The five albums Tom Waits made for Island Records, released between 1983 and 1993, have been remastered and are being prepared for reissue in the autumn of this year.
Waits was on a new label and followed a new musical path for the albums Swordfishtrombones (1983), Rain Dogs (1985), Franks Wild Years (1987), Bone Machine (1992) and The Black Rider (1993). The first three formed a loose trilogy and were some of the most acclaimed records of Waits’ career and exhibited a more abstract, kaleidoscopic, experimental approach to writing and recording. In the early ’90s the material got darker, denser and before becoming an album of songs, 1993’s The Black Rider was actually a play where Waits collaborated with William S. Burroughs and director Robert Wilson (Waits would work with Wilson again on the Alice play of 1992 although it took a decade for the album to see the light of day).
‘Frank’s Wild Years’ is a song (somewhat confusingly) on 1983’s Swordfishtrombones
This was a fertile period, and as ever, Tom Waits’ excellent songs offered material to other performers. To that end, ‘Soldier’s Things’ from Swordfishtrombones was covered by Paul Young on his 1985 album The Secret of Association, Rod Stewart had success with ‘Downtown Train’ (from Rain Dogs) in 1989 and much later various interpretations of ‘Way Down in the Hole’ from Franks Wild Years (including a version by The Neville Brothers) was used as the theme tune to HBO’s acclaimed drama series The Wire.
These five studio albums have all been newly remastered for the first time from the original analogue master tapes and personally overseen by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan. They are available on 180g black vinyl and CD. They have been mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering under the guidance of Waits’ longtime audio engineer, Karl Derfler. All the albums are available on 180g black vinyl and CD.
The original version of ‘Downtown Train’ from Rain Dogs
This isn’t quite everything from the Island Records era; there were other long-players issued, namely live album Big Time (1988) and the excellent soundtrack to Jim Jarmusch’s 1991 film Night On Earth (issued in 1992). Presumably we’ll get these at some point.
Swordfishtrombones, Rain Dogs and Franks Wild Years are all reissued on 8 September 2023 on CD and 22 September on vinyl via UMR/Island. BoneMachine and The Black Rider follow on 6 October.
Haim’s debut album Days Are Gone is to be reissued for its 10th anniversary.
The 2013 album will be re-released as a 2CD deluxe set and a 2LP edition pressed on transparent green vinyl. Both offer additional audio in the form demos and remixes which has been compiled by the band. Both formats have the same eight bonus tracks and come with fold-out poster.
Days Are Gone will be reissued on 29 September 2023 via UMR/Polydor.
Now That’s What I Call Music will follow up their NOW Yearbook ’92 compilation with a 3CD ‘Extra’ version next month.
This offers 60 more hits from the era and acts as a companion to the original release. There’s a bit of a ‘Noah’s Ark’ thing going on with two tracks from Annie Lennox (‘Precious’, ‘Cold’), a couple from Crowded House (‘It’s Only Natural, Four Seasons in One Day’), a pair from Kylie Minogue (‘Finer Feelings’ and ‘What Kind of Fool?’), a dual offering from Suzanne Vega (‘In Liverpool’ and ‘99.9F°’), two from Take That (‘A Million Love Songs’, ‘I Found Heaven’) and the same from Simply Red (‘Your Mirror, Thrill Me).
Suzanne Vega’s excellent 99.9F° is included in NOW Yearbook ’92 – Extra
CD 2 dips its elbow into the bathwater of ‘indie’ with tracks from the Manic Street Preachers (their excellent cover of ‘Theme From MAS*H (Suicide Is Painless)’, Suede, The Cure and Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine and there’s ad hoc surprises throughout including the now cat-friendly Curiosity and their last hit (‘Hang On In There Baby)’ and Ryuichi Sakamoto & David Sylvian’s ‘Heartbeat (Tainai Kaiki II) Returning To The Womb’. Not all of these surprises are pleasant (see Nick Berry’s Heartbeat, Billy Ray Cyrus’ Achy Breaky Heart and Urban Hype’s ‘A Trip To Trumpton’) but hey, these were hits at the time! As ever, full tracklisting for this release can be found below.
NOW Yearbook ’92 – Extra will be released on 18 August 2023/
When the reissue of Richard Wright’sWet Dream was announced earlier this month, fans were delighted to see that a blu-ray audio option was available and that Steven Wilson had created new Dolby Atmos, 5.1 and stereo mixes of the 1978 album.
However, there was criticism in some quarters (including from some SDE readers), that the original stereo mix of the album was missing, with many people feeling that this should have been included.
The good news is that this fan feedback has clearly filtered through to Richard’s family, the estate and the label, since a flat transfer of the original pre-master of the 1978 stereo mix, taken from the analogue reels, will now be included!
Additionally, Steven Wilson 2023 instrumental stereo mixes of the four vocal tracks on the album will also be added, making what was already a very good blu-ray a now truly excellent one.
The blu-ray content is now as follows:
Dolby Atmos MIx
5.1 Surround Mix (DTS-HD Master Audio 96/24)
New Stereo Mix in Hi-Res (96/24)
Flat transfer of the original stereo mix
Steven Wilson instrumental stereo mixes of the four vocal tracks on the album
Exclusive personal videos and photo gallery
The product is presented in a blu-ray-sized book format with soft touch lamination and comes with four collectible postcards and an 8-page concertina booklet.
The Wet Dream blu-ray audio is released on 29 September 2023, via Parlophone music. It’s available via the SDE shop using this link or the buttons below.
TECHNICAL NOTES: This blu-ray audio requires a blu-ray player. Decoding the Dolby Atmos mix requires a Dolby Atmos-certified soundbar or a Dolby Atmos-compatible AV Receiver/Amp. The Dolby Atmos mix will ‘fold down’ to 5.1 or stereo if a Dolby Atmos decoder is not detected.
EU SHIPPING NOTES: If you are ordering from the EU please be aware that that goods may be subject to import VAT when they arrive from the UK. The prices the SDE shop charge you do not include VAT
A new 5CD box set featuring the music of synth-pop pioneers Landscape will be reissued at the end of this month.
Landscape A Go-Go: The Story of Landscape includes expanded and remastered versions of the group’s first three albums plus two additional CDs featuring EPs, remixes, B-sides, instrumentals and live tracks.
The band formed in London in the mid-1970s but didn’t release their first self-titled album (on RCA) until 1979. Before that they had a very DIY ethos and they promoted their own gigs, set up their own label (Event Horizon) on which they released early EPs.
The three albums were Landscape (1979), From the Tea-Rooms of Mars … to the Hell-Holes of Uranus (1981) and Manhattan Boogie-Woogie from 1982. The second album features the hits Einstein A Go-Go and Norman Bates.
You can watch a special SDEtv video preview of the box set above. Landscape A Go-Go: The Story of Landscape will be released on 21 July 2023 via Cooking Vinyl.
Cherry Red continue to work through Toyah’s Safari Records output and, in September, will reissue the band’s 1982 album, The Changeling, across a number of formats.
The album was produced by Steve Lillywhite and featured just the one single, ‘Brave New World’, which peaked at No 21 in the UK. The album has been newly remastered for this archive release.
Like Anthem, The Changeling is being made available as a big super deluxe edition box set, in addition to a 2CD+DVD package and a coloured vinyl LP version.
The 2CD+DVD version probably offers the best bang for your buck, with a whopping 31 bonus tracks including work-in-progress mixes, instrumental outtakes and demos. 20 of these are previously unreleased and three are new-to-CD. The NTSC, region-free DVD offers a 2023 interview with Toyah Willcox and her track-by-track commentary along with loads of TV appearances from back in the day.
The box set edition includes the above 2CD+DVD but adds a further bonus CD of 18 previously unreleased tracks. The super deluxe also includes a 12-inch vinyl picture disc version of the album, a 12-inch pink/blue splatter coloured vinyl record with more work-in-progress audio, a 44-page book, a 12-inch artwork print and postcards. It’s worth pointing out that the splatter vinyl simply repeats rare tracks already on CD2, so measured in pure audio terms you are getting those 18 extra tracks for the £100 premium over the 2CD+DVD.
The box set edition of The Changeling (click image to enlarge)
Finally, the album is available on a limited-edition neon pink coloured vinyl. This comes with a new printed inner sleeve and a facsimile of the original four-page insert with lyrics and poetry.
The Changeling will be reissued on 29 September 2023, via Cherry Red.
The Lexicon of Love is the defining album for ABC and the band’s frontman Martin Fry. The album went to number one for four weeks in July 1982 (replacing Roxy Music’sAvalon) and the British public, in particular, have held a place in their heart for the long-player which features classic singles such as ‘The Look of Love’ and ‘Poison Arrow’.
40 years on from the November 1982 gig at Hammersmith Odeon, ABC continue to perform the album in its entirety, often with the backing of a full orchestra, normally the Southbank Sinfonia, conducted by Anne Dudley (who played keyboards and arranged the strings on the original Trevor Horn-produced studio album).
June 2022’s performance of the album Live at Sheffield City Hall has recently been issued on coloured vinyl and CD and the band have just announced a headline tour for February 2024 which will see them hit the road in the UK once more with Dudley and the orchestra!
On top of all this, next month the studio album is reissued for its (belated) 40th anniversary and there’s a new Dolby Atmos Mix of The Lexicon of Love to enjoy (available on an SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio) thanks to the remixing skills of Steven Wilson.
SDE caught up with Martin Fry recently to discuss the album…
SDE: What do you put the enduring appeal of The Lexicon of Love down to?
Martin Fry: I always say, everybody’s had a broken heart, but that’s just being facetious, really [laughs]. I don’t know. I really am pleasantly surprised.
When you were recording it with Trevor Horn in the studio, did you know you had something special?
Yes. We felt we’d stumbled across something. We felt good. The whole sessions were really positive and upbeat; a lot of fun, a lot of humour there. Each day, I’d go into Sarm East [the recording studio] right at the end of Brick Lane [in East London] and I’d often pop around the corner to Whitechapel Gallery for a sandwich! We’d had a hit with ‘Tears Are Not Enough’ with [producer] Steve Brown, and that got us into the top 20. And we’d approached Trevor, and started recording ‘Poison Arrow’. And that was a hit, that was a top five hit. But whilst we were promoting that, we were also making the album. It was a new experience for one and all because while he’d recorded a few tracks for Dollar, it was the first time he’d produced a whole album for a band. But we were on a positive roll. If you’d asked me then, would that music last more than 15 minutes? No, no way. I had a 10-year period of doing Top of the Pops and being a recording artist, and after that, it was kind of winding down. And, you know, in the 90s, there was Oasis, I’d go and see The Prodigy, and there’s Pulp, and Suede, and I’m thinking, ABC, you know, we don’t fit into this world. Do you know what I mean? We’re a different generation.
That was a common theme, I think, for bands that had enjoyed a fair degree of success in the 80s. The 90s, for many, became kind of like a wilderness period.
We should have developed… I’d love to be able to develop. We made an album called Abracadabra, which about 12 people bought, but it was the kind of early Massive Attack sort of approach to making music with different singers. You know, if we were to go forwards, that’s what we would have mutated into, a production team, but it wasn’t to be. But at the start, we’d go around Sheffield telling everyone that ABC were going to be incredible. You know, that’s a big part of being in a band, getting drunk, talking bullshit and bigging yourself up. Liam Gallagher did it brilliantly. You got to realise that Oasis were going to be massive before they were massive.
Trevor Horn is very complimentary about your lyrics, on The Lexicon of Love.
Is he? I’ve never read his book. I’m a bit scared to read it!
There’s nothing bad in there! Where did your lyric-writing skills come from?
I’ve always love lyrics, always… from Motown through to Bowie, Bolan. “I drive a Rolls Royce because it’s good for my voice”, what a lyric that is from Bolan, and “But you won’t fool the children of the revolution”. He kind of knew he was cheeky, and heading down a cul-de-sac with that approach. You knew punk rock was gonna happen, but yeah, I’ve always loved [great] lyrics. I like banal stuff, that’s really deep, if you know what I mean? Trevor is a pretty good lyricist himself, by the way. I saw him about 12 months ago; we were on a cruise ship with about 5,000 crazy ’80s music fans and he was playing with Dire Straits! He always liked JG Ballard. He had a song called ‘Vermillion Sands’ [named after a 1971 collection of short stories by JG Ballard].
I know that song very well. It’s on the second Buggles album [Adventures in Modern Recording].
He pushed me. Trevor pushed me to the limit when we were recording. In fact, he is one of the few guys I have ever worked with who was interested in the lyrics because sometimes you work with great people, but it’s like, “right, we’ve done the tracks. We’ll leave you to do the vocals and we’ll be back in two day’s time”.
Yeah, he’s interested in the song isn’t he not just the production? I think that’s the thing…
It’s the whole thing, isn’t it?
After The Lexicon of Love, he developed this reputation of taking three months to do one track. Mainly because of Frankie Goes Hollywood and Grace Jones. But what was it like with you? Was it reasonably quick?
Two things were at play [later on]. Trevor owned the studio, so once he got to Sarm West, at Basing Street, if Frankie Goes to Hollywood took three months, he was producing the record, but he was also the landlord [laughs]. Do you know what I mean? But when you have success, you’ve got to chase it again. It’s hard, isn’t it? You know, you’ve painted the Sistine Chapel and then you kind of wait for the paint to dry on the next one!
But with ABC, he was being employed by your record company to do a job. So he couldn’t be too self indulgent, could he, because he had to kind of get it done?
The sessions would go week-by-week. If we couldn’t work in Sarm East, because somebody else was using it, we’d have to go down the road to Tony Visconti’s Good Earth studio [in Dean Street] or we’d go to RAK Studios [near Regent’s Park] for two days. So we were constantly moving around. But the recordings took about, I don’t know, about 10-11 weeks, something like that. When Trevor then became the auteur, when he became ‘the producer, Trevor Horn’, you know, people talk about his mythology, but he needed a lot of time to make something like ‘Slave to the Rhythm’, didn’t he? It’s an incredible record, with that Go-Go beat. But I’ve done it myself. I’ve gone into the hall of mirrors, because you want to recreate your success. You hear stories of Scritti and Tears For Fears spending a long time. It’s different now, the process is different, isn’t it?
But I should say, the experience with Trevor was great. And he got the BRIT Award and all that, but he was never like a Phil Spector, you know, brandishing a gun! He always had a great team; he surrounded himself by skilled people in the studio and still does to this day.
ABC performed The Lexicon of Love Live in Sheffield in June 2022 (click image to enlarge)
Talking of his team, Anne Dudley is still working with you on stage, conducting the orchestral live performances, and she was obviously part of the original record. Tell us about working with Anne and your relationship with her?
Well, we had a band; Mark White was a guitarist, but he was also pretty handy on keys, but Anne came in and she played some Grand Piano and she was a much more tutored pianist. So she had a sophistication in playing, and so she came in and played some keys. And we’d hang out, and I remember Trevor said, “Oh, this would be great if we put strings on it”. And we loved The Temptations, you know, ‘Just My Imagination’… all those great string arrangements. Anne said “I’m gonna go home tonight, and I’ll put something together” – she could read and write music, of course. She came in the next morning [with her arrangement] and that gave us all the confidence to book a string session in.
Anne Dudley was a really young, very skilled musician, but to take that next step to become an arranger was something else
Martin Fry
It was brand new territory for all of us. When I think back, Anne was a really young, very skilled musician, but to take that next step to become an arranger, was something else. And I always forget, through the years I’ve been working with her, how many records she’s made and she’s an incredible conductor, arranger and obviously there’s her film work as well [Dudley won an Oscar for her score for the 1997 film, The Full Monty].
It must be nice, all these years later, to still be working together?
Yeah, it is. It’s a great feeling that there’s a continuity there. When you come to play with an orchestra, you don’t want to get swamped. So many bands just kind of disappear; you can’t hear the band. I watched Paul Weller sing with an orchestra and it didn’t quite click for me. You have to find yourself a role, you can’t just sit on a stool and sort of croon. So with Anne she’s definitely perfected the parts from the shows we were doing 10 years ago, we’ve gone back and revised things. So that everything shines: the band and the orchestra. There’s a real art to that.
She’s got that pop sensibility that maybe classical people might not have.
Well, when we recorded ‘The Night You Murdered Love’, we worked with different arrangers, and sometimes the arrangements would be really busy. We liked Chic! I asked Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers how they did it, and they just did it off bass and piano. The strings on those records are fantastic. But Anne is fantastic, as everybody knows!
Pre-order The Lexicon of Love on blu-ray audio via the SDE shop
You’ve just released The Lexicon of Love Live in Sheffield and it’s available on coloured vinyl and a couple of different CD deluxe editions.
We wanted to document the gigs and we knew Sheffield was going to be a magical night but I didn’t want to go and record 14 shows and edit it all together and auto tune it and all that [laughs]. I just wanted a mint recording of what we’re about, because the shows have developed well. It’s a great feeling playing in 2022 and 2023, with the Southbank Sinfonia and Anne. And it’s a catalogue of all this stuff, really. It’s a two hour show, because we play The Lexicon of Love in its entirety and then our other hits.
The new Atmos Mix is incredible. Hearing it was like being in the recording session, a unique experience
Martin Fry
You don’t get fed up with playing The Lexicon of Love all the time?
Well, if we go to America, we might only play a couple of songs off it. There’s other songs we’ve had that have been hits; there’s a song called ‘Be Near Me’, which was a big hit for us. People imagine the original version to have been as string-driven as the version we play now, but the live performance now is on steroids, really. It’s a full orchestra, we never had that luxury back in the day. We had bits. Smoke and mirrors, really.
As well as the Live in Sheffield album, The Lexicon of Love is being reissued on vinyl for its 40th anniversary and there’s a new Dolby Atmos version which will be available on blu-ray. I believe you went to Steven Wilson’s house and heard it. What did you think?
I hadn’t heard any of the mixes, but obviously his reputation goes before him. I knew his music and I knew that he was the kind of ‘go to’ guy for Atmos. So I sat in his studio and I tell you, it was so bizarre. It was like sitting in Sarm East, you know, with Gary Langan on one side and Trevor on the other! [laughs]. I know I’m a sad old man with his memories, but it was crystal clear, it was like being inside the recording session. Yeah. And I swear, he played it through in its entirety, and heard things I can’t recall hearing, like some guitar parts. ‘Tears Are Not Enough’ was a real eye-opener, it was incredible. Some of Mark White’s guitar parts were incredible. I guess they got compressed out when the album came out on vinyl. It was really nice, it was a really unique experience.
Thanks to Martin Fry who was talking to Paul Sinclair for SDE.
Pre-order the Dolby Atmos Mix of The Lexicon of Love on the limited edition SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio via the SDE shop using this link or the button below. It’s released on 4 August 2023. Live at Sheffield can be ordered via the LiveHereNow website. Sign-up for the Feb 2024 Tour pre-sale access here.
TECHNICAL NOTES: This blu-ray audio requires a blu-ray player. Decoding the Dolby Atmos mix requires a Dolby Atmos-certified soundbar or a Dolby Atmos-compatible AV Receiver/Amp. The Dolby Atmos mix will ‘fold down’ to 5.1 or stereo if a Dolby Atmos decoder is not detected.
EU SHIPPING NOTES: If you are ordering from the EU please be aware that that goods may be subject to import VAT when they arrive from the UK. The prices the SDE shop charge you do not include VAT
Tracklisting
The Lexicon of LoveABC/40th anniversary
SDE Blu-ray Audio
The Lexicon of Love in the following audio mixes:
Steven Wilson Dolby Atmos Mix
Steven Wilson DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix (96/24)
Steven Wilson Stereo Mix in hi-res stereo (96/24)
Steven Wilson Stereo Instrumental mix in hi-res stereo (96/24)
Wham!is the name of a new documentary, now showing on Netflix, that tells the story of Wham! in the words of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley.
The film was made with the cooperation and participation of Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael Entertainment, which allows it access to unseen home footage and personal photos from the band’s archives, and enjoy the gift of a wonderful structure, as it follows the meteoric rise of Wham! through the lens of the scrapbooks kept religiously by Andrew’s mum at the time. The film also does something that no box set or music release has ever done and allows fans to hear some of those closely guarded early demos, including ‘Careless Whisper’.
Back in the day, Andrew was always viewed with suspicion by the press and generally regarded as something of a freeloader who had lucked out by being George’s friend and ended up as a successful pop star, but in later years the true story emerged of Andrew being the ‘leader’ early on, with his extrovert personality (“disruptive” according to his school report) helping to make things happen. Andrew took George under his wing when he arrived as the ‘new boy’ at his school and helped turn his “slightly porky” shy, curly-haired friend into a pop star.
Being in a band together was Ridgeley’s idea and when first group The Executive “imploded”, that left the pair on their own to try and move things forward. Andrew co-wrote most of the early hits including ‘Wham Rap!’, ‘Club Tropicana’ and even ‘Careless Whisper’; he designed stage outfits and generally created the momentum (or “thrust”, in his words) that led to all the early success. His greatest contribution – sacrifice, even – was to know when to step back and let the blossoming songwriting and production talents of George take centre stage. It was “uncomfortable” and “a little difficult” as Andrew acknowledges in the film.
It really is great to hear Ridgeley’s voice – literally, his side of the story – which had largely been left unheard until the publication of his 2019 autobiography Wham!, George and Me. To some extent, Andrew reclaims Wham! as an entity in its own right and not ‘part one’ of The George Michael Story. He comes across as a reliable narrator and a foil to the insecurity and contradictions of his partner, which George himself acknowledges in his own narration (culled from some remarkably candid interview audio).
The tone of the documentary is set by a 90-second preface which shows early video footage of Andrew and George larking around at their old school in Bushey, Hertfordshire, with Andrew even persuading the headmaster to take part! The question, posed by George, before we cut to opening credits, is “How can these two idiots become so bloody massive?”
How can these two idiots become so bloody massive?
George Michael in the Wham! documentary
The Wham! film doesn’t try to avoid the familiar tropes – signing a bad record contract; parental issues (“you couldn’t sing to save your life” George’s dad declares); and the first time on Top of the Pops etc. – but these are all covered in such an entertaining manner and there’s so much great footage, that it’s all a joy.
The filmmaking and editing (Chris Smith and Gregor Lyon respectively) are from the top drawer and there’s a truly brilliant sequence just over half-way through the 90-minute running time where Michael and Ridgeley describe, with the help of a superb montage of archive of photos (and video), how Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou finally transforms himself into ‘George Michael’. Cue hairs on the back of the neck as the crescendo builds to the restored video of ‘Careless Whisper’ where a 21-year old George Michael comes of age, looking every inch a superstar.
The second half of Wham! deals with the astonishing success of the group and also the issue of George’s sexuality. He’d come out as gay to Andrew while they were filming the ‘Club Tropicana’ video in 1983 but had decided to keep this a secret, in part, because he didn’t want to tell his dad, but also due to concerns around how it might impact the band’s ambitions (“you’re not going to make life difficult for yourself, are you?” George reflects in his narration). But as Wham! became more successful, especially in the States, George feels more and more “boxed in” and the awkwardness of the situation is illustrated by an excruciating interview on US TV with talk of “girls and groupies” which George really struggles with.
The sequence on ‘Last Christmas’ is revealing with George telling Paula Yates (at the Band Aid recording) that the ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ would be “a major threat to our fourth number one”. He even gives her a world premiere by singing a little of it (it’s funny to think of a time when this perennial festive favourite didn’t exist!). Of course, that charity single did indeed deny George his fourth UK chart-topper of 1984 and that “bastard insecure little thing” as he describes it, meant it did rankle. “I was happy being in a band” Andrew says, “George needed more”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8huyeTjZjik
Wham! offers some amazing footage, including a colour version of the ‘Everything She Wants’ video (the released version being in black and white), coverage of the 1985 Whamamerica! tour and The Final gig at Wembley. You wonder why none of this stuff has ever been commercially released and then you remember that George Michael really wasn’t particularly interested in revisiting Wham! in his all too short lifetime.
Andrew rationalises George’s need to end Wham! and start a solo career with a nonchalant “I was happy for my friend… Wham! was never going to be middle-aged” but then adds, somewhat heartbreakingly, “we all wake up in the middle of our dreams; suddenly it’s not there”. There’s a poignancy at the end as Andrew faces an uncertain future and George faces, what is in his mind, a certain one: even more success.
George declares his “sanity” is at stake as a reason for ending Wham! and then puts himself in a more insane situation by heading to the USA to try to compete with the likes of Madonna and Michael Jackson, while still remaining in the closet and not having his friend by his side (“I had no idea how much I was going to miss that support”). History tells us that none of this made George any happier. “I didn’t know what being George Michael truly meant” Andrew says, and it seems likely, neither did George.
Wham! is a beautiful documentary; a brilliant film that brings clarity and insight to the inner workings of Wham! and surely puts to an end any thoughts of Andrew Ridgeley being anything other than an essential component in the group. It’s moving at the end, but you can blink away the tears as an exuberant ‘I’m Your Man’ plays out over the credits and reminds us that Wham! were primarily purveyors of joyful, life-affirming pop music.
Wham! is streaming now exclusively on Netfix. The Singles: Echoes From The Edge Of Heaven is out now.
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Wham!
The singles echoes from the edge of heaven - seven-inch singes box set
Variations is a new 20CD box set that spans the career of keyboard player, songwriter and producer Keith Emerson.
This mammoth package is divided into five parts beginning with Emerson’s early years with The Nice and Emerson Lake & Palmer before moving onto Keith’s solo albums, his soundtracks and collaborations before ending with live performances (including a previously unreleased show from BB Kings in 2004).
All 20 CDs in Variations have been mastered by audio engineer Andy Pearce. The collection also contains a previously unreleased show from BB Kings in 2004.The box set is presented as a 10″ box set and the 48-page book contains rare photos and sleeve notes by PROG magazine’s Jerry Ewing.
Variations has been curated with the full involvement and blessing of the Emerson family and Aaron Emerson, Keith’s son, said “It is with great excitement that we can share all of Dad’s great work, expanding throughout his long career. I hope it gives you as much joy as it has done for all of us”.
Variations will be released on 13 October 2023 via Spirit Of Unicorn Music.
Star Fleet Project was a 3-track mini-album from 1983 by ‘Brian May and Friends’. Those ‘friends’ were guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alan Gratzer (then of REO Speedwagon), bassist Phil Chen (who played with Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart), and Fred Mandel (keyboard player for Alice Cooper who’d worked on player on Queen’s Hot Space Tour and The Works).
For this 40th anniversary reissue, the music has been newly remixed. The vinyl edition features the same three tracks while the CD (“Star Fleet + Beyond”) appends interviews and live numbers. A box set edition offers coloured vinyl, seven-inch single and two CDs with the latter offering “The Complete Sessions”: which is all of the previously unreleased studio sessions. There is actually a 2CD version which offers the complete sessions as well, but it’s only being released in Japan! That logo is everywhere, as usual.
Standalone CD and vinyl editions of Marillion’s 1989 album Seasons End are released this week with both featuring the new stereo remix by Michael Hunter which were first issued on the box sets released back in May. The vinyl edition is a 2LP set.
The 30th anniversary of U2’s 1993 album Zooropa is ‘celebrated’ with a new coloured vinyl reissue.
What was, in 1993, a surprisingly prompt follow-up to Achtung Baby, the 10-track album features the singles ‘Numb’, ‘Lemon’ and ‘Stay (Faraway, So Close!). It was produced by Flood, Brian Eno and The Edge.
This new 2LP uses the 2018 remastering and offers a couple of bonus remixes on side four and the records are pressed on transparent yellow vinyl. That’s all well and good, but what marks out this reissue is the retail price – it’s a tad under £60 in the UK! Quite why it is so expensive remains to be seen, although the artwork for the “deluxe gatefold package” is printed on foil board.
By way of comparison, the 2LP coloured vinyl edition of Songs of Surrender retails for between £35 and £40. Same band, same product, same record company, same year of release. Go figure.
Zooropa is also not out for ages. It is being released on 27 October 2023 via UMR/Island.
Supergrass’ fourth studio album Life On Other Planets will be reissued next month.
The 2002 album features the popular singles ‘Grace’, ‘Seen the Light’ and has been remastered and expanded for a 3CD deluxe edition. The additional two CDs offer demos/rare tracks while the third delivers live versions. This includes a 20-page booklet with notes by Mark Radcliffe.
White vinyl LP + coloured vinyl 10″
There’s two vinyl versions: one is a pressed on white vinyl and comes with a black/green vinyl 10-inch single with live tracks. This features white on black reverse colours artwork. A standard single vinyl black edition with the standard artwork is also availble.
Life On Other Planets will be reissued on 25 August 2023 via BMG.
Jethro Tull’s 1982 album The Broadsword and the Beast will be reissued in September as hefty vinyl and CD box sets.
The massive 5CD+3DVD ‘Monster Edition’ includes a new Steven Wilson stereo mix of the album, plus a host of associated recordings, also newly mixed by Wilson (CDs 1 & 2). The third disc offers demos, master mixes, rough mixes and more, while CDs 4 & 5 deliver a live set from Germany performed in 1982.
The three DVDs included with this Monster Edition offer audio only content, with the first devoted to 5.1 and hi-res stereo mixes of the album associated recordings. The second DVD delivers even more associated recordings in the same audio formats, while DVD 3 is the Live in Germany 1982 concert in hi-res stereo and 4.1 surround sound.
This 5CD+3DVD format includes a 164-page book with interviews with band members, a track-by-track annotation by Ian Anderson, an interview with sleeve illustrator Iain McCaig, an extensive interview with studio and live sound engineer Leigh Mantle, a recreation of the 1982 tour programme and touring schedule, and rare photos and memorabilia. Phew!
The ‘Monster Edition’ of The Broadsword and the Beast features five CDs and three DVDs
The 4LP vinyl edition of this 40th anniversary celebration of the album covers much of the same ground but obviously doesn’t feature the hi-res and surround audio and omits the live concert.
LP 1 is the Steven Wilson mix of the album, LPs 2 & 3 feature associated recordings (also mixed by Steven Wilson) and the fourth record offers demos. This deluxe set is presented as two singles and one double LP and includes a 28-page large format booklet
The Broadsword and the Beast 40th anniversary editions will be released on 1 September 2023 via Parlophone.
The 4LP vinyl version of The Broadsword and the Beast 40th anniversary reissue
Tracklisting
The Broadsword and the BeastJethro Tull/5CD+3DVD ‘Monster’ edition
CD 1: ‘THE BROADSWORD AND THE BEAST’ A Steven Wilson stereo remix
THE BROADSWORD AND THE BEAST’ A Steven Wilson stereo remix
Beastie
Clasp
Fallen On Hard Times
Flying Colours
Slow Marching Band
Broadsword
Pussy Willow
Watching Me, Watching You
Seal Driver
Cheerio
ASSOCIATED RECORDINGS A Steven Wilson stereo remix. Recorded on 24 track at Maison Rouge Studios, December 1981 – January 1982 (unless otherwise noted)
Fallen On Hard Times (1st master, Dec ’81 sessions)
Beastie (2nd master, Dec ’81 sessions)
Fallen On Hard Times [2nd master, Dec ’81 sessions)
Seal Driver (1st master, Dec ’81 sessions)
Cheerio (ensemble vocal version)
Jack-A-Lynn (acoustic version)
Beastie Shouts!
CD 2: Associated Recordings
ASSOCIATED RECORDINGS (Early 1981 Sessions) A Steven Wilson stereo remix. Recorded on 24 track at Maison Rouge Studios, March 1981 – July 1981
Roland’s Entry [Instrumental]
Lights Out
The Curse (version 1)
The Curse (version 2)
Too Many Too
Calafel [Instrumental]
I’m Your Gun
No Step
Down At The End Of Your Road
Mayhem Maybe [with 1988 overdubs]
Commons Brawl [with 1993 overdubs]
Return To Calafel [Instrumental]
Jack Frost And The Hooded Crow
The Swirling Pit [Instrumental]
Inverness Sleeper
FURTHER ASSOCIATED RECORDINGS A Steven Wilson stereo remix. Recorded on 24 track at Maison Rouge Studios, December 1981 – January 1982
Crew Nights (combined version) [with some 1993 overdubs]
Rhythm In Gold
Overhang [with 1988 overdubs]
Jack-A-Lynn (band version)
Motoreyes
Drive On The Young Side Of Life [with 1993 overdubs]
CD 3: Demo Recordings, Master MIxes & Rough Mixes
Demos Recordings.
Recorded directly to stereo in Maison Rouge Studio 1 on 15th December 1981
Flying Colours
Me, Dinosaur
Crew Nights
Rhythm In Gold
Honest Girl
DJ Dream
Seal Driver
Jack-A-Lynn
Fallen On Hard Times
Drive On The Young Side Of Life
ORIGINAL 1981 MASTER MIXES
Early master mixes prepared in July 1981. The master mix of ‘Watching Me, Watching You’ used on the album was also prepared during these mixing sessions.
Beastie
Too Many Too
I’m Your Gun
Down At The End Of Your Road
Jack Frost And The Hooded Crow
EARLY 1982 ROUGH MIXES
Rough mixes of work-in-progress album tracks prepared in January 1982
Slow Marching Band
Pussy Willow
Fallen On Hard Times
ORIGINAL 1982 RADIO ADVERT
UK local radio advert promoting the band’s headlining appearance at the Theakston Music Festival, Nostell Priory, West Yorkshire, England on Saturday 28th August 1982
Theakston Music Festival Advert
CD 4: LIVE IN GERMANY 1982
Clasp
Hunting Girl
Fallen On Hard Times
Pussy Willow
Broadsword
Jack-In-The-Green
One Brown Mouse
Seal Driver
Heavy Horses
Weathercock/Fire At Midnight
Keyboard Instrumental
Sweet Dream
CD 5
Flying Colours
Songs From The Wood
Watching Me, Watching You
Band Introductions
The Swirling Pit
Pibroch/Black Satin Dancer
Beastie
Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young To Die!
Aqualung
Minstrel In The Gallery
Locomotive Breath/Black Sunday
Cheerio
DVD 1: Audio only
The Broadsword And The Beast album remixed to 96/24 LPCM stereo and DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound + flat transfer of the 1982 original mix and other associated tracks in 96/24 LPCM stereo
DVD 2: Audio only
Associated Recordings remixed to 96/24 LPCM stereo and DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound
DVD 3: Audio only
Live in Germany (as per DISCS 4 & 5) remixed to 96/24 LPCM stereo and DTS and Dolby Digital 4.1 surround sound
Tracklisting
The Broadsword and the BeastJethro Tull/4LP vinyl
LP 1: The Broadsword And The Beast (Steven Wilson remix)
Side 1
Beastie
Clasp
Fallen On Hard Times
Flying Colours
Slow Marching Band
Side 2
Broadsword
Pussy Willow
Watching Me, Watching You
Seal Driver
Cheerio
LP 2: Double-Edged Sword (Steven Wilson mixes of additional Broadsword recordings March 1981 to January 1982)
Side 1
Rolands Entry (2.00)
Lights Out (5.18
The Curse (Version 1) (3.40)
The Curse (Version 2) (3.34)
Too Many Too (3.44)
Side 2
Calafel (3.01)
I’m Your Gun (4.24)
No Step (3.40)
Down At The End Of Your Road (3.32)
Mayhem, Maybe (3.06)
Commons Brawl (3.23)
LP 3: Double-Edged Sword (Steven Wilson mixes of additional Broadsword recordings March 1981 to January 1982)
Side 3
Return To Calafel (0.41)
Jack Frost And The Hooded Crow (3.23)
The Swirling Pit (3.53)
Inverness Sleeper (3.17)
Motoreyes (3.40)
Rhythm In Gold (3.05)
Side 4
Overhang (4.27)
Jack-A-Lynn (Band Version) (4.41)
Crew Nights (4.26)
Drive On The Young Side Of Life (4.03)
Jack-A-Lynn (acoustic version) (4.12)
LP 4: The Broadsword And The Beast – The Maison Rouge Demos
The idea is clearly to spotlight hits from the decade that enjoyed significant success Stateside, some of which did well in the UK as well, but others that didn’t.
This compilation is available as a 4CD set (with the non-deluxe 8-panel card sleeve) and a snazzy looking triple 3LP red, white and blue coloured vinyl package. The former features 79 hits while the latter offers 44 songs.
3LP coloured vinyl edition in red, white and blue
There’s plenty of very familiar names of course, including Bruce Springsteen, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Journey, Paul Simon, Kenny Loggins, Nena, Go-Go’s, Irene Cara, Christopher Cross, Toto, Pat Benetar, Anita Baker and many more.
NOW The 80s: USA will be released on 11 August 2023. Talking of NOWs, the beach-towel-tastic NOW 15 compilation, originally issued in 1989 was also recently announced. All 32 tracks are present and correct, except for INXS’ ‘Mystify’, which hasn’t been included due to licensing restrictions. Scroll down for the tracklisting.
Universal Music continue to revisit classic Sex Pistols singles from 1976/77 with another limited edition coloured vinyl release.
This time the band’s fourth single, ‘Holidays In The Sun’, will be reissued as a seven-inch single pressed on yellow vinyl (first time on coloured vinyl). The song reached No 8 in the UK charts when it was released in October 1977 to promote Never Mind The Bollocks Here’s The Sex Pistols.
First time officially on coloured vinyl for this numbered ‘Holidays In The Sun’ seven-inch
After the 4576 copy limited release of ‘Anarchy in The UK’, this single sees another small run of just 4577 physical records available for collectors. Each single is individually numbered with the artwork replicating the original UK design (by Jamie Reid).
Holidays In The Sun will be released – via D2C (Direct to Consumer) only – and will be released on 4 August 2023 by Universal Music Recordings.
It’s fair to say that Neil Young has ‘lost’ more albums than most and next month another legendary long-player that was ‘mislaid’ in the 1970s is given a full commercial release.
The album in question is Chrome Dreams a non-release dating from 1977 that was confusingly ‘followed up’ in 2007 by ChromeDreams II.
As is often the way with these unreleased albums, they get cherry-picked for subsequent projects meaning if/when they finally do surface there’s an air of familiarity about them. So as far as the 12-track Chrome Dreams is concerned, ‘Pocahontas’, ‘Powderfinger’ and ‘Captain Kennedy’ were all originally earmarked for Hitchhiker, itself an unreleased album from 1976, that was eventually issued in 2017 (highly recommended, by the way). ‘Pocahontas’ is the same version heard on 1979’s Rust Never Sleeps without the overdubs.
Neil Young has lost albums than most
SDE
‘Sedan Delivery’ is a slower version that the one on Rust Never Sleeps and features an additional verse, while ‘Hold Back The Tears’ is different to the one on American Stars ‘n Bars (as is ‘Homegrown’). ‘Stringman’ is live from Young’s 1976 European tour (with some overdubs) and ‘Too Far Gone’ didn’t turn up until 1989’s Freedom although Young performed it in November 1976 as documented on the Songs For Judy compilation. The version on Chrome Dreams features Frank ‘Poncho’ Sampedro playing mandolin. For the most part, the other songs are the same as per their subsequent studio album versions.
The 2LP vinyl edition is actually three-sided with side four the dreaded ‘etched’ disc. Four tracks on the album have never been issued on vinyl. There’s a CD version too. Both come with an insert with lyrics.
Chrome Dreams is released on 11 August 2023 via Reprise.
Autonomy is part of Ace Records’ ongoing Producer Series and celebrates the work of Martin Rushent.
Curated by broadcaster Gary Crowley, the 19-track compilation works it way through his productions in the post-punk era for bands such as The Stranglers, XTC, The Buzzcocks and Generation X before moving into the synth-pop era with the likes of The Human League, Altered Images and Hazel O’Connor.
This is a CD release and the booklet offers Crowley’s sleeve notes, quotes from many musicians and producers who worked with Rushent along with poignant memories penned by his children, along with some candid photos that show Rushent inside and outside his beloved studio habitat.
Autonomy: The Productions of Martin Rushent will be released on 28 July 2023 via Ace.
Wham!/The Singles: Echoes From The Edge Of Heaven CD, Vinyl, Box Set
The Singles: Echoes From The Edge Of Heaven is a new Wham! release which marks the pop band’s 40th anniversary. Loads of formats of which the 7″ box set with the ‘carry case’ is the most flashy (and expensive) even if the 10CD version has the most actual audio content.
The Rolling Stones‘ post-ABKCO albums of the 1970s and 80s are reissued in the Japanese SHM-CD format with working zippers, die-cut covers, replica inner sleeves, OBI strips and all the detail you’d expect. The great news is that, for once, you don’t have to pay inflated import prices – these start at around £17, which is great value for this kind of quality presentation.
American indie rock band The Breeders 1993 album Last Splash is being reissued for its 30th anniversary. The album features the alt-rock classic ‘Cannonball’, reached the top 10 in the UK and was certified platinum in America.
The headline news for this reissue is that it is from the original analogue tapes which were thought to have been lost but have now been discovered (deep in Warner’s vaults). These half-inch tapes consisted of final mixes, but were un-sequenced and unmastered. There were transferred to digital before cutting to vinyl. This is due to the album being recorded over many months at several different locations and the tapes having different line up standards. Everything was mixed to 1/2” but, as Miles Showell confirmed to SDE, some of the tracks were recorded at 15 IPS (speed, rated in inches-per-second) while the majority were done at 30 IPS. Add to that the fact that some tracks were Dolby SR encoded and some were not, this mix of standards would have made it impossible to work on while keeping the signal path AAA.
One bonus is that the tape discovery brought to light two unreleased tracks from the 1993 Last Splash recording sessions: ‘Go Man Go’, a track that Kim co-wrote with Black Francis, and ‘Divine Mascis’, a version of ‘Divine Hammer’ with lead vocals provided courtesy of Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis.
This 30th anniversary ‘Original Analog Edition’ of Last Splash is being issued as a 2LP set. A bonus one-sided 12-inch offers the two newly discovered tracks (the other side is etched) meaning this is a three record set. Artwork sees the original, iconic sleeve design by the late designer Vaughan Oliver reimagined by his long-time design partner Chris Bigg.
CD fans can delight in a one-time pressing Japanese replica version of this release which is available at non-import prices. The sleeve is being printed by Ichikudo in Tokyo and will come with an obi strip, lyric booklet and includes the two bonus tracks from the vinyl version.
Last Splash is reissued on 22 September 2023, via 4AD.
Good price for the last Fab Four super deluxe in Germany. It’s actually a similar price in the UK although that’s from a third party seller and not Amazon directly. You can watch the SDEtv unboxing video here.
The Who/Who’s Next 10CD+blu-ray box10CD+blu-ray super deluxe
Great price in America for the Seal box set. It’s as low as $43 if you’re a Prime member but still a very good $53 if you’re not. Tbe latter price is about £42 (in the UK it’s £63).
Porcupine Tree/Closure Continuation 2CD+blu-ray2CD+blu-ray box set
This deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray boxset features three bonus tracks, instrumental versions, and high resolution 96/24 stereo, 5.1 and Dolby Atmos versions of the album. Includes an art book.
