Legendary Celtic progressive rock band IONA‘s first five studio albums are being released on vinyl for the first time as part of a new limited edition vinyl box set, available for pre-order now ahead of its July 31 release date.
The collection will be offered in two versions: a standard black vinyl edition ($350) and a limited edition colored vinyl edition ($395). According to the band’s announcement today, the colored vinyl version will only be available for pre-order through June 30.
The box set includes double vinyl editions of Iona’s first five studio albums: Iona, The Book of Kells, Beyond These Shores, Journey Into The Morn, and Open Sky. Each album was specially mastered for vinyl by Nigel Palmer, who served as mix engineer on several of the band’s original recordings, and was approved by Iona co-founder Dave Bainbridge. The albums are pressed on 180-gram heavyweight vinyl and feature newly designed artwork and bonus tracks not included on the original CD releases.
Also included is a 72-page hardback book titled The Studio Files, described as a visual time capsule compiled by Bainbridge and designed by Mike Inns. The book features recently rediscovered handwritten lyrics, studio track sheets, letters, and notes from the era of each album.
Each box set also includes a numbered certificate hand-signed by Bainbridge. The limited edition colored vinyl version will additionally feature a hand-numbered, signed, and individually dedicated certificate.
Fans interested in the colored vinyl edition can receive an exclusive 15% discount code by joining Dave Bainbridge’s Patreon page.
The IONA vinyl box set is scheduled for release on July 31. Visit the new US store here: https://open-sky-records.myshopify.com/ And preorder the vinyl record here: https://www.musicglue.com/iona