Blur’s Japan-only remix album, Bustin’+Dronin’, will be issued on CD and black vinyl next month.
Originally released in 1998 as a 2CD set, the compilation featured remixes of tracks from their 1997 self-titled album and live performances from ‘Peel Acres’.
It was released outside Japan – and on vinyl – for the first time earlier this year, when a blue/green 2LP set was put out for Record Store Day in April. But there was a significant omission: no live Peel tracks.
Dustin’ + Dronin’ is reissued on CD. It’s remixes-only this time. (click image to enlarge)
Now Parlophone are giving it a wider release. A 2LP black vinyl edition and a single CD edition are coming soon, but like the RSD version, neither feature the John Peel live performances.
In terms of packaging the black vinyl doesn’t have the OBI strip that came with the Record Store Day version. The CD is in a standard jewel case but does at least include a Blur sticker sheet.
Bustin’ + Dronin’ will be reissued on 23 September 2022 via Parlophone.
Sony are to release a new Elvis Presley box set called Elvis On Tour. This 6CD+blu-ray package follows The King on his 1972 North American tour and includes audio from four of the shows, two rehearsals and the concert film on blu-ray.
The first three CDs in this set feature performances from 9th, 10th and 14th April 1972 respectively; that’s Hampton Roads Coliseum, Virginia; Richmond Coliseum, Virginia; and Greensboro Coliseum, North Carolina. All three are previously unreleased. The fourth CD features the 18th April gig at the Convention Center Arena, San Antonio, Texas, and includes material that was part of 2003’s Elvis: Close-Up box set, however it has been newly remixed for this release.
Tour rehearsals constitute CDs five and six. CD 5 has audio recorded live at RCA Recording Studios in Hollywood, California, on 30th and 31st March 1972. This is mostly unreleased, although some were issued on a couple of the specialist ‘Follow That Dream’ releases in 2001 and 2004 (Elvis On Tour – The Rehearsals and Sunset Boulevard, respectively).
CD 6 is all completely unreleased and offers more of the 31 March rehearsals at RCA and includes unreleased takes on Kris Kristofferson’s ‘For The Good Times’. In total, this Elvis On Tour box set features a total of 145 audio tracks, 91 of which are previously unreleased.
The documentary on the blu-ray exists because filmmakers Pierre Adidge and Robert Abel went on the road with Elvis Presley to chronicle this tour. As well as the on-stage performances, the film includes backstage footage, with the original press release boasting that Elvis On Tour offered “the first intimate look at the enigmatic country boy who became the world’s most celebrated musician”. The MGM film would go on to win ‘Best Documentary Film’ at the 30th Golden Globes Awards, in 1973. This was released on VHS/Laserdisc in the early 1980s and was issued by Warner Home Video in 2010 on DVD and blu-ray.
The Elvis On Tour box set will be released on 27 January 2023 (was 2 December 2022) via RCA/Legacy Recordings
Cherry Red continue their Howard Jones reissue programme with Live in Japan which showcases a live Jones performance at the NHK Hall, Tokyo in 1984.
This was issued on VHS at the time and in 2018 it appeared on DVD in the now out-of-print Human’s Lib super deluxe edition box set (watch the unboxing video of that set, if you are interested)
The CD+DVD version of Live in Japan (click image to enlarge)
This standalone release sees the soundtrack from this concert issued for the first time, with the audio remastered from the original tapes. There are two formats: a CD+DVD (NTSC, region-free) deluxe set and a 2LP coloured vinyl offering.
Both the CD and 2LP features restore the concert to its original running order and also includes Howard’s version of The Beatles’ ‘Hey Jude’, which is previously unreleased (there is no video version of this performance).
Rhino will release the next instalment of their ongoing Joni Mitchell archive series next month. The Asylum Years 1972-75 is a 4CD or 5LP vinyl box set that features newly remastered versions of four albums.
Mitchell left Reprise Records after 1971’s Blue and in 1972 joined the new label Asylum Records. This box explores the start of that era and the four long-players within are For the Roses (1972), Court and Spark (1974), the double live album Miles of Aisles (1974), and The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975). Bernie Grundman has handled the remastering.
This box set is being released on CD and vinyl. The 5LP vinyl box is ‘limited’ to 20,000 units, although no numbers have been given for the 4CD set. The cover art for the box set features a a previously unseen painting by Mitchell and The Asylum Albums comes with an essay by fellow Canadian Neil Young.
The Asylum Years 1972-75 will be released on 23 September via Rhino.
As mentioned on SDE a while back, Paul Weller’s 1998 ‘best of’, Modern Classics: The Greatest Hits, will be reissued on vinyl later this year.
This collection features most of Weller’s solo singles from 1991-1998, including early classics like ‘Into Tomorrow’ and ‘Uh Huh Oh Yeh’ through his vaguely ‘imperial’ period (‘The Changingman, ‘You Do Something To Me’) to songs like ‘Mermaids’ from 1997’s Heavy Soul.
Modern Classics is released as a double vinyl set
This reissue comes as a 2LP set featuring a bonus LP dubbed ‘Live Classics’ which was recorded live at Victoria Park in Hackney, London. Good as that sounds, this was also part of the original release and so it’s not bonus material for this reissue, per se.
Modern Classics: The Greatest Hits is released on vinyl on 14 October 2022, via UMC/Island (the date on Amazon at the time of writing is wrong).
A massive £43 was required to obtain the vinyl reissue of Paul Weller’sIllumination album – rounded corners and all – back in October last year. It’s now available for a cool £20 cheaper!
Tracklisting
Modern ClassicsPaul Weller /
LP 1: Modern Classics
Side 1
Out Of The Sinking
Peacock Suit
Sunflower
The Weaver
Wild Wood
Above The Clouds
Uh-Huh Oh-Yeh
Brushed
Side 2
The Changing Man
Friday Street
You Do Something To Me
Brand New Start
Hung Up
Mermaids
Broken Stones
Into Tomorrow
LP 2: Live Classics recorded live at Victoria Park, Hackney, London, 8/8/98
Rory Gallagher’s second album Deuce will be reissued as a 50th anniversary edition across a number of formats, next month.
All formats offer a new stereo mix of the 1971 album and the 4CD deluxe edition offers 28 previously unreleased alternate takes, a six-song 1972 BBC Radio ‘In Concert’, and seven Radio Bremen radio session tracks. This set comes with a 64-page hardcover book which features a foreword by Johnny Marr and the usual essays, unseen images etc. The book and discs folio slot into an outer slipcase (see below).
The 4CD deluxe edition of Deuce
There’s also a 2CD set which offers the new stereo mix and a ‘highlights’ second CD which offers selected alternate takes and some of the Radio Bremen tracks. Vinyl fans aren’t left out and a 3LP deluxe edition mirrors the content offered on the double CD edition.
Deuce will be reissued for its 50th anniversary on 30 September 2022, via Polydor/UMC.
17 months after apologising to David Bowie fans for the Brilliant Live Adventures debacle (“a poor shopping experience”, Parlophone admitted) and 15 months after asking the same fans to register their interest in represses of the live albums in question, the label have finally confirmed that second pressings are coming.
All six albums are available to pre-order, on both vinyl and CD and both empty boxes (yep, they are sticking with that) are also available. This link will offer you the option of purchasing via the David Bowie shop or Warner’s Dig store. 28 Nov update: Only the empty boxes on Dig! but the David Bowie store still has some of the individual albums.
Note that these are not shipping just yet. The release date has been set to 2 December 2022.
The occasionally Japanese Singles Collection releases, which have included Wham!, a-ha, Paul Young and others, continues next month with a focus on Janet Jackson.
These sets combine a ‘greatest hits’ on CD and a DVD of videos on the second disc. The CDs are pressed on the Japanese SHM-CD format (compatible with all CD players) and these often boast unique masterings and sometimes offer some rarities, for example, the debut of a seven-inch edit on CD.
These are normally CD+DVD sets but with the Janet Jackson collection the format has been expanded to 2CD+DVD. The first disc offers 19 tracks included those massive early hits from Control, while there’s another 19 singles on the second CD. The DVD is packed with an impressive 44 promo videos.
These are never particularly cheap to pick up but they are limited and collectible. This Janet Jackson set is arguably better value than previous editions given the extra CD. You can choose to pay extra for the convenience of shopping locally or import from Japan. Certainly in the UK there’s not a great deal in it, once you’ve paid for shipping/duties from Japan.
The Janet Jackson Japanese Singles Collection: Greatest Hits triple-disc set is released on 24 August 2022 in Japan, but internationally this is being offered on 2 Sep or 16 Sep, depending on where you live.
Compare prices and pre-order
Janet Jackson
Japanese Singles Collection - Greatest Hits - 2CD+DVD
Elvis Costello’s 1995 album Kojak Variety will be reissued as a limited edition coloured vinyl pressing next month.
This is a continuation of the Music On Vinyl reissue series and this long-player consists entirely of cover versions as Costello tackles songs by artists like Little Richard, The Kinks, Aretha Franklin, Willie Dixon, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and more.
Players on the album include James Burton, Jim Keltner, Larry Knechtel, Marc Ribot, Jerry Scheff and Pete Thomas.
This new numbered pressing is limited to 2500 units worldwide and is pressed on 180g turquoise-coloured vinyl. It will be released on 23 September by MOV. Order your copy from the SDE shop via this link or the button below.
Next month Warners will release a new Eric Clapton vinyl box set called The Complete Reprise Studio Albums Volume 1.
The 12LP vinyl box contains six newly remastered studio albums issued between 1983 and 1998. They are:
Money & Cigarettes (1983)
Behind The Sun (1985) 2LP gatefold
August (1986) 2LP gatefold
Journeyman (1989) 2LP gatefold
From The Cradle (1994) 2LP gatefold
Pilgrim (1998) – 2LP gatefold
Additionally, a bonus LP, Rarities Volume 1 (1983-1998) brings together eight rare recordings from this era. Two of these are previously unreleased including a Simon Climie remix of ‘Pilgrim’. Other tracks include live versions of ‘White Room’ and ‘Crossroads’ (from the B-side on the 1987 single ‘Behind The Mask’ and ‘Theme From A Movie That Never Happened’ (Orchestral)’ which was the B-side to ‘My Father’s Eyes’ from 1998.
All the music included in this set was mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering and the lacquers for the LPs were cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering.
The 12LP vinyl box set The Complete Reprise Studio Albums Volume 1 (click image to enlarge)
You’ll notice there are a lot of 2LP sets in this box. Behind The Sun and August were originally released as single vinyl records but are both are now 2LP sets (“to maximise the audio quality”), although the label have done that annoying thing of making both of them 3-sided double albums which means you are paying for ‘blank’ sides (it’s not clear if they are etched or not).
The vinyl is at least housed in poly-lined sleeves and the box is a two-piece construction. The Complete Reprise Studio Albums Volume 1. is released on 30 September 2022, via Warner Music Group.
Madonna/Finally Enough Love: 50 Number OnesCD, Vinyl
Madonna kicks off her ‘career-spanning partnership’ with Warner Music Group with Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones. Part remix collection, part ‘best of’ this 3CD set has been curated by Madge and, as the title suggests, contains 50 tracks that have topped the Billboard dance chart over the years and decades.
The recently announced reissue of The Cure’sWish has already suffered a release date alteration. Initially, the 3CD set of the 1992 album was slated for 7 October, with the 2LP vinyl version to follow on 25 November. Now both formats will be released on the November date. No specific reason has been cited, although it’s probably operational, with noises about ‘huge demand’ on the band’s socials (shades of George Michael’sOlder, which we are still waiting on!).
Toyah releases special edition of In The Court of the Crimson Queen
ToyahWillcox has recorded a cover of Grace Jones’ 1985 single ‘Slave to the Rhythm’ and added it to a new special ‘Rhythm Deluxe’ edition of her In The Court of the Crimson Queen album. ‘Slave to the Rhythm’ was written by Trevor Horn, Bruce Woolley, Simon Darlow and Stephen Lipson and to those unaware, Darlow has a very long writing/producing association with Toyah, so there’s some logic to the choose of recording, a version of which was first previewed on ‘Toyah and Robert’s Sunday Lunch’ back in July.
It seems curious to release yet another special edition of this album. It first came out in 2008, was reissued in 2013 and then remixed/reissued/expanded in 2019 (when SDE spoke to both Toyah and Simon), so this will be the fourth version! Toyah describes this new version as a “prequel” to 2021’s long-player Posh Pop and calls it the “definitive” version of the record. As well as ‘Slave to the Rhythm’ it also features three brand new remakes of the songs ‘Sensational’, ‘Heal Ourselves’ and ‘Latex Messiah’ featuring the ‘Posh Pop Three’ of Toyah, Simon Darlow and Robert Fripp.
The album is available to pre-order on 2LP translucent red vinyl and CD (both have revised artwork), although it’s not out for ages: 10 February 2023! However don’t forget that 1981’s Anthem is reissued next month, and you can read more about that, here.
Compare prices and pre-order
Toyah
In The Court of the Crimson Queen - Rhythm Deluxe 2LP red vinyl
Fish says ‘it doesn’t make sense’ to release pricey vinyl box sets right now
Ex-Marillion frontman Fish has postponed plans to reissue his solo albums 13th Star (2007) and A Feast ofConsequences (2013) as vinyl box sets. These “relatively expensive” packages were scheduled for January 2023, but on a post on his Facebook page this week, Fish says “with everything that’s happening in the world just now and the squeeze on people’s incomes from soaring electricity and gas bills… now is not the time to go ahead and manufacture these packages”. But he added: “don’t worry they will still be released”. These are earmarked for May 2023 and Fish confirms that CD+blu-ray edition of 13th Star with a Dolby Atmos Mix will be issued at the same time. Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors and Internal Exile CD/blu-ray reissues are also in the works.
Max Q album appears on Spotify
Max Q the 1989 album/band/project that was INXS’ Michael Hutchence’s collaboration with Ollie Olsen has appeared on Spotify in ‘Remastered 2022’ guise!
Released between INXS’ Kick and X albums, the 11-track Max Q is a truly wonderful record (listen to closer ‘Ot-Ven-Rot’ below) and fans have been hankering after a reissue for a very long time. When I asked the late Chris Murphy (INXS’ manager between late 1979 and 1995) about this back in 2019, he told me that “the rights are in transit” and said the timing wasn’t right to release it. When pushed on whether a physical reissue would ever happen, he said, simply, “It has to happen”.
It’s not clear why Max Q has appeared on streaming platforms, but the fact that the album has been remastered and someone, somewhere, must have approved this, bodes well for the future.
Japan’s 1984 compilation Exorcising Ghosts will be reissued as a half-speed mastered 2LP vinyl set, in October.
The album was compiled and produced in consultation with lead singer David Sylvian, two years after Japan dissolved. It features three recordings from the band’s early career on the Hansa Records label (including 1979’s ‘Quiet Life’) but largely focuses on material from their two studio albums on Virgin Records; Gentlemen Take Polaroids (1980) and Tin Drum (1981). It’s notable for a few song variations, including the 1981 remix of ‘Taking Islands in Africa’ and the extended version of ‘The Art of Parties’.
The half-speed 2LP vinyl reissue of Japan’sExorcising Ghosts (click image to enlarge)
Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios has created the half-speed mastered vinyl. The LPs are housed in a gatefold sleeve with printed inner bags, a print of the band, the all important Abbey Road half-speed master certificate, and a cover-empathetic obi strip.
Exorcising Ghosts is released on 7 October 2022 via UMC/EMI.
The NOW Yearbook series continues to go ‘backwards’ with a focus on the year 1979. Now Yearbook ’79 is consistent with the other Yearbooks in that it comes in 4CD deluxe hardcover book, 3LP coloured (orange) vinyl (both limited) and standard 4CD editions, but is notable in featuring what NOW call a ‘re-imagined’ look that “reflects the era”. Whether they needed to do that is up for debate, but the fact they’ve bothered does rather suggest their will be more Yearbooks for the 1970s.
Design aside, it’s business as usual. 1979 was a great year for pop music and NowYearbook ’79 reflects that. Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ kicks off the first CD, which also includes number ones from The Police, The Boomtown Rats, Ian Dury & The Blockheads as well as ‘Heart Of Glass’ from Blondie, and hits from Kate Bush, Roxy Music and the Pretenders.
The 4CD deluxe hardcover book edition of Now Yearbook ’79 (click image to enlarge)
There’s a number of standard single versions of songs that appear on the recently announced12″ 70s compilation, including Wings’ ‘Goodnight Tonight’, Cliff Richard’s ‘We Don’t Talk Anymore’ and The B-52’s ‘Rock Lobster’, but that’s hardly an issue. I don’t think anyone would have wanted them to avoid such hits just because they are on the other set in extended form.
The compilation really does illustrate the variety of the era, with ska/pop crossover hits, classic rock tracks, new wave post-punk selections, dancefloor numbers and even rap, with The Sugerhill Gang’s ‘Rapper’s Delight’. It ends with Gary Numan and The Buggles (full track listings are below).
Now Yearbook 79 will be released on 9 September 2022.
Compare prices and pre-order
Various Artists
Now Yearbook 79 - 4CD deluxe hardcover book edition
Supergrass’ eponymous 1999 album will be reissued on vinyl and deluxe CD formats in September.
The album features the singles ‘Pumping On Your Stereo’ and ‘Moving’, the latter the band’s final top ten hit in the UK. Supergrass has been remastered for the reissue and will be available on two different vinyl editions: black and orange.
The 2CD deluxe edition of Supergrass (click image to enlarge)
The expanded 2CD version is the first Supergrass album reissue not to offer three CDs as part of a deluxe edition, but still delivers a reasonably generous 20 tracks, including new remixes, demos, rarities and some previously unreleased tracks. The 2CD set comes with a 20-page booklet with sleeve notes by Charles Shaar Murray.
Supergrass will be released on 16 September 2022, via BMG.
Olivia Newton-John has died aged 73. Best remembered for her role as Sandy in the 1978 film Grease, Newton-John enjoyed a successful singing career that spanned half a century with singles and albums topping the charts on both sides of the Atlantic.
Two Neil Young rarities are reissued as standalone physical releases with the elusive Time Fades Away live album from 1973 back on CD and 1989’s Eldorado EP available on vinyl and CD.
The Bluetones / Superior Quality Recording 2003-2010 (4CD signed box)
The second Bluetones CD box from Edsel contains the band’s second period of recordings, from 2003 to 2010: 50 tracks across four CDs. It includes the albums Luxembourg (2003), The Bluetones (2006) and A New Athens (2010), plus the Serenity Now EP (2005), twelve B-sides, and two previously unreleased tracks. This is the limited edition with a signed print. Coloured vinyl also available (see below).
A new, “unexpected”, Erasure album. Perhaps you could even call it ‘recycled’, since Day-Glo has been created using elements from “The Neon universe”. Apparently the 10 new songs bear little resemblance to the 2020 album, but “echoes of The Neon can be heard from time to time”.
The New Seekers / The Albums 1976-85 (4CD box set)
4CD collection of “all of the recordings” made by The New Seekers between 1975-85. Disc one is 1977’s “comeback” album Together Again (with nine bonus tracks); the second disc is the group’s final album for CBS Records which features the hit single ‘Anthem (One Day In Every Week)’; disc three is the Russian-only (!) released 1982 album Tell Me which makes its debut here on CD, with four rare previously compilation album-only cuts; and the final CD features many non-LP singles from the era including new-to-CD cuts and even four previously unreleased recordings made with original vocalist Eve Graham. Comes with a booklet with sleeve notes.
The Bluetones’ fourth album was originally issued in 2003. It features the singles ‘Fast Boy’ / ‘Liquid Lips’ and ‘Never Going Nowhere’. This vinyl reissue is pressed on translucent purple vinyl. 2006’s The Bluetones is also reissued on blue vinyl and 2010’s A New Athens on black.
ABBA are to reissue their evergreen ABBA Gold ‘best of’ for its 30th anniversary next month.
Is the album called Gold, or ABBA Gold? It’s a moot point since 32m global sales and counting means no one cares and despite missing some excellent singles such as ‘Under Attack’ and ‘The Day Before You Came’ (neither was a big hit in the UK so it’s understandable) it cannot be denied that the 19-track collection does a great job of bringing together all the big singles, including ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Money Money Money’, ‘Knowing Me Knowing You’, ‘Take A Chance On Me’ and ‘Mamma Mia’. As you would expect, the album contains all nine of the band’s UK chart-toppers.
ABBA Gold is now available as a 2LP picture disc in a gatefold die-cut sleeve (click image to enlarge)
While SDE would prefer to see some love given to 1982’s The Singles: The First Ten Years, you can see why the band persist with ABBA Gold. It is the second highest selling album of all time in the UK (behind Queen’sGreatest Hits) and I’m sure the longterm goal is to try and surpass Queen (there’s around a million sales between them). That isn’t going to happen if you start directing people’s attention to some-other-compilation. ABBA Gold is a big snowball and they want it to get bigger and bigger, not start a new one!
For the 30th anniversary ABBA are reissuing the album as a 2LP gold-coloured vinyl package, which is something they’ve done before, so not overly exciting. However there is also a 2LP picture disc option which could be enticing even if it’s not particularly cheap. A ‘gold’ cassette edition is also available via certain channels.
ABBA Gold is reissued on 23 September 2022 via UMC / Polydor.
Some of you have been in touch to advise that Paul McCartney has made available Dolby Atmos Mixes of his three ‘McCartney’ albums: McCartney (1970), McCartney II (1980) and McCartney III (2020). This of course isn’t some random event – it ties in with the vinyl and CD box set that was released yesterday.
It’s a very interesting development because in almost 12 years of Archive Reissues, McCartney has shown no interest at all in spatial audio. He’s had opportunities, because both Band on the Run and Venus and Mars had Quad Mixes created in the 1970s (reissued in the 1990s as ‘DTS CDs’) but Paul chose not to dust them down or spruce them up to full 5.1 for the 2010 and 2014 reissues, respectively.
In 2015, McCartney, with his trusted engineer Steve Orchard, remixed 1982’s Tug of War in its entirety, apparently to deliver a downloadable hi-res stereo version for the Archive Reissue (the original album was digitally mixed and therefore ‘trapped’ in a lower kHz/bit rate). Given the work involved, this presented a golden opportunity to create a 5.1 mix but the opportunity went begging. Or if they did do it, nothing was issued.
That’s not to say that Paul has eschewed surround sound entirely. His McCartney Years DVD from 2007 had promo videos with 5.1 mixes and 2009’s live album Good Evening New York City also boasted spatial audio.
With Apple now driving a strong interest on Dolby Atmos, it seems McCartney and his team have finally relented and the three albums have been remixed by Atmos stalwart Giles Martin working with Steve Orchard. The Dolby Atmos Mix was mastered by Emily Lazar. They are available via streaming (Apple Music and Tidal).
I haven’t had a chance to listen to them yet (more on that at a later date) but this is undoubtedly exciting news. Will any of these get a physical release? It seems unlikely, unless I could persuade them to join the SDE Surround Series!
Could we get Atmos Mixes in future Archive Reissues? Possibly. It has now been over two years since Flaming Pie was reissued and fans are waiting/hoping for London Town (1978) and Back to the Egg (1979). I very much doubt we’ll get Atmos Mixes of either of those, should they arrive this year, but I strongly suspect that McCartney will put out a 50th anniversary super deluxe edition of Band on the Run in the latter part of 2023 and, if that happens, then perhaps we’ll get an Atmos Mix as part of that offering.
In the meantime, you can access the Atmos Mixes of all three McCartney albums using the links below:
MoFi admit to using digital files in its ‘all analogue’ reissues
In a fascinating and quite shocking story, which no doubt some of you will already be aware, audiophile reissue label MobileFidelity have admitted that they use DSD ( Direct Stream Digital) files in what were previously thought to be ‘all-analogue’ workflows.
The Washington Post does a brilliant job of following the narrative of how the deception was uncovered and says that MoFi admits that by the end of 2011, 60 percent of their vinyl reissues used digital files in their workflow and all but one of their coveted ‘One Step’ series have used DSD technology. The latter are box sets that sell for hundreds of dollars initially – and then sell for even more on the resale market, precisely because audiophiles believe they are getting a unique product that is created entirely within the analogue domain.
It seems MoFi had been creating hi-res DSD files (from the original masters) and that was step one in their ‘one step’ process. This was never mentioned in the sheets included with One Step box sets but now will be in the future.
One wonders, with such reputational damage, whether MoFi can weather this particular storm. What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below.
Andrew Ridgeley-approved remix of Wham!’s ‘Club Tropicana’ is released
Andrew Ridgeley has today announced a ‘Wonderland Redux’ remix of Wham!‘s classic 1983 single ‘Club Tropicana’.
Issued (digitally) via Sony Music Commercial Group, the new version is a collaboration between Ridgeley and his good friend, songwriter/producer Dru Masters. Andrew said that the goal with this remix was to present, for a new generation, “the wonder and joy of the carefree and heady days of youth”. He adds “It is the soundtrack to summer renewed and reaffirmed and I hope it conveys the same vitality and pleasure George and I imagined in the original recording”.
Something is definitely afoot with Wham! and SDE expects reissue activity later this year. George Michael’sofficial social channels have already reached out to fans asking for “footage or pictures that you might have taken of, or with Wham! from back in the day” and there’s also a new book called If You Were There from Snap Galleries (their website was down when I checked!).
The Now That’s What I Call Music team continue their occasional 12-inch series with Now 12″ 70s, a 4CD look back at long-versions-of-the-Seventies which takes in disco classics (Amii Stewart, Gloria Gaynor, Diana Ross, Donna Summer); tracks from titans of the decade (Elton John, Wings); remixes from bands who were ushering in the new wave, post-punk era (Blondie, Ian Dury, Japan, Public Image Limited); and more.
Disc one tracks include the original 12-inch version of ‘Are You Ready For Love’ by Elton John, the rare long version of Wings’ non-album single ‘Goodnight Tonight’ (both 1979) and the seven-minute cut of Cliff Richard’s ‘We Don’t Talk Anymore’ and the 12″ mix of ‘Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick’, and the full length version of The B-52s’ classic ‘Rock Lobster’.
NOW 12″ 70s is a four-CD set in an eight-panel card wallet
On the second CD you find offerings from Sparks, Voyage, Boney M., The Three Degrees and the 7.35 DJ-only promo 12-inch version of Meco’s ‘Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band’.
Discs three and four get down and boogie with hits from Earth, Wind & Fire With The Emotions, McFadden & Whitehead, Heatwave, Dan Hartman, Grace Jones and the full 17-minute ‘Macarthur Park Suite’ from Donna Summer.
In total this set contains 42 extended versions across the four CDs and at under £10 in the UK it’s the usual superb value. Now That’s What I Call 12″ 70s is released on 2 September 2022.
