Upon receiving their vinyl records for Taylor Swift‘s “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” a select number of Swifties were treated to the sounds of British electronica instead of the country-pop flair of Taylor Swift.
A mis-pressed version of the vinyl was brought to light by a viral TikTok posted by user @myschief_marauder. “Does anyone else’s ‘Speak Now’ vinyl not have Taylor Swift on it?” she asks in her video before proceeding to spin the record’s “Side A.” Instead of hearing “Taylor’s Version,” Cabaret Voltaire’s “Soul Vine (70 Billion People)” plays.
On Wednesday, Universal Music Group (home to Swift’s label Republic Records) confirmed an “extremely limited” number of “Speak Now” vinyl copies had been mis-pressed and directed fans to contact their retailer for replacements.
“We are aware that there are an extremely limited number of incorrectly pressed vinyl copies in circulation and have addressed the issue,” a representative for UMG said in a statement shared with PvNew. “If you have purchased one of the affected goods, please contact customer service at your respective retailer for a replacement or refund.”
The tracks are reportedly from “Happy Land: A Compendium Of Electronic Music From The British Isles 1992-1996 Vol. 1,” which was originally released by label and distributor Above Board as a compilation of U.K. electronica whose volumes feature the Black Dog, Ultramarine, Thunderhead, Aphex Twin (under his alias Strider B.) and many others.
In a statement shared by Above Board via social media, the company addressed the mishap by alluding to a number of Swift song titles. “Due to a delicate pressing blunder, some Taylor Swift fans received a misprinted copy of ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),’ which we have learned features audio of our in house compilation ‘Happy Land (A Compendium of Music from the British Isles 1992-1996)’. Never in our wildest dreams could we imagine this situation. While we know all too well this error was beyond our control, we sincerely hope anyone who received what is Not Taylor’s Version of the vinyl is enchanted by the blissful electronica. Keep your eyes peeled for this special edition we’re sure it’s going to be a Discogs rare pressing classic in years to come.”
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“Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” was released on July 7 via Republic Records and is projected to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Swift has also been a regular leader of the “vinyl boom” — her 2022 record “Midnights” is the biggest mover of LPs so far this year. Lana Del Rey, Boygenius and Melanie Martinez are also behind some of the best-selling vinyl of this year, where vinyl LP sales increased 21.7% from the same period the year before, according to data collected by Luminate.
