True Believers - Hunters & Collectors Online

Human Frailty Pty Ltd
2001 - 2006

About Mutations

"Mutations" is a compilation of studio b-sides released mainly as an album for those who like a 'complete' collection. Never planned to sell in large quantities, "Mutations" is an album for the fans. It is therefore hardly unsurprising that "Mutations" has been the subject of great debates between many people involved in it's creation. In fact, it got to the point in the end where some people were sick of hearing about it. This page reviews the events that transpired in the creation of the "Mutations" album.

The "Mutations" concept was first hinted at with a survey on this site in December 2002. Feedback from us fans was fairly predictable, ranging from a reasonable one CD to the usual "we want it all" concepts. All Hunters and Collectors rarities take up about four CD's, so that was not really going to be an option in the short term. For a one CD release, the preferred format tended to be a collection of studio b-sides. Although a small sample, the preference to studio b-sides seems common in most groups of fans (online R.E.M. and U2 fans come to mind).

In late April 2003 the Hunters and Collectors back catalogue was signed to Liberation Records. A variety of projects were put on the table, including the "Natural Selection", "Unnatural Selection" and "Mutations" set, the basic concept from Robert Miles (ex Hunters and Collectors).

Below is the first proposed track listing that surfaced for "Mutations" around 26 June 2003 (no physical album exists). It was a very quickly done basic shot by Robert Miles.

01. World Of Stone

02. Towtruck

03. The Unbeliever

04. Eggheart or Drinking Bomb

05. Follow Me No More

06. Crime Of Passion

07. Mr BigMouth (live demons in Amsterdam)

08. This Morning (orchestral mix)

09. When The Truth Comes Out

10. The Price Of Freedom

11. Pocket

12. Two Roads

13. Matter Of Time

14. Too Good Looking Too Lose

15. Panic In The Shade

A number of songs were currently available new on standard albums ("World Of Stone", "Towtruck", "Eggheart"/"Drinking Bomb", "Crime Of Passion" and "Panic In The Shade"). We were not keen on these tracks being included because of the large quantities of far rarer material available. We suggested the fan preferred studio b-sides collection and this was agreed upon.

Liberation Records got hold of all the old rare songs, some of which had to be extracted from Robert Miles extensive collection of Hunters and Collectors vinyl. These were mastered to CD and distributed to people involved in the album. Mark Seymour created this track listing on (or near) the 22nd of March 2004:

01. Pocket

02. Two Roads

03. Another One Like You

04. The Trade Off

05. Follow Me No More

06. Matter Of Time

07. I'm Set Free

08. Too Good Looking Too Lose

09. Yes Man

10. This Morning

11. The Price of Freedom

12. Know Your Product

13. When The Truth Comes Calling

14. (Bonus) Who's On Left?

This track listing did not include all of the Hunters and Collectors studio b-sides. Mark found "The Unbeliever" and "Honey In The Jar" boring, "Mind Of An American" not a strong enough song for inclusion and "John Riley" not Hunters enough. All of these songs are liked by at least some fans, and the general idea of not making the collection complete was unpopular with fans. Support was rallied for including all tracks and excerpts from passionate fan e-mails were sent to Robert Miles, who in turn sent them to Mark Seymour. This feedback influenced the final decisions made on "Mutations".

The final determination was made on the 6th of April 2004. It was that all studio b-sides will be on Mutations, except "John Riley" and "Who's On Left?".

Reasoning for the exclusion of the two tracks:
Material in stores represents the band, it must be good.
The two tracks do not represent the band as a band.
Reviews impact on sales and these two tracks are unlikely to gain a positive response.

The reasoning for excluding "John Riley":
Not Hunters and Collectors.
It is simply Mark Seymour and his guitar.
It was recorded by Mark when everyone had left the studio and they 'needed another b-side'.
The song is therefore not representative of the band's work.
It is, in effect, more the first solo Mark Seymour recording than a Hunters and Collectors one.

The reasoning for excluding "Who's On Left?":
Not really funny after a few listens.
Mark edited it to a shorter version, but even then it was not good.
Who's On Left? got the band a lot of criticism for inclusion on the 1986 "Throw Your Arms Around Me" single.

I noted that most fans will not miss "Who's On Left?" but many enjoy "John Riley". Mark is happy if "John Riley" floats around the Internet. I requested the original master so we have a better recording of John Riley than our current vinyl rips. Hopefully we will provide this on the Internet at some stage in the future.

"The Unbeliever" was cut from 6 minutes and 40 seconds to around 4 minutes and 30 seconds with a simple fade. Mark found the original went on for too long and was just repeating itself past this point.

In the end, the online fan community had a substantial influence on the format of "Mutations" and it's contents. The band, management and record company have listened to us and the result is excellent for us. Please support the people who made it this way and pick up "Mutations" some time.