a massive collision of worlds as the music featured is from such different musical spheres. Mistakes happen all the time, we've certainly made a few, but I hope the fans enjoy their surprise mix of electronic music. I'm sure it's going to be a Discogs rare pressing classic in years to come."
He’s right on that last point - if you are in possession of one of the mispressed albums, we’d advise you to hold on to it, as its value is likely to soar.
The pressing error follows the various mishaps that Taylor Swift has encountered on her Eras tour. These include a water-damaged piano playing itself and a trapdoor failing to open.
Update 13/07/2023: A statement from UMG, Taylor Swift's record company, reads: “We are aware that there are an extremely limited number of incorrectly pressed vinyl copies in circulation and have addressed the issue. If you have purchased one of the affected goods, please contact customer service at your respective retailer for a replacement or refund.”
