Two copies of A Day to Remember’s Homesick can show almost identical cover art and contain quite different material. One is the original twelve-track album. Another adds acoustic recordings or video. A later anniversary set puts a collection of live performances on a second LP. We begin with what’s inside the package. Color and anniversary branding come later.
Start With the 2009 Album
Homesick first appeared in 2009 through Victory Records. The core album runs twelve songs, opening with “The Downfall of Us All” and ending with “If It Means a Lot to You.” That sequence is the useful baseline for comparing editions; it keeps a bonus track from being mistaken for a missing original song.
The album includes “Have Faith in Me” and its title track, but those familiar names alone cannot identify a particular CD or pressing. We need the format and catalog information too. Later pressings may retain that copyright year.
Special Editions Changed What Came With the Album
A special edition can add sound recordings, video material or both. The phrase on the front cover is therefore only the beginning of an identification. We compare the components, and we pay attention to which territory or configuration the seller means.
The common edition families can be separated this way. The clues below identify types of packages, not a complete census of every pressing:
| Edition family | Material to expect | Check on the copy |
|---|---|---|
| Original 2009 CD | Twelve-song studio album | Victory label, twelve-song program and specific catalog number |
| 2009 special or deluxe CD/DVD | Studio album with edition-specific acoustic extras; some packages add DVD material | Disc count, bonus-track list and whether a DVD is present |
| 2024 fifteenth-anniversary 2LP | Core studio album plus nine 2009 live tracks and two acoustic recordings | Two LPs, full side listing and edition-specific catalog number |
Some 2009 special packages circulated as CD-only configurations, while others included a DVD. A DVD changes the package even if the audio looks familiar. Read the back cover, not just the sticker.
What the Fifteenth-Anniversary Vinyl Adds
The anniversary 2LP issued in 2024 gives the album a different physical layout. Its first LP holds the standard twelve songs. The second contains nine concert performances recorded in Switzerland in 2009, plus acoustic recordings of “Homesick” and “Another Song About the Weekend.”
That arrangement means a second disc is doing the work of an extras collection rather than extending the original album’s twelve-track studio sequence. We would verify the side listing before calling any other double-disc configuration the same edition.
Anniversary variants may use different colors. The color is useful for narrowing down a particular copy, but it says nothing by itself about sound quality, scarcity or future value. An accurate track list is a much stronger starting point.
How We Identify a Copy From the Sleeve
If the cover has already raised a question, turn to the smallest printed details. They are less exciting than the artwork, but usually more revealing. This order keeps the check manageable:
1. Note the label imprint and catalog number exactly as printed, including letters and suffixes.
2. Count the discs and identify their formats: CD, DVD, LP or a combination.
3. Compare the complete track list with the twelve-song studio program.
4. Record the barcode, country and any manufacturing information visible on the copy.
These observations should agree with the album’s release history, but even a well-maintained catalog may omit later or regional editions. The physical item wins when a general listing is incomplete. Photos of its label and reverse sleeve can settle details a front-cover image misses.
When a Date or Listing Still Doesn’t Match
A release announcement, a copyright notice and the date a particular edition reached buyers are separate pieces of information. An edition’s distribution date can differ by country, while older copyright text remains on the packaging. This is especially relevant when comparing a 2009 CD with a later LP.
Don’t infer an error from that mismatch alone. Compare the exact catalog number and format, then check whether the listing describes the right territory. Likewise, a digital special edition may use the same album title while presenting bonuses in a different order from a physical configuration.
If the evidence still conflicts, photograph the identifying details before asking a shop to match the edition. We can start a useful conversation through our contact information, without treating an old new-release entry as confirmation of current stock.
What Matters Before You Decide
We would rather know which Homesick is in the sleeve than argue about which edition deserves the grandest label. The original studio sequence, the acoustic additions and the concert recordings answer different listening needs. Check the actual contents, verify the identifiers, and keep the recording year separate from the pressing date.
That’s practical collector knowledge. It saves confusion without making promises about rarity, price or the condition of a copy nobody has inspected.