Holding the Music in Your Hands ®
This boxed vinyl edition of Drake’s 1970 album has a completely new analogue remaster, supervised by original recording engineer John Wood, and is pressed onto 180gsm audiophile vinyl. The set includes reproduction of textured sleeve and inner bag, poster and facsimile of handwritten set list. Comes with three digital downloads, MP3, hi-res and ‘dubbed from disc’. 
Cherry Red Records will issue a new Paul Young collection titled Remixes and Rarities, via their Cherry Pop imprint on 17 June 2013.
As the name suggests, this new 2CD collection will feature a selection many of Paul Young’s best-loved singles in their full length, extended remix form, along with other rarities such as B-sides and cassette-only long versions.
Highlights include, the full extended mix of US number one Every Time You Go Away (unreleased on CD outside Japan), the ‘US Dance Floor Smash’ version of I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down (remixed by John ‘Tokes’ Potoker) and other CD debuts such as the near-nine minute extended mix of album track I Was In Chains (previously only available on the cassette of The Secret Of Association) and the epic live version of No Parlez album cut, Oh Women (from the Love Of The Common People seven-inch double-pack and The Live Edition Japanese LP).
All in all, every 45 Paul Young released as a solo artist in the 1980s is featured on this set in remixed form. So while fans will delight at the rarities, it also doubles as a fantastic ‘hits’ collection representing the pop-soul singer’s most successful era.
At this point we need to hold our hands up and and declare an interest, since this compilation was conceived and compiled by SuperDeluxeEdition editor Paul Sinclair, for Cherry Red. This involvement will allow us to bring you the inside line on this set with some exclusive updates coming on this release between now and 17 June!
Paul Young’s Remixes and Rarities will come complete with a Japanese style collector’s ‘OBI’ strip and cover art true to the era.
Paul Young / Remixes and Rarities track listing:
CD 1
CD 2
29/04/13 Update: Sony informed us today that Track 3 “You Don’t Own Me” will not be featuring on this compilation, due to clearance issues.
Sony music will release a Blow Monkeys three-disc set on 17 June 2013 that comprises a single disc ‘best of’, a further CD compiling highlights of frontman Dr. Robert‘s solo career, and a final disc that features a remastered recording of The Blow Monkeys’ 1984 Hammersmith Palais concert in its entirety.
The best of is brought right up to date by the inclusion of Chained, a track from the new album Feels Like A New Morning, and fans will be pleased that You Don’t Own Me from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack also finds a place here.
Halfway To Heaven continues the fertile release schedule for Blow Monkeys-related product. Last year saw early albums Limping For A Generation and Animal Magic reissued as two-CD deluxe editions and in 2013 we have Feels Like A New Morning and this new collection. It doesn’t stop there either. Cherry Red will carry on with the archive releases, with the now-topical She Was Only A Grocer’s Daughter next on the list.
Halfway To Heaven track listing:
Continue reading “Halfway to Heaven: Blow Monkeys triple-set hits collection on the way”
Robert Palmer‘s classic debut, 1974’s Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley is the lastest in a line of Palmer reissues from the Culture Factory record label.
The same company have already tackled albums such as Secrets (1979), Clues (1980) and Double Fun (1978) in the last few years, but apart from rather nice mini-LP CD vinyl replica sleeves, none of those releases have come with any bonus material.
The eight-track Sneakin’ Sally will buck this trend, and comes with four additional bonus tracks: a single mix of Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley, Epidemic (Sneakin’ Sally B-side) and alternate takes of album tracks Blackmail and Get Outside.
Fans have long been frustrated by how Palmer’s eight studio albums for Island Records have been neglected, in terms of expanded deluxe reissues, and it is not particularly clear why or how Culture Factory have managed to negotiate access to this bonus material when none of the other albums have got the same treatment. The hit-laden Riptide from 1985 is also being reissued at the same time as Sneakin’ Sally, but features nothing extra.
Both Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley and Riptide will be issued on 21 May in the US but Sneakin’ Sally is available next week in France.
Johnny Hates Jazz are back!
It’s been over 25 years since Clark Datchler, Mike Nocito and Calvin Hayes released Turn Back The Clock, a rather underrated and forgotten slice of well-crafted pop. A decent career beckoned, particularly since unlike some of their contemporaries (Wet Wet Wet), the band had ‘cracked’ America, with lead single Shattered Dreams peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1988.
Continue reading “Johnny Hates Jazz / Magnetized”
Record Store Day can be a little like Christmas. Lots of build-up and anticipation as you get excited about what you might ‘get’ and then a slight anti-climatic feeling when it’s all over, mixed with a small dose of resentment about how everyone else ended up with better ‘presents’ than you.
This year was a more satisfying experience for us than 2012. Back then, the shop we were in didn’t have any Kate Bush Lake Tahoe 10-inch picture discs at all, the David Bowie Starman picture disc was also not available, and Paul McCartney’s Another Day / Oh Woman Oh Why – the RAM promoting seven-inch – was US only.
Continue reading “Record Store Day: The aftermath”
After a reasonably busy second half of last year, ZTT have been fairly quiet of late. That has all changed, with the release of the limited edition Record Store Day Frankie Goes To Hollywood shaped picture disc last weekend, and the recent announcement of a new compilation, Zambient One.
Described as ‘the soundtrack to an imaginary road movie’, Zambient One is a 13-track one-CD set (unmixed) that kicks off with the Art Of Noise‘s Moments In Love (Beating Hart’s Mix) and ends with the Mint Juleps‘ take on Neil Young’s Only Love Can Break Your Heart. On the way the journey takes in tracks such as Tracy Ullman‘s I Know What Boys Like (from the Stiff Records archive, like the Mint Juleps track) and Kirsty MacColl‘s Walking Down Madison (the slinky ‘6AM Ambient Mix’).
Almost inevitably, the cash cow that is Frankie Goes To Hollywood comes out to graze, and so halfway through this make-believe road movie, we pull over to stretch our legs and enjoy Relax (Sex Mix, Edition Two). This is an 8.25 edit of the very original 16 minute Sex Mix (the version that ‘forgets’ to play the actual song at the end).
2013 is a significant year for ZTT – it’s their 30th anniversary. This playful compilation is, we hope, very much an Hors d’oeuvre for some great celebrations and reissues to come.
Zambient One is released on 3 June 2012 via Salvo Records.
Sony Music are to reissue their David Bowie Box (originally released in 2007) which comprehensively summarises the thin white duke‘s official output from 1995 to 2004.
This is a 10CD box set which contains the following five albums, all issued as two-CD sets: Outside (1995), Earthling (1997) Hours… (1999), Heathen (2002) and Reality (2003).
For anyone looking to investigate Bowie in the nineties and noughties, then look no further. With the exception of the Tin Machine albums, Black Tie White Noise and the soundtrack to The Buddha Of Suburbia, this set houses all the man’s studio album-related output since 1987’s Never Let Me Down – and it’s fantastically comprehensive.
For example Outside‘s bonus disc contains five remixes of lead single tour de force The Heart’s Filthy Lesson, a further four versions of Hallo Spaceboy as well as Get Real (originally a Japanese bonus track which later turned up on the Strangers When We Meet UK CD single). All the bonus discs do a similar thing, rounding up tracks from CD singles, twelve-inch vinyl, remixes and the various two-disc editions that were available at the time. Heathen‘s extra disc gathers together all the tracks (commercially issued at the time) that were originally intended for Bowie’s stillborn Toy album (Baby Loves That Way, Shadow Man etc.) In total 63 bonus tracks are included in this box.
Furthermore, the packaging is high quality japanese style mini-LP CDs (vinyl replica) with inner sleeves reproduced, decent protection for CDs, larger 135mm x 135mm dimensions, and slavish attention to the original vinyl design (Outside is called Excerpts From Outside as per the original vinyl sleeve, despite containing the full-length version and bonus disc!). All the five album packages are housed in a very sturdy slipcase which boasts design elements from all the individual releases. Sony have informed us that the packaging for this reissue will be identical to the original.
This box set has been out of print for quite a while and currently commands high prices on the used market. All that will change on 27 May when the reissue is released. Expect to pay around £40 for this set (at the time of writing pre-orders only available from Amazon Germany).
David Bowie Box full track listing:
Continue reading “David Bowie Box is Back”
Official documentary exploring the history of the iconic US rock band, featuring archive material, performance footage and home movies recorded by the band members. Four hours of never before seen material from the past 40 years and a 5.1 surround option.
DVD
Blu-ray
Blow Monkey and SuperDeluxeEdition reviewer, Dr. Robert chatted to us about the new album Feels Like A New Morning yesterday. Look out for the interview next week, but in the meantime take a listen to the superb Cover Me and the title track from the record, which is released on 29 April 2013
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A new volume of classic twelve-inch club and extended mixes from the 1980s will be issued on 3 May by curators Blank & Jones. SoEighties volume 8 is an unmixed three-CD set and we have been informed by Blank & Jones that all 34 tracks are from the original source “100% vinyl rip free”.
This set includes George Michael‘s long ‘Monogamy Mix’ of 1987’s I Want Your Sex (inexplicably omitted from the 2011 deluxe editions of Faith), the extended remix of Katrina and the Sunshine‘s Walking On Sunshine (first time on CD) and Shout from Tears For Fears in it’s rare ‘Extended Mix’ form (i.e. not the ‘US Mix’).
We have asked Blank & Jones to comment on each track within this set and you can see what they have to say below (along with the track listing, of course).
Due to licensing restrictions, SoEighties 8 is only officially available in Germany. Of course, it’s very easy to order via the German Amazon site, so no major issues there!
Track listing below (track commentary by Blank & Jones):
Continue reading “Blank & Jones / SoEighties 8”
The sixth Record Store Day is nearly upon us. This Saturday 20 April sees another annual celebration of independent record stores, with major labels and indies alike, issuing special vinyl and CD releases made exclusively for the day. We will be up early hoping for a place near the front of the queue, that might just secure us some of the items at the top of our particular ‘wants’ list.
Here we highlight some of the items that caught our eye from the official list of items being issued. Remember everything is very limited and experience has taught us that you need to have a ‘plan B’ ready if the item you want is not available!
A shaped seven-inch picture limited to 500 copies. PZTAS 30 is a UK-only release via Salvo/Union Square Music. One side of the disc has Maximum Joy from the Frankie Said compilation and Is Anybody Out There? (voiceless) is on the other side.
Kate’s ‘olympic remix’ of Running Up That Hill gives us a new vocal and fattens up the bottom end a little bit, but is largely unchanged. This ten-inch picture disc is the first physical release for the track, outside the soundtrack CD to the London 2012 Olympic Games. The B-side is Walk Straight Down The Middle a CD-only bonus track from 1989’s The Sensual World – the original (and excellent) 12-inch remix of Running Up That Hill would have been a better choice.
The only release that – ahem – we have a copy of already, this 4LP box set expands the original triple record from Michigan band Half Japanese with a disc of previously unreleased material. Comes packaged in a sturdy lift-off lid box with poster, badge, booklet and a download card. All vinyl is 180g. Definitely one to look out for.
A various artists release, this ten-inch vinyl features the following tracks: side A She’s Lost Control (Joy Division), 1963 [12 ” Remastered Version] New Order Side B Otis (The Durutti Column), Loose Fit (12 ” version) (Happy Mondays). This item is drastically short on stock, with more due in towards the end of next week AFTER Record Store Day!
Is it safe to dance? Men Without Hats‘ classic 1983 hit single as a seven-inch picture. The B-side is an unreleased instrumental version of the song.
Double A-side seven-inch which features the classic single from Suede‘s debut, paired with Barriers from Bloodsports.
This white vinyl seven-inch single from David Bowie is the first physical 45 release from The Next Day. The flipside is first single Where Are We Now. There are two other RSD Bowie releases: a seven-inch picture disc of Drive-In Saturday (EMI) and Bowie 1965!, a UK-only seven-inch EP (also EMI).
A vinyl release of the rejected original mix of the Broken English album. Said to be Faithfull’s preferred version, this was issued on deluxe CD reissue earlier this year.
A CD EP of live tracks not found on the forthcoming deluxe edition of Green. Limited to just 2,500 copies, the disc comes with an original (non-reproduction) patch from the Green Tour. These patches were recently uncovered in the band’s vault. Tracks are So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry), Feeling Gravitys Pull, Strange, King Of Birds, I Remember California.
A RED VINYL edition of The Cure‘s classic 1987 album, which is also individually numbered.
A full list of UK items can be found here. The US site is here.
Last month’s reissue of Elvis‘s Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite may not have matched the luxury of last year’s Prince From Another Planet release, but this two-CD set is still a well-packaged affair, with a decent 24-page booklet (notes by Stuart Colman) and a six panel digi-pack with transparent disc trays revealing original map graphics.
The bonus disc had been previously released as The Alternate Aloha, but this edition features a newly remixed version of that rehearsal show and five bonus songs.
Normally we’re champions of not messing around with original album covers, but this is one occasion where RCA/Legacy might have considered changing the abomination that is the original sleeve.
EMI are to take advantage of the current David Bowie frenzy (The Next Day, ICA Bowiefest etc.) by releasing a five CD box set called Zeit! that collects the three albums that make up his so-called “Berlin Trilogy” (Low (1977), Heroes (1977) and Lodger (1979)) and pairs them with the double live album Stage (released in 1978, the only year Bowie didn’t release a new studio album in the 1970s).
There are no packaging details at present, except for the fact that the CDs all reside in a card slipcase. It’s quite likely the CDs will simply be the standard releases in jewel cases, much like the Neil Young Official Release Series box set.
Don’t expect any bonus tracks, the price will tell you that this is a budget release. Having said that, Stage is the 2005 Tony Visconti remaster with Stay and Be My Wife added, and the running order corrected to reflect the order the songs were played at the actual gigs (the original release and subsequent CDs had a chronological running order). The other albums use the 1999 EMI remasters.
Zeit! 77-79 is issued on 6 May 2013.
Scott Walker’s first five solo albums are to be issued together for the first time on vinyl and CD on 29 April 2013. Cut and mastered from the original tapes and presented with their original artwork, the five albums brought together here are: Scott, Scott 2, Scott 3, Scott 4 and ‘Til The Band Comes In. These were all originally issued between 1967 and 1970.
The five-CD set comes in a hardback, lift-off lid, box-set, each CD recreating the original album artwork and with new, extensive sleeve notes on each album plus rare photos. The 16-page booklet is written by Rob Young who edited last year’s No Regrets: Writings on Scott Walker.
The Deluxe LP box set features the original album artwork and includes an 11 inch print replicated from Scott 2, plus a 48 page booklet containing Rob Young’s essay. All five LPs come in 180gm heavyweight vinyl, with Scott 3 and Scott4 reproduced in the original gatefold jackets.
CD Box Set
Vinyl Box Set
Scott Walker – The Collection track listing:
Continue reading “Scott Walker / The Collection 1967-1970 / CD and LP box sets”
Huey Lewis & The News‘ 1983 album Sports will be reissued as a newly remastered two-CD 30th anniversary edition on 13 May 2013.
The album was a massive hit in the US when originally released, spawning four top 10 hit singles, although the same 45s performed more modestly in the UK and Europe. Nevertheless, Sports sold enormously, and has shifted almost 10 million ‘units’ globally to date.
A 1999 expanded edition of Sports boasted a couple of ‘session takes’ as well as three live tracks, but this new anniversary edition (personally overseen by Huey Lewis) omits these studio cuts, and the bonus CD simply includes a live version of every track on the album, many of which are said to be previously unreleased.
The special edition includes an expanded booklet with photos and memorabilia from the band’s archive and new liner notes by music journalist and author Gary Graff.
The band have also announced a North American summer tour to coincide with the 30th Anniversary of Sports.
Huey Lewis and The News: Sports (30th Anniversary Edition)
CD 1 – Remastered Original Album
CD 2 – Live versions
Depeche Mode‘s thirteenth studio album, Delta Machine, was released last month, and is available in this two-CD deluxe edition.
It comes in the casebound book-style packaging which seems to divide opinion. We rather like the look and feel of these sets, and certainly prefer them over the plastic jewel case alternative, but the disc storage – where the CDs reside in tight pockets – leave some complaining of scratched CDs.
Continue reading “Quick Look: Depeche Mode / “Delta Machine” two-disc deluxe edition”
We look forward to hearing the new 2013 remaster by Ray Staff, but that is about the only thing going for this rather pointless – bonus-track free – reissue of David Bowie‘s 1973 album. Why EMI chose not to repeat the vinyl / DVD offering of last year’s Ziggy Stardust reissue is anybody’s guess.
It’s pretty hard to not get carried away with sets such as Analogue Productions’ recent Doors Infinite vinyl box. For music lovers who have deep enough pockets, the contents of this box set represent something close to audio nirvana, with a presentation to match.
Not more Doors reissues, we hear you cry… well, yes Infinite collects the six studio albums again, but here’s the thing: each album is pressed onto two 45 rpm vinyl records, attempting to provide the very best sonic experience, such as extended higher frequencies and lower noise.
Analogue Productions’ remit is primarily about going back to the original analogue tapes and creating the best sounding reissues possible, but it’s actually more than that. Crucially, they have recognised that for many, it’s not just about the audio sounding great. If it were, we’d all be happy with hi-res downloads and the world would be a far less interesting place. They know that the records should feel great in your hands, and look the part. In short, the packaging needs to match the audio, in terms of quality.
Continue reading “The Doors: Infinite / 12LP audiophile vinyl box set”
BOOK 1: Commemorative Tour Book
More photos below: Continue reading “Paul McCartney / “Wings Over America” deluxe explained in photos”
