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.
Legendary 1970 live performance unearthed, restored and newly mixed. Limited edition box set includes new documentary and Dolby Atmos Mix.
Creedence Clearwater Revival’s legendary performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 1970 is finally officially released as CCR at the Royal Albert Hall in September. Featuring the fabled performance in its entirety, the recording includes such enduring hits as ‘Fortunate Son’, ‘Proud Mary’ and ‘Bad Moon Rising’.
The audio for this release has been restored and mixed by Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell. The album will be released alongside the documentary concert film Travelin’ Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall, narrated by Jeff Bridges and directed by Bob Smeaton (he directed The Beatles Anthology, you may remember). The film takes viewers from the band’s earliest years together in El Cerrito, CA through their meteoric rise to fame. Featuring a wealth of unseen footage, Travelin’ Band culminates with the band’s show at the Royal Albert Hall—marking the only concert footage of the original CCR lineup to be released in its entirety.
The limited edition box set features all manner of exclusive content (click image to pre-order)
The Royal Albert Hall shows were on 14 & 15 April 1970 – just days after the Beatles announced their breakup – and were part of the four-piece’s first European tour – an eight-show run that included stops in Holland, Germany, France, and Denmark. The group were at the height of their powers, having enjoyed five top 10 singles in America in the previous year along with a trio of top 10 albums (Bayou Country, Green River, Willy and the Poor Boys). They’d played to over a million people across the US, including at the Woodstock Festival and a triumphant hometown show at Oakland Coliseum early in 1970.
Confusingly, a decade later in 1980, Fantasy Records released a live album by the band, titled The Royal Albert Hall Concert. However it was quickly discovered that the audio was, in fact, from the aforementioned Oakland Coliseum show. The label did rush to sticker the album to correct the error – and properly renamed the January 1970 performance as The Concert for later production runs – but it was a messy episode. Actual footage and audio from the Royal Albert Hall show has never been issued, until now.
Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall will be released on CD and vinyl (and even a limited cassette) in September, however SDE readers should be aware that there is a limited edition box set version which has quite a lot going for it. It includes the 12-track live album, in full, across two vinyl records, pressed at 45RPM (the standard single vinyl is 33RPM).It also includes a bonus CD featuring music from the film, including formative recordings from the band’s earliest incarnations and probably most interestingly it is the only format that includes a the Travelin’ Band documentary and a Dolby Atmos Mix of the live album (along with a hi-res stereo version). These reside on a blu-ray disc.
Limited to 5,000 copies worldwide, each individually numbered set is housed in a 12” x 12” box, with embossed gold foil detail, and includes a reproduction of the original 1970 tour program, a 17” x 24” poster, and a 16-page booklet, featuring an excerpt from Bridges’ voice-over script, which offers background on the band’s path to the London show.
The box set is exclusive to Craft Recordings’ websites in the UK and in the USA
Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hallis released on CD, vinyl and cassette on 16 September 2022, via Craft Recordings. However the box set doesn’t ship until 18 November. The documentary film will ‘rollout’ internationally on 16 September although there’s no details at present as to how that will happen.
The Cure’s 1992 album Wish is to be reissued for its 30th anniversary in October. The album topped the charts in the UK and reached #2 in the USA. It features the single ‘Friday I’m In Love’, arguably one of the group’s best-loved songs.
The album is being reissued as a 2LP set with the audio remastered by Robert Smith and Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios. While that’s great news, the real interest will be in the 3CD deluxe edition which offers 45 audio tracks with 24 previously unreleased and a further four that are new to CD. The triple disc set contains
CD 1: Original ‘Wish’ album newly remastered by Robert Smith and Miles Showell
CD 2: Previously unreleased demos, including four studio vocal demos from 1990 and seventeen instrumental demos from 1991, nine of which are previously unreleased songs.
CD 3: Features the four tracks from the mail-order only cassette ‘Lost Wishes’ released in 1993, which have never appeared on CD (or digitally) along with various studio outtakes and rarities. This includes the previously unreleased song ‘A Wendy Band’ from the 1992 Manor Studio sessions, a previously unheard mix of the epic live favourite ‘From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea’, as well as five rare 12” mixes. Finally, closing the set is an unheard live version of ‘End’ from Paris Bercy in October 1992.
The forthcoming 3CD deluxe of Wish (click image to enlarge)
Listening back to the album in 2022, Robert Smith has said, “There’s a side to the album which I had kind of forgotten, a very gentle, yearning thing which is quite beautiful. ‘Trust’ is one of the best things we’ve ever done I think, it’s played with great feeling, and ‘To Wish Impossible Things’ is another gorgeous, melancholic piece… in fact it could well be my favourite song on the record.”
Smith was never happy with the album’s final mastering. He says: “In the studio control room it all sounded excellent, but I got too busy sorting out our upcoming concerts to properly oversee the mastering. It was too late to do anything about it; the album was out, and we were off around the world again. It has really bugged for me for a very long time”. But now this has been address with this new remaster.
All formats of Wish will be reissued on 25 November 2022, via UMC/Polydor (the 3CD was originally 7 October).
Music was a huge part of filmmaking for him, it was a thing he seemed to like the most
Matthew Broderick
Later this year Demon Music will release Life Moves Pretty Fast: The John Hughes Mixtapes, the first official compilation of music from the movies of the legendary filmmaker, John Hughes.
The collections are issued in conjunction with the Hughes family and have been curated by Hughes’ musicsupervisor Tarquin Gotch, covering the classic eighties period 1983 – 1989.
A 4CD boxset offers 74 tracks and features music from Pretty In Pink, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, NationalLampoon’s Vacation, Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, Some Kind Of Wonderful, Planes, Trains And Automobiles, She’s Having A Baby, The Great Outdoors and Uncle Buck.
The 4CD deluxe edition of Life Moves Pretty Fast includes a seven-inch single and a cassette (click image to enlarge)
In limited edition deluxe edition form the 4CD set comes in a larger outer box with a 14-track cassette and re-issue of the 7” single ‘Beat City’ / ‘I’m Afraid’, originally distributed to the John Hughes fan club mailing list upon the release of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The cassette is very much a nod to the way that John Hughes and his music supervisor Tarquin Gotch would send music to each other in the pre-internet era of the 1980s and indeed the cover artwork for all variants features actual John Hughes cassettes and not photoshopped mock-ups!
Back when we were working on these movie soundtracks, the best way to send music around the world was cassettes by Fedex. We sent John cassettes of newly released music, of demos, of just finished mixes and in return he would send VHS videos of the scenes that needed music. John said he only made movies so he could choose what music to put in them, so as his success at the Box Office grew, and thus his power with the studios, the number of tracks in his films, by up-and-coming UK bands, steadily grew
Music supervisor, Tarquin Gotch
The 6LP edition of Life Moves Pretty Fast is pressed on 6 red vinyl LPs (click image to enlarge)
In addition to the deluxe 4CD edition there is a standard 4CD bookset which obviously doesn’t include the extras from the deluxe and in terms of vinyl you can choose from a 73-track red vinyl 6LP box set or a 2LP black vinyl summary. Full track listings for all formats are below.
Life Moves Pretty Fast will be issued on 11 November 2022, via Demon Music.
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Various Artists
Life Moves Pretty Fast - deluxe 4CD box set with cassette and seven-inch single
Bobbie Gentry / The Girl From Chickasaw County – Highlights
This is a 2LP vinyl release that offers highlights from the much-admired Bobbie Gentry box set – released in 2018 – is out this week. There’s a 2CD version too. The vinyl has 33 tracks, the double CD contains 46.
The soundtrack to Suede’s first concert video, recorded at Brixton Academy on 16 May 1993, only a month after the release of their debut album. Previously a coloured vinyl RSD release, this is now on 140g black vinyl and includes stunning versions of nine album tracks, including the singles ‘Animal Nitrate’, ‘Metal Mickey’, ‘The Drowners’, ‘To The Birds, and others.
Def Leppard’s 1999 album Euphoria is released on vinyl for the first time. The double LP set features the UK singles ‘Promises’ and ‘Goodbye’. 1992’s Adrenalize is also reissued on vinyl, although unlike Euphoria, that has been issued on the format before.
I was at a special playback of the Dolby Atmos Mix of Terence Trent D’Arby’s first album on Thursday night. Sananda was on the big screen ‘Zooming’ in from Milan and Martyn Ware (who produced the album and has created the Atmos Mix) attended in person, for a very interesting pre-playback chat. The pair discussed recording the album and a whole lot more. Sananda looked great, the glint in his eye remains and he was as articulate, and as charming, as ever.
Matt Everitt talks to Martyn Ware and Sananda Maitreya before the Atmos playback on Thursday (click to enlarge)
One of the questions to Sananda was whether he would come and play in London again. His answer was that he had a ‘difficult’ relationship with London but if it was done in the right way, then it could happen. I was at his last London show, incidentally, when he was promoting ‘The Joker’s Edition’ of his 2001 WildCard album. That was in November 2002 (at the Forum). Twenty years. Wow. It was a great show but it wasn’t even full, which I found depressing.
There’s no news on a physical reissue campaign for Introducing The Hardline According To... but it must be happening. Most likely next year at some point. I had a chat with Martyn Ware after the playback. He’s very enthusiastic about Atmos and I told him he should try and ‘Atmos’ some of those classic Heaven 17 albums.
If you would like a physical version of the Atmos Mix of Introducing The Hardline According To…, you can vote for it in the poll below!
George Michael’sOlder reissue has gone back for a second time. The 1996 album was originally due to be re-released on 8 July. That went back to 12 August and the new date is now 16 September!
The official GM account put this down to “unexpected demand” and the full statement is below:
“The ‘Older’ release across all formats will now move for a final time to Friday 16th September 2022 to allow the unexpected demand to be met from fans across the world. We sincerely apologise for the delay and appreciate the patience, love and all the support you have shown”.
Thanks for the positive response to the Shakespears SisterHormonally Yours blu-ray, which is #4 in the SDE Surround Series. The pre-order window is now closed, so this item is no longer available. I can confirm that this will be limited to 1500 units worldwide. There may be some further availability towards the end of September due to cancellations/contingency, but nothing is guaranteed.
Your ongoing support is appreciated and allows this series to continue. I can confirm that #5 in the SDE Surround Series will be announced in less than 3 weeks, so stay tuned!
This isn’t a physical release, but I thought it was worth mentioning that UMC have uploaded a 30-track NikKershaw ‘Extended Versions’ collection on Spotify. It’s got extended mixes, edited mixes, the lot… and covers the first four albums. It even includes the Extended Mix of ‘Wild Horses’ which Kershaw refused to allow to be included on the 2CD physical reissue of The Riddle in 2013. He may not have noticed this, because yesterday he said on twitter “Fill your boots, folks!”, while confirming he knew nothing about this initiative. There’s also a B-sides collection.
The cover to Kate Bush’s 1985 single ‘Running Up That Hill’
Kate Bush
Finally, SDE would like to wish Kate Bush a very happy birthday! She has good reason to celebrate this year, with the phenomenal success of ‘Running Up That Hill’. The song is still in the UK top 10 after nine weeks (beating the seven-week run of ‘Wuthering Heights’ in 1978) and is currently #3 in the US singles chart, as America radio starts to get behind the song. Amazing!
As sure as night follows day, a welcome NOW Yearbook ‘Extra’ follows an original Yearbook release. The latest to be announced is a companion to the excellent Now Yearbook ’80 4CD/3LP set. The bread, if you will, dipped in a gravy of hits, mopping up big singles and other gems, from the beginning of a new decade.
This new set presents much to enjoy, including two – count ’em – singles from Kate Bush’sNever For Ever album (‘Army Dreamers’ and ‘Breathing’), Robert Palmer’s sublime ‘Johnny and Mary’, which wasn’t really a hit, but deserves its inclusion just for being really good. Familiar 45s of the era include Blondie’s ‘Call Me’, The Police’s ‘De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da’, Queen’s ‘Flash’ and Cliff Richard’s ‘Carrie’.
There’s too many great songs to mention, so check out the track listing below, but any compilation that has Dennis Waterman’s ‘I Could Be So Good For You’, Chas & Dave’s ‘Rabbit’ and Barbara Dickson’s ‘January, February’ is alright with me.
This is a 3CD set in a six-panel card sleeve. As always there’s no ‘deluxe’ option (that only applies to the full 4CD Yearbooks) and there’s no vinyl.
Now Yearbook ’80 – Extra is released on 26 August 2022.
Today, SDEtv takes a deep dive with all four formats of the BlondieAgainst The Odds 1974-1982 box set. The different editions are 10LP vinyl, 4LP vinyl, 8CD and 3CD and these are all released on 26 August 2022.
Utravox’s 1981 album Rage In Eden is expanded and reissued across a number of formats in September, including a 5CD+DVD box with a Steven Wilson spatial audio mix.
Originally released in October 1981, as with the bands previous two albums, Rage In Eden was produced by Conny Plankat his studio in Cologne during the summer of that year. The band decided to enter the studio with nothing prepared, challenging themselves to take advantage of the studio as an instrument as much as possible.
The recording process lasted three months and while the band continued with the electronic new wave style they developed on their previous album, Vienna, this time they strove to create a more complex and introspective sound.
The 5CD+DVD deluxe edition of Rage in Eden (click image to enlarge)
On release, Rage in Eden was another top 5 album for Ultravox (in Britain), hitting #4, a position below the #3 peak of Vienna. The two singles ‘The Thin Wall’ and ‘The Voice’ were both top 20 hits in the UK. The album’s artwork was designed by Peter Saville.
The new reissue of Rage in Eden echoes the formats of the 2020 Vienna re-release. A large format 5CD+DVD deluxe edition features the original version of the album, a new Steven Wilson stereo remix, a disc of singles/remixes/b-sides/rehearsals and then two more CDs with a newly-mixed and previously unreleased concert recorded at Hammersmith Odeon in October 1981. The audio-only DVD contains a new 5.1 Surround Sound Mix of the album and B-sides by Steven Wilson, along with 24/96 hi-tes audio of the new mixes and the original 1981 album/B-sides audio.
A 4LP clear vinyl box set offers the original version of the album, singles and B-sides and the full Hammersmith concert, while a 2LP half-speed mastered black vinyl edition features the original album plus singles/B-sides on the second record. A third vinyl variant – a picture disc – is available, only via the official Ultravox shop.
Rage in Eden is released on 30 September 2022 via Chrysalis Records.
Roxy Music and ambient music legend Brian Eno will release his 22nd studio album, FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE in October.
Eno sings on the majority of the songs on this 10-track album, the first time he’s done this since 2005’s Another Day On Earth. The title alludes to the current climate emergency with the music being inspired by what Eno describes as “our narrowing, precarious future” and how “the world is changing at a super-rapid rate” with “large parts of it disappearing forever”.
Brian says: “These aren’t propaganda songs to tell you what to believe and how to act. Instead they’re my own exploration of my own feelings. The hope is that they will invite you, the listener, to share those experiences and explorations. It took me a long time to embrace the idea that we artists are actually feelings-merchants. Feelings are subjective. Science avoids them because they’re hard to quantify and compare. But ‘feelings’ are the beginnings of thoughts, and the long term attendants of them too. Feelings are the whole body reacting, often before the conscious brain has got into gear, and often with a wide lens that encompasses more than the brain is consciously aware of”.
One of the songs on the record, ‘There Were Bells’ was written by Brian for a performance by him and his brother Roger at UNESCO World Heritage site, the Acropolis in August 2021. It was 45 degrees in Athens on the day of the concert with wildfires raging just outside the city, prompting his introductory comment “I thought, here we are at the birthplace of Western civilisation, probably witnessing the end of it”. You can preview the track via this special live performance, below.
Expanding on his thoughts about ‘feelings’, Brian Eno says the following: “I’m more and more convinced that our only hope of saving our planet is if we begin to have different feelings about it: perhaps if we became re-enchanted by the amazing improbability of life; perhaps if we suffered regret and even shame at what we’ve already lost; perhaps if we felt exhilarated by the challenges we face and what might yet become possible. Briefly, we need to fall in love again, but this time with Nature, with Civilisation and with our hopes for the future”.
FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE will be released on CD and vinyl on 14 October. Brian Eno has created a spatial audio Dolby Atmos Mix which will also be available via streaming platforms.
Big CD box set, plus extensive vinyl reissue campaign
Demon Music will issue a 15CD Jesus Jones box set called Some of the Answers in October that brings together all six studio albums with an enormous amount of bonus material. A limited edition of 750 copies come with a signed print.
Formed in London in 1988, Jesus Jones blended rock with technology and dance music and enjoyed eight top 40 hits in the UK including ‘Real, Real, Real’, ‘Right Here, Right Now’, ‘International Bright Young Thing’ (all 1990) and ‘The Devil You Know’ (1992). The band were signed to David Balfe’s Food Records, future home to Blur.
Remarkably, the USA embraced Jesus Jones even more than their home country and while ‘Right Here, Right Now’ rather underperformed in the UK at the time (stalling, initially, at #31) in America it was a whisker away from topping the Billboard Hot 100, peaking a number two! Before that ‘Real, Real, Real’ had reached number four.
‘Right Here, Right Now’ was an enormous hit single in America
The four albums of the original era (issued on Food) were: Liquidizer (1989), Doubt (1991), Perverse (1993) and Already (1997). 2001’s London was the last album for 17 years before the band returned in 2018 with Passages (there was also an EP in 2004 called ‘Culture Vulture!’).
All of the above feature in Some of the Answers but it’s the depth and breadth of the bonus material that is the calling card of this large deluxe set. There’s 131 bonus tracks featuring mixes, unheard demos, b-sides, oddities, band-selected favourites and more. All the Food albums have at least two bonus CDs, with Doubt offering three!
Some of the Answers is a 15CD, large format box set (click image to enlarge)
This large format package comes with a 12″ x 12″ booklet and keyboard player (now the band’s manager) Iain Baker provides revealing track-by-track annotation. There’s also in-depth essays for each of the band’s albums and loads of artwork from the band’s long-time collaborators Stylorouge, who fashioned so much of their original identity.
In addition to this 15CD box set, all six albums are issued on limited edition coloured vinyl LP and a new greatest hits – Zeroes And Ones: The Best Of Jesus Jones – will be put out as a 2CD and 2LP gold-coloured vinyl set. The double CD has 35 tracks while the vinyl has 27 (compiled by the band).
Some of the Answers (along with all the vinyl and best of) is released on 28 October 2022 via Edsel/Demon Records. Get in quick for the limited edition which comes with a signed print. This is exclusive to Amazon in the UK in the UK (550 copies) with a further few hundred available internationally.
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Jesus Jones
Some of All The Answers - 15CD box set Signed edition
Enormous reduction on the 4LP vinyl box set edition of Elton John’sMadman Across The Water. Comes with a 40-page booklet and contains the following content: LP 1: album. LP 2 & 3: Piano demo version of the album + live and alternate versions. LP 4: BBC Sounds for Saturday concert, first aired in 1972.
This year’s 40th anniversary Rush vinyl box set. All vinyl has been cut at half-speed. LP1 features the original album, while the remaining LPs present the complete, unreleased Toronto concert from March 25, 1981. Includes a booklet.
David Bowie/Ziggy Stardust vinyl picture disc50th anniversary vinyl pic disc
This George Harrison super deluxe always felt somewhat overpriced, especially for the small-ish size of the box set (seven-inch, approximately). However at this new low price, it’s a great deal! It features the original album, plus three CDs of demos and outtakes, plus a blu-ray with a Dolby Atmos and 5.1 mixes.
Wilco/Yankee Hotel Foxtrot 11LP+CD super deluxe11LP+CD super deluxe
Very low price to date for rather excellent Guns N’ Roses super deluxe edition which was overshadowed by the ridiculous wooden cabinet ‘locked and loaded’ version. 73 tracks, 49 unreleased and an Elliot Scheiner 5.1 mix on the blu-ray.
Norah Jones/Come Away With Me 4LP super deluxe4LP super deluxe
Issued back in February, this super deluxe of Norah Jones’ first album features Come Away With Me remastered, plus 22 previously unreleased tracks, including early demos and an unheard first version of the album.
Lowest price to date in the UK for The BeatlesLet It Be box set. Features the 1969 Glyn Johns ‘Get Back LP’ mix, two CDs of alternate takes/jams, new mixes of the original Phil Spector version of the album (and a-sides/b-sides) and a new Dolby Atmos and 5.1 mix of Let It Be.
Black Sabbath/Paranoid 4CD super deluxe4CD super deluxe
Admittedly overpriced originally, this is still a great deal for the Black Sabbath box. It features the 1970 album, the 1974 Quad Mix folded down to stereo, plus two concerts from 1970: Brussels and Montreux.
Not the blu-ray version, but still cracking value for this ‘Remixed & Updated’ version of Pink Floyd’sA Momentary Lapse of Reason. The DVD includes a 5.1 surround mix, music videos, concert screen films, a documentary and some bonus live tracks. The surround mix is 5.1 Dolby Digital (48/16) and DTS (48/16). Comes with a 40-page booklet.
Paul Weller/Illumination vinyl reissueVinyl reissue
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!
Great reduction on the Depeche Mode101 box. The box set includes the blu-ray, two DVDs and two CDs. The CDs feature the original 20-track album release of 101 while the two DVDs in the set contain the original extras from the 2003 DVD release of 101 (commentaries, interviews etc.). The DVD set doesn’t include the three bonus performances, but does include the upgraded version of the film. The standalone blu-ray does include the three bonus performances. Watch the SDEtv unboxing video.
Tina Turner/Foreign Affair 4CD+DVD deluxe4CD+DVD deluxe
This Turner Tunerbox set was already fantastic value at full price, but is a steal at the £18 mark. It features the album remastered on CD 1, a collection of B-sides, remixes on CD 2 and then a live show from Barcelona (from 1990) on CDs 4 & 5. The region-free NTSC DVD, features the same concert as well as the six music videos from the album’s singles fully restored to HD!
U2/All That You Can’t Leave Behind 5CD box set5CD super deluxe
Five-disc set. CD 1: Original studio album, remastered. CD2: B-sides, outtakes and alternate. CD 3 and CD 4: Elevation Live From Boston, 19 track set. CD 5: Remixes.
Bob Dylan/Springtime in New York (1980-1985) 5CD deluxe set5CD deluxe of Bootleg Series 15
The 50th anniversary deluxe of Rory Gallagher’s eponymous solo debut includes a brand-new mix of the original album, 30 previously unreleased alternate takes, a six-song 1971 BBC Radio John Peel Sunday Concert and four 1971 BBC Radio Sounds of the Seventies session tracks, all mastered at Abbey Road Studios. And you get a previously unreleased 50-minute DVD of Rory’s first solo concert for the ‘Pop Deux’ television show, a poster and 32-page hardback book! Not bad for under £40!
Nirvana/Nevermind 30 – 5CD+blu-ray super deluxe5CD+blu-ray super deluxe
Superb price for the 4CD deluxe of Eric Clapton’s 1970 debut album. The 4CD set features three mixes of the album (including the unreleased Eric Clapton mix) and a disc of outtakes and alternates.
Various Artists/Almost Famous 5CD super deluixe5CD super deluxe
Excellent price in the UK for a quality vinyl reissue. Nirvana’sNevermind has been newly remastered from the original analog tapes and packaged in a premium ‘tip-on’ gatefold jacket for the first time. This comes with a bonus 7″ single featuring ‘Endless, Nameless’, ‘Even in His Youth’ and Aneurysm.
Super Furry Animals/Rings Around The World 3CD3CD deluxe
Ludicrously good price for the 2021 deluxe reissue, especially when you consider it features 33 previously unreleased tracks including remixes, demos, and outtakes.
David Sylvian is to reissue his Blemish and Manafon albums on vinyl, in September.
Blemish was Sylvian’s first album post his split with Virgin Records and was issued on his own Samadhisound label. Initially it was issued online (in 2003) but a year later a limited vinyl pressing was put out. The compositions were crafted from improvisational sessions by Sylvian and the free-jazz guitarist Derek Bailey on three tracks and Austrian guitarist & producer Christian Fennesz on A Fire In A Forest.
Sylvian said about the album at the time, “I wanted to get into those difficult emotions, and penetrate them as deeply as I felt I was capable of doing, in the security of that working space. So, although there were elements of my life that were bringing all these negative emotions to the fore, what I was doing in the studio was taking them further – whereas in life we try to restrain them, we hold them back. We don’t allow ourselves to go too far with it because they feel dangerous, they feel threatening. Living through these emotions was very difficult, but finding a voice for them was so cathartic. After that six-week period, I’d felt I’d worked through some very difficult emotions. I felt an enormous amount of release”.
Manafon was originally released back in 2009 and was very much about improvisation. It featured musicians such as Evan Parker, Keith Rowe, Christian Fennesz, Sachiko M, Otomo Yoshihide, John Tilbury and members of Polwechsel working in small ensembles. The work is described by Sylvian as “a modern kind of chamber music. Intimate, dynamic, emotive, democratic, economical”.
It’s worth pointing out that the original Blemish pressing was half-speed mastered and that does not appear to be the case for the vinyl reissue, although both records have been recut for vinyl by engineer Tony Cousins at Metropolis studios. Blemish on vinyl was originally limited to 2,000 units while Manafon was just 1200, so there is undoubtedly demand for some new pressings.
Blemish and Manafon will be reissued on vinyl on 21 October 2022 (was 2 September) via UMC and Samadhisound.
Neil Finn and Tim Finn’s 1995 album Finn is reissued by Needle Mythology as a 2LP set. This wonderful album deserves to be in your collection and it is now expanded with 10 original demos on the second vinyl record. An expanded CD edition has been promised for later this year.
50th anniversary vinyl reissue of Jethro Tull’s 1972 album. This uses the 2012 Steven Wilson stereo mix and is half-speed mastered. Most importantly of all, the packaging replicates the original broadsheet newspaper, ‘The St. Cleve Chronicle & Linwell Advertiser’ which includes many news articles packed full of continuing jokes, a crossword, connect-the-dots and much more. 2,000 units only but it has to be said the difference in pricing between the USA and the UK is shocking. A CD+DVD reissue is coming in October.
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Jethro Tull
Thick As A Brick - 50th Anniversary Edition [VINYL]
30 Something is a‘best of’ that album contains reworks, remakes, remixes and re-imaginings of landmark Orbital tracks based on the duo’s unrivalled live show.
In January this year, SDE launched the SDE Surround Series, a long-term collaborative initiative that involves us partnering with like-minded labels to bring you exclusive physical blu-ray audio editions of albums with spatial audio mixes (Dolby Atmos, 5.1 etc.). So far we have delivered a trio of new albums: Tears For Fears’The Tipping Point (via Concord Records), xPropaganda’sThe Heart Is Strange (via UMC/ZTT) and Gilbert O’Sullivan’s latest album Driven (released today!)
Your enthusiasm and support for this venture has allowed us to continue and today I am thrilled to announce the first album reissue – #4 in the SDE Surround Series – which is Shakespears Sister’s 1992 album Hormonally Yours!
This is a record that will need no introduction. It went double-platinum in Britain and Siobhan Fahey and Marcella Detroit enjoyed incredible success with the number one single Stay, which took up residence at the top of the UK chart for eight full weeks in February/March/April of 1992! The song connected with music fans around the globe and it reached #4 in America and was a top ten single in Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and beyond.
Of course, the album is so much more than just that one song and there was further chart success in the UK as ‘I Don’t Care’ followed ‘Stay’ into the UK top 10 and ‘Hello (Turn Your Radio On)’ was a top 20 single in November 1992.
The SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio of Hormonally Yours will feature the following audio streams:
Dolby Atmos Mix
5.1 Surround Mix (DTS HD Master Audio)
Hi-res Stereo Mix (96/24)
The two spatial audio mixes have been created by Grammy-winning mixer, engineer and producer Caesar Edmunds in association with the original album’s producer Alan Moulder (acting as executive mixer).
This will be the only way to enjoy these mixes via a physical product and to ‘hold the music in your hands’.
Reasons you should own this blu-ray:
It’s the only way to enjoy these spatial audio mixes of Hormonally Yours via a physical product
The DTS HD 5.1 mix of the album is totally exclusive
You don’t have to subscribe to a streaming service like Tidal or Apple Music to hear the spatial audio mixes
It’s yours to keep forever. You own the product, you are not renting it from a ‘DSP’ (digital service provider)
You love ‘Holding the Music in Your Hands’, so here’s your chance!
The blu-ray audio is a great format for audio and you don’t want to see it die off
Supporting SDE with these initiatives is indeed leading to similar collaborations with labels/artists and we are keen to bring your more in 2022
Hormonally Yours on SDE-exclusive blu-ray will be released on 30 September 2022 in collaboration with London Records. Pre-order the SDE-exclusive blu-ray by using this linkto the SDE shop or the button below.
The pre-order window for this limited edition blu-ray audio opens todayand will close in 7 days’ time. You will not be able to order this product after the morning of 29 July 2022. This is a one-time production run and numbers manufactured will be published at a later date, so you will know how limited this physical product is.
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.
When 1 becomes 2: the Manics sixth album is reconstructed as two albums
The Manic Street Preacherswill reissue their 2001 album Know Your Enemy this September with CD and vinyl formats offering ‘remixed and reconstructed’ editions to form two separate albums, as was the original plan.
After the success of 1998’s This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours the band planned to follow up with two distinct long-players: an aggressive, rapid fire return to their roots called Solidarity and Door To The River, a more conciliatory, reflective collection. They got cold feet and ultimately issued Know Your Enemy which was commercially a successful album (reaching #2 in the UK and delivering four top 20 singles), but something of a fudge creatively, forcing often conflicting ideas to sit side by side on the same record.
Reissuing the album gave the band the opportunity to revisit the original concept and indeed Nicky Wire found the original tapes of Solidarity and Door To The River that he’d made up in the studio during recording. He put forward the idea of recreating them and James Dean Bradfield agreed on the condition that he could remix the entire record with the band’s longtime studio partner Dave Eringa. The new mixes lose extraneous studio effects and digital noise from the Solidarity songs and strip away orchestration and embellishment from the tracks that made up Door To The River.
The 3CD deluxe of Know Your Enemy offers both ‘remixed & reconstructed’ albums, bonus tracks and demos (click image to enlarge)
The reissue now offers both albums, as originally conceived. On the 3CD deluxe edition they are appended with bonus outtakes, unused mixes by Tom Lord-Alge and tracks featured on the original Know Your Enemy that aren’t on the two restructured albums. There is also a bonus CD full of demos. The 2CD edition features the same audio on discs one and two, but loses the demos CD
The 2LP vinyl edition offers the two albums with no bonus tracks (Door To The River is a 10-track record while Solidarity is 12 tracks). All formats feature previously unseen photos from the recording sessions taken by regular collaborator Mitch Ikeda.
This remixed and reconstructed edition of Know Your Enemy will be released on 9 September 2022. Some signed editions are available via the band’s store but only if you buy a bundle.
3CD+blu-ray deluxe edition features a very impressive blu-ray with a wealth of content
Marillion’s 1991 album Holidays in Eden will be reissued as a deluxe edition in September across 3CD+blu-ray and 4LP vinyl formats.
The band’s sixth album was the second with vocalist Steve Hogarth and the first to be recorded from scratch without any involvement from Fish. The album was produced by Christopher Neil, who had previously worked with Mike and the Mechanics and in 1990 co-produced a-ha’s fourth album East of the Sun West of the Moon. Three singles all hit the low reaches of the UK top 40.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhhImUq7vjo
Cover My Eyes (Pain & Heaven) was the first single from Holidays in Eden
The 2022 3CD+blu-ray deluxe reissue features a new 2022 stereo mix of Holidays in Eden by Stephen W. Tayler and a full live show (Live Hammersmith, 30th September 1991, across CDs two and three). The blu-ray is the jewel in the crown of this particular edition since it includes an enormous amount of content, including a 5.1 surround sound mix (as well as hi-res stereo), 13 B-sides and rarities (including The Moles Club demos), a brand new 80-minute documentary, HD-upgraded promo videos and video of a live concert from Rockpalast from German TV!
The 3CD+blu-ray edition of Holidays in Eden (click image to enlarge)
The 4LP vinyl box set includes the new 2022 mix of the album and the Hammersmith show across the remaining three vinyl records.
Holidays in Eden will be reissued on 16 September 2022, via Parlophone.
In September BMG will issue All The World Is A Stage, a new 5CD box set of Sladelive albums, including three previously unreleased shows.
The trio of previously unreleased gigs is as follows:
Live At The New Victoria recorded on April 24 1975, captures the band before they went around the UK to promote their feature film, In Flame.
Live At The Hucknall Miner’s Welfare Club recorded on June 26 1980, features songs from their new studio album at the time We’ll Bring The House Down, along with classics ‘Take Me Bak ’Ome’, ‘Gudbuy T’Jane’, ‘Everyday’ and the perennial ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’
All The World Is A Stage – 5CD Slade box set (click image to enlarge)
Alive! At Reading the third unreleased full live set, captures the band delivering a sensational live performance to over 80,000 people in 1980. As last minute replacements for Ozzy Osbourne, their set was arguably the highlight of the festival and led to Slade enjoying a renaissance in the Eighties. A 3-track EP was issued from this performance at the time.
Completing this box are SladeAlive!, the classic 1972 live album and Slade On Stagewhich documents their 18 December 1981 Newcastle City Hall show (the album was issued a year later in December 1982).
All The World Is A Stage comes in a clamshell box with a 16-page booklet. It will be released on 9 September 2022, via BMG.
