''Champion Versions'' is the debut EP by

the Beta Band The Beta Band were a Scottish musical group formed in 1996. Their style was described as being "folktronica", although it was mainly a blend of folk, psychedelia, electronica, experimental rock and trip hop, often involving stylistic experimen ...

, originally released in 1997 on

12" vinyl The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

only. The EP consists of songs featured on the original

demo tape A demo (shortened from "demonstration") is a song or group of songs typically recorded for limited circulation or for reference use, rather than for general public release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas in a fixed for ...

the band had sent to Phil Brown, an A&R rep for EMI, which landed the group a record deal with Regal Records. It was later included in its entirety on the 1998 compilation ''

The Three E.P.'s ''The Three E.P.'s'' is a compilation album of the first three releases by Scottish musical group The Beta Band, comprising the EPs ''Champion Versions'', '' The Patty Patty Sound'' and '' Los Amigos del Beta Bandidos''. The album was released ...

'', along with ''

The Patty Patty Sound ''The Patty Patty Sound'' is the second release by The Beta Band, released in 1998. Despite being almost 40mins long and originally being released on 2 x 12" records, the release is still considered an E.P. by both the band and the press. All the ...

'' and ''

Los Amigos del Beta Bandidos ''Los Amigos del Beta Bandidos'' (Translated to 'The Friends of the Beta Bandits' in English) is the third release by The Beta Band, released in 1998. All the tracks from the EP were later included on the compilation '' The Three E.P.'s'' along w ...

''. It is the only Beta Band recording to feature founding members

Gordon Anderson Gordon Anderson may refer to: * Gordon Anderson (author) (born 1947), author and Secretary-General of the Professors World Peace Academy * Gordon Anderson (cricketer) (1922–2013), New Zealand cricketer * Gordon Anderson (politician) (1897–1958) ...

and Steve Duffield, who both left shortly before its release. ''Champion Versions'', along with the other two original EPs from the Beta Band, long out of print on vinyl, were re-issued as part of Record Store Day 2013. The cover of the EP references the design of

King Tubby Osbourne Ruddock (28 January 1941 – 6 February 1989), better known as King Tubby, was a Jamaican sound engineer who greatly influenced the development of dub in the 1960s and 1970s. Tubby's innovative studio work, which saw him elevate the ...

's ''The Roots of Dub'' LP, whilst the images are lifted from a box of Clac-Doigt-brand miniature fireworks. "Dry the Rain" ranked at number 57 in ''

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

s list of the Top 200 Songs of the 1990s.

Track listing

Side A: # "Dry the Rain" – 6:05 # "I Know" – 3:58 Side B: # "B + A" – 6:35 # "Dogs Got a Bone" – 5:58

References

The Beta Band albums 1997 debut EPs {{ep-stub