Paul Young / No Parlez 40th anniversary reissue featuring SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio

SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio with 8 audio streams • 2CD sets with SDE-exclusive edition featuring US artwork • Quick pre-order link

40 years ago this very week, one of the most popular albums of the 1980s, Paul Young’s solo debut No Parlez, was number two in the UK album charts while its fourth single, a reissued ‘Love of the Common People’, occupied the same position in the UK singles charts. Released in July 83, the album became a commercial phenomenon, taking up residence in the top 10 where it remained for an astonishing 32 consecutive weeks (baring one seven day spell at #11) until March 1984. During that time, other legendary 80s albums came and went, including Culture Club’s Colour by Numbers, Duran Duran’s Seven and the Ragged Tiger and Lionel Richie’s Can’t Slow Down, but No Parlez endured, reaching number one on four separate occasions for a total of five weeks at the summit. In the end, it spent over two years in the top 100!

Now, four decades on, this titan of 80s pop is getting a literal super deluxe treatment with an SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio edition that will surely be the last word on No Parlez, with no fewer than EIGHT different audio mixes, including a brand new immersive Dolby Atmos Mix, a 5.1 mix, a new stereo mix and much more.

Additionally, a new 2CD edition offers the original first UK vinyl pressing on CD for the very first time, along with B-sides and remixes on CD 2. As well as being available in the classic sleeve, an SDE-exclusive edition of the 2CD set comes packaged in the original USA artwork, in deluxe seven-inch packaging!

No Parlez was produced by Laurie Latham (he produced Ian Dury’s 1977 album New Boots and Panties!!) and features the UK number one, ‘Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home)’, ‘Come Back And Stay’, ‘Iron Out The Rough Spots’ and the aforementioned ‘Love of the Common People’.

Latham’s signature layered production style – working with a group of very creative musicians (including bassist Pino Palladino, who quickly became one of the most in demand sessions players of the era) and the idiosyncratic backing singers Kim Lesley and Maz Roberts (affectionately nicknamed ‘The Fabulous Weathy Tarts’) – lends itself perfectly to immersive audio, wonderfully showcasing Paul Young’s exceptional voice.

All the original 24-track, two-inch analogue tapes were located, heat-treated (‘baked’) and captured to digital in startling 192 kHz/24-bit clarity. The process sees the album meticulously rebuilt in stereo, with painstaking attention to detail, before the immersive audio Atmos and 5.1 mixes are created. This is detailed and time-consuming work and there is nothing automated about it! Producer and artist David Kosten has undertaken this work (he created the Atmos Mix for Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells) and it’s fair to say that No Parlez will never sound better!

Interestingly, one multi-track tape had been missing for 15 years, but with some SDE sleuthing we located it, transferred it and returned it safely to the Sony archive. Phew!

I have personally worked on three major Paul Young reissue projects over the last decade (Remixes and Rarities, Tomb of Memories: The CBS Years 1982-1993 and The CBS Singles Collection 1982-1994 box set) and in that time Paul has become something of a friend to SDE. So it will come as no surprise to read that this 40th anniversary reissue of what few would argue is his defining work, comes with Paul’s full approval and endorsement.

To cut to the chase, the No Parlez 40th anniversary SDE-exclusive Blu-ray Audio features the following hi-resolution audio streams:

1. 2024 Dolby Atmos Mix
2. 2024 5.1 Mix (48/24)
3. 2024 New Stereo Mix (192/24 and 48/24)
4. 2024 Dolby Atmos Instrumental Mix
5. 2024 5.1 Instrumental Mix (48/24)
6. 2024 New Stereo Instrumental Mix (192/24 and 48/24)
7. 1983 Mix Newly Mastered – Unlimited (no peak limiting applied) (96/24)
8. 1983 Original 1983 CBS CD Master (48/24)

1-7 above is the original 11-track vinyl version of the album which has the 4.57 version of ‘Come Back And Stay’ at the beginning. #8 is the original CD/cassette version with five extended mixes and bonus track (full tracklisting details below). I would like to highlight that the original 1983 vinyl hi-res stereo mix (#7, above) has been mastered specifically for this blu-ray with no peak limiting applied for maximum dynamics. This mastering will be different to the 2CD edition.

Additionally, there are three bonus tracks in the same 1-6 streams listed above (i.e. Atmos, 5.1 instrumentals etc.). They are:

• Behind Your Smile (B-side and cassette/CD bonus track)
• I’ve Been Lonely For So Long (No Parlez outtake)
• Yours (B-side)

The 40th anniversary 2CD edition is pictured above in SDE-exclusive guise. This combines the newly-mastered first vinyl pressing version of No Parlez (first time on CD, remember) with the second disc of 12-inch mixes, seven-inch mixes and non-album tracks. For the avoidance of doubt, the audio is the same on both 2CD sets, only the design (UK sleeve v US sleeve) is different. The SDE-exclusive is limited to 1000 units worldwide.

In terms of the SDE-exclusive blu-ray, No Parlez is #17 in the ongoing SDE Surround Series and will be packaged similarly to previous editions and ships with a free, collectible SDE Surround Series slipcase.

Here’s the now traditional reminder as to why this product is highly recommended:

• It’s the only way to enjoy the Dolby Atmos mix of the album via a physical product
• You don’t need to sign-up to a streaming service such as Tidal or Apple Music to hear the spatial audio mix
• The Atmos Mix on the Blu-ray is not compressed due to streaming bandwidth restrictions. The Dolby Atmos version on a Blu-ray is encoded in Dolby TrueHD Atmos has a bit rate 10 times higher (up to 8000 kbits/s) compared to streaming’s Dolby Digital Plus (768 kbits/s)
• You own the product, you are not renting it from a digital service provider
• The Blu-ray audio is an excellent format for music and you don’t want to see it die off
• Supporting SDE with these initiatives leads to similar collaborations with labels/artists and we are keen to bring your more in the near future!

The SDE-exclusive Blu-ray Audio of No Parlez is a limited edition item. It will be pressed based on demand and due to the short lead time to manufacture, it will be available to pre-order for 10 days only. You have until Christmas Eve! Availability after that cannot be guaranteed, so secure your copy today by pre-ordering at the SDE shop, either directly via this link or using the special SDE shop buy button (‘add to cart’) below. We ship worldwide, no longer have any extra charges to the EU (for orders under €150) and cost saving bundles are available.

The No Parlez 40th anniversary Blu-ray Audio and the 2CD editions will be released on 15 March 2024 and is a collaboration between SDE and Edsel. There is no vinyl version of this reissue! Feel free to ask questions via the comments and I will do my best to personally answer them.

Tracklisting

No Parlez Paul Young / SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio

• • No Parlez: UK Vinyl First Pressing version with 3 bonus tracks (as below) in the following audio streams: 2024 Dolby Atmos Mix, 2024 5.1 Mix (TBC, although expected to be 96/24), 2024 New Stereo Mix (96/24), 2024 Dolby Atmos Instrumental Mix, 2024 5.1 Instrumental Mix (TBC, although expected to be 96/24), 2024 New Stereo Instrumental Mix (96/24)

    1. Come Back and Stay 4:57
    2. Love Will Tear Us Apart 5:00
    3. Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home) 5:18
    4. Ku Ku Kurama 4:19
    5. No Parlez 4:57
    6. Love of the Common People 4:56
    7. Oh Women 3:35
    8. Iron Out the Rough Spots 4:47
    9. Broken Man 3:54
    10. Tender Trap 4:32
    11. Sex 4:49

    Bonus tracks

    12. Behind Your Smile 4.08 (B-side)
    13. Yours 5.39 (B-side)
    14. I’ve Been Lonely For So Long (No Parlez outtake) 3.39

    No Parlez: UK Vinyl First Pressing version newly remastered with no peak limiting 

    1. Come Back and Stay – 4:57
    2. Love Will Tear Us Apart  5:00
    3. Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home)  5:18
    4. Ku Ku Kurama – 4:19
    5. No Parlez – 4:57
    6. Love of the Common People – 4:56
    7. Oh Women  – 3:35
    8. Iron Out the Rough Spots – 4:47
    9. Broken Man  – 3:54
    10. Tender Trap – 4:32
    11. Sex  – 4:49

    No Parlez: Original 1983 CD Master

    1. Come Back and Stay 7:56 (scratch mix)
    2. Love Will Tear Us Apart  5:00
    3. Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home)  6:01 (extended club mix)
    4. Ku Ku Kurama 4:19
    5. No Parlez 4:57
    6. Behind Your Smile 4:08
    7. Love of the Common People  5:51 (extended club mix)
    8. Oh Women 3:35
    9. Iron Out the Rough Spots 7:28 (extended club mix)
    10. Broken Man 3:54
    11. Tender Trap 4:32
    12. Sex 6:51 (extended club mix)

Tracklisting

No Parlez Paul Young / SDE-exclusive 2CD set and standard 2CD set

• • CD 1
    1. Come Back And Stay 4:57
    2. Love Will Tear Us Apart 5:00
    3. Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home) 5:18
    4. Ku Ku Kurama 4:19
    5. No Parlez 4:57
    6. Love Of The Common People 4:56
    7. Oh Women 3:35
    8. Iron Out The Rough Spots 4:47
    9. Broken Man 3:54
    10. Tender Trap 4:32
    11. Sex 4:49
  • CD 2
    1. Behind Your Smile 4:08
    2. I’ve Been Lonely For So Long 3:38
    3. Iron Out The Rough Spots [7” Mix] 3:41
    4. Love Of The Common People [1982 7” Mix] 3:43
    5. Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home) [7” Version] 4:52
    6. Come Back And Stay [Single Remix Version] 4:23
    7. Love Of The Common People [Remix] 3:41
    8. Iron Out The Rough Spots [12” Mix] 7:29
    9. Love Of The Common People [Extended Club Mix] 5:51
    10. Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home) [Extended Club Mix Version] 5:59
    11. Sex [Extended Club Mix Version] 6:52
    12. Come Back And Stay [Extended Club Mix Version] 7:24
    13. Yours 5:39
    14. Come Back And Stay [Scratch Mix] 7:55