CD 1

CD1 is light kaki with a white sketch of a lemon slice.

Around the centre of the CD, we can read: D5561 SETCDA 071 IFPI L123 Z^4WiV IFPI L123

Some copies came with a card featuring a discography of The Divine Comedy (same card as in the Secret History book); others with a card to subscribe to the Divine Comedy mailing list.

CD 2

CD2 is light grey with the white sketch of lemon slice.

Around the centre of the CD, we can read: X0031 SETCDB 071 IFPI L123 Z^4WiV IFPI L123


To promote the fact it was the first Divine Comedy single featuring a video, all CDs came with a sticker on the box. Like CD 1, the single had either a discography card or a mailing list card.

MC

The tape of Gin Soaked Boy uses the CD 1 design. The two faces of the tape are unchanged concerning the inscriptions as well as the magnetic tape: indeed, it says plays same both sides.

Promo CD

There exists a lot of different UK promo of Gin Soaked Boy which aren’t actually proper promo. While a proper card sleeve promo was issued in France. Indeed it seems that Setanta actually did not produce or sent promo CDs. That’s why The Divine Comedy’s promotion company, Alan James PR distributed their own promos.
Some of them are just CD1 with an AJPR sticker that reads: “The Divine Comedy release ‘Gin Soaked Boy’ on November 1st’ A new song recorded for the band’s ‘A Secret History’ Best Of album, this version is a shortened radio edit. The album, which entered the chart at Number Three, has gone gold (100,000 copies) in just two weeks! This single will be the band’s final release on Setanta Records before they begin recording for their new label Parlophone.”




But, probably because they run out of original copies of the single, Alan James PR also burned their own promos on TDK CD-R. The packaging is pretty simple: a jewel box with the original TDK inserts and a laser printed copy of the CD1 front cover. The AJPR sticker is to be found again on the front or on the back of the box.

The 1 track CD-R is the most common version of the promo to be found. The CD has a simple sticker “The Divine Comedy / Gin Soaked Boy / SETCDA071” while actually the disc is not a copy of the CD1 but just features the radio edit in a pre-mastering version.

But three other versions also exist, and features different stickers! Those CD-R are from the same batch of TDK discs. They may not necessarily have the full description of the release stickered, but just the small sticker on the CD and eventually on the box.

A few of them, are also 1 track CD-R with the premaster version of the radio edit. They have a sticker that reads “The Divine Comedy / Gin Soaked Boy (radio edit) / ℗ & © Setanta 1999”.





Another version has a sticker that reads “The Divine Comedy / Gin Soaked Boy / SETCDA071 / Promo only” and is a complete copy of the CD1. The back of the box features also a second sticker with the tracklisting and catalogue number. However, the tracks are also in pre-master version with less compression and a lower volume.

And finally a fourth version exists. This time the cover art is a poor black & white print. The tracklisting is more original, as the sticker reads “Gin Soaked Boy / My Lovely Horse / Songs Of Love (remix) / tracks taken from acress both formats of the new single / SETCD071”. The selection was probably made so it could have a certain Father Ted appeal. The title track is still the premaster version of the radio edit. ‘My Lovely Horse’ is the same mastering as the regular CD. And the version of ‘Songs of Love’ is a totally different remix. The track starts with some effects on the music and the voice to sounds like a song played on a gramophone, and after the first verse, it becomes like as the album version.

Promo VHS

A promo VHS, duplicated by Vanderquest, features the video of ‘Gin Soaked Boy’. The editing was done by Molinare post-production; and there is a start screen featuring the credits that uses a picture from the video as a background.
On the slide sticker it is written ‘PAL Betacam SP Stereo’, but this is a VHS… It probably refers from the source it was duplicated from.

Postcard

A postcard of Gin Soaked Boy exists featuring the front cover of CD1.

In-store ad.

A 12”x12” in store advert was printed to promote the release of the single.