Toyah Willcox will release a new studio album, Posh Pop, in August and fans can secure signed editions of both vinyl and CD formats.
Written and recorded with her longterm writing partner Simon Darlow (he co-wrote Grace Jones’ Slave to the Rhythm!), the album is described as being “a strong collection of infectious and affirmative pop songs”. Tracks include ‘Summer of Love’, ‘Space Dance’, ‘Levitate’ and ‘Take Me Home’.
Pop Pop is available on coloured vinyl with a signed print (there’s a signed CD edition too). Click image to enlarge
Posh Pop is Toyah’s first brand new studio album since 2008’s In the Court of the Crimson Queen. When that album was reissued in 2019, Toyah and Simon Darlow joined SDE on the sofa for a chat.
Posh Pop will be released on CD and space grey vinyl LP with both editions initially available via Amazon in the UK as limited editions with a signed print.
‘Levitate’ from the new album, Posh Pop
There is also a special deluxe CD+DVD edition. The DVD in this set includes a bonus video album. Toyah has directed a video to accompany each of the ten songs on Posh Pop. There’s no signed version of this format.
Backwards and Forwards: The WEA Recordings 1984-1995 is a forthcoming nine-CD box set that collects the music of Aztec Camera via five studio albums, B-sides, live recordings, remixes and rarities.
The box set includes all five studio albums issued on WEA: Knife (1984, Love (1987), Stray (1990), Dreamland (1993) and Frestonia (1995). The only other Aztec Camera album – which is not included in this set – is the band’s 1983 debut High Land, Hard Rain (which was released on Rough Trade).
Each album on CD comes with bonus tracks, but on top of that are two further discs collecting remixes, B-sides and extra tracks. Additional CDs, In Concert 1984 and Live at Ronnie Scott’s complete this nine-disc collection. There are 112 tracks in total.
Demon Music previously released ‘casebound book’ deluxe editions of all six of the band’s albums back in 2012. The track listings for those can be found on the original SDE post.
Backwards and Forwards: The WEA Recordings 1984-1995 is being released by Cherry Red. There is no word on remastering. It is out on 27 August 2021.
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Aztec Camera
Backwards and Forwards (The WEA Recordings 1984-1995): 9CD Clamshell Boxset
A new Richard Marx greatest hits called Stories to Tell will be released next month which may be of interest to fans since it comes with a bonus discs of demos and rarities.
The two-CD set is being issued as a companion – or ‘soundtrack’ – to Marx’s book ‘Stories to Tell: A Memoir’
Marx enjoyed enormous success in America in 1987 with his self-titled debut album, with four singles from that record reaching the top three in the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart (‘Hold On To The Nights’ hit the top spot).
‘Right Here Waiting’ was released in 1989 and hit number one in many countries
Global success came a year later, with ‘Right Here Waiting’, the second single from his second album Repeat Offender. This reached number two in the UK and was a chart-topper in many countries including the USA (his third and final number one).
1992’s ‘Hazard’ was another major hit in Britain, peaking at number three and reaching the US top ten.
The demo of ‘Endless Summer Nights’ which was a big hit single in the USA from Marx’s debut
The new compilation contains all these hits and more on CD 1, while CD 2 offers five unheard demos – including ones for ‘Right Here Waiting’ and ‘Hazard’ – in addition to live rarities and new recordings.
Stories to Tell: Greatest Hits and More will be released on 2 July as a two-CD set. There are no other physical formats. The memoir itself is out in early July as well in most regions.
American ‘hair metal’ band Mr. Big‘s second album Lean Into It is being reissued across a number of formats next month for its 30th anniversary.
The 1991 album features the mega-crossover hit ‘To Be With You’, which was number one virtually everywhere (it peaked at number three in the UK). Follow-up single ‘Just Take My Heart’ was also a top 30 hit in Britain.
Evolution Music are behind this reissue and are offering some really interesting formats, which are as follows:
Hybrid SACD with stereo and 5.1 surround mix
2CD deluxe on the Japanese MQA-CD format (playable on all CD players)
7″ singles box set
Fantastic to see a label produce an SACD (super audio CD). This contains the album in both stereo and surround mixes. Because it’s a hybrid, you can play it on a normal CD player, but obviously it won’t be hi-res and you won’t have access to the 5.1 mix, both of which require an SACD player connected to the appropriate audio set-up. The 5.1 mix is a new mix by Chris Bell.
Because Mr. Big were/are ‘big in Japan’ the two-CD deluxe edition is on the MQA-CD format. This stands for ‘Master Quality Authenticated’. While these will play fine on normal CD players, the idea is that if you have an MQA-compatible amp/decoder connected, you get higher resolution audio.
Putting all that to one side, this deluxe edition has a bonus CD with previously unreleased tracks, early and acoustic versions, non-album track ‘Strike Like Lighting’ (featured in the film Navy Seals) and four tracks with either ‘minus bass’ or ‘minus guitar’ so all you budding musicians out there can play along (cool idea). The good news is you don’t have to order from Japan, as you will see from the SDE price comparison widget, below.
Seven-inch vinyl box set of Lean Into It features coloured vinyl singles, a poster and a plectrum
The seven-inch singles box set features various tracks from the original singles including single versions, live tracks, edits, acoustic versions and also ‘Strike Like Lightning’, which has never appeared on a seven-inch vinyl record previously. The singles are pressed on coloured vinyl and the box comes with a poster and a plectrum. It is limited to 2000 copies.
If you are wondering why there isn’t a standard vinyl edition, it is because the label are first issuing a white vinyl LP for Record Store Day (on the second ‘drop day’ on 17 July). This will be limited to 1000 copies.
Audio for this reissue has been remastered via hi-res digital transfers from the original analogue master tapes.
A previously unreleased complete Art of Noiseconcert, recorded in August 1986, at Tokyo’s Nihon Seinenkan will be issued on limited edition white vinyl and CD as Noise in the City: Live in Tokyo, 1986.
The album includes tracks such as ‘Moments in Love’, ‘Beatbox’, ‘Peter Gunn’, ‘Legs’, ‘Paranoimia’ and ‘Eye Of A Needle’ and ‘In The Mood’. On stage are Anne Dudley and JJ Jeczalik with Dave Bronze on bass, Simon Moreton on percussion, Paul Robinson on drums, and The Noisettes (Katie Humble, Pepe Lemer, and Linda Taylor) on vocals.
Noise in the City: Live in Tokyo, 1986 is also available on CD (click image to enlarge)
This LP was made possible when Anne Dudley, JJ Jeczalik, and Gary Langan returned to Tokyo for live dates in 2017. They found that the concert had been recorded for FM radio broadcast and ZTT/Art of Noise expert Ian Peel (who writes the liner notes for this live album), tracked down the original multitrack master tapes to a vault in London. The recordings were newly mixed this year by Gary Langan, in preparation for this release.
The album is a 2LP set and is pressed on 180g white vinyl. It comes in a gatefold sleeve and is a limited edition of 1500 numbered units with only 500 earmarked for the UK.
Noise in the City is released on 6 August 2021. SDE has a limited allocation, so secure yours by ordering via the SDE shop using this link or the buttons below. A money-saving 2LP white vinyl + CD bundle is available.
Tracklisting
Noise in the City: Live in Tokyo, 1986The Art of Noise/Vinyl LP
Lorde‘s newly announced album, Solar Power, will not be released on CD at all, but rather will be offered as a ‘discless’ physical product.
The New Zealand singer-songwriter will still make the record available on vinyl – indeed there are at least four different vinyl editions already – but CD buyers are going to be left disappointed and are offered what is in effectively a download dressed up in a physical package.
Lorde explained her thought process on her website:
I decided early on in the process of making this album that I also wanted to create an environmentally kind, forward-thinking alternative to the CD. I wanted this music box product to be similar in size, shape and price to a CD, to lie alongside it in a retail environment, but be something which stands apart – a plastic-free box that contains loads of extra visual content, handwritten notes, exclusive photos and a download card
The card gets you a high-quality download of the music, two exclusive bonus tracks and access to some special surprises along the way
It’s kind of like purchasing membership to a little club, one that’s comitted to the evolving nature of a modern album.
LORDE
Where’s the CD? The contents of the ‘discless’ box
Amazon in the UK describe this CD-free version as a “Discless Carbon Positive Format” but then ironically have it listed as a ‘vinyl’ format!
This ‘discless’ package is a “100 percent biodegradable hard eco box”. It comes with a hi-res album download (details not specified) and includes two bonus tracks, a poster, 32-page booklet and four postcards. Prices range from £16 to £19.
What are your thoughts on this? Is it just a gimmick? Does it even make any sense? Why is offering all that vinyl okay, but producing some CDs isn’t? And if this ‘discless’ package does indeed “lie alongside” CDs in a retail environment, people are surely going to expect a CD in it, aren’t they? Leave a comment on SDE.
Metallica, the American heavy metal band’s fifth studio album, is commonly referred to as ‘The Black Album’ and was released in 1991. A 30th anniversary reissue will be put out in September including a mammoth 26-disc super deluxe edition box set.
The contents of The Black Album super deluxe edition box set (click image to enlarge)
The box set contains over 24 hours of music via six pieces of vinyl (including a ‘Sad But True’ picture disc), six DVDs and 14 CDs. It includes a 120-page hardcover book and more. Here are the details:
2LP album remastered on 180G LP
10” picture disc
Live at Wembley LP
2LP live at Moscow LP
14 CDs (variety of unreleased/released demos, rough mixes, b-sides, covers, live shows)
6 DVDs (variety of unreleased/released outtakes, live shows, BTS footage)
120-page hardcover book (w/unreleased photos + stories)
Three magazine cover prints (we’re marketing as lithos)
Metallica lanyard
Four tour laminates
Folder with lyric sheets
Three guitar picks
Download card
Hinged box w/magnetic flap w/spot UV gloss of snake on the back and spot UV gloss of band name on side
In addition to the big box there will be a three-CD set (featuring the album, ‘demos & roughs’ and Wherever We May Roam, a 13-track compilation of live performances) and a 2LP vinyl package and a standalone CD, both of which offer album-only in terms of the audio.
As if these album reissues weren’t enough, the band are also releasing The Metallica Blacklist – a 53-track covers album with over 53 artists trying their hand at their favourite song from The Black Album. The artists include St Vincent, Biffy Clyro, Weezer, The Neptunes, Phoebe Bridgers, Dave Gahan, Imelda May and more. The Metallica Blacklist is a 7LP vinyl box set (die-cut jackets with a booklet in a library-style case & comes with a download card) or a 4CD set.
The Metallic Blacklist – 53-track covers album on 4CD and 7LP
All profits from this element will be split evenly between the All Within My Hands Foundation and charities chosen by the artists who play on the album. Giles Martin has executive-produced this project.
The Black Album and The Metallica Blacklist will be released on 10 September 2021.
Brian May‘s first solo album, 1992’s Back to the Light (issued in ’93 in America), will be reissued in August across a number of formats, including a three-disc box set.
The album reached number six in the UK album charts, and features the singles ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’ and ‘Driven by You’. Both songs were top ten singles in Britain, the former earning May a prestigious Ivor Novello Award (Best Song Musically and Lyrically) and the latter presumably earning the Queen guitarist a fair wodge of cash, since it was commissioned by Ford Motor Company for a TV ad.
This reissue kicks of a series: ‘The Brian May Gold Series’, as the man himself explains:
“Each [release] will have a little gold stamp on. And each one of them will give me the opportunity to rediscover the road that I travelled. I really found this fascinating. I was a little nervous at the beginning, thinking what is this going to dredge up in me? But I loved getting back in there. I’m really just hoping it will connect with people who have never heard this stuff before. They know me as a guitarist for Queen. Some know me as an astronomer. Some know me as a campaigner for animal rights. I’m a sort of evangelist for 3-D Victorian Stereoscopy. But very few people have heard my solo output.”
The album has been remastered by Bob Ludwig, who worked from the original restored flat mixes for this new edition of Back To The Light.
The collector’s edition box set of ‘Back to the Light’ (click image to enlarge)
In terms of formats, there’s a remastered CD edition, a 2CD edition with a bonus disc and a new vinyl version. A collector’s edition deluxe box set includes both CDs and an exclusive white vinyl version of the album. The box set also includes a 32-page book, a 12” art print, a download card and an enamel badge and is presented in a lift-lid box. A signed version was limited to 1000 copies via Queen’s site but has already sold out!
Bonus tracks on the two-CD and box set include instrumental versions of ‘Nothin’ but Blue’, ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’ and ‘Just One Life’. ‘Driven by You Two’ is the Ford advert version of ‘Driven by You’ and ‘Driven by You’ (Cozy and Neil Version ’93) also features alongside some live cuts.
Almostsix hours of unreleased home, studio, and live recordings
Volume 2, a second five CD box set of Joni Mitchell‘s Archives will be released in October. The Reprise Years (1968-1971) is sequenced chronologically to follow Mitchell in real time through one of the most creative periods of her career.
The collection includes several unreleased Mitchell originals, including ‘Jesus’ recorded in 1969 at her friend Jane Lurie’s New York apartment in Chelsea, which also served as the setting for the song ‘Chelsea Morning’.
Joni Michell Archives Vol 2: The Reprise Years 1968-1971 is a five-CD box set (click image to enlarge)
Other highlights include Mitchell’s performance at Le Hibou Coffee House in Ottawa on 19 March, 1968 that was recorded by Jimi Hendrix and a concert at the Paris Theatre in London on 29 October, 1970 that was broadcast on the BBC. The latter includes several songs destined to appear on Blue the following year: ‘Carey’, ‘River’ and ‘My Old Man’. In addition, James Taylor joined Mitchell to perform with her during the second half of the show.
Archives Vol 2 includes Joni Mitchell’s complete Carnegie Hall debut, recorded on 1 February, 1969, a few months before the release of her second album, Clouds. This concert is also being released as a standalone 3LP vinyl package.
Joni Mitchell Live at Carnegie Hall 1969 features in the CD box but is also released on 3LP vinyl (click image to enlarge)
The second Archives box set offers almost six hours of unreleased home, studio, and live recordings and like the first box it includes a booklet illustrated with many unseen photos from Mitchell’s personal collection as well as new sleeve notes featuring conversations about the time period between writer/filmmaker Cameron Crowe and Mitchell.
There will be a limited edition 10LP vinyl edition of Vol 2: The Reprise Years but it’s only available via Joni Mitchell’s webiste.
Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 2: The Reprise Albums (1968-1971) will be released on 12 November 2021 (was 29 October).
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Joni Mitchell
Archives Vol 2: The Reprise Albums 1968-1971 - 5CD box set
1. “Midnight Cowboy” – Version one 2. “The Dawntreader” – Demo with vocal overdub 3. “Song To A Seagull” 4. “Midnight Cowboy” – Version two
Jane Lurie’s Apartment, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City, NY (late 1967/early 1968)
5. “The Way It Is” 6. “Turn Around” – Incomplete
Home Demo, Joni’s home (late 1967/early 1968)
7. “I Had A King” – Demo with piano overdub 8. “Roses Blue” – Demo with peacock harp overdub 9. “The Fiddle And The Drum” – Piano demo
Song To A Seagull Session, Sunset Sound, Hollywood, CA (January 24, 1968)
10. “Jeremy” 11. “Conversation” 12. “Both Sides Now” 13. “The Gift Of The Magi”
Jane Lurie’s Apartment, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City, NY (early 1968)
14. “It’s Easy” 15. “Another Melody”
Live at Canterbury House, Ann Arbor, MI (March 10, 1968)
16. Introduction 17. “Jeremy” 18. “Songs To Aging Children Come”
CD 2
Le Hibou Coffee House, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Recorded by Jimi Hendrix (March 19, 1968)
First Set
1. “Night In The City” 2. “Come To The Sunshine” 3. Intro to “The Pirate Of Penance” 4. “The Pirate Of Penance” 5. “Conversation” 6. “The Way It Is” 7. Intro to “The Dawntreader” 8. “The Dawntreader”
Second Set
9. “Marcie” 10. Intro to “Nathan La Franeer” 11. “Nathan La Franeer” 12. Intro to “Dr. Junk” 13. “Dr. Junk” 14. Intro to “Michael From Mountains” 15. “Michael From Mountains” 16. “Go Tell The Drummer Man” 17. Intro to “I Don’t Know Where I Stand” 18. “I Don’t Know Where I Stand” 19. Intro to “Sisotowbell Lane” 20. “Sisotowbell Lane” 21. Intro to “Ladies Of The Canyon” 22. “Ladies Of The Canyon”
Studio Session, Western Recorders, Hollywood, CA (May 31, 1968)
23. “Come To The Sunshine”
Jane Lurie’s Apartment, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City, NY (summer 1968)
24. “My Second Album” 25. “Lambert, Hendricks & Ross” 26. “The Pirate Of Penance”
Top Gear BBC Radio Broadcast, London, England (recorded September 23, 1968)
27. Intro to “Chelsea Morning” 28. “Chelsea Morning” – with the John Cameron Group 29. Intro to “The Gallery” 30. “The Gallery” 31. Intro to “Night In The City” 32. “Night In The City” – with the John Cameron Group
CD 3
Live at Carnegie Hall, New York City, NY (February 1, 1969)
First Set
1. “Chelsea Morning” 2. A Valentine for Joni 3. “Cactus Tree” 4. “Night In The City” 5. “I Had A King” 6. “Blue Boy” 7. My American Skirt 8. “The Fiddle And The Drum” 9. Spoony’s Wonderful Adventure 10. “That Song About The Midway” 11. “Both Sides Now”
Second Set
12. “Marcie” 13. “Nathan La Franeer” 14. Intro to “The Gallery” 15. “The Gallery” 16. “Hunter” 17. “Morning Morgantown” 18. Intro to “Get Together” 19. “Get Together” 20. Intro to “The Circle Game/Little Green” 21. “The Circle Game/Little Green”
Encore
22. “Michael From Mountains”
CD 4
Live at Carnegie Hall, New York City, NY (February 1, 1969)
1. Intro to “Urge For Going” 2. “Urge For Going”
Clouds Sessions, A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA (spring 1969)
3. “Conversation” 4. “Blue Boy” 5. “The Priest”
Jane Lurie’s Apartment, Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City, NY (mid 1969)
6. “Jesus” 7. Playing piano and vocalizing
The Dick Cavett Show ABC TV Broadcast, New York City, NY (Recorded August 18, 1969)
8. “Chelsea Morning” 9. “Willy” 10. “For Free” 11. Interview 12. “The Fiddle And The Drum”
Ladies Of The Canyon Demo Session, A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA (late 1969)
13. “Woodstock”
Live at Centennial Auditorium, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (November 1, 1969)
14. “As I Lie Thinking In My Backyard On August 2nd” 15. “Roses Blue” 16. “Rainy Night House”
Ladies Of The Canyon Sessions, A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA (late 1969)
17. “Ladies Of The Canyon” – with cellos 18. “Blue Boy” – with recorder coda
In Concert BBC TV Broadcast, (recorded September 3, 1970)
19. “All I Want”
Blue Demo Sessions, A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA (September 1970)
20. “A Case Of You” 21. “California”
CD 5
In Concert BBC Radio Broadcast, Paris Theatre, London England (recorded October 29, 1970)
1. Introduction 2. “That Song About The Midway” 3. Intro to “The Gallery” 4. “The Gallery” 5. “Hunter” 6. Intro to “River” 7. “River” 8. “My Old Man” 9. “The Priest” 10. This is a mountain dulcimer 11. “Carey” 12. “A Case Of You” – with James Taylor 13. Intro to “California” – with James Taylor 14. “California” – with James Taylor 15. Intro to “For Free” – with James Taylor 16. “For Free” – with James Taylor 17. Intro to “The Circle Game” – with James Taylor 18. “The Circle Game” – with James Taylor 19. Intro to “You Can Close Your Eyes” – with James Taylor 20. “You Can Close Your Eyes” – with James Taylor 21. “Both Sides Now” 22. Intro to “Big Yellow Taxi” 23. “Big Yellow Taxi”
Blue Sessions, A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA (late 1970/early 1971)
24. “Hunter” 25. “River” – with French horns 26. “Urge For Going” – with strings
Polydor are to release a new Paul Weller live album. An Orchestrated Songbook is performed by Weller with Jules Buckley & The BBC Symphony Orchestra
The concert happened last month, on 15 May, and was widely promoted on BBC channels, to much acclaim. It was shown again just last weekend, in the UK.
The set list spans his career and includes classics like ‘Wild Wood’ and ‘You Do Something To Me’, although the last three studio albums (True Meanings, On Sunset and Fat Pop) feature heavily (not a bad thing).
The performance includes special guests such as Celeste, Boy George and James Morrison and features brand-new orchestral arrangements by Jules Buckley.
Boy George joins Paul Weller for a performance of The Style Council’s ‘You’re The Best Thing’
If it seems messy – Polydor promoting a new live album when Fat Pop has only just been pushed out the door – then I should point out that this live album isn’t actually released until December, which is faintly ridiculous, given we are still in June. It seems that Paul’s ‘team’ want to take advantage of the current Orchestrated Songbook ‘buzz’ by getting pre-orders available, but not actually give you the record for another six months, because they are still promoting Fat Pop. Gee, thanks!
And so far, it has only been announced on CD, as if to underline the crazy vinyl manufacturing situation. Six months is apparently not enough time to deliver a vinyl version of this album, so it will be announced “at a later date”. CDs can be manufactured and out the door in 2-3 weeks, so the wait until December is purely ‘strategic’, one assumes.
There is a deluxe CD edition but it contains the same audio as the standard CD only with better packaging. It comes in a hardback DVD-sized casebound 32-page book, with “inserts” – nice enough – but it’s literally DOUBLE the price of the standard CD, so doesn’t come recommended.
Update 5 July 2021: The 2LP vinyl has now been announced and it will be issued on the same date as the CD. Why the record label choose to wait a couple of weeks before announcing this is anyone’s guess.
Paul Weller’s An Orchestrated Songbook will be released on 10 December 2021 (was 3 Dec).
Motörhead‘s 1981 album No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith is reissued for its 40th anniversary across a number of formats, including a four-CD deluxe edition with previously unreleased performances.
Two-CD expanded version of the 1971 live album. The album is remastered, and CD 2 contains 10 tracks recorded on 2 July 1971 at Fillmore West in San Francisco. The vinyl isn’t out until July.
Note: NOT a Prime deal, so open to all. Great price for this very recent Rod Stewart release which contains Atlantic Crossing (1975), A Night on the Town (1976), Footloose & Fancy Free (1977), Blondes Have More Fun (1978) and a bonus LP of rarities.
Note: NOT a Prime deal, so open to all. Excellent price for a sublime box set. Those in the UK can order this set and there’s no import duty or Brexit-related concerns!
Contains the albums A Farewell To Kings, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures and Exit…Stage Left plus the DVD-Audio mix of A Farewell To Kings.
Amazon USA Prime Day Deal. You need to be a Prime member to take advantage.
Pink Floyd‘s 1970 album Atom Heart Mother is to be reissued in Japan as a special CD+blu-ray package with restored video footage of the band’s performance at Japan’s first outdoor rock festival, Hakone Aphrodite.
Recently discovered 16mm film has been restored and digitised resulting in a transformative visual image, as can be seen by the comparison below.
The festival was on the 6 and 7 August 1971 and this was Pink Floyd’s first visit to Japan.
This combo-pack features the album on CD and the video of the live performance on the blu-ray along with ‘Scott & Watts’ – Hakone Aphrodite B-roll footage.
Because this is a Japanese release, (exclusive – thought to be down to licensing issues), it is lavishly packaged.
The lavish packaging in the Japanese exclusive CD+blu-ray of Atom Heart Mother (click to enlarge)
It comes in traditional Japanese ‘paper sleeve’ packaging but it’s seven-inch square, not standard five-inch, CD-size. In fact, if you order from Amazon Japan what they are calling a ‘mega-jacket’ (24cm x 24cm, or about 9.5 inches) is also included, although these are limited on a first-come-first-served basis.
This presentation comes with a whole host of paper items including a reprint of the OBI-strip, a photo booklet of unpublished photos, a Hakone Aphrodite programme reprint, a reproduction of the venue guide map, an Osaka performance poster, a Hakone Aphrodite ticket reprint and access to a special digital booklet, Recollection Hakone Aphrodite 1971.
Atom Heart Mother limited Japanese-only CD+blu-ray will be released on 4 August 2021. As well as Amazon Japan, this is also available via CDJapan (note that Amazon Japan doesn’t except existing Amazon credentials, you have to create a new account).
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ピンク・フロイド
Atom Heart Mother - Japanese exclusive CD+blu-ray deluxe
Disney have abandoned plans to premiere Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back documentary – a reworking of Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s 1970 film Let It Be – in cinemas and will instead debut it as an three-episode series on its Disney+ streaming platform.
The project was first announced officially in March last year and back in December, Jackson had said he was about halfway through the edit and treated fans to a ‘sneak peek’ of the film, which you can see below.
The decision to abandon a theatrical premiere is not altogether surprising given the challenges around the globe as countries still battle with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the switch to streaming does offer fans something quite tantalising…
The scale of the documentary has now increased significantly and the final running time will be around SIX HOURS, with each episode a feature-length 120 minutes. So Peter ‘trilogy’ Jackson may well have gone back to Apple and Disney and said the story can not be told properly within the confines of one 90-120 minute film and so that could have influenced the decision as well.
Jackson had this to say about the extended approach:
“In many respects, Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s remarkable footage captured multiple storylines. The story of friends and of individuals. It is the story of human frailties and of a divine partnership. It is a detailed account of the creative process, with the crafting of iconic songs under pressure, set amid the social climate of early 1969. But it’s not nostalgia – it’s raw, honest, and human. Over six hours, you’ll get to know The Beatles with an intimacy that you never thought possible.”
He added, “I’m very grateful to The Beatles, Apple Corps and Disney for allowing me to present this story in exactly the way it should be told. I’ve been immersed in this project for nearly three years, and I’m very excited that audiences around the world will finally be able to see it.”
In many ways, this is not so strange. Fans will remember The Beatles Anthology was broadcast across a number of episodes in late 1995.
The Disney+ broadcast will be on 25, 26 and 27 November 2021 and will be preceded by The Beatles: Get Back book in October. This complements the documentary with transcriptions of The Beatles’ recorded conversations and “hundreds” of exclusive, never before published photos from the three weeks of Let It Be sessions. The book will be published in nine international language editions, including English.
What is conspicuous by its absence, in today’s announcement via The Beatles channels, is any hint of the Let It Be sessions being celebrated and reissued as an audio package. We know that the standard team of Giles Martin and Sam Okell are remixing the audio for the film, so it’s inconceivable that they are not preparing audio-only tracks for a deluxe reissue of the Let It Be album, in both stereo and surround/Dolby Atmos mixes. However, in SDE’s opinion, it is now highly likely that a Let It Be reissue will get bumped to 2022. Vinyl capacity issues and a concern about overcrowding the marketplace, and confusing consumers with too much The Beatles: Get Back product, are likely to be a factor. Delaying the music box set would also allow for simultaneous release of audio and home video products (DVD, blu-ray) and present an opportunity for the ‘dream team’ situation of a super deluxe box set that contained both audio and Peter Jackson’s video (Director’s extended cut – “what they wouldn’t let me put in the six-hour version”).
What are your thoughts on this decision? Vote on the SDE poll below.
Renowned art book giant Taschen will at the end of this month publish Paul, a photo book featuring images of Paul McCartneyas captured through the lens of photojournalist Harry Benson.
The 172-page book features over 100 black-and-white and colour images, many never seen before, and they span the decades, with Paul captured on The Beatles‘ 1964 US tour, behind-the-scenes and on stage during the WingsOver America tour, on the Queen Mary for the launch party of the Venus and Mars album and at home with Linda in the early 1990s.
Paul on the piano in the early days of The Beatles
This is a deluxe ‘XL’ hardcover edition which comes in a bespoke acrylic box. The exact dimensions are 26.9 x 37.3 cm. It weighs over 5kg.
The limited collector’s edition of 600 are each numbered and signed by Harry Benson. They are priced at £600 each and published on 5 July 2021 (was 30 June). The two very expensive art editions, which come with a signed print, have already sold out, although you can put yourself on the waiting list, should any more become available.
Candid behind-the-scenes photographyVenus and Mars are alright tonight: Paul and LindaSigned and numbered by Harry BensonPaul comes in a bespoke outer acrylic box
Diana Ross will release a new album, Thank You, in September. It’s her first studio album since 2006’s I Love You and because that record was a covers album you have to go all the way back to 1999’s Every Day Is A New Day, for a collection of original material.
Ross has co-written all 13 tracks on Thank You with a fairly long list of collaborators, including Jack Antonoff, Troy Miller, Triangle Park, Spike Stent, Prince Charlez, Amy Wadge, Neff-U, Freddie Wexler, Jimmy Napes, Tayla Parx, Fred White, and Nathanial Ledgewick. You can preview the title track below.
The title track from Diana Ross’ new album, Thank You
The album was recorded in her home studio and Diana Ross made the following statement about it: ““This collection of songs is my gift to you with appreciation and love. I am eternally grateful that I had the opportunity to record this glorious music at this time”.
Thank You is released as a 2LP vinyl set and on CD on 5 November 2021 (was 10 September), via Universal/Decca Records. There is an extra CD on Amazon with what looks like an exclusive slipcase.
Bryan Ferry‘s first six solo albums have been remastered and next month will be reissued on 180g black vinyl with high quality artwork.
The albums span a twelve year period (1973 to 1985) and are as follows: ‘These Foolish Things’ (1973), ‘Another Time, Another Place’ (1974), ‘Let’s Stick Together’ (1976), ‘In Your Mind’ (1977), ‘The Bride Stripped Bare’ (1978) and ‘Boys and Girls’ (1985).
1985’s Boys and Girls is one of six Bryan Ferry albums being reissued on vinyl
Frank Arkwright has remastered the audio at Abbey Road, from the original tapes and the artwork is described as ‘enhanced’ although that appears to mean that it has “been faithfully restored to reflect its original first pressing”.
The artwork side of things has been overseen by Bryan Ferry, who is known to be pernickety about such things (rumour has it the delays to the 2017 Roxy Music reissue were down to Ferry wanting a specific kind of paper stock for the book).
All six vinyl records are described as ‘limited editions’ by the label and are are reissued on 30 July 2021, via UMC/Virgin-EMI.
Faust 1971-1974 is a forthcoming box set, available on CD and vinyl, that collects the music of Faust, the band who are strongly associated with Krautrock movement in West German.
The 8CD box set (also available as a 7LP vinyl collection) contains the four albums from the original early Seventies incarnation of the band. That is, Faust (1971), So Far (1972) , The Faust Tapes (1973) and Faust IV (1973). It also includes Punkt, a 1974 album that has never been released (recorded at Giorgio Moroder’s Musicland Studios) and unissued studio tracks collected on Momentaufnahme I and Momentaufnahme II. The final disc in the CD version contains material from two seven-inch singles which feature in the vinyl box set.
The first seven inch features ‘Lieber Herr Deutschland’, the demo recording the band sent to Polydor in 1971 (eventually issued as the B-side to their single ‘Baby’) while the second is ‘So Far’, the very first Faust single on Polydor (originally issued in 1972).
Faust 1971-1974 is very limited with just 2,000 copies available as the 7LP+2×7″ set and an even lower number (1,000) on CD.
The short-lived Britpop-era band Heavy Stereo featured Gem Archer who would go on to become a member of Oasis, Beady Eye and the touring version of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.
The band were active for five or six years but released just one studio album, Deja Voodoo, issued in 1996 on Creation Records (the same label as Oasis, of course).
Exclusive 2CD deluxe set comes with a print signed by Gem Archer
Gem and the band embodied old-school rock ‘n’ roll values with a fondness for The Jam, Sly Stone, Hendrix, The Beatles, the Stones, The Small Faces, Motown, Stax, glam rock, punk rock and more. Four singles were issued at the time, all of them failing to crack the UK top 40 by a frustratingly short margin.
Deja Voodoo is now reissued as a two-CD deluxe edition with a limited quantity of 700 copies signed for an Amazon UK exclusive edition. The bonus disc includes B-sides/extra tracks, acoustic and live versions and the band’s cover of The Jam’s Gift, which they recorded for the tribute album, Fire & Skill. The two-CD set includes new sleeve notes from Mojo’s Pat Gilbert. A vinyl edition offers the album’s 12 tracks pressed on 180g clear vinyl.
Deja Voodoo is reissued on 22 October 2021 (was 27 August) via Demon Music.
Front and back views of the 180g clear vinyl reissue of Deja Voodoo
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