Ex-Warning/40 Watt Sun main-man Patrick Walker has expressed his dismay toward the recent Kreation Records vinyl re-issue of second album Watching From A Distance; a release that apparently happened behind his back. Walker has issued the following lengthy statement:
“It was recently brought to my attention by a Warning fan that my 2006 album, Watching from a Distance, was being reissued on vinyl. ‘Would I be receiving any copies?’ he asked, ‘and would I have any for sale?’
I felt rather embarrassed to say the least as this was certainly the first I had heard of it. After a brief online search I came across the website of Kreation Records in America advertising pre-sales of a vinyl reissue of the album.
I immediately telephoned the label and asked who the record was licensed from and what the deal was; to my knowledge Cyclone Empire had exclusive rights to the album.
It transpired that Cyclone Empire had been licensed the album for CD release only. Miskatonic Foundation had licensed the record to Kreation for a vinyl reissue (the first vinyl release was the attractive but hard-to-find Metal Supremacy release in 2008).
I was angry and upset that this record has been reissued without my band’s knowledge and consent, without our involvement in its conception and design, and that no offer has been made to us to participate in the profit of this release.
This morning I received a shipment of the reissued album from Kreation Records (our share of the deal, apparently) and I was heartbroken and utterly deflated. Everything from the bastardised cover art, badly photoshopped and redesigned text layout, bad quality packaging and even a new “thanks list” penned by The Miskatonic Foundation is reason enough for me to ask you that if you care about Warning and its music then to consider this statement before investing.
While it is not in my nature to vent publically, I feel I have no choice now other than to offer an explanation and an apology of sorts for the poor-quality release which, regrettably, bears the name of me and my band.
I was hoping to one day produce an “official” vinyl reissue of this album that we could be proud of. We have a small handful of bonus materials that I’d like to have been used, and would like to have overseen the release from its conception right through to the finished article.
The bottom line is, I want it to be known that Kreation Records’ reissue of Watching from a Distance is, as far as I am concerned, unofficial, does not reflect myself or Warning and is not something that we are profiteering from in any way. The shipment of records I received this morning are going to be returned.
Thank you for reading.
Patrick Walker”
