Universally acclaimed by critics, with particular praise for the quality of its musicianship as well as nominations for the Mercury Music Prize and Brits, The Coral’s self-titled debut album, released in July 2002, made quite a splash.

Co-produced by the band (using the name Zion Egg) and fellow-Merseyside native Ian Broudie, it clearly distilled its sounds from an impressively diverse range of influences and was most often tagged as both ‘neo-psychedelia’ and ‘folk rock’. “A mass of remarkable contradictions”… filled with “such inexplicable pleasures,” wrote Alexis Petridis in The Guardian. “Original, challenging and above all, fun,” suggested BBC Manchester Music.

The Coral peaked at number five in the UK album chart and alongside its third single, ‘Dreaming of You’, was certified platinum by the BPI. Mirroring the original vinyl version, this pressing includes the track ‘Simian Technology’ at the end of side B.