This 50th anniversary of ABBA’sRing Ring is available as a 2LP half-speed mastered vinyl edition as well as a seven-inch box set and individual seven-inch picture discs.
Graham Nash returns with his first studio album of new material in seven years, titled Now. The record is produced by Nash and longtime touring keyboardist Todd Caldwell.
A new Now That’s What I Call Music compilation is on the way next month which shines a spotlight on the diverse ‘alternative’ music scene of the 1980s.
NOW 80s Alternative is available as an 80-track 4CD set or as a 30-song 2LP pink coloured vinyl offering and even though these kinds of compilations are fairly common these days, this one looks pretty good!
An interesting inclusion is ‘Flowers’ by Zaine Griff, which features a certain Kate Bush on backing vocals (scroll down to hear this song). As ever, full tracklistings are below.
NOW 80s Alternative will be released on 16 June 2023 and can be pre-ordered from Amazon or the NOW shop.
SDE editor Paul Sinclair takes a first look at No 8 in the SDE Surround Series, the 2022 Remix of Bob Dylan’s 1997 album Time Out Of Mind. This is the only physical product that features the new Dolby Atmos MIx along with a hi-res stereo mix.
These Time Out Of Mind blu-rays are shipping this week. We have a limited supply of contingency/cancellation stock available. You can pre-order direct from the SDE shop using this link or via the buy button (‘pre-order’) 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
The 2022 Remix version of Not Dark Yet (stereo version)
Tracklisting
Time Out Of Mind (2022 Remix)Bob Dylan/
Dolby Atmos and 96/24 Hi-res Stereo versions of Time Out Of Mind (2022 Remix)
Two Pete Townshend solo albums from the late 70s/ early 80s will be reissued as limited edition half-speed mastered vinyl editions, in June.
The albums in question are 1977’s Rough Mix, a collaboration with Small Faces bassist Ronnie Lane and EmptyGlass from 1980. The latter was produced by Chris Thomas and features the US top 10 single ‘Let My Love Open The Door’. The first single Rough Boys scraped into the UK top 40.
Both records have been mastered by long-time Who engineer Jon Astley and cut for vinyl by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios. Rough Mix comes in a gatefold sleeve, and Empty Glass features a 300mm x 600mm poster.
Norah Jones’ 2012 album …Little Broken Hearts will be reissued early next month.
Her fifth record was a big change in style as she collaborated with Danger Mouse for a striking collaboration which arrived a decade after her massive-selling debut Come Away With Me. It’s a brilliant record!
“10 years later, these are still some of my favourite songs in my catalogue to play live, no matter the instrumentation or arrangement, they just feel special,” says Jones. “And the way this album sounds makes my ears so happy. I’m incredibly thankful to Danger Mouse for letting me explore with him and opening up my world to a new way of doing things that continues to inspire and influence me.”
Norah Jones performs ‘Say Goodbye’ on Letterman
The 2CD and 3LP vinyl sets are expanded and both offer 19 bonus tracks. The three songs from the original Target exclusive CD (‘Killing Time’, ‘I Don’t Wanna Hear Another Sound’ and ‘Out On The Road (Mondo Version)’ are included along with five remixes, four of which were originally from the Little Broken Hearts Remix EP which was issued on 10-inch vinyl in late 2012 in the USA as a Black Friday release (there was a European version of this as well).
That content fills up the first CD or the first two LPs. So the final discs is a previously unreleased live set from Austin City Limits where Norah Jones plays almost the whole album in sequential order.
The 3LP vinyl reissue of …Little Broken Hearts (click image to enlarge)
There was a 2CD deluxe issued back in the day which offered a live performance from the We Love Green Festival on the second disc. That content is not repeated here. Various promo CD singles also offered instrumental versions of singles and the occasional radio edit, but none of them feature in this reissue. If the packshots are anything to go by this will also be presented in a jewel case, which is slightly disappointing (the original 2CD deluxe was a six-panel card sleeve with poster insert).
The album was only ever issued as a 2LP set in 2012 but now as well as the 3LP version, there’s a single LP edition. Labels usually reissue a single vinyl LPs as a double LP sets, so it’s curious to see the opposite happening with …Little Broken Hearts since they are now squeezing onto one record for all instances of this reissue!
…Little Broken Hearts will be reissued on 2 June 2023 via Blue Note.
Depending on which article you read, the brief reunion of Frankie Goes To Hollywoodfor Monday’s Big Eurovision Welcome left fans happy but also “puzzled” (the BBC), “confused” (The Guardian) or “baffled” (The Independent).
It seems that reason for this apparent state of bewilderment, is because the band only played the one song for Monday’s broadcast and the track wasn’t any of their three UK number ones (‘Relax’, ‘Two Tribes’ or ‘The Power of Love’) from their chart-dominating period in 1984, but their 1985 ‘flop’ single ‘Welcome to the Pleasuredome’, which peaked at number two.
From some of the commentary, you’d think the group played their last single ‘Watching The Wildlife’ which reached No 28 in 1987. It’s like a-ha playing ‘Take On Me’ (also No 2 in the UK) and fans decrying that they didn’t play “their biggest hit”, which is chart-topper ‘The Sun Always Shines On TV’. Okay, it isn’t quite like that, but you get the point.
The ‘Welcome’ element of ‘Welcome to the Pleasuredome’ was surely self-explanatory, given the event was called the Big Eurovision WELCOME and, in truth, the title track of Frankie’s first album remains one of the band’s very best songs, performed virtually fully-formed – pre-Trevor Horn – on a David ‘Kid’ Jensen radio session back in early 1983.
Fan filmed footage of the Big Eurovision Welcome performance
The Eurovision performance was excellent. No, it wasn’t completely live, but was anyone expecting that for this kind of TV format? Holly and Paul did both sing live (very well) and that gave it the freshness and vitality needed. There was an undeniable energy from the performers and a buzz, if you’re a fan, from seeing the five men (Holly Johnson, Paul Rutherford, Mark O’Toole, Brian ‘Nasher’ Nash and Peter ‘Ped’ Gill) performing together on stage again after more than three-and-a-half decades.
As for the band’s motivations, guitarist Nasher was clear enough about what he thought in a recent social media post, writing: “This was for me and not for y’all and I apologise for such a selfish outlook, but this was always about me and my band members being here in Liverpool where it all began”. He continued even more plainly: “Someone was prepared [to] pay to bring all of my friends back home and I couldn’t refuse that or exclude myself from that moment”. The last sentence is a reference to the fact that some of the band are not longer based in the UK; Paul Rutherford now lives in New Zealand and bass player Mark O’Toole (Nasher’s cousin) lives in Florida.
Holly Johnson is of course the one member of Frankie who has enjoyed a commercially successful solo career, scoring two top 10 UK singles with ‘Love Train’ and ‘Americanos’, in 1989. A day after the FGTH reunion performance was shown on the BBC, Holly announced two solo dates in the UK to celebrate 40 years of ‘Relax’ and 35 years of his first solo album ‘Blast’.
The big question is whether the Eurovision performance will lead to anything else. Can we expect a Soft Cell style ‘one last concert’ at a massive arena venue such as London’s O2, for example? Surely the renewed interest, the money that would be put on the table by promoters and the relative brevity of such an event, would make this a tempting proposition to all concerned. Cordial though relations between band members appear to be, any kind of tour would seem unlikely.
Nasher perhaps said it most succinctly when he ended his post yesterday with the following lines: “The future is unwritten but don’t hold your breath”.
Malcolm McLaren’s 1983 album Duck Rock will be reissued as special expanded and remastered 2LP vinyl later this month.
This tour-de-force of turntablism, proto-hip-hop, polyrhythms, and b-boy electro was co-produced with Trevor Horn and featured all of what would become the Art of Noise: Gary Langan, J.J. Jeczalik and Anne Dudley – the album also featured the talents of Thomas Dolby and percussionist Luis Jardim. Most notably the record features a wealth of influences from New York hip-hop (such as the World’s Famous Supreme Team’s scratching) to South African township music.
The Duck Rock 40th anniversary editionfeatures reconstructed artwork, a whole additional vinyl record of remixes and unreleased tracks with the original audio remastered by McLaren himself. This is the version of Duck Rock that Malcolm McLaren intended to release on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. He personally remastered the tracks and compiled a second record of 6 additional tracks. Unfortunately, he was unable to release it during his lifetime (McLaren died in 2010), but now the state51 Conspiracy, in collaboration with Young Kim and the Malcolm McLaren estate will reissue it four decades after the original release.
The 2LP 40th anniversary vinyl edition of Duck Rock (click image to enlarge)
The material on this reissue that never made it to the original album includes songs like ‘Zulus On A Time Bomb’, ‘Collaguas’ and ‘Roly Poly’ give an insight into the scale and haphazard nature of the project.
No original mechanical artwork could be found so it has been pristinely and painstakingly reconstructed under the watchful eye of the original graphic designer Nick Egan, bringing out the fluorescents of Keith Haring and Dondi White’s immediately identifiable motifs. Details include having an outer sleeve printed on thicker than standard card, a insert which is printed on thick uncoated paper, the ‘Home Taping Is Killing Music’ element on one of the inner sleeves, newly redrawn Duck Rock centre labels and intentionally presenting front and back covers with a 10mm border serving to “celebrate the original design and offer a new reading of this sleeve”.
Double Dutch was a hit single from Duck Rock (
“Having been responsible for an earlier DIY culture, I couldn’t help feeling that I would be unquestionably a fraud if I didn’t attempt to do it myself,” wrote McLaren in the original sleeve notes for the aborted 25th anniversary edition. “So I stepped out from behind the curtain, signed with Charisma records, and set off to make this album in 1981.” He added: “Enjoy it all! It sounds better than it did on that June day 1983 when it was first released. I have to thank Trevor Horn, Gary Langan, Anne Dudley and the World’s Famous Supreme Team for keeping the faith even when it was tough for some of them to do so. This record is a masterpiece of pop culture. A true milestone in pop history”.
This 40th anniversary 2LP vinyl edition of Duck Rock is released by the state51 Conspiracy and is limited to 2500 units. The blue hype sticker on the front is a facsimile of the label adhered to copies of the original release and for the anniversary edition this will be sequentially numbered. The other hype sticker (on the bonus 12-inch) follows the design tropes of the South African pressing of the ‘Double Dutch’ single. These also come with a special ‘Duck For The Oyster’ print.
The release date is 27 May 2023 exactly 40 years after the original release. Secure your copy of what sounds like an impeccable vinyl reissue by ordering from the SDE shop using this link or the buy button below (‘pre-order).
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
The Durutti Column’s 1998 album, Time Was GIGANTIC… When We Were Kids, will be reissued on CD and issued on vinyl for the very first time, in June.
The band were among the first acts signed to Factory Records by Tony Wilson and were led by guitarist, pianist and occasional vocalist Vini Reilly, along with drummer, percussionist and co-manager Bruce Mitchell.
Time was GIGANTIC… has been remastered and expanded for this 25th anniversary reissue with both CD and 2LP vinyl editions featuring five bonus tracks. It also boasts revised and expanded artwork by Hamish Muir and Mark Holt of graphic design studio 8VO along with extensive sleeve notes by Factory Records and band expert James Nice.
Time was GIGANTIC… is issued on vinyl for the very first time [click image to enlarge]
The album was The Durutti Column’s last on Factory Records (albeit on the London Records ‘Factory Too’ imprint) and was produced by Bruce Weir, who also played on the record. In fact, it would be the last ever album to be released by Factory, with funding for the label being withdrawn before the end of the decade. The album brought about the end of a 20 year partnership between Reilly and his mentor Wilson.
Time Was GIGANTIC… When We Were Kids will be reissued on 30 June 2023 via London Records.
Bob Dylan/Time Out Of Mind (2022 Remix) blu-rayBlu-ray
No 8 in the SDE Surround Series ships this week! This sold out a while back, but a small amount of stock will become available in the next few days. Add yourself to the waiting list by clicking the ‘Notify Me’ button the product page on the SDE shop.
Kate Bush inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Kate Bush is one of seven inductees in the 2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in the performer category. Kate has been nominated before, a number of times, but this year ‘is through to the next round’ will be inducted, no doubt in part due to her higher profile in America thanks to the success of ‘Running Up That Hill’ in 2022.
In a comment Kate said that she was “completely shocked” at the news, adding “It’s something I just never thought would happen”.
We now wait to see if Kate will accept the invitation to perform at the ceremony later this year. It seems unlikely, given that she has never played live in the US, although she performed ‘The Man With The Child In His Eyes’ on Saturday Night Live way back in 1978. It will be interesting to see who inducts her, either way.
Missing B-side confirmed as included on Quartet deluxe
A few of you noticed that ‘Monument’, the B-side to Ultravox’s 1982 single ‘Hymn’, appeared to be missing from the newly announcedQuartet deluxe edition. The other three B-sides were listed as being remixed by Steven Wilson and he clearly noticed the comments on SDE since he emailed me to say he definitely did remix this song for both stereo and 5.1.
I checked with Chrysalis who confirmed that ‘Monument’ definitely is on CD 2 in stereo and on the DVD in hi-res stereo and 5.1. Great news, and the tracklisting on Thursday’s post has been updated to reflect this.
Madonna’s Immaculate Collection remixed for Dolby Atmos
While we wait for one of Madonna’s studio albums to be given the full reissue treatment, it’s clear that plenty of archival work is going on in the background and evidence of this is a new Dolby Atmos version of her 1990 compilation The Immaculate Collection which has just appeared on Apple Music.
Madonna’s first greatest hits is said to be the best-selling ‘best of’ ever, with sales reported at over 30m units worldwide. Upon release, it featured 15 previously released singles, some of them edited and remixed, plus the new single at the time, ‘Justify My Love’, and another new track ‘Rescue Me’.
Producer Mike Dean has overseen the new mix of The Immaculate Collection. He has also created the Atmos Mix for Christine and the Queens‘ forthcoming album Paranoïa, Angels, True Love which features Madonna on three tracks. How good or ‘immersive’ this mix actually will be debated. I’ve had one listen and I’m not particularly impressed.
Madonna starts her celebration tour in July and has just announced a special Rainbow Edition of the 6LP vinyl version of Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones.
SDE Editor Paul Sinclair and Peter Cox show off a signed vinyl copy of Seaglass
Peter Cox pops in to SDE
Go West frontman Peter Cox stopped by SDE earlier this week to sign 150 copies of the clear vinyl edition of his new album Seaglass. The album is released on Friday 12 May and we’ll start shipping on Tuesday (there’s just a handful of signed copies left). Peter spent an hour or so at SDE HQ was a lovely guy; very down to earth. His UK tour starts next week and you can book tickets here.
Bob Dylan’s Time Out Of Mind blu-ray shipping is imminent
As promised in our recent SDE Surround Series update, No 8 in the series, Bob Dylan’sTime Out Of Mind (2022 Remix), will ship next week. Stock is arriving on Tuesday. This was announced back in February with an original release date of 28 April. Thanks for your patience.
As mentioned in the update, we have pressed 5,000 units of this title and a quantity has been held back which we’ll make available next week. Add yourself to the waiting list by going to the product page on the SDE shop and clicking the ‘notify me if you get some more’ button.
Ultravox’s 1982 album Quartet will be reissued in July in multi-disc CD and vinyl deluxe box sets.
Having worked with Conny Plank on Vienna and Rage, the band’s third album with Midge Ure, Quartet was produced by George Martin in AIR studios in both London and Montserrat, with Geoff Emerick engineering.
The album delivered four UK Top 20 singles, ‘Reap The Wild Wind’, ‘We Came To Dance’, ‘Visions In Blue’ and ‘Hymn’ and, as with the band’s previous two albums, Quartet features Peter Saville artwork.
The 6CD+DVD edition of Quartet (click image to enlarge)
The reissue is available as a massive 6CD+DVD large format box set. It features the original 1982 version of the album, a brand new Steven Wilson Stereo Remix, a CD of B-sides and rarities, ‘work in progress’ cassette rehearsals and two CDs of a newly mixed concert recorded at Hammersmith Odeon in December 1982. The DVD features Steven Wilson’s 5.1 surround mix of Quartet and the album’s B-sides. The new mixes and original mixes are also available in hi-res stereo. In total, there’s 70 tracks, with 47 of them previously unreleased recordings. This box comes with a 20-page booklet and a reproduction of the Quartet tour programme.
The 4LP vinyl edition is pressed on clear vinyl and offers 36 tracks, with 17 of them previously unreleased. It offers the full Hammersmith show, a truncated selection of B-sides and rarities and the original version of the album.
‘Hymn’ from Quartet
The 2LP version is pressed at half-speed and features the original 1982 mix and a specially curated second LP of A-sides, B-sides and live tracks. Finally there is a special vinyl picture disc edition which is only available via the band’s official shop.
Quartet is released on 7 July 2023, via Chrysalis.
If you were not feeling it with the recent NOW Millennium ’00-’01 release, how about a return to the good old Yearbooks with NOW Yearbook ’78 – Extra.
This 3CD companion set to the original Now Yearbook 78 features 66 tracks including the likes of Queen’s ‘Bicycle Race’ (CD 1, track one, naturally), Blondie’s Picture This, John Travolta’s ‘Greased Lightnin”, Boney M.’s Rasputin and offerings from many more artists such as Hot Chocolate, The Jam, ELO, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, The Boomtown Rats, Donna Summer, Status Quo, Chris Rea, David Soul, Public Image Limited, Leo Sayer, Andrew Gold, The Clash, Squeeze and many more.
Now Yearbook ’78 – Extra will be released on 9 June 2023.
Four CDs of Arthur Baker remixes • 6LP vinyl set • 2LP vinyl • Limited quantity of both CDs and vinyl SIGNED by Arthur Baker
Almost two years since the first instalment of Arthur Baker’s DANCE MASTERS series launched with a deep dive on the remixing exploits of a certain Mr Shep Pettibone, the second instalment sees the record producer, DJ and remixer shine the spotlight on himself!
Arthur Baker Presents DANCE MASTERS: Arthur Baker – The Classic Dance Remixes to give this release its full title offers 43 tracks via a 4CD deluxe book edition, 500 of which are signed and available via Amazon in the UK.
The limited 4CD set (exclusive to Amazon UK) comes with a signed art card [click image to enlarge]
One the most interesting inclusions is the Arthur Baker Club Vocal Remix of the Pet Shop Boys 1986 single ‘Surburbia’. Their fourth and final 45 from their debut album Please, this remix has never been commercially released only appearing on a promo 12-inch in America! Full track listings are below.
Arthur Baker says: “I’ve always felt like I was on a mission to make music from the time I heard Motown, Philly and Sly and the Family Stone. My mission started as a hobby and still feels like one now. You’ve got to keep on pushing and hustling. It can be a drag sometimes but if you really love what you’re doing, it’s worth the work. I still really love what I do.“
Arthur’s ‘Club Vocal Mix’ of PSB’s ‘Suburbia’ is issued on CD for the first time in Dance Masters
As well as the 4CD edition, there’s 1000 copies of a 6LP vinyl box set (35 remixes) and all come with a signed insert and booklet. A 2LP version reduced the track count to 14.
These editions come complete with in-depth sleeve notes by Bill Coleman, track-by-track notes by Arthur Baker himself, and previously unseen session photos from Arthur’s personal archives. All tracks remastered by Nick Robbins at Sound Mastering.
Arthur Baker Presents DANCE MASTERS: Arthur Baker – The Classic Dance Remixes will be released on 21 July 2023 (was 7 July) via Demon Music.
Compare prices and pre-order
Various Artists
Dance Masters Arthur Baker - 4CD set signed edition
Shop
Price gbp
Stock
Currency:
Compare prices and pre-order
Various Artists
Dance Masters Arthur Baker - 6LP vinyl box signed edition
Paul Young is signing these exclusively for SDE. Coloured vinyl pressing limited to 1000 units. Quick pre-order link.
Paul Young’s 1993 album,The Crossing, is being reissued for its 30th anniversary and SDE can exclusively offer a limited number of copies signed by Paul Young himself.
Originally released in October 1993, The Crossing was Young’s fifth and final album for Columbia Records. Produced largely by Don Was and featuring top musicians such as Billy Preston, The Memphis Horns, Jeff Porcaro and his older mucker Pino Palladino, the album is regarded by fans and critics as one of Paul Young’s very best solo works.
The album includes Young’s last top 20 UK hit, the excellent ‘Now I Know What Made Otis Blue’ but it’s much more than a one-trick pony and features a slickly produced series of songs including ‘Hope in a Hopeless World’, ‘The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter’ and ‘Half A Step Away’.
When interviewed for this 30th Anniversary release, Paul Young said: “If you were to ask me the albums I most enjoyed making they would be the first and the last for Columbia Records; No Parlez and The Crossing.
On The Crossing, it was the caliber of the musicians that I worked with and I was working with my musical heroes, some of which I’d admired since I was a teenager. The sessions were so relaxed and all the people in the studio were such lovely people to work with, I will remember it forever.”
This vinyl reissue of The Crossing comes in a gatefold sleeve is is pressed on 180g turquoise vinyl. A new interview with Paul Young features inside the gatefold and it comes with an insert with lyrics. The front cover of each record will be personally signed by Paul Young at SDE HQ.
It’s available to order exclusively via the SDE shop where you can also get yourself a copy of SDE’s exclusive keepsake 24-page booklet on Paul Young’s second album, The Secret of Association. Published last year, this features new interviews with Paul Young and Laurie Latham, along with features, a discography and images of memorabilia. For the very first time we can offer these SIGNED by Paul Young!
The Crossing is released by 7a Records and the SDE signed exclusive coloured vinyl will ship a week earlier than the official release on 9 June 2023 (along with any booklet orders).
Pre-order by going direct to the SDE shop using this link or via the buy buttons (with ‘pre-order on them) below.
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
Donna Summer’s acclaimed 1989 studio album Another Place and Time will be reissued in June.
The album was produced by Stock Aitken Waterman and features the transatlantic top 10 single ‘This Time I Know It’s For Real’ and ‘I Don’t Wanna Get Hurt’ (which also reached the top 10 in the UK). Three further singles were issued.
A stunning looking ‘Zoetrope’ vinyl picture disc is amongst the formats (click image to enlarge)
There are three physical formats for this new reissue campaign:
A 2CD edition in deluxe seven-inch packaging (much like the newly announced Suede reissue)
A half-speed mastered black vinyl LP with OBI-strip and four-page insert
A Zoetrope vinyl picture disc that incorporates elements from the ‘This Time I Know It’s For Real’ promo video and which gives a continuous dancing effect (viewed via your smartphone with a third party stroboscope app).
This 2CD set offers two previously unreleased re-edits, as well as a brand new remix of ‘In Another Place And Time’, produced by legendary PWL Mixmaster, Pete Hammond, alongside a selection of seven-inch versions, extended mixes and two further new re-edits. It includes an eight-page booklet with lyrics and personal recollections of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman.
Another Place and Time will be reissued on 7 July 2023 via Driven By The Music.
Compare prices and pre-order
Donna Summer
Another Place and time - Zoetrope 12 inch picture disc
Back in 2021, I was lucky enough to see Duran Duran perform two ‘homecoming’ gigs in Birmingham a month or so before the release of Future Past, the band’s well received 15th studio album. Those gigs delivered a few tracks from the new record, a light sprinkling of deep cuts and hits – lots of them! 20 months on, and the group are touring the UK and playing much bigger crowds, but fundamentally not much has changed.
The muggy, sweaty environment the O2 Institute Birmingham (which has a capacity of just 2000) was replaced by the glitz and glamour afforded by the larger platform of London’s 20,000 capacity O2, which boasted some excellent projected visuals on angled screens (initially on stage with the band, before being hoisted high into the air).
Frontman Simon Le Bon looked great, echoing the ‘sailorboy’ look of his younger self back in the New Romantic days, with a sparkly silver jacket, white trousers and a blue and white stripy T-shirt, while Nick Rhodes, set back stage right in an elevated position, was equally dapper. Roger Taylor was hidden away behind a mountain of drums and cymbals while John Taylor stood to Simon’s right and guitarist Dom Brown was on the left. As in Birmingham, there were two female backing singers.
One of the highlights of the evening was the amount of songs played from Duran Duran, the band’s 1981 debut album; five tracks in total (more than any of their other albums). Granted, they almost always play ‘Girls On Film’ and ‘Planet Earth’ but early ‘flop’ single ‘Careless Memories’ rocked surprisingly hard and got the crowd on their feet while album track ‘Friends Of Mine’ hasn’t been worn down by familiarity. The early songs sound particularly good because of their more stripped-back sound, although starting the show with the relatively low-key ‘Night Boat’ perhaps illustrates the perils of going off-piste too much, because I thought it received a somewhat muted response.
But the evening was primarily about entertainment and that meant giving the capacity crowd what they’d mostly come to hear: hit singles. Duran Duran made no attempt to pretend that they’ve had a long and consistent career: 14 of the 20 songs performed were released between 1981 and 1986. They played three tracks from Future Past (‘Invisible’, ‘Anniversary’ and ‘Give It All Up’), two from 1993’s ‘The Wedding Album’ (‘Ordinary World’ and ‘Come Undone’) and their usual cover of ‘White Lines’, which still remains a ludicrous idea on paper, but always goes down very well! To put it another way, they played nothing from EIGHT ALBUMS released between 1988 and 2020, which is mildly surprising considering that BMG have been reissuing many of those records in recent times, such as the 2004 reunion album Astronaut (which features two hit singles in ‘(Reach Up For The) Sunrise’ and ‘What Happens Tomorrow’).
There’s still too much backing track/sequencer stuff going on for my liking, with songs like ‘A View To A Kill’ and ‘The Reflex’ being required on stage to sound EXACTLY like their studio counterparts. Apart from Simon’s excellent vocals, Duran Duran have a curiously ‘un-live’ sound. The show would probably benefit from an acoustic-type break in proceedings where they turn off all the computers come to the front of the stage and show us they can actually play (which we know they can).
Like many bands whose glory days were 30 or 40 years ago, Duran Duran are effectively boxed into a corner where if they want to sell out big arenas and make good money, they need to play a greatest hits shows. That rewards the casual fans who heard the hits on the radio but likely disappoints the diehards who would prefer a deeper dive into the albums for tracks like ‘A Matter Of Feeling’, ‘The Edge Of America’, ‘My Antarctica’ or ‘Still Breathing’. I mean, why not start the show with a rousing ‘Big Thing’? I think that would sound great! Sometimes the act of regularly playing songs turns them into well-received classics, even if they were not a big hit at the time (Tears For Fears’ ‘Break It Down Again’ is a good example of this).
Nick smiles from behind his keyboard rig at last night’s show (photo: Paul Sinclair)
To be fair, last night, they did play the Rio album track ‘Last Chance On The Stairway’ so that was was a nod in the right direction, but you can only play so many songs in one hour and 45 minutes and they’ve enjoyed so many hit singles. If they wanted advice from SDE (which I’m sure they don’t) I’d say they should give ‘A View To A Kill’, ‘Wild Boys’ and ‘White Lines’ a rest. I’m actually very surprised that the band haven’t thought of playing Duran Duran (from 1981) and Rio in full, back-to-back. That would still include loads of hits but deliver all the great album tracks from those first two records.
Setlist quibbles to one side, Duran Duran undoubtedly delivered an evening of fun, entertainment and nostalgia. Just in case it was not ‘eighties’ enough for the audience, when the band played ‘Save A Prayer’ in the encore, it was accompanied by filmed visuals of a slow motion dove flapping its wings with feathers flying all over the shop. I’d have expected nothing less.
Duran Duran play the O2 London again tonight and dates in the UK follow afterwards. The America tour starts on 27 May. Tour dates.
The delayed Debbie Harrydeluxe reissue features two half-speed mastered vinyl records pressing on 180g crystal clear vinyl and comes with a special lenticular sleeve and an art print.
NewPaul Young studio album that features tracks from through the years that, for whatever reason, were never commercially released. SDE has heard it and was rather impressed!
Olivia Newton-John / Just The Two Of Us: The Duets Collection – Volume One
Volume One of a planned two-volume series, this features 17 Olivia Newton-John duets, with artists such as Dolly Parton, Cliff Richard, John Travolta, Barry Gibb, Richard Marx, Mariah Carey and many more.
Music retailer HMV have announced they are returning to London’s Oxford Street later this year, after a period where they no presence at all in central London, barring the shop in the Westfield in Shepherd’s Bush.
The retailer returns to 363 Oxford Street, the location where the HMV brand (owned at the time by The Gramophone Company) started back in 1921. That original store was eventually overshadowed when HMV moved east across Regent Street and opened what was then claimed to be the larger record shop on the planet at 150-154 Oxford Street, in 1986 (that site had been a Woolworths between 1932 and 1977).
For 14 years, between 1986 to 2000, there were two very large HMV shops in Oxford Street but 363 shut its doors in 2000 and the flagship store (150-154) closed in January 2014 after the administrators were brought in the year before and HMV was bought out for an estimated £50 million in by Hilco (in April 2013). A a bullish move at the time, Hilco re-opened as HMV at 363 Oxford Street, but survived only for six years.
HMV went into administration again, in late December 2018 and in February 2019 Canadian Retailer Sunrise Records, headed by founder Doug Putman, acquired the ailing music retail chain and then promptly shut 363 Oxford Street!
The new shop at will feature an updated HMV logo and will debut a new ‘HMV Shop’ concept which will then be rolling out to existing stores (of which there are 120 in the UK) and to 24 new sites across the UK and Europe.
I think all physical music fans in London and the South East of England will be pleased with this news and wish HMV well, but you have to wonder what the medium to longterm future is for the chain. We’ve been here before, after all. But, if nothing else it will be good to be rid of that horrendous ‘American Candy’ store that currently occupies the site.
Thank you for all your enthusiasm for the Suede blu-ray audio, which is No 11 in the SDE Surround Series. The pre-order window closes tomorrow although we’ll extend it by a day so you have one last weekend to secure your copy!
The Blu-ray Audio is a global exclusive for SDE and not available via any other retailer. It features two new immersive spatial audio mixes of Suede (Dolby Atmos and 5.1) as well as a new stereo mix and the original 1993 mix in hi-res audio. Details:
2023 Steven Wilson Dolby Atmos Mix
2023 Steven Wilson 5.1 Surround Mix (96/24)
2023 Steven Wilson Stereo Mix (96/24)
1993 Definitive Original Stereo Mix (96/24)
Additionally the disc also includes the following remastered/restored HD videos, the first time these are available commercially:
The Drowners
Metal Mickey
Animal Nitrate
So Young
The Drowners (US Version)
Suede’s bass player Mat Osman went to Steven Wilson’s home studio to hear the spatial audio mixes earlier this week and he said “they are sounding amazing”.
Spent the morning at the home studio of the wonderful @StevenWilsonHQ listening to his stereo, 5.1 and Dolby Atmos remixes of the @suedeHQ debut album and they are sounding amazing. Now available to pre-order on blu-ray exclusively from @sdeditionpic.twitter.com/9RFIwFcT5i
Don’t miss out! Place your pre-order by either heading off to the SDE shop using this link, or alternatively use the buy button (‘add to cart’). We ship worldwide. Some of the other 30th anniversary formats are also available, although ‘The Drowners’ 7″ picture disc is now sold out!
The Suede blu-ray audio is a collaboration between Demon Music and SDE and will be released on 7 July 2023. Your blu-ray will ship with a free collectors’ edition SDE Surround Series slipcase!
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
SuedeSuede/
Blu-ray
Audio
Suede – 2023 Steven Wilson Dolby Atmos Mix
Suede – 2023 Steven Wilson 5.1 Surround Mix (96/24)
Suede – 2023 Steven Wilson Stereo Mix (96/24)
Suede – 1993 Definitive Original Stereo Mix (96/24)
Madonna’sFinally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones was issued on a number of formats last year, but it was the 6LP red & black vinyl edition that proved extremely popular; so much so that it went out of print in around three days!
It was a classic case of he (or she) who hesitates… However, fans have been given a second chance, since a second edition of the 6LP vinyl version will be released in June and this time it’s it’s subtitled ‘The Rainbow Edition’ because as you can see from the image above, it’s pressed on multi-coloured vinyl.
As with the previous edition this features all 50 tracks – almost 220 minutes of remixes by top producers and DJs, including Shep Pettibone, William Orbit, Avicii and more.
If you think £130 is a little steep for this collection, it’s certainly much cheaper than trying to source the original because the median price on Discogs for the 2022 edition is almost £300!
Finally Enough Love: The Rainbow Edition will be available as a 6LP set on 23 June 2023 via Rhino.
Compare prices and pre-order
Madonna
Finally Enough Love: Fifty Number Ones - Rainbow Edition [VINYL]
A1 Holiday (7″ Version) 4:20 A2 Like A Virgin (7″ Version) 3:39 A3 Material Girl (7″ Version) 4:01 A4 Into The Groove (You Can Dance Remix Edit) 4:47
B1 Open Your Heart (Video Version) 4:28 B2 Physical Attraction (You Can Dance Remix Edit) 3:45 B3 Everybody (You Can Dance Remix Edit) 4:34 B4 Like A Prayer (7″ Remix/Edit) 5:43
LP 2
C1 Express Yourself (Remix/Edit) 5:02 C2 Keep It Together (Alternate Single Remix) 4:55 C3 Vogue (Single Version) 4:21 C4 Justify My Love (Orbit Edit) 4:33
D1 Erotica (Underground Club Mix) 4:54 D2 Deeper And Deeper (David’s Radio Edit) 4:04 D3 Fever (Radio Edit) 5:09 D4 Secret (Junior’s Luscious Single Mix) 4:15
LP 3
E1 Bedtime Story (Junior’s Single Mix) 4:55 E2 Don’t Cry For Me Argentina (Miami Mix Edit) 4:30 E3 Frozen (Extended Club Mix Edit) 4:38 E4 Ray Of Light (Sasha Ultra Violet Mix Edit) 5:07
F1 Nothing Really Matters (Club 69 Radio Mix) 3:45 F2 Beautiful Stranger (Calderone Radio Mix) 4:05 F3 American Pie (Richard “Humpty” Vission Radio Mix) 4:27 F4 Music (Deep Dish Dot Com Radio Edit) 4:14
LP 4
G1 Don’t Tell Me (Thunderpuss Video Remix) 3:44 G2 What It Feels Like For A Girl (Above & Beyond Club Radio Edit) 3.44 G3 Impressive Instant (Peter Rauhofer’s Universal Radio Mixshow Mix) 5:33 G4 Die Another Day (Deepsky Radio Edit) 4:08
H1 American Life (Felix Da Housecat’s Devin Dazzle Edit) 3:22 H2 Hollywood (Calderone & Quayle Edit) 4:02 H3 Me Against The Music (Peter Rauhofer Radio Mix) 3:44 H4 Nothing Fails (Tracy Young’s Underground Radio Edit) 4:32 H5 Love Profusion (Ralphi Rosario House Vocal Edit) 3:58
LP 5
I1 Hung Up (SDP Extended Vocal Edit) 4:59 I2 Madonna– Sorry (PSB Maxi Mix Edit) 4:33 I3 Madonna– Get Together (Jacques Lu Cont Vocal Edit) 4:23 I4 Madonna– Jump (Axwell Remix Edit) 4:45
J1 4 Minutes (Bob Sinclar Space Funk Edit) 3:24 J2 Give It 2 Me (Eddie Amador Club 5 Edit) 4:56 J3 Celebration (Benny Benassi Remix Edit) 3:59 J4 Give Me All Your Luvin’ (Party Rock Remix) 4:02 J5 Madonna– Girl Gone Wild (Avicii’s UMF Mix) 5:15
LP 6
K1 Turn Up The Radio (Offer Nissim Remix Edit) 4:56 K2 Living For Love (Offer Nissim Promo Mix) 5:53 K3 Madonna– Ghosttown (Dirty Pop Intro Remix) 5:21 K4 Bitch I’m Madonna (Sander Kleinenberg Video Edit) 3:22
L1 Medellín (Offer Nissim Madame X In The Sphinx Mix) 5:29 L2 I Rise (Tracy Young’s Pride Intro Radio Remix) 3:52 L3 Crave (Tracy Young Dangerous Remix) 4:47 L4 Madonna– I Don’t Search I Find (Honey Dijon Radio Mix) 5:22
Interview
Reviews
News
