Dead Oceans has announced the reissue of Bill Fay’s collection of demos and outtakes, From the Bottom of an Old Grandfather Clock, which will be available digitally in its entirety for the first time on December 5, 2025. A first-ever vinyl release will follow at a later date. Alongside, you can hear the track “Maudy La Lune” from the release now.
The compilation was originally released on CD only in 2004 by Wooden Hill, a British independent label that, like many who had discovered Bill, was eager to unearth more recordings and help him find a larger audience. The original artwork features a heartfelt photo of Bill standing proudly with his father, circa 1966–67.
All but one of the songs on From the Bottom of an Old Grandfather Clock were made as Fay began navigating the music business — writing and demoing to discover what worked for him and for Decca (to whose Deram imprint he had signed) ahead of the release of his self-titled debut LP in early 1970.
Songs such as “Maudy La Lune” were never released in any official capacity — Bill was, somewhat surprisingly, not quite happy with the lyrics, feeling they weren’t “meaningful” enough — yet it’s exactly the kind of song that stops listeners in their tracks, sounding as though it might be a long-lost McCartney number. The closing track, “Jack Laughter & Mademoiselle Sigh”, written between 1965–66, was recorded for the initial release of Grandfather Clock in 2004, as Fay had, somewhat remarkably, memorised it throughout the years. Across its 25 tracks, the collection captures Bill as a promising songwriter — raw, explorative, and bursting with the promise of something special.
Listen to From the Bottom of an Old Grandfather Clock:
This release continues a series of reissues by Dead Oceans, the label with which Bill also recorded his later studio albums, including Still Some Light Pt. 1, Still Some Light Pt. 2, and Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow.
Alongside the reissue campaign, Dead Oceans has been releasing a special series of singles featuring different artists celebrating and interpreting Fay’s work, with covers so far by Steve Gunn, Kevin Morby, Julia Jacklin, Mary Lattimore, Hiss Golden Messenger, Jeff Tweedy, Marlon Williams, and James Heather.
Stream all of the covers in the series so far here: