Author: Paul Sinclair

SDEtv looks back / Peter Gabriel: So 25th anniversary super deluxe box set

Posted on by Paul Sinclair

The box set that Peter Gabriel wrote to SDE to defend

Peter Gabriel‘s 1986 album So was reissued in 2012 as a (late in the day) 25th anniversary edition. Fans had waited a long time for this but were left disappointed by the lack of any material associated with the many singles (remixes, B-sides etc.) and non-arrival of the hoped for 5.1 mix. Despite this, the box was thoughtfully designed and certainly looked the part, as this SDEtv unboxing video will demonstrate…
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SDEtv looks back / Wham! The Final box

Posted on by Paul Sinclair

A very early example of a ‘super deluxe edition’ box set

Wham!‘s 1986 career summary The Final was issued as a 2LP vinyl set, a double cassette package and on a single CD. However there was also a special box set edition, limited to 25,000 units! SDE ‘looks back’ and opens the lid with this SDEtv unboxing video…
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Duran Duran’s ‘Thank You’ covers album, 25 years on. Is it really that bad?

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Duran Duran fans could really enjoy 1993 and 1994. We walked around with self-satisfied smiles as non-fans grudgingly said things like “fair play, ‘Ordinary World’ is a pretty good song”. Just to prove it wasn’t a one-off, ‘Come Undone’ was another significant hit (particularly in America). Yes! Duran Duran were successful again; no longer just an ‘eighties’ band. While it would probably be a stretch to say it was ‘cool’ to like DD at this point in time (as Suede, Blur were putting in the ground work for what would become the Britpop era), it wasn’t something shameful that you had to hide –  put it that way. Then in 1995 they released the covers album Thank You…
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Saturday Deluxe / 4 April 2020

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Farewell, Bill Withers

Sad news this week with the death of Bill Withers on Monday. He was a wonderful singer and songwriter and his 1981 ‘Greatest Hits’ album is up there with the very best ‘best ofs’ ever issued. It really is ten tracks of perfection.
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SDEtv looks back / Paul McCartney aka The Fireman: Electric Arguments box set

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The rare 2009 Electric Arguments box set unboxed 

In 2008 Paul McCartney released a third album with musician/producer Youth as ‘The Fireman’. Electric Arguments broke the mould inasmuch as unlike the previous two albums, it was openly promoted by the record label as being the work of the ex-Beatle. A limited box set edition was available only via McCartney’s website and arrived six months late, in July 2009. SDE now looks back and explores this rather special package with an SDEtv unboxing video…
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Guy Pratt plays Madonna’s Like A Prayer

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The musician recalls working with Madge and gives a masterclass

Guy Pratt has had a prolific career as a session bass player contributing to recordings made by Pink Floyd, Bryan Ferry, Tears For Fears, The Dream Academy, Echo and The Bunnymen and many more. While in self-isolation at home in Brighton, he has started a YouTube channel and is posting ‘Lockdown Lick’ videos where he shows how he played the bass line of a specific song and tells a few stories to go along with it. These are really entertaining – even for non-musos – so check out episode two as he recalls his time playing on Madonna‘s Like A Prayer album…
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SDEtv looks back / David Bowie: Station to Station ‘ultimate fan experience’ box

Posted on by Paul Sinclair

Watch the unboxing video of the 2010 box set

For a change of pace, SDE looks back at a classic box set from the past. Here we feature EMI’s 2010 box set of David Bowie‘s 1976 album Station to Station. Long out-of-print, this set is a nine-disc, 5CD+DVD+3LP package. Watch the unboxing video to explore the contents…
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Split Enz / Coloured vinyl reissues

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Newly remastered from the original tapes • 180g Coloured vinyl

New Zealand new wave band Split Enz‘ second and third albums, Mental Notes and Dizrythmia, have been newly remastered and will be reissued as coloured vinyl pressings in May.
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Rolling Stones reissue half-speed mastered vinyl editions of ten albums

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Selection of albums get the half-speed mastered vinyl treatment

The Rolling Stones will reissue ten of their albums as standalone half-speed mastered pressings in May.
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