Nominations for the 64th Grammy Awards were announced yesterday and SDE spotlights some of the artists, albums and songs selected that will be of interest.
ABBA’s ‘I Still Have Faith In You’ is nominated in the ‘Song of the Year‘ category, giving the Swedish quartet their very first Grammy nomination. Since the period of eligibility ended on 30 September 2021, the album Voyage arrived to late, but could make a showing for what will be the 2022 Awards. ABBA are up against Billie Eilish (‘Happier Than Ever’), Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga (‘I Get A Kick Out Of You’) and seven others.
‘Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album‘ includes Norah Jones‘ live album Til We Meet Again as well as Dolly Parton’s 2020 Christmas album, A Holly Dolly Christmas.
Chris Cornell’s cover of Prince’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ (from his No One Sings Like You Anymore album) is one of five songs nominated for ‘Best Rock Performance‘. AC/DC’s ‘Shot in the Dark’ and the Foo Fighters’ ‘Making A Fire’ also get a nod in this category.
Paul McCartney’s ‘Find My Way’ is Grammy nominated
‘Find My Way’, the second track on Paul McCartney’s 2020 album McCartney III is nominated for ‘Best Rock Song‘. This is the first time since 2008 that a track from one of Paul’s studio albums has received a Grammy nomination (‘That Was Me’ from Memory Almost Full was the last time this happened). These days we are more used to seeing McCartney be nominated for his Archive Collection reissues, but since nothing has been re-released since 2020’s Flaming Pie, that’s off the table for this year. Weezer, Kings of Leon and Foo Fighters are amongst the other acts in this category. There’s actually double success for Macca as the McCartney III album is also nominated for ‘Best Rock Album‘, despite the fact that it sounds nothing like a ‘rock’ album. Only one track, Slidin’ in any way ‘rocks’.
Stewart Copeland & Ricky Kej’s long-player Divine Tides is nominated for ‘Best New Age Album‘ and the Girl From The North Country musical (which uses Bob Dylan songs) is in the running for ‘Best Musical Theater Album‘.
‘Best Recording Package‘ nominations include Nick Cave and Warren Ellis’ Carnage and the big one – ‘Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package‘ – includes the Limited Edition Box Set version of Steven Wilson’sThe Future Bites and George Harrison’sAll Things Must Pass 50th anniversary edition, although the exact version for the latter isn’t specified, so we don’t know if it’s for the super or uber deluxe. The Gang of Four box set 77-81 is also nominated in this category.
Steven Wilson’s The Future Bites has two Grammy nominations
Prince’sSign O’ The Times super deluxe edition is nominated for ‘Best Historical Album‘ as is the Joni MitchellArchives Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967) box set.
Hats Anton-off for Jack Antonoff who surely should win in the ‘Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical‘ category for his involvement in many high profile albums from artists like Taylor Swift, St. Vincent, Lorde and Lana Del Rey.
Steven Wilson’sThe Future Bites is a double Grammy nominee for 2021 since it is also in the running for ‘Best Immersive Audio Album‘. All four of Steven’s previous nominations have been in the same category (which was called ‘Best Surround Sound Album’) so I’d personally love to see him walk away with the award, finally (Harry Styles and Alicia Keys albums are nominated in the same category).
Finally, David Byrne’sAmerican Utopia is nominated for ‘Best Music Film‘ and surely has a good chance of winning. We will find out all the results on 31 January 2022 when the Awards show goes ahead.
This David Bowie ‘era’ box set covers most of the 1990s and sees a revitalised Bowie produce some of his most interesting work outside of the 1970s, including The Buddha of Suburbia and Outside. Brilliant Adventures is an 11CD box set or a 18LP vinyl box and includes an unreleased album called Toy, which is also available separate as a 3CD or 6 x 10″ box set.
Asia / The Official Live Bootlegs Vol. 1 (10CD box)
The Official Bootlegs, Vol 1 is a 10CD Asia box set that features live performances from across the world between 1982 – 2010. We are promised “high quality original soundboard audio sources” for the performances, all of which are unheard. This comes as five two-CD sets in an outer slipcase with a 12-page booklet.
Lovely, Pure and Galore – the first three albums (1988/89/91 respectively) from British indie-pop band The Primitives – have been remastered and are reissued on blue, white and red vinyl.
Mute’s Goldfrapp vinyl reissue series continues with this 140g vinyl pressing of the group’s fifth album (from 2010). The Grammy-nominated Head First features the singles Rocket, Alive and Believer. This reissue is pressed on transparent magenta vinyl and is presented as a gatefold. It comes with a 12″x12″ art print.
Mogwai’s brilliant soundtrack to the equally brilliant TV 2020 series was issued on vinyl as a Record Store Day limited edition this year and now gets a CD release (they are numbered and limited to 5,000 copies). Highly recommended.
This is the May 2008 gig from Hall and Oates recorded in the legendary Los Angeles venue they first played as a support act in the 70s. This is reissued on 2CD but is released on vinyl for the first time (as 3LP set).
Production Gems is various artists compilation (Elton John-heavy, naturally) linked by the work of producer Gus Dudgeon. It’s not all Reg however, as it contains the rarity that is a David Bowie track (‘Space Oddity’) licensed for a compilation as well as songs by Chris Rea, Joan Armatrading, The Zombies, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and XTC. CD only.
The Now That’s What I Call Music team step back into the 1970s for a hit-packed 5LP vinyl box set which is limited to just 1000 units (each box is numbered).
Starting with 1970, each side of vinyl represents one year of the 1970s with Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ kicking things off perfectly as it draws a close on the optimism of the 1960s and ushers in the new decade. Five records later, The Buggles‘ ‘Video Killed The Radio Star’ has a similar role, anticipating the 1980s.
NOW presents the 1970s is limited to 1000 units
In between, this NOW presents the 70s box set unashamedly opts for the biggest acts and the biggest hits although there’s a few omissions, the most notable being the hard-to-license David Bowie). These include Free (‘All Right Now’), Elton John (‘Your Song’), Rod Stewart (‘Maggie May’), Marvin Gaye (‘What’s Going On’), Don McLean (‘American Pie’), Roxy Music (‘Virginia Plain’), Roberta Flack (‘Killing Me Softly With His Song’), Bob Dylan (‘Knocking On Heaven’s Door’), Queen (‘Killer Queen’), Paul McCartney & Wings (‘Band on the Run’), John Lennon (‘Imagine’), 10cc (‘I’m Not In Love’), ABBA (‘Dancing Queen’), ELO (‘Livin’ Thing’), Thin Lizzy (‘The Boys Are Back in Town’), Fleetwood Mac (‘Don’t Stop’), Commodores (‘Easy’), Kate Bush (‘Wuthering Heights’), The Jam (‘Down in the Tube Station at Midnight’), The Clash (‘London Calling’), The Police (‘Message in a Bottle’) and Blondie (‘Heart of Glass’).
Boxes are numbered 1 to 1000
Each record has a sleeve with a front cover featuring different a kitsch design element of the era and has annotated track listings on the rear with bullet-pointed facts/info about each song. The five black vinyl records all come in poly-lined sleeves. The records are housed in a sturdy rigid board outer slipcase.
NOW presents the 1970s will be released on 10 December 2021.
BMG are to release a new coloured vinyl edition of British quintet The Dave Clark Five‘s first US album.
The band were one of first UK acts to achieve success in the US as part for the ‘British Invasion’ and made more appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show than any other UK act.
Released in America in March 1964, the title track of the album is their US top ten hit and it also features ‘Bits and Pieces’ which was The Dave Clark Five’s next single in the USA and it actually did a little bit better than ‘Glad All Over’, reaching number four.
Glad All Over has been remastered from the original tapes and pressed on limited white vinyl
This reissue is pressed on limited edition white vinyl and features remastered audio (from the original tapes) and an updated track-listing that differs from the both the original US release and the subsequent UK version entitled ‘A Session With The Dave Clark Five’. Check out the actual track listing, below.
Glad All Over will be released on 26 November 2021.
8CD box • Remastered albums • 50th anniversary • Limited to 2500 copies
United Souls and Sony Music continue to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Philadelphia International Records with Volume 2 in their Philly reissue programme: The Sound of Philadelphia International Records Vol 2: Satisfaction Guaranteed.
Following on from the first volume Get on Board the Soul Train, the second volume in this limited edition series covers eight albums released by the label during 1973.
The Sound of Philadelphia International Vol 2: Satisfaction Guaranteed is an 8CD+12″+book deluxe set (click image to enlarge)
This 8CD deluxe set features albums from Billy Paul, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, The Three Degrees, The Intruders, Spiritual Concept as well as one of the most successful O’Jays’ titles, Ship Ahoy.
The seriesmaps the history of Philadelphia International Records (PIR) chronologically and all albums are remastered from the original tapes. As well as the eight CDs this comes with a 48-page hard cover book, which features rare photos, sleeve notes by Tony Cummings (author of The Sound of Philadelphia) and a foreword by Ralph Tee.
It also includes a numbered certificate of authenticity, an exclusive 12-inch single and a unique poster. Like the first volume this is limited to 2500 units worldwide.
The Sound of Philadelphia International Records Vol 2: Satisfaction Guaranteed is released on 19 November 2021. You can order a copy via the SDE shop using this link or the button below.
Tracklisting
The Sound of Philadelphia Vol 2: Satisfaction GuaranteedVarious Artists/8CD+12″+Book deluxe set
CD 1 – Billy Paul – Feelin’ Good At The Cadillac Club
Billy Boy [02:38]
Missing You [02:45]
Bluesette [03:02]
On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever) [04:39]
Just In Time [03:55]
That`s Life [04:05]
Don`t Think Twice, It`s All Right [02:31]
Feeling Good [08:30]
Somewhere [03:37]
CD 2 – The O’ Jays – In Philadelphia
One Night Affair [02:19]
You`re the Best Thing Since Candy [02:56]
Branded Bad [02:54]
I Should Be Your Lover [02:04]
Looky Looky (Look at Me Girl) [02:46]
Deeper (In Love with You) [02:40]
Let Me In Your World [02:37]
Just Can`t Get Enough [02:09]
I`ve Got the Groove [02:17]
Medley: Little Green Apples / Something [04:33]
It`s Too Strong [03:04]
CD 3 – The Intruders – Super Hits
Cowboys to Girls [02:36]
Together [02:56]
(We`ll Be) United [02:50]
Love Is Like a Baseball Game [02:44]
Slow Drag [02:25]
When We Get Married [03:19]
(Win, Place or Show) She`s a Winner [02:24]
Sad Girl [01:53]
A Love That`s Real [02:55]
Friends No More [02:56]
Gonna Be Strong [02:47]
Me Tarzan, You Jane [02:21]
Check Yourself [02:36]
I`ll Always Love My Mama (Part I) [03:02]
CD 4 – Spiritual Concept – Spiritual Concept
Spiritual Sky [06:25]
Let`s Take It All [03:24]
California Woman [08:33]
Where Are the Cares for Tomorrow [06:12]
Remedy [05:44] 6. Get It On [05:56]
CD 5 – The Three Degrees – The Three Degrees
Dirty Ol` Man [04:33]
Can`t You See What You`re Doing To Me [02:31]
A Woman Needs A Good Man [04:19]
When Will I See You Again [02:57]
I Didn`t Know [02:50]
I Like Being A Woman [03:56]
If And When [07:07]
Year Of Decision [02:42]
CD 6 – Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – Black & Blue
Cabaret [01:42]
The Love I Lost [06:24]
It All Depends On You [04:49]
Concentrate On Me [03:10]
Satisfaction Guaranteed (Or Take Your Love Back) [03:27]
Is There a Place for Me [06:56]
I`m Weak for You [06:50]
I`m Comin` Home Tomorrow [06:11]
CD 7 – The O’Jays – Ship Ahoy
Put Your Hands Together [04:07]
Ship Ahoy [09:40]
This Air I Breathe [03:52]
You Got Your Hooks In Me [05:33]
For the Love of Money [07:20]
Now That We Found Love [04:41]
Don`t Call Me Brother [08:55]
People Keep Tellin` Me [03:53]
CD 8 – Billy Paul – War Of The Gods
I See the Light [06:13]
War of the Gods [10:07]
The Whole Town`s Talking [04:47]
I Was Married [07:19]
Thanks for Saving My Life [02:58]
Peace Holy Peace [06:57]
12” Single
SIDE A
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – The Love I Lost [06:24]
Little Things, ABBA’s festive number from Voyage, is being released as a single for Christmas and a video is also in the pipeline.
The song is track three on the new record and, like the previous singles, is being issued physically, on CD. That makes four CD singles from the one album. Unfortunately, this is another one-track CD single which is incredibly frustrating given that even bunging an instrumental on there would be better than nothing.
The Swedish pop quartet will be hoping to improve on the number nine peak of ‘Don’t Shut Me Down’ in the UK singles charts although it could be a tall order since ABBA fans are not really streamers (90 percent of the album sales were physical).
Little Things is released on 3 December 2021 by Universal Music/Polar. In addition to what’s in the widget below, it’s also available via the ABBA Voyage store.
Although 2011 is probably best remembered as the year of Pink Floyd’s ‘Immersion’ box sets, there were two mega-boxes which were ahead of their time and helped define a new era of ‘super deluxe edition’ box sets.
One of these was The SmithsComplete – a gigantic box which contained eight CDs, 11 vinyl LPs and 25 seven-inch singles – and the other was the ‘über deluxe’ of U2’s 1991 album Achtung Baby. The latter was a 20th anniversary edition and contained six CDs, four DVDs, a 2LP version of the album and five singles pressed on transparent vinyl in special oversized wallets. The packaging was very over the top for the U2 set, with magnetic ’tiles’ on the top, hidden drawers, enamel badges, ‘The Fly’ sunglasses, numbered lithograph, copies of the Propaganda magazine and more.
Smiths ‘Complete’ is a 44-disc box set. Photo above taken by Paul Sinclair in 2011 at Warner’s London offices (click image to enlarge)
These box sets were released within one month of each other and both retailed at over £200 (The Smiths set was £220 and U2 was £260). That’s a lot of money for a music box set today, and ten years ago it seemed crazy. Despite this, The Smiths box sold our very quickly (it was limited to 4000 units worldwide) and I never managed to get my hands on a copy (well I did briefly, under strict supervision in Warner’s offices!).
The U2 über deluxe took longer to go out of print. Prices have risen over the years and there were never any real bargains available.
The 2011 17-disc ‘über deluxe’ of U2’s Achtung Baby (click image to enlarge)
The reason for mentioning this is because U2 have just announced some 30th anniversary editions of the Achtung Baby album and the contrast to the activity ten years ago is stark. This time around there is a 2LP black vinyl edition of the album which comes with an eight-page booklet and a poster. Although there is a blue & red limited edition variant with a slipcase. THAT’S IT for physical editions.
Admittedly, it’s hard to see how they can top the editions a decade ago (there was also a 6CD+4DVD super deluxe for around the £85 mark), but an obvious thing to do might have been to offer some of this content again, perhaps in a more compact and cheaper CD-based package. What they’ve done instead is offer fans a “digital box” (coming on 3 December) that includes Uber Remixes, Unter Remixes and B-Sides with “22 tracks never before available digitally”.
The 2021 30th anniversary reissue of Achtung Baby on blue & red vinyl (click image to enlarge)
This digital box has four ‘components’: the 2018 remaster of the album (as is the new vinyl) and then 2021 remasters of CDs 3, 4 & 5 from both the 2011 super and uber deluxe editions. It’s not really true to say that 22 tracks haven’t been available ‘digitally’ before, since CD is a digital format, but I guess they mean download/streaming. The two discs of content ‘missing’ from both 2011 box sets that are missing from this 2011 digital box are Zooropa and Kindergarten — The Alternative Achtung Baby.
Incidentally, here’s something interesting to consider; when Achtung Baby was reissued in 2011 there was no vinyl version available separately. The 2LP edition was ONLY available in the uber deluxe or as part of a four-record set with some of the remixes. That only happened seven years later for the 2018 U2 vinyl reissues.
I wouldn’t rule out more physical boxes next year, with bigger vinyl sets and a CD box. If they can make an 11LP box out of All That You Can’t Leave Behind then the appetite will be there for Achtung Baby.
In the meantime, the new 2LP vinyl edition of the album is being released on 19 November 2021 (this Friday!) which is 30 years and one day since the original release date. Coloured vinyl is D2C only.
Very good reduction in Spain on the always-seems-to-be-expensive SadeThis Far box set. No issues in terms of charges/duties for UK fans since this is well below the £135 point at which these are triggered.
Dire Straits/The Studio Albums 1978-19918LP vinyl box
Excellent price in Italy for the David BowieMan Who Sold The World vinyl picture disc, which was issud when the Width of a Circle 2CD set came out. This works out just over £15 SHIPPED to the UK, compared to the UK price of £25 unshipped.
Superb French deal for this Joni MitchellArchives Vol. 2 five-CD set. Comes to around £38 SHIPPED to the UK which is a cracking price given it’s £50 without shipping in the UK.
The Who’s Pete Townshend has taken to Instagram to offer fans a tour of his studio and to confirm reissue plans for next year.
In a four-part post yesterday (under his ‘yaggerdang‘ account) Pete tells viewers that he has spent 3 days in his studio until five in the morning trying to “keep up with Who demos for the Who’s Next / Lifehouse reissue that is happening next year” (Lifehouse is an unreleased rock opera that Townshend has dabbled with on and off, over the years).
What follows is a fascinating peek behind the curtain, as Townshend shows off a set-up he half-jokingly says he’s “ashamed” of, which involves connecting an old Studer 8-track machine to some Dolby-equipped gear since the old recordings were made with Dolby’s noise-reduction system and presumably need to be decoded correctly.
He then offers a glimpse off some old demo tapes with Lifehouse material, the song ‘Bargain’ (which ended up as track two on the Who’s Next album) and ‘Ambition’, “a song we’re trying to recover”. He also shows a tape with some 8-track home demos including ‘Too Much of Anything’ and another with “a long version of “Baba O’Reily'” without vocals.
Some of the tapes Pete has been working with were shown in his Instagram video
Pete then reiterates that “it’s not just Who’s Next that we’re talking about, but Lifehouse” and he mentions that it should have come out this year (2021). Then with a wry smile he says “If I’m looking a little shattered… I am! Goodnight”.
There will be more news on The Who’s reissue plans in 2022.
Another screenshot from Pete’s video shows some old multi-track demos
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss / Raise the Roof (new album)
Plant and Krauss are reunited after 14 years, and follow-up Raising Sand with Raise the Roof. Again produced by T Bone Burnett, this collection features 12 songs (14 on the deluxe CD) by “legends and unsung heroes”.
Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson ‘reimagines’ the most iconic songs from his back catalogue with him alone at the piano. Featuring ‘God Only Knows’, ‘Wouldn’t it Be Nice’, ‘California Girls’, ‘Good Vibrations’ and many more. CD out this week, vinyl (which has a much cooler front cover) in December.
John Barry‘s score to this 1974 romance/drama starring Julie Andrews and Omar Sharif was never officially released as a soundtrack and tapes were thought lost. However, Silva Screen Records have managed to create the OST that never was with this new release that features “all the major cues used in the film” together with Wilma Reading’s commercially released single ‘Play It Again’. This also includes two different versions of ‘The End’ as performed by Danny Street, plus different versions of both main and end title themes. CD-only, it seems.
Jaki Graham / 35th Anniversary Collection (4CD box)
New four-CD Jaki Graham box set that features her albums Heaven Knows and Breaking Away (released in 1985 and 1986 respectively). Two bonus CDs feature a wealth of 12-inch remixes.
ABBA’sVoyage album has gone in at number one on the UK charts with massive sales of almost 204,000 units. The official charts company reported that 90 percent of sales were physical; the splits (not published) were as follows:
148,471 copies sold on CD
29,891 copies sold on vinyl
4,205 copies sold on cassette
Impressive stuff, although in the press release to announce this news, the official charts company literally wrote nothing about the enormous CD sales and instead focused on vinyl, choosing to point out that, with those figures, Voyage was “the fastest-selling vinyl release of the century” (it actually beat a three-year-old record of the Artic Monkeys, whose last album sold almost 25k vinyl in week one in 2018).
The CD is the Format-That-Must-Not-Be-Named, quite clearly. It’s the Dark Lord that threatens the narrative of vinyl being more popular than CDs. I say this as a fan of both formats.
New clip from The Beatles: Get Back
Not long to go now for Peter Jackson’s ‘3-Part Event’. Here’s another taster for you in the shape of a clip of The Beatles performing a very early version (perhaps it’s the first run-through) of Let It Be‘s ‘I’ve Got A Feeling’. Note a very sardonic George Harrison at the end!
“If you take the red pill, Curt, you will stay in wonderland and I will show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes…” (photo:Frank Ockenfels)
Tears For Fears announce tour dates & new coloured vinyl
Tears For Fears have announced some 2022 tour dates in support of their forthcoming album, The Tipping Point. The band will hit the road in America towards the end of May for a five-week spell and then continue in the UK, in July.
As you can see below, this should be called the ‘Al Fresco’ tour since they are choosing to play largely outdoor venues with plenty of amphitheatres, pavilions, houses and castles in the mix!
In Britain, Tears For Fears will be joined by Alison Moyet, who supported the band back in 2019 for some UK dates. As you can see, there are no London dates, unfortunately, although SDE understands this may well be corrected later in the year.
Speaking about going back out on the road, Curt Smith said, “We couldn’t be more excited to start playing concerts again. We’ve missed seeing our friends on the road around the world and the energy of performing live.”
A new pink vinyl edition of The Tipping Point was announced at the same time. This is a ‘D2C’ only product and therefore can’t be sold via usual retail channels like Amazon, HMV or the independent dealer network. It’s available via the Tears For Fears shop.
May 2022 – USA tour
Friday 20 – RIVERBEND MUSIC CENTER, CINCINNATI, OH
Saturday 21 – BLOSSOM MUSIC CENTER, CUYAHOGA FALLS, OH
Tuesday 24 – THE PAVILION AT TOYOTA MUSIC FACTORY, IRVING, TX
Friday 27 – AK-CHIN PAVILION, PHOENIX, AZ
Sunday 29 – LEVITT PAVILION, DENVER, CO
June 2022 – USA tour
Wednesday 1 – Concord Pavilion, CONCORD, CA
Thursday 2 – Shoreline Amphitheatre, MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA
Saturday 4 – The Forum, INGLEWOOD, CA
Sunday 5 – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, CHULA VISTA, CA
Thursday 9 – ithink Financial Amphitheatre, WEST PALM BEACH, FL
Friday 10 – Mid-Florida Credit Union Amphiteatre, TAMPA, FL
Sunday 12 – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, ALPHARETTA, GA
Monday 13 – PNC Music Pavilion, CHARLOTTE, NC
Wednesday 15 – DTE Energy Music Theatre, CLARKSTON, MI
Thursday 16 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – CHICAGO, TINLEY PARK, IL
Friday 17 – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Centre, NOBLESVILLE, IN
Sunday 19 – Merriweather Post Pavilion, COLUMBIA, MD
Tuesday 21 – Mann Center For The Performing Arts, PHILADELPHIA, PA
Wednesday 22 – Leader Bank Pavilion, BOSTON, MA
Friday 24 – PNC Bank Arts Center, HOLMDEL, NJ
Saturday 25 – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater, WANTAGH, NY
July 2022 – UK tour
Friday 1 – Shropshire, Telford QEII Arena
Saturday 2 – Wiltshire, Longleat House
Tuesday 5 – Buckinghamshire, Waddesdon Manor
Thursday 7 – Newcastle Upon Tyne, Utilita Arena
Friday 8 – Scotland, Floors Castle
Saturday 9 – Lytham St Annes, Lytham Festival
Tuesday 12 – Derbyshire, The Incora County Ground Derby
Thursday 14 – Yorkshire, Leeds Millennium Square
Friday 15 – Warwickshire, Warwick Castle
Saturday 16 – North Yorkshire, Scarborough Open Air Theatre
SDE recently caught up with musician Matt Berrywhose ten years with the Acid Jazz label is about to be celebrated with a new music box set called Gather Up. When Matt isn’t making music he’s a comic actor. He’s currently busy filming a new series of Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s What We Do In The Shadows.
Whose idea was the Gather Up box? Did Acid Jazz approach you, or did you think it was time to take a break from actually recording a proper album to look back over your archive?
Matt Berry: No, no. I’d never do that. I’m never really interested in looking back over stuff. I’ve only ever want to do the next thing. No, it came from the label. We realised that I done 10 years, which was the end of my contract. And it was [a case of] “do you want to sign another one and if you do, we should do something to commemorate that”. I think it started off just being a seven-inch [single], a 10th anniversary seven-inch, and then they said, “why don’t we do a 10 year collection?”. And then I just had to hand everything over to them, because that’s what they’re good at.
With this box, you’ve got a ‘best of’ at the beginning and after that it offers rarities from the archive. How do you know what your best songs are or what your fans might want to hear?
Well, I don’t. I don’t know what my best songs are, and I don’t think I’m the one to make that choice. That’s down to the label, [to decide] which ones would represent what I’ve done the best, because I’m just too in the middle of it, I think.
Are you a fan of greatest hits, in general, because some people are a bit snobby about them? Obviously there’s been some great ones over the years like Leonard Cohen or The Doors…
Exactly. I don’t care anymore. I don’t care about any kind of snobbery within music, to be honest with you. I don’t have any interest in that. Yeah, like you said, some people’s first introduction to a band was through a best of. And then a successful introduction, would be like, for instance, The Beatles, ‘red’ and ‘blue’ albums [1962-1966 and 1967-1970, respectively] and like you say, The Doors… These are just as important to a lot of people as regular albums, so yeah, I’ve got no snobbery when it comes to ‘best ofs’.
‘Take My Hand’, is by far your most listened to track on Spotify, and I guess that just shows the power of the TV audience more than anything else [‘Take My Hand’ is used as the theme to Matt’s TV comedy show Toast of London]
Yeah, I guess. I mean, it’s also one of the oldest songs. So it’s been around the longest.
You said your contract was up. Presumably you’ve re-signed?
Yeah. I mean, that was the reason for the celebration, in terms of going forward for another 10 years and it’s ended up being a ‘best of’.
How do you look back on all the albums you’ve recorded with Acid Jazz. With the distance, you can look back and maybe see pathways and things that weren’t clear at the time when you were knee deep in the middle of recording your third record, or whatever.
Yeah, I mean, I don’t tend to look back, very often, if I’m honest – if at all. The only times I look back, will be to work out why something didn’t work. Or to correct things, or try to correct things; exploring why I didn’t achieve what I had in my head.
But this project must have forced you to look back a little bit, because even though you said you left it to the label you must have personally gone through some of your outtakes in your archives.
I did. But it was made easy, because we’d already talked about doing a deluxe of Witchazel, which is the first album I’d released with them, so had already been told to go through all the Witchazel outtakes, to find anything that was interesting. So I’d already done that. That was half the work done, because there was a lot of other things that were recorded around that time. So, I just included some of that but all the other stuff, like books etc… that was done by the label and done by Ben the photographer, who’s been around since the start. He’s got everything. I don’t keep anything. I don’t keep any photographs from back when. So, it could only have come from him, because he does kept everything. He’s the one who took all the photographs, so he was the best person for that job.
Why don’t you keep things?
It’s nothing to do with negativity or positivity, it’s because I’m not that interested. I’m far more interested in what I’m going to be doing next. Once something is done for me then it’s done and I’ve reached the end of that particular thing. And then it’s all about having the enthusiasm to start the next thing. It isn’t through not wanting to look back or anything. It’s just once I’m done, I’m done. I’m kind of enthused by looking forward.
Of all the albums that you’ve recorded, which do you think has successfully managed to deliver the vision in your head when you started out making it?
Well, there’s a couple, I would say, possibly Kill the Wolf and The Blue Elephant. They sounded exactly like I had in my head, pretty much. I was also pleased with Phantom Birds. I knew exactly what I didn’t want to do with that album. But yeah, I would say those two: Kill the Wolf and The Blue Elephant.
And is that the yardstick by which you measure the success of a record?
I don’t even think about the success of it. I’m not that interested in that, it’s all about – and this sounds kind of wanky, but again, I don’t care anymore – it’s all about the artistic intent, and whether I managed to nail it or not, or even if I managed to get near it. That is all that I’m interested in. And to be fair, that’s all that the label are interested in, to an extent. Obviously, they’re interested in selling, more than I am, but they’re still proper music fans, and they want a decent album.
The vinyl box set edition of Gather Up
How’s that relationship been? Has anything changed much in a decade? You’ve become a bigger name, I guess, in terms of the acting side of things, but you seem to get a lot of pleasure being on a label like Acid Jazz.
Acid Jazz was a label that I looked up to, a lot, as a kid. I’ve said this a load of times, but, you know, when I, when I was a student, and when I was in my late teens and early 20s, you couldn’t get Hammond Organ music, unless you went around charity shops. It wasn’t until Acid Jazz did their compilations that I managed to get all this stuff. So they were a huge label for me, when I was growing up, because it was the fastest way to get to the kind of stuff that I love: 60s Mod… all this kind of shit, that I was into. They also had original acts doing that kind of thing as well, so they were an all round kind of label that I was into as a kid.
You mentioned the Phantom Birds album. That’s spotlighted quite significantly on this box set, isn’t it, because you’ve got a whole disc of demos and different versions? Tell us a little bit about that. It rather suggests that a) there was a lot of stuff recorded for that record and b) that you were trying to go in a certain direction and maybe avoid other directions?
Yeah, that’s exactly it. I mean, what I’d done up until then, largely, was just fill every track [on a song] with as many as many tracks, or stems, as I wanted to, because that was the kind of thing, that is the kind of thing, that I’m into. I’m into banks of guitar parts and that kind of stuff. Heavy production and lots of production ideas. So it was a conscious decision to drop all that for Phantom Birds and keep it as simple as I could. It looks like I spent a lot of time on it [but] I didn’t, I demoed everything while filming and doing various things. And then when I came back, and I just re-recorded it all. I kept some vocals from the demos, but yeah, I just kind of did it again, properly.
So you do record demos most of the time, because I was wondering about your process…
For that album, [I did]. That’s the only album where I’ve done that, because it was such a departure; it was a different kind of discipline that I had there. I kept having to tell myself, “I don’t need a Mellotron here”, I just need to keep this as sparse as I can.
A couple of the tracks on the box set (‘Peter Cleopatra and the Windmill’ and ‘The Shot Rang Out in the Forest’), to me have a slightly more light hearted, borderline comedic type thing going on? When you write your music, do you have to consciously stop yourself from being silly?
No, because I don’t see it like that. It’s an unavoidable comparison to make, because of what I do. But there’s never any intention to be funny. I’m not interested in comedy songs. I never have been. It’s a genre that I couldn’t give a fuck about.
But what about the Paul McCartney thing on Witchazel [‘Paul McCartney’ – actually comic actor Peter Serafinowicz – sings backing vocals on ‘Rain Come Down’]? I mean, that’s got a comedy thing going on, hasn’t it?
No, not to me. It was just more of just “what would he sound like, if he was to come on [sing] the end of this song?” Like I say, the comparison is always made, because of what else I do.
Is that a bit of a frustration?
No, I don’t care anymore. I might have done in the early days, but I honestly couldn’t give a shit now, because it doesn’t make any difference to what I’m doing.
Are you comfortable letting people hear the demos and the kind of stuff that didn’t come out the first time around?
Only if it’s interesting. If I went in a different direction with it, or it’s something that is rare, that maybe didn’t come out because I’ve totally forgotten about it
It’s very interesting listening to ‘The Blue Elephant Alternative Intro’ that’s on one of the discs in this box set compared to ‘Aboard’, which became the finished version. ‘Aboard’ has a lighter, jazzier touch, and the original version had a slightly heavier guitar and a whole different feel. That’s quite an interesting insight into your decision-making process at the time.
Yeah. I mean, you’ve just got to balance stuff, you know. It’s just a sequencing thing, because the thing about that album is, it was designed just to be listened to in one go, rather than odd tracks, because they all dovetail into one another. So you’ve got to take these things into account when you’re putting one track in front of another.
Your Television Themes album is highly enjoyable. How much did you learn about the genius behind some of these themes from the ’70s? It must have been interesting having to break them down and re-record them.
It was fascinating. It was something that I’d wanted to do for a while, and Acid Jazz had actually done one during the 90s, or whenever; a film and TV themes album which Acid Jazz artists had recorded. And all we were going to do, basically, was add to that. I was going to do a couple for a re-release. The whole point, for me, was doing the themes that hadn’t been commercially released, the ones that you couldn’t get on vinyl. Things like, ‘Are You Being Served?’, ‘World in Action’, ‘Sorry’… Stuff that hadn’t come out. So that was the main aim, just to get those available. And then it was up to me, to be as faithful with them as I could. But the thing about those kinds of themes are, they’re only like 30 seconds long – if that. So, if I was just to do the actual themes that everyone knows, the album would have been like, eight minutes. So you know, I had to come up with these new bits, stuff in the middle, which was fun. Because you could do what you wanted there, and then come back to the theme again.
Well, that’s the classic thing with TV themes, because when they do get commercially released, they always have some weird sax break in the middle that you never heard on the TV version.
Yeah, exactly.
This is the end of a decade, you said you’ve re-signed to the label, so what are the next 10 years going to bring?
Me trying out other things, and seeing whether they work, basically, and doing stuff with others… I’ve just done a single with Emma Noble, so I want to do more of that kind of stuff. I think they’ll be a lot more collaboration.
Are you going to try and get out on the road next year?
Well, it’s possible. I mean, that would kind of depend on vampires [Matt was in the middle of filming What We Do In The Shadows when he spoke to SDE] and whether we can get out. I’d like to, because there’s at least two albums that I haven’t toured, so it would be good.
Have you got any specific plans as to what your next record might sound like?
A few ideas, and they’re, they’re sort of production ideas, more than anything else. I know what I want. There’s a certain specific thing that I want to try and get and work out how it’s done. I want to go back to folk, I think. But then sort of give it a bit of a twist.
Why didn’t the Witchazel deluxe happen, out of interest?
I think it will. This [box] comes first, but I didn’t put everything from the Witchazel deluxe on it, because there’s loads of stuff. So that will come out.
Matt Berry was talking to Paul Sinclair for SDE. The new box set, Gather Up, is released on 19 November 2021 on vinyl and CD.
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Gather up - 5LP box set with signed certificate and book
Jack White will release two new studio albums next year. Fear of the Dawn (his fourth album) will be released in April 2022, while its follow up, Entering Heaven Alive, will be issued in July.
‘Taking Me Back’ is from the former – you can watch the video below.
Both albums were recorded at White’s Third Man Studio throughout 2021. There are various editions of Fear of the Dawn available for pre-order including blue vinyl and CD with both Third Man ‘mix’ discs. There’s no pre-orders anywhere for Entering Heaven alive except for a solitary black vinyl on the Third Man Records site. More info on that release is expected next year.
Fear of the Dawn will be issued on 8 April 2022, while Entering Heaven Alive is slated for 22 July 2022.
Aussie duo The Antipodeans ((Mark Vick & Danny Muller), who share a self-confessed ‘obsession’ with ’80s synth-rock, have ‘re-imagined’ Australian band Icehouse‘s 1982 hit ‘Hey Little Girl’.
The song was the second single from Icehouse’s 1982 album, Primitive Man, and was a top 20 hits across Europe, hitting the top ten in other territories including Australia.
SDE readers will be pleased to read that The Antipodeans may have reworked the song, but they have remained relatively faithful to the artistry of the original and given it a ‘classic’ eighties sounding remix. The reworking features the original vocal from Iva Davies and this initiative has full support from Icehouse. You can listen to it, below.
Even better, there’s a physical release, in the shape of a coloured vinyl 12-inch single which features four new remixes, including the radio mix, an extended mix and two further mixes.
The physical single is extremely limited (only 250 units) and is only available via Long Distance Recording’s online store in Australia. It’s pressed on 180g translucent violet vinyl and is cut at 45RPM. The shop does ship internationally.
The Antipodeans vs Icehouse’s ‘Hey Little Girl’ is out now, via Long Distance Recordings. When the vinyl sells out, here are the download/streaming options.
Tracklisting
Hey Little GirlThe Antipodeans vs Icehouse/Limited edition 12-inch single
Radio Mix
Extended Mix
Mark & Danny’s Disco Mix
Mark & Danny’s Extended Disco Mix
ICEHOUSE. 01 Radio Mix 02 Extended Mix 03 Mark & Danny’s Disco Mix 04 Mark & Danny’s Extended Disco Mix
The A&M Years is a forthcoming 8CD box set featuring ’90s British band Dodgy.
The box features 128 tracks, including the three studio albumsThe Dodgy Album, Homegrown and Free Peace Sweet. Each album comes a disc of bonus tracks and two bonus CDs offer live cuts and remixes.
Produced by Ian Broudie, the band’s 1993 debut, The Dodgy Album, featured the singles ‘Water Under The Bridge’, ‘Lovebirds’, and ‘I Need Another’ although it was the following year’s Homegrown that caught the attention of this writer, particularly the single ‘So Let Me Go Far’, although ‘Staying Out For The Summer’ would be a bigger hit when it was reissued in 1995.
In 1996, the band released their third studio album Free Peace Sweet. This was a platinum-selling record thanks to the infectious radio hit ‘Good Enough’ which reached number four in the UK singles chart.
Dodgy: The A&M Years. 8CD box set with a limited edition available with signed print (click image to enlarge)
This box comes with a booklet of rare photographs and memorabilia, an introduction from 6 Music’s Matt Everitt, and track-by-track notes from band members Mathew Priest, Nigel Clark and Andy Miller.
An Amazon UK-exclusive edition of The A&M Years 8CD set comes with an art card SIGNED by the band. This is limited to 750 units.
There is also a 4LP coloured vinyl edition of The A&M Years that sees with The Dodgy Album pressed on white vinyl, Homegrown on neon green vinyl and Free Peace Sweet pressed on 2LP translucent blue vinyl. These are all 180g pressings and the later is a gatefold package that includes the two bonus tracks (‘Grateful Moon’ and ‘is It Me?’) from its original limited pressing. This is available via Rough Trade in the UK with a SIGNED print (like the CD set limited to 750).
The A&M Years as a 4LP coloured vinyl box set (click image to enlarge)
As well as these CD and vinyl box sets, Dodgy’s 1998 ‘best of’ – Ace A’s and Killer B’s – will be pressed on vinyl for the first time. This features all eight of the band’s UK top 40 hits and is pressed on 2LP yellow and green 180gt Vinyl.
The A&M Years and Ace A’s and Killer B’s and both released on 25 February 2022.
Dodgy will also be playing an IN STORE PERFORMANCE, with a Q&A and signing session at London’s Rough Trade East on 26 February 2022. Ticket price includes the format/product of your choice. Book here.
Placebo will release their eighth studio album, Never Let Me Go, in March next year.
The 13-track long-player is the follow up to 2013’s Loud Like Love and is available to pre-order via the Official Placebo Shop, with exclusive coloured vinyl and signed bundles on offer. Any pre-orders placed on the official shop before 15 November come with access to priority pre-sale tickets for the 2022 UK and European tour.
You can preview ‘Surrounded By Spies’ from the new record, above.
Small lift-off lid box with single CD, 13 lyric cards and an ‘immersive booklet’ (click image to enlarge)
In terms of CD editions, there’s nothing with any extra tracks (no format offers extra tracks) but there’s a small CD box on the official store with 13 lyric cards and an ‘immersive booklet’ (whatever that may be). This appears to be the same as the Amazon UK exclusive, except with Amazon you get a lenticular print.
Never Let Me Go will be released on 25 March 2022.
Browse the Official Placebo Shop for exclusives & bundles or check out highlights below
Don’t know if you’ve heard the news, but ABBA have a new album out. It’s called Voyage and SDE offers it’s verdict on the new 10-track long-player.
I Still Have Faith In You
This opening number is an ABBA 2021 mission statement, of sorts. It’s an openly sentimental number about friendship, doubt, faith, togetherness and longevity. Benny, Björn, Agnetha and Frida tick every single box when it comes to relationships (friends, lovers, wives/husbands, parents, workmates, ex-wives/husbands) and so their feelings towards each other must be deep, layered, complex and rich.
This song could easily have been a simple and straightforward piano ballad, but with ABBA there is always musical ambition, construction, building blocks and different elements to keep you interested. The first two minutes are about rumination. I still have faith in you but “do I have it in me?” And then at around the two minute mark the questions are answered with a triumphant ‘chorus’ section: “We do have it in us / New spirit has arrived / The joy and the sorrow / We have a story / And it survived“. Things calm down at the end and we are back to Frida, piano and some strings.
One gets the feeling that this was a song that they needed to sing. It sounds like ABBA, which is obviously important, and there’s plenty to enjoy including Frida’s superb lead vocal, some strong melodies and even a hint of ‘Fernando’ drums at one point. The triumphant – somewhat bombastic – section is probably the weakest part of the song but it’s hard not to be moved by the sentiment, which declares “We alive, we’re back and we’re ABBA!” 4/5
When You Danced With Me
This is a Celtic-themed, mid-paced jig which ties in with the lyrical narrative of a guy who abandons his girl and leaves Kilkenny (a county in southeast Ireland, geography fans!) to go to the city – or the “outside world” as it’s described later in the song! The narrator has a good line in passive aggression (“so you left for the city, I hope you like it there”) but she gets her hopes up when he returns for “the village fair” (“could it be / you miss the good times when you danced with me”).
We never find out what happens but presume he’s ‘moved on’. To be honest, the guy might be well advised to get a restraining order out on the narrator, or a least check his legal position, if he wants to drop in on next year’s “village fair”.
The lyric is harmless fluff, but the music is enjoyable enough and ‘When You Danced With Me’ has the ‘clap along’ quality during the verses and resolves nicely into the payoff line and the catchy cèilidh post-chorus instrumental section. The song doesn’t outstay its welcome and is done and dusted in less than three minutes. 4/5
Little Things
ABBA’s unabashed Christmas song! It’s easy to mock a number like ‘Little Things’, but a lot harder to write such a festive ditty. The melody is precision-engineered, in true ABBA style, and wanders off-piste delightfully to the higher end of Agnetha and Frida’s vocal range (“and why don’t we stay in bed for a while”) before coming back around again. Benny and Björn have really aced the self-given brief here and the song’s structure, arrangement and the vocal performance are all of a very high quality. ‘Little Things’ is not crass, it’s gentle, and even when the children’s choir come in at the end, it’s far from overblown and actually introduces some new Christmas Carol-style melody lines. This song is certainly high up the running order of Voyage, but shoving it towards the end of the record would have spoiled the ‘Ode To Freedom’ finale. ‘Little Things’ is one of the most accomplished tracks on the record. 4.5/5
Just A Notion
‘Just A Notion’ sees ABBA revive an outtake from 1978’s Voulez Vous. The original remains unreleased, aside from a snippet being included in 1994’s Thank You For The Music four-CD set by way of the ‘ABBA Undeleted‘ medley. The version on Voyage uses the original vocals but apparently replaces most of the instrumentation. There’s a good time, Chas & Dave charm to this mid-paced track, although ironically, sometimes the old vocals feel somewhat buried in the slightly muddy mix and you wonder why they didn’t just alter the key (if necessary) and re-record the whole thing. Still, by definition this is the most like ABBA from ‘the old days’ because it mostly is ABBA from the old days. 3.5/5
Don’t Shut Me Down
This Agnetha-led first person narrative starts beautifully with some wonderful words describing our protagonist hanging around in the park waiting to go and confront her man. There are rich strings, a harp, some ‘ooh, oohs’ and just before you start to wonder if this heading towards ‘ballad land’, a Benny piano glissando and some vaudeville-style saxophone transform ‘Don’t Shut Me Down’ into a wonderful perky, mid-paced pop song which has the bounce of The Visitors‘ ‘Head Over Heels’ and the knowing lyric of ‘The Day Before You Came’.
‘Don’t Shut Me Down’ is brilliant and doesn’t put a foot wrong, most noticeably in the extremely catchy chorus which combines words and melody beautifully. It’s a great idea to put the women in the position to challenge and confront the man, even if she’s acknowledging she was a bit of a pain before. She goes to his flat and says “And now you see another me, I’ve been reloaded, yeah / I’m fired up, don’t shut me down“. The next line rather suggests Björn was a fan of Christopher Nolan’s 2010 film Inception: “I’m like a dream within a dream that’s been decoded“.
The song flows effortlessly from that preface in the park, to the verses as the narrator confronts who we presume is her ex, to the defiant choruses. There’s a skilful post-chorus section which brings things down and eases us gently back to the verses via that swaggering sax and some strings.
The whole thing is classic ABBA and I’m convinced if this was a single from Super Trouper or The Visitors it would have been a major hit. And let’s be clear, it sounds a lot like ABBA from 1980/81, which in itself is a remarkable achievement. 5/5
I Can Be That Woman
A slow-paced ballad with Agnetha on lead vocals, ‘I Can Be That Woman’ disconcertingly spends much of the first verse focused on the family dog, ‘Tammy’. The poor thing is stuck in the middle of a relationship crisis and god knows what her fella has trained the mutt to do (“she jerks every time you swear”).
I know ABBA came first, but this song sounds quite Roxette-esque when Agnetha sings “And then you wake up and you’re bleary-eyed / I say I’m sorry, I can see you’ve cried”. In truth, the verse melody is a little bit pedestrian and doesn’t even scan well in places (“Then you curse and kick a chair”) which feels a bit lazy. The chorus is better, although rather like ‘Don’t Shut Me Down’, the lyric is arguably a little bit ‘old-fashioned’ in places (if you are being generous) or sexist (if you’re not) with the woman taking much of the blame and being prepared to change (although, to be fair, she does sing “You’re not the man you should have been” as well).
One of the weaker tracks on the album, this awkward, family drama lyric could have been saved by some pace and a decent tune, but sadly not. 3/5
Keep An Eye On Dan
‘Keep An Eye On Dan’ depicts another family in crisis. This time it’s not Tammy, but ‘Dan’ who is stuck-the-middle-with-you. I’m making the assumption that Dan is a human and not a canine. This song is basically about a joint custody arrangement (“I’ll be back at on Sunday to get him”) with the woman asking her estranged partner to keep an eye on their son – i.e. don’t go to the pub and leave him on his own, you stupid bastard!
Lyrically, it’s almost as weird as ‘I Can Be That Woman’, but this song is MUCH more fun, thanks to some pace, some great synths and a strong melody and arrangement. Bonus points for Benny and Björn evoking ABBA of old with the melody of the line “He throws me his ‘go-mummy’ kiss” and at the end, with a piano motif that references ‘S.O.S.’. 4/5
Bumblebee
‘Bumblebee’ imagines a world without, er, Bumblebees, and is pure ‘Fernando’ at the beginning , with recorders and flutes set to acoustic guitars and warm synth pads. It’s a simple little song that reminds us of the pleasures and importance of the Bumblebee and then moves on to consider it “quite absurd” that the pace of change in the world might be “too fast” for this social insect to adapt. ‘Bumblebee’ is sweet and innocent and raises serious global concerns in an almost childlike manner. Frida sings wonderfully and the arrangement is perfect with military drum rolls, acoustic guitar figures, orchestral flourishes and the odd dramatic timpani. Very ABBA. 3.5/5
No Doubt About It
Good though ‘Bumblebee’ is, ‘No Doubt About It’ is some welcome biscuits and cheese after the sweetness of the song it follows. This is a rollicking, fast-paced number with handclaps, pumping bass and a strident vocal delivery and melody. ‘No Doubt About It’ is very hooky and starts with the strong and memorable chorus line (“I messed it up, alright / And there’s no doubt about it”) before going into the equally good verse and brilliant pre-chorus break (“Well, then why, do I let it upset me..”). ‘No Doubt About It’ doesn’t put a foot wrong although it’s hard not to notice that the woman is taking the blame again (“Björn, take a seat on the psychologist’s couch…”). No matter, a brilliant pop song. 4/5
Ode To Freedom
The last ABBA song on probably the last ABBA album, ‘Ode to Freedom’ is a waltz that owes a fair debt to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. There’s a stately grandeur to this orchestral closing statement, that’s very moving if you are a big ABBA fan. Agnetha and Frida’s voices blend beautifully, both with each other, and with the music. Björn’s thoughtful lyric is also very good, because within it the narrator expresses doubt and ponders what his/her ‘Ode to Freedom’ might be like, should they ever write it. It would be “simple… not pretentious, but with dignity”. In many ways it’s a line that encapsulates how ABBA went about their business in the 1970s and describes the pop music they have given the world. Almost as good an ending to an ABBA album as ‘Like An Angel Passing Through My Room’, but not quite. 4.5/5
Summary
Let’s be clear (as politicians like to say), Voyage isn’t the album ABBA would have made after The Visitors if they hadn’t called it a day. The band were finessing their sound in the late Seventies and altering their approach to arrangements and songwriting, album-by-album. This ultimately ended up with the synth-laden masterpiece that was the 1981 studio album, and the standalone single ‘Under Attack’, with its notable use of a vocoder. Look to something like Murray Head’s ‘One Night in Bangkok’ from the Chess musical (co-written and co-produced by Benny and Björn with Tim Rice), if you want to imagine how ABBA might have sounded in 1983 or 1984.
What the band have chosen to do in 2021 is release an album of mostly new songs that together sound like an ABBA ‘greatest hits’, not in terms of the quality of the tracks (although they are largely pretty good), but in terms of the style, sounds and arrangements that go a long way to defining ABBA. If the band told you that these were ALL outtakes from various albums from the 1970s, you would believe them, and that is the key to the success of ABBA’s Voyage. It has the group’s DNA running through all aspects of the record. It does not contain ten songs of the quality of ‘Don’t Shut Me Down’, but that’s okay because Super Trouper didn’t have ten songs of the quality of ‘The Winner Takes It All’, either.
Voyage‘s weaknesses are its strengths, because while ABBA were unstoppable and unrelenting when it came to near-perfect hit singles, their albums never quite reached the same heights and more often than not had the odd dodgy song, weird lyric, or ill-advised digression. Even The Visitors had ‘Two For The Price Of One’ (although I actually like that song). And so it is with Voyage. Björn’s much publicised comment that the album was recorded “trend-blind” is the secret to the album’s success. Voyage‘s musical reference points end in 1981 and rather than move on from The Visitors, arguably they’ve stepped back a bit. It’s as if Benny and Björn wrote the name of every ABBA song they’d ever written on pieces of paper, put them all into a hat and picked nine of them out at random; on each occasion declaring: “we will write a song for Voyage that sounds like this!”.
Voyage is more than an ABBA-badged record. It feels like ABBA, sounds like ABBA, and – at the risk of stating the obvious – is ABBA. The band left us in our own ‘Kilkenny’ in the early eighties and we always hoped they’d return “next year” but they never did. Now they’re back. Will you dance with me?
Queen / The Studio Collection 18LP coloured vinyl box set
Another opportunity to pick up this superb Queen vinyl box set. First issued back in 2015, then reissued in 2020 and now available again. It features all 15 studio albums, half-speed mastered and pressed on 180g coloured vinyl and comes with an 108-page hardback book.
![David Bowie / Brilliant Adventure [1992-2001] 18LP vinyl box set](https://images.superdeluxeedition.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/propercover.jpg)
