Roger Waters will issue a new mini-album called The Lockdown Sessions, in June.
These are re-recordings of old songs, three are from Pink Floyd’sThe Wall, two are from the last Floyd album with Roger Waters, 1983’s The Final Cut and one track (‘The Bravery of Being Out of Range’) is from Waters’ 1992 solo album Amused to Death.
‘Comfortably Numb 2022’ is the last song on The Lockdown Sessions and is an exception to the ‘lockdown’ rule, since this was recorded during Waters’ This Is Not A Drill North American tour last year.
Even though ‘Lockdown Sessions’ suggests stripped-back solo acoustic performances, that isn’t actually the case. These recordings were produced by Roger Waters and Gus Seyffert and have a full complement of musicians contributing. The performers were: Roger Waters – Vocals, Guitar and Piano; Gus Seyffert – Bass, Cellos and Vocals; Joey Waronker – Drums and Percussion; Dave Kilminster – Guitar and Rhythm Guitar; Jonathan Wilson – Guitar and Vocals; Jon Carin – Keyboards and Vocals, Lucius (Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig) – Vocals; Bo Koster – Hammond (on all tracks except “Mother”) and Ian Ritchie – Saxophone (“Two Suns In The Sunset”).
Waters commented: “Our Us and Them Tour lasted three years…At every gig we did an encore after the main show closed with Comfortably Numb…the encore was always Mother…I can’t remember why I decided to start doing other songs?…Anyway, at some point after the end of the tour…I started thinking, “It could make an interesting album, all those encores”…“The Encores”. ”Yeah, has a nice ring to it!” Then…I’m in England doing the Ginger Baker tribute gig one Tuesday night at the Hammersmith Odeon with Eric Clapton and…the following Saturday marching from The Australian Embassy to Parliament Square to make a speech in support of Julian Assange, when bugger me, Covid…Schlummmm! For me it was Friday March 13th 2020. Lockdown! So much for the “Encores” project. Unless… We’ve tacked C. Numb on the end of the collection, as an appropriate exclamation point in closing this circle of love.”
Videos have been made for the songs which were produced and directed by Sean Evans. Roger’s This Is Not A Drill is currently on tour in Europe, and we know he has more recordings in the bag waiting to be released, namely his reworking of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon.
The Lockdown Sessions are released on CD and vinyl on 7 June, via Colubmia/Sony Music.
Record Store Day in 2023 is this coming Saturday, 22 April. As usual there’s a wide array of product available and so let SDEtv be your guide as in the third and final video preview, as we look at some of the albums/artists from the 1990s era and beyond. 1970s preview • 1980s preview.
Enya’s 1997 CD collection, A Box of Dreams, will be reissued on vinyl for the first time in June.
Originally a 3CD companion to Enya’s greatest hits at the time (Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya), A Box of Dreams contained 46 tracks, spanning a decade from her 1987 debut album Enya to the 1997 best of (‘Only If…’ and ‘Paint The Sky With Stars’ were new tracks and both feature in A Box of Dreams).
A Box of Dreams is being released on vinyl for the first time (click image to enlarge)
The box had three thematically arranged CDs which are now three thematically arranged 2LP vinyl sets! Oceans contains the upbeat numbers (including ‘Orinoco Flow’) Clouds is a collection of piano instrumentals andStarsfeatures choral and meditative ballads. All 46 tracks remain.
The 6LP box set features sleeve notes from Roma and Nicky Ryan, including a series of short poems by Roma Ryan. and has been manufactured using 100 percent recycled board and vinyl.
A Box of Dreams is being released on 23 June 2023 via Rhino.
Record Store Day in 2023 is this coming Saturday, 22 April. As usual there’s a wide array of product available and so let SDEtv be your guide as in the second of three video previews we look at some of the albums/artists from the 1980s era.
Austrian superstar Falco played in Berlin in 1986 as part of his Emotional World tour. That concert is now issued in full for the first time, with a number of previously unreleased tracks.
Emotional was Falco’s fourth studio album and the second produced by Bolland and Bolland with whom with he had enjoyed the global success of his previous record, Falco 3, and its international hit single ‘Rock Me Amadeus’.
Live Forever: The Complete Show – Berlin 1986 is a 2CD set.
Newly found tapes featured six tracks performed in Berlin from the Emotional album as well as three others, so nine out of 22 tracks are previously unreleased. The audio has all been newly mixed and mastered and this set comes with new sleeve notes courtesy of Michael Rager. There’s no vinyl edition, it’s just 2CD and digital!
Live Forever: The Complete Show – Berlin 1986 will be released on 9 June 2023, via Warner Music Germany.
Compare prices and pre-order
Falco
Live Forever (The Complete Show - Berlin 1986) [2023 Remaster]
Blu-ray available for 10 days only • FeaturesSteven Wilson Atmos, 5.1 & Stereo Mixes and HD Videos • Quick pre-order link
Suede’s self-titled debut album from 1993 will be reissued in July for its 30th anniversary and formats will include an SDE-exclusive blu-ray with Steven Wilson Dolby Atmos and 5.1 mixes.
Suede is unarguably a landmark British album of the 1990s, and was both a critical and commercial triumph, winning the Mercury Music Prize and entering the UK Album Chart at number one, in April 1993 (knocking Depeche Mode’sSongs of Faith and Devotion off the summit). Frontman Brett Anderson pointedly calls it “the first Britpop album” while dissociating it and Suede the band [know as ‘The London Suede’ in the US] from the ‘Cool Britannia’ type movement that followed; “It certainly wasn’t a celebration of some imaginary view of British life… some fantasy, Carnaby Street, 1960s thing” he said. Bass player Mat Osman perhaps put it best suggesting that in the wider context of Britpop, Suede was “Dr Frankenstein, but not the monster”.
Such was the momentum and excitement generated by the band’s first three singles (‘The Drowners’, Metal Mickey’, and ‘Animal Nitrate’), Suede sold 100,000 copies in its first week, making it one of the fastest-selling debut albums in the UK, at the time. A fourth and final single, ‘So Young’ was issued about a month after the album in May ’93.
‘Animal Nitrate’ from Suede
The reissue of the band’s debut LP sees a Suede album remixed for spatial audiofor the first time and who better to do this than musician and producer Steven Wilson. A very successful artist in his own right, Wilson has without doubt established himself as a leader in remixing studio albums in Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround sound. He’s tackled giants from the 1970s (King Crimson, Roxy Music, Jethro Tull, Chic), pop pioneers from the 1980s (Tears For Fears, XTC, Simple Minds, Ultravox) and now with Suede, moves into the early 1990s.
This was a genuinely magical time in my life and one for which I’ll always be grateful. It felt incredible being in what I thought was quite probably the most exciting band in the world at the time, making a record which felt like more than just another band making another album.
Suede frontman, Brett Anderson
Producer Ed Buller has approved the mixes and has been impressed with Wilson’s work saying: “It’s wonderful that we can now revisit this 30 years later and allow Steven Wilson and his fabulous ears to reposition this music in Dolby Atmos. I am very grateful he has resisted the temptation to fix past perceived mistakes and was keen to show the original approach intact”.
The SDE Exclusive blu-ray will feature the following audio streams:
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)
It should be noted that, despite a massive effort, the multi-track tapes for the song ‘Breakdown’ could not be located, so the spatial audio versions of that one song are Penteo ‘upmix’ versions (the stereo remix uses the 1993 mix). The original version of the album has been remastered by Phil Kinrade using transfers of the original 1⁄2” master tapes, with the exception of ‘Moving’ and ‘The Drowners’ which were sourced from production masters. Everything was overseen and approved by producer Ed Buller.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw8Hmtje2Kw
‘The Drowners’ from Suede
For the first time on an SDE-exclusive blu-ray, bonus video is featured and this disc includes the following promo videos for all four Suede singles, remastered/restored to HD (their first – and possibly only – physical release):
The Drowners
Metal Mickey
Animal Nitrate
So Young
The Drowners (US Version)
The blu-ray will be region-free so international fans won’t have any issues playing the disc.
This Suede Blu-ray is #11 in the ongoing SDE Surround Series and will be packaged similarly to previous editions and ships with a free, collectible SDE Surround Series slipcase.
Here’s the now traditional reminder as to why this product is highly recommended:
It’s the only way to enjoy the Dolby Atmos mix of the album via a physical product
You don’t need to sign-up to a streaming service such as Tidal or Apple Music to hear the spatial audio mix
The Atmos Mix on the Blu-ray is not compressed due to streaming bandwidth restrictions
You own the product, you are not renting it from a digital service provider
The Blu-ray audio is an excellent format for music and you don’t want to see it die off
Supporting SDE with these initiatives leads to similar collaborations with labels/artists and we are keen to bring your more in the near future!
Other formats/editions are available as part of this 30th anniversary reissue. Here’s a summary:
Blu-ray with Spatial Audio and Stereo Mixes and HD Videos (SDE-exclusive)
Half-speed mastered vinyl LP with OBI-strip and 4-page booklet
2CD edition in deluxe gatefold seven-inch packaging
The Drowners/To The Birds 7″ picture disc (limited to 1000 units)
Order your copy of the Suede blu-ray or the other formats (except the LP picture disc) via the SDE shop using this link or by clicking on the special SDE shop buy buttons (‘add to cart’) below. We ship worldwide (the tracked service to USA for blu-ray is £8, for example) and the CD and vinyl editions are also available individually or via a specially-priced bundles.
There are a lot of bundles, so choose carefully! Any with ‘The Drowners’ picture disc will likely disappear quickly since that disc is so limited.
Suede 30th anniversary Blu-ray and the other formats will be released on 7 July 2023, via Demon Music.
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
Record Store Day in 2023 is this coming Saturday, 22 April. As usual there’s a wide array of product available and so let SDEtv be your guide as in the first of three video previews we look at some of the albums/artists from the 1970s era.
Bob Dylan’s re-recordings and rearrangements of some of his old songs, first premiered on Alma Har’el’s 2021 film Shadow Kingdom: The Early Songs of Bob Dylan, will be released on audio formats for the first time in June.
The songs featured include ‘Forever Young’, ‘It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue’, ‘I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight’, ‘When I Paint My Masterpiece’ (first released by The Band in Sep 1971 on Cahoots before Dylan included his recording on 1971’s Greatest HIts Vol. II a couple of months later) and other great catalogue gems such as ‘Queen Jane Approximately’ and ‘The Wicked Messenger’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JSB-L3BpvY
There’s 13 original songs in total. all handpicked by Dylan for his Shadow Kingdom performance, which saw Bob and his band performing to pre-recorded set pieces – plus the closing instrumental, ‘Sierra’s Theme’.
The album will be issued on CD and as a 2LP black vinyl edition (side four is etched) and the full-length ShadowKingdom film will also be available via Apple TV
Shadow Kingdom will be released on 2 June via Columbia Records/Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings.
Jethro Tull release a new album called RökFlöte. The 12-track album is available in a number of different formats, including 2CD+blu-ray deluxe edition which is packaged in a 10-inch, 36-page art book with special ‘debossed’ front cover art
There’s been a lot going on of late with the SDE Surround Series of exclusive blu-ray audios, so I thought I’d give everyone an update as to what is happening with the various releases, since I’m very aware that the pre-orders are building up and lots of you will be looking forward to getting some product soon! So here we go, in order of when they were announced:
#7: Ten Years After / A Space In Time
There will be a second edition of Ten Years After’sA Space In Time. We are making another 1000 copies since the demand for this has been overwhelming and we were somewhat culpable for underestimating how popular this would be in the first place. The extra copies will be available fairly soon, but if you head to the to the product page on the SDE shop and click the ‘notify me if you get some more’ button, you will automatically be sent an email when stock becomes available again and you won’t have to wait for a post on SDE.
#8: Bob Dylan / Time Out Of Mind (2022 Remix)
Time Out Of Mind is about to go into production and, unfortunately, we are going to miss the planned 28 April release date. I will email everyone who has ordered with more details soon, but it’s looking likely to ship around mid-May. I can only apologise for this slight delay. It has been great working with our label partners Sony in the US on this project and we hope to be doing some more with them soon! Update: Release date is now confirmed as 12 May 2023.
I’m really excited for everyone who ordered this album in Dolby Atmos and hi-res stereo; it sounds fantastic. The artwork for the blu-ray has been handled by Dylan’s longtime art director Geoff Gans (check out his website) and the blu-ray front cover design has changed somewhat while this was in development, so the picture above is what the blu-ray will look like, without the SDE slipcase, which of course is in keeping with the original design philosophy. However, the slipcase itself uses the imagery of the reissue, so you get the best of both worlds!
We are pressing 5,000 units of this title and a quantity has been held back which we’ll make available about a week before the revised release date, so don’t think about buying it off anyone on eBay! 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.
#9: Tears For Fears / The Hurting
I have some good news and some bad news about Tears For Fears’The Hurting. To get the bad news out of the way first, the whole release has gone back to 9 June 2023 (was 12 May). Sadly, this is out of our control and so the half-speed vinyl and the blu-ray will now not ship until a few days before that date.
However, the good news is that you are getting a bonus version of The Hurting album on this blu-ray which was not previously advertised, and that is the Steven Wilson Stereo Remix – with vocals (so not just an instrumental version). You have the SDE pre-order window to thank for this and the fact that Steven Wilson reads this website. You may be aware that Steven’s process when creating Atmos and 5.1 mixes is, in his words, “to recreate the original stereo mix as closely as possible – trying to match reverbs, EQ, levels, stereo positioning, and any additional processing applied to it.” He is looking to find “any extra clarity along the way if possible, but essentially trying not to mess with long term listeners’ memories of the album in question”.
So as Steven writes in the booklet that is included with The Hurting blu-ray audio: “There were no plans to include my recreated stereo since the original mix was beautifully executed and I didn’t feel I could match it, let alone better it. But during the pre-order period there were more than a few people asking for it, so with some mixed feelings on my part it has been added to the blu-ray, as a bi-product of my workflow”.
This means that there are now four Steven Wilson remixes of The Hurting on the blu-ray, alongside the original stereo mix. They are: Dolby Atmos Mix, 5.1 Mix, Stereo Remix and Instrumental Stereo Remix. Of course, Steven also mixed the two previously unreleased bonus tracks as well: ‘Mad World (Mike Howlett Version)’ and ‘Watch Me Bleed (Mike Howlett Version)’. This blu-ray is going to be incredible!
7,000 copies of The Hurting blu-ray are being manufactured. Again, as with Dylan we’ll make a small quantity available closer to release date. You can do the same thing and add yourself to the waiting list on the product page.
#10: Mike Oldfield / Tubular Bells
Nothing too much to report with Mike Oldfield’sTubular Bells. It’s all been signed off and will soon go into production. The print run is 5,000 and it’s sold out. There may be some cancellations which means a few copies could become available again. Again, add yourself to the waiting list to have a chance. At the time of writing, we are still expecting the 26 May to be the release date, as advertised originally. This does mean you’ll get #10 before #9 but that is just one of those things!
What’s next?
#11 in the SDE Surround Series will be announced next week. Unlike the last few, this is going to be available in a fixed quantity, so be sure to stay in touch with SDE over the next seven days.
Postscript
These releases are coming thick and fast right now. The goal in 2023 was to offer a minimum of 12 titles and we have so far announced four and its mid-April, so we’re on target! However, since we can’t deliver the products as quickly as we announce them (it takes roughly 10 weeks from the end of the pre-order window to design, author and manufacture these blu-rays (that’s assuming there are no issues) and we have been announcing them every 2-3 weeks at the moment, there will inevitably be a ‘build up’ of pre-orders that you are waiting for. Things will ebb and flow and there will be periods when they’ll be lots of shipping activity and then quiet spells where you are waiting. However, in theory, once things settle down a bit the despatching should ‘catch up’ and become as regular as the announcements!
A few people have asked if we can combine orders, but sadly that is just not possible, I’m afraid, at the present time. Even if two separate pre-orders end up shipping the same week (because one has been delayed, for example) THEY WILL SHIP SEPARATELY. It’s a systems thing and going in and doing manual adjustments would be a) prone to human error and b) not feasible with the volumes we are talking about. We understand this can be a bit frustrating and we’d love to be able to do it, but we can’t at the moment.
Thank you for your enthusiasm and continued support with this SDE Surround Series initiative. It really does feel like a unique collaboration between you the music fan, SDE, artists and the record labels. I hope you are enjoying the products and we look forward to bringing your more exclusive titles in the near future.
Two Prince albums from the 1990 will be reissued on vinyl in June.
The Gold Experience from 1995 (his first to be credited to that unpronounceable squiggle) will be reissued as a 2LP black vinyl set and The Truth, the excellent semi-acoustic bonus studio album that was included as an extra CD on 1998’s Crystall Ball rarities set, is also issued as a single black vinyl LP.
Both albums were reissued for last year’s Record Store Day with The Gold Experience pressed on limited edition gold-coloured vinyl – with promo-stylee presentation – and The Truth issued on vinyl for the very first time. The difference with this newThe Gold Experience is that this is standard packaging and it doesn’t have the remixes of ‘I Hate U’ on Side D.
The Gold Experience and The Truth will be issued on black vinyl on 9 June, via Sony’s Legacy Recordings.
Stewart Copeland, founder of The Police concentrated on creative pursuits in concert and film music in his post-Police career and in 2021 created a new project, Stewart Copeland: The Police Deranged for Orchestra.
This focuses on the rise of his career featuring The Police’s biggest hits arranged for full symphony orchestra along with hand-picked highlights from Copeland’s own compositions. The project has toured across Northern America and Europe throughout 2021 – 2022 and will continue in 2023/24 in a new format.
Copeland explains the origins of this enterprise: “It began as the score for a movie I made out of Super8 footage of the band that I had shot during our rise to glory. Film puts capricious demands on music, so I had to carve up the songs to serve the scenes in the movie, and once the scalpel was out, a whole new frenzy of inspiration from Police music began. Delving into the multi-tracks of our original recordings and live performances revealed lost guitar solos, bass lines, and vocal improvisations that were just too cool to leave in obscurity.”
He continues: “This discovery is what brings us to this performance: Sting’s songs, Andy’s inventions, and my impunity; all on the page for a wild ride with orchestra and unique musicians from around the world to adapt some of the most loved The Police hits for old and new audiences alike.”
This ‘Derangements’ are now being released via BMG and are available on CD and vinyl, with a blue vinyl also available. All formats are extremely limited with only 300 copies of the black vinyl available in the UK (and 500 blue, meaning the black is the rarer of the two!). Amazon in the UK also appear to have a signed black vinyl edition.
Stewart Copeland: The Police Deranged For Orchestra will be issued on 23 June 2023.
Eric Clapton’s 1991 live album 24 Nights will be reissued in June as The Definitive 24 Nights, two massively expanded super deluxe box sets.
Clapton’s groundbreaking run of 24 concerts at London’s Royal Albert Hall were some of the most ambitious shows of his career. Each night featured him performing a career-spanning set with one of three lineups – a rock band, a blues band, or an orchestra conducted by Michael Kamen.
Clapton surrounded himself with superlative musicians for these concerts. The roster includes the likes of Johnnie Johnson, Jimmie Vaughan, Chuck Leavell, Phil Collins, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Nathan East, Greg Phillinganes, Steve Ferrone, Ray Cooper and Jerry Portnoy.
The 8LP + 3xblu-ray edition of The Definitive 24 Nights
The double album that was released (on vinyl, CD and cassette) covered a fraction of what was filmed and recorded but 34 years later that is about to change with a total of eight physical editions lead by 6CD+ 3blu-ray and 8LP+3blu-ray super deluxe edition box sets!
All audio has been restored, remixed and remastered and the three types of concert have been effectively formatted into three double albums which all fit on two CDs or three vinyl records (the exception is the Blues concert which fits on 2LPs). The two super deluxe edition box sets bring all of these together, which is why the CD version has six CDs and the vinyl edition has eight LPs.
Both box sets include three blu-rays (unavailable anywhere else), details of which are scant but which clearly will be devoted to the three types of show. A limited theatrical presentation called Across 24 Nights is planned for May which features a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, so that suggests the blu-rays included in the box set should also feature a Dolby Atmos soundtrack (not confirmed).
The 6CD + 3xblu-ray edition of The Definitive 24 Nights
Each box set also includes a hardcover book and an individually numbered lithograph featuring a photograph of Clapton by Carl Studna.
The three concerts (Rock, Blues and Orchestral) are also available individually as 2CD+DVD sets or 3LP (Rock, Orchestral) or 2LP (Blues) vinyl sets.
The Definitive 24 Nights and the individual 24 Nights sets are released on 23 June 2023 via Warner Music.
Last year’s super deluxe includes the Eric Clapton documentary on Blu-ray, the soundtrack on both 2LP vinyl and CD, a bonus CD with four extra tracks and an exclusive hardcover book with memorabilia, including a numbered lithograph, 12 x 24 poster, Clapton guitar string set, custom guitar picks, and an exclusive bandana!
David Bowie/Brilliant Adventures 11CD box set11CD box
Gatefold 2LP vinyl features 80s Dance Classics featuring artists such as Neneh Cherry, Grandmaster Flash, Yazz, S ‘Express, M/A/R/R/S, 808 State, Colonel Abrahams, Soul II Soul, Derrick May, Inner City & many more!
Gatefold 2LP vinyl features tracks such as – Sonic Youth ‘Teen Age Riot’, R.E.M. ‘The One I Love’, Soundgarden ‘Black Hole Sun’, Pixies ‘Debaser’, The Flaming Lips ‘She Don’t Use Jelly’, and many more.
Gatefold 2LP vinyl features 26 Iconic Classics of the 90s from the biggest DJs, Bands, and Producers. Artists include Fatboy Slim, Basement Jaxx, Faithless, William Orbit, David Morales and more.
Lowest price to date for the Animals box set which features four formats with both DVD and blu-ray offering hi-res (new) stereo mixes and 5.1 surround sound.
The Beatles/Let It Be 5CD+blu-rayLet It Be 5CD+blu-ray super deluxe
Paul Simon will release a new album called Seven Psalms, in May.
The record is not a traditional studio album, it’s a continuous 33-minute piece of music, a “journey which consists of seven interlinked segments”.
Seven Psalms is described as having an almost “hymnal ambience” and features Paul Simon’s vocals at the top of an acoustic arrangement. Predominantly performed by Paul, the album is seasoned with esoteric percussion instruments, choral elements from the British vocal ensemble VOCES8, and a vocal appearance by Edie Brickell (Simon’s wife, of course).
Available on CD and vinyl, the record’s front cover art is a close-up extract of ‘Two Owls’ by the celebrated landscape artist Thomas Moran.
Seven Psalms will be released on 19 May via Sony Music.
Dannii Minogue’s 2003 album Neon Nights will be reissued in June for its 20th anniversary across a number of physical formats, including a remarkable 7CD box set edition.
The album was well received, both critically and commercially, delivering a number of top 10 UK singles after a decade of hit-and-miss 45s from Kylie’s sister.
Described as “the perfect snapshot of the early Noughties dance-pop zeitgeist” the long-player reached number eight in the UK album charts and is to date, Dannii’s penultimate studio album.
London Records are reissuing Neon Nights as a CD+DVD casebound book edition which offers 21 audio tracks including ‘Begin To Spin Me Round’ (Dannii vs Dead or Alive) and ‘Don’t Wanna Lose This Groove’ (Dannii vs Madonna). It also features B-sides, rarities and, on DVD, all the promo videos and TV performances including Top of the Pops.
A vinyl ‘bootleg edition’ picture disc edition (the album wasn’t released on vinyl back in 2003) also features ‘Begin To Spin Me Round’ (Dannnii vs Dead or Alive) and ‘Don’t Wanna Lose This Groove’ (Dannii vs Madonna).
Most impressive is the7CD box set version which is exclusive to the official shop. This features over 100 tracks, 12 new mixes and many unreleased from the archives. It’s comes with sleeve notes from Pop Justice’s Peter Robinson (as does the CD+DVD version) and is excellent value at only £35.
Neon Nights is reissued on 16 June 2023 via London Records.
Metallica’s twelfth studio album runs for 77 minutes and is the band’s first full length collection of new material since 2016. It’s produced by Greg Fidelman alongside frontman James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich.
Massive new box sets dive deep into Julian Cope’s archivefor detailed examination of The Teardrop Explodes recordings
Universal Music Recordings will release Culture Bunker 1978-82 in June a new The Teardrop Explodes box set available as a 6CD package or a 7LP vinyl offering.
The Teardrop Explodes originated as a critical band in the emerging Liverpool post-punk scene of the late 1970s, which included Echo & The Bunnymen, their former manager Bill Drummond of The JAMS/KLF, The Mighty WAH! and future pop stars Holly Johnson of Frankie Goes To Hollywood and The Lightning Seeds Ian Broudie, who would also produce many bands from the scene. The group also launched the career of group frontman Julian Cope and keyboard player David Balfe, who later founded Food Records and signed and mentored Blur.
The 6CD version of Culture Bunker comes with a 64-page hardcover book (click to enlarge)
Culture Bunker 1978-82 compiles all the band’s singles and B-sides as well as four CDs / five LPs of unreleased studio outtakes, a wealth of unheard live recordings and several tracks taken from ‘Zoology’, the Teardrop Explodes compilation that Cope released himself in 2004. Writer and long-time band publicist Mick Houghton has curated Culture Bunker and has gained exclusive access to Julian Cope’s archive. These early and later recordings show the evolution of one of the era’s most influential bands from their inception to their finale.
The 6CD set features a staggering 57 previously unreleased tracks and is packaged in a 10-inch slipcase with a 64-page hardcover book which features a 12,000 word essay from Mick Houghton (drawing from new, recent conversations with Julian Cope). That same story is told via the seven printed inner-sleeves on the 7LP vinyl box set which features 43 previously unreleased tracks (the CD box has 95 tracks in total, the vinyl box, which comes with a poster, has 82).
The audio for this new box set has been remastered by Andy Pearce wherever possible from original tapes and cassettes.
Culture Bunker 1978-1982 is probably the last word on The Teardrop Explodes and both editions are described as “very limited” by the record label. These boxes are not available via normal retail channels are can only be ordered via Universal direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites. It is released on 2 June 2023, via Universal Music Recordings.
The 7LP vinyl box set of Culture Bunker (click image to enlarge)
Tracklisting
Culture Bunker 1978-1982The Teardrop Explodes/
CD 1: IT’S SO ETHEREAL – THE SINGLES
Sleeping Gas – Zoo Single
Camera Camera – Single B-Side
Kirby Workers Dream Fades – Single B-Side
Bouncing Babies – Zoo Single
All I Am Is Loving You – Single B-Side
Treason – Zoo Single
Read It in Books – Single B-Side
When I Dream – First Mercury Single
Kilimanjaro – B-Side
Reward – Single
Strange House in the Snow – B-Side
Treason (It’s Just a Story) (Remixed Version) – Single
Use Me – B-Side
Traison (C’est Juste Une Histoire) – B-Side
Ha Ha I’m Drowning – Single
Poppies In the Field – B-Side
CD 2: CHRIST VERSUS WARHOL – THE SINGLES
Passionate Friend – Single
Christ Versus Warhol – B-Side
Colours Fly Away – Single
East of the Equator – B-Side
Window Shopping for a New Crown of Thorns – B-Side
Tiny Children – Single
Rachel Built a Steamboat – B-Side
You Disappear from View – Single
Suffocate – No Strings from US LP of version of Kilimanjaro
Ouch Monkeys – B-Side
Soft Enough for You – B-Side
The In-Psychlopedia – B-Side
CD 3: FROM DRUG PURITAN TO ACID KING
Camera Camera – Granada TV, February 1979
Band on The Wall – Live, Manchester, 05 March 1979
Instro
Sleeping Gas
Seeing Through You
Straight Rain
All I Am is Loving You
Read It In Books
Jury Service
Take A Chance
The Tunnel
Camera Camera
Outstro
Sleeping Gas (Encore)
Beauty Come Second – Live Bristol 06 October 1979, unrecorded song
Take A Chance – Cargo Demos / To the Shores of Lake Placid Version
Poppies In the Field – Cargo Demos
Brave Boys Keep Promises – Cargo Demos
Bouncing Babies – Cargo Demos, all November 1979
Ha Ha I’m Drowning – Live at Studio Y 30/05/1980
Second Head – Live at Studio Y 30/05/1980
Went Crazy – Live at Studio Y 30/05/1980
Thief of Bagdad – Live at Studio Y 30/05/1980
Save Me – Live Y Club – London 30/05/1980
When I Dream – To the Shores of Lake Placid Version, Rockfield, 1980
CD 4: THE GREAT DOMINIONS
Dialogue Between (Window Shopping for a New Crown of Thorns) – Rockfield, 1980
For Years aka Nobody Knows This Is Everywhere – Zoology Version, 1980
Suffocate (With Strings) – Baroque Version, Rockfield, Spring 1982
Bent Out of Shape – Skinner Session – 17 August 1981
Colours Fly Away – Club Zoo – 25 November 1981
Pure Joy – Club Zoo – 25 November 1981
Falling Down Around Me – Bearshank Lodge, April 1981
Passionate Friend – also Bearshank Lodge
Tiny Children – Zoology / Air Rough Mixes, Summer 1981
…And The Fighting Takes Over – Zoology, 1981
The Culture Bunker – Club Zoo – 25 November 1981
The Great Dominions – Soundboard Tape Guildford June 1981
Butchers Tale – Air Studios Rough Mixes, summer 1981; credited on the original Wilder inners but not included on the LP. Cover from the Zombies Odyssey and Oracle
Screaming Secrets – from Copes Notes: TheTeardrtop Explodes , 1981
Not My Only Friend – also Bearshank Lodge
I’m Not the Loving Kind – Zoology Version, 1981, John Cale cover from Slow Dazzle
World Shut Your Mouth – Instrumental Demo #1 – Liverpool Feb 1981 / Portastudio
CD 5: CLUB ZOO
Club Zoo – December 22 1981
Log Cabin
Tiny Children
Passionate Friend
Bouncing Babies
You Disappear from View
Ha Ha I’m Drowning
Reward
Culture Bunker
Sleeping Gas – also b-side Tiny Children
Bonus tracks from Club Zoo, 25 November 1981
Like Leila Khaled Said
Treason
Bouncing Babies
Vox Clemantis in Deserto
Sleeping Gas
CD 6: DEATH RATTLE
Whopper Kwalo Koblinsky’s Lullaby – from To the Shores of Lake Placid, January 1981
You Disappear from View – from Zoology. Demo, Producers Workshop, 1982
Log Cabin – from Zoology, 1982
Serious Danger – Julian Cope And Dave Balfe Cassette – demos, May 1982(Take 2 of 3)
Count To Ten and Run for Cover – JC And DB Cassette
Ouch Monkeys – JC And DB Cassette
Icarus #1 – JC And DB Cassette
Terrorist – JC And DB Cassette
Pussyface – Instrumental backing track, Spring 1982
Flipped Out on LSD – Excerpt, 1982, featuring rare Dave Balfe vocal
Your Big Lies – Julian Cope home demo, Tamworth May 1982
Camera Camera – With World Shut Your Mouth producer Steve Lovell, 1984
LP 1: IT’S SO ETHEREAL
Side One
Sleeping Gas – Zoo Single
Camera Camera – B-Side
Kirby Workers Dream Fades – B-Side
Bouncing Babies – Zoo Single
All I Am Is Loving You – B-Side
Treason – Zoo Single
Read It in Books – B-Side
When I Dream – First Mercury Single
Side Two
Kilimanjaro – B-Side
Reward – Single
Strange House in the Snow – B-Side
Treason (It’s Just a Story) (Remixed Version) – Single
Use Me – B-Side
Traison (C’est Juste Une Histoire) – B-Side
LP 2: CHRIST VERSUS WARHOL
Side One
Ha Ha I’m Drowning – Single
Poppies In the Field – B-Side
Passionate Friend – Single
Christ Versus Warhol – B-Side
Colours Fly Away – Single
East of the Equator – B-Side
Side Two
Window Shopping for A New Crown of Thorns – B-Side
Tiny Children – Single
Rachel Built a Steamboat – B-Side
You Disappear from View – Single
Suffocate – No Strings – from US LP version of Kilimanjaro
Ouch Monkeys – B-Side
LP 3: BAND ON THE WALL
Side One
Camera Camera – Live on What’s On – Granada TV – Feb 1979
Instro – Band on The Wall – Live, Manchester 05 March 1979
Sleeping Gas – Band on The Wall – Manchester 05 March 1979
Seeing Through You – Band on The Wall – Manchester 05 March 1979
Straight Rain – Band on The Wall – Manchester 05 March 1979
All I Am is Loving You – Band on The Wall – Manchester 05 March 1979
Side Two
Read It in Books – Band on The Wall – Manchester 05 March 1979
Jury Service – Band on The Wall – Manchester 05 March 1979
Take A Chance – Band on The Wall – Manchester 05 March 1979
The Tunnel – Band on The Wall – Manchester 05 March 1979
Camera Camera – Band on The Wall – Manchester 05 March 1979
Outstro – Band on The Wall – Manchester 05 March 1979
Sleeping Gas – Band on The Wall – Manchester 05 March 1979 (Encore)
LP 4: FROM DRUG PURITAN TO ACID KING
Side One
Beauty Come Second – Live Trinity Centre – Bristol 06 October 1979 (Un-Recorded Song)
Take a Chance – Cargo Demos, November 1979 / To the Shores of Lake Placid Track
Poppies in the Field – Cargo Studios, Rochdale – November 1979
Brave Boys Keep Promises – Cargo Studios, Rochdale – November 1979
Bouncing Babies – Cargo Studios, Rochdale – November 1979
For Years aka Nobody Knows This Is Everywhere – Zoology Version – Alan Gill’s Studio 1980
Side Two
Ha Ha I’m Drowning – Live at Studio Y (YMCA London) 30/05/1980
Second Head – Live at Studio Y (YMCA London) 30/05/1980
Went Crazy – Live at Studio Y (YMCA London) 30/05/1980
Thief Of Bagdad – Live at Studio Y (YMCA London) 30/05/1980
Save Me – Live at Studio Y (YMCA London) 30/05/1980
When I Dream – To the Shores of Lake Placid Version – Rockfield Studios March 1980
LP 5: OUT OF THE CULTURE BUNKER
Side One
Dialogue Between (Window Shopping for a New Crown of Thorns) – Rockfield, March 1980
Suffocate (With Strings) – Baroque Version – Hugh Jones 1982
Reward – US LP Version of Kilimanjaro
Bent Out of Shape – Skinner Session – 17 August 1981
Colours Fly Away – Club Zoo Liverpool – 25 November 1981
Falling Down Around Me – Bearshank Lodge April 1981
Side Two
Pure Joy – Club Zoo Liverpool – 25 November 1981
Passionate Friend – Bearshank Lodge April 1981
Tiny Children – Air Studios Rough Mixes, Summer 1981
…And The Fighting Takes Over – Warner Brothers Demo 1981 – Zoology Version
The Culture Bunker – Club Zoo Liverpool – 25 November 1981
LP 6: FALLING DOWN AROUND ME
Side One
The Great Dominions – Guildford Civic Hall, 18 June 1981
Butchers Tale – Air Studios Rough Mixes – Wilder Sessions, credited on the original Wilder inners but not included. Cover from the Zombies Odyssey and Oracale
Screaming Secrets – 1981, from The Teardrop Explodes Copes Notes
Not My Only Friend – Bearshank Lodge April 1981
I’m Not the Loving Kind – Producers Workshop – Zoology Version, 1981. John Cale cover from Slow Dazzle
World Shut Your Mouth – Instrumental Demo #1 – Liverpool Feb 1981 / Porta Studio
Side Two
Whopper Kwalo Koblinsky’s Lullaby – from To the Shores ofLake Placid Version – Jan 1981
You Disappear from View – From Zoology. Producers Workshop 1982 demo.
Log Cabin – Demo 1982 (Ft. Kate St John and Nicky Holland) – from Zoology
The In-Psychlopedia – B-Side of ‘You Disappear From View’, Spring 1982
Serious Danger – Julian Cope and Dave Balfe Demos May 1982 (Take 2 of 3)
LP 7: DEATH RATTLE
Side One
Count To Ten and Run for Cover – Julian Cope and Dave Balfe Demos May 1982
Ouch Monkeys – Julian Cope and Dave Balfe Demos May 1982
Icarus #1 – Julian Cope and Dave Balfe Demos May 1982
Terrorist – Julian Cope and Dave Balfe Demos May 1982
Soft Enough for You – B-Side of ‘You Disappear from View’
Side Two
Pussyface – Instrumental backing track 1982, Spring 1982
Your Big Lies – Julian Cope home demo, Tamworth May 1982
Camera Camera – Recorded with World Shut Your Mouth producer Steve Lovell 1984
Cherry Red continue their Safari-era Toyah reissues with Live at Drury Lane, a concert performance from December 1981.
This was broadcast live on the BBC for The Old Grey Whistle Test on Christmas Eve in 1981 and was ‘simulcast’ (as they used to call it) in stereo on BBC Radio One. Live at Drury Lane was never issued on vinyl, CD or cassette but was released as an edited VHS (called ‘Good Morning Universe’) in 1982.
Live at Drury Lane is issued on CD and DVD for the first time!
This new reissue is available as a CD+DVD combo pack or as a 2LP set on pink vinyl. The CD contains all 13 songs performed on the night plus three bonus audio tracks recorded live in Milan from earlier on that same Winter Tour. The DVD reinstates ‘War Boys’ and ‘Victims of The Riddle’ which were missing from the VHS, but performed on the night.
The coloured vinyl features the whole 13-song concert but doesn’t have space for any of the Milan bonus audio despite being a 2LP set.
Live at Drury Lane will be released on 12 May 2023, via Cherry Red.
Interview
