This gem was recorded in late 2000 for inclusion on 2001's Know By Heart. There's an earlier version that was released on a 7" single in 1999, but I much prefer this later one. I thought it would've figured nicely onto an album that already had songs like "Kindness", "The Postman", and "Aaron & Maria". I also thought this version elegantly demonstrated how much our band had grown in such a short time.
Once the first AmAnSet singles & unreleased compilation came together in early 2001, it was clear that "The Only Living Boy Around" had to be be yanked from the new album. New performance aside, releasing the same song in two years is pushing it. Releasing the same song twice in a summer is silly and so "Gone To Earth" took its place on Know By Heart.
This fancier version was given to the magazine Comes with a Smile #10 in 2002 and so it was also included on the second AmAnSet singles and unreleased compilation, Hard to Find, in 2009.
"Gone To Earth" and "The Only Living Boy Around" are also tied together in AmAnSet recording lore as they sport the same mixing snafu. Both songs feature a second guitar recorded over a sloppily erased percussion track. "Gone To Earth" begins with a maracca being picked up and then disappears when the 2nd guitar was punched in. "The Only Living Boy Around" ends with the last gasp of a spirited tambourine performance that peeks through after the 2nd guitar was punched out. In both cases, I got used to hearing the errant percussion in the rough mixes and missed them when they were cleaned up.
"That's pretty good... but can you turn up the mistakes? I need more mistakes."
-AK
