News 16 Nov 2015

The Comsat Angels deluxe reissues

By Justyn Barnes

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Cult Eighties post-punks The Comsat Angels are releasing deluxe expanded editions of their first three albums, and the long out-of-print Chasing Shadows…

These much-delayed reissues, via Edsel, finally hit the streets later this week, inviting a reappraisal of the Sheffield four-piece once championed by Robert Palmer.

Named after the J. G. Ballard story of the same name, The Comsat Angels combined sparse instrumentation and a large sound in abstract, generally bleak, heartache-ridden pop songs. Unlike other contemporary bands of similar ilk such as U2, Simple Minds, Teardrop Explodes and Echo and the Bunnymen, however, the Comsats never achieved mainstream glory, with their biggest ‘hit’ album, Sleep No More and single Independence Day, peaking at number 51 and 71 in the UK charts respectively.

The Comsat Angels are Stephen Fellows (guitar, vocals), Mik Glaisher (drums), Kevin Bacon (bass) and Andy Peake (keyboards), and although commercial success proved elusive for them in the Eighties, their influence can be detected in the work of many Post-Punk revival bands – Blacklist, Bell Hollow, Editors and Interpol to name but a few.

These four remastered 2CD deluxe packages showcase pivotal albums from the band’s catalogue – Waiting For a Miracle, Sleep No More, Fiction and Chasing Shadows/Fire On The Moon. Robert Palmer contributed to vocals You’ll Never Know on Chasing Shadows (and got an ‘executive producer’ credit for his trouble), which is reissued for the first time here and packaged with the little-known Fire On the Moon, recorded in the brief period when the Comsats renamed themselves ‘Dream Command’.

All albums featured in this mass reissue were originally recorded between 1980 and 1990 and a sprinkling of bonus non-LP singles, demos and BBC radio session tracks have been added. Each set comes with a booklet featuring detailed liner notes, rare photos, memorabilia.

Two CD super deluxe editions of Waiting For a Miracle, Sleep No More, Fiction and Chasing Shadows/Fire On The Moon are released on 20 November 2015.

Waiting For A Miracle 2CD

Sleep No More 2CD

Fiction 2CD

Chasing Shadows/Fire On The Moon 2CD

Waiting For A Miracle (1980)

CD1

1              Missing In Action
2              Baby
3              Independence Day
4              Waiting For A Miracle
5              Total War
6              On The Beach
7              Monkey Pilot
8              Real Story
9              Map Of The World
10           Postcard

Bonus Tracks

11           Home Is The Range
12           We Were
13           Ju Ju Money (LP out-take)
14           Work (LP out-take)

CD2

1              Red Planet
2              I Get Excited
3              Specimen No.2
4              Independence Day (Demo)
5              Real Story (Demo)
6              Target Talk (Demo)
7              Living In (Demo)

BBC Sessions

8              Total War
9              Independence Day
10           Baby
11           Ju Ju Money
12           Real Story
13           Monkey Pilot
14           Waiting For A Miracle
15           Home Is The Range

Sleep No More (1981)

CD1

1              The Eye Dance
2              Sleep No More
3              Be Brave
4              Gone
5              Dark Parade
6              Diagram
7              Restless
8              Goat Of The West
9              Light Years
10           Our Secret

Bonus Tracks

11           Eye Of The Lens
12           Another World
13           At Sea

CD2

1              Mass (album out-take)
2              Dark Parade 1 (Demo)
3              Goat Of The West (Demo)
4              Be Brave (Demo)
5              Gone (Alt. EP Version)
6              Be Brave
7              At Sea
8              Eye Of The Lens
9              Dark Parade
10           Gone
11           Total War
12           Eye Dance
13           Be Brave

Fiction (1982)

CD1

1              After The Rain
2              Zinger
3              Now I Know
4              Not A Word
5              Ju Ju Money
6              More
7              Pictures
8              Birdman
9              Don’t Look Now
10           What Else!?

CD2

1              (Do The) Empty House
2              Red Planet Revisited
3              It’s History
4              Private Party
5              For Your Information
6              After The Rain (Remix)
7              (Do The) Empty House [Live]
8              What Else!? [Live]
9              Now I Know
10           Ju Ju Money
11           Our Secret
12           Goat Of The West

Chasing Shadows (1986)

CD1

1              The Thought That Counts
2              The Cutting Edge
3              Under The Influence
4              Carried Away
5              You’ll Never Know
6              Lost Continent
7              Flying Dreams
8              Pray For Rain

Bonus

9 Something’s Got To Give

CD2 Dream Command: Fire On The Moon (1990)

1              Celestine
2              Whirlwind
3              Sleepwalking
4              Reach For Me
5              Ice Sculpture
6              Venus Hunter
7              Phantom Power
8              Transport Of Delight
9              She’s Invisible
10           Mercury

Waiting For A Miracle 2CD

Sleep No More 2CD

Fiction 2CD

Chasing Shadows/Fire On The Moon 2CD

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