tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6165819963437011772024-03-13T13:16:52.213-07:00Careful With That Wax Cylinder, EugeneJason Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558797353616141638noreply@blogger.comBlogger238125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-77122566720425246602017-12-29T05:43:00.000-08:002020-05-18T00:01:18.191-07:00Welcome<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Hello there and welcome to "Careful With That Wax Cylinder, Eugene", the website formerly known as "The Jason Shergold Music Collector Site" or "TWFKATJSMCS" for short. Prince fans should get that reference.<br />
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This blog features articles about a genre-stretching variety of bands and singers, covering Punk to Prog, Pop to Art Rock and beyond, and how to go (more or less) about collecting their records. In the main, the articles will be aimed at people trying to get a collection together from scratch or how to fill in gaps in your collection easily, looking at shortcuts to doing so where they exist. Some articles will be a bit more specialised, with features of video releases, Japanese pressings, etc., whilst others will be a straight run through of the albums and the singles, where career spanning boxsets for that artist just don't exist - or are too expensive. As it's built using a Blogger template, it can - at times - look a bit DIY, just think of it as the internet version of "Sniffin' Glue". <br />
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As a UK based collector, most of these articles will generally revolve around UK discographies, but not necessarily just for UK bands. Although for some artists featured, their discographies will continue to grow, the post-iTunes scenario is that you can more or less guess what formats albums and singles will be released on nowadays, so these blogs in the main will help to fill in the holes when multiple physical formats were all the rage. <br />
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Due to tedious logistical reasons, the blog will be on a hiatus until further notice as regards new articles, but will remain live for comments and reading or research purposes. Hopefully, it's a bit like when Garbage took a break, and indeed, then returned - but hopefully will not be like The Thrills hiatus which has now lasted for over a decade.<br />
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The September 2017 edition is therefore the "current" blog now online, with a look at early-period Madonna US 12 inch singles.<br />
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The blog is also home to my "novel within a website", 'How I Learned To Hate Record Collecting', looking at the workings of the UK record industry, and how despite record collecting being a hobby that can bankrupt you, remains too hard to give it up. Click on any month from 2014 to view one of the twelve parts that form the whole article. And also check out my online photo collection of tour t-shirts, being sporadically updated when need be, the accurately titled "Rock & Roll T Shirts" by clicking here: <a href="http://rockandrolltshirts.smugmug.com/">rockandrolltshirts.smugmug.com</a>.<br />
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You should find it easy to navigate round the site. This year's stuff is shown due right, just use the list below to see who was featured in which month, and you can click on previous years tabs to get previous articles. Once you have selected that year, you can click on a different month again to look at different acts. <br />
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The acts featured appear in the months listed below: <br />
<b>Adam And The Ants</b> - October 2013 <br />
<b>All Saints</b> - February 2014 <br />
<b>Lily Allen</b> - August 2010 <br />
<b>Altered Images</b> - May/June 2017 <br />
<b>Ash</b> - April 2014<br />
<b>Atomic Kitten</b> - June 2013<br />
<b>Badly Drawn Boy</b> - November 2014<br />
<b>The Beatles</b> - September 2011 / March 2015 / October 2016<br />
<b>The Beautiful South</b> - December 2014<br />
<b>Victoria Beckham</b> - March 2016<br />
<b>Beyoncé</b> - May 2013<br />
<b>Biffy Clyro</b> - June 2014<br />
<b>Blondie</b> - January 2011 / September 2013 <br />
<b>Blur</b> - August 2011 / July 2012 / October 2013 <br />
<b>David Bowie</b> - September 2010 / October 2010 / November 2010 / January 2011 / June 2012 / September 2014 / January 2016 / May 2016 / July 2016 / September 2016 / November 2016 / December 2016<br />
<b>Emma Bunton</b> - March 2016<br />
<b>Kate Bush</b> - July 2013<br />
<b>Buzzcocks</b> - December 2011<br />
<b>Belinda Carlisle</b> - October 2013 <br />
<b>The Charlatans</b> - February 2014 <br />
<b>The Clash</b> - May 2011 <br />
<b>Elvis Costello</b> - January 2013 / September 2013 <br />
<b>Sheryl Crow</b> - June 2013 <br />
<b>The Cure</b> - December 2011 / April 2016<br />
<b>Deep Purple</b> - March 2010 <br />
<b>Depeche Mode</b> - May 2012 <br />
<b>The Doors</b> - December 2013 <br />
<b>Bob Dylan</b> - November 2013 <br />
<b>Echobelly</b> - February 2015 <br />
<b>Sophie Ellis-Bextor</b> - August 2011 <br />
<b>Embrace</b> - November 2013 <br />
<b>The Flaming Lips</b> - November 2011<br />
<b>Foo Fighters</b> - May 2014<br />
<b>Peter Gabriel</b> - August 2013<br />
<b>Genesis</b> - April 2011 / January 2014 <br />
<b>Girls Aloud</b> - August 2010 / November 2013 <br />
<b>Goldfrapp</b> - August 2013 <br />
<b>Green Day</b> - June 2014 <br />
<b>Geri Halliwell</b> - March 2016 <br />
<b>Deborah Harry</b> - January 2011 <br />
<b>Jimi Hendrix</b> - September 2010 <br />
<b>Inspiral Carpets</b> - April 2012 <br />
<b>The Jam</b> - May 2013 <br />
<b>Elton John</b> - August 2012 / September 2012 / October 2012 / November 2012 <br />
<b>Joy Division</b> - March 2011 <br />
<b>Kenickie</b> - October 2010 <br />
<b>The Kinks</b> - November 2010 / April 2011 / May 2013 <br />
<b>Led Zeppelin</b> - November 2015<br />
<b>John Lennon</b> - May 2013<br />
<b>Pixie Lott</b> - February 2011<br />
<b>Madness</b> - November 2011 <br />
<b>Madonna</b> - April 2010 / July 2010 / August 2010 / September 2010 / March 2011 / June 2011 / July 2011 / August 2011 / September 2011 / October 2011 / November 2011 / March 2012 / November 2012 / January 2013 / November 2013 / March 2014 / August 2015 / January 2016 / June 2016 / December 2016 / September 2017<br />
<b>Mansun</b> - August 2011 <br />
<b>Dannii Minogue</b> - September 2011<br />
<b>The Moody Blues</b> - October 2015 <br />
<b>Morrissey</b> - April 2014 <br />
<b>Kate Nash</b> - February 2011 <br />
<b>New Order</b> - October 2012 <br />
<b>Nirvana</b> - June 2011 / December 2012 <br />
<b>Oasis</b> - April 2013 <br />
<b>Pet Shop Boys</b> - May 2011 / June 2011 <br />
<b>Pink Floyd</b> - January 2011 / July 2011 <br />
<b>P!nk</b> - April 2012 <br />
<b>Elvis Presley</b> - March 2011 / October 2011 / November 2013 / December 2013 / January 2014 <br />
<b>Prince</b> - January 2015 <br />
<b>Pulp</b> - August 2011 <br />
<b>Queen</b> - December 2010 / September 2011 <br />
<b>R.E.M.</b> - April 2017 <br />
<b>Lou Reed</b> - September 2015 <br />
<b>Cliff Richard & The Shadows</b> - July 2011 / February 2017 <br />
<b>Rolling Stones</b> - July 2010 / October 2010 / March 2011 <br />
<b>The Saturdays</b> - April 2011 <br />
<b>Siouxsie & The Banshees</b> - March 2013 / July 2014 <br />
<b>Slade</b> - May 2012 <br />
<b>Sleeper</b> - December 2013 <br />
<b>Smashing Pumpkins</b> - June 2012 <br />
<b>The Smiths</b> - June 2010 <br />
<b>Britney Spears</b> - November 2010 / December 2010 <br />
<b>Spice Girls</b> - February 2016<br />
<b>Bruce Springsteen</b> - February 2012<br />
<b>Status Quo</b> - January 2012<br />
<b>Cat Stevens</b> - February 2012<br />
<b>Rachel Stevens</b> - July 2011 <br />
<b>The Stranglers</b> - February 2010 / December 2011 / May 2013 / September 2013 / December 2013 / July 2014 / October 2014 / May 2015 / December 2015 <br />
<b>Suede</b> - August 2011 <br />
<b>Sugababes</b> - August 2012 <br />
<b>Super Furry Animals</b> - September 2014 <br />
<b>Supergrass</b> - August 2014 <br />
<b>TRex</b> - December 2010 <br />
<b>Theaudience</b> - August 2011 <br />
<b>Thin Lizzy</b> - February 2013 <br />
<b>The Thrills</b> - June 2015 <br />
<b>Tin Machine</b> - December 2010 <br />
<b>Transvision Vamp</b> - July 2017 <br />
<b>Tubeway Army</b> - August 2016<br />
<b>U2</b> - March 2012 / December 2012 / March 2017<br />
<b>Frankie Valli & The 4 Seasons</b> - January 2017 <br />
<b>The Velvet Underground</b> - October 2010 <br />
<b>The Walker Brothers</b> - June 2011 <br />
<b>Scott Walker</b> - September 2010 / February 2013 <br />
<b>Paul Weller</b> - December 2014 <br />
<b>The Who</b> - May 2010 / August 2012 / July 2013 <br />
<b>Kim Wilde</b> - October 2013 <br />
<b>Yes</b> - July 2015 <br />
<b>Neil Young</b> - April 2015 <br />
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Blogger can have a mind of it's own at times, so if you click on a year and get NO menu, click on the arrow next to the year, and you should get the list of months for that year to help you navigate a bit easier. To return to the homepage, you can click on the tab for the current year. <br />
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You can email me at jason45104@gmail.com, and if you can add any information, you can add comments to the blog using the link at the bottom of the relevant page. Regards, Jason. <br />
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Frankie say NO to downloads! Frankie say NO to streaming!<br />
Jason Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558797353616141638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-88501822712218919652017-12-29T05:40:00.000-08:002017-12-29T05:40:05.297-08:002017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ti8dt2T8fiY/WkZD0m-GZXI/AAAAAAAAAOM/KKlkmysSox8wncWXSSskF2i-JoVKoTSxgCLcBGAs/s1600/WendyJames.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="263" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ti8dt2T8fiY/WkZD0m-GZXI/AAAAAAAAAOM/KKlkmysSox8wncWXSSskF2i-JoVKoTSxgCLcBGAs/s1600/WendyJames.jpg" /></a></div>
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Listed below are the bands and singers featured for each month in 2017, including a look at Transvision Vamp, fronted by blonde bombshell Wendy James (above). The September 2017 blog can be found due right, which feature Madonna US 12" single releases from 1982 to early 1990.<br /><br />The complete list for the year is shown below:<br />January 2017 - Frankie Valli And The 4 Seasons<br />February 2017 - Cliff Richard And The Shadows<br />March 2017 - U2<br />April 2017 - R.E.M.<br />May/June 2017 - Altered Images<br />July/August 2017 - Transvision Vamp<br />September 2017 - Madonna<br /><br />To look at blogs from January to August, just click on the relevant month.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />"When you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on"Jason Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558797353616141638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-91545271947387193002017-09-05T04:27:00.002-07:002017-09-05T05:07:30.832-07:00Madonna US 12 Inches: From “Everybody” to “Vogue”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P-4osQokJgc/Wa6KHAM_3LI/AAAAAAAAANs/KqjQngFTYgg7IdjBL95ifHj1rRdjpz-XQCLcBGAs/s1600/U%2BMadonna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-P-4osQokJgc/Wa6KHAM_3LI/AAAAAAAAANs/KqjQngFTYgg7IdjBL95ifHj1rRdjpz-XQCLcBGAs/s320/U%2BMadonna.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Just as I mentioned in my Japanese EP blog, my discovery of Madonna in the late 80s coincided with what seemed to be a never-ending wealth of import singles, which were difficult to avoid even in more “local” towns. Whilst I did, within a few years, complete my complete run of UK 12 inch releases (with the exception of the odd alternate version), the first time I came across a lot of these titles was actually courtesy of their existence on 12” singles imported from the USA, complete with a not too outlandish price of about £7.
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What fascinated me about these releases, was that the majority of the ones I bought were brand new - still shrinkwrapped - despite the fact that some of these singles were fast approaching their tenth birthday. As the CD was quickly establishing itself as the format of choice, these slabs of vinyl thus felt curiously out of place, a throwback to an earlier time. Being able to pick up a picture sleeved copy of the “Everybody” 12”, which in a way invented the entire future pop movement later taken up by Britney and Girls Aloud, making it a fairly monumental piece of pop history, in my local HMV some ten years after the event, was surreal.
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So this blog is a little celebration of the earliest of these releases. Indeed, in some instances, these singles are of more interest than their UK counterparts, thanks to the inclusion of non-UK remixes, whilst many of the picture sleeves of the earlier releases bear no resemblance to those used for the releases in the United Kingdom. The blog is only concerned with releases up to, and including, “Vogue” - for two reasons. One, I have a few gaps where the later releases are concerned, and I don’t like to write too much about things I want, as opposed to things I own. Second, the 1995 German CD Singles reissue campaign stopped at “Vogue”, so that gives me an excuse to use it as a cut off point here as well. May I remind you those releases were covered in four blogs that you can find on this site, all published during 2010.
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Let’s start by looking at the design of the singles themselves. Unlike the UK pressings of the UK singles from the time, the US editions were all issued in spined sleeves. Earlier releases were barcode free, so they could only be registered as a sale in shops which used a barcode on the price sticker. The first single to feature a barcode was 1985’s “Material Girl”. Singles that were imported into the UK usually came with a green sticker on the back, with a ‘12”’ legend on (there were obviously different codes for other formats, although I seem to have CD Singles as well with a ‘12“’ sticker on!) and as the singles were shipped over from the US, and were thus shrinkwrapped, these stickers had to be applied onto the shrinkwrap itself. Shops would then usually add an “Import” sticker of their own design onto the front, which was basically code for “we will charge you more for this than usual”.
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The singles had catalogue numbers in the “9 XXXXX-0” range, but this catalogue number only appeared on the sleeve itself, including the spine. The labels instead used a “0-XXXXX” system instead. So, “Everybody” was 9 29899-0 from the outside, but 0-29899 inside. This strange anomaly, albeit an anomaly that existed for years, is vaguely along the lines of double albums and double CD’s, where you will sometimes get a number for disc 1, another for disc 2, and then another for the “set”. The zero denoted it was a 12”, and this approach was a fairly standard Warners procedure (German pressed 12” singles designed specifically for sale in Germany did the same thing). Many of the singles, at first, also featured the letter “A” at the end of the catalogue number, although “Open Your Heart” omitted this code - only for it to reappear again from “True Blue” onwards. However, the process stopped again the following year, when “Who’s That Girl” appeared with a purely numeric catalogue number, and this design continued from this point onwards.
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The spine also gave the recommended retail price for the single ($4.98), although the price was omitted completely from, again, “Who’s That Girl” onwards. The vinyl, if you opened the shrinkwrap, was housed in those irritating, curved at one end, flimsy clear inner bags. Chances are, if you start hunting down these releases on the second hand market, these inner bags have a good chance of no longer being in situ, and don’t be surprised to see the shrinkwrap having been either opened, or removed completely. Very few copies seem to surface in “unsealed” condition.
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The first two releases, “Everybody” and the “Burning Up”/”Physical Attraction” double-A, featured side opening sleeves, just like a regular LP. But every release onwards used a top opening design, meaning that if you stored these on a shelf with the spines showing outwards, the subsequent releases would appear on the shelf with the picture sleeve essentially on it’s side at right angles.
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Although it was only the “Burning Up” release that was marketed as a double-A (reference was made to the “Fast side” and the “Slow side”), a number of these releases actually listed the B-side as well on the spines. At first, this made sense, as most of the early period singles simply featured one song per side, but the process continued on and off until the end of 1989. Aside from “Burning Up”, the other singles to have their tracks paired up on the spine were “Borderline”/”Lucky Star”, “Like A Virgin”/”Stay”, “Material Girl”/”Pretender”, “Angel”/”Into The Groove” (which, of course, became a radio staple in the US, and so superseded it’s B-side status eventually), “Dress You Up”/”Shoo Bee Doo”, “Open Your Heart”/”White Heat”, “Who’s That Girl”/”White Heat” (again), “Causing A Commotion”/”Jimmy Jimmy”, “Like A Prayer”/”Act Of Contrition” and “Express Yourself”/”Look Of Love”. The first single, after “Everybody”, to not feature this double listing on the spine was “Live To Tell”, simply because different mixes of the track filled up the entire single. But “Papa Don’t Preach” was also similarly marketed, despite the fact that “Pretender” was on the flipside (as was the multi-track “True Blue“).
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By the end of the eighties, the CD was starting to make it’s mark, and “Keep It Together” was issued as a CD Single, alongside the 12”. Copies of the latter originally came with a circular sticker on the front, advising purchasers of the existence of the other format (the 7” Remix was absent from the 12”, but could be found on the CD). “Vogue” was issued in Maxi-Single form on both Cassette and CD, and again, the 12” came with a rectangular sticker on the front advertising the other formats. Madonna’s Maxi-Singles on other formats would be worthy of a separate blog in the future, but I need to get hold of a few more before feeling happy about writing about them.
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By virtue of them being 12” singles, the first batch of US 12 inches were pressed at 45rpm. But as the world of multiple remixes began to gain momentum in the late 80s, so it was that the running time of “Causing A Commotion” was long enough for it to be deemed preferable to play at 33 1/3 instead, to avoid groove cramming. The running time of the next US single, “Like A Prayer”, was even longer. The two sides of this one were pressed at 33rpm, a necessity as the “East Side” of the record had a running time of over 20 minutes (side 2 was labelled, of course, the “West Side” BTW). All the remaining singles covered in this blog also played at 33rpm.
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In terms of interest when compared to their UK counterparts, there’s plenty of note. Indeed, it’s probably easier to just list those that are very similar to the UK versions instead. It is worth noting that there is a connection to the 1995 German CD Singles, as a number of these appeared in sleeves that matched the US 12” releases, as opposed to the UK ones. Whilst we are not strictly concerned with the US 7” releases here, it is worth noting that several of the earlier releases appeared on 7” in the US in the same sleeve as the UK editions (mainly “Like A Virgin” and “Dress You Up”), but that the US 12” editions opted for different covers.
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“Everybody” and “Burning Up” are possibly the most important, thanks to the picture sleeve of the former (no picture cover was used for the UK release) and the fact that both sides of the single featured, for the best part of 20 years, mixes unavailable in the UK. The 12” mix that adorned the A-side now appears on the 2001 remastered edition of the self titled debut LP, in preference over the slightly shorter mix that was originally used. “Burning Up”, of course, is of interest due to the fact it was never issued as a single in the UK. The single played a longer version than can be found on subsequent versions of the LP, and again, this 12” mix made it’s first official UK appearance when it was tagged onto the 2001 remaster of “Madonna” as one of two bonus tracks. There was no commercial US release for the single on 7”, although a heavily edited “Physical Attraction” was issued as a promo (and later released commercially on the UK “Borderline 7”).
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There were no 12” releases in the States for “Holiday” or “Lucky Star”. The reason seemingly was because the LP versions of these tracks were quite lengthy, and they couldn’t (or wouldn’t) be made longer for a 12” release. The idea of releasing a 12” with the LP version on the A-side was seen as a pointless event by the US division of Sire, and so, the two singles were only issued in the USA on 7”. By Spring 1984, there was a change of heart, when the equally lengthy “Borderline” was the subject of an extended remix, and thus issued as Madonna’s next US 12”. “Lucky Star” was then also extended for the B-side (and became known as the “US Remix” in the UK), with both mixes simply listed as the “New Mix” of each on the single. The sleeve of the US 12” bore no resemblance to the UK one (even the track listings shared little in common), and the release is made more fascinating by the fact that the German CD reissue opted to use the UK sleeve, making this one of the most fascinating of all the US releases.
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For the “Like A Virgin” singles, there was a slight alignment between the UK and US 12s. Each of the four singles issued in the US were also issued in the UK, and the track listings had something in common. The material featured on “Like A Virgin” and “Material Girl” matched the UK ones, although both singles were housed in different covers. The German CD reissue of “LAV” uses the US sleeve, the CD reissue of “MG” uses the (superior) UK one. “Dress You Up” changed B-sides, with “I Know It” on the UK release being changed to “Shoo Bee Doo” for the US. Again, the US 12” comes in a different cover to the UK one. “Dress You Up” was the first Madonna US 12” to include more than two tracks, as a 12” mix was joined with an instrumental version, plus the B-side.
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“Angel”, of course, differs for other reasons. The UK and US single releases both use the same cover, but the US 12” included a new song Madonna had written for use in the “Desperately Seeking Susan” movie, a certain “Into The Groove”. Given that the current versions of “Like A Virgin”, the 2001 CD remaster, and the 2012 vinyl reissue, both omit “Into The Groove” a la the original 1984 pressing, this does mean the US “Angel” 12” probably still has a certain amount of quirky interest.
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Slightly outside the remit of this article, but worth a mention, are the two singles Geffen released in the UK in conjunction with the “Vision Quest” film - “Gambler” and “Crazy For You”. Only the latter was released in the US, and like the UK, was not released on 12” due to it’s “ballad” nature. Some European countries did put it on the format though, rather pointlessly.
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There was a great deal of similarity, especially sleeve wise, between the UK and US releases from the “True Blue” LP. All five singles appeared in the same covers, and “Live To Tell” and “La Isla Bonita” had track listings that were identical. The US release of “Papa Don’t Preach” was slightly underwhelming, consisting of just the 12” mix of the A-side, backed with “Pretender” (it’s second time on a US 12”) instead of the (3 track) UK’s “Ain’t No Big Deal”.
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“Open Your Heart” differed slightly. Unlike the UK 12”, no attempt was made to list the track listing on the cover of the US 12”, whilst the UK b-side, “Lucky Star”, was swapped for “White Heat”. But the biggie is “True Blue”. The first Madonna US 12” to consist of four tracks, it included (alongside “Ain’t No Big Deal”) both the 7” and 12” mixes of the A-side, making it outshine the simpler 2 track UK 12” somewhat. The icing on the cake is the inclusion of an instrumental mix of “True Blue”, which has never been issued in the UK. Even the German CD single reissue replicates the UK release, thus making the US edition quite desirable.
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Both the US single releases from the “Who’s That Girl” soundtrack, overall, trump their UK editions. “Who’s That Girl”, on the face of it, matched it’s 2-track UK version, but once the shrinkwrap was broken, the vinyl revealed itself to include three tracks, with a “Dub” mix of the A-side on side 2. In the UK, “WTG” was famously issued as both a standard 2-track 12” and a “Limited Edition” 3-tracker, with the Dub mix appearing on the latter. I do wonder if the US bods phoned up the UK ones when the single was first released to say to them, “we forgot to tell you about the other mix”, causing a mad rush to release a “Special” single with the missing mix in situ. But that seems too much of a coincidence to be true, surely?
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“Causing A Commotion”, in the UK, was of interest, as the rules on running times of 12” singles resulted in flipside “Jimmy Jimmy” needing to be edited down to comply with chart rules. But it’s swings and roundabouts, as the US 12 included a “Dub” mix of the track which, this time, never made it onto a UK release. As an aside, my copy of this one is promo stamped, but that doesn’t really affect the value either way. It’s a safe bet that little chunks of all of the singles in this article were similarly treated in the same way.
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By the time we got to “Like A Prayer”, Madonna’s dark and gloomy confessional album, which perversely was the one where the remixers started to really go to town, the gap between the usefulness of the UK singles versus their US ones was becoming more noticeable. The five remixes of “Like A Prayer” (plus B-side “Act Of Contrition”) which were spread across the two 12” singles issued by Sire in the UK, were simply stuck onto one slab of vinyl in the US - so, disaster averted. But when it came to “Express Yourself”, another remix went AWOL in the UK, when the US edition of the single included the two remixes from the UK 12” on the A-side, along with the never-released-in-Britain “Local Mix” version of the A-side. The UK label obviously couldn’t work out a way to sneak this remix out into the public domain, despite the fact that the single itself was issued on a number of formats, all of which just seemed to replicate one another music-wise.
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There were no 12” releases in the US for “Cherish” (the retro styled “Extended Mix”, harking back to the mid 80s in it‘s design, that appeared on the UK release, was simply deemed irrelevant by the US division, it seems) nor “Oh Father”, the latter being far too downbeat for a Shep Pettibone reworking. The lack of multiple remixes of these two meant that these singles were only issued in the US on the 7” and Cassette formats. At the other end of the scale, “Keep It Together” returned to the world of the “40 minute long" 12”, with six remixes of the track being created for the US release. There was no UK release, although the white label “SAM” promo 12” which exists offers up the same track listing as it’s US cousin.
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“Vogue” continued the trend of the US releases outdoing their UK counterparts. The 12” released in the US included the 12” mix, and a pair of “Dub” remixes, one of which failed to get a release in the UK, despite Sire, once again, going down the multi-format route, by issuing the single in the UK in no less than eight different formats. This situation would simply get magnified with the majority of future releases, and I would like to try and look at the next batch of releases (at least) in a future blog.
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Collecting all of these will take some time, unless you already have a head start and have a few, as I did just before I started research for this blog. Copies that have been played a fair bit can still be picked up at the same price as they were when first on sale - if not less - whilst shrink-wrapped copies will obviously attract a premium. It’s obviously only worth looking for shrink-wrapped copies if you have no intention of opening them and playing them, unless you stumble across a copy for next to nothing. Paying £25 for a sealed “Open Your Heart” is you basically paying for the condition it is in (Mint), and opening it will take a tenner off the value immediately. I do sometimes wish I’d never opened some of mine...not that any will ever be offered for sale, mind you.
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I also have some of these singles from Canada. The basic principle was the same, the main differences - of my ones, at least - is some printing changes in how the catalogue number is displayed on the record (the basic number remains the same), and, of course, the “Made In Canada” legend on the back of the sleeve. “Burning Up” has a maple leaf logo in the top left corner on the back cover as well, which is a sweet touch.
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<b>DISCOGRAPHY</b>
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Fairly simple this time around. Each 12” single, of course, only exists in one edition, and these are all listed below. Cat numbers are those shown on the label, rather than the sleeve.
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<b>Everybody (12” Version)/(Dub Version)</b> (Sire 0-29899)<br />
<b>Burning Up (12” Version)/Physical Attraction</b> (Sire 0-29715)<br />
<b>Borderline (New Mix)/Lucky Star (New Mix)</b> (Sire 0-20212)<br />
<b>Like A Virgin (Extended Dance Remix)/Stay</b> (Sire 0-20239)<br />
<b>Material Girl (Extended Dance Remix)/Pretender</b> (Sire 0-20304)<br />
<b>Angel (Extended Dance Mix)/Into The Groove</b> (Sire 0-20335)<br />
<b>Dress You Up (The 12” Formal Mix)/(The Casual Instrumental Mix)/Shoo-Bee-Doo</b> (Sire 0-20369)<br />
<b>Live To Tell (LP Version)/(Edit)/(Instrumental)</b> (Sire 0-20461)<br />
<b>Papa Don’t Preach (Extended Remix)/Pretender</b> (Sire 0-20492)<br />
<b>True Blue (The Color Mix)/(Instrumental)/Ain’t No Big Deal/True Blue (Remix/Edit)</b> (Sire 0-20533)<br />
<b>Open Your Heart (Extended Version)/(Dub)/White Heat</b> (Sire 0-20597)<br />
<b>La Isla Bonita (Extended Remix)/(Instrumental)</b> (Sire 0-20633)<br />
<b>Who’s That Girl (Extended Version)/(Dub)/White Heat</b> (Sire 0-20692)<br />
<b>Causing A Commotion (Silver Screen Mix)/(Dub)/(Movie House Mix)/Jimmy Jimmy</b> (Sire 0-20762)<br />
<b>Like A Prayer (12” Dance Mix)/(12” Extended Remix)/(Churchapella)/(12” Club Version)/(7” Remix/Edit)/Act Of Contrition</b> (Sire 0-21170)<br />
<b>Express Yourself (Non-Stop Express Mix)/(Stop & Go Dubs)/(Local Mix)/The Look Of Love</b> (Sire 0-21225)<br />
<b>Keep It Together (12” Remix)/(Dub)/(12” Extended Mix)/(12” Mix)/(Bonus Beats)/(Instrumental)</b> (Sire 0-21427)<br />
<b>Vogue (12” Version)/(Bette Davis Dub)/(Strike-A-Pose Dub)</b> (Sire 0-21513)<br />
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<br />Jason Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558797353616141638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-75131210316237661322017-07-12T11:48:00.002-07:002017-07-12T13:50:55.231-07:00Transvision Vamp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Their star shined brightly, but briefly, at the end of the 80s - but that doesn’t mean Transvision Vamp should be dismissed out of hand, just because they imploded barely five years after their formation. Led by blond bombshell Wendy James, and merging a mainstream pop sound with a punky backbone, Transvision Vamp emerged at the same time that several other female fronted bands started to make waves, such as The Primitives and The Darling Buds. Whilst it is probably pushing it to call this scenario a “scene“, especially as The Primitives always sounded more indie, these groups did seem determined to restore some order to the charts, which by the mid 80s, had been battered and bruised by the gated drum sound and the mostly horrific (Bananarama excepted) exploits of Stock Aitken And Waterman.
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Transvision Vamp covered all bases. Once they started to get some hits under their belt, James found herself being lined up for interviews with pop rags like “Smash Hits”, and became something of a mainstream commodity - even though the band themselves didn’t really have anything in common with the likes of Jason or Kylie who were featuring in the same magazines at the same time. Part of this was obviously down to James’s ultra glamorous look, from day 1 she was a pop star in waiting - albeit one who wanted to be in a guitar band, who toured relentlessly, and as such, became a sort of UK equivalent of Blondie. Listening to these songs today, it shows you just how dull some of our so-called pop stars nowadays actually are. The band looked the part, and there were some great songs in their cannon. Maybe there was a little bit too much of style over substance, but seriously, if you don’t like “Baby I Don’t Care”, you probably don’t like breathing either.
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In this blog, I will list each of the band’s UK releases, with selected images and notable items per release. The two albums the band issued in the UK were reissued in 2013, and cobbled together all known A-side edits, B-sides, and remixes from the relevant period, meaning that all of the band’s singles from 1987 through to the end of 1990 now contain nothing rare - so that means anything goes for the releases from “Revolution Baby” through to “Born To Be Sold” in terms of what to buy. As such, every format for the first nine singles are shown, and details of the two LP’s are also included.
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<b>Revolution Baby</b>
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Formed in 1986, Transvision Vamp were initially presented as a duo of James and Nick Christian Sayer, and bagged a deal with a major label from the off - unlike The Primitives - by signing to MCA. Their debut single, “Revolution Baby”, featured the pair dressed up like cartoon characters, James looking like a big haired punk-rock version of Barbarella, complete with sci-fi looking ray gun. The pair were photographed against a garish background - the sleeve was designed by none other than Sex Pistols artist Jamie Reid. The 12” release added an extra track, and featured the same images of the pair, but switched round, so that James now appeared on the right hand side of the sleeve. It would be the first of ten specific single releases, all of which would come complete with personalised catalogue numbers - this one was TVV1.
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<b>Revolution Baby/Vid Kid Vamp</b> (7”, MCA TVV 1)<br />
<b>Revolution Baby/No It U Lover/Vid Kid Vamp</b> (12”, MCA TVVT 1, different p/s)
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<b>Tell That Girl To Shut Up</b>
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For the follow up release, the band were now presented as a four piece, consisting of James, Sayer, the brilliantly named Tex Axile (probably not his real name) and future Bush bass player Dave Parsons. Their energetic cover of Holly And The Italians‘ “Tell That Girl To Shut Up”, whose bolshie-esque demeanor seemed to be a perfect fit for James’ rebellious image, used another garish sleeve, in a sort of 3-D design (but without 3-D glasses). Extended mixes were created for the 12” and CD Single editions, with the (forthcoming) album mix tagged onto the CD edition simply to boost the playing time (this format was pressed as a then rarely produced format, the picture CD). In keeping with the previous single, all formats also included a non-LP B-side, the wonderfully titled “God Save The Royalties” (which was actually another track off the LP, “Psychosonic Cindy”, played backwards) whilst a limited number of 7” editions came housed in a fold out poster bag sleeve. These were also denoted by a different catalogue number on the sleeve, and even though a lot of mentions on the net of Vamp singles issued in this way suggest the regular vinyl edition was tucked into the poster one, I have seen 7” singles with the catalogue number for these limited editions actually printed on the labels themselves (even though the matrix numbers look to be the same as the standard releases). Try before you buy. This world of remixes, flipsides, and quirky collectors formats would become a common approach for every single that followed.
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<b>Tell That Girl To Shut Up/God Save The Royalties</b> (7”, MCA TVV 2)<br />
<b>Tell That Girl To Shut Up/God Save The Royalties</b> (Posterbag 7”, MCA TVVPR 2)<br />
<b>Tell That Girl To Shut Up (Extended Mix)/(Knuckle Duster Mix)/God Save The Royalties</b> (12”, MCA TVVT 2)<br />
<b>Tell That Girl To Shut Up (Extended Mix)/God Save The Royalties/Tell That Girl To Shut Up (Album Mix)/(Knuckle Duster Mix)</b> (CD, MCA DTVV 2)
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<b>I Want Your Love</b>
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The riotous brilliance of “I Want Your Love” was next up, seen by many as the band‘s real breakthrough moment. Housed in a sleeve which featured James more prominently on the cover than her band mates - a trick repeated on several other releases later on - this was the first of the band’s singles to be issued as a 3-track ‘maxi single’ on 7”, an approach that would be repeated on every future release as well. The band logo featured on the previous two releases was changed to a far more simplistic design, and would be used on the remainder of releases associated with the debut album.
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Alongside the obligatory 12” mix of the A-side for use on the 12” and CD editions, one of the B-sides, “Evolution Evie”, was included in either ‘acoustic’ or ‘electric’ form, dependent on which format you went for. As if to further show that James was being used as a form of eye-candy-esque promotion for the group, initial copies of the 12” were housed in a fold out poster sleeve, the reverse of which featured a photo of James alone without her bandmates. As the singer, she was always going to get increased attention, but it seems the record company knew they could use her photogenic features as a way of drumming up interest in the band, just as Chrysalis often did with Blondie. The CD Single release here was done as a 3” release, albeit housed in a 5“ slim line jewel case, which sort of defeated the object.
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<b>I Want Your Love/Sweet Thing/Evolution Evie (Acoustic Version)</b> (7”, MCA TVV 3)<br />
<b>I Want Your Love (I Don’t Want Your Money Mix)/Sweet Thing/Evolution Evie (Electric Version)</b> (12”, MCA TVVT 3)<br />
<b>I Want Your Love (I Don’t Want Your Money Mix)/Sweet Thing/Evolution Evie (Electric Version)</b> (Posterbag 12“, MCA TVVTR 3)<br />
<b>I Want Your Love (I Don’t Want Your Money Mix)/Sweet Thing/Evolution Evie (Electric Version)/Tell That Girl To Shut Up</b> (3” CD, MCA DTVV 3)
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<b>Revolution Baby (Re-Release)</b>
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With the band now expanded to a five piece by the addition of drummer Pol Burton, the band’s debut single was re-released, complete with new catalogue number, and a far more stylish sleeve second time around. The limited edition version of the (3 track) 7” came with a free poster featuring photos of the band - the photo of James was also used for the 12” picture disc release, which unlike most picture discs from the period, came in a printed PVC sleeve with the band name and title on the front, and a barcode sticker on the back. The CD edition, meanwhile, included one of the B-sides from the original release, “Vid Kid Vamp”, in remixed form. There is also some suggestion that the A-side itself was a different mix from the first release, but I don’t have an original release to compare it with at this present time. If it was different, it seems odd that the expanded version of the debut LP issued in 2013 doesn’t include it, given that the primary objective of that reissue was to gather up all the rarities from the period.
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<b>Revolution Baby/Honey Honey/Long Lonely Weekend</b> (7”, MCA TVV 4)<br />
<b>Revolution Baby/Honey Honey/Long Lonely Weekend</b> (7” with poster, MCA TVVPR 4)<br />
<b>Revolution Baby (Electra Glide Mix)/Honey Honey/Long Lonely Weekend</b> (12”, MCA TVVT 4)<br />
<b>Revolution Baby (Electra Glide Mix)/Honey Honey/Long Lonely Weekend</b> (12” Picture Disc, MCA TVVTP 4)<br />
<b>Revolution Baby (Electra Glide Mix)/Honey Honey/Vid Kid Vamp (Remix)/Long Lonely Weekend</b> (3” CD, MCA DTVV4)
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<b>Pop Art</b>
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“Pop Art”, the band’s first LP, was issued at the tail end of 1988. Several of the song titles gave an indication of the band’s interest in celebrity and pop culture (“Hanging Out With Halo Jones”, “Andy Warhol’s Dead”), whilst others had wonderfully irreverent names (“Trash City”, “Sex Kick”, the aforementioned “Psychosonic Cindy”). It went top 5 in the UK, and established the band as proper pop stars, and James as a sex symbol in the mould of Madonna. Picture disc copies used an alternate variant of the cover photo, obviously in an attempt to boost sales.
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The 2013 reissue was part of Universal’s “Re-Presents” series, which saw various expanded editions of albums now under their wing being released for a number of artists. You won’t find much of a mention about this in the packaging, it will just look like a standard expanded reissue, although there is a reference to it in the revised catalogue number.
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The expanded “Pop Art” is the only of the two reissues to include previously unavailable material, as CD1 is boosted with the 4 tracks the band recorded in session for the BBC Radio 1 Andy Kershaw show. I could be wrong, but a quick Google suggests this was the only Beeb session they did, and I guess Universal figured this was the best way to put this material out on the market - had they done three or four, there would have been enough for a separate album. All of the single mixes, B-sides and 12” mixes from the period fill up disc 2.
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<b>Pop Art</b> (LP, MCA MCF 3421)<br />
<b>Pop Art</b> (Cassette, MCA MCFC 3421)<br />
<b>Pop Art</b> (CD, MCA MCLD 19224)<br />
<b>Pop Art</b> (12” Picture Disc in clear sleeve, MCA MCFP 3421)<br />
<b>Pop Art</b> (2xCD, Universal UMCREP 2021)
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<b>Sister Moon</b>
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The last single to be released from the first LP, “Sister Moon” appeared in both 7” and 12” mix form. James appeared on the single cover alone - and the picture disc release, whilst opting for a totally different picture, also used an image that just featured the lead singer on the front. Although later Vamp singles often referred to the a-side appearing in 7” form, every single after this one used the album mix as the “single version”.
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In a slight break of tradition, the 12”/CD bonus tracks included an alternate version of a track from the album (“Sex Kick”) whilst a select number of the gatefold edition came with a free “Wendy James Personality Poster”. Anybody who had never heard of the band before this could have been forgiven for assuming that James was a solo artist who went under the Transvision Vamp pseudonym.
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<b>Sister Moon (7” Mix)/Oh Yeah/Walk On By</b> (7”, MCA TVV 5)<br />
<b>Sister Moon (7” Mix)/Oh Yeah/Walk On By</b> (7” Picture Disc, MCA TVVP 5)<br />
<b>Sister Moon (Groove On)/Walk On By/Sex Kick (Ciao Portobello)/Oh Yeah</b> (12”, MCA TVVT 5)<br />
<b>Sister Moon (Groove On)/Walk On By/Sex Kick (Ciao Portobello)/Oh Yeah</b> (12” in gatefold p/s, MCA TVVTG 5, some with poster)<br />
<b>Sister Moon (7“ Mix)/Oh Yeah/Walk On By/Sex Kick (Ciao Portobello)</b> (CD, MCA DTVV 5)
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<b>Baby I Don’t Care</b>
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Lead single from the 1989 “Velveteen” long player, and arguably the high point of the band’s career. A soaring, bratty and brilliant piece of punky-pop, the band’s pop culture fascination was on full display here, as the cover showed the (now 4-piece) band in front of a huge photograph of Elvis Presley.
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The gatefold 7” featured a glamorous shot of Wendy inside, the gatefold 12” used a more pop-art image, with the same photos of Elvis and Wendy, reprinted in a bold and bright colour montage a la Warhol, spread across the entire inside of the sleeve (giving you 10 Wendy/Elvis images in total). A demo of “Sex Kick” was on the 12” and CD editions, which despite originating from the earliest sessions for the debut album, appeared on the expanded “Velveteen” instead in 2013.
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The track was later covered by another blond bombshell, Jennifer Ellison, whilst the promo video saw James appear in a selection of mostly skimpy stage outfits, further enhancing her sex kitten image. The “Abigail’s Party” mix, which took it’s name from a 1977 stage play, was one of three 12” mixes later included on the 2002 “best of” release on Spectrum, also titled “Baby I Don’t Care”, where it was joined by mixes of “Tell That Girl” and “Revolution Baby”.
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<b>Baby I Don’t Care/Time For Change/Strings Of My Heart</b> (7”, MCA TVV 6)<br />
<b>Baby I Don’t Care/Time For Change/Strings Of My Heart</b> (7” in gatefold p/s, MCA TVVG 6)<br />
<b>Baby I Don’t Care (Abigail’s Party Mix)/Sex Kick (Demo Version)/Time For Change/Strings Of My Heart</b> (12”, MCA TVVT 6)<br />
<b>Baby I Don’t Care (Abigail’s Party Mix)/Sex Kick (Demo Version)/Time For Change/Strings Of My Heart</b> (12” in gatefold p/s, MCA TVVTG 6)<br />
<b>Baby I Don’t Care/Saturn 5 (Demo Version)/Time For Change/Strings Of My Heart</b> (CD, MCA DTVVT 6)
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<b>The Only One</b>
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Housed in a similar style to “Baby”, complete with the new stylised, but simple, band logo (which was changed from an upper case font to a lower case one for the next two singles), “The Only One” this time saw the pop culture moment provided by Marilyn Monroe. There wasn’t much in the way of fancy formats for some reason, but you can always try and buy the different pressings of the 7”, which included issues with both paper labels, and silver injection plastic “labels”.
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<b>The Only One/The Mystery Song/Love Me</b> (7”, MCA TVV 7)<br />
<b>The Only One (Extended Version)/The Mystery Song/Love Me</b> (12”, MCA TVVT 7)<br />
<b>The Only One/The Mystery Song/Love Me/The Only One (Extended Mix)</b> (CD, MCA DTVVT 7)
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<b>Landslide Of Love</b>
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The Vamp’s “Motown” moment, this 45 went back to the multi formatting frenzy of earlier releases, with a 7” picture disc being issued which, yet again, featured Wendy alone on it’s frontage - although this time, the entire band were featured in the image on the B-side. There was also a cassette edition, featuring a slightly elongated version of the image found on the standard 7” release, which also omitted both the band name and the A-side title, to avoid cluttering up the front cover.
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The 12” and CD editions featured an extra track unavailable on the 7” formats, “W11 Blues”, in which James recites a Dylan-esque rambling monologue about a night out in West London over an electronic drum pattern. Limited edition versions of the 12” were housed in a gatefold sleeve, complete with another sultry image of Miss James contained within. The 12” pressings included an extended mix of the A-side, whilst the CD - at the time - rather pointlessly replaced this with the album version. Like “The Only One”, it was listed as a “7” Version”, but as far as I can make out, it’s the same as the LP mix.
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<b>Landslide Of Love/Hardtime/He’s The Only One For Me</b> (7”, MCA TVV 8)<br />
<b>Landslide Of Love/Hardtime/He’s The Only One For Me</b> (7” Picture Disc, MCA TVVP 8)<br />
<b>Landslide Of Love/Hardtime/He’s The Only One For Me</b> (Cassette, MCA TVVC 8)<br />
<b>Landslide Of Love (Extended)/W11 Blues/Hardtime/He’s The Only One For Me</b> (12”, MCA TVVT 8)<br />
<b>Landslide Of Love (Extended)/W11 Blues/Hardtime/He’s The Only One For Me</b> (12” in gatefold p/s, MCA TVVTG 8)<br />
<b>Landslide Of Love/W11 Blues/Hardtime/He’s The Only One For Me</b> (CD, MCA DTVVT 8)
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<b>Velveteen</b>
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Notable for it’s ten minute long closing title track, “Velveteen” arrived in the fall of 1989. It maintained the band’s hybrid mix of pop and punk attitude, but wasn’t afraid to dabble in other styles - the sultry swing of “Bad Valentine” (later issued as a fan club only single) and the aforementioned glamour of “Landslide Of Love”. As per “Pop Art”, a picture disc edition was released but this time around came inside a standard sleeve, albeit with a unique cover image, which simply featured the album title and band name against a textured background.
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Both “Pop Art” and “Velveteen” spawned Video EP releases, which featured the relevant video clips on each release - the “Velveteen” release came in a sleeve not too dissimilar to the picture disc edition. Both were released after the promo campaigns for the LP’s were at an end, and thus featured all the videos from each album (unlike Bowie’s “The Next Day” DVD, as an example).
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The 2013 double disc reissue of the album was probably not of great interest to any completists who already had the record and multiple formats of the singles, as all of the bonuses on this - all present on CD2 only - had been released before. It’s an obvious starting point for any newbies, but it would have been nice if some unreleased material had appeared - the band’s fourth single from the LP came backed with live tracks, suggesting a complete gig performance is sitting in the MCA vaults. There are some minor artwork differences to the original release - there is a thin coloured border around the outside of the front picture sleeve - and some nice pictures inside. At the risk of sounding like a dirty old man, you can never have too many photos of Wendy James in your collection.
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<b>Velveteen</b> (LP, MCA MCG 6050)<br />
<b>Velveteen</b> (Cassette, MCA MCGC 6050)<br />
<b>Velveteen</b> (CD, MCA DMCG 6050)<br />
<b>Velveteen</b> (12” Picture Disc in unique sleeve, MCA MCGP 6050)<br />
<b>Velveteen</b> (2xCD, Universal UMCREP 2020)
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<b>Born To Be Sold</b>
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Final 45 from the “Velveteen” album, “Born To Be Sold” may have had a vicious sounding title, but musically, had an air of languid restraint about it. The same could not be said about some of the B-sides - “Kiss Me” seemed to consist of little more than James howling down the microphone in that croaky but vampy voice, whilst the live recording of “Last Time” was indeed a noisy bash at The Stones’ classic.
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The limited edition 7” came with a free band logo badge (complete with “Levis” legend down the side), which was glued to a 7”x7” piece of card, which reprinted the single cover (plus “free badge” blurb) which was designed to lie inside a shrink wrapped bag, in front of what was more or less, a standard edition of the single (ie. Open a sealed copy, take away the front piece of card with it’s badge, and you’d be left with a normal 45). Only difference was that the catalogue number was changed, and this particular variant appears on both the rear of the single and the labels themselves.
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The limited edition 12” came with an eye watering poster insert - it’s more of a fold out mini-mag, with the band history and tour dates on one side, and a band portrait on the other. Not widely publicised on the net is the fact that in order to stop the poster from falling out the side of the sleeve, copies also came with a wraparound paper sash style thing, which went across the record and thus had to be removed in order to extract the vinyl or the poster.
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<b>Born To Be Sold/Down On You (Live)/Last Time (Live)</b> (7”, MCA TVV 9)<br />
<b>Born To Be Sold/Down On You (Live)/Last Time (Live)</b> (7” with free badge and insert, MCA TVVB 9)<br />
<b>Born To Be Sold/Down On You (Live)/Last Time (Live)</b> (Cassette, MCA TVVC 9)<br />
<b>Born To Be Sold/Kiss Me/Down On You (Live)/Last Time (Live)</b> (12”, MCA TVVT 9)<br />
<b>Born To Be Sold/Kiss Me/Down On You (Live)/Last Time (Live)</b> (12” with poster and wraparound “obi“ style banner, MCA TVVTB 9)<br />
<b>Born To Be Sold/Down On You (Live)/Last Time (Live)/Kiss Me</b> (CD, MCA DTVVT 9)
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<b>(I Just Wanna) B With U</b>
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1991 heralded a slightly new, “softer”, Transvision Vamp. The punky racket of the older material was toned down, and the band seemed to adopt a slightly more funky, Madchester-esque sound, although this softening of their sound would later cause MCA to kick up a fuss about their new direction. And yet, listening to this material now, it seems astonishing that the record company were seemingly unhappy with the way the band were going - not only was the change in direction not really that radical, but the inventiveness of these new songs, including the B-sides from this period, suggested the band could have had a long future in front of them.
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“(I Just Wanna) B With U” was the first single from the “Little Magnets Versus The Bubble Of Babble” long-player. In keeping with the earlier releases, the 7” and Tape formats appeared as 3-track releases, with the 12” replacing the LP mix of the A-side with a 12” version. On the cover of the single was a collage of band images, and you could have been forgiven for thinking that James was trying to dispense with her sex kitten image - several of the photos saw her wearing a rather un-glam beanie hat. However, the limited, numbered, gatefold 12” (housed in a unique, rather plain, sleeve) opened up to show a centrefold image of James in full on sultry siren mode. A free poster, which featured a blow up image of the standard single sleeve, was also tucked inside, and there was even an extra, exclusive B-side.
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Suffice to say, the remixes and flipsides from this period are rarer than the earlier ones, thanks to the lack of an expanded reissue of the “Babble” album. The gatefold 12” will give you all the essential items, the remaining formats all use the standard picture sleeve as their front cover, so will be of interest to completists.
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<b>(I Just Wanna) B With U/Swamp Thang/Straight Thru Your Head</b> (7”, MCA TVV 10)<br />
<b>(I Just Wanna) B With U/Swamp Thang/Straight Thru Your Head</b> (Cassette, MCA TVVC 10)<br />
<b>(I Just Wanna) B With U (The Nightripper Mix)/Swamp Thang/Straight Thru Your Head</b> (12”, MCA TVVT 10)<br />
<b>(I Just Wanna) B With U (The Nightripper Mix)/Swamp Thang/Straight Thru Your Head/Punky Says</b> (12” in unique gatefold p/s, MCA TVVT 10, with poster)<br />
<b>(I Just Wanna) B With U (LP Version)/(The Nightripper Mix)/Swamp Thang/Straight Thru Your Head</b> (CD, MCA DTVVT 10)
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<b>If Looks Could Kill</b>
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There seem to be conflicting reports about the end of the band. After the final single, “If Looks Could Kill”, performed only reasonably well in the charts, MCA reportedly lost interest in the band, and saw no reason to release their third album. However, a quick look around the net shows a series of releases on the usual formats, many of which seem to show what look like UK (or, at least, European wide) catalogue numbers. And that’s before we mention James’ admission that the band were worn out through constant recording, promotion and gigging, and that they simply threw in the towel, rather than consider taking a break. Whatever the reason for the finale, and whatever the status of the album’s UK availability, “Babble” marked the end of the group.
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With another brace of quite superb B-sides, “If Looks Could Kill” was a decent swansong. Most formats featured a sleeve which mirrored the montage layout of the previous 45, only this time with James featured alone, on which she adopted an anti-pin up girl look by brandishing a fake moustache. The limited edition 12” used a different sleeve which saw her wearing a huge sombrero.
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The CD Single was a thing of beauty. It was housed in an ingenious circular sleeve, which opened out as you twisted it open, and featured - once more - James alone on the cover, this time looking like a Bardot-esque movie star. The 12” mix of the A-side, available on both the standard and limited 12 inches, was replaced by the LP version, whilst the live B-side on this edition was also different to that on the 12” editions.
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By 1992, both The Primitives and Transvision Vamp were no more. Grunge was happening in the world of indie rock, but more worryingly, the pop scene was spawning the insipid Take That, and the likes of Wendy James were being replaced by MOR types like Amy Grant and Boyz II Men. Thankfully, Madonna was still keeping the blond bombshell popstar genre alive, and the forthcoming Britpop scene was rumbling into view thanks to the ongoing existence of many of the Madchester bands. James is still making solo records, but who do we have now as the UK’s face of female pop? The AOR slop of Adele and the bland nothingness of Jess Glynne. Do yourself a favour, and hunt “Pop Art” and “Velveteen” down and you will realise the 80s wasn’t all about Living In A Box and Paul Young. Transvision Vamp, 25 plus years on, I salute you.
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<b>If Looks Could Kill/My Friend The Tom Cat/Puppy Dogs Tails</b> (7”, MCA TVV 11)<br />
<b>If Looks Could Kill/My Friend The Tom Cat/Puppy Dogs Tails</b> (Cassette, MCA TVVC 11)<br />
<b>If Looks Could Kill (Voodoo Hipster Mix)/My Friend The Tom Cat/Puppy Dogs Tails/I Want Your Love (Live)</b> (12”, MCA TVVT 11)<br />
<b>If Looks Could Kill (Voodoo Hipster Mix)/My Friend The Tom Cat/Puppy Dogs Tails/I Want Your Love (Live)</b> (12” in envelope sleeve, “Sombrero” p/s, MCA TVV 11)<br />
<b>If Looks Could Kill/My Friend The Tom Cat/Puppy Dogs Tails/Tell That Girl To Shut Up (Live)</b> (Limited CD in circular sleeve, unique p/s, MCA DTVVT 11)
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<b>SELECTED OTHER RELEASES</b>
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<b>Pop Art - The Video Singles</b> (1988, VHS, MCA CFV 04902)<br />
<b>The Velveteen Singles</b> (1989, VHS, MCA MCV 9002)<br />
<b>Bad Valentine/A Message...</b> (1990, 7”, MCA BV1, fan club only single)<br />
<b>The Complete 12”ers Collection Vol.1</b> (1990, Japanese CD, MCA WMC5-75, includes all “Pop Art” era 12” mixes and all B-sides except “No It U Lover”, acoustic version of “Evolution Evie” and only one version of “Vid Kid Vamp”)<br />
<b>Little Magnets Versus The Bubble Of Babble</b> (1991, CD, MCA MCD 10331)<br />
<b>If Looks Could Kill</b> (1991, VHS, MCA MCAV 10347, includes videos for “If Looks Could Kill” and “(I Just Wanna) B With U”, plus 3 oldies)<br />
<b>Mixes</b> (1992, Japanese CD, MCA MVCM-142, includes non-UK mixes of “(I Just Wanna) B With You” and “Twangy Wig Out”)<br />
<b>Kiss Their Sons</b> (1998, 2xCD, MCA MCLD 19376)<br />
<b>Kiss Their Sons - The Video Collection</b> (1998, VHS, MCA MCV 60054)<br />
<b>Baby I Don’t Care</b> (2002, CD, Spectrum 544 981-2, includes 12” mixes of “Revolution Baby”, “Baby I Don’t Care” and the ‘Knuckle Duster’ mix of “Tell That Girl To Shut Up”)
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<br />Jason Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558797353616141638noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-76429003497607666442017-06-07T08:15:00.000-07:002017-06-07T09:12:23.965-07:00Altered Images<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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One of my treasured possessions is a signed photo of Clare Grogan. In the days before Twitter and selfies, the thing to do was to write to a celebrity requesting an autographed picture. In the late 90s, Grogan was a TV presenter on VH1, so I popped my request off to the MTV Studios in Camden, which VH1 shared with their older (but more youth oriented) sister, and she dutifully replied to my letter, sending me a signed photo with the message “I’ve got my eye on you”. Twenty years on, it still makes my heart flutter when I look at it.
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Before VH1, Grogan had been the lead singer in Altered Images, a post-punk group who became Top Of The Pops regulars after they had made their music a bit more “pop”. They were a band whose time came and went as quickly as it takes most groups nowadays just to record an LP, but they left behind some glorious records. Recent months have seen their three Long Players reissued as fancy LP + 7” sets, and are in the process of being reissued again as double LP sets, seemingly for no other reason than to acknowledge the ongoing retro obsession with vinyl. However, since the early Noughties, Grogan has fronted a reformed Altered Images, albeit with a fluctuating lineup and the original band members no longer in situ. This does sort of make sense, given that their label, Epic, began to portray the band as if it were a Grogan solo project towards the end, with most of the band’s later releases featuring artwork which ignored the rest of the band. Anyway, this all provides me with an excuse to look at the band’s back catalogue.
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Formed in 1980, the group’s early sound was a lot more spiky than their later, more streamlined, pop hits. A demo tape sent to Siouxsie And The Banshees landed them a support slot on their next tour, helped quite possibly due to Grogan’s distinctive voice which had a Siouxsie-esque wail, whilst the band’s choppy post-punk sound echoed the sound of recent Banshees releases. It’s no surprise that Steve Severin was involved in the production duties on their debut LP.
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The band were picked up by major label Epic, who issued their debut single, “Dead Pop Stars”, in early 1981. A cassette version, at the time still a rarely used format but issued to acknowledge that tapes were starting to gain a following with Walkman owners, added a track which would be re-recorded for the band’s forthcoming LP, entitled “Leave Me Alone”. A follow up 45, “A Day’s Wait”, which like it’s predecessor failed to do much chart wise, was the first release from the LP. It was later reworked into a B-side, “How About That Then (I’ve Missed My Train)”, which appeared on the flipside of “See Those Eyes”.
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The band’s artwork at the time used surrealist pop art, and a distinctive arty logo, and all these elements were in place as the band dented the upper reaches of the charts that summer with the catchy new wave bounce that was “Happy Birthday”. All of the band’s releases up to and including “See Those Eyes” (the lead off single from LP number 2) maintained this look, although the band’s debut LP, also titled “Happy Birthday”, opted to feature an image of the band on it’s cover rather than some abstract artwork for the first time, complete with a hand drawn “gift wrap” design over the image. “Happy Birthday” was the band’s first single to be released on 12”, with a 12” mix of the A-side replacing the album mix that adorned the 7”, and also featuring an extra non-album B-side in the form of a cover of T.Rex’s “Jeepster”.
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The next single, the magnificent “I Could Be Happy”, where Grogan’s voice clearly showed the band’s Scottish heritage (“I’ll go to Skye on my holideeys”), featured an image in which the band appeared in front of another pop art style image. A variant version of this sleeve was later used when the single appeared alongside three other chart smashes on the “Greatest Original Hits EP” release in early 1983. This was the first release from the band’s second LP, “Pinky Blue”, with the track being edited down for inclusion on the 7”, whilst the LP played the longer version as found on the 12”. However, the album mix has become known as the “Dance Mix” for this very reason, so the easiest way of knowing what version of the track you are playing is to simply look at the playing time (the “edit” comes in at three and a half minutes). The b-side was a re-recorded version of a track from the debut LP, “Insects”, whilst the 12” added “Disco Pop Stars”, a reworked version of the band’s debut single.
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The aforementioned “See Those Eyes” was up next, which included a remix of the A-side on the 12”. No effort was made to even acknowledge this version on the sleeve or the labels, so it often just gets referred to as the “Long Version”. The title track of the album came next, which abandoned the pop-art sleekness of the earlier releases, and came in a rather garish pink and blue (obviously) sleeve. To differentiate the 7” from the LP, which looked identical, the single sleeve came in a pink cover with blue lettering, the album, a blue cover with pink lettering. The 45 was backed by a track from the album called “Think That It Might”, and even though it was listed as being a dance remix, by all accounts, it seems to be the same as the album version. The 12”, housed in a unique sleeve in which the band photo from the 7” was totally omitted, included extended mixes of both sides of the single.
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By the time we got to 1983’s “Bite”, the band - having already undergone one line up change after the release of their second single - rejigged the line up again, and were now a four piece, after Grogan’s future husband Steve Lironi came in to replace drummer Michael Anderson and second guitarist Jim McKinven. The album, which completed the band’s transition from post-punkers to glamorous, synthpop chart stars, featured Grogan alone on the cover in an “Audrey Hepburn” style image. Indeed, most of the singles from the album appeared in sleeves in which the remainder of the band were nowhere to be seen, although there was a photo of the rest of the group on the inner artwork of the “Bite” LP and the poster bag edition of the “Love To Stay” 45.
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Whilst the LP does sometimes get dismissed for being too pop, “Bite” remains a major part of the Images cannon. It spawned no less than four singles, more than any previous AI album. The lead single, “Don’t Talk To Me About Love”, was the last of the band’s singles to appear in a ’surrealist’ sleeve, as the rest of the 45s lifted from the album used portrait images of Grogan on their covers. “Don’t Talk...” was edited down for release as a 7”, and the 12” - housed in a different sleeve - used an extended mix instead. Rather curiously, subsequent compilation albums which have included the so-called “12” Mix” all seem to actually include a shorter ’extended version’, with about a minute and a half stripped off the running time. There was also a 7” picture disc, using a still from the video as it’s front image, which again, concentrated mainly on the band’s glamorous singer. All formats featured a non album B-side in the form of “Last Goodbye”.
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Follow up 45, “Bring Me Closer”, was also issued on 7”, 12” and picture disc formats. This time around, there were both 7” and 12” picture discs, with the 7” opting for a different photo of Grogan from that found on the cover of the black vinyl edition, whilst the 12” used the same image. The 12” versions played an extended mix of the A-side, whilst all four formats included another new non album flip in the form of “Surprise Me”. “Love To Stay”, issued next, included an “extended version” of the A-side on the 12” edition, although this was actually the LP mix - another instance of the “Dance Mix” of a track being placed onto a studio album in preference to the 7” mix. There were no picture discs this time around, but some copies of the 7”, as mentioned earlier, were housed in a poster bag sleeve. Album track “Another Lost Look” appeared as the B-side, although this was a version recorded “live”. It sounded very much like the standard album mix to these ears last time I heard it, but I really need to go back and have another listen, as the forthcoming expanded version of "Bite" is making a point of including it on it's bonus disc - so my hearing must be really bad.
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The band bowed out with “Change Of Heart”, which included the same image of Grogan on it’s front as the one featured on the “Bring Me Closer” 7” picture disc. By now, the band had run out of B-sides, and the single simply used a variety of older tracks as flipsides on the 7” and 12” formats. The single appeared in a slightly different mix to the album version. As for “Bite” itself, Cassette versions of the album took advantage of the longer playing time the format offered, by including the 12” versions of “Don’t Talk...” and “Bring Me Closer”, their corresponding B-sides, and an exclusive track “I Don’t Want To Know”.
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The band then simply went their separate ways. Grogan tried to launch herself as a solo artist later in the 80s, but after a sole solo single, and an unreleased album, ended up moving back towards acting and TV presenting. In 1984, Epic released the “Collected Images” best of set, which in it’s LP form, included the album/12” mix of “I Could Be Happy”, and the 12” mix of “Bring Me Closer”. The edited versions of “Don’t Talk...” and “Love To Stay” were included in preference over the (original) album versions. There was also a cassette release which, like “Bite”, opted to include extra tracks on side 2. The entire second half of the tape was devoted to the band’s dance mixes, and thus included all of the band’s seven 12 inch A-side revamps from “Happy Birthday“ to “Love To Stay“ (no appearance for the B-side 12“ mix of “Think That It Might“ though). And just to stress/clarify, the 12” mixes included on the studio sets as “album” versions are on here. I only own this LP on vinyl, so I have no idea if this means the same versions of “I Could Be Happy” and “Bring Me Closer” thus appear on each side. Feel free to confirm by adding a comment below, or emailing me.
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Despite the fact that “Collected Images” did a fairly decent job of covering the band’s relatively short career, there have been numerous more best of sets since. Those issued in the CD age have taken the opportunity to include extra material to take advantage of the format, such as 1996’s “Reflected Images”, housed in a sleeve using the same photo of Clare as found on “Bite”. Bookended by the “Intro” and “Outro” versions of “Happy Birthday”, the set also includes several 12” mixes towards the end, namely “Happy Birthday”, “Love To Stay” and “Bring Me Closer”, alongside the ‘shortened’ 12” mix of “Don’t Talk To Me About Love”.
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In 2004, specialist reissue label Edsel released the band’s three studio albums in expanded CD form. To acknowledge this, all of the albums were retitled to end with the suffix “Plus”, so “Bite” became “Bite...Plus”. Each of the reissues included the relevant rarities from the period, with one or two exceptions. “Happy Birthday” included all the rarities from the first three singles with the exception of the Cassette version of “Leave Me Alone“ - the sleeve notes incorrectly referred to the version on the album as having been released initially on the “Dead Pop Stars” single, hence it‘s accidental absence.
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“Pinky Blue...Plus” also made a mistake, by including the LP version of “Insects” as one of the bonus tracks, instead of the re-recorded B-side version. All of the related edits were included, as were the 12” mixes of each of the LP’s three singles. The other B-sides from the period were included, along with “Happy New Year / Real Toys”, which had been a new recording originally tossed away on a free flexidisc given away with “Flexipop” magazine in late 1981 - this particular edition also featured the band on the cover.
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<br />
“Bite...Plus” is probably the most intriguing of the reissues. The decision was taken to replace the album versions of three tracks, and include alternate mixes instead. So “Love To Stay” appeared in it’s 7” edit form, with the original Album mix/Dance mix added as one of the bonus tracks. “Don’t Talk” was the 7” edit, seeing the 5 minute long album version disappear into thin air - the unedited 12” mix was also missing from the bonus tracks, as the 'shortened 12” Mix' was included instead. “Change Of Heart” appeared in it’s 7” remix form. The remainder of the bonuses consisted of the period B-sides, “I Don’t Want To Know” from the original Cassette pressing, and the 12” mix of “Bring Me Closer”.
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<br />
As for the flurry of activity in late 2016 and 2017. The Vinyl 180 label reissued the band’s three albums on vinyl, each coming with a free bonus 7” from the period, pressed on coloured vinyl and housed in a clear PVC sleeve. The reissue of “Happy Birthday” came with what was essentially a repress of the band’s first 45, with “Dead Pop Stars” on the a-side, and “Sentimental” on the flip. “Pinky Blue” went down a similar path, with an “I Could Be Happy”/”Insects” 7” on blue vinyl, which music-wise replicated the original 7” by playing the edited mix of side 1, and the re-recorded version of side 2. “Bite” attempted to rectify the issue over using single mixes over LP versions on the “...Plus” reissue, by featuring the original LP running order this time around. The freebie, a white vinyl 7”, didn’t replicate any earlier releases, but featured the edited mixes of “Don’t Talk To Me About Love” and “Love To Stay”, presumably to acknowledge that these versions had been in the main running order of “Bite...Plus”. Or maybe, as the only two songs from the album to be heavily edited for 7” release, it made sense to pick them over anything else.
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<br />
Anybody who has read any of my other blogs on here will know I don’t care much for Record Store Day, but it does make sense here to mention the second reissue Vinyl 180 did of “Happy Birthday” this year. This was a double LP version, with the rarities that were unable to make it onto the LP + 7” version, being stacked up on the second slab of vinyl. This edition of the LP does include the original version of “Leave Me Alone” on side 4, whilst the two rarities from the “Happy New Year” flexi were included as well. “Dead Pop Stars” and “Sentimental” are absent from this edition. Discogs was offering copies for £25 the day after the event, but given that you could go round buying the original LP and singles for less, it again puts a question mark over what this event is trying to achieve, and whether or not it has turned into a cash grabbing exercise with superfluous releases, whilst not really benefiting the indie stores.
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<br />
Of interest, is that a similar themed reissue of “Pinky Blue” has been issued recently - as a bog standard, non RSD release, meaning you have more chance of getting one without breaking the bank (still a bit pricey though). The second disc for this one includes the 12” mixes of “See Those Eyes”, “Pinky Blue” and “Think That It Might”, the B-sides “Disco Pop Stars” and “How About That Then”, plus a genuine rarity in the form of the US version of “See Those Eyes”, which I think has made it’s debut UK appearance by appearing on this release. There is also a double vinyl reissue of “Bite” planned for release next month, and may see the appearance of the full 12” mix of “Don’t Talk...” for the first time in decades. It's certainly listed in the tracklisting I have seen, it's just whether or not it has that extra 90 seconds to it...
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<br />
Altered Images reformed in 2002, to appear on the 80’s tinged “Here And Now” tour. As the well known face of the band, Grogan probably knew she could get away with filling the rest of the lineup with, well, anybody - and thus it was that the new look, all-girl, Altered Images went down the same route as The Fall, by having the lead singer as the complete focal point. In recent years, perhaps due to legal issues, the band have continued to appear on the gigging circuit as “Clare Grogan’s Altered Images”. It’s a bit tacky, but then again, I never liked the “Marc Bolan And T.Rex” legend either.
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<br />
<b>Discography</b>
<br />
<br />
Well, given that it is possible to get everything the band released in the UK via a variety of combinations, I just figured I might as well list pretty much everything. To keep it slightly under control, I have listed - for the LP’s - the original vinyl and tape editions, alongside each of the expanded versions that have appeared in the Noughties and 2010s. All of the (UK) singles are listed, along with all of the UK compilations.
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<br />
<b>ALBUMS</b>
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<br />
<b>Happy Birthday</b> (LP, Epic EPC 84893)<br />
<b>Happy Birthday</b> (Cassette, Epic EPC 40-84893)<br />
<b>Happy Birthday...Plus</b> (CD, Edsel DIAB 8048)<br />
<b>Happy Birthday</b> (LP + Red Vinyl 7”, Vinyl 180 VIN180 LP109)<br />
<b>Happy Birthday</b> (2 x LP, Vinyl 180 VIN180 LP110, Record Store Day release)
<br />
<br />
<b>Pinky Blue</b> (LP, Epic EPC 85665)<br />
<b>Pinky Blue</b> (Cassette, Epic EPC 40-85665)<br />
<b>Pinky Blue...Plus</b> (CD, Edsel DIAB 8049)<br />
<b>Pinky Blue</b> (LP + Blue Vinyl 7”, Vinyl 180 VIN180 LP115)<br />
<b>Pinky Blue</b> (2 x LP, Vinyl 180 VIN180 LP116)
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<br />
<b>Bite</b> (LP, Epic EPC 25413)<br />
<b>Bite</b> (Cassette, Epic EPC 40-25413)<br />
<b>Bite...Plus</b> (CD, Edsel DIAB 8050)<br />
<b>Bite</b> (LP + White Vinyl 7”, Vinyl 180 VIN180 LP117)<br />
<b>Bite</b> (2 x LP, Vinyl 180 VIN180 LP118)
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<br />
<br />
<b>SINGLES</b>
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<br />
<b>Dead Pop Stars/Sentimental</b> (7”, Epic EPC A1023, yellow p/s)<br />
<b>Dead Pop Stars/Sentimental/Leave Me Alone (First Version)</b> (Cassette, Epic EPC40-A1023)
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<br />
<b>A Day’s Wait/Who Cares?</b> (7”, Epic EPC A1167)
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<br />
<b>Happy Birthday/So We Go Whispering</b> (7”, Epic EPC A1522)<br />
<b>Happy Birthday (Dance Mix)/So We Go Whispering/Jeepster</b> (12”, Epic EPC A13-1522, initial copies with free “Iron-On“ transfer)
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<br />
<b>I Could Be Happy (Edit)/Insects (New Version)</b> (7”, Epic EPC A1834)<br />
<b>I Could Be Happy (Edit)/Insects (New Version)</b> (7” Picture Disc, Epic EPC A11-1834)<br />
<b>I Could Be Happy/Insects (New Version)/Disco Pop Stars</b> (12”, Epic EPA A13-1834)
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<br />
<b>Happy New Year/Real Toys (New Version)/Leave Me Alone (First Version)</b> (7” Flexidisc, Flexipop 14, red, blue or orange discs produced, given free with “Flexipop” Issue 14, with band on cover)
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<br />
<b>See Those Eyes/How About That Then</b> (7”, Epic EPC A2198)<br />
<b>See Those Eyes (Long Version)/(Album Version)/How About That Then</b> (12”, Epic EPC A13-2198)
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<br />
<b>Pinky Blue/Think That It Might (Dance Mix)</b> (7”, Epic EPC A2426, some pressed in pink, blue or “pinky blue“ vinyl, some in PVC sleeves instead of picture sleeves)<br />
<b>Pinky Blue (Dance Mix)/Jump Jump - Think That It Might (Segued Dance Mix)</b> (12”, Epic EPC A13-2426, unique p/s)
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<br />
<b>Greatest Original Hits EP: Happy Birthday/I Could Be Happy (Edit)/Dead Pop Stars/A Day’s Wait</b> (7”, Epic EPC A2617)
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<br />
<b>Don’t Talk To Me About Love (Edit)/Last Goodbye</b> (7”, Epic EPC A3083)<br />
<b>Don’t Talk To Me About Love (Edit)/Last Goodbye</b> (7” Picture Disc, Epic WA3083)<br />
<b>Don’t Talk To Me About Love (Unedited Extended Version)/Last Goodbye</b> (12”, Epic A13-3083)
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<br />
<b>Bring Me Closer/Surprise Me</b> (7”, Epic A3398)<br />
<b>Bring Me Closer/Surprise Me</b> (7” Picture Disc, Epic WA 3398)<br />
<b>Bring Me Closer (Extended Version)/Surprise Me</b> (12”, Epic TA 3398)<br />
<b>Bring Me Closer (Extended Version)/Surprise Me</b> (12” Picture Disc, Epic WTA 3398)
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<br />
<b>Love To Stay (Edit)/Another Lost Look (Live Version)</b> (7”, Epic A3582, some in poster sleeve)<br />
<b>Love To Stay/Another Lost Look (Live Version)</b> (12”, Epic TA 3582)
<br />
<br />
<b>Change Of Heart (7” Mix)/Another Lost Look</b> (7”, Epic A3735)<br />
<b>Change Of Heart (7” Mix)/Another Lost Look/Happy Birthday/I Could Be Happy (Edit)</b> (12”, Epic TA3735)
<br />
<br />
<b>Happy Birthday/I Could Be Happy (Edit)</b> (7”, Old Gold OG 9663, die cut sleeve)
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>UK COMPILATIONS</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>Collected Images</b> (LP, Epic EPC 25973)<br />
<b>Collected Images</b> (Cassette, Epic EPC 40-25973, expanded edition)<br />
<b>The Best Of Altered Images</b> (CD, Connoisseur Collection VSOP CD 177, 1992 release with “Leave Me Alone”)<br />
<b>Reflected Images</b> (CD, Epic 484339 2, 1996 release with ’short’ 12” mix of “Don’t Talk To Me About Love” and all 7“ edits)<br />
<b>Destiny: The Hits</b> (CD, Epic 510465 2, 2003 release that revamps “Reflected Images“, but with most 12“ mixes missing)<br />
<b>Happy Birthday: The Best Of Altered Images</b> (2 x CD, Music Club Deluxe MCDLX 046, 2007 release, 36 track selection including B-sides “Sentimental”, “Disco Pop Stars” and “Surprise Me”, plus the entire “Pinky Blue“ LP)<br />
<b>The Collection</b> (CD, Sony 88697 738522, CD, 2010 release, includes original LP mix of “Don’t Talk To Me About Love”)
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<br />Jason Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558797353616141638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-79819659773284469582017-04-19T12:00:00.000-07:002017-04-19T14:04:05.710-07:00R.E.M.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F5oZMkfAnvA/WPezwHO_C2I/AAAAAAAAAKs/cIlubnGifF4bQGs7YIvCNLBTKPFXTD83QCLcB/s1600/REM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F5oZMkfAnvA/WPezwHO_C2I/AAAAAAAAAKs/cIlubnGifF4bQGs7YIvCNLBTKPFXTD83QCLcB/s320/REM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It’s taken me a while to get round to doing an REM (or R.E.M.) article, mainly because up until about a year ago, there were too many gaps in my collection. But after a back injury last year laid me low for about 6 weeks, all the money I would have spent at the shops during my work lunch breaks, was directed instead towards bagging some of the missing Warner Brothers period singles, whilst the release of an IRS Years singles box fell into my lap early this year. That more or less plugged those gaps.
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<br />
They always say “you should write about what you know”, and with the basic collection just missing the odd item here and there (although my hit list includes a number of “treat yourself” optional extras), now is the time to finally mark the brilliance of a band who threw in the towel some 6 years ago. A band whose jingle jangle indie rock revitalised the American college-rock scene, influenced Nirvana, and whose international breakthrough occurred just as they were indulging in instrument swapping in the studio, and refusing to go on tour again. They didn’t fully reinvent the wheel - the raucous 2003 single “Bad Day” sounded quite contemporary at the time, but it’s origins dated back over 15 years previous - yet the fact is, there are some absolute gems in this back catalogue. From the well known (“Radio Free Europe”, “The One I Love”, “Nightswimming” and “Imitation Of Life”), through to the slightly less populist (“These Days”, “Country Feedback”, “Why Not Smile” and “Horse To Water”). Perhaps the band were always on a slow, downward slide after Bill Berry walked out, but the likes of latter period albums like “Accelerate” definitely had their moments - you don’t need me to tell you how REM on autopilot were still better than Kajagoogoo or Bastille even when they tried their hardest.
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So, two months after the Brit Awards gave Adele a gong for simply being quite popular by peddling inoffensive MOR, let’s celebrate a band who in order to win their Brit Awards, actually had to make good records, which were often inventive and left-field, or had to make simply utterly monumental music to win the battle for Best International Band (three times). “Rolling In The Deep” versus “Crush With Eyeliner”? No contest. Anyway - let’s begin.
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<br />
<b>The IRS Years</b>
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<br />
REM released their debut single in 1981 in the USA on the Hib-Tone label, the aforementioned “Radio Free Europe”. Very much a one off release, the group then began work on an EP, with the intention of it being released on a label owned by their then manager. However, the group had caught the eye of IRS Records, who dutifully signed the band and issued this EP, the 5 track “Chronic Town”, in 1982. The deal did not include the UK at the time, and whilst the EP did surface in some overseas territories, there was no UK release for it.
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<br />
“Radio Free Europe” was then issued (again) as the band’s next single, having been re-recorded at the request of the label. It got a more widespread release, and became the band’s first UK 45, housed in the same picture cover as the US edition (but different to the original Hib-Tone pressing). The original Hib-Tone B-side, “Sitting Still”, was included on “Murmur“, the band‘s debut album, in a slightly remixed form, whilst the flipside for the new single release on IRS was a slightly shambling cover of the Velvet Underground’s “There She Goes Again”. The Hib-Tone recordings have resurfaced in various places since, including the 2-disc edition of the “And I Feel Fine” compilation from 2006. In the UK, the follow up release was a 12” only issue of “Talk About The Passion”, which included a couple of tracks from the “Chronic Town” EP as it’s B-sides.
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The band would release five albums on the label before 1988, all of which more or less followed the jingle-jangle sound of “Murmur”. The band’s third LP, “Fables Of The Reconstruction”, was also known in some quarters as “Reconstruction Of The Fables”, after various pressings of the album made reference to the latter title as well as the former.
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<br />
IRS tried their hardest to try and get REM into the singles charts, but with little success. Various quirky tricks were tried, which included issuing singles with different B-sides on different formats (“So. Central Rain”), double pack 7” sets (“Wendell Gee”) and singles issued in different covers dependent on which format you picked (“Fall On Me”). But not one of them made the top 40, although the band’s album sales were marginally better.
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By the time the band had released “Document” in 1987, they were starting to get a lot of attention in America, and there was a buzz surrounding the band elsewhere as well. After a UK only single, “Finest Worksong” made number 50 in 1988, IRS decided to re-release an earlier 45, “The One I Love”. The same basic sleeve design was retained, but it was given a new catalogue number, and the original “rare” B-sides were replaced by former REM, erm, ‘hits’. It still didn’t really set the charts alight - charting lower than “Finest Worksong“ did.
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<br />
By this point, the band were of the opinion that, as a relatively small label, IRS couldn’t quite get them to the next level. And so, an agreement was made for the band to leave the label for pastures new, and Warner Brothers came knocking. The band and label collaborated on a best-of release called “Eponymous”, which was mostly a selection of singles, with a few rarities scattered into the mix, including an alternate version of “Gardening At Night” from the “Chronic Town” EP and a soundtrack contribution, “Romance”. It was, in some respects, a companion release to the earlier “Dead Letter Office”, a B-sides collection that had been released in early 87, just before the release of “Document”.
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<br />
When REM turned into superstars in 1991, IRS couldn’t resist telling the public that they had been there first. A slightly pointless release, “The Best Of REM”, was issued, which just seemed to cobble together a load of album mixes (even where said track had also been issued as a single in “single mix” form), although reviews were quite favourable. To coincide with the album, IRS reissued both “The One I Love” and “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It” as singles to try and capitalize on the band’s new found success, and this time around, managed to get both singles into the top 40. As with the second release of “The One I Love”, the basic artwork was the same as the 80s originals. Both singles were issued as double-CD Single sets, featuring “rare material”, thus echoing the 2-CD releases that Warners were putting out at the same time for 45’s from the “Out Of Time” album (more later). But the IRS releases were restricted to simply selecting older B-sides, and whilst some of this stuff would have been new to some fans at the time, it has all been recycled since. One of the CD editions of “End Of The World” was withdrawn after the Hib-Tone version of “Radio Free Europe” was included, and seemed to cause some licensing problems.
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<br />
In 1993, the five studio albums from this period were reissued by EMI (who by now were distributing IRS product) in expanded form. These releases, which were notable visually due to the front cover design referring to them under the “IRS Years Vintage” banner, did a very useful job in hoovering up B-sides that “Dead Letter Office” had missed. Purchasing all five of these, and “DLO”, will give you every UK B-side (bar two) that IRS put out. The missing tracks were the live versions of “9-9” and “Gardening At Night”, which had appeared on the UK 12” release of “(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville”. There were, actually, live performances of both these songs on the expanded “Murmur”, but were lifted from a completely different show, which may have been an accident as the sleeve suggested both tracks were previously released - these versions, in the UK at least, were not. The final track on the reissue of “Murmur“, a live version of “Catapult”, had only previously appeared on the US 7” version of the “Rockville” single, which itself was also housed in a totally different sleeve to the UK edition.
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<br />
“Dead Letter Office” was also given an expanded reissue, to include not only the five tracks from the “Chronic Town” EP, but also some previously unreleased bonus tracks. One of these, “All The Right Friends”, was recorded by the band during both the IRS and Warners years, but both times failed to make it onto a studio album - it‘s appearance on “DLO“ was it‘s debut appearance. The “Warners” version of the track got released on the soundtrack album to “Vanilla Sky” in 2003, and later on “In Time”, a Warners years best of (again, more later). It is worth pointing out that these IRS reissues were never technically released in the UK, but were pressed in different European countries and then exported to the UK. EMI would usually list a UK catalogue number for an album that was designed for the UK market on the back of their CD’s, but none of mine have a UK catalogue number at all. However, they did seem to be exported in big numbers, and were usually available for sale at non-import prices.
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In 1994, IRS issued the charming, but slightly “cash in”-esque “Singles Collected”. This 20-tracker neatly showcased the band’s UK single releases, and their accompanying flipsides (sort of). The edited mixes of “Radio Free Europe”, “Can’t Get There From Here” and “Rockville” made their CD debut. Artistic license was used when it came to the B-sides. Whilst the B-side of the UK 7” was usually included, the decision was taken not to use the flip of “Rockville” (“Wolves Lower” had originally been issued on “Chronic Town”, and appeared on the “Rockville“ 7“ in order to make it‘s UK debut) and so the aforementioned live version of “Catapult” was included instead. This would be the last IRS release, as the label had folded by 1997.
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<br />
2006’s “And I Feel Fine” was notable really for featuring previously unreleased material from the era on disc 2, disc 1 was just another trundle through the singles and pick of the album tracks. IRS was briefly resurrected in the 2010’s, and in 2014, they released the quite wonderful “7IN 83-88”, a US only 12 x 7” boxset including repressings of all ten UK REM singles (although housed in US sleeves where such a single appeared Stateside in such an altered state), and the US only “Driver 8”. In the UK, IRS had issued “Wendell Gee” instead as a 45 (so the B-side “Crazy” appears on each), and the version in the box is a press of the original double pack, so you also get the bonus “Ages Of You” disc as well. Each release is very faithful to the original, with the original IRS catalogue number on the labels (with only two UK only releases here, the majority of cat numbers are US ones) whilst the US singles, having been released originally as jukebox style 45’s with the centre missing, appear here in the same jukebox-ready form. The UK only releases appear as solid centre pressings, as per the originals. Whilst the REM singles from this period aren’t quite as valuable as you might have thought a load of flop singles from a superstar band would have been, buying them all individually is going to take you past the £100 mark, whereas this boxset cost me as little as £40. With most of the “12” only” flipsides already available on “DLO” and the “Vintage Years” reissues, then really, this is a great way of getting the IRS singles into the collection.
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<br />
<b>The Warners Years</b>
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<br />
REM didn’t quite turn into megastars after their move to a bigger label. 1988’s “Green” certainly raised the band’s profile but “Stand” failed to enter the UK Top 40 both times it was released as a single. “Orange Crush” did make the top 30, the first REM 45 to do so. In the US, Warners took a different approach, issuing three (different) tracks as singles. In 1989, repressings on 7” of these three (“Stand”, “Get Up” and “Pop Song 89”) along with the UK only release that was “Orange Crush”, were issued in the “SingleActionGreen” boxset. The UK reissue of “Stand”, issued a few months before the boxset, used a new sleeve, a new catalogue number and new B-sides, but the boxset used the original cover, as per the US edition. “Green” was the first in a long line of releases on Warners that were to be issued in limited edition packaging in the USA, albeit with standard track listings.
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<br />
It was 1991’s “Out Of Time” that catapulted the band into the big time. In a way, it was perverse that this was the release that broke them into the mainstream. Heavy use of the mandolin, drummer Bill Berry playing instruments other than the drums on several songs, a point blank refusal to tour - but with radio stations getting behind the band, and MTV sticking “Losing My Religion” on their play list, the group’s profile was being raised just as their music was heading in a slightly different direction.
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<br />
In what almost felt like a “this is what you could have had” moment, each of the singles from the LP were issued as limited edition CD Singles, with live recordings as the extra tracks. These editions were easily noticeable by the black and white chequered borders that were used on the front covers. All four of these releases were later included in a European and Japanese boxset called, simply, “REM Singles Collection”.
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<br />
At the start of the promo campaign for the album, the chart regulations in the UK allowed for the release of four standard formats (7”, MC, CD and 12”) along with a fifth “limited edition” release. The four standard releases followed the usual approach - new B-side on the 7” and Tape, with an extra flipside on the 12” and CD. The limited edition CD’s used the standard Warners “CDX” catalogue suffix to denote a special edition. Midway through the campaign, changes to the number of eligible formats was dropped to four, meaning that “Near Wild Heaven” and “Radio Song” appeared as limited edition CD’s, but not “standard” ones. The CD singles still used the “CDX” catalogue, but we now had some vinyl only flipsides appearing in the form of a remix of “Shiny Happy People” and an acoustic version of “Half A World Away”. Like the IRS albums, both “Green” and “Out Of Time” have been issued in deluxe form to mark their 25th anniversaries - but, along with the IRS deluxes, tend to concentrate on live material and demos, with the B-sides from the period ignored completely.
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<br />
For the release of “Automatic For The People”, the band’s second jingle jangle classic on the trot, Warners decided to try and do a ‘Michael Jackson’ - by issuing no less than SIX singles from the LP. The first two, “Drive” and “Man On The Moon” were issued as double CD sets, with the second CD’s dubbed “Collectors Edition” releases, which saw the artwork of the regular single reduced in size, with a ‘wooden effect’ border used for each release. “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite” was also issued as two CD singles, both in similarly designed sleeves, both of which were dubbed “Collectors Editions”, with a number 1 or 2 on the front dependent on which CD it was. “Everybody Hurts” was also issued as a pair of Collectors Edition CD’s, with a specific mention that each disc was part of a 2-disc set. By now, it did seem as though the outtakes were drying up, as the B-side of the “Orange Crush” 12”, a cover of Syd Barrett’s “Dark Globe”, turned up on CD2.
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<br />
For the sublime “Nightswimming”, a different approach was taken. Live recordings from a 1991 gig were used as B-sides, with a live version of “Losing My Religion” appearing on the 7” and Cassette editions. This particular flipside would turn out to be a non-CD item in the UK, as the accompanying CD Single release opted for three totally different tracks from the same gig. The 12” picture disc release, the band’s first in the UK, replicated the CD track listing.
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<br />
The final release, “Find The River”, saw the barrel being well and truly scraped. There were no double CD approaches this time, indeed, there was not even a fourth format release, and the only release of interest was the CD Single, which offered up the band’s performance of “Everybody Hurts” from the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards, along with an utterly pointless instrumental version of “Orange Crush”. The single failed to dent the UK Top 40, which was as good a sign as any that Warners had milked the album just a bit too much.
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<br />
REM returned to the gigging circuit to support 1994’s gloriously feedback-heavy “Monster”, a daring but exhilarating left turn, as if the band figured they needed to pick up where Nirvana had left off. By not touring the two previous records, REM had therefore missed what could have been the ‘Arena Years’, and in the summer of 95, were playing the hole in the ground that was Milton Keynes Bowl (twice), with a who’s who of Britpop acts appearing as support acts (Blur, Sleeper and Radiohead).
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<br />
Again, Warners opted for a interesting and intense promo campaign when it came to the 45’s. Five singles were released, with the 7” and Cassette editions of each featuring an instrumental version of the A-side as the flip (they were listed, on the first few releases, as the “K Versions” - K standing for Karaoke, of course).
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<br />
For the third and fourth releases, to try and drum up interest, the 7” releases were pressed on coloured vinyl with free gifts (the incendiary “Crush with Eyeliner” was housed inside an REM Calendar sleeve, the beautiful “Strange Currencies” included a free badge), whilst the final release, “Tongue”, was pressed on black vinyl but housed in a numbered sleeve.
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<br />
The first four singles were also issued on CD, with exclusive live tracks from a Greenpeace benefit show the band had played in their hometown, Athens, in November 1992 as bonuses, instead of the “K” versions. The exception to the rule was “Tongue”, which included live recordings instead from the band’s appearance on the “Saturday Night Live” US TV show.
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<br />
“Tongue” is also worth a special mention, as regards it’s Cassette release. The tape was pressed as an extra length tape, most of which was blank, and fans were encouraged to put the live recordings from the “Monster” singles onto the blank section of the tape - the inlay could even be refolded to show a ’bootleg’ style cover with the legend “REM 92” on the cover. Ace. An essential item, but just hope, if you get one, that nobody has accidentally taped over the two pre-recorded tracks instead...
<br />
<br />
Striking whilst the iron was still hot, the band recorded a big chunk of their next album, 1996‘s “New Adventures In Hi Fi” at soundchecks and gigs on the tour, whilst many of the B-sides that would appear on singles taken from the LP were also sourced using the same approach. After the multi formatting madness of the previous few years, things were scaled back a bit this time around, with the Cassette Single releases just offering up a track off the accompanying (4 track) CD release, whilst the “Limited Edition” versions released were simply the same as the standard CD releases but in thick jewel cases.
<br />
<br />
In some respects, “New Adventures” marked the turning point of the band from unit shifting, critical darlings, into a less loved and less popular band of indie-rockers. It’s release coincided with the signing of a new headlining grabbing $80m deal to re-sign to Warners - only for drummer Bill Berry to leave the band the following year. The new three piece version of the band (augmented on stage and in the studio by a selection of session musicians) struggled to ever release another album that excited the music press, although 2001’s “Reveal” did have it’s stand out moments, and 2008’s “Accelerate” - designed to blow away the cobwebs of the rather genteel 2005 release “Around The Sun” - was seen very much as a return to form. There were not really many mis-steps during this period, but REM did become kind of dependable, as opposed to releasing anything that was too avant garde or out of the ordinary.
<br />
<br />
1998’s “Up” saw the band issue each of the singles in the UK as standard CD releases, but also as limited edition 3” CD’s in Japanese-style “snap pack” sleeves. In keeping with the shorter running time these offered, each of these releases appeared with just the one (exclusive) B-side, although the format could actually contain much more music than this.
<br />
<br />
The first two releases from the LP, “Daysleeper” and “Lotus”, featured flipsides on the 3” releases that were taped “live in the studio”, before the next two releases featured material taped at TV shows and on Radio during a promotional jaunt around the UK. The band played “TFI Friday” where Mike and Peter happily signed autographs outside the studio, but Michael politely declined to sign anything, as he was going through a sort of “anti fame” period at the time. Still, I never met Bill Berry either, so only getting half the band’s scribbles on my copy of “Up” isn’t the end of the world.
<br />
<br />
“At My Most Beautiful” included as B-sides, on both CD releases, material from the band’s appearance on “Later”. The 5“ CD had a radio remix of the A-side as the lead track, whilst the 3” used a live version taped for John Peel’s BBC Radio 1 show. Peel, at times, would seem to show little interest in alternative acts who perhaps were not alternative enough (he never “got“ Patti Smith, for example), but after starting to get a liking for Blur after they “went grunge“ in 1997, REM were the latest band to suddenly gain interest from the man years after they could (or should) had done a session for him. More live tracks from “Later” were used as B-sides on the final single from the LP, “Suspicion” (which flopped spectacularly), whilst the A-side version on the 3” was taped at the Ealing Studios in West London two days after this TV gig.
<br />
<br />
The summer of 1999 saw REM tour the UK, ‘downsizing’ from the stadiums of the “Monster” tour to the smaller likes of Earls Court, along with a headlining slot at the Glastonbury Festival. Recordings from the gig made it onto the B-side of the group’s next single, “The Great Beyond”, which was one of several REM (and REM related) songs that appeared on the soundtrack album of the “Man On The Moon” movie.
<br />
<br />
For “Reveal”, Warners began to stop issuing each of the singles as part of a pattern. There were DVD Single releases for the first two 45’s from the LP, but not the last. It was followed in 2003 by “In Time”, designed to commemorate the band’s fifteen year long (at that point) Warners career. It was issued as both a standard and a limited edition release - the limited release featured more tracks on the second disc than chart regulations allowed, and thus had it’s sales counted as a separate release, resulting in the album entering the top 40 at both number 1 (for the standard edition) and 36 (for the double disc version). The double disc version, which was housed in a nicely packaged slipcase design, featured a slightly ramshackle selection of odds and sods on CD2 - for every B-side that made the set, dozens more didn’t. There were also a few previously unreleased live tracks to entice the completists, whilst both the 1-CD and 2-CD editions included the aforementioned “Warners” version of “All The Right Friends”. Another track that dated from the IRS years, as mentioned earlier, “Bad Day”, was also included and issued as a single to help promote the album. It was re-recorded especially for the album, but the original unreleased version from the mid 80s would turn up on the second disc of the “And I Feel Fine” compilation three years later.
<br />
<br />
As REM began to fall into the “heritage acts” category, slowly being eased off the radio play lists, Warners continued to be less adventurous with the singles. Another new song from “In Time”, “Animal” was issued as a CD Single - and nothing else. 2004’s much maligned “Around The Sun” did however spawn no less than 4 singles, each issued as double CD sets, albeit with alternate versions of already available REM tracks as flipsides. Three of the four singles were issued as 7” singles, either as picture discs or coloured vinyl. In a polar opposite of the way these singles used to be packaged, the picture disc for “Leaving New York” came in a full picture sleeve, and the red vinyl release of “Wanderlust” was housed in a stickered, but otherwise clear, PVC sleeve. It had been more usual, in earlier years for most acts, to package these things the other way round.
<br />
<br />
By the time we got to the single releases for the fiery “Accelerate”, the impending death of the physical single saw a series of slightly half hearted releases. “Supernatural Superserious” appeared as a 2 track CD release, and a three track release - one of the bonus tracks was the same as the one on the 2 tracker, which was a bit pointless, whilst both these tracks also appeared in DVD-Audio form on the free DVD included with first issues of the “Accelerate“ CD. “Hollow Man” was to be issued on two CD’s with, again, CD2 featuring an extra track, but was cancelled for reasons unknown - so despite the un-cancelled CD Single being issued with a catalogue number bearing the legend “CD1“, CD2 never surfaced. “Man Sized Wreath” only turned up as a 7” single. Again, a 3 track release adding an extra track was made - as a digital download only.
<br />
<br />
There were no physical releases from “Collapse Into Now”, an album which seemed to continue with what at the time seemed like a renaissance for the band. “Uberlin” was the first track to be plugged as a promo in the UK, whilst other tracks were selected for other countries, and a 2011 Record Store Day release called “REM Three” included three 7” singles inside, each featuring a physical reproduction of the three lead singles - alongside “Uberlin“, there was a 7“ led by “Mine Smell Like Honey“ (the first ‘single‘ in the USA) and another with “Oh My Heart“ on the a-side, which was the lead single in Germany, actually achieving a physical CD single release at the time there as well. But as we all know, Record Store Day releases don't count.
<br />
<br />
“Collapse Into Now” was not the rebirth we might have hoped for. By the end of 2011, the band had decided to call it a day, deciding to bow out before they started to hate each other or make terrible records. Less charitable types claimed the end had come 15 years too late, but just look at what we have now without REM - the increasingly awful Ed Sheeran, who last night "headlined" what was the worst edition of "Later" ever broadcast, by performing two of the worst singles I have ever heard in my life, the funk-pop horror of The 1975, who at The Brits this year reminded me of the dreadful Living In A Box, and the atrocity that is Rag And Bone Man - a so-called "authentic" soul singer, whose songs seem to have been written by a computer labelled 'To be used to create big selling, bearded-Gary Barlow style R&B abominations, which actually scream "Total MOR Dreck" but will be marketed as "Happening Leftfield Songwriter" so the likes of the Metro and Radio 2 will fall for the hype'. Charles Bradley he ain't. This lot makes REM’s drunken abomination of a cover version of “King Of The Road” sound like something off “The White Album” (apologies if you like any of those, but as long as you also have a copy of "Daydream Nation", you are forgiven). They departed with a full career spanning best of, “Part Lies Part Heart Part Truth Part Garbage” - and unfortunately left us with a big gap in the jingle jangle section of indie rock. Thank god Teenage Fanclub are still going. RIP REM.
<br />
<br />
<b>Discography</b>
<br />
<br />
In an attempt to cover most bases, I have split the discography into chunks. The IRS releases are shown as both a list of the original studio albums, details of the “Vintage Years” reissue, and finally the double-disc “Deluxe Edition” reissues that have appeared as part of the ongoing “25th Anniversary” reissues of all of the band’s LP’s. There is only really one definitive version of each of the band’s IRS-era comps, so the recommended CD pressings of each are listed thereafter.
<br />
<br />
For the IRS 45’s, I have listed everything, as the majority would be of interest if you have “DLO” and the expanded albums, because few of these flipsides are now un-rare. Apart from getting “Rockville” on 12”, buying anything else on any format will do the job. Whilst researching this article, I also listed, for my own benefit, the rather pointless 7” and Cassette single releases from the Warners years between 1991 and 1995, so have left them in here. The releases from 96 onwards are what I would consider the only releases of interest to the eager (but not hardcore) fan. Not mentioned here are the legally dubious "A Retrospective" boxsets, in which unsold US jukebox 45's were gathered up into a series of barcode-free boxes issued by an anonymous label, but somehow made it into HMV in the late 90s. I will probably cover these in a future blog, as the one I own is quite fascinating.
<br />
<br />
For the Warners years LP‘s, I have listed the original UK CD releases, and where they exist (so far), any 25th anniversary editions. I have also listed the 2005 “double disc” reissues, which featured the relevant LP in surround sound on a DVD, along with a few other extras, and the odd “limited edition” release where I either have it, or would be happy to accept it as a free gift from anybody reading this.
<br />
<br />
<b>UK IRS ALBUMS</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>Murmur</b> (LP, IRS SP 70604)<br />
<b>Murmur</b> (CD, EMI/IRS 0777 7 13158 2, with 4 bonus tracks including “There She Goes Again“)<br />
<b>Murmur</b> (2xCD, Capitol/IRS 509996 46079 24, with bonus live disc from Toronto 1983)
<br />
<br />
<b>Reckoning</b> (LP, IRS IRSA 7045)<br />
<b>Reckoning</b> (CD, EMI/IRS 0777 7 13159 2, with 5 bonus tracks including “Tighten Up”, originally issued on a flexi disc)<br />
<b>Reckoning</b> (2xCD, Capitol/IRS 509996 46082 28, with bonus live disc from Chicago 1984)
<br />
<br />
<b>Fables Of The Reconstruction</b> (LP, IRS MIRF 1003)<br />
<b>Fables Of The Reconstruction</b> (CD, EMI/IRS 0777 7 13160 2, with 5 bonus tracks including “Driver 8 (Live)” from the “Wendell Gee” 12”)<br />
<b>Fables Of The Reconstruction</b> (2xCD, Capitol/IRS 509996 46071 22, with bonus disc of demos)
<br />
<br />
<b>Lifes Rich Pageant</b> (LP, IRS MIRG 1014)<br />
<b>Lifes Rich Pageant</b> (CD, EMI/IRS 0777 7 13201 2, with 6 bonus tracks including previously unissued material)<br />
<b>Lifes Rich Pageant</b> (2xCD, Capitol/IRS 509990 82447 27, with bonus disc of demos)
<br />
<br />
<b>Document</b> (LP, IRS MIRG 1025)<br />
<b>Document</b> (CD, EMI/IRS 0777 7 13200 2, with 6 bonus tracks including “Finest Worksong” mixes)<br />
<b>Document</b> (2xCD, Capitol/IRS 509999 72006 28, with bonus live disc from Utrecht 1987)
<br />
<br />
<b>UK "IRS" COMPILATION CD’s</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>Dead Letter Office</b> (CD, EMI/IRS, 0777 7 13199 2, 1993 reissue with 7 bonus tracks)<br />
<b>Eponymous</b> (CD, IRS DMIRG 1038)<br />
<b>The Best Of REM</b> (CD, IRS DMIRH 1)<br />
<b>Singles Collected</b> (CD, EMI/IRS 7243 8 29642 2)<br />
<b>And I Feel Fine</b> (2xCD, Capitol 09463 69942 2, Limited Edition version with 21 track bonus disc)
<br />
<br />
<b>SELECTED WARNERS LP’s/CD’S</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>Green</b> (CD, Warner Bros 925 795-2, original 1988 release)<br />
<b>Green</b> (CD+DVD, Warner Bros 8122 73948 2, 2005 reissue with videos and documentary)<br />
<b>Green</b> (2xCD, Warner Bros 8122 79657 9, 2013 reissue, with free “Live In Greensboro 1989” disc, and various inserts)
<br />
<br />
<b>Out Of Time</b> (LP+7”, Warner Bros WX 404 / PRO 610, possibly Euro Only release, 1991)<br />
<b>Out Of Time</b> (CD, Warner Bros 7599 26496 2, original 1991 release)<br />
<b>Out Of Time</b> (US CD, Warner Bros 9 26527, limited edition release in fold out scrapbook-style sleeve, with postcards and insert)<br />
<b>Out Of Time</b> (CD+DVD, Warner Bros 8122 73951 2, 2005 reissue with documentary)<br />
<b>Out Of Time</b> (2xCD, Concord Bicycle Music CRE 00231, with second disc of demos and poster, different front cover design, 2016 reissue)<br />
<b>Out Of Time</b> (3xCD+Blu Ray, Concord Bicycle Music CRE 00232, hardback book design with second disc of demos, and third disc of live material, plus Blu Ray content including videos, 2016 reissue)
<br />
<br />
<b>Automatic For The People</b> (CD, Warner Bros 9362 45055 2, original 1991 release)<br />
<b>Automatic For The People</b> (US CD, Warner Bros 9 45122, limited edition release in wooden box with 16 postcards)<br />
<b>Automatic For The People</b> (CD+DVD, Warner Bros 8122 78175 2, 2005 reissue with documentary)
<br />
<br />
<b>Monster</b> (CD, Warner Bros 9362 45740 2, original 1994 release)<br />
<b>Monster</b> (Limited Edition CD, Warner Bros 9362 45763 2, 52 page hardback book edition also released with alternate catalogue number in US)<br />
<b>Monster</b> (CD+DVD, Warner Bros 8122 73939 2, 2005 reissue with documentary)
<br />
<br />
<b>New Adventures In Hi-Fi</b> (CD, Warner Bros 9362 46436 2, original 1996 release)<br />
<b>New Adventures In Hi-Fi</b> (US CD, Warner Bros 9 46321 2, in hardback book sleeve)<br />
<b>New Adventures In Hi-Fi</b> (CD+DVD, Warner Bros 8122 73950 2, 2005 reissue with documentary)
<br />
<br />
<b>Up</b> (CD, Warner Bros 9362 47112 2, original 1998 release)<br />
<b>Up</b> (US CD, Warner Bros 9 47151 2, boxset with book, poster and photos)<br />
<b>Up</b> (CD+DVD, Warner Bros 8122 73952 2, 2005 reissue with “Ealing Studios” performance)
<br />
<br />
<b>Reveal</b> (CD, Warner Bros 9362 47946 2, original 2001 release)<br />
<b>Reveal</b> (US CD, Warner Bros 9 48078 2, with 40-page booklet)<br />
<b>Reveal</b> (CD+DVD, Warner Bros 8122 76539 2, 2005 reissue with documentary and “I’ll Take The Rain” promo)
<br />
<br />
<b>In Time: The Best Of REM 1988-2003</b> (CD, Warner Bros 9362 48381 2)<br />
<b>In Time: The Best Of REM 1988-2003</b> (2xCD, Warner Bros 9362 48602 2, “Deluxe“ edition in slipcase with booklet, with rarities and B-sides on CD2)
<br />
<br />
<b>Around The Sun</b> (CD, Warner Bros 9362 48911 2, original 2004 release)<br />
<b>Around The Sun</b> (US CD, Warner Bros 9 48906 2, boxset with 14 poster inserts)<br />
<b>Around The Sun</b> (CD+DVD, Warner Bros 9362 49315 2, 2005 reissue with promos, live videos and documentary)
<br />
<br />
<b>Accelerate</b> (CD, Warner Bros 9362 49874 1)<br />
<b>Accelerate</b> (CD+DVD, Warner Bros 9362 49877 2, limited edition version in DVD sleeve style packaging, with documentary and DVD-Audio bonus tracks “Airliner” and “Red Head Walking”)
<br />
<br />
<b>Live At The Olympia In Dublin 39 Songs</b> (2xCD, Warner Bros 9362 49733 0)<br />
<b>Live At The Olympia In Dublin 39 Songs</b> (2xCD+DVD, Warner Bros 9362 49748 1, DVD includes documentary)
<br />
<br />
<b>Collapse Into Now</b> (CD, Warner Bros 9362 49627 1)
<br />
<br />
<b>Part Lies Part Heart Part Truth Part Garbage</b> (2xCD, Warner Bros 9362 49534 5)
<br />
<br />
<b>Unplugged 1991-2001</b> (2xCD, Rhino 8122 79595 7)
<br />
<br />
Note: I have excluded DVD releases which included free “live” CD’s, such as “REM Live” from 2007, as these would better be suited to a specific look at video releases, that I would like to do, once I have filled in those other gaps in my collection. And yes, that means the “Unplugged” release shown above, despite being a co-production with MTV, is indeed audio only. Baffling.
<br />
<br />
<b>COMPLETE UK SINGLES 1983-1995</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>Radio Free Europe/There She Goes Again</b> (7”, IRS PFP 1017)
<br />
<br />
<b>Talk About The Passion/Shaking Through/Carnival Of Sorts (Box Cars)/1,000,000</b> (12”, IRS PFSX 1026)
<br />
<br />
<b>So. Central Rain/King Of The Road</b> (7”, IRS IRS 105)<br />
<b>So. Central Rain/Voice Of Harold/Pale Blue Eyes</b> (12”, IRS IRSX 105)
<br />
<br />
<b>(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville/Wolves</b> (7”, IRS IRS 107)<br />
<b>(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville/Wolves/9-9 (Live)/Gardening At Night (Live)</b> (12”, IRS IRS 107, purple p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Can’t Get There From Here/Bandwagon</b> (7”, IRS IRM 102)<br />
<b>Can’t Get There From Here/Bandwagon/Burning Hell</b> (12”, IRS IRMT 102)
<br />
<br />
<b>Wendell Gee/Crazy</b> (7”, IRS IRM 105)<br />
<b>Wendell Gee/Crazy/Ages Of You/Burning Down</b> (2x7”, IRS IRMD 105, green p/s)<br />
<b>Wendell Gee/Crazy/Driver 8 (Live Seattle 27.6.1984)</b> (12”, IRS IRT 105)
<br />
<br />
<b>Fall On Me/Rotary Ten</b> (7”, IRS IRM 121)<br />
<b>Fall On Me/Rotary Ten/Toys In The Attic</b> (12”, IRS IRMT 121, unique p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Superman/White Tornado</b> (7”, IRS IRM 128)<br />
<b>Superman/White Tornado/Femme Fatale</b> (12”, IRS IRMT 128)
<br />
<br />
<b>It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)/This One Goes Out (Live)</b> (7”, IRS IRM 145)<br />
<b>It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)/This One Goes Out (Live)/Maps And Legends (Live)</b> (12”, IRS IRMT 145, different p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>The One I Love/Last Date</b> (7”, IRS IRM 146)<br />
<b>The One I Love/Last Date/Disturbance At The Heron House (Live)</b> (12”, IRS IRMT 146, different p/s)<br />
<b>The One I Love/Last Date/Disturbance At The Heron House (Live)</b> (CD, IRS DIRM 146)
<br />
<br />
<b>Finest Worksong/Time After Time Etc. (Live Vara Radio, Utrecht 14.9.1987)</b> (7”, IRS IRM 161)<br />
<b>Finest Worksong (Lengthy Club Mix)/(Other Mix)/Time After Time Etc. (Live Vara Radio, Utrecht 14.9.1987)</b> (12”, IRS IRMT 161, different p/s)<br />
<b>Finest Worksong/Time After Time Etc. (Live Vara Radio, Utrecht 14.9.1987)/It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)</b> (Numbered CD, IRS DIRM 161, unique “oversized” p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>The One I Love/Fall On Me</b> (7”, IRS IRM 173)<br />
<b>The One I Love/Fall On Me/So. Central Rain</b> (12”, IRS IRMT 173)<br />
<b>The One I Love/Fall On Me/So. Central Rain</b> (CD, IRS DIRM 173)
<br />
<br />
<b>Stand/Memphis Train Blues</b> (7”, Warner Bros W 7577, some copies labelled as “Special Edition“ [W 7577 X] in recycled sleeve)<br />
<b>Stand/Memphis Train Blues</b> (Cassette, Warner Bros W 7577 C)<br />
<b>Stand/Memphis Train Blues/Eleventh Untitled Song</b> (12“, Warner Bros W 7577 T)<br />
<b>Stand/Memphis Train Blues/Eleventh Untitled Song</b> (3“ CD1, Warner Bros W 7577 CD)<br />
<b>Stand/Memphis Train Blues/Eleventh Untitled Song</b> (3“ CD2 in leaf p/s, Warner Bros W 7577 CD)
<br />
<br />
<b>Orange Crush/Ghost Riders</b> (7”, Warner Bros W 2960, some copies labelled as “Special Edition“ [W 2960 X] in recycled sleeve)<br />
<b>Orange Crush/Ghost Riders</b> (Boxset 7”, Warner Bros W 2960, diff p/s with poster)<br />
<b>Orange Crush/Ghost Riders/Dark Globe</b> (12”, Warner Bros W 2960 T)<br />
<b>Orange Crush/Ghost Riders/Dark Globe</b> (3” CD, Warner Bros W 2960 T, white border p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Stand/Pop Song 89 (Acoustic Version)</b> (7”, Warner Bros W 2833)<br />
<b>Stand/Pop Song 89 (Acoustic Version)</b> (Stencil sleeved 7”, Warner Bros W 2833 W)<br />
<b>Stand/Pop Song 89 (Acoustic Version)/Skin Tight (Live)</b> (12”, Warner Bros W 2833 T)<br />
<b>Stand/Pop Song 89 (Acoustic Version)/Skin Tight (Live)</b> (3” CD1, Warner Bros W 2833 CD)<br />
<b>Stand/Pop Song 89 (Acoustic Version)/Skin Tight (Live)</b> (3” CD2 in unique fold out sleeve, Warner Bros W 2833 CD)
<br />
<br />
<b>Losing My Religion/Rotary Eleven</b> (7”, Warner Bros W 0015)<br />
<b>Losing My Religion/Rotary Eleven</b> (Cassette, Warner Bros W 0015 C)<br />
<b>Losing My Religion/Rotary Eleven/After Hours (Live)</b> (12”, Warner Bros W 0015 T)<br />
<b>Losing My Religion/Rotary Eleven/After Hours (Live)</b> (CD1, Warner Bros W 0015 CD)<br />
<b>Losing My Religion/Stand (Live)/Turn You Inside Out (Live)/World Leader Pretend (Live)</b> (CD2, Warner Bros W 0015 CDX, in black and white bordered p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Shiny Happy People/Forty Second Song</b> (7”, Warner Bros W 0027)<br />
<b>Shiny Happy People/Forty Second Song</b> (Cassette, Warner Bros W 0027 C)<br />
<b>Shiny Happy People/Forty Second Song/Losing My Religion (Live Acoustic Version)</b> (12”, Warner Bros W 0027 T)<br />
<b>Shiny Happy People/Forty Second Song/Losing My Religion (Live Acoustic Version)</b> (CD1, Warner Bros W 0027 CD)<br />
<b>Shiny Happy People/I Remember California (Live)/Get Up (Live)/Pop Song 89 (Live)</b> (CD2, Warner Bros W 0027 CDX, in black and white bordered p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Near Wild Heaven/Pop Song 89 (Live London The Borderline 15.3.1991)</b> (7”, Warner Bros W 0055)<br />
<b>Near Wild Heaven/Pop Song 89 (Live London The Borderline 15.3.1991)</b> (Cassette, Warner Bros W 0055 C)<br />
<b>Near Wild Heaven/Pop Song 89 (Live London The Borderline 15.3.1991)/Half A World Away (Live Acoustic Version)</b> (12”, Warner Bros W 0055 T)<br />
<b>Near Wild Heaven/Tom’s Diner (Live London The Borderline 15.3.1991)/Low (Live London The Borderline 15.3.1991)/Endgame (Live London The Borderline 15.3.1991)</b> (CD, Warner Bros W 0055 CDX, in black and white bordered p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>The One I Love/Crazy</b> (7”, IRS IRM 178)<br />
<b>The One I Love/Crazy</b> (Cassette, IRS IRMC 178)<br />
<b>The One I Love/This One Goes Out (Live)/Maps And Legends (Live)</b> (CD1, IRS DIRMT 178, black p/s)<br />
<b>The One I Love/Driver 8 (Live)/Disturbance At The Heron House (Live)</b> (CD2, IRS DIRMX 178, white p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Radio Song/Love Is All Around</b> (7”, Warner Bros W 0072)<br />
<b>Radio Song/Love Is All Around</b> (Cassette, Warner Bros W 0072 C)<br />
<b>Radio Song/Love Is All Around/Shiny Happy People (Music Mix)</b> (12”, Warner Bros W 0072 T)<br />
<b>Radio Song/You Are The Everything (Live from “Tourfilm“)/Orange Crush (Live)/Belong (Live)</b> (CD, Warner Bros W 0072 CDX, in black and white bordered p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)/Radio Free Europe</b> (7”, IRS IRM 180)<br />
<b>It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)/Radio Free Europe</b> (Cassette, IRS IRMC 180)<br />
<b>It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)/Radio Free Europe (Hib Tone 7” Mix)/Last Date/White Tornado</b> (CD1, IRS DIRMX 180, green p/s)<br />
<b>It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)/Radio Free Europe/Time After Time Etc. (Live Vara Radio, Utrecht 14.9.1987)</b> (CD2, IRS DIRMT 180, blue p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Drive/World Leader Pretend</b> (7”, Warner Bros W 0136)<br />
<b>Drive/World Leader Pretend</b> (Cassette, Warner Bros W 0136 C)<br />
<b>Drive/World Leader Pretend/First We Take Manhattan</b> (12”, Warner Bros W 0136 T)<br />
<b>Drive/World Leader Pretend/First We Take Manhattan</b> (CD1, Warner Bros W 0136 CD)<br />
<b>Drive/It’s A Free World Baby/Winged Mammal Theme/First We Take Manhattan</b> (CD2, Warner Bros W 0136 CDX, bordered p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Man On The Moon (Edit)/Turn You Inside Out</b> (7”, Warner Bros W 0143)<br />
<b>Man On The Moon (Edit)/Turn You Inside Out</b> (Cassette, Warner Bros W 0143 C)<br />
<b>Man On The Moon (Edit)/Turn You Inside Out/Arms Of Love</b> (CD1, Warner Bros W 0143 CD)<br />
<b>Man On The Moon/Fruity Organ/New Orleans Instrumental #2</b> (CD2, Warner Bros W 0143 CDX, bordered p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite/Get Up</b> (7”, Warner Bros W 0152)<br />
<b>The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite/Get Up</b> (Cassette, Warner Bros W 0152 C)<br />
<b>The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite/The Lion Sleeps Tonight/Fretless</b> (CD1, Warner Bros W 0152 CD1)<br />
<b>The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite/Organ Song/Star Me Kitten (Demo)</b> (CD2, Warner Bros W 0152 CD2, slightly different p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Everybody Hurts (Edit)/Pop Song 89</b> (7”, Warner Bros W 0169)<br />
<b>Everybody Hurts (Edit)/Pop Song 89</b> (Cassette, Warner Bros W 0169 C)<br />
<b>Everybody Hurts (Edit)/New Orleans Instrumental No.1 (Long Version)/Mandolin Strum</b> (CD1, Warner Bros W 0169 CD1)<br />
<b>Everybody Hurts (Edit)/Chance (Dub)/Dark Globe</b> (CD2, Warner Bros W 0169 CD2)
<br />
<br />
<b>Nightswimming/Losing My Religion (Live Charleston Capital Plaza Theatre 28.4.1991)</b> (7”, Warner Bros W 0184)<br />
<b>Nightswimming/Losing My Religion (Live Charleston Capital Plaza Theatre 28.4.1991)</b> (Cassette, Warner Bros W 0184 C)<br />
<b>Nightswimming/World Leader Pretend (Live Charleston Capital Plaza Theatre 28.4.1991)/Belong (Live Charleston Capital Plaza Theatre 28.4.1991)/Low (Live Charleston Capital Plaza Theatre 28.4.1991)</b> (12“ Picture Disc, Warner Bros W 0184 TP, in die cut sleeve)<br />
<b>Nightswimming/World Leader Pretend (Live Charleston Capital Plaza Theatre 28.4.1991)/Belong (Live Charleston Capital Plaza Theatre 28.4.1991)/Low (Live Charleston Capital Plaza Theatre 28.4.1991)</b> (CD, Warner Bros W 0184 CD)
<br />
<br />
<b>Find The River/Everybody Hurts (Live 1993 MTV Awards)</b> (7”, Warner Bros W 0211)<br />
<b>Find The River/Everybody Hurts (Live 1993 MTV Awards)</b> (Cassette, Warner Bros W 0211 C)<br />
<b>Find The River/Everybody Hurts (Live 1993 MTV Awards)/Orange Crush (Instrumental)</b> (CD, Warner Bros W 0211 CD)
<br />
<br />
<b>What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? (Radio Version)/(K Version)</b> (7”, Warner Bros W 0265)<br />
<b>What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? (Radio Version)/(K Version)</b> (Cassette, Warner Bros W 0265 C)<br />
<b>What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? (Radio Version)/Monty Got A Raw Deal (Live Athens GA 19.11.1992)/Everybody Hurts (Live Athens GA 19.11.1992)/Man On The Moon (Live Athens GA 19.11.1992)</b> (CD, Warner Bros W 0265 CD)
<br />
<br />
<b>Bang And Blame (Album Version)/(K Version)</b> (7”, Warner Bros W 0275)<br />
<b>Bang And Blame (Album Version)/(K Version)</b> (Cassette, Warner Bros W 0275 C)<br />
<b>Bang And Blame/Losing My Religion (Live Athens GA 19.11.1992)/Country Feedback (Live Athens GA 19.11.1992)/Begin The Begin (Live Athens GA 19.11.1992)</b> (CD, Warner Bros W 0275 CD)
<br />
<br />
<b>Crush With Eyeliner (LP Mix)/(Instrumental)</b> (Orange Vinyl 7”, Warner Bros W 0281 X, in fold out calendar style sleeve, vinyl inside white inner bag)<br />
<b>Crush With Eyeliner (LP Mix)/(Instrumental)</b> (Cassette, Warner Bros W 0281 C)<br />
<b>Crush With Eyeliner/Fall On Me (Live Athens GA 19.11.1992)/Me In Honey (Live Athens GA 19.11.1992)/Finest Worksong (Live Athens GA 19.11.1992)</b> (CD, Warner Bros W 0281 CD)
<br />
<br />
<b>Strange Currencies (Album Version)/(Instrumental)</b> (Green Vinyl 7”, Warner Bros W 0290 X, with badge)<br />
<b>Strange Currencies (Album Version)/(Instrumental)</b> (Cassette, Warner Bros W 0290 C)<br />
<b>Strange Currencies/Drive (Live Athens GA 19.11.1992)/Funtime (Live Athens GA 19.11.1992)/Radio Free Europe (Live Athens GA 19.11.1992)</b> (CD, Warner Bros W 0290 CD)
<br />
<br />
<b>Tongue (LP Mix)/(Instrumental)</b> (Numbered 7”, Warner Bros W 0308 X)<br />
<b>Tongue (LP Mix)/(Instrumental)</b> (Cassette, Warner Bros W 0308 C)<br />
<b>Tongue/What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? (SNL 12.11.1994)/Bang And Blame (SNL 12.11.1994)/I Don’t Sleep, I Dream (SNL 12.11.1994)</b> (CD, Warner Bros W 0308 CD)
<br />
<br />
<b>IMPORTANT UK SINGLES 1996-2011</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>E-Bow The Letter/Tricycle (Live, St Louis Soundcheck 22.9.1995)/Departure (Live, Rome Soundcheck 22.2.1995)/Wall Of Death</b> (CD, Warner Bros W 0369 CD, limited edition copies in thicker jewel casing [W 0369 CDX])
<br />
<br />
<b>Bittersweet Me (Memphis Soundcheck)/Undertow (Live in Atlanta)/Wichita Lineman (Live in Houston)/New Test Leper (Acoustic, Seattle Studio)</b> (CD, Warner Bros W 0377 CD, limited edition copies in thicker jewel casing [W 0377 CDX])
<br />
<br />
<b>Electrolite/The Wake Up Bomb (Live in Atlanta)/Binky The Doormat (Live in Atlanta)/King Of Comedy (808 State Remix)</b> (CD, Warner Bros W 0383 CD, limited edition copies in thicker jewel casing [W 0383 CDX])
<br />
<br />
<b>Daysleeper (Edit)/Emphysema/Why Not Smile (Oxford American Version)</b> (CD, Warner Bros W 0455 CD)<br />
<b>Daysleeper (Edit)/Sad Professor (Live In The Studio)</b> (3” CD in Japanese style longbox, Warner Bros W 0455 CDX)
<br />
<br />
<b>Lotus/Surfing The Ganges/Lotus (Weird Mix)</b> (CD, Warner Bros W 466 CD)<br />
<b>Lotus/Suspicion (Live In The Studio)</b> (3” CD in Japanese style longbox, Warner Bros W 466 CDX)
<br />
<br />
<b>At My Most Beautiful (Radio Remix)/Passenger (Later With Jools Holland 27.10.1998)/Country Feedback (Later With Jools Holland 27.10.1998)</b> (CD, Warner Bros W 477 CD)<br />
<b>At My Most Beautiful (Radio 1 Live Version 25.10.1998)/So. Central Rain (Later With Jools Holland 27.10.1998)</b> (3” CD in Japanese style longbox, Warner Bros W 477 CDX)
<br />
<br />
<b>Suspicion/Electrolite (Later With Jools Holland 27.10.1998)/Man On The Moon (Later With Jools Holland 27.10.1998)</b> (CD, Warner Bros W 488 CD)<br />
<b>Suspicion (Live at Ealing Studios 29.10.1998)/Perfect Circle (Later With Jools Holland 27.10.1998)</b> (3” CD in Japanese style longbox, Warner Bros W 488 CDX)
<br />
<br />
<b>The Great Beyond (Radio Edit)/Man On The Moon (Live Glastonbury Festival 25.6.1999)</b> (Cassette, Warner Bros W 516 C)<br />
<b>The Great Beyond (Radio Edit)/Everybody Hurts (Live Glastonbury Festival 25.6.1999)/The One I Love (Live Glastonbury Festival 25.6.1999)</b> (CD, Warner Bros W 516 CD)
<br />
<br />
<b>Imitation Of Life/The Lifting (Original Version)/Beat A Drum (Dalkey Demo)</b> (CD, Warner Bros W 559 CD)<br />
<b>Imitation Of Life (Video)/2JN/The Lifting (Original Version)</b> (DVD, Warner Bros W 559 DVD, unique p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>All The Way To Reno (You’re Gonna Be A Star)/Yellow River/Imitation Of Life (Live, London Trafalgar Square 29.4.2001)/(Live, London Trafalgar Square 29.4.2001 - Video)</b> (CD, Warner Bros W 568 CDX)<br />
<b>All The Way To Reno (You’re Gonna Be A Star) (Video)/Yellow River/165 Hillcrest</b> (DVD, Warner Bros W 568 DVD, unique p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>I’ll Take The Rain/32 Chord Song/I’ve Been High (Live Channel V “By Demand" 31.5.2001 - Video)</b> (CD1, Warner Bros W 573 CDX)<br />
<b>I’ll Take The Rain/I’ve Been High (Live Channel V “By Demand" 31.5.2001)/She Just Wants To Be (Live New York Museum Of Television And Radio 18.5.2001)</b> (CD2, Warner Bros W 573 CD, unique p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Bad Day/Favourite Writer</b> (7”, Warner Bros W 624)<br />
<b>Bad Day/Favourite Writer/Bad Day (Video)</b> (CD1, Warner Bros W 624 CD1)<br />
<b>Bad Day/Out In The Country/Adagio</b> (CD2, Warner Bros W 624 CD2, unique p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Animal (New Mix)/Pretty Persuasion (Live New York Clinton Studios 7.10.2003)/Losing My Religion (Live Wiesbaden 2003 - Video)</b> (CD, Warner Bros W 633 CD)
<br />
<br />
<b>Leaving New York/(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville (Live Oslo NRK PI Radio 25.10.2003)</b> (CD1, Warner Bros W 654 CD1, unique p/s)<br />
<b>Leaving New York/You Are The Everything (Live Take)/These Days (Live Toronto 30.9.2003)</b> (CD2, Warner Bros W 654 CD2)<br />
<b>Leaving New York/(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville (Live Oslo NRK PI Radio 25.10.2003)</b> (7“ Picture Disc, Warner Bros W 654)
<br />
<br />
<b>Aftermath/High Speed Train (Live)</b> (CD1, Warner Bros W 658 CD1)<br />
<b>Aftermath/So Fast, So Numb (Live Take)/All The Right Friends (Live Take)</b> (CD2, Warner Bros W 658 CD2, different p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Electron Blue/What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? (Live Atlanta 23.10.2004)</b> (Blue Vinyl 7”, Warner Bros W 665)<br />
<b>Electron Blue/What’s The Frequency, Kenneth? (Live Atlanta 23.10.2004)</b> (CD1, Warner Bros W 665 CD1)<br />
<b>Electron Blue/Sweetness Follows (Live Cincinnati 27.10.2004)/Leaving New York (Live Helsinki 29.1.2005 - Video)</b> (CD2, Warner Bros W 665 CD2)
<br />
<br />
<b>Wanderlust/The Outsiders (feat. Q-Tip)</b> (Red Vinyl 7”, Warner Bros W 676)<br />
<b>Wanderlust/Low (Alternate Version)</b> (CD1, Warner Bros W 676 CD1)<br />
<b>Wanderlust/The Outsiders (feat. Q-Tip)/Bad Day (Live Zaragoza 28.5.2005 - Video)</b> (CD2, Warner Bros W 676 CD2, unique p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Supernatural Superserious/Airliner</b> (CD1, Warner Bros W 798 CD)<br />
<b>Supernatural Superserious/Airliner/Red Head Walking</b> (CD2, Warner Bros W 798 CDX)
<br />
<br />
<b>Hollow Man/Horse To Water (Vancouver)</b> (CD, Warner Bros W 804 CD1)
<br />
<br />
<b>Man Sized Wreath/Living Well Jesus Dog</b> (Clear Vinyl 7”, Warner Bros W 807)
<br />
<br />
<br />Jason Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09558797353616141638noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-34413477668277737712017-03-19T05:12:00.000-07:002017-03-19T05:49:15.976-07:00U2: 2000-2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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So, eventually, we come to what is, for now, my final U2 blog looking at the basic album and singles discography in the UK. A video one will hopefully be done in due course. This year sees the band preparing to commemorate the 30th anniversary of “The Joshua Tree”, and with the band’s physical single releases now reaching levels of non-exist-ency, this is as good a time as any to bring the story up to date.
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<br />
There isn’t really too much to say about this period of the band’s career. Musically, the band didn’t reinvent the wheel, instead creating albums that seemed to mine parts of their back catalogue, sometimes experimental, sometimes back to the days of “widescreen rock”, but often with pretty good results. The group found it increasingly difficult to continue to get radio play in the UK though, as the likes of Radio 1 began to slowly push the band off towards the sidelines as the Noughties progressed, and whenever people did talk about them, it was usually with an element of disdain - the continued perception that Bono was convinced he was some sort of god, the “iTunes Incident” generated by the freebie release of “Songs Of Innocence”, the ambivalence towards 2009’s actually really wonderful “No Line On The Horizon” - as REM threw in the towel and got praised for doing so, U2 continued to exist, allowing people to continue to moan about them. But just look at some of the songs from this period, and you will realise that we should be pleased that this band are still going - “Magnificent”, “City Of Blinding Lights”, “Elevation” and “Yahweh” to name but four. And of course, they have the advantage of not being Calvin Harris.
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<br />
2000’s “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” was trailed by the epic “Beautiful Day” single, and was supported by a mega tour, in which the band began to shoehorn more oldies into the set. It spawned multiple singles, all of which were subjected to much multi formatting, with later releases appearing as DVD singles which at the time, was the new format on the block. The release of “Elevation”, itself with an Angelina Jolie starring promo thanks to it’s “Tomb Raider” link, included a non-chart eligible remix 12”, which featured mixes of both this track and “Beautiful Day”, and was presented as a double A-side release of sorts.
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<br />
The album came after the band had contributed a new song, “The Ground Beneath Her Feet”, to the soundtrack of “The Million Dollar Hotel”, and selected formats of the album included it as a bonus - some UK CD editions listed the track but actually failed to include it on the actual disc itself. The live B-sides on the CD2 edition of “Beautiful Day” were lifted from the band’s “Popmart: Live From Mexico City” VHS, which as alluded to in my last U2 blog, was also released in alternate form as a fan club only CD, “Hasta La Vista Baby”, at round about the same time as this single. “Walk On” was released as the final UK single in the fall of 2001, long after the band had toured the UK, but it had actually been issued in Canada (in the same basic sleeve design) some nine months previously.
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<br />
The band’s follow up hits album to the “1980-1990” release followed in 2002, the obviously titled “The Best Of 1990-2000”. This time around, the single used to promote the set was a brand new track, “Electrical Storm”, but just like it’s predecessor, the album was issued as a limited edition release with a second disc of B-sides. However, this one wasn’t quite as exciting, as we were now very much in the era of CD Singles, and as such, for every B-side that made the set, two or three others didn’t. So, this wasn’t as good a box ticking exercise as the bonus disc on “80-90” had been. Some copies came with a free DVD, but this was also given away with initial copies of the accompanying “Best Of” DVD that was released at the tail end of 2002.
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<br />
“Electrical Storm” was subjected to a single mix by William Orbit, which was included on the main album, whilst the ‘original’ version, issued as the lead track on the CD2 edition of the single, was also included on the “B-Sides” disc of the album. A number of tracks were remixed for this new best of, similar to the situation where some of the tracks on the B-sides disc in the “1980-1990” set had been subjected to some editing. The DVD release of the single featured an “Interview With Larry” - the band’s drummer has often been elevated to the status of erstwhile front man, as it was he - and nobody else in the group - who was featured on the cover of “Songs Of Innocence”.
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<br />
2004’s “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb” was also launched with a ‘big’ power pop single, in the form of “Vertigo” - quite an energetic piece of noise, but arguably just a little bit formulaic, and probably outshone by some of the later singles, such as the melancholic “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own” or the bouncy throb of “All Because Of You”. Nevertheless, it was for a while - and for some, probably still is - one of the band’s calling cards. During their summer stadium shows in 2005, the band even used to play it twice, to both open and close their set.
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<br />
Once more, singles from the album were subjected to much multi formatting, with pretty much everything released containing something exclusive. A multitude of remixes were made of “Vertigo”, which resulted in both a non chart eligible 12” being issued when the single was first in the charts, and another one being released alongside the release of “Sometimes”. The band’s “secret” gig that they performed by the Brooklyn Bridge in New York in late 2004 was documented via some of these singles, with a video of the performance of “City Of Blinding Lights” making it onto a DVD single, and “She’s A Mystery To Me” surfacing as a B-side.
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<br />
Given that the band’s two previous best of sets were quite high profile, it makes it all rather odd that a new compilation, offering bits of the first release, and bits of the second, was released. But it looks as though the release was done to try and include material from the last two studio albums, and the release of “18 Singles” also coincided with the release of a career spanning hardback book by the band. All 18 songs were singles, as the two new songs, “The Saints Are Coming” (with Green Day) and “Window In The Skies” were issued as singles either side of the album’s release.
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<br />
Selected formats of the latter featured the band’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Tower Of Song”, which featured the great man himself, and the DVD edition featured the video of the track - the recording dated back to a 2005 documentary on Cohen called “I‘m Your Man“. Like most of the albums from this period, a limited edition version of the LP was released, which included a short live DVD from the recent “Vertigo” tour - the performance was from a different show than that included on the full length “Vertigo Live” DVD that had been issued the previous year.
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<br />
2009’s “ No Line On The Horizon” had a mixed reception from the critics, and indeed, seems to be an album which could be seen as being released in the middle of the band’s wilderness years. The album took ages to complete, with the very earliest work being conducted back in 2006 before the release of the “18 Singles” album. Lead single “Get On Your Boots” was seen as a poor choice of lead 45, and the band’s hopes of playing Glastonbury the following summer were dented after Bono suffered a spinal injury early that year. The band accepted an invite to appear the following year, where the band filled the set with material from “Achtung Baby” to celebrate it’s 20-year anniversary.
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<br />
As for “No Line”, sales dipped off quickly, and the single releases from the album struggled. Band members later lined up to criticize the album, but despite this, the first time I heard it, I loved it. Even though it did get some good reviews when it was first released, the underwhelming performance of the record has seen it get buried in the list of “poor albums by once great artists”, which is unfair - perhaps it will get re-evaluated in twenty years.
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<br />
With the physical single now becoming a lost art, there was little in the way of multi formatting when it came to the three single releases from the LP. The first two singles appeared as 2-track CD’s and 2-track 7” singles, both with the same B-sides. Final single, “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight”, opted for a different approach, with the 7” including a remix of the A-side, and the CD Single offering a live recording of previous 45 “Magnificent”. With the exception of a freebie 7” included in a DVD boxset release, these singles represented the final physical releases on the format for the band in the UK (at the time of typing). 2014’s “Songs Of Innocence” was of course hyped via it’s “free to all iTunes users” publicity trick, and promo for the album beyond this was via a series of radio only singles and TV performances of said singles. To try and encourage people to buy the physical product, the double-CD and white vinyl editions featured material exclusive to those formats.
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<br />
<b>Discography</b>
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<br />
Whenever I go onto the Super Deluxe Edition website, there are often quite vicious comments about the price of so-and-so’s new “special edition” of their album, with a complete refusal to buy said release until the price drops. So, I am not the only one who can sometimes only stretch their cash so far. So, I have decided to list below what are the standard (ish) versions of each U2 album from the period, along with the vinyl edition (to cater for the hipsters, of which, sometimes, I am actually one) and, for the post-2001 albums, the deluxe edition. Of course, the deluxe editions all feature exclusive material, so if money is no object, then they are the ones to go for.
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<br />
With the singles, U2 made a point of including exclusive material across virtually every format on every release, so listed below are pretty much every single released by the band in the UK during this period. Anything missing is likely to just be the odd cassette single, which would have included less material than it’s CD counterpart anyway, hence it’s absence (I think only the tape issue of “Beautiful Day“ is excluded below, from memory). It is worth pointing out that multiple remixing of latter period singles from the “No Line” album were conducted for the US market, so anybody unimpressed by the track listing of the “Magnificent” or “I’ll Go Crazy” singles may wish to hunt down the lengthier, multi mix, maxi singles that appeared in the US either as promo or commercial releases.
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<br />
<b>SELECTED ALBUMS 2000-2016</b>
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<br />
<b>All That You Can’t Leave Behind</b> (LP, Island U2 12)<br />
<b>All That You Can’t Leave Behind</b> (CD, with bonus track “The Ground Beneath Her Feet”, some copies numbered, Island CID U2 12)
<br />
<br />
<b>The Best Of 1990-2000</b> (2 x LP, Island U2 13)<br />
<b>The Best Of 1990-2000</b> (CD, Island CID U2 13, other editions exist without “The Fly”)<br />
<b>The Best Of 1990-2000 & B-Sides</b> (2 x CD, Island CIDT U2 13, 14 extra tracks on CD2, some copies issued as triple pack with free DVD)
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<br />
<b>How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb</b> (LP, Island U2 14)<br />
<b>How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb</b> (CD, with bonus track “Fast Cars”, Island CID U2 14)<br />
<b>How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb</b> (CD + DVD, with bonus track “Fast Cars” and free “U2 And 3 Songs” DVD, Island CIDX U2 14, unique hardback book sleeve with obi strip)
<br />
<br />
<b>18 Singles</b> (2 x LP, Island U2 18)<br />
<b>18 Singles</b> (CD, Island CID U2 18)<br />
<b>18 Singles</b> (CD + DVD, Island 06025 171 3593 2, boxset edition with free “Vertigo Live From Milan” DVD, two different packaging styles available)
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<br />
<b>No Line On The Horizon</b> (2 x LP, Island 179 6038)<br />
<b>No Line On The Horizon</b> (CD, Island 179 6037, other editions exist housed in slipcase or digipack sleeves)<br />
<b>No Line On The Horizon</b> (CD + DVD, Island 179 6097, boxset edition with posters and book, different front cover to above editions)
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<br />
<b>Songs Of Innocence</b> (2 x White Vinyl LP, Island 470 4888, with 12“ Mix of “The Crystal Ballroom“)<br />
<b>Songs Of Innocence</b> (CD, Island 470 4892, no bonus tracks)<br />
<b>Songs Of Innocence</b> (2 x CD, Island 470 4894, with 11 extra tracks on CD2, “The Crystal Ballroom” is a shorted version on this edition)
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<br />
<b>SELECTED SINGLES 2000-2016</b>
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<br />
<b>Beautiful Day/Summer Rain/Always</b> (CD1, Island CID 766, stickered p/s + insert)<br />
<b>Beautiful Day/Discotheque (Live Mexico City Foro Sol Autodromo 3.12.1997)/If You Wear That Velvet Dress (Live Mexico City Foro Sol Autodromo 3.12.1997)</b> (CD2, Island CIDX 766, blue p/s)
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<br />
<b>Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of/Big Girls Are Best/Beautiful Day (Quincey And Sonance Remix)</b> (CD1, Island CIDX 770)<br />
<b>Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of/Beautiful Day (Live Universal City 27.10.2000)/New York (Live Universal City 27.10.2000)</b> (CD2, Island CID 770, different coloured p/s)<br />
<b>Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of/Big Girls Are Best</b> (Cassette, CIS 770)
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<br />
<b>Elevation (Tomb Raider Mix)/(Escalation Mix)/(The Vandit Club Mix)</b> (CD1, Island CID 780)<br />
<b>Elevation (Tomb Raider Mix)/Last Night On Earth (Live Mexico City Foro Sol Autodromo 3.12.1997)/Don’t Take Your Guns To Town</b> (CD2, Island CIDX 780, blue p/s + insert)<br />
<b>Elevation (Video #1)/(Video #2)/Excerpts from MTV’s “Making The Video : U2”</b> (DVD, Island CIDV 780, orange p/s + insert)<br />
<b>Beautiful Day (Quincey And Sonance Remix)/(The Perfecto Mix)/(David Holmes Remix)/Elevation (The Vandit Club Mix)/(Influx Remix)/(Escalation Mix)/(Quincey And Sonance Remix)</b> (2 x 12”, Island 12 ISD 780, unique p/s)
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<br />
<b>Walk On (Video Version)/Where The Streets Have No Name (Live Boston Fleetcenter 6.6.2001)/Stay (Faraway, So Close!) (Live Toronto 25.5.2001)</b> (CD1, Island CID 788)<br />
<b>Walk On (Single Version)/Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of (Acoustic)/(Video #2)</b> (CD2, Island CIDX 788, blue p/s)<br />
<b>Walk On (Video #2)/4 x 30 Second Clips From Elevation 2001 U2 Live From Boston/Walk On (Video #1)</b> (DVD, Island CIDV 788, green p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Electrical Storm (William Orbit Mix)/New York (Nice Mix)/(Nasty Mix)</b> (CD1, Island CID 808)<br />
<b>Electrical Storm/Bad (Live Boston Fleetcenter 6.6.2001)/40 (Live Boston Fleetcenter 6.6.2001)/Where The Streets Have No Name (Live Boston Fleetcenter 6.6.2001)</b> (CD2, Island CIDX 808, different p/s)<br />
<b>Electrical Storm (William Orbit Mix)/(Video)/Interview With Larry</b> (DVD, Island CIDV 808, unique p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Vertigo/Are You Gonna Wait Forever?</b> (CD1, Island CID 878, plus insert)<br />
<b>Vertigo (LP Version)/(Jacknife Lee 10”)/Neon Lights</b> (CD2, Island CIDX 878, different p/s plus insert)<br />
<b>Vertigo (Video #2)/(LP Version)/Are You Gonna Wait Forever?/Vertigo (Jacknife Lee 10”)</b> (DVD, Island CIDV 878, unique p/s plus insert)<br />
<b>Vertigo (Jacknife Lee 12”)/(Jacknife Lee 7”)/(Jacknife Lee 10”)/(Jacknife Lee 12” Instrumental)</b> (12”, Island 12 ISD 878)
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<br />
<b>Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own (Radio Edit)/Fast Cars (Jacknife Lee Mix)</b> (CD1, Island CID 886, plus insert)<br />
<b>Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own (Radio Edit)/Ave Maria (Jacknife Lee Mix)/Vertigo (Redanka Power Mix)</b> (CD2, Island CIDX 886, red p/s plus insert)<br />
<b>Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own (live Dublin GQ Studios 16.11.2004 - Video)/Vertigo (Video)/Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own/Vertigo (Trent Reznor Remix)</b> (DVD, Island CIDV 886, black p/s plus insert)<br />
<b>Vertigo (Redanka Power Mix)/(Trent Reznor Remix)</b> (12”, Island 12 ISD 886, unique p/s)
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<b>City Of Blinding Lights (Radio Edit)/All Because Of You (Killahurtz Fly Mix)</b> (CD1, Island CID 890)<br />
<b>City Of Blinding Lights (Radio Edit)/The Fly (Live Manchester G-Mex 19.6.1992)/Even Better Than The Real Thing (Live Manchester G-Mex 19.6.1992)</b> (CD2, Island CIDX 890, unique p/s)<br />
<b>City Of Blinding Lights (Live at Brooklyn Bridge - Video)/Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own (Video)/City Of Blinding Lights</b> (DVD, Island CIDV 890, different p/s)
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<b>All Because Of You (Single Mix)/She’s A Mystery To Me (Live New York Brooklyn Empire-Fulton Ferry Park 22.11.2004)</b> (CD1, Island CID 906)<br />
<b>All Because Of You (Single Mix)/Miss Sarajevo (Live Milan San Siro Stadium 20.7.2005)/A Man And A Woman (Acoustic)</b> (CD2, Island CIDX 906, different p/s)<br />
<b>All Because Of You (Video)/City Of Blinding Lights (Video)/All Because Of You (Single Mix)</b> (DVD, Island CIDV 906, unique p/s)
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<b>The Saints Are Coming (Original)/(Live in New Orleans)</b> (7”, Mercury 171 3138, numbered)<br />
<b>The Saints Are Coming (Original)/(Live in New Orleans)</b> (CD, Mercury 171 3137)
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<b>Window In The Skies/Tower Of Song</b> (CD1, Mercury 171 8122)<br />
<b>Window In The Skies/Zoo Station (Live Buenos Aires River Plate Stadium 2006)/Kite (Live Sydney Telstra Stadium 11.11.2006)</b> (CD2, Mercury 171 8124, different p/s)<br />
<b>Window In The Skies/The Saints Are Coming (Video)/Tower Of Song (Video)</b> (DVD, Mercury 171 8125, unique p/s)
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<b>Get On Your Boots/No Line On The Horizon 2</b> (7”, Island 179 8673)<br />
<b>Get On Your Boots/No Line On The Horizon 2</b> (CD, Island 179 8676)
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<b>Magnificent (UK Edit)/Breathe (Live Boston Somerville Theatre)</b> (7”, Island 270 1248)<br />
<b>Magnificent (UK Edit)/Breathe (Live Boston Somerville Theatre)</b> (CD, Island 270 1247)
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<b>I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight (Single Version)/(Dirty South Radio Mix)</b> (7”, Island 271 6223)<br />
<b>I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight (Single Version)/Magnificent (Live Boston Somerville Theatre)</b> (CD, Island 271 6226)
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<b>FANCLUB ALBUMS</b>
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<b>Hasta La Vista Baby!</b> (CD, Island HASTA CD1, Mexico City 1997)<br />
<b>U2.Communication</b> (CD + CD-Rom, Island/U2 Dot Com U2.comv1, selected recordings from the 2005 tour)<br />
<b>Zoo TV Live</b> (2 x CD, U2 Dot Com U2.com2, Sydney 1993 plus bonus track)<br />
<b>U2 Go Home</b> (2 x CD, U2 Dot Com U2.com3, Slane Castle 2001)<br />
<b>Medium Rare & Remastered</b> (2 x CD, U2 Dot Com U2.com4, outtakes, alternative versions and B-sides)<br />
<b>Artificial Horizon</b> (CD, U2 Dot Com U2.com5, remixes)<br />
<b>Artificial Horizon</b> (3 x 12”, U2 Dot Com U2.comv5, as above)<br />
<b>Duals</b> (CD, U2 Dot Com U2.com6, released and unreleased duets)<br />
<b>U22</b> (2 x CD, U2 Dot Com U2.com7, live tracks from 2009-2011)<br />
<b>From The Ground Up</b> (CD, U2 Dot Com U2.com8, more live tracks from 2009-2011)<br />
<b>Another Time Another Place</b> (2 x 10”, U2 Dot Com U2COMV10, London Marquee Club 1980)
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<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-70387220858701631692017-02-17T12:12:00.000-08:002017-02-17T13:05:09.901-08:00Cliff & The Shadows: The EP's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wSr3epP_7tM/WKdZEsGSljI/AAAAAAAADpM/sYifmP6EH4I5VrJt8aGC2qt15ogYIHhCgCLcB/s1600/Cliff%2BEP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wSr3epP_7tM/WKdZEsGSljI/AAAAAAAADpM/sYifmP6EH4I5VrJt8aGC2qt15ogYIHhCgCLcB/s320/Cliff%2BEP.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My sister currently lives in a town called Rochford. It is home to a café called The Beehive, and behind the café, there is a huge shed full of second hand LP’s that they knock out for a pound each. Mostly greatest hits sets, but for anybody wanting to track down a best of on Tamla, or eager to find those Elvis albums on Camden, well, they probably have them.
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In the café itself, they have in their window display a set of 7” singles. It turns out that somebody who runs the café is related to a local record dealer, and not only are all the albums part of his stock, but he also has more collectible items in the vaults. The window display has a selection of these items. When I first went in there, the singles were either ones I had, or were by artists I didn’t like. But at various points, the selection would change, and they started to stock Elvis and then Cliff EP’s.
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The EP, in it’s original form, was a late 50s invention that had fallen out of favour within a decade. It was a curious format. Many EP’s simply cobbled together old hits, cost more than a normal 45, and offered the fan nothing new, which resulted in some EP’s by major artists selling in pitiful numbers, which resulted in them becoming hugely collectible. In some of my articles on this site, I have avoided the EP because I have thought they were either worthy of their own article, or I simply didn’t own enough of them. I had always been slightly put off the prospect of trying to track them down, even though I had long owned the Stones' studio ones, as I figured I was looking at a potentially expensive set of releases. But some of these Cliff ones, by all accounts, sold in big numbers, and thus can be picked up quite cheaply. The Cliff EP’s this shop has stocked have thus now entered the collection, despite the fact that none of the ones I have bought there so far have included anything rare.
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As mentioned in my last Cliff blog in 2011, Cliff (with The Shads, sometimes) issued an alarming number of EP’s during the 1958-1968 period, and I highlighted only those which had included exclusive material at the time of their release. But now that I have started to almost stumble across some of the others by accident, I figured it was time to detail exactly what ALL of those EP’s consisted of. Be warned, anybody wanting the full set will have to work hard, as by my calculations, there were no less than 46 EP’s issued during this period, pretty much the same number of regular 45’s that Cliff issued during the same time frame. But they are quite fascinating, and things of beauty, as they were all issued in picture sleeves, as all UK EP’s were at the time.
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Cliff’s EP’s can be broken down into, roughly, four categories. Those designed to include entirely new and exclusive material, those designed to promote recent long players, those that compiled recent hits, and a small number of scattergun releases which cobbled together sometimes new material (and sometimes not) with older selections from the back catalogue. In this blog, I shall look at each of these types of releases, with a full discography of the EP‘s listed at the end.
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<b>The Hit Singles Sets</b>
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Although a couple of hits sneaked onto a pair of early Cliff EP’s of otherwise exclusive material (more later), the first real attempt at pulling together a batch of hits onto one set was in 1960, with the release of the “Cliff’s Silver Discs” EP, so named as all four of the songs had sold in big enough numbers originally to be designated silver. All four songs on here were originally A-sides, “Please Don’t Tease”, “Fall In Love With You”, “Nine Times Out Of Ten” and “Travellin’ Light”.
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1962’s “Hit Parade” went down the same path, placing “I Love You”, “Theme For A Dream”, “A Girl Like You” and “When The Girl In Your Arms” on the same disc. There was a slightly different approach for 1963’s “Cliff’s Hits”, which added both sides of the “It’ll Be Me” and “Do You Want To Dance” 45’s. The latter had been marketed as a AA-side with “I’m Looking Out The Window”, whereas the flip of “It’ll Be Me”, “Since I Lost You”, was officially a B-side - but this concept of hoovering up both sides of recent 45’s would become a standard approach on the subsequent hits EP’s.
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“Cliff‘s Lucky Lips“ EP included both sides of that 45, and both sides of the “It’s All In The Game” single, although the two tracks from the “Lucky Lips“ single appeared on side 2, rather than side 1. 1966’s “Wind Me Up” included both sides of that 45 as well, along with the A and B-sides of the “The Time In Between” single, with the “Wind Me Up” tracks this time appearing on side 1.
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A number of other Cliff 45’s were “recompiled” onto EP’s that went down a slightly different path. Both sides of the “Young Ones” single turned up on the “Hits From The Young Ones” EP, which was actually a 4 track sampler of the LP of the same name - it just so happened that both tracks from the 45 were included on the LP (although there is a single mix of “The Young Ones” that differs from the LP version - more at the end). Similarly, the “Hits From Summer Holiday” EP featured four tracks from the soundtrack album, all of which had also been issued on the recent “Summer Holiday” and “Bachelor Boy” singles (again, more about that one later).
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1964’s “Don’t Talk To Him” included on side 1, both sides of the sublime “Don’t Talk To Him” 45, whilst side 2 exhumed three songs from the 1962 LP “32 Minutes And 17 Seconds With Cliff”, a slightly random decision, but possibly done to try and act as a semi-follow up to the earlier EP that that album had already spawned (more in the next section). The lead tracks on “Cliff’s Palladium Successes” were both sides of another former single, “I’m The Lonely One”, but this time the tracks on side 2 were brand new recordings. The “A Forever Kind Of Love” EP included two new songs on the A-side, one of which, “It’s Wonderful To Be Young”, was used as the theme tune for the US release of the “Young Ones” movie, whilst side 2 offered up both sides of the “Constantly” 45. “On The Beach”, originally released as a 45 from the “Wonderful Life” soundtrack album, was later issued as the lead track on the “Hits From Wonderful Life” EP, which despite the title, actually just included three album tracks for the rest of the EP and no actual hits at all.
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Both sides of the “Twelfth Of Never” 45 turned up on side 2 of the “Why Don’t They Understand” EP, in 1965, whilst “I Could Easily Fall” was the final track on the “Hits From Aladdin” EP, having first been issued as a 45 in late 64. The “Angel” EP the same year featured, again, a bit randomly, a couple of songs from the “Cliff Richard” LP with two former 45’s on side 2, “On My Word” and “The Minute You’re Gone”. The final EP was “Congratulations”, which again showcased some previously available material, but there’s quite a bit of a story about that one, so we shall focus on it in greater detail later on.
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<b>The Album Collections</b>
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I am not quite sure why Columbia issued so many Cliff EP’s that were full of material from widely available albums. Were they designed to try and promote the album? Were they designed for people who couldn’t afford the LP, to at least give them a flavour of the record? Were they simply designed to cash in? Well, whatever the reason, a large number of these releases were created - even as late as 1967, the likes of the “Cinderella” album were still being subjected to having their material being extracted for such EP‘s.
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Cliff’s debut album, a 16 track affair, saw the first 12 songs from it issued on a pair of EP’s, the second of which, titled “Cliff No. 2”, included the re-recorded version of “Move It” that had been taped for the (live) album. Meanwhile, all 16 songs from “Cliff Sings” were spread across four 4-track EP’s. The album was split equally between tracks on which The Shads backed Cliff, and those which Cliff recorded with the Norrie Paramor Strings, and the EP’s also went down this route, with the Shads recordings used on the first two EP’s. Perhaps the reason for this was that anybody who liked Cliff more when he rocked out could just buy those two EP’s instead.
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For “Me And My Shadows”, no less than fifteen of the sixteen songs were spread across three 5-track EP’s. Again, the track listings mirrored the running order of the LP (so the first EP included the first 5 songs off the LP), meaning that, by default, the final track on the album failed to make it onto any EP release. The first nine songs from the 16-track “Listen To Cliff” album appeared across two EP’s, four on the first release and five on the second.
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Whereas the EP’s had so far used both the same image and titles as the albums from which they were sourced, things changed when it came to lifting material from the “21 Today” album. The first EP, simply titled “Cliff Richard”, came in a unique picture sleeve, which included tracks 2-5 from the first side of the LP. A second EP, “Cliff Richard No.2”, issued after the aforementioned “Young Ones” EP, featured tracks 6-8 from side 1, and the opening track of side 2.
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1963’s “Time For Cliff And The Shadows” featured five songs from the “32 Minutes” album - again, a different cover image to the LP, but this time, the five songs were seemingly selected at random. Then, after the release of the “Summer Holiday” EP, came the “More Hits From Summer Holiday” EP - again, actually just four album tracks from the LP, and no hits at all. In addition to the “Hits From Wonderful Life” EP mentioned before, there were two other EP’s that preceded this, “Wonderful Life” and “Wonderful Life No 2”, which between all three of them, contained no less than 12 songs from the 14-track album, a bit of a throwback to the intensity of the earlier EP’s. There were also 4-track EP’s from the “Aladdin” and “Cinderella” stage show albums, and the “When In Rome” and “Love Is Forever” studio efforts.
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<b>The “New Material” EP’s</b>
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We covered these really in the last blog, but it makes sense to just briefly touch on them again. The first two EP’s of (mostly) exclusive material were both film tie in releases, “Serious Charge” and “Expresso Bongo”. In my last blog, I mentioned that the version of “Living Doll” was a different version to the regular 45 mix, but it isn’t - there is a faster version of “Living Doll” used in the film, but it was not selected for inclusion on the EP. One track which does appear in ‘EP Form’ however is “A Voice In The Wilderness” from “Expresso Bongo”, which is a different take to the standard 45 version.
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Possible alternate mixes aside, all of these tracks have reappeared thanks to the ’copyright’ issues which allow pre-1963 material to be licensed to anybody with a passing interest, and I mentioned the appearance of the songs on these EP’s last time on an album called “As Good As It Gets”. Apparently now deleted, you can still source them elsewhere - I recently picked up a charming ’early years’ job on the Intense Media label called “Milestones Of A Legend”, a budget priced 10-CD set which includes the first 7 Cliff albums and the first 2 Shadows ones. Each album comes housed in it’s own sleeve - no attempt has been made at reprinting the original covers though, instead you just get a track listing on the front - and each disc includes bonus tracks from the 58-62 period, and all of the tracks from these EP’s make an appearance in one form or another. “Mad About You” and “No Turning Back” from “Serious Charge” appear on the “Me And My Shadows” disc, along with “Voice In The Wilderness”, “Love” and “The Shrine On The Second Floor” from “Expresso Bongo“ - although the version of “Love“, strangely, is lifted directly from the film, and not the original EP. The extra tracks on the EP’s were Cliff-less Shadows recordings, and “Chincilla” (from “Serious Charge”) and “Bongo Blues” (from “Expresso Bongo”) are amongst the extra tracks on disc 8, which is an expanded version of The Shadows self titled debut LP.
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The majority of the “new” material that appeared on subsequent EP’s, as mentioned last time, were mostly available across a pair of compilations that were issued years apart. In 1989, the specialist reissue label See For Miles issued the 20 track “EP Collection” on vinyl, tape and CD. Despite it’s title, it only offered up a selection of material from these EP’s - the album was actually subtitled “Ballads And Love Songs”, so this obviously prevented certain tracks from making the cut, aside from any issues over timing constraints that would also have affected the amount of material that could be included.
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The “Rare EP Tracks 1961-1991” release by EMI appeared in 2008, as part of the “Cliff’s 50th Anniversary” celebrations. It did a pretty good job in filling in most of the gaps. The “1991” tag came from the fact that a later, post-Shads Cliff single had included some 60s era outtakes, with “The Twelve Days Of Christmas” and “The Holly And The Ivy” appearing on the 1991 ”Christmas” EP. The album also included some bonus tracks - these included five unreleased songs, along with the EP version of “It’s Wonderful To Be Young”. The track was available, in a different form, as a bonus track on the 2005 CD reissue of “The Young Ones”, and was thus included as a bonus track due to it being one of the few songs on the “EP Tracks” album to be an alternate version of a song that might already have been familiar to the listener.
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The “When In France” EP material is a bit more obscure, as only a couple of songs appeared on the “EP Collection” and “Rare EP” albums, with the final track “C’Est Si Bon” not widely available on any collection. However, there is a box set called “On The Continent”, which collects pretty much every Cliff foreign language recording (including post-1968 stuff), and all four tracks can be found on this release. It'll cost you though. The EP was issued in the same sleeve in France under the banner of “Cliff Richard Sings In French”, and the two different versions of the EP were both released in other overseas territories. Indeed, a number of Cliff EP’s were issued overseas - my copy of “A Forever Kind Of Love” is a Danish release, housed in a UK printed sleeve (with same catalogue number) but the disc, with notable label differences, is pressed in Denmark.
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Special mention this time around for the “Thunderbirds Are Go!” EP. Although marketed as a Cliff Richard And The Shadows EP, at least from a distance, closer inspection reveals that the two acts are actually credited separately on the front sleeve - reason being that Cliff sings the vocals on the lead track, whilst the remaining three songs are Shads instrumentals. It’s one of the more collectable Cliff EP’s, helped along by the fact that it is also sought after by Thunderbirds collectors. It is worth noting that the EP was one of several reissued by EMI in mainland Europe in the early 80’s, as part of a series known as the “Cliff Richard / The Shadows EP Collection”, which saw a number of Cliff (and Shadows only) EP’s reissued as 12” singles, housed in slightly altered packaging - each single featured a coloured border around the original artwork, which included within it text relating to which number in the series it was. “Thunderbirds” was number 15. The reissues seemed to emerge from different countries, I have releases from Belgium and Holland, and by being reissued on EMI rather than Columbia, meant some were pressed with the famous “red block lettering” labels, with others opting for the blander cream design. Some singles retained the side opening approach, others - such as the “Carol Singers” reissue - had a top opening design. This was in the days before barcodes so, catalogue number changes aside, the rear sleeves looked quite faithful to the originals. As for Cliff’s contribution to the “Thunderbirds” EP, it was later issued on the ’selective’ “Cliff At The Movies” set, but was also found on a 2007 expanded reissue of a magnificent latter period set called “Congratulations To Cliff” - which is where we are headed now.
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<b>Congratulations To Cliff</b>
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In 1968, Cliff was chosen to be the UK’s entrant into the Eurovision Song Contest. This was a genius choice - not only was Cliff a star in the UK, but he was a star across Europe as well, having recorded songs in a variety of languages for release in those territories. In the days before the contest got hampered with political voting, it meant that Cliff had a pretty good chance of winning. Six songs were given to Cliff as likely candidates, one of which shared it’s title with a track from the “Wonderful Life” album (“Do You Remember”), and the public were invited to vote for their favourite. “Congratulations” dutifully won, and was issued as a single to coincide with the contest, backed with one of the ‘losing’ tracks from the six-song selection, “High N Dry”.
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“Congratulations” came second in the contest, losing by one vote. There was, many years later, claims that the contest had been rigged, and that the winning entry by Spain had been achieved after the Spanish general Francisco Franco had sent state officials out across Europe with the sole intent of bribing officials involved in the voting process. Fixed or not, “Congratulations” was a big hit worldwide, and in the summer of 68, an EP was released entitled “Cliff Sings 6 Songs For Europe”, which included studio recordings of all six of the tracks that had been considered as the UK entries. “Congratulations” kicked off side 1, and “High N Dry” kicked off side 2.
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The success of “Congratulations” across Europe resulted in a number of albums being issued in certain territories which were designed to showcase the tracks from this EP. In Germany, there was the “Congratulations Und 13 Weitere Hits” LP, which spread the six tracks across a 14 track album, which was padded out with recent hit singles like “The Day I Met Marie” and material from the “La La La La La” EP. In France, Columbia issued the “Congratulations To Cliff” album, which featured the EP material on side 1, and on the flip, a selection of tracks that had either been non album singles (“All My Love”, “The Day I Met Marie”, “It’s All Over” and “I’ll Come Running”) or had appeared on the stage show LP for “Cinderella” (“Why Wasn’t I Born Rich” and “In The Country”).
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There was no such release in the UK, and as far as I can make out, most of the tracks from the EP remained quite obscure. “Little Rag Doll” turned up on “The EP Collection” and, as it was also a B-side, “High N Dry” was included with other flipsides from the period on the expanded 1968 album “Established 1958” when it was reissued in 2007. “Congratulations”, as expected, made it on to various best of sets in the years that followed, whilst the rest of the EP was shoe-horned onto the CD reissue of the 1970 (but recorded earlier) live LP "Talk Of The Town", also in 2007.
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But really, the 2007 expanded CD edition of “Congratulations To Cliff” is, to me, an essential release. Not only does it show that latter period Cliff (and The Shads) made some highly enjoyable pop (think “Austin Powers”-esque groovy swinging sixties) but it’s a fabulous collection of rarities, with the original 12 track release expanded into a 40+ song anthology. There are more standalone a-sides (“Visions”, “Marianne”, “Blue Turns To Grey”), b-sides (a monumental take on “Girl You’ll Be A Woman Soon”, “What Would I Do For The Love Of A Girl”, “I Get The Feelin’”, “My Story Book”, “Mr Nice” and “Somebody Loses”) and a batch of rarities, such as the French language versions of “Congratulations”, “Questions” and “Two A Penny”, which had only previously been available on the French only “When In France” LP. There are some selections from latter period Cliff LP’s (such as like the highly entertaining “Don’t Stop Me Now” album) and selections from the soundtrack albums “Finders Keepers”, “Cinderella” and “Two A Penny”, plus the aforementioned “Shooting Star” from the “Thunderbirds” EP - along with four early period bonus track oddities, including an Italian b-side (“I Only Know That I Love You”) and a Philippines a-side (“I Only Live To Love You”). Copies are getting harder to find now, you’ll be lucky to pick one up for less than £20, but it is an awesome re-release.
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<b>Discography</b>
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Well, this should be self explanatory. This is the complete list of Cliff EP’s from 58 to 68. We are focusing here on the UK versions, and although most of the EP’s were just issued in mono, several were selected for release in stereo as well. How different the mixes are I am not sure, although it is worth pointing out that four of the eight stereo mixes made for the first two “Cliff Sings” EP’s were included on the 1997 “Rock & Roll Years” album, suggesting a certain amount of difference mix-wise to the original mono LP upon which these songs first surfaced. Also, if anybody reading this has a complete list of the EP’s that were reissued on 12” in Europe in 1980/81 as part of the aforementioned “EP Collection” series, please get in touch.
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<b>Serious Charge EP:</b> Living Doll/No Turning Back/Mad About You/Chincilla (7”, Columbia SEG 7895)<br />
<b>Cliff No. 1 EP:</b> Apron Strings/My Babe/Down The Line/I Got A Feeling/Jet Black/Baby I Don’t Care (7”, Columbia ESG 7754, Stereo)<br />
<b>Cliff No. 1 EP:</b> Apron Strings/My Babe/Down The Line/I Got A Feeling/Jet Black/Baby I Don’t Care (7”, Columbia SEG 7903, Mono)<br />
<b>Cliff No. 2 EP:</b> Donna/Move It/Ready Teddy/Too Much/Don’t Bug Me Baby/Driftin’ (7”, Columbia ESG 7769, Stereo)<br />
<b>Cliff No. 2 EP:</b> Donna/Move It/Ready Teddy/Too Much/Don’t Bug Me Baby/Driftin’ (7”, Columbia SEG 7910, Mono)<br />
<b>Expresso Bongo EP:</b> Love/A Voice In The Wilderness/The Shrine On The Second Floor/Bongo Blues (7”, Columbia ESG 7783, Stereo)<br />
<b>Expresso Bongo EP:</b> Love/A Voice In The Wilderness/The Shrine On The Second Floor/Bongo Blues (7”, Columbia SEG 7971, Mono)<br />
<b>Cliff Sings No. 1 EP:</b> Here Comes Summer/I Gotta Know/Blue Suede Shoes/The Snake And The Bookworm (7”, Columbia ESG 7788, Stereo)<br />
<b>Cliff Sings No. 1 EP:</b> Here Comes Summer/I Gotta Know/Blue Suede Shoes/The Snake And The Bookworm (7”, Columbia SEG 7979, Mono)<br />
<b>Cliff Sings No. 2 EP:</b> Twenty Flight Rock/Pointed Toe Shoes/Mean Woman Blues/I’m Walking (7”, Columbia ESG 7794, Stereo)<br />
<b>Cliff Sings No. 2 EP:</b> Twenty Flight Rock/Pointed Toe Shoes/Mean Woman Blues/I’m Walking (7”, Columbia SEG 7987, Mono)<br />
<b>Cliff Sings No. 3 EP:</b> I’ll String Along With You/Embraceable You/As Time Goes By/The Touch Of Your Lips (7”, Columbia SEG 8005)<br />
<b>Cliff Sings No. 4 EP:</b> I Don’t Know Why/Little Things Mean A Lot/Somewhere Along The Way/That’s My Desire (7”, Columbia SEG 8021)<br />
<b>Cliff’s Silver Discs EP:</b> Please Don’t Tease/Fall In Love With You/Nine Times Out Of Ten/Travellin’ Light (7”, Columbia SEG 8050)<br />
<b>Me And My Shadows No. 1 EP:</b> I’m Gonna Get You/You And I/I Cannot Find A True Love/Evergreen Tree/She’s Gone (7”, Columbia SEG 8065)<br />
<b>Me And My Shadows No. 2 EP:</b> Left Out Again/You’re Just The One To Do It/Lamp Of Love/Choppin’ N’ Changin’/We Have It Made (7”, Columbia SEG 8071)<br />
<b>Me And My Shadows No. 3 EP:</b> Tell Me/Gee Whizz It’s You/I’m Willing To Learn/I Love You So/I Don’t Know (7”, Columbia SEG 8078)<br />
<b>Listen To Cliff No. 1 EP:</b> What’d I Say/Blue Moon/True Love Will Come To You/Lover (7”, Columbia SEG 8105)<br />
<b>Dream EP:</b> Dream/All I Do Is Dream Of You/I’ll See You In My Dreams/When I Grow Too Old To Dream (7”, Columbia ESG 7867, Stereo)<br />
<b>Dream EP:</b> Dream/All I Do Is Dream Of You/I’ll See You In My Dreams/When I Grow Too Old To Dream (7”, Columbia SEG 8119, Mono)<br />
<b>Listen To Cliff No. 2 EP:</b> Unchained Melody/Idle Gossip/First Lesson In Love/Almost Like Being In Love/Beat Out Dat Rhythm On A Drum (7”, Columbia ESG 7870, Stereo)<br />
<b>Listen To Cliff No. 2 EP:</b> Unchained Melody/Idle Gossip/First Lesson In Love/Almost Like Being In Love/Beat Out Dat Rhythm On A Drum (7”, Columbia SEG 8126, Mono)<br />
<b>Cliff’s Hit Parade EP:</b> I Love You/Theme For A Dream/A Girl Like You/When The Girl In Your Arms Is The Girl In Your Heart (7”, Columbia SEG 8133)<br />
<b>Cliff Richard EP:</b> Forty Days/Catch Me/How Wonderful To Know/Tough Enough (7”, Columbia SEG 8151, all songs from “21 Today”)<br />
<b>Hits From The Young Ones EP:</b> The Young Ones/Got A Funny Feeling/Lessons In Love/We Say Yeah (7”, Columbia SEG 8159)<br />
<b>Cliff Richard No. 2 EP:</b> Fifty Tears For Every Kiss/The Night Is So Lonely/Poor Boy/Y’Arriva (7”, Columbia SEG 8168, all songs from “21 Today”)<br />
<b>Cliff’s Hits EP:</b> It’ll Be Me/Since I Lost You/I’m Lookin’ Out The Window/Do You Want To Dance (7”, Columbia SEG 8203)<br />
<b>Time For Cliff And The Shadows EP:</b> So I’ve Been Told/I’m Walkin’ The Blues/When My Dream Boat Comes Home/Blueberry Hill/You Don’t Know (7”, Columbia ESG 7887, all songs from “32 Minutes”, Stereo)<br />
<b>Time For Cliff And The Shadows EP:</b> So I’ve Been Told/I’m Walkin’ The Blues/When My Dream Boat Comes Home/Blueberry Hill/You Don’t Know (7”, Columbia SEG 8228, all songs from “32 Minutes”, Mono)<br />
<b>Holiday Carnival EP:</b> Carnival/Moonlight Bay/Some Of These Days/For You, For Me (7”, Columbia ESG 7892, Stereo)<br />
<b>Holiday Carnival EP:</b> Carnival/Moonlight Bay/Some Of These Days/For You, For Me (7”, Columbia SEG 8246, Mono)<br />
<b>Hits From Summer Holiday EP:</b> Summer Holiday/The Next Time/Dancing Shoes/Bachelor Boy (7”, Columbia ESG 7896, Stereo)<br />
<b>Hits From Summer Holiday EP:</b> Summer Holiday/The Next Time/Dancing Shoes/Bachelor Boy (7”, Columbia SEG 8250, Mono)<br />
<b>More Hits From Summer Holiday EP:</b> Seven Days To A Holiday/Stranger In Town/Really Waltzing/All At Once (7”, Columbia ESG 7898, Stereo)<br />
<b>More Hits From Summer Holiday EP:</b> Seven Days To A Holiday/Stranger In Town/Really Waltzing/All At Once (7”, Columbia SEG 8263, Mono)<br />
<b>Cliff’s Lucky Lips EP:</b> It’s All In The Game/Your Eyes Tell On You/Lucky Lips/I Wonder (7”, Columbia SEG 8269)<br />
<b>Love Songs EP:</b> I’m In The Mood For Love/Secret Love/Love Letters/I Only Have Eyes For You (7”, Columbia SEG 8272)<br />
<b>When In France EP:</b> La Mer/Boum/J’Attendrai/C’Est Si Bon (7”, Columbia SEG 8290)<br />
<b>Sings Don’t Talk To Him EP:</b> Don’t Talk To Him/Say You’re Mine/Spanish Harlem/Who Are We To Say/Falling In Love With Love (7”, Columbia SEG 8299, last 3 songs from “32 Minutes”)<br />
<b>Cliff’s Palladium Successes EP:</b> I’m The Lonely One/Watch What You Do With My Baby/Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps/Frenesi (English Version) (7”, Columbia SEG 8320)<br />
<b>Wonderful Life EP:</b> Wonderful Life/Do You Remember/What’ve I Gotta Do/Walkin’ (7”, Columbia SEG 8338)<br />
<b>A Forever Kind Of Love EP:</b> A Forever Kind Of Love/It’s Wonderful To Be Young/Constantly/True, True Lovin’ (7”, Columbia SEG 8347)<br />
<b>Wonderful Life No. 2 EP:</b> A Matter Of Moments/A Girl In Every Port/A Little Imagination/In The Stars (7”, Columbia SEG 8354)<br />
<b>Hits From Wonderful Life EP:</b> On The Beach/We Love A Movie/Home/All Kinds Of People (7”, Columbia SEG 8376)<br />
<b>Why Don’t They Understand? EP:</b> Why Don’t They Understand?/Where The Four Winds Blow/The Twelfth Of Never/I’m Afraid To Go Home (7”, Columbia SEG 8384)<br />
<b>Hits From Aladdin And His Wonderful Lamp EP:</b> Havin’ Fun/Evening Comes/Friends/I Could Easily Fall (In Love With You) (7”, Columbia SEG 8395)<br />
<b>Look Into My Eyes Maria EP:</b> Look Into My Eyes Maria/Where Is Your Heart/Maria/If I Give My Heart To You (7”, Columbia SEG 8405)<br />
<b>Angel EP:</b> Angel/I Only Came To Say Goodbye/On My Word/The Minute You‘re Gone (7“, Columbia SEG 8444, first two songs from “Cliff Richard”)<br />
<b>Take 4 EP:</b> Boom Boom/My Heart Is An Open Book/Lies And Kisses/Sweet And Gentle (7”, Columbia SEG 8450)<br />
<b>Wind Me Up EP:</b> Wind Me Up/The Night/The Time In Between/Look Before You Love (7”, Columbia SEG 8474)<br />
<b>Hits From When In Rome EP:</b> Come Prima/Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu/Dicitencello Vuie/Arrivederci Roma (7”, Columbia SEG 8478)<br />
<b>Love Is Forever EP:</b> My Colouring Book/Fly Me To The Moon/Someday/Everyone Needs Someone To Love (7”, Columbia SEG 8488)<br />
<b>La La La La La EP:</b> La La La La La/Solitary Man/Things We Said Today/Never Knew What Love Could Do (7”, Columbia SEG 8517)<br />
<b>Thunderbirds Are Go EP:</b> Shooting Star/Lady Penelope/Thunderbirds Theme/Zero X Theme (7”, Columbia SEG 8510)<br />
<b>Cinderella EP:</b> Come Sunday/Peace And Quiet/She Needs Him More Than Me/Hey Doctor Man (7”, Columbia SEG 8527)<br />
<b>Carol Singers EP:</b> God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/In The Bleak Midwinter/Unto Us A Boy Is Born/ While Shepherds Watched/Little Town Of Bethlehem (7”, Columbia SEG 8533)<br />
<b>Congratulations - Cliff Sings 6 Songs For Europe EP:</b> Congratulations/Wonderful World/Do You Remember/High ‘N’ Dry/The Sound Of The Candyman’s Trumpet/Little Rag Doll (7”, Columbia SEG 8540)
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Footnote: this is as good a place as any to tidy up the story of the “alternative” versions of “The Young Ones” and “Bachelor Boy”, as both these tracks turned up on EP’s listed above. I am indebted to the excellent Cliff Richard Songs website for this gen.
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“The Young Ones” was recorded for the soundtrack album of the same name, but for the 45 release, an orchestra was dubbed over the top. As the years went by, the single version seemed to grow in stature, being selected for various compilations including 1977’s “40 Golden Greats”, and when “The Young Ones” LP was reissued in expanded form on CD in 2005, the original album version was removed and replaced by the 7” version. The album version, now more commonly known as the “undubbed version”, is available on the “Hits From The Young Ones” EP - and bizarrely turned up as a bonus track on the expanded CD reissue!
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As for “Bachelor Boy”, this was originally included on the “Summer Holiday” soundtrack in the same form as it had appeared on the single, with a stereo mix made specifically for the stereo version of the album. But a different mix was created for the US market, and was made by remixing an earlier take of the song. This used the same backing as the “UK” version, which is referred to as the “Take 10/11” version, named after the two takes that were used to create the final version. The “US” version, which then used the vocal from take 9 to dub over the top, was then known as the “Take 12” version after it had been through the remixing process.
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When it came to issuing the “Hits From Summer Holiday” EP, the mono version used the standard “Take 10/11” but the stereo version opted for the “Take 12” version, as this was deemed to be more stereo friendly. Both versions have resurfaced over the years - and it is interesting to note that different versions of the “40 Golden Greats” release have included both. The 1977 original uses the “Take 12” version, as the entire album had been designed to be “modernised” by using re-processed-for-stereo mixes where stereo mixes weren’t available. In the case of “BB”, there was a genuine stereo mix in the form of the “Take 12” version, and so it got the nod. But for the 1989 CD reissue, re-processed stereo was seen as an evil invention, an invention that could never match true stereo, and so the album used the original mono mixes this time around - so the mono “Take 10/11” version of “BB” was used instead. I may revisit Cliff’s 45’s from this period in a future blog, as their availability on CD is a bit erratic.
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-21064801412064955392017-01-16T11:14:00.000-08:002017-01-16T12:05:35.367-08:00Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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The world of the Four Seasons, to me at least, can be a quite daunting and confusing one at first. A band whose history can be traced back all the way to the early 50s, a band who were credited both with and without their leader, who also had a solo career at one point running side by side, and a band who issued a series of albums seemingly never released in the UK.
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Indeed, there are those who believe that the band’s back catalogue has been treated quite poorly, resulting in many albums falling out of print. Indeed, go on to Amazon, and you may struggle to find a CD edition of many of their original studio records. But help is at hand. A couple of boxsets issued by Rhino in the UK a few years ago were designed to give a flavour of most of what both Valli solo, and the band, released from the 60s onwards. Buy them both, and you will end up with a very big chunk of the back catalogue. Collecting the singles can still be a lengthy process, but given that a lot of the band’s albums seemed to be designed to showcase a lot of the A-sides and/or B-sides, and then padding them out with some “new” material, then the boxsets even provide an introduction to the band’s 45s.
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Frankie Valli, stylised as Frankie Valley, released his first single in the USA in 1953. It was the beginning of a long run of poor selling singles in Valli’s homeland, and by 1956, he had formed The Four Lovers, essentially an early incarnation of The Four Seasons. The band issued an album, “Joyride”, and a number of mostly under-performing 45’s in the US, and by 1958, had turned into a mainly touring band, with their studio work limited to session musician duties. However, the band did continue to issue a regular run of 45’s under other names, with Valli issuing singles under the name of “Frankie Tyler”, whilst the run of singles issued during 1960 appeared under a bewildering variety of pseudonyms, including Billy Dixon & The Topics and The Village Voices.
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By the early 60s, a contract the band had signed was due to expire, and the group were rechristened as The Four Seasons, taking their name from a bowling alley where they had conducted a failed audition. Having gone through a variety of line up changes, the “classic” line up of the band was now in place, with Valli joined by Bob Gaudio, Nick Massi and Tommy DeVito. Bob Crewe collaborated with the group for some years as producer and co-writer, primarily working with Gaudio.
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The first Four Seasons single was the US only 1961 release “Bermuda”/”Spanish Lace”, issued on Gone Records. By 1962, the band had signed to the Vee-Jay label in the USA (briefly home, of course, also to The Beatles) and Stateside in the UK. Their next single, issued on both sides of the Atlantic, was “Sherry” - and became a huge hit. The band’s doo wop sound was especially characterised by Valli’s impossibly high pitched falsetto voice.
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“Sherry” was later included on the band’s debut album, the not inspiringly titled “Sherry & 11 Others”, issued in late 1962. Indeed, many of the band’s albums over the next five years would have titles that suggested they were nothing more than a collection of recent A-sides and B-sides, with some extra material used to pad the album out (such as the awkwardly titled “Dawn (Go Away) And 11 Other Great Songs”) or in some cases, suggested they were actually compilation albums, when they weren’t (“Working My Way Back To You & More Great New Hits” included several non-hits). By 1964, the band had left the Vee-Jay label (and, as a consequence, Stateside) and were signed to Philips on both sides of the Atlantic. Several UK 45’s would continue to eek out on the Stateside label for the rest of the year.
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In 1965, the band started to create albums that had a bit more of a cohesive feel. A planned album of Bob Dylan covers eventually morphed into the “Sing Big Hits by Bacharach, David and Dylan” LP, which included their cover of “Don‘t Think Twice It‘s All Right“. For some strange technical/legal reason that I don‘t understand, logistics prevented it from being issued as a single by The Four Seasons, so the band - just like in the old days - adopted a pseudonym and released the single under the name of “The Wonder Who”, the first of three singles they released in this way. The last of these, “Lonesome Road”, actually included a B-side specifically credited to The Four Seasons, which probably gave the game away. It’s generally considered that the singles chosen to be issued under the “Wonder Who” banner were those whose sound was not necessarily very Four Seasons-esque.
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By 1966, a decision was taken to try and market Valli as a solo artist, as well as continuing with his involvement in the band. Initially, Valli’s recordings were done during regular Four Seasons sessions - indeed, the full title of his first solo album issued the following year was “The Four Seasons Present Frankie Valli Solo”. Again, it followed the old path of cobbling together tracks that were issued as singles alongside newer material - of the twelve songs included on the UK edition, seven of them had previously surfaced on UK 45’s over the preceding 18 months. Despite the plan to have Valli’s solo career running alongside that of the band, the Four Seasons actually went rather quiet in this period. There were some singles, but there were no new albums by the band during the second half of 1967 nor any of 1968 at all. A second Valli solo effort, “Timeless” (again featuring heavy Four Seasons involvement), was released in mid 68.
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When the band did reconvene in 1969, they did so with what is regarded by many as something of a lost classic, the concept album “The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette”, which promptly flopped. Nonetheless, it is a record that is now seen as a turning point in the band’s career, with it’s socially conscious lyrics, and “Pet Sounds”/psychedelic inspired music, with titles like “American Crucifixion Resurrection“ sounding unlike anything the band had done up to that point. Even the packaging was inspired, housed in a newspaper style sleeve, with the album title doubling up as the title of the paper. It’s follow up was the non-UK 1970 album “Half And Half”, so titled as one side consisted of Valli solo material, and the other consisted of Four Seasons material. A photo of the Four Seasons appeared on the front, with a photo of Valli alone on the rear. By 1971, the band were off the label, but Philips in the UK decided to reissue “Beggin’” and “Rag Doll” as singles the same year, whilst reissues of earlier Valli solo efforts “You‘re Ready Now“ and “The Proud One“ also resurfaced in 1970/71.
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Valli’s solo career then went temporarily on hold, as the newly rechristened Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons signed briefly to Warner Bros, issuing a one off (ultra rare) single in the UK and New Zealand called “Whatever You Say”, long rumoured to have been withdrawn from sale and thus never making it past the promo stage. They then moved onto what probably seemed like an unlikely home - Motown. The band’s first 45 was issued on the Tamla imprint in the UK, but their next album and all subsequent singles were issued on Motown’s Mo West label, usually home to R&B artists from the West Coast of the States. The LP, issued in 1972, was the now highly lauded “Chameleon”, in which the band adopted a soulful vibe that suited their new home. By now, Valli was the only original member left, although Bob Gaudio still worked with the band in the studio. Mo West issued several singles in the UK to try and promote the album, but neither the LP (subjected to so-so reviews when first released) nor these singles troubled the charts.
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The band did begin work on a potential follow up album - fans have been petitioning for the release of this material, as several albums worth of tracks were recorded - but in the end, the band left the label in 1974. One track that originated from the sessions was “bought” by Valli from the label, and issued as his next solo single. “My Eyes Adored You” was the first release on the new Private Stock label, and would later be included on Valli’s third solo album, “Close Up”. Motown meanwhile decided to try and cash in after the single was a major success in the US, and went back into the vaults to release “Inside You”, marketed as a Valli solo LP in late 75. A couple of tracks from “Chameleon” were included again, with “The Night” appearing in an alternate version, with a different vocal take during the first verse, along with outtakes and material previously only issued on 45 in the USA. “The Night“, never even issued as a single in the USA, had gained a following on the Northern Soul scene, and MoWest reissued the original single (albeit with a new catalogue number), which saw it dent the top 10. The single was even later repressed on the Tamla imprint in the early 80s, but retained it’s MoWest catalogue number. Despite there now being numerous copies of this single in existence, it’s Northern Soul connections have helped to keep it’s value higher than other Valli singles, and you will be hard pushed to find one for less than a tenner.
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As for The Four Seasons, they re-emerged with a slightly altered lineup, with new member Gerry Polci taking the lion’s share of the vocals to ease the strain on Valli’s voice, as he was suffering from hearing loss at the time. Signed to Warner Bros (again), their 1975 album “Who Loves You” was an attempt to align the band with the new disco explosion - and worked. The album spawned no less than three hit singles - the title track, “December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)” and the incendiary “Silver Star”. For a while, Valli’s solo career and the revamped Four Seasons ran side by side, with Valli then getting a boost solo wise when he recorded the title track to the 1978 movie “Grease”, issued as a single and another big chart hit.
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As the hits started to dry up thereafter, Valli’s solo career came to a (temporary) end following the release of 1980’s “Heaven Above Me”, whilst The Four Seasons took eight years to follow up 1977’s “Helicon”, when the (again) renamed Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons issued 1985’s “Streetfighter”, an album which was heavily rooted in that 80s sound, but as the only Four Seasons studio album from the decade, thus sounds unlike anything they ever did before or after, and as such, has a strange “one off” charm. The band essentially continued to exist mainly as a touring act, although there was a US only album in 1992, “Hope + Glory”, whilst Valli issued a solo album in 2007 of covers, “Romancing The 60s”. A Christmas album was issued at the end of 2016, credited to Valli as a solo artist, but with the pun-fuelled title of "Tis The Seasons".
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In recent times, the Four Seasons have had something of a retro tinged renaissance. The “Jersey Boys” musical sparked interest, whilst most of the band’s latter period singles were mostly reissues or remixes of earlier hits, with “Beggin’” a big enough hit in the UK to entice The Saturdays to record it and issue it as a B-side in 2009. The band still exist, with yet another altered line up - none of the current members, other than Valli, were present on “Hope + Glory”. Valli and Gaudio are still connected business wise, having formed The Four Seasons Partnership just prior to the release of that first US 45 on Gone. I don’t fully understand the mechanics of this, but go online, and you will stumble across fan websites who seem to lay some of the blame of the handling of the back catalogue at the partnership itself, suggesting a reluctance by Valli and Gaudio to revisit their past.
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<b>Discography</b>
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OK. This is how it seems to have worked. The early Four Seasons albums seem to have been attempts to shoe horn recent A-sides and B-sides on to a long playing album, with the album then being padded out by new material, to encourage people to buy the record. Hence, the titles displaying the name of one of the hits that was included on the album, followed by the less than inspiring “...and 11 Others” or similar.
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Vee Jay issued several compilation albums by the band in the US in 63 and 64, and “Folk Nanny” is listed on Discogs as being a compilation release, partly because it did include material that had resurfaced before - “Stay“ had been a US 45 in late 1963, and had previously appeared on the “Ain‘t That A Shame“ LP. But, despite being deemed a compilation album (it even got reissued in the US under the new title “Stay & Other Great Hits” later on), it does appear - with all the ’official’ studio albums - in the Rhino Box. As for “New Gold Hits”, it’s title suggests another proper best of album, but in fact, this too followed the path of the earlier LP’s, by including recent 45 material, padded out with brand new recordings.
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In the mid 90s, Curb Records reissued a number of the band’s earlier albums on CD. They all featured the legend “Original Classic Hits” along the bottom of the front sleeve, despite the fact that several of the songs of course had never actually been released as singles. The albums formed part of a series, so “Big Girls Don’t Cry” had a ’Volume 2’ legend on the front, and “New Gold Hits” was ’Volume 7’ - and so on. Confusingly, “Who Loves You” became ’Volume 8’, despite the fact that this had been recorded as a genuine studio album, spawning hit singles as opposed to being used to cobble together old ones. So, if you try to work out what an official studio album is from the Curb reissues, then it will totally confuse matters.
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The LP discography below is based on what has been included in the Rhino boxset. Where the album was originally released in the UK, I have listed it’s original catalogue number - where there was no UK release (to my knowledge), the original US LP is detailed instead. I have also included the Valli solo albums in here, as it makes sense to do so, and you will see that the Rhino box for the Valli albums has also been based on US releases - “Our Day Will Come“ was issued in the UK as “Fallen Angel“.
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The Motown material, being owned by that label, has had a different history. In 2008, the label’s Hip-O-Select imprint issued the (US only) double CD set “The Motown Years”, which - unreleased stuff aside - gives you a complete overview of the band’s time on the label. The first CD is essentially an expanded version of “Chameleon”, and the second an expanded “Inside You”.
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On CD1, extra tracks include both sides of the US only “How Come” and “Hickory” 45's, along with tracks that later made it onto the UK - but not US - edition of “Inside You”, “Walk On Don’t Look Back” (originally a UK and US stand alone 45) and an edited version of “Charisma”. CD2 is bolstered by both sides of the “You’ve Got Your Troubles” 45, and “The Scalawag Song”, issued as a promo only US 45.
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The specialist reissue label Ace did do a series of 2-on-1 CD reissues in the early 90s, which from what I can gather, would have seen the selected albums making their CD debut, but these have long been deleted. Certainly, the way I started to get deeper into the band and Valli’s solo career was to start with the two boxsets and the Motown CD - after that, it becomes a bit easier to work out where to go next in terms of what you want to collect.
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<b>SELECTED RETROSPECTIVE CD RELEASES</b>
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<b>The Classic Albums Box</b> (18xCD, Rhino 81227 95959)<br />
<b>The Motown Years</b> (2xCD, Hip-O-Select B0010777-02)<br />
<b>Selected Solo Works</b> (8xCD, Rhino 81227 95940)
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<b>UK SINGLES</b>
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<b>Sherry/I’ve Cried Before</b> (7”, Stateside SS 122)<br />
<b>Big Girls Don’t Cry/Connie-O</b> (7”, Stateside SS 145)<br />
<b>Walk Like A Man/Lucky Ladybug</b> (7”, Stateside SS 169)<br />
<b>Ain’t That A Shame/Soon</b> (7”, Stateside SS 194)<br />
<b>Candy Girl/Marlena</b> (7”, Stateside SS 216)<br />
<b>Santa Claus Is Coming To Town/Christmas Tears</b> (7”, Stateside SS 241)<br />
<b>Dawn (Go Away)/No Surfin’ Today</b> (7”, Philips BF 1317)<br />
<b>The Four Seasons Sing EP</b> (7”, Stateside SE 1011)<br />
<b>Peanuts/Silhouettes</b> (7”, Stateside SS 262)<br />
<b>Ronnie/Born To Wander</b> (7”, Philips BF 1334)<br />
<b>Alone/Long Lonely Nights</b> (7”, Stateside SS 315)<br />
<b>Rag Doll/Silence Is Golden</b> (7”, Philips BF 1347)<br />
<b>Save It For Me/Funny Face</b> (7”, Philips BF 1364)<br />
<b>Since I Don’t Have You/Sincerely</b> (7”, Stateside SS 343)<br />
<b>Big Man In Town/Little Angel</b> (7”, Philips BF 1372)<br />
<b>Bye Bye Baby/Searching Wind</b> (7”, Philips BF 1395)<br />
<b>Toy Soldier/Betrayed</b> (7”, Philips BF 1411)<br />
<b>Girl Come Running/Cry Myself To Sleep</b> (7”, Philips BF 1420)<br />
<b>Let’s Hang On/On Broadway Tonight</b> (7”, Philips BF 1439)<br />
<b>Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright/Sassy</b> (7”, Philips BF 1440)<br />
<b>You’re Gonna Hurt Yourself/Night Hawk</b> (7”, Philips BF 1467)<br />
<b>Working My Way Back To You/Too Many Memories</b> (7”, Philips BF 1474)<br />
<b>Opus 17/Beggars Parade</b> (7”, Philips BF 1493)<br />
<b>On The Good Ship Lollipop/You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You</b> (7”, Philips BF 1504)<br />
<b>I’ve Got You Under My Skin/Huggin’ My Pillow</b> (7”, Philips BF 1511)<br />
<b>You’re Ready Now/Cry For Me</b> (7”, Philips BF 1512, later reissued as BF 320 226)<br />
<b>The Proud One/Ivy</b> (7”, Philips BF 1529, later reissued as 6051 011)<br />
<b>Tell It To The Rain/Show Girl</b> (7”, Philips BF 1538)<br />
<b>Beggin’/Dody</b> (7”, Philips BF 1556)<br />
<b>Can’t Take My Eyes Off You/The Trouble With Me</b> (7, Philips BF 1580)<br />
<b>C’mon Marianne/Let’s Ride Again</b> (7”, Philips BF 1584)<br />
<b>Lonesome Road/Around And Around</b> (7”, Philips BF 1600)<br />
<b>I Made A Fool Of Myself/September Rain</b> (7”, Philips BF 1603)<br />
<b>Watch The Flowers Grow/Raven</b> (7”, Philips BF 1621)<br />
<b>Hits Of The Four Seasons EP</b> (Cassette, Philips MCP 1000)<br />
<b>To Give (The Reason I Live)/Watch Where You Walk</b> (7”, Philips BF 1634)<br />
<b>Will You Love Me Tomorrow/Silhouettes</b> (7”, Philips BF 1651)<br />
<b>Saturday’s Father/Goodbye Girl</b> (7”, Philips BF 1685)<br />
<b>Electric Stories/Pity</b> (7”, Philips BF 1743)<br />
<b>Rag Doll/Working My Way Back To You</b> (7”, Philips BF 1763, in picture sleeve)<br />
<b>The Girl I’ll Never Know/A Face Without A Name</b> (7”, Philips BF 1795)<br />
<b>Beggin’/Walk Like A Man</b> (7”, Philips 6051 012)<br />
<b>Rag Doll/Let’s Hang On/I’ve Got You Under My Skin</b> (7”, Philips 6051 018)<br />
<b>Whatever You Say/Sleeping Man</b> (7”, Warner Bros K 16107)<br />
<b>You’re A Song/Sun Country</b> (7”, Tamla Motown TMG 819)<br />
<b>The Night/When The Morning Comes</b> (7”, Mo West MW 3002, later reissued as MW 3024)<br />
<b>Walk On Don’t Look Back/Touch The Rainchild</b> (7”, Mo West MW 3003)<br />
<b>My Eyes Adored You/Watch Where You Walk</b> (7”, Private Stock PVT 1)<br />
<b>Touch The Rainchild/Poor Fool</b> (7”, Mo West MW 3028)<br />
<b>Swearin’ To God/Why</b> (7”, Private Stock PVT 21)<br />
<b>And I Will Love You/Sun Country</b> (7”, Mo West MW 3030)<br />
<b>Who Loves You (Edit)/(Disco Version)</b> (7”, Warner Bros K 16602)<br />
<b>Our Day Will Come/You Can Bet (I Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere)</b> (7”, Private Stock PVT 42)<br />
<b>December 1963 (Edit)/Slip Away</b> (7”, Warner Bros K 16688, later reissued in “Classic Hits Of The 70s“ picture sleeve)<br />
<b>Fallen Angel/Carrie</b> (7”, Private Stock PVT 51)<br />
<b>Silver Star (7” Mix)/(LP Version)</b> (7”, Warner Bros K 16742)<br />
<b>Life And Breath/Thank You</b> (7”, Mo West MW 3034)<br />
<b>We’re All Alone/You To Me Are Everything</b> (7”, Private Stock PVT 66)<br />
<b>We Can Work It Out/Harmony Perfect Harmony</b> (7”, Warner Bros K 16845)<br />
<b>Swearin’ To God EP</b> (7”, Private Stock PVT 78)<br />
<b>Easily/What Good Am I Without You</b> (7”, Private Stock PVT 98)<br />
<b>Rhapsody/Helicon</b> (7”, Warner Bros K 16932)<br />
<b>Second Thoughts/So She Says</b> (7”, Private Stock PVT 111)<br />
<b>Down The Hall/I Believe In You</b> (7”, Warner Bros K 16982)<br />
<b>I Need You/I’m Gonna Love You</b> (7”, Private Stock PVT 124)<br />
<b>Grease +1</b> (7”, RSO 012)<br />
<b>Save Me Save Me/No Love At All</b> (7”, Warner Bros K 17251)<br />
<b>Harmony Perfect Harmony EP</b> (7”, Warner Bros K 17072, 1980 reissues list it as the “December 63“ EP)<br />
<b>Passion For Paris (An American In Paris) (Short Version)/(Long Version)</b> (7”, MCA 572)<br />
<b>Passion For Paris (An American In Paris) (Short Version)/(Long Version)</b> (12”, MCAT 572)<br />
<b>Where Did We Go Wrong/Doctor Dance</b> (7”, MCA 624)<br />
<b>Soul (Edit)/If It Really Wasn’t Love</b> (7”, MCA 645)<br />
<b>Soul (New Mix)/If It Really Wasn’t Love</b> (12”, MCAT 645)<br />
<b>Heaven Must Have Sent You/Medley</b> (7”, Warner Bros K 17764)<br />
<b>The Book Of Love/Deep Inside Your Love</b> (7”, MCA 980)<br />
<b>Let’s Hang On/Rag Doll</b> (7”, Prism Leisure FOUR 71)<br />
<b>Walk Like A Man/Sherry</b> (7”, Prism Leisure FOUR 72)<br />
<b>Working My Way Back To You/I’ve Got You Under My Skin</b> (7”, Prism Leisure FOUR 73)<br />
<b>You’re Ready Now/My Eyes Adored You</b> (7” Prism Leisure FOUR 74)<br />
<b>Big Girls Don’t Cry (Original)/(Enhanced Original Mix)</b> (7”, Curb ZB 42287)<br />
<b>Big Girls Don’t Cry (Club Mix)/(Original)/(Dirty Dancing Rap)/(Enhanced Original Mix)</b> (12”, Curb ZT 42288)<br />
<b>Can’t Take My Eyes Off You/December 1963</b> (7”, Polygram VALLI 1)<br />
<b>Can’t Take My Eyes Off You/December 1963</b> (Cassette, Polygram VALMC 1)<br />
<b>Can’t Take Me Eyes Off You/December 1963/My Eyes Adored You</b> (CD, Polygram VALCD 1)<br />
<b>Oh What A Night (Ben Liebrand Remix)/(Edit)</b> (7”, Polygram VALLI 2)<br />
<b>Oh What A Night (Ben Liebrand Remix)/(Edit)</b> (Cassette, Polygram VALMC 2)<br />
<b>Oh What A Night (Ben Liebrand Extended Remix)/(Instrumental)/(Ben Liebrand Remix)</b> (12”, Polygram VALX 2)<br />
<b>Oh What A Night (Ben Liebrand Remix)/(Instrumental)/(Ben Liebrand Extended Remix)</b> (CD, Polygram VALCD 2)<br />
<b>Grease (The Dream Mix) +1</b> (7”, Polydor PO 136)<br />
<b>Grease (12” Groove Version)/(7” Original Groove) +1</b> (12”, Polydor PZ 136)<br />
<b>Grease (The Dream Mix)/(12” Groove Version)/(7” Original Groove) +1</b> (CD, Polydor PZCD 136)<br />
<b>Beggin’ (Pilooski Re-Edit/Radio Edit)/(Original)</b> (7”, 679 Records 679L146)<br />
<b>Beggin’ (Pilooski Re-Edit)/(Speaker Killer Remix)/Who Loves You</b> (12”, 679 Records 679L146T)<br />
<b>Beggin’ (Pilooski Re-Edit/Radio Edit)/(Original)</b> (CD, 679 Records 679L146CD)
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<br />
<b>ORIGINAL ALBUMS LATER FEATURED IN THE BOXSETS & “THE MOTOWN YEARS”</b>
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<br />
<b>Sherry & 11 Others</b> (LP, Stateside SL 10033)<br />
<b>Big Girls Don’t Cry And Twelve Others</b> (US LP, Vee Jay VJLP 1056)<br />
<b>Ain’t That A Shame And 11 Others</b> (LP, Stateside SL 10042)<br />
<b>Folk Nanny</b> (US LP, Vee Jay VJLP 1082)<br />
<b>Born To Wander</b> (LP, Philips BL 7611)<br />
<b>Dawn And 11 Other Great Songs</b> (LP, Philips BL 7621)<br />
<b>Rag Doll</b> (LP, Philips BL 7643)<br />
<b>Entertain You</b> (LP, Philips BL 7663)<br />
<b>Sing Big Hits by Bacharach David & Dylan</b> (LP, Philips BL 7687)<br />
<b>On Stage With</b> (US LP, Vee Jay VJLP 1154)<br />
<b>Working My Way Back To You</b> (LP, Philips BL 7699)<br />
<b>New Gold Hits</b> (US LP, Philips PHS-600-243)<br />
<b>Solo</b> (LP, Philips SBL 7814)<br />
<b>Timeless</b> (LP, Philips SBL 7856)<br />
<b>Genuine Imitation Life Gazette</b> (LP, Philips SBL 7880)<br />
<b>Half And Half</b> (US LP, Philips PHS-600-341)<br />
<b>Chameleon</b> (LP, Mo West MWSA 5501)<br />
<b>Closeup</b> (LP, Private Stock PVLP 1001)<br />
<b>Inside You</b> (LP, Mo West MWS 7007)<br />
<b>Our Day Will Come</b> (US LP, Private Stock PS 2006)<br />
<b>Who Loves You</b> (LP, Warner Bros K 56179)<br />
<b>Valli</b> (LP, Private Stock PVLP 1014)<br />
<b>Helicon</b> (LP, Warner Bros K 56350)<br />
<b>Lady Put The Light Out</b> (LP, Private Stock PVLP 1029)<br />
<b>Is The Word</b> (LP, Warner Bros K 56549)<br />
<b>Heaven Above Me</b> (LP, MCA MCF081)<br />
<b>Streetfighter</b> (LP, MCA MCF3316)<br />
<b>Hope & Glory</b> (US CD, Curb D2-77546)
<br />
<br />
<b>OTHER NOTABLE UK LP’s</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>Gold Vault Of Hits</b> (LP, Philips BL 7687, 1965 compilation including “Let‘s Hang On“)<br />
<b>2nd Gold Vault Of Hits</b> (LP, Philips BL 7751, 1966 compilation including “Walk Like A Man“)<br />
<b>Lookin’ Back</b> (LP, Philips BL 7752, 1966 compilation including material from the US “Big Girls Don‘t Cry“ LP)<br />
<b>Seasoned Hits</b> (LP, Fontana SFJL 952, 1967 compilation including “Beggin‘”)<br />
<b>Edizione d’Oro</b> (2xLP, Philips DBL 003)<br />
<b>The Four Seasons Story</b> (LP, Private Stock DAPS 1001)<br />
<b>Fallen Angel</b> (LP, Private Stock PVLP 1005, 1976 UK release of “Our Day Will Come“ in new p/s with extra track, “Fallen Angel“)<br />
<b>Reunited Live</b> (LP, Warner Bros K 66098)<br />
<b>Romancing The 60s</b> (CD, Universal B0009908-02)<br />
<b>Two Classic Albums Plus The Four Lovers And Rare Singles</b> (4xCD, Real Gone Music RGMCD 065, includes on disc 4 “The 4 Seasons Greetings Album”)<br />
<b>‘Tis The Seasons</b> (CD, Rhino 81227 94312)
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<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-5489467317469926402016-12-24T23:53:00.001-08:002016-12-25T00:10:24.666-08:002016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sypRQ1i3Hfo/WF9609uiC9I/AAAAAAAADoo/DoplAZGpoUgsRzVHFgB7igpZw9uj5T7WACLcB/s1600/Spice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sypRQ1i3Hfo/WF9609uiC9I/AAAAAAAADoo/DoplAZGpoUgsRzVHFgB7igpZw9uj5T7WACLcB/s320/Spice.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
<br />
Listed below are the bands and singers featured for each month in 2016, including a look at both the career of the Spice Girls as a band and the solo work of several of their band members (above). The December 2016 blogs can be found due right, which feature Madonna Japanese EP releases and Bowie releases from 2014 until 2016. There are a number of Bowie blogs for this year, as a tribute to the single most important musician of all time.<br /><br />The complete list for the year is shown below:<br />January 2016 - David Bowie / Madonna<br />February 2016 - Spice Girls<br />March 2016 - Victoria Beckham / Emma Bunton / Geri Halliwell<br />April 2016 - The Cure<br />May 2016 - David Bowie<br />June 2016 - Madonna<br />July 2016 - David Bowie<br />August 2016 - Tubeway Army<br />September 2016 - David Bowie<br />October 2016 - The Beatles<br />November 2016 - David Bowie<br />December 2016 - David Bowie / Madonna<br /><br />To look at blogs from January to November, just click on the relevant month.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />"Uncage the colours, unfurl the flag, luck just kissed you hello"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-41814806322118385772016-12-24T11:10:00.000-08:002016-12-24T12:24:29.649-08:00Bowie 2014-2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-voOEm3yCkr0/WF7IANfoNrI/AAAAAAAADoU/0cs2yM3T0JAdVDJNLB9aPt-6YH_KI4X9wCLcB/s1600/Bowie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-voOEm3yCkr0/WF7IANfoNrI/AAAAAAAADoU/0cs2yM3T0JAdVDJNLB9aPt-6YH_KI4X9wCLcB/s320/Bowie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And so, we come to my final Bowie blog of 2016.
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Since “The Next Day”, both Bowie’s current label (Iso) and his former paymasters at EMI (now buried under the Parlophone imprint) have been tossing out material at such a rate, you have to wonder how much of this seems like cash in material. But by all accounts, a lot of the stuff that has come out in recent years had to get the nod by the man himself before it was issued/reissued, although this hasn’t stopped critics griping about the content of this material. This year’s new boxset, “Who Can I Be Now?” is a nice thing to own, but is mostly full of material most of us already have. It’s timing, surfacing at the same time as a gargantuan Pink Floyd boxset which included mostly material that nobody owned, officially, saw Bowie’s team come in for some stick.
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But, it seems as though we are in the middle of some sort of revamping of the back catalogue, so we shall see what 2017 brings. Until then, here’s what’s been happening since my last Bowie blog on the “new stuff” back on 2014.
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<b>Blackstar and Lazarus</b>
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Routinely now being referred to by an actual black coloured star shape in the press, I don’t have such a symbol on my keyboard, so I shall refer to Bowie’s last studio album as “Blackstar”. You don’t need me to tell you about the fact that it was released only days before his passing in January, or the lyrical references and symbolism that pointed towards the issue of mortality. This album, unlike any Bowie album in years, has been subsequently analysed and obsessed over unlike any other.
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An album heavily influenced by Bowie’s life long love of jazz, Blackstar later drew parallels in one magazine article with “Station To Station”, which had been recorded 40 years earlier. Both had a running time of about 40 minutes, both featured a relatively small number of songs, and both opened with a lengthy, multi part title track. “Blackstar” was a seven track LP, although only five of the songs were ‘new’, as two were re-recordings of material Bowie had first released in connection with the “Nothing Has Changed” best of (more later). Whilst it might have seemed that this was the sign of a man who simply didn’t have the energy to produce anything more, this was seemingly not the case, as those close to him have stated that not only were there outtakes from the sessions, but that Bowie had even started work on material for another new LP.
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Let’s get the hyper expensive clear vinyl edition out of the way first. 5000 of these were pressed in a special die cut sleeve, which were sold with Bowie lithographs and available from his official site only. Worried that my postman might leave it in my recycling bin, and that it could end up with the binman a day later, I opted against this one - which, of course, now sells for a fortune - and opted for the black vinyl edition (<b>Iso 88875 173871</b>). These were nowhere near as limited, but soon sold out after his death, resulting in a second batch being made available. There seems, nowadays, to be a fascination with first and second Bowie pressings, a la The Beatles, and so you will find that the first pressings (with a 2015 copyright date) sell for more than the second pressings (2016 copyright date). To avoid being damaged, the vinyl itself is housed in a clear inner sleeve, and copies came with a lyric booklet. For the full monty, there should also be a card inside with the download code on, and the sticker on the front of the sleeve should be intact.
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The CD edition was housed in a totally different sleeve (<b>Iso 88875 173862</b>), a white cover with a black coloured star shape filling up the front. The track listing is the same as the vinyl edition. Unlike the first and second editions of the vinyl, the CD version was not initially limited to a certain number of copies, and the versions on sale in your local record shop are essentially later repressings of the original release. There is no difference between a copy bought in January 2016 and one bought now - it’s only the vinyl edition that sold out, and required a second batch of altered pressings. It’s worth noting that copies of the CD were originally shrinkwrapped, and also came with a sticker on the front detailing the artist’s name and album title, but it’s possible that once second hand copies start to surface, the stickers may well have been discarded along with the shrinkwrap.
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October saw the release of “Lazarus”, a cast recording of a Bowie written play that takes it’s title from one of the key tracks on “Blackstar”. Bowie obsessives will undoubtedly be fascinated by the album, given that it consists purely of Bowie songs, but the main interest for me has to simply be the three new Bowie tracks that appear on the set, sung by the man himself. Aside from some fancy vinyl releases aimed squarely at the bearded hipster crowd, the set was also issued as a 2-CD set (<b>Iso 88985 374912</b>), the second CD being a sort of EP style job, consisting of four Bowie recordings - “Lazarus” and the three new songs. Bowie also pops up on CD1, as a strange 30 second edit of “Sound And Vision” is included mid way through proceedings.
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<b>Nothing Has Changed and Legacy</b>
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With “The Next Day” having put Bowie firmly back into the public eye, Parlophone issued a new career spanning best of that was designed to celebrate Bowie’s 50 year long recording career in 2014. “Nothing Has Changed” was a very high profile release, being hyped up long before anybody even knew what it would look like, or exactly what it was.
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When it appeared, it appeared in three distinct editions in the UK, each of which featured a different photo of Bowie looking in a mirror on it‘s cover, each photo taken from a different part of his career. The vinyl edition featured an early 70s image, the 2-CD set one came from the mid 70s, and the 3-CD one a far more recent contemporary image.
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The 3-CD set (<b>Parlophone 82564 6205769</b>) was notable for featuring material from Bowie’s entire career, all the way back to 1964, the first time any Bowie set had featured such a wide ranging batch of material. This edition of the album was an essential buy, as it included various unreleased tracks and a barrage of single mixes. Highlights had to be the inclusion of several tracks from the abandoned “Toy” album, “Your Turn To Drive” and a re-recording of “Let Me Sleep Beside You”. Although Tin Machine material was absent, tracks from Bowie’s earlier bands were included, including tracks from the time he was the leader in The Lower Third.
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The set ran backwards, starting with a new song recorded for the set, “Sue”, a gargantuan jazzy strut that sounds like the theme tune for a 70s cop show (which might explain the “Or In A Season Of Crime“ subtitle - or not), and closing with Bowie’s 1964 debut 45, the Davie Jones And The King Bees’ “Liza Jane”. This isn’t the first time a greatest hits set has run backwards (see the Genesis “Platinum Collection” release) and I can only think this was done to sort of build up to a climax of the big RCA era stuff at the end. But I am not sure it completely works, because once you’ve had “Life On Mars”, and then “Space Oddity”, it obviously keeps going back to that early stuff, stuff that sometimes even Bowie was a bit embarrassed by in later years.
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The 2-CD set (<b>Parlophone 82564 6205745</b>) is probably a more sensible listening experience, running as it does in chronological order, starting with “Space Oddity”, and climaxing with “Sue”. Given that, in my opinion, Bowie was routinely at the peak of his powers in the 90s and 00s, this one works a lot better, as the ending quartet of “New Killer Star”, “Love Is Lost”, “Where Are We Now” and “Sue” pack a real punch. It is also noticeable for completely ignoring anything from 1987’s “Never Let Me Down”.
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If it has any flaws, it is the sense that it maybe moves too quickly. Remember, we were getting career spanning double-CD Bowie best of sets as far back as 1993, so to try and use the same format for another one 21 years down the line, obviously means something somewhere is going to fail to make the cut this time. So there’s no “Diamond Dogs” or “Be My Wife” on this one. “Fashion”, bizarrely, appears in a newly edited mix, an attempt apparently to try and ’re-create’ the original 7” mix, but which fails abysmally, and sounds quite horrific. This mix also appeared on the 3-CD set.
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The vinyl edition (<b>Parlophone DBLP 6414</b>) is a bit of an odd release, as by being restricted to two slabs of vinyl, it was always going to have to be very selective. It opts for an, at first, random looking track listing, but which seems to have some vague thought process behind it. So, side 1 runs backwards from “Let’s Dance” to “Life On Mars?”, side 2 opens with “Space Oddity” (Bowie, when he used to play this in the 70s, always dropped it in midway through the show) and is then followed by three tracks of glam before concluding with “Rebel Rebel” (which was also the closing halfway point on “Diamond Dogs”). Side 3 runs forwards from “Golden Years” to “Sue”, and side 4 cherry picks from the 80s, 90s and beyond.
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It wasn’t designed as such, but “Nothing Has Changed” has ended up as an overview of Bowie’s entire career in a way, as “Sue” was later re-recorded for “Blackstar”, meaning the 3-CD version has both Bowie’s first single, and a track from his last album. “Sue” was issued as a 10” single to help promote the set, featuring both the radio edit and the album mix along with another new song (and another one later taped for “Blackstar”) called “’Tis A Pity She Was A Whore” (<b>Parlophone 10 RDB 2014</b>).
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Bowie’s death did obviously make the record company think that a revised best of, taking in “Blackstar” material, would make sense and although it does have a feel of ’cash in’ about it, this year’s “Legacy” compilation makes a certain amount of sense. Issued on a single disc and also as a ’deluxe’ double CD set (<b>Parlophone DB 69162</b>), this is simply a revamped version of “Nothing Has Changed” - even the vinyl edition being planned for early 2017 replicates the ’random’ track listing of the 2014 LP.
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It came in for some stick by online reviewers - including moaning about the packaging (although the booklet in which different Bowie album covers are spliced together to create alternative Bowie images is quite clever), and moaning about the track listing (“Dancing In The Street” is on here) but if you think of it a bit like the reissue Warners did of the first Madonna album, where it appeared two years after the original with a new title and new artwork, and was pitched specifically at new converts, then the existence of “Legacy” - and it’s choice of track listing - makes complete sense.
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The main differences are that in order to cover “Blackstar”, a couple of newer songs from “NHC” have been removed, including “Sue”. Instead you get the ’never released in physical form’ radio edits of “Lazarus” and “I Can’t Give Everything Away”, the final song on “Blackstar” and the final song on “Legacy”. I quite like this idea, but again, you had the social media crowd banging on about “who cares about radio edits” - well, some of us do, and I was quite excited to add these to the collection.
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More pointless though is the new mix of “Life On Mars” - in which the original version is turned into a more orchestral sounding affair by removing the drums and guitar parts. It does make it sound like a big, grand, sort of West End musical number by doing this, which I think was the idea, but there can be nobody who genuinely thinks this makes it better than the original. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
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<b>ChangesOneBowie</b>
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Now. There is a part of me that isn’t even sure if this reissue is worth mentioning. Bowie’s 1976 best of collection, which for some reason, was reissued in 2016. But, officially, the album had been deleted from the Bowie catalogue some time ago, so this was not really a repressing of an existing album, the way vinyl albums used to get repressed back in the 70s and 80s, but a full blown, heavily hyped reissue of one of Bowie’s earliest hits sets. The question is - why?
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And the answer is - I have no idea. It could be part of a new campaign to put back into the shops what might be considered important parts of the back catalogue, to tie in with the issuing of Bowie’s boxsets. The reissue came roughly midway between the release of the “Five Years” boxset, covering the 69-73 years, and “Who Can I Be Now?”, which covered 74-76. Or it could simply be that the decision was taken to issue it for no other reason than it is 40 years old. Thing is, where do you draw the line?
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Don’t get me wrong, “ChangesOneBowie” is a crucial part of the Bowie story. Originally issued by RCA, who by that point had the rights to everything from “Space Oddity” onwards, it was therefore a mostly career spanning LP at the time of it’s release, containing Bowie’s big singles and a few key album tracks, along with the release of “John I’m Only Dancing” on an album for the first time.
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It continued to make sense after the release of “ChangesTwoBowie”, the 1981 follow-up which brought the story up to date by including the likes of “Ashes To Ashes”, but did make the odd decision to include older material that could have been on the first LP but wasn’t (“Aladdin Sane”) in preference to newer, seemingly essential songs (there was no “Heroes”). But given that Bowie jumped ship soon after to EMI America, between them, they give you a decent overview of Bowie’s musical journey from 1969 to 1980, later seen by many as the key years.
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1990’s “ChangesBowie” was essentially the officially revamped version of the album(s) after they got deleted in the 80s. Issued as part of Bowie’s retro-tinged “Sound + Vision” campaign, it used the same image on it’s front as “ChangesOneBowie” had done, but this time formed part of a collage full of other Bowie images from the years. The album featured a sizeable chunk of material from the first album, opened with “Space Oddity”, and used the same ‘block’ lettering typography that the originals had done (following on from the use of that style on “Station To Station”) but the compilation was rejigged to include a wider variety of material from the later years, including tracks from the EMI America period. Last time I looked, you could still pick this compilation up online.
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Now, given that “Nothing Has Changed” was obviously designed as a definitive, career spanning best of, you have to ask why Parlophone are doing this. It seems to be nothing more than a slightly pointless cash in release. It was issued on vinyl and CD, with some of the vinyl copies pressed on clear vinyl, but with no indication as to whether or not, if you bought a new shrinkwrapped copy, what colour the vinyl would be (done to keep with the spirit of the original version, where the first pressings famously included the wrong version of “John I’m Only Dancing” by accident).
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So, apart from it being 40 years, is this release simply being pitched at the newcomers? The people whose interest got reignited after “Blackstar”? Just another attempt, for the LP versions at least, to keep up with the often enjoyable, but sometimes baffling, vinyl revolution? Not sure. I am sure though, if you are desperate for a “ChangesOneBowie”, you would be able to find an original version, or a late 70s/early 80s reissue for not too much, although being able to click a few buttons on Amazon is obviously a bit easier. But if every hits collection that has been deleted over the years starts to get reissued, it would seem to me like overkill. Wherever these sets have included something unique or interesting, the original approach was to simply put said track on a newer release (so it was that “John I’m Only Dancing” made it onto “ChangesBowie”). Still, if you fancy a copy, I feel obliged to mention the catalogue number of the vinyl editions (<b>Parlophone COBLP 2016</b>).
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<b>The 40th Anniversary Reissues Continued</b>
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We left off last time by mentioning the then forthcoming release of the 40th anniversary version of “Knock On Wood”, which was breaking the tradition of the previous picture disc reissues by including a different song on the flipside, as opposed to using an “alternate” version of the A-side. “Knock On Wood” was thus issued as a AA-side release with “Rock N Roll With Me”.
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From this point onwards, each of these reissues were to be issued by Parlophone as AA’s, meaning that a number of songs would, theoretically at least, be issued as a single for the first time ever in Bowie’s career, even though the stickers on the front of the sleeves would only make a point of plugging the ‘official’ A-side.
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So, the follow up to “Knock On Wood” was 2015’s “<b>Young Americans</b>” (<b>Parlophone DBYA 40</b>), which appeared here in it’s ’2007 Tony Visconti Single Edit’ version. On the flipside was the alternate ’With Strings’ version of “It’s Gonna Be Me”, previously only available on the 2007 expanded edition of “Young Americans”. Because the track is quite long, the B-side has to play at 33rpm, and this, coupled with the poorer sound quality you get on picture discs, means that the sound - to these ears - is fairly awful, once again putting question marks over the quality control aspect of some of these new vinyl releases. It’s all very well bleating on about the “warm sound” of vinyl, but you will only get that sound by pressing the thing properly in the first place. Rant over.
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Following a couple of RSD releases (more later), the next one in the series was “<b>Fame</b>”, which appeared in it’s original 7” edit form. The AA-side was “Right”, which had also appeared on the flipside of the original UK 7”. However, the version this time around was an alternative mix. Confusion reigned at the time as to what was so alternative about it, but as I understand it, the decision was taken to remix a number of tracks from the “Young Americans” album in preparation for it’s 1991 reissue by EMI and Rykodisc. The remix of “Right” that was done saw it mastered at the wrong speed, and the version that thus appears on the picture disc is the 1991 remix, but mastered at the correct speed. You can play spot the difference when you play it (<b>Parlophone DBFAME 40</b>).
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I have already mentioned the “<b>Space Oddity</b>”/”Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud” reissue in a blog earlier this year, but just to clarify, this is a strange reissue which commemorates the 1975 RCA Maxi-single release but which uses a track listing more in line with the 1969 Philips original - edited version of the A-side on side 1, acoustic version of “Freecloud” on side 2 (RCA used the standard album version of “Space Oddity“ when they put it out as a 45). Apparently, this picture disc uses a stereo mix of the edit of “Space Oddity” in preference to the mono original, but I’m not sure exactly how different it sounds. Similarly, there are two mixes in existence of “Freecloud”, one with a spoken word intro, and one without. The images are also more in line with the 1969 release than the 1975 one (<b>Parlophone DBSO 40</b>).
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The last reissue from 2015 was “<b>Golden Years</b>” (<b>Parlophone DBGOLD 40</b>), which again used the original 7” edit on the A-side. This one was issued as a AA with “Station To Station”, which appeared in it’s single edit form, originally concocted for use on a French 7” in 1976, and later included on the “Single Edits” CD inside the Super Deluxe boxset reissue of the “Station To Station” album. Suffice to say, this was the first time the song had appeared as an A-side in the UK.
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Now, this is where it gets a bit baffling. The first 2016 reissue should have been the first of two, if we follow the logic applied by EMI and Parlophone so far. “<b>TVC 15</b>” was originally issued as the follow up to “Golden Years” in April 1976, and thus it’s 40th anniversary coincided with Record Store Day (<b>Parlophone DBTVC 40</b>). So, the 40th anniversary reissue was done as an RSD release, complete with suitably stickered sleeve (and inflated price tag). On the A-side, you get the original edited version. On the AA-side, you get a Bowie track that had actually appeared as a single before, “Wild Is The Wind” (issued to plug “ChangesTwoBowie” in 1981). However, the version here seems to be a new edit of one of the Harry Maslin mixes done for the “STS” boxset in 2010, so completists will have to consider shelling out for a copy.
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If the 40th anniversary logic is applied here, then summer 2016 should have seen the release of “Suffragette City”. RCA had issued confusing cash in singles before (see the 1974 release of “Rock N Roll Suicide”) but this one was slightly more acceptable, as it was included on “ChangesOneBowie” and RCA issued the song as an attempt to promote the LP. But as I type this, there has been no reissue for this one. Strange. Especially when you consider the 2016 reissue of the album it was used to plug.
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As for the other RSD releases in the period, the picture disc one from 2015 was a reissue of “<b>Changes</b>”, which was never reissued as a 40th anniversary release, as EMI only started doing them from “Starman” onwards. It was issued as a AA with “Eight Line Poem”, appearing here in it’s ‘Gem Promo version’ mix (<b>Parlophone DBRSD 2015</b>). The history behind the latter is that Bowie’s manager in 1971, Tony Defries, was looking to find new record deals for two of his artists - Bowie and Dana Gillespie. So, he arranged for a 500-run set of vinyl albums, pressed by the Gem Record company, which were to be used as a showcase for the two acts. Seven Bowie songs appeared on side 1, and five Gillespie ones on side 2, including her version of “Andy Warhol”. This later became known as the BOWPROMO.
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The Bowie tracks were mostly songs that did end up on “Hunky Dory”, albeit all in slightly different forms - “Eight Line Poem” resurfaced with a completely different vocal mix. Two songs didn’t make the cut, “Bombers” and “It Ain’t Easy”. By all accounts, the promo didn’t generate any interest at all, and Defries then produced an early copy of “Hunky Dory” on the Gem label which featured the finished album, which did attract the attention of RCA. Copies also came with a gatefold sleeve which featured a sepia toned version of the actual final “Hunky Dory” front cover, although I understand some copies over the years have surfaced without this sleeve. Suffice to say, the original BOWPROMO release and the Gem version of “Hunky Dory” are auction house collectors editions.
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The other RSD release from 2015 was for Scary Monsters album track “<b>Kingdom Come</b>”. This was part of Rhino’s ’Side By Side’ series, where the same song would appear on either side of a 7”, performed by different artists on either side. So this release sees the Tom Verlaine original on one side, and the Bowie cover on the other (<b>Rhino R7-547633</b>). Copies were pressed on white vinyl, and the Bowie side came with a label designed to look like the black and white RCA labels that were in circulation in the early 1980s.
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<b>The Boxsets</b>
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Issued in late 2015, “<b>Five Years</b>” (<b>Parlophone DBX 1</b>) is the first of a series of boxsets designed to sort of reinvigorate the Bowie back catalogue - or at least, the years from “Space Oddity” onwards. Ever since the deletion of the 1990s Rykodisc reissues, the Bowie catalogue has suffered from a slightly haphazard reissue program. A bonus track free reissue of “Hunky Dory” in 1999 remained the standard version of that album for the following fifteen years, whilst “Ziggy” got reissued not once but (at least) three times.
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Whilst the boxset may seem like yet another cash in release - and to some extent, it is - it had Bowie’s blessing, and exists as an attempt to tidy up the back catalogue. Trouble is, this is all going to take some time, and at the same time as “Five Years” was being released, it was possible to buy new Parlophone branded versions of the old 1999 EMI reissues of the latter period albums - the sign of a catalogue nowhere near being tidied up yet.
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So what exactly is in this first box? Well, you get reissues of the run of studio albums from “Space Oddity” through to “Pin Ups”. For both the vinyl and CD versions, attempts at recreating the original label designs have been made, but with a stylised “Bowie” logo in place of the original Philips, Mercury or RCA logo. Suffice to say, the bonus tracks from the old Ryko issues are absent. This was a deliberate move, to return the records to their original “state” - each of the studio albums in the set were later issued individually, and thus are now the new standard versions of those LP’s.
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You also get - and this is likely to be a regular feature in each box - a bonus alternate album. In this case, it’s a second version of “Ziggy”, using an alternate cover shot (and alternate rear sleeve) and playing the 2003 remix of the album, which had only previously appeared on an SACD version of the album at the time, and later on the DVD included as part of the 2012 LP reissue. Live albums taped during the period are also included, so you get “Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars - The Motion Picture Soundtrack” (the version here is a repress of the 2003 reissue), and “Live Santa Monica 72”, the authorised version of the earlier release on Mainman.
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The big selling point really is the “Re:Call 1” disc of rarities. This gives a new home to some of the Ryko rarities, but is dealing only with material that had previously appeared on a commercial release at the time (along with the odd possibly-promo-only mix of early, highly obscure US singles, where question marks still remain as to the existence of stock copies). So, you get both sides of the UK “Space Oddity” single, all five rarities from the Mercury 45’s, “Ragazzo Solo”, both sides of the US “All The Madmen” 45, and the Arnold Corns 45.
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The second disc deals with rarities from the RCA period, so you get mono single mixes, B-sides and overseas only edits. Repetition is allowed where the variant versions are noticeably different - so you do get both the original and “Sax” versions of “John I’m Only Dancing” - whilst tracks recorded in the period and only issued later on also make the cut, so you get the ’Spiders’ version of “Holy Holy” and “Velvet Goldmine”, taped in 71 but not issued until 74/75 respectively. What you don’t get are minor variations of existing tracks (so no US single versions of “Memory Of A Free Festival” or “Starman”) and, just to clarify one last time, none of the unreleased bonus tracks off the original Ryko reissues. Either Bowie had vetoed these things from ever appearing again, or there is a plan for a rarities boxset in the future.
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Everything in the box, with the exception of the bonus “Ziggy” and “Re:Call” have now been made available individually, on both vinyl and CD. Generally, the CD editions were issued in 2015, and the vinyl ones in 2016. As somebody who struggles at times to keep up with this never ending recycling of people’s back catalogues, I would hope that these editions become the standard releases, and that any future reissues are simply repressings of these editions - if not, then the boxset will start to look like another record company exploitation job.
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For clarification - the CD reissues from 2015 are in standard jewel cases, with the stylised Bowie logo once again used for the ‘label’ side of the CD. The vinyl reissues are effectively extracted from the boxset - however, these later copies were shrinkwrapped with a barcode attached to the back of the shrinkwrap for sales recording purposes, as the copies within the box were barcode free. Inserts that were included in the original boxset do seem to have survived for the repressings, as my “Aladdin Sane” comes with a reprint of the 1973 fan club application form that was included with the LP back when it was first released. On the form, you are asked to list the name of your school. Amusing, when you consider that this is the album where Bowie sings the line “falls wanking to the floor” on “Time” - I dread to think what was being shouted in the school playgrounds of the time. You will have missed the boat now, but anybody who ordered the box before it was released from Bowie's website, received a free "Pin Ups Radio Show" promo EP, although some CD editions were sold as individual items via Bowie's US website to get rid of the stock.
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This year has seen the release of the second box, “Who Can I Be Now?” (<b>Parlophone DBX 2</b>), which runs from 1974 to 1976. So this one goes from “Diamond Dogs” to “Station To Station”, taking in “David Live” along the way. In comparison to the bonus “Ziggy” in the first box, this has two alternate albums in the form of the 2005 remix version of “David Live” (using a sleeve which is simply printed the opposite way) and the 2010 Harry Maslin mix of “Station To Station”, previously done for the super deluxe boxset (it comes in the 1991 colour sleeve version of the LP). You also get, for the first time, a sort of “new” album courtesy of “The Gouster”, an early version of “Young Americans”. The original concept was abandoned whilst Visconti was mixing the record, so the sleeve that is used simply seems to be a photo from the period, as opposed to it being any original proof sleeve.
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The “Live Nassau Coliseum 76” album, previously only ever included in the deluxe versions of the 2010 reissue of “STS”, is also in here, along with an album of rarities, “Re:Call 2”. Bowie simply wasn’t as prolific as regards singles during this time, and mono mixes had ceased to be made, so this time around, it’s just a single disc. Again, a mix of UK, overseas and US single edits, the odd B-side (the live “Panic In Detroit”) and the 7” edit of “John I’m Only Dancing (Again)”. The full length version is on “The Gouster”, as is “Who Can I Be Now” and “It’s Gonna Be Me”, meaning that these one time Ryko bonus tracks are now officially part of the “standard” Bowie catalogue, I guess.
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I have the CD version of this box, and so can confirm that the CD’s are designed like vinyl style pressings - gatefold sleeves, inner bags, and rear covers that show no barcodes. Tucked inside the “Station To Station” disc is a reprint of a mid 70s poster plugging the back catalogue, but I understand the vinyl box includes more inserts, including another fan club application form from the post-”David Live” period. Whilst the single disc “Re:Call” disc obviously seems a bit low key compared to the 2 disc one in the first box, especially when you consider that the last five songs are the contents of the “Single Edits” CD from the “Station To Station” deluxe box, it does at least do it’s job - and is worth listening to for the bizarre edits of “Diamond Dogs” (from Australia) and “Rock N Roll With Me” (from the USA), both of which just fade out halfway through proceedings. Yes I know, there is no “K-Tel” edit of “Diamond Dogs” in this set, but you can’t have everything.
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You know, at the end of the day, it’s Bowie. And as pointless as this boxset may at times be, it has taken pride of place on my shelf. Let's not forget, the three studio records in this set are three of the best albums ever made. We shall have to wait and see what the next boxset produces, and how Parlophone are going to approach the missing rarities from the Ryko days - and whether or not they bother with the “Let’s Dance” to “Never Let Me Down” period.
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<b>And finally...</b>
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There have been some official but "unauthorised" releases in recent times due to ongoing quirky copyright laws. It's debatable as to whether or not you should attempt to bother with these, especially as there seems to have been a flood of these live albums, sometimes duplicating material from other such releases, but being Bowie, I couldn't resist getting what I think are probably the three most interesting.
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There have been two releases on the Laser Media label - "<b>Day In Day Out</b>", as mentioned in my Bowie Live blog earlier this year (<b>LM 160</b>) and the untruthfully titled "<b>Space Oddity FM Broadcast 1983</b>", which is actually nineteen tracks lifted from bootlegs of rehearsals held in Dallas before the start of the "Serious Moonlight" tour (<b>LM 700</b>), none of which took place anywhere near a radio station.
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Also worth a mention is the "<b>Back In Anger</b>" release on Sonic Boom (<b>SON 0330</b>), a double CD set documenting a show from the 1995 "Outside" tour, a flawed release, but currently the only 'official' full length document of what I consider to be one of Bowie's most important tours. Next year, my next Bowie blog should be a look at Bowie live albums from the post-Tin Machine years.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-83027161955828691922016-12-02T13:15:00.000-08:002016-12-02T13:55:09.732-08:00The Madonna Japanese EPs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0KtCPdaD_fw/WEHkWJ_MuvI/AAAAAAAADn0/SZFRqwVRlEcl3qle1xPrGXKSfOjslKaWQCLcB/s1600/Madonna%2BJap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0KtCPdaD_fw/WEHkWJ_MuvI/AAAAAAAADn0/SZFRqwVRlEcl3qle1xPrGXKSfOjslKaWQCLcB/s320/Madonna%2BJap.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As I may have once said in an earlier blog, the Japanese didn’t really “do” 12 inch singles. 7” singles, yes, and they did launch the 3” CD in it’s snap-pack sleeve - but the 12” format was something that, for Madonna at least, they only ever really dabbled in from time to time. There were 12” releases for “Papa Don’t Preach” and “Causing A Commotion”, but the likes of “Holiday”, “Open Your Heart” and “Express Yourself” were restricted to 7” releases only when it came to vinyl issues.
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For any other artist, this might not have been a problem. But given that she had emerged from the New York Disco scene, Madonna’s singles in the UK and the US were being subjected to extended dance mixes, meaning that there was a danger of there being no way of issuing these reworkings in Japan. So, to resolve this, the Japanese - as they so often did - did things differently.
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Between 1984 and 1995, the Japanese division of Sire issued a series of EP releases that were used, in the main, to compile these remixes. Not everything got collected, and some releases felt a bit more erratic than others, but they did appear with great regularity. Later releases were of lesser interest, as they were more like albums of multiple remixes of the same song, but even these were worth a look as they included, at times, mixes than were either unavailable on CD in the UK - or occasionally, not officially available at all. Thereafter, the Japanese releases reverted to “standard” CD single pressings, and the likes of “You’ll See” onwards were fairly similar to their UK counterparts. Completists will want these of course, but the EP stylings of the earlier releases was abandoned forever.
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At first, these EP’s were rarely available outside of their native Japan, but in the early 1990s, new pressings were made to join the latest releases, with copies being exported to the UK. At the time, as somebody who had only just discovered Madonna, these releases were fascinating. They were widely available, my local HMV in Romford seemed to stock a lot of them on the assumption that somebody would want them (and yes, that somebody was me), and the London record stores had them as well. The fact that they included remixes that I either didn’t already have, or only had on vinyl, plus the sheer visual impact that these releases had (especially if they still retained their obi strips), made them amongst the more interesting releases in Madonna land.
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When the earlier EPs were being released, vinyl was still the format of choice, and so the first few were issued as both 12” singles and on the new fangled CD format. There was one exception (which we shall come to in due course), and then, of course, the tide turned and vinyl pressings became non existent.
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What we shall do here, to keep things simple, is look at the releases in their “original” order, without getting too bogged down in the formats they were available on (some of these appeared on Cassette as well). We shall look at what they offer the UK fan, and catalogue numbers for each release will appear at the end.
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So, it all starts with the helpfully titled “Like A Virgin And Other Big Hits!”. The only one of these EP’s that I happen to have on both 12” and CD, it was housed in a sleeve which mirrored the UK release of the “Like A Virgin” 45, and included the extended mixes of “LAV”, “Borderline”, “Lucky Star” and - slightly pointlessly - the LP version of “Holiday”, included I guess to pad out the running time, but also, given that it was long enough to not need a 12” mix anyway, included here on the grounds of completeness. This EP was reissued this year as a European wide Record Store Day release on, randomly, pink vinyl, so that makes your chances of owning “a” copy of the EP that much greater, but being an RSD release, you may find it cheaper to just buy an original! It is certainly not a UK exclusive release, so don’t go worrying about thinking that you NEED this new pressing. Still, kind of interesting that it has now been issued again, but a bit random.
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The next release was originally on 12” only, as it was almost more of a maxi single than an EP. Housed in the same sleeve as the UK single release of “Angel”, the “Material Girl” EP as it is sometimes called was eventually released, belatedly, on CD in 1992. The original release more or less just credits it’s three songs as if this was a AAA-side release, but the CD edition refers to it as the “Club Mix EP”. It includes the 12” mixes of “MG” and “Angel”, along with “Into The Groove” - again, widely available as it was issued as a 7” in Japan in it’s own right, but included here to ensure that, at the time, all of Madonna’s “major” single releases in Japan up to this point had therefore been compiled in their ‘full length form’ on these two releases. This approach would be mostly avoided on future releases, as the amount of material available courtesy of the 12” mixes were more than enough to fill these releases up. Because it was issued on CD “out of sync”, the 1992 reissue has a catalogue number which belies it’s original release date, but places it in line with the other EP‘s (of ‘new’ material) issued the same year.
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By the start of 1986, the next EP had appeared under a title which more or less just told you what was on it, as opposed to it having a catchy name! “Dress You Up - Ain’t No Big Deal” was a reversion to the 4-track approach of the first EP, but for this one, we saw the first EP where repetition of songs were noted. This was because the instrumental version of “Dress You Up” was included alongside the 12” mix. The other two tracks were “Shoo Bee Doo” - an album track, used again for padding, as it had also appeared on the flip of the “Dress You Up” 7” in Japan - and also a proper rarity in the form of non-album track “Ain’t No Big Deal”, a track previously tossed away on the Warner Bros compilation “Revenge Of The Killer B’s Vol. 2”. The sleeve used for this was the same as that used for the US 7” release of “Dress You Up”.
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Next up was the awkwardly titled “Super Club Mix”. Housed in the same sleeve as the “True Blue” (UK) single sleeve, this was a bit more of a hotpotch affair, as it not only attempted to fill in the gaps missed by the earlier releases, but also had to work out what to do with it’s attempts to include “Live To Tell” on the set. We got the 12” mix of “True Blue”, and the 12” mix of “Papa Don’t Preach”, along with BOTH sides of Madonna’s first US 12”, “Everybody”, with both the six-minute long 12” mix being joined by the even longer dub mix. Discogs claims that this version has been edited down from the original US single, but I can’t confirm if this is the case, as there are “issues” over the timings of this mix on other releases as well. As for “Live To Tell”, the instrumental version was included. This 5-track release had a running time in excess of half an hour, so even at this point, we were moving away really from EP lengths into the world of the mini album.
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Now - if you only buy one of these EP’s, then really, 1987’s “La Isla Bonita Super Mix” is probably the one. Housed in the same sleeve as the UK 7”, it’s big selling point was the inclusion of not only “Crazy For You” but also “Gambler” - the only Madonna “compilation” upon which you will find this track. Even “Crazy For You” turned up on “The Immaculate Collection” in Q-Sound remixed form. The rest of the disc consisted of both the 12” and 12” instrumental versions of “La Isla” (again, claims on Discogs of this being an ‘alternate instrumental’) and also the 12” mix of “Open Your Heart”. The eagle eyed amongst you will notice that the “Dub” mix of “OYH” is missing. But really, the inclusion of Madonna’s two contributions to the “Vision Quest” soundtrack make this worth the price of admission alone, and with the world of the promo only remix madness just a few years away, the absence of an, admittedly, un-essential remix is not totally the end of the world.
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1989’s “Like A Prayer” was a turning point. It was, of course, Madonna’s entry into the world of grown up pop. And yet, it also coincided with the insanity of multiple remixing. So, here we had an album of earthy, downbeat, and quite serious subject matter, all being put through the hands-in-the-air remix machine. Strange. In terms of the impact that it had on the Japanese EP, it was quite a big one. “Remixed Prayers”, housed in the same sleeve as the “Like A Prayer” 12”, does more or less what it says on the tin. It is an hour long barrage of mixes of “Like A Prayer” and “Express Yourself” and nothing else. This really was the point at which the EP approach of these releases started to get widened. Indeed, given that it has a running time longer than the then new Madonna album, means even claiming it as a mini album is a bit of a misnomer.
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In terms of material, it includes the 12” Dance Mix, 12” Extended Remix, Churchapella, 12” Club Version and 7” Remix/Edit versions of “LAP”. To place this in context, these are the five remixes that were spread across the 12” and Limited 12” releases in the UK, and the five mixes that - along with “Act Of Contrition” - made up the US 12” release. The remaining three tracks are mixes of “Express Yourself” - the “Non Stop Express Mix”, “Stop + Go Dubs” and the “Local Mix”. Again, to place in context, these three mixes, plus “The Look Of Love”, made up the US 12”. In the UK, the “Local Mix” was never released, so that makes “Remixed Prayers” a worthy addition to the collection. Listening to it in one go just make you go a bit stir crazy, though.
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The concept of these EP’s featuring lengthy running times, albeit with few actual “songs”, was now mostly set in stone. The next release, 1990’s “Keep It Together” was also notable for not even being given an odd title, it’s not even officially known as the “Keep It Together EP”. It looks, from a distance, exactly the same as the US 12” release. But it is the next in the EP series no doubt, as the first track is actually the 12” mix of “Cherish” - followed by 6 mixes of “KIT”. These are the 12” Remix, Dub, 12” Extended Mix, 12” Mix, Bonus Beats and Instrumental versions. Once more, to place in context, these are the same mixes that appeared on the UK 12” White Label SAM promo, and also, the US 12” release. A handful of these mixes were later issued as B-sides to the “Vogue” 45 in the UK, but most weren’t, so again, a worthy release to track down.
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“Vogue” itself was the subject of the next EP release, and this time, was actually called the “Vogue EP”. Again, same front cover as the standard “Vogue” 45. It reverted, slightly, to the older style, consisting of three songs with variant versions of most of those songs. The first three tracks are remixes of “Vogue” - the 12” Mix, Bette Davis Dub and the Strike-A-Pose Dub. To place in context, the three mixes from the US 12” - the “Bette Davis Dub” was never officially released in the UK. The EP is finished off with the three tracks from the “Hanky Panky” UK CD/12” release, namely the 7” and 12” mixes of “Hanky Panky” and it’s accompanying B-side, “More”. Again, it’s inclusion both makes sense - it was the flipside, after all - and also makes no sense, as it’s easily found on “I’m Breathless”. But, given that Warners view that as a soundtrack album, I guess it was included on this EP to both pad out the running time, and also make it available on an ’official’ Madonna release.
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We now come to 1991’s “Rescue Me - Alternate Mix”, which is overloaded with Shep Pettibone reworkings. It’s a 10 track, 66 minute long release, housed in the ‘standard’ “RM” sleeve - in other words, the non-UK sleeve using a still from the “Justify My Love” video where Madonna slides down the corridor wall. What do you get? Well, from a UK fan’s point of view, quite a bit. There are, to start with, two versions of “Justify My Love” as found on the UK 12” and CD single(s), the “Q Sound Mix” and the “Orbit 12” Mix”. What then follows are tracks never released in the UK, but which did appear previously on the US CD Single, namely the “Hip Hop Mix” of “JML”, the extended 1990 reworking of “Express Yourself” and the “Beast Within” version of “Justify“. Five versions of “Rescue Me” then conclude the set. These include three mixes lifted from the various UK single editions (the 7” Mix, the Titanic Mix and the Lifeboat Mix) along with two never released in the UK - the unedited “Houseboat Vocal” and the “SOS Mix”. Yet again, to place in context, these five mixes had previously been issued on the US CD Single. All of these mixes also appeared in Germany, where they were spread across two CD Single editions, and indeed, CD1 of this release featured a Dub mix not on the Japanese release, even though there would have been space to include it. But still, “Alternate Mix” probably has more than enough remixes than you need in one go, and the inclusion of five tracks never released in the UK again make it a decent buy. Especially with that stunning cover.
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It is at this point in proceedings that the world of the mega-remixing starts to further dent the overall excitement of these EP’s. 1992’s “Erotica Remixes” is of interest if you only have UK copies of the “Erotica” single (as no remixes at all were included) or the “Bad Girl” 45, which had some, but not all, of the mixes available on this release. The mixes are the Album Edit, Kenlou B-Boy Mix, WO 12”, Underground Club Mix, Masters At Work Dub, Jeep Beats and Madonna’s In My Jeep. Although there was also a German CD single with the “Remixes” legend on the cover, it was only a five track release. But, it is worth pointing out that the US CD, which just has the regular “Erotica” cover, has an identical track listing to the Jap EP. So not only did we have an EP with just the one “song”, but a track listing that matched a more easily available overseas release. Overall then, one of the less exciting items in the set.
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Another “mega” release came with the “Deeper And Deeper EP”, again housed in the standard single sleeve. It has no less than 12 tracks. More of a double album, let alone an EP. It starts with 6 mixes of “DAD” - the Shep’s Deep Makeover Mix, David’s Klub Mix, Shep’s Classic 12”, Shep’s Fierce Deeper Dub, David’s Love Dub and Shep’s Deep Beats. To place in context once more, these are the six mixes you will find on the UK 12” Picture Disc. Next up is the extended mix of “Bad Girl” (never released in the UK), followed by more mixes of “Erotica” - mixes are the Kenlou B-Boy Instrumental, Underground Tribal Beats, WO Dub, House Instrumental and Bass Dub. With the exception of the WO (William Orbit) Dub, none of the other mixes have ever been issued in the UK.
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The “Rain” EP from 1993, housed in a sleeve which recalls the US version of the single as opposed to the UK one, is a similarly mixed bag. For reasons that are not totally clear, the extended mix of “Bad Girl” makes a second appearance here. The first four tracks are songs available on various versions of the “Rain” single, with the LP version joined by the “Radio Remix”, along with a remix of “Waiting” and the non-LP “Up Down Suite”. Again, placing in context, the four tracks here also made up the US CD Single. The rest of the disc includes mixes of “Fever” - the Extended 12”, Shep’s Remedy Dub, Murk Boys Miami Mix and Oscar G’s Dope Dub - and the “Video Edit” of “Rain”. All of the “Fever” mixes turned up in the UK - indeed, even the UK CD Single offers more than what you get here - but the remix of “Waiting” was never issued in the UK. The Video Edit of “Rain”, as far as I can make out, was never issued on any of the UK editions - at least, not under this name - but you can just watch the video on Youtube and it should have the same effect, I suppose. However, and I haven't had a chance to sit down and analyse the different edits of "Rain" to confirm, but it may actually be the same as the "Remix Edit" version that is on the UK CD Single. If anybody wants to clarify all of this, please get in touch.
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The final Japanese EP’s were releases in relation to the “Bedtime Stories” album, reissued by Rhino on vinyl in the UK this year BTW. The first one was “Secret Remixes”, which used a unique cover shot from the album photo shoot. Like the “Erotica” EP, it consists purely of alternate versions of the same song. So, you get Junior’s Luscious Single Mix, Junior’s Extended Luscious Club Mix, Junior’s Luscious Dub, Junior’s Sound Factory Mix, Junior’s Sound Factory Dub, the Some Bizarre Mix, the Allstar Mix and the Edit. All of these have been issued in the UK - the Junior (Vasquez) mixes on the CD2 edition of the original “Secret” single, the Edit on CD1, whilst the other two mixes were B-sides on the CD2 edition of “Bedtime Story”. Still, a lovely front cover image, and if you don’t have the “Secret” CD2, it’s worth a punt.
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And so we end with the “Take A Bow Remixes” set. This is of major interest, as no remixes of “TAB” were ever issued in the UK, not even ’after the event’, so this release is worth your cash. Housed, once more, in a sleeve which recalls the UK single, you get the edit and instrumental mixes that were issued in the UK, along with the InDaSoul Mix, InDaSoul Instrumental, Silky Soul Mix and the Silky Soul Instrumental that were not. To pad the set out, there are two versions of “Bedtime Story” at the end - the “Album Edit” and “Junior’s Wet Dream” mixes, both of which did get released in the UK.
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With all these releases, if you want the full monty, then each of them featured the aforementioned obi strip around the left hand side of the box. In my HMV, they would unseal the CD’s, realise the obi would then fall off, so decided to tape them back on, with a little bit of sellotape on the front and back to “reattach it”. Can’t remember where I got it, but my “Deeper And Deeper” was purchased brand new - but the obi had already gone missing before I even got my hands on it, having obviously fallen off when unpacked, and then simply binned by the shop. So not every copy of these singles necessarily were sold with their obi’s intact, and over the years, a lot more have probably been lost. As such, copies with them intact often sell for more than those without. All should come with lyrics printed inside in both English and Japanese, usually on a separate booklet, but not always.
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Following the “delayed” release of the “Club Mix” EP in 1992, a concerted reissue campaign of these EP’s was conducted in 1997. This time around, the CD’s were housed in slim line jewel cases, with new obis which showed they were being issued under the “Collectors Series” banner, with - of course - new catalogue numbers. By all accounts, despite being reissues, they don’t seem to be any easier to find than their early 1990’s counterparts, so anybody hoping to own all 14 on CD - twice - is going to have their work cut out.
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There is, then, another bizarre situation. The Australian division of Warners have, at times, cheated a bit with some of their artists. I have, somewhere, a Faces album on CD that looks, to all intents and purposes, like a UK pressing (complete with UK catalogue number) but also has a second catalogue number, and a mention of “Made In Australia” somewhere on the packaging. Warners Music Australia, in 1993, issued a select number of these EP’s to coincide with Madonna’s first tour there, which seemed to simply involved “obtaining” some of these discs from Japan, adding an Aussie catalogue number on it somewhere, mentioning “Australia” again somewhere else in the pack, and issuing them as Australian EP’s - despite the fact that the Japanese catalogue number and Japanese writing on the spine remained in situ! By all accounts, the EP’s that are available as these strange Jap/Oz Hybrid releases are for the “Super Club Mix“, “La Isla Bonita Super Mix”, “Remixed Prayers“, “Keep It Together”, “Erotica Remixes”, “Deeper And Deeper EP” and “Rain EP” issues. Given that they obviously lack the obi strips, they don’t seem to have the same desirability as the Jap releases, but the track listings and covers are exactly the same. So, if it was me, I would consider filling in any of your gaps with at least one of these releases. “Rain” might be the best one to go for, as copies came with a sticker mentioning “includes Japanese Remixes”. This, of course, is not strictly correct - but I know what they meant!
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And so, from then on, Japanese CD singles become quite “normal”, and even though some future releases followed the “Remix” path of things like the “Erotica Remixes” release, this was simply because each single released in the UK or US got one in Japan as well, and if something had been remixed to death, then those mixes got the nod. If it didn’t, then the release simply had less songs. The original Japanese approach, to cobble together extended versions of multiple old hits was over, and by all accounts, these “new” singles were released at the same time as their international counterparts. Worth hunting down if you have the money, but to be honest, a Japanese “Frozen” is not that far removed from a UK one. So, pay your money and take your choice.
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Whilst, of course, other Warners acts were also the recipient of similar EP releases, I can only comment on Madonna, as these are the releases I have made the effort of collecting. Of course, if you were there from day 1, buying those 45’s as they came out, then perhaps these releases are no more than glorified, short, greatest hits sets. But as a way of discovering these 12” mixes for (usually) the first time, plus the colourful nature that many of them have, these releases always fascinated me. Furthermore, with the asking price nowadays usually being no more than what they were first selling for back in the 90s, getting hold of them is not quite as daunting as it might seem.
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<b>Discography</b>
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So, I have listed two sets of discographies. The first is, more or less, the catalogue numbers of the releases that you would have got had you bought them new in a UK shop in 1991 (or in the case of “Material Girl”, the catalogue number of the 12” edition you might have seen at a record fair, as this seems to have been the most common format for that release). I have then listed the releases in catalogue number order for their 1997 CD reissues, which seem to be far more difficult to find. I have also listed what I believe are all the Australian variants, as they too seem to be quite easy to find on the likes of eBay.
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<b>STANDARD RELEASES AS AT 1991</b>
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<b>Like A Virgin And Other Big Hits!</b> (CD, Sire WPCP 3437)<br />
<b>Material Girl (Extended Dance Remix)/Into The Groove/Angel (Extended Dance Mix)</b> (12”, Sire P 5199)<br />
<b>Dress You Up / Ain’t No Big Deal</b> (CD, Sire WPCP 3438)<br />
<b>True Blue Super Club Mix</b> (CD, Sire WPCP 3439)<br />
<b>La Isla Bonita Super Mix</b> (CD, Sire WPCP 3440)<br />
<b>Remixed Prayers</b> (CD, Sire 20P2-2900)<br />
<b>Keep It Together</b> (CD, Sire WPCP 3200)<br />
<b>Vogue EP</b> (CD, Sire WPCP 3698)<br />
<b>Rescue Me Alternate Mix</b> (CD, Sire WPCP 4100)<br />
<b>Erotica Remixes</b> (CD, Maverick WPCP 5150)<br />
<b>Deeper And Deeper EP</b> (CD, Maverick WPCP 5244)<br />
<b>Rain EP</b> (CD, Maverick WPCP 5644)<br />
<b>Secret Remixes</b> (CD, Maverick WPCR 170)<br />
<b>Take A Bow Remixes</b> (CD, Maverick WPCR 191)
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<b>1997 COLLECTORS SERIES</b>
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<b>Like A Virgin And Other Big Hits!</b> (CD, Sire WPCR 1501)<br />
<b>Dress You Up / Ain’t No Big Deal</b> (CD, Sire WPCR 1502)<br />
<b>True Blue Super Club Mix</b> (CD, Sire WPCR 1503)<br />
<b>La Isla Bonita Super Mix</b> (CD, Sire WPCR 1504)<br />
<b>Remixed Prayers</b> (CD, Sire WPCR 1505)<br />
<b>Keep It Together</b> (CD, Sire WPCR 1506)<br />
<b>Vogue EP</b> (CD, Sire WPCR 1507)<br />
<b>Rescue Me Alternate Mix</b> (CD, Sire WPCR 1508)<br />
<b>Material Girl Club Mix EP</b> (CD, Sire WPCR 1509)<br />
<b>Erotica Remixes</b> (CD, Maverick WPCR 1510)<br />
<b>Deeper And Deeper EP</b> (CD, Maverick WPCR 1511)<br />
<b>Rain EP</b> (CD, Maverick WPCR 1512)<br />
<b>Secret Remixes</b> (CD, Maverick WPCR 1513)<br />
<b>Take A Bow Remixes</b> (CD, Maverick WPCR 1514)
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<b>AUSTRALIAN VERSIONS</b>
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<b>Super Club Mix</b> (CD, Sire 7599 25533 2)<br />
<b>La Isla Bonita Super Mix</b> (CD, Sire 7599 25451 2)<br />
<b>Remixed Prayers</b> (CD, Sire 7599 26022 2)<br />
<b>Keep It Together</b> (CD, Sire 7599 26177 2)<br />
<b>Erotica Remixes</b> (CD, Maverick 9362 40585 2)<br />
<b>Deeper And Deeper EP</b> (CD, Maverick 9362 45288 2)<br />
<b>Rain EP</b> (CD, Maverick 9362 45491 2)
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PS. There are a couple of websites which show nice images of the different pressings with their variant obi strips both here (<a href="http://www.madonnatribe.com/japan/japan5_1.htm">http://www.madonnatribe.com/japan/japan5_1.htm</a>) and here (<a href="http://www.madonnadiscography.pl/article/view/113/">http://www.madonnadiscography.pl/article/view/113/</a>).
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-80039314580384168332016-11-21T12:08:00.002-08:002016-11-21T13:00:40.766-08:00Classic Albums No. 20: Bowie Rare<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oWuFmQxGGSI/WDNUMnhJSTI/AAAAAAAADnk/TGY7iAVklvQFgHb4fwZ9wnDt3H_dcnnCACLcB/s1600/DavidBowieRare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oWuFmQxGGSI/WDNUMnhJSTI/AAAAAAAADnk/TGY7iAVklvQFgHb4fwZ9wnDt3H_dcnnCACLcB/s320/DavidBowieRare.jpg" width="314" /></a></div>
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In 1982, in an attempt to give their star signing a Christmas Number 1, RCA issued David Bowie’s duet with Bing Crosby as a single. Their performance of “Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy” was a surreal event in the first place, thanks to Crosby seemingly being unaware of who Bowie was, and Bowie only agreeing to the duet in an attempt to move his career towards the mainstream - hence his later quote of agreeing to do the show as "I just knew my mother liked him". It would have been a strange choice of single had it come out at the time of recording - 1977 - but to wait five years before releasing it was slightly baffling. Whilst it seemed to be designed to stem the flow of bootlegs that had been issued of the recording, it equally felt like RCA were simply trying to cash in.
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Bowie, having recorded albums on a pretty much annual basis in the 70s for the label, had now stopped doing so. Instead, he seemed to be more interested in his acting career, appearing in the “Elephant Man” on Broadway, and filming the likes of “Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence”. His big 1981 hit single, the duet with Queen, “Under Pressure”, had been issued on a rival label. 1982’s willfully uncommercial “Baal EP”, his only new product for RCA since the release of 1980’s “Scary Monsters”, only existed because it was a soundtrack to a Bowie starring TV drama.
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So it’s safe to assume that the release of the Crosby 45 was an attempt by RCA to try and keep Bowie in the public eye. But by all accounts, the release of the single infuriated Bowie so much, that he expressed a desire to leave the label - and did so. 1983’s “Let’s Dance” was issued on EMI America, and turned him into a superstar.
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In the years that followed, RCA continued to cash in. In 1983, twenty of Bowie’s singles were reissued (initially) in picture sleeves as part of the “Lifetimes” series, receiving new catalogue numbers which seemed to suggest they had been originally released in a totally different order. The series also, strangely, neglected to feature key Bowie singles like “Starman”. And then, in 1984, RCA started to issue - randomly again - selected Bowie albums on the super duper new CD format.
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Not all the albums that could have been reissued actually were reissued. The 1983 live album of the Ziggy ‘Farewell’ gig didn’t resurface, but relatively recent RCA cash in albums, such as the ‘hits’ set “Fame And Fashion” and the ‘best of the album tracks’ set “Golden Years” did, despite the fact that both of Bowie’s earlier (authorised) compilations, “ChangesOneBowie” and “ChangesTwoBowie” were also being reissued.
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What happened next is open to debate, but the most common story is that Bowie, having not given the nod for any of these reissues, saw them as another RCA cash in moment and asked for the CD’s to be withdrawn. Common consensus is that they were whipped off the shelves, which explains their often high price on the collectors market. But a blog written by somebody who was involved in their release (see <a href="http://picknmixed.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-bowie-rca-cds.html">http://picknmixed.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-bowie-rca-cds.html</a>) suggests that the CD’s were only deleted in 1988 when RCA’s rights to releasing Bowie material expired. Other internet sources claim that people were still finding them in selected record stores even later than that, suggesting the CD’s had been deleted as opposed to being withdrawn and returned from the shops. Whichever story you believe, the fact is that by 1990, trying to find a Bowie CD from the RCA years in your local HMV was unlikely to happen.
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By now, Bowie himself was going through something of a career rehabilitation period. Tin Machine had reinvigorated him, and in 1990, he announced his ‘farewell to the hits’ tour, “Sound + Vision”. To coincide with this, Bowie inked a deal which would see his “RCA period” albums reissued with bonus tracks (where possible). As RCA had obtained the rights to Bowie’s two post-”Laughing Gnome” albums in 1971, this meant the complete run of studio albums from “Space Oddity” to “Scary Monsters” were the ones getting the nod. The three live albums RCA had released up until 1983 were also included, although Jeff Beck’s refusal to allow his appearance at the final Ziggy gig be used meant there were to be no bonuses on the “Ziggy Stardust The Motion Picture” set. For reasons never fully explained, “Aladdin Sane” would also be missing bonus tracks, its potential bonuses being shoehorned onto other releases. Alongside these were, in the US, an accompanying boxset also called “Sound + Vision”, which doubled up as a sampler set for the reissues as well as including rarities and previously unreleased material. The boxset, and the reissues, were handled by the relatively small Rykodisc label (although they would later gain a reputation as reissue specialists) but the UK releases were to be issued on EMI, who decided against releasing the boxset - Rykodisc copies appeared on import quite freely, although EMI did eventually issue the box in expanded form in 2003.
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Whilst I am sure that Bowie experts would be able to pick the choice of bonus tracks to pieces in some cases, I personally thought the “Ryko” reissues (as even the EMI ones get called - we shall refer to them like this for this article) were pretty good. By the time “Ziggy” had come out, the Shergold household had upgraded to CD, so these albums were killing two birds with one stone - not only were they appearing on this shiny new “indestructible” format, but the tagging on of extra tracks felt like you were getting a bit of value for money. OK, so there was later some head scratching about how genuine some of these outtakes were - the reissue of “Heroes” had a track called “Abdulmajid”, which shared it’s title with the surname of Bowie’s new girlfriend, suggesting it was a Berlin era outtake, but one which most likely had undergone some cosmetic enhancements for the reissue. But long lost B-sides were recovered, unreleased material exhumed, and - with the exception of the botched “Aladdin Sane” - this all gave this period of Bowie’s career something of a well deserved moment of recognition.
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Perhaps I am being naïve, but given that the CD had been sold to the general public as this unbreakable music format, and these new Bowie CD’s had - usually - included never-before-heard material, I assumed that these were definitive editions. That these were now the standard releases and that if any of them had to be repressed, they would be repressed with their bonus tracks intact. How wrong I was.
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What happened next - I am not sure. But by 1999, Rykodisc had been sold and it’s office in Massachusetts had been closed. This seemed to have some impact on some of the artists on it’s roster, and by all accounts, it resulted in the deletion of the Bowie reissues (possibly). Over here in the UK, Bowie - who had been leapfrogging from label to label after leaving EMI America in 1991 - found himself on Virgin in time for the release of the “Hours” album, who by this point, now came under the far bigger umbrella of the EMI corporation. Bowie’s three solo LP’s for EMI America (and “Tin Machine“) were all reissued by Virgin in 1995, with a so-so selection of random A-sides, B-sides and soundtrack contributions as bonus tracks (but nothing unreleased), and then, to more or less coincide with the release of “Hours”, EMI decided to reissue Bowie’s post-”Laughing Gnome” albums once more. EMI/Virgin now had the rights to the entire run of pre-Tin Machine solo records from 69 onwards, and decided to reissue them under the banner of the “David Bowie Remastered” series.
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I wasn’t impressed. All of the bonus tracks from the Ryko releases went missing. Yes, these new reissues came with some nice pictures inside, and at least the albums now “ended” the way they should, but the idea of removing tracks like “Bombers” and the Arnold Corns single, and leaving them in a black hole, seemed bizarre to me. There was not even a new rarities set to help re-home them.
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In the years that followed, some vague attempts were made at trying to recover these missing rarities. “Alabama Song”, a stand alone Bowie 45 from 1980 that had been on the expanded “Scary Monsters”, turned up again on 2005’s “The Best Of David Bowie 1980/1987”, whilst a number of instrumentals from the expanded “Low” and “Heroes” made it onto 2001’s “All Saints” and 2008’s “iSelect”. There were 30th anniversary reissues of “Ziggy”, “Aladdin Sane” and “Diamond Dogs”, but ultimately, things fell through the gap.
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“Young Americans” reappeared in expanded form in 2007, but the version of “It’s Gonna Be Me” this time around was an alternate version. Better was the reissue of “Station To Station”, which turned up in 2010 in deluxe and super deluxe form, and this one ticked all the boxes, as both came with a live album from Bowie’s gig at the Nassau Coliseum in 76, which included within the two live bonus tracks that had been used to close the Ryko reissue. There were other releases as well. But at no point did “Hunky Dory” get any sort of expanded reissue. The result being that not only was one of Bowie’s finest albums seemingly being neglected from getting any special treatment (along with “Low”, of course) but that the missing tracks from it were still missing.
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Before his death, Bowie had been working on the content for a series of, what I think could well be, career spanning boxsets. Or at least, post-”Laughing Gnome” ones. The first box, 2015’s “Five Years”, included all of Bowie’s studio albums from the period between 1969 and 1973, along with live albums taped during the period, including some which were not officially released until later on. In that box was a bonus double CD called “Re:Call 1”. It included a chunk of material that had been used as bonuses on the Ryko releases, alongside some more that weren’t. The “unreleased” material however, remained AWOL. One can only assume that either Bowie had vetoed these things from coming out again, or there is a plan for some form of mega rarities boxset in the future.
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Now, why am I mentioning all this? Well, this year has seen the release of the follow up box, “Who Can I Be Now?”. This also has included it’s own “Re:Call” set, and covers the years from 1974-1976. Included on this set are a couple of tracks that not only missed being included on the Ryko reissues, but never - in their original form - had managed to appear anywhere else since their sole inclusion on a long deleted 1982 Bowie rarities album. The tracks concerned were the original, un-remixed version of the live “Panic In Detroit” from ‘74 and the 7” edit of “John I’m Only Dancing (Again)”. That album was called “Bowie Rare”.
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“Rare” was RCA’s attempt at cashing in on Bowie via the LP charts, alongside the “Peace On Earth” single. Bowie disowned it, and it seems to have received nothing more than a shrug of the shoulders, the Wikipedia article has long dismissed any notion of a CD release as pointless because “much of the content is available on other CD’s”. Not strictly true until the release of the new box set. And certainly, it would have made more sense if RCA has issued this in 1984 or 1985 instead of the gloriously pointless “Golden Years”.
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But I like it. Not only does the Dame look quite dapper on the cover (and this coming from a married, heterosexual man), but it really does feel like some thought went into it. It does a pretty good job of hoovering up the RCA B-sides (as Dave never really did that many), and by covering what were, by this point, the “expanded” RCA years (ie. 1969-1980), and running chronologically, it serves as a pretty decent overview of the alternate side of Bowie’s career during what was, unquestionably, the greatest period of his musical output.
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I also like the fact that it is a reminder of how rarities records used to be, issued as “normal” LP’s, normally priced. The “Re:Call” discs, remember, are exclusive to those boxsets, meaning that anybody who wants to just fill in those gaps, has to buy a boxset full of records they already own. The sort of people who can afford the boxsets without question, are probably the same group of people who have, or have a desire to have, the original singles upon which these things appeared in the first place, as opposed to just owning the songs (OK, yes, I do have "Who Can I Be Now?", so I'm picking on myself here). As for “Rare”, £15-£20 and it’s yours.
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It starts, as all decent Bowie comps should, with “Space Oddity”. As the breakthrough hit, and as the monumental opener on Bowie’s first great LP, it always makes sense to kick start a compilation with it as well. Of course, the version here is a rare one, an Italian language version called “Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola”. You can probably guess that, when translated, it doesn’t come out as “Space Oddity”. It is basically a completely different set of lyrics, sung in Italian, for release on an Italian only 45 from 1970. Given that the music of “Oddity” was designed to fit the lyrics (the liftoff section, for example), it might seem perverse, but there we go. It got a second lease of life on bootlegs, but “Rare” was the first time this version of the song had ever been released in the UK. It has since been made available on the 2009 expanded version of the “David Bowie”/”Space Oddity” album, and the “Re:Call” disc in “Five Years”.
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We then get three songs which, subject to some uncertainty, were all taped during the “Ziggy” sessions, and then released over the next few years. First up is “Round And Round” AKA “Around And Around”, written by Chuck Berry. This was very close to making the “Ziggy” LP but after concerns that the album had too many covers, this was binned in favour of ”Starman“, which had originally been envisaged as a stand alone 45. It turned up on the flipside of 1973’s “Drive In Saturday” single. It was included on the “Sound + Vision” boxset, but the version now available on the 2003 (and 2014) versions contain a different vocal take. The 30th anniversary edition of “Ziggy Stardust” includes the original mix, as does “Re:Call 1“.
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“Amsterdam” AKA “Port Of Amsterdam”, was rumoured to have been recorded during both the “Ziggy” and “Pin Ups” sessions. It did, of course, only surface at the time of the “Pin Ups” LP, as it was included on the flipside of “Sorrow”, the sole 45 lifted from that LP. It was originally included as a bonus on the Ryko “Pin Ups”, which makes sense (it was remixed for that release BTW), but was later shoehorned on to the 30th anniversary “Ziggy” suggesting a confirmation of the recording date as 1971, as opposed to 1973. According to the excellent Bowie Singles website, second and third versions of “Amsterdam” exist, both slightly truncated versions that appeared on late 70s and early 80s reissues of the 1974 “Rebel Rebel” EP released in Australia. It gets more confusing as the equally excellent “Pushing Ahead Of The Dame“ blog states that the mix on “Rare“ is a totally different take from that on the original single - as I've never played any of my different copies of the "Sorrow" 45, I can't say. “Re:Call 1” includes this song, but god knows which mix it is.
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We then have “Holy Holy”, originally one of three flop 45’s Bowie issued on Mercury Records in 1970/71. Bowie didn’t care a great deal for the single version, giving him an excuse to tape a new version during the “Ziggy” sessions. Again, it got shelved, before surfacing in 1974 on the “Diamond Dogs” 45. It was originally included on the Ryko “The Man Who Sold The World”, thereby relating to the release date of the original single and not the re-recording, but again, was later “correctly” re-positioned when it turned up on the 30th anniversary “Ziggy”. Both the Mercury version and the remake are now on “Re:Call 1”.
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If you get hold of a cassette version of “Rare”, then it most likely won’t tell you why the tracks included have been included (mine doesn‘t). So, on the face of it, “Panic In Detroit” is an album track. But it is, of course, the live version taped at the same time as “David Live” and issued on the B-side of 1974’s “Knock On Wood” single. Strangely, this recording was omitted from both the Ryko version of “David Live” when it was reissued in expanded form, and also the “Sound + Vision” boxset. It was included in remixed form on “David Live” when that was reissued once more in 2005, but until recently, “Rare” was the only place you could get the original mix, other than on 45. Not sure exactly how different the two mixes are, I can't spot much between them, but it’s worth noting that the original version has been included on the “Re:Call 2” disc in “Who Can I Be Now?”, which also includes the remix courtesy of the inclusion of the 2005 reissue of “David Live” as well. So you can compare and contrast and see if your hearing is better than mine.
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It was never made very obvious, but a lot of Bowie’s RCA singles were subject to remixing or editing in both the UK and the US - and beyond. Sometimes, you really had to listen on headphones to hear them (the UK 7” mix of “Jean Genie” does simply sound more ‘mono’ when you listen closely) but several of the US edits were quite drastic. “Young Americans” was not edited for it’s commercial UK release, but there was obviously a view in both the States and regards UK radio that, at five minutes in length, it was too long for broadcast. A shorter mix was created, and as well as being issued on promo copies, was also used for the commercial release of the single in the USA. It is truly horrific, jumping from the “or even yesterday” line to the section near the end where Bowie is singing “you ain’t a pimp” in a higher register, resulting in something hopelessly disjointed. It was obviously included on “Rare” because it is so extreme, it’s an obvious “single mix” whereas, say, the UK “Starman” 7” mix isn’t, but in terms of aesthetics, it would have been better to have had the glorious original US Single Mix of “Rebel Rebel”, with it’s freaky spaced out intro (later copies of the single ended up using the UK mix, so it really was a rarity, even in the USA). Not only does it sound different, but it’s a perfectly decent alternate mix, so this is where “Rare” possibly goes a bit off course.
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So, we are now onto side 2. And probably one of the most famous Bowie flipsides. “Velvet Goldmine” was another Ziggy outtake, but took until 1975 to surface. It appeared on the 3 track “Space Oddity” maxi-single that was issued by RCA as a bit of a cash in event, with Bowie reportedly unhappy at the track’s release, commenting that the final mix was created without his knowledge. Nevertheless, once it was out of the traps, it became unstoppable. Get any expanded version of “Ziggy” and you’ll get it. It turned up on the slightly confusing “The Best Of David Bowie 1969/1974”, and even provided inspiration for a film of the same name. I think I even have it on some music magazine freebie CD as well. But back in 1982, it obviously wasn’t quite as commonplace, although the “Space Oddity” single had been reissued as a picture disc that year (as had “Sorrow” and “Drive In Saturday”).
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Whilst the entire world and his wife know “Heroes”, what may not be so obvious is just how many different versions of it were created in and around it’s original release. A six minute long epic recorded for the album of the same name in 1977, it was issued in heavily edited form as the lead single from the LP that September. Bowie also decided to record French and German language versions, which involved him singing translated lyrics over the backing of the single edit. These appeared as singles in their respective countries under the titles of “Heros” and “Helden”, although the original English language version was also issued as a single in both those territories as well, with different sleeve designs and different catalogue numbers. The relative rarity of these items saw them included on a bootleg called “Slaughter In The Air”, an otherwise live document of a Bowie gig in LA from April 1978.
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There also exists overseas a 12 inch single which includes longer versions of both these re-recordings, which dates from 1981. These versions are actually a hybrid of the re-recorded foreign language versions, extended to the same length as the LP version by gluing it to a section of the original song sung in English. So for these mixes, they had to be retitled to acknowledge their dual language vocals, and so the French one was cumbersomely listed as “Heroes / Heros” and the German one “Heroes / Helden”.
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This full length version of “Helden” was originally included on the original German edition of the “Heroes” LP instead of the English mix. This was obviously done to acknowledge the Berlin background of the album. It got another lease of life when it was included on the 1981 compilation/soundtrack album “Christiane F”, a set of mostly Berlin-era songs which deliberately went down the rarities route by including a few choice oddities from the past - the “Heroes / Helden” track being one of them. The soundtrack was never officially released in the UK, so the first time the song appeared in the UK was on “Rare”. The soundtrack was officially released on CD in the UK in 2001 in a new Bowie sleeve. The story of “Helden” doesn’t quite end there, as the original German single mix was remixed in 1989 for the “Sound + Vision” boxset.
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Another song with a long history is “John I’m Only Dancing (Again)”, included at this point in the compilation to relate to it’s original 1979 release, but which actually dates from five years earlier. The original “John” was a post-Ziggy 1972 stand alone single release, the lyrical subject of which has been endlessly debated (it may be John as in John Lennon, or an earlier John, John Hutchinson, that Bowie irritated in his youth by temporarily nicking his girlfriend). After it’s release, Bowie - a man notorious for re-recording songs for potential new albums - decided to record “John” again, this time with a more noticeable saxophone section in the choruses, now known the world over as the “Sax” version. The plan had been to include it on the forthcoming “Aladdin Sane” LP as the album closer, but Bowie decided against it, and instead arranged for later pressings of the “John” 45 to use this mix instead of the ‘Ziggy-esque’ original. There was no obvious way to tell which version was which, although the excellent Bowie Singles website seems to suggest that the label designs for the Sax version are unique. If not, the matrix numbers are the indicator. Both tracks have surfaced on various releases over the years, with the original appearing on the 30th anniversary “Ziggy”, and the Sax mix on the 30th anniversary “Aladdin Sane”.
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By 1974, Bowie was itching once more to try and get the song on a regular album. And so, during a break in the “Diamond Dogs” US tour schedule, he didn’t just re-record the song but completely re-wrote it, revamping it into a seven minute long funk workout, Bowie by this point going through an obsessive R&B fascination. The verses were more or less discarded, with just the basic song structure and choruses remaining intact. The “new” track was debuted on later dates of the tour, and it was planned to be included on Bowie’s next LP.
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That album, we now know, had the working title of “The Gouster”, and the re-recorded “John” was planned to open the album. Master tapes exist which show that it was planned to be a seven track album, closing with “Young Americans” and “Right”. But after Bowie had collaborated with John Lennon in early 75 on a cover of “Across The Universe” and recorded a new song called “Fame” with help from guitarist Carlos Alomar, the project took a sharp turn. The original album was abandoned, and in it’s place came a 'funkier' album called “Young Americans”, which took four of the songs from “The Gouster”, most in rejigged form, added the Lennon tracks, added two more - and “John”, once more, got left on the shelf.
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In 1979, presumably to cash in on the disco boom, RCA issued the revamped version as a single, under the title of “John I’m Only Dancing (Again)”. On the b-side was a slightly remixed version of the original 1972 version, known as “John I’m Only Dancing (1972)”, which was even issued as an a-side at the time in selected overseas territories. The track, due to it’s length, was issued on a 12” single. But the idea of not issuing a Bowie 45 on the 7” format at the time would have been folly, so a heavily edited version of the remake was issued on the 7” edition. It’s not a great mix, as the joyous bounce of the original is lost, as the track fades out just as it starts to get going, but it exists. It was this edited mix that was included on “Rare”, the first time it had appeared on a Bowie LP. And until recently, the only.
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When the Ryko reissue campaign got to “Young Americans” in 1991, the full length version of “John I’m Only Dancing (Again)” was tagged on as a bonus track, alongside two more tracks from the abandoned “Gouster” project (“It’s Gonna Be Me” and “Who Can I Be Now”). The short mix remained AWOL, as “Rare” had long been deleted by this point. The remake turned up again on 1998’s “The Best Of David Bowie 1974/1979”, and again, in it’s full length 12-inch form. And when “Young Americans” was reissued in 2007, with restored mixes of several songs that had been ’altered’ for the 91 pressing, “John I’m Only Dancing (Again)” was once again added as a bonus track - and once again, appeared in it’s unedited form.
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The short version has only now made it’s debut on CD, by appearing on the “Re:Call” Disc in the new “Who Can I Be Now?” boxset, and thus finally makes - 34 years after it’s release - “Rare” a now nice, rather than essential, Bowie release. Then again, with the boxset selling for just shy of a ton on CD (and much more on vinyl), anybody desperate to hear this (slightly butchered) single mix may find this LP is a cheaper alternate. Either that, or just try and hunt down the original 7” from 79.
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We now come to the final two songs, both of which should be available on something you can buy on Amazon, but which will also surely appear on the next box set (or if not, the one after). Both songs are also two of the more ‘out there’ single releases from Bowie. First up is “Alabama Song”, listed on “Rare” as “Moon Of Alabama” and also known as “Whiskey Bar”. Written by Bertol Brecht and Kurt Weill, Bowie was a fan of Brecht (“Baal” was a Brecht play) and played it during his 1978 tour. Bowie was so taken by the song he decided to then record a studio version of the song, and released it in early 1980.
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It’s certainly one of the more oddball of Bowie’s 45’s, complete with a chorus which sees Bowie singing at one pace, and his band starting off at another, resulting in them having to speed up to catch up with him. Whilst some of Bowie’s other single edits and stand alone 45’s had been compiled onto “ChangesOneBowie” and “ChangesTwoBowie”, “Alabama Song” was not, and so was included on “Rare” to give it a (temporary) home. It appeared on the Ryko version of “Scary Monsters” and the excellent 1993 set “The Singles Collection”, before getting it’s latest outing on the “1980/1987” CD+DVD set.
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“Crystal Japan”, according to some sources, was recorded specifically for use in a Bowie-starring Japanese TV commercial - although Bowie said that even though it was used in the advert, it had originally been recorded for the “Scary Monsters” album. It was an instrumental, an oriental sounding piece of ambient music, that certainly would have made more sense as an LP closer than it did as an attempt at trying to crash into the Japanese singles chart. It was issued as a 45 exclusively in Japan in 1980, backed with “Alabama Song”.
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It got a belated UK release the following year, when it was issued on the flipside of “Up The Hill Backwards”, reportedly due to stories of fans paying OTT amounts of money for the original single. “Up” was the fourth and final single from “Scary Monsters”, and whereas all the others had featured album tracks on the B-sides, this was the first to feature a ‘new’ B-side. Trouble was, with the album getting a bit old by this time, the desirability for singles from the record by this point was decreasing, and the single stalled outside the top 30 - “Ashes To Ashes” of course had been a chart topper. “Crystal Japan” was later added to the Ryko “Scary Monsters” reissue, and then included on the 2001 instrumentals collection “All Saints”.
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So what was missing? Well, a single slab of vinyl was going to have to be selective, so your best bet is to look at what is on the “Re:Call” discs to see exactly what was issued outside of Bowie’s standard albums. As for the obvious ones? Well, I guess the acoustic “Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud” could have been in with a shout, but maybe there were complications over the fact that it was a Philips B-side, and may not have been part of the RCA buy-out deal? The five rarities from the Mercury 45’s would have been a crowd pleaser - instead, it was left to the bootleggers to sort those out. Ditto the Arnold Corns 45. The “Sax” mix of “John” might have been a nice inclusion, as until the release of the “Sound + Vision” box, it was a bit of a pain to find, but given that “Rare” seemed to be a companion release to the two “Changes” sets, perhaps there was a view that including too many ’versions’ of the same song across these releases might have seemed excessive. The avoidance of repetition also meant that the 1979 remake of “Space Oddity” couldn’t be included, and is currently AWOL due to the deletion of the Ryko “Scary Monsters” upon which it later appeared. The next boxset should sort that problem.
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Otherwise, “Rare” does the best it can within the confines of a single LP. It may well have incurred the wrath of Bowie, and it’s usefulness will probably be diminished once the next box (or boxes) appear with “Crystal Japan” and “Alabama Song”. But even then, it is still an interesting album, and one which shows that Bowie was not averse to tossing away perfectly decent songs as B-sides. I would sooner have had “Holy Holy” on “Ziggy” than “It Ain’t Easy”, for example. Remember, an album of Bowie B-sides is still going to be better than an album of Paul Young a-sides. Apologies if you happen to like him, but a fact is a fact. Next month, we shall look at Bowie’s “new” product from the last two years, and will see exactly how the “Re:Call” sets are finally filling in most of the gaps that this album started to attempt to do.
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<b>Discography</b>
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<b>Rare</b> (LP, RCA PL 45406, with inner sleeve)<br />
<b>Rare</b> (Cassette, RCA PK 45406, pressed in numerous countries with front cover artwork variations on each)
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-81297153105163470992016-10-16T02:50:00.000-07:002016-10-16T03:26:29.531-07:00Classic Albums No. 19: The Beatles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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It took me a while to discover The Beatles. My oldest sister was a fan of John Lennon and George Harrison, as they had launched their solo careers whilst she was still in her youth, and she liked them in the same way she was also liked other singer songwriters from the same time period, like Cat Stevens and Harry Chapin. She later told me that she was too young for the Fab 4, and after getting into Lennon, saw no real reason to go back and buy the old records he had made with his former band. She liked Lennon because he was Lennon - and not because he was “John out of The Beatles”. So, I too got into Lennon and Harrison via her LP‘s, and somewhere along the way, eventually fell in love with Wings, after somebody bought a copy of the live “Maybe I’m Amazed” 45 - but not, at that point, The Beatles.
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My mum, for whatever reason, didn’t get them either - same with Elvis. She preferred Cliff and then Scott. My dad, though, did own some records by both The King and The Fabs, but my parents got divorced when I was about ten, so I didn’t really get to hear what he had. So, whilst I developed a love of Bowie by virtue of the fact that everybody in the house seemed to have one of his albums, The Beatles just didn’t happen to me, because there were no records in the Shergold household for me to discover them through.
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In 1995, the broadcasting on TV of the “Anthology” series started to focus my attention. The Lennon connection was probably a starting point, whilst those dreadful Stars On 45 singles from the early eighties had, at least, made me aware of things like “Do You Want To Know A Secret”. I began to develop a fascination with this band, helped along by the fact that Oasis were name checking them left right and centre, a band I had recently fallen in love with. I figured that if I was going to be buying records by Liam and Co, then I should also be going to the original source. A bit like buying “Give Out But Don’t Give Up” by Primal Scream, but not buying “Let It Bleed”.
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I got hold of the ‘Bread Bin’ boxset of the albums, lugging it home on the bus from HMV in Romford, causing my arms to ache the longer I carried it. I recall listening to each disc in order on a daily basis, and by the time I had got to “Let It Be” and the “Past Masters” sets, well, my jaw had dropped. Several times. This wasn’t just good music, this was ASTOUNDING music. Where had this band been all my life? I later accused my mother of child cruelty on the basis that she had never owned a copy of “Rubber Soul” that I could listen to, and that it had thus affected my development during my youth. “Scott 3” and “Scott 4” eased the pain though.
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My favourite Beatles album changes from day to day, month to month. Sometimes it will be “Revolver”, thanks to the psychedelic buzz of “Tomorrow Never Knows”, or the guitar drenched power-pop of “And You Bird Can Sing”. Another day, it will be “Sgt Pepper” - too cool to be name checked by the Hoxton hipsters now, but home to both “She’s Leaving Home” AND “A Day In The Life”. Say no more. If I want to cheat, I might go for “Magical Mystery Tour”, which by housing both “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “I Am The Walrus”, is therefore home to two of the Beatles’ greatest ever recordings. And I have long had a love of “Abbey Road”, thanks to the masterful beauty of Harrison’s “Something”, the stoner rock thumping that closes “I Want You” and the proggy medley that fills up most of side 2.
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But at the moment, my favourite is the 1968 self titled effort. “The White Album” as it is more commonly known. The first time you hear it, it might all be a bit too much to take in in one go, being a double album. But the more and more I listen to it, the more and more I love it. Sure, there is filler all over it, but the sheer diversity contained within is staggering, and the fact that it lasts for more than an hour and a half actually works in it’s favour, as listening to it becomes an immersive experience. Sure, it’s fun to listen to the snappy “Yesterday And Today” on the way home from work, but put “The White Album” on, and it’s time to prepare yourself for one hell of a ride.
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It was recorded just as the band were beginning to fall out with one another. The beginning of the end. Ringo walked out at one point. The follow up album, the aborted “Get Back”, had started life as an attempt to go back to their roots, only for the band to more or less break up by the year’s end. And yet, rather than sounding like a band on the verge of collapse, “The White Album” is a masterpiece, a sprawling work admittedly, but one that contains some of the best work they ever committed to tape. Fair enough - several of the songs are notable for featuring at least one or more Beatles absent from the actual recording - but The Stones did the same, and of course, we already had “Yesterday”.
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OK, so the likes of “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road” are throwaway bits of nonsense - but because of the way the LP is structured, these otherwise minor pieces of work are part of what makes “The White Album” so special. It is designed to flow, to be listened to in order, and in full. So, pull the minute long insanity of “Wild Honey Pie” from the album, and it would actually lose something. Strip out the bit where Lennon shouts out “Ehh up” in a Yorkshire account just before “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” kicks in, and the LP simply wouldn’t sound the same. Part of the brilliance of “The White Album” is it’s sometimes ramshackle nature.
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The album was designed not as a collection of 30 songs, but as four sides of music, as many of the songs cross faded into each other, or started quickly after the previous song ended. As such, the quick fire feel of the album makes it feel akin to listening to a concept album, and as such, songs that might, in isolation, feel like filler, become quite important - they feel more like incidental music being used to link together other more substantial pieces, and the variety of musical influences on even these linking pieces, just add a greater colour and texture to the album. I am not going to sit here and claim that “Rocky Raccoon” is better than “Nowhere Man”, but in my opinion, it is a 100% essential ingredient to “The White Album”.
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Once you start listening to this album, it’s hard to escape it. The opening rush of “Back In The USSR” kick starts it all perfectly, complete with it’s 1950s Rock N Roll vibe and Beach Boys style vocals in the middle eight. It segues into the gorgeous “Dear Prudence”, a song completely at the other end of the scale, all minimalist guitar parts, simple but effective drum patterns, beautiful key changes and sublime Lennon vocals. It probably helps that out of the four band members in the group, the band included, well, four vocalists, meaning that not only did the Fabs have the ability to approach songs without any view as to whether or not they were recording a “Beatles sounding” song, but the option of then featuring a different singer just helped to add to the kaleidoscope of sounds that they could get into an album. And with a double LP like “The White Album”, well, it just stretched the ’sound’ of the record even further than they’d gone before.
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The album, at times, gets quite heavy musically. “Glass Onion” is a grizzly Lennon sung rocker, in which the band brilliantly quote their past in clever pop culture style (“I told you about Strawberry Fields“, “I told you about the fool on the hill”, “The Walrus was Paul”). Side three opens with the roaring “Birthday”, and continues with the grunge driven sludge of “Yer Blues”, hated by some, by to these ears, a magnificently vicious piece of stoner rock, years before the likes of Queens Of The Stone Age had even been born. And then we have the astounding “Helter Skelter”. Essentially, the beginning of heavy metal starts here (I‘m afraid). The brilliance of this song, of course, is that unlike most metal bands, who go down the idiotic route of playing their guitars louder and faster than everything else and assuming that makes you “the heaviest”, it’s really the bass here that makes this song what it is. There is a level of fury here no doubt, but that twanging of the bass, as if it is the lead instrument, coupled with Paul’s near psychotic vocal delivery, make this a truly standout moment on the record. What a shame it did, in the long run, gives us the likes of Slipknot and Guns N Roses. Furthermore, with it’s lengthy drawn out ending, it all feels absolutely gargantuan - further proof that maybe, just maybe, Paul’s contribution to this band has been unfairly overlooked in favour of the material we got from the “cooler to name check” John. Oh, and it ends of course with the famous "I've got blisters on my fingers" call from Ringo on the stereo version - another bit of seemingly pointless nonsense, but ultimately, another quite cool bit of pop art. What a shame it got left out of the mono mix entirely.
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If you ever wanted proof of how George was also criminally underrated whilst in the band, then look no further than this LP. The wonky beauty that is the epic “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” on side 1, with what sounds like a broken, out of tune organ battling the Harrison/Clapton double act. The magnificent Hammond fuelled majesty of “Long Long While” on side 3, complete with it’s slightly eerie, creaking, closing passage that sets you up perfectly for the shambolic brilliance of the following “Revolution 1”. And on side 4, the saxophone driven roar of “Savoy Truffle”, a magnificently upbeat and joyous rock & roll romp, one of the standout tracks made even more brilliant by Harrison’s “sweets” inspired totally nonsense lyrics (“Cool Cherry Cream, nice Apple Tart”). It is so much fun, so indescribably catchy, words can’t really do this moment of genius justice. All in, evidence that George’s songs were all killer, no filler.
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But then, even some of the stuff long dismissed as filler, sounds utterly vital. The rambling hotpotch that is “The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill” has a warm glow, everything from Yoko’s ‘vocal solo’ to the crowd terrace chant of the choruses, I wouldn’t want it to sound any other way. The music hall inspiration that drives the charming “Martha My Dear” or the 1920s 'flapper' stylings of “Honey Pie” might, on “Revolver”, have sounded daft, but here, sound completely at home amidst the myriad of styles that surround them. Even “Ob La Di Ob La Da”, routinely written off as ‘the worst song ever recorded’ sounds positively glorious here, the ska/reggae shuffle has a delightful bounce that is joyously good fun. If you think this is the worst reggae song ever, then may I redirect you instead to the works of post-"One In Ten" UB40 and ask you to rethink your position.
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There is a lot of acoustic stuff on side 2, mainly as a lot of these songs were demoed as acoustic tracks originally. But far from sounding like unfinished sketches, or a band struggling to work out how to add any instrumentation to the bare bones, the likes of “Blackbird” have a simplistic beauty to them that doesn’t need anything more. This is particularly notable on Lennon’s affecting “Julia”, which ends the first half of the record, a tearful solo outing about his mother, who died when he was still a teenager. It is arguably more heartbreaking than any of the psychotherapy stuff that he put out on “Plastic Ono Band”. The opening lyric, “half of what I say is meaningless, but I say it just to reach you Julia”, followed by a monumental key change in the next line, just hits me every time. It is simple, but stunningly effective and seems to provide a fitting conclusion to the end of the first disc.
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There are a couple of songs on here that do “sound” like “Classic Beatles”. Both Lennon vocals, the mesmerising “Sexy Sadie” opens with ‘that’ piano solo, and then settles down into a piece of flawless Fabs pop. Similarly, the beautiful “Cry Baby Cry” has ‘that’ piano sound again, the one that Oasis nicked for “Don‘t Look Back In Anger“. Both these songs are quite understated in their approach, but at the same time, seem to have a lot going on. That probably doesn’t make sense, but then again, if you know these songs, then perhaps you know what I mean. In their early days, The Beatles best moments were where they went for the spine tingling harmonies and hair-on-the-back-of-the-neck-key changes (“She Loves You“, “Please Please Me“), and these songs both flow in that classic tradition.
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What else have we got? Oh yes, the brilliant Ringo starring rinky dink country stomp that is “Don’t Pass Me By”, a song he had first written in 1963 but which the band refused to record. Here, again, within the context of this album, it’s nigh on essential. The shape shifting rumble of “Happiness Is A Warm Gun”, a sign of how great the band were as musicians, something often overlooked in favour of their superstar Beatlemania popularity. The ‘upper class’ vocal delivery of the sneering “Piggies”, Harrison’s piece of social commentary complete with a musical backing that sounds like something from a period drama. The beautiful acoustic strum of “Mother Nature’s Son”. The raucous rock and roll rabble this is “Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey”. Lennon’s laid back groove/noisy scowled anger of the slightly shambling “I’m So Tired”, like Badly Drawn Boy twenty years too early. By the time we have got to the end of side three, it’s already been one hell of a journey.
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Because the sound collage that is “Revolution 9” is fast approaching at this point, I have always found that whenever I listen to “The Beatles”, that by this point, we are on a sort of final stretch. As if the album is building up to a big climax, and I find myself “preparing“ for the big ending, getting ready for that long bit of sonic surrealism. Each song that follows feels like it is providing a stepping stone to the next one, until we get to the “ultimate“ moment in the world of Beatles experimentation. So side 4 kicks in with the messy alternate version of the “Hey Jude” b-side “Revolution”, named here as “Revolution 1”, the high energy, distorted, punk rock vibe of the single version replaced with a Bo Diddley blues style shuffle, everything being slowed down but also being slightly roughed up a bit. The following fun of the aforementioned “Honey Pie” and “Savoy Truffle” lead us into “Cry Baby Cry”, which ends with a brief snippet of the unfinished “Can You Take Me Back”, where McCartney appears almost ghostlike from the ether, with his clipped acoustic guitar sound and fading out vocal. It was described recently by 6Music DJ Stuart Maconie as a moment that he feels is one of the “most disturbing ever” on record - and he’s right. As it disappears from view, in comes the “weird” sounds of “Revolution 9”. It feels as though, so simplistic is it’s nature, that it is leading you unaware into the madness that follows.
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The first time you hear this ’song’, you will probably hate it. But after repeated listening, it becomes fascinating. Unashamedly avant garde, “Revolution 9” probably still remains one of the most unusual things ever released by a “big” pop act ever. It was, in 1968, sort of akin to Adele deciding to cover anything by Cannibal Corpse. An eight minute long barrage of sound, tape effects, somebody talking like Ringo who isn’t Ringo, shattered excerpts of Lennon screaming, Yoko muttering, backwards noises, it is terrifying at first. But listen to it again, and again, and you will find yourself trying to get “into” the recording, seeing what sounds you can hear that you might have missed before. It’s placement near the end of the album feels totally correct, as if the glorious genre mashing that has gone on in the previous eighty minutes was all leading up to this. As it ends, and the beautiful orchestral hum of the stunning “Good Night” starts up, the perfect end to the album especially with that title, it’s difficult not to feel as though you have been on some sort of ’experience’. This isn’t just an album, this really does feel like a work of art.
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“The Beatles” was originally issued in November 1968. It was released in both mono and stereo, with the mono mix featuring numerous differences to the stereo one. “Revolution 9” was not mixed in mono, simply being a ’fold down’ from the stereo version, but everything else was mixed into mono especially, with more attention being paid to this LP as regards the mono mix than to any that had come before it. As such, if you get a mono copy of this album as well, I would suggest you listen to all of it, as at least half of the record has significant differences - most notably the aforementioned “missing“ false ending on “Helter Skelter“. It was, coincidentally, the last ’proper’ Beatles album to be issued in mono.
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Original copies, famously, were housed in a simple white sleeve, with the band name embossed on the cover, and each copy numbered. The reason for the minimalist packaging was designed as a response to the OTT artwork for the “Sgt Pepper” album, whilst the numbering system was done ironically. Everybody knew the album would sell like hot cakes, and so the idea of having a “numbered” edition, normally used to denote a limited edition, but here being used on an album where the number of editions would run into the millions, was deliberately tongue in cheek. This hasn’t stopped Beatleheads the world over paying ridiculous sums of money for a “low numbered” copy, despite the fact that number 500 is really no rarer than number 99999. Seems that nobody got the joke.
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The original LP was packaged quite brilliantly, aside from the “non” cover and number thing. The lyrics were printed on the back of a poster that was included inside, along with four now iconic portraits of each of the band members. In order to stop these photos from falling out, the gatefold album came with top opening slots, as opposed to side openings. Amazingly, I don’t think this simple idea has ever been repeated on any other album I own, indeed, Lennon’s own “Imagine”, which came with a free 6”x4” postcard, was housed in a normal (side opening) sleeve, meaning the photo could easily ’come out’ if you held the record to one side. The 2014 mono reissue of the LP was designed to replicate the ‘68 original, so was not only numbered, but also included the top opening design and the poster and postcards as well. The original catalogue number was even used (in part). Because LP’s nowadays need to have barcodes for sales reasons, copies were shrinkwrapped and had a sticker on the front, with the track listing, album details, and said barcode. That’s the image of one such copy at the top there. If you ripped off the wrap and binned the barcode, the album would look, more or less, like an original. I have already mentioned in an earlier blog, that the first CD pressing of the album in 1987 saw some artistic license take place, where the band name was printed in grey on the front of the cover just so people knew exactly what it was. The original free photos, and images on the poster, were reprinted throughout the enclosed booklet, along with the lyrics. The 2009 CD pressing, went for a similar approach, but this time around, the band name was printed “wonkily” on the front, just as the original vinyl embossed editions had been.
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There were no singles lifted from the album, although “Hey Jude” was issued as a 45 some months before, with the aforementioned alternate version of “Revolution” on the flip. This single has been reissued, as have most Beatles singles, on numerous occasions since. First in 1976, as part of an EMI “cashing in” exercise following the end of Apple’s distribution contract with EMI, which allowed the label to flood the market with new “old” Beatles product. There was another reissue in 1982, one of several to mark the 20th anniversary of “Love Me Do”, and then another one in 1988, as part of the ongoing “It Was 20 Years Ago” reissue campaign. I mentioned in my first ever Beatles blog the various boxsets that were issued back in the day, and a 3” CD Singles Boxset was made which contained within, picture sleeved reissues of the band’s original singles, each of which were also sold separately - and so “Hey Jude“ appeared again in 1989. The subsequent 1992 reissue, as a standard 5” disc, emerged as part of it’s inclusion in a second CD Singles boxset. Last I heard, if you fancy owning these boxsets, the 3” one is worth a lot more than the 5” one.
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It sometimes seems incredible that, soon, “The Beatles” will be fifty years old. Because it makes you wonder where music has gone since then. Yes, I know, we are just happening to be going through a particularly lean patch at the moment, like we did in the eighties, with only a few beacons of light from the “new” boys and girls (a quick name check here for Bat For Lashes, somebody who does seem to embody The Beatles‘ maverick spirit), but even so, it does feel as though bands today simply have nowhere new to explore. And so, they simply nick bits from what has gone before, and recycle it. There is nothing wrong with this, but it does mean that few people are making music that has the same power, gravitas, or sheer inventiveness of The Beatles. This LP in particular, showcases just how daring, bloody minded, and UNCOMMERCIAL they could be, despite being the biggest group in the world at the time. Go on Adele, I dare you to make an album this bold. Of course, it won’t happen. A lot of modern music is too safe, too polite, too much in awe of what the record company might say. Those acts shifting the units, are usually the ones whose music is the most bland. 1985 all over again.
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But “The Beatles” transcends all of this. The biggest pop band in the world, making one of the most the left field, diverse, and experimental records of all time - and yet, coming up with something that was still mesmerisingly brilliant which then sold by the bucketload. It ticked all the boxes. I suppose it just happened to be that by the time we got to the noughties, everything you could do and say in music had been done, making it that much harder for somebody now to come up with something “new”. But in 1968, with pop music in it’s infancy still, perhaps that allowed The Beatles free reign to try anything they wanted. Still, the sheer scope and sound of this album is staggering, and whilst worshipping at it’s alter does make me sound, again, like a Mojo journalist, I can’t help it. It really is one of the greatest albums ever made.
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<b>Discography</b>
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<b>SELECTED ALBUMS</b>
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<b>The Beatles</b> (1987, 2xCD, Apple CDS PCS 7067/8, Stereo mix, with booklet)<br />
<b>The Beatles</b> (2014, 2xLP, Apple 6025 3773 4535, Mono mix, numbered, originally shrink-wrapped with sticker, plus poster, “Love” insert and 4 postcards, original cat numbers on vinyl [PMC 7067/8])
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<b>NOTABLE RELATED SINGLES</b>
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<b>Hey Jude/Revolution</b> (1968, 7”, Apple R 5722, company bag)<br />
<b>Hey Jude/Revolution<b></b></b> (1976, 7” in “Singles Collection” p/s, Apple R 5722)<br />
<b>Hey Jude/Revolution</b> (1982, 7” in “live” p/s, Apple R 5722)<br />
<b>Hey Jude/Revolution</b> (1988, 7” in “parrot” p/s, Apple R 5722)<br />
<b>Hey Jude/Revolution</b> (1988, 7” Picture Disc in clear sleeve, Apple RP 5722)<br />
<b>Hey Jude/Revolution</b> (1988, 12” Picture Disc with backing insert, Apple 12 RP 5722)<br />
<b>Hey Jude/Revolution</b> (1989, 3” CD Single, “parrot” p/s, Apple CD3R 5722)<br />
<b>Hey Jude/Revolution</b> (1992, 5” CD Single, “live” p/s, Apple CDR 5722)
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-18609561900475417452016-09-17T09:40:00.000-07:002016-09-17T10:23:15.384-07:00Bowie On Video<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Like several other of his contemporaries, the Bowie Videography is a bit of a mess. Well, maybe not a mess, but a bit scattergun. This is partly due to him starting his career at a time when pop videos didn’t exist, and TV shows would wipe their tapes to reuse them for other shows. Some concert tours were filmed officially, others weren’t. Best of releases have appeared at times when he was still making music, and thus became “incomplete” later on, and so whilst his death may now be a time for EMI or Sony or whoever to finish it all off, they currently seem to be more interested in issuing pointless rehashes of 40 year old hits albums like “ChangesOneBowie”. A nice release originally, but given that it stops before “Low”, and was thus actually revamped in 1990 as “ChangesBowie” to acknowledge this fact, it’s proof that the labels don’t quite yet seem to have worked out how best to preserve his legacy. In my opinion, that is.
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This is a full list of all officially authorised (solo) Bowie Video/DVD releases thus far. We have avoided the “copyright bending” things like the 1990 “Tokyo Dome” film, and releases that were issued only outside the UK, including those whose existence is also slightly dubious (the 1978 TV special documenting the “Isolar 2” tour from Dallas was once issued on VHS in Italy) and are just looking at the sort of things that form the official discography. Various Artists sets are excluded, so no mention of “Live Aid” for now, but Wikipedia will help you with that in the meantime. And as you will see with the remainder, it’s all slightly hotch potch.
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The releases are listed in the order in which they “could” have first been released had video or DVD existed in the 60s, simply because it nearly makes sense to do so, and it does mean the list is semi-chronological. But also, it’s a bit more fun that way. To avoid too much info, I have detailed catalogue numbers for only the most recent or essential releases, but if you want to, there are multiple variants from the VHS era of many of these releases available if that’s what floats your boat.
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Now, given that video players didn’t even exist in the 60s, it’s no surprise to note that there is only one release that really covers that decade. And “<b>Love You Till Tuesday</b>” is a strange beast at that. Filmed after Bowie’s debut album on Deram had flopped, “LYTT” was some sort of extended showreel, designed to showcase Bowie’s love of music, film and mime. It was the brainchild of Bowie’s then manager Kenneth Pitt, and was presumably designed to be shipped around interested parties to see if anybody would take Bowie on - in any form. Widespread distribution of the film never happened, and it was locked back in the vaults, before appearing on VHS in 1984.
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It is a half hour film, a sort of selection of promo videos for singles already released (“Rubber Band”), songs that would later, in re-recorded form, become singles themselves (“Space Oddity”) and clips for things that were neither (“Sell Me A Coat”). One song, “Ching A Ling”, is essentially a performance by Bowie’s short lived interim outfit Feathers, with Bowie reduced a la Tin Machine to the role of a sideman. It is strange, fascinating, and also slightly underwhelming - the version of “Space Oddity” here sounds a world away from the monumental version that Bowie would eventually create for the second LP. You can sort of see why nobody who saw the film had any real desire to sign Bowie to a label.
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The definitive version came out on DVD in 2005 (<b>Universal Music 06024 982 33603</b>), when - housed in a new and improved sleeve - the set was expanded to include a TV show from 1970 called “The Looking Glass Murders”. This was a short film that saw an early appearance of Bowie’s “Pierrot Clown” interest, more widely seen circa “Ashes To Ashes“ - the TV film was a remake of a 1967 stage production Bowie had appeared in called “Pierrot In Turquoise“. As well as starring in the TV show, Bowie also provided the soundtrack, which includes several “officially unreleased” songs (such as “Threepenny Pierrot”, a reworking of the at the time unreleased “London Bye Ta Ta”). It too is a slightly surreal watch, the sort of thing that you might see on BBC2 at half eleven at night on a Monday, but these two films are a great venture into the world of Bowie pre-fame, and so whilst the overall quality of the disc is not exactly of “Hunky Dory” style brilliance, it’s of major interest to anybody who wants to see what exactly Bowie was getting up to before Ziggy landed.
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We have already mentioned the history behind the 1973 “<b>Ziggy Stardust</b>” concert film in my “Bowie Live” feature, so I won’t repeat it in full here. But this concert film documented most of the final “Ziggy” gig at the Hammersmith Odeon on 3rd July that year, minus the Jeff Beck starring encore, and with a few bits of ’behind the scenes’ footage intercut into the proceedings. Originally issued on Betamax (I still have my copy, albeit with no functioning Betamax machine) and VHS, and also issued at some point on Laserdisc, it has been reissued on DVD a few times, most recently in 2003 to mark the 30th anniversary of the gig. There are no real major extras to speak of, but it’s the best you are going to get (<b>EMI 492 9879</b>). It comes housed in a see through slipcase, and includes both a booklet and poster. The gig has long been dismissed as a performance in which Bowie and his band were below par, especially since the release of the 1972 Santa Monica show, and the admission of just about everybody involved that the sound (and vision) that was captured were all of poor quality - but it is an essential release, because it is the only full blown video document of the Ziggy era. If you don’t like it, then you don’t really like music at all.
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By 1983, Bowie was a genuine worldwide superstar. Mostly thanks to his new “mainstream” sound, but probably also helped a bit by the existence in the USA of MTV. Bowie had filmed videos for most of the singles taken from his new album, and thus provided perfect material for broadcast on the relatively new channel. As the promo campaign for the LP - his first album on EMI America - “Let’s Dance”, started to wind down, his label decided to cash in on his new found video-assisted fame. Hence the release of the helpfully titled “<b>David Bowie Video EP</b>” (<b>EMI/Picture Music International MVT 990004 2</b>) during the latter part of the year. It included the three clips Bowie had filmed for what were the three UK singles taken from the album, namely the title track, “China Girl” and “Modern Love”. The “China Girl” clip is the ‘X-Rated’ version in which Bowie’s posterior gets some screen time during the closing scene on the beach. One for the ladies, and indeed, several of the men as well I guess. In most instances later on when “China Girl” was included on an updated hits video collection, it was a censored version that was included instead.
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The “megastar years” saw Bowie step up in terms of audience reach, and thus, the size of the concert venues he was now expected to fill. 1983’s “<b>Serious Moonlight</b>” tour was initially planned as another trawl around the arenas, but by the end of the European leg of the tour, he was playing the likes of the Milton Keynes Bowl - and not once, but three nights on the trot. That amounted to a lot of people.
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By now, the home video revolution was in full swing, and so the powers that be decided to film a Bowie show, rather than just tape one. And so it was that in 1984, we saw a video release documenting the tour. Well, two actually. Bowie’s gig in Vancouver was the one that had been filmed, and the entire show (minus “Modern Love”, see the blog from the month before last as to why) was issued on VHS - and, Betamax as well. However, the show was split into two halves - one half appearing on the first video, and the second half on another. Why? Well, I think that when home videos first appeared, the officially released videotapes were VERY expensive - retailing for the same price that DVD’s used to when they first launched in the late 90s. However, if the video was made to be a bit shorter, then the production costs were thus reduced, and the price was able to come down. At least, I believe that’s why it happened.
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Either way, the original VHS releases for the tour were spread across a 50 minute long “Vol 1” and a 50 minute long “Vol 2”. I picked up a 1995 VHS reissue, which did the honourable thing and merged the two volumes into one, used a new sleeve, and generally tidied this madness up.
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The tour itself is of major interest. It does, of course, capture Bowie going stellar. He wears his nice suit, has a smart haircut, and doesn’t do “Warszawa”. If you look at the setlist of the video, many of the older songs had been brought in from earlier tours. So, “Station To Station” is still there, “Cracked Actor”, a relic of the 73 and 74 tours, is in there, and the only songs that are new to the stage are mostly either those from “Let’s Dance”, or songs from “Lodger” and “Scary Monsters”, two albums that were never supported by tours. Furthermore, the selections from these albums tend to be the singles, so you end up with a real crowd pleaser of a set - old favourites essentially interspersed with hit 45s. This explains why Bowie decided to retire most of this lot in 1990, as he had played the likes of “Rebel Rebel” and “Young Americans” far, far more times than he had “Joe The Lion” or “Teenage Wildlife”.
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After “Reality” and Bowie’s disappearance from view, the label who by that point owned the rights to his “pre-Tin Machine” years were Parlophone, who set about on a slightly low key revamping of the back catalogue (well, either it was low key or I just wasn’t paying attention. When you have all this stuff, you don’t necessarily keep looking to see if it’s come out again!). Aside from the remixed versions of “David Live” and “Stage”, the mid noughties saw a DVD release for “Serious Moonlight”, again in another revised sleeve which used part of the original tour artwork, as opposed to a shot of The Dame on stage (<b>EMI 0946 341539 9</b>).
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It included the (nearly) complete gig of course, but also included as a bonus feature, the slightly surreal “Ricochet” rockumentary, originally issued as a stand alone VHS in 1985. Billed as a look behind the scenes of Bowie’s tour of the far east at the end of 83, it is another excuse really for Bowie to do a bit of acting. It takes place in three countries, and so is divided into three segments. Each segment builds up to a performance of a song of two in said country by Dave from the tour itself. So, apart from some bits and bobs of Bowie being ferried around in a taxi, or being filmed doing interviews, there are also some vague “stories” going on at the same time. So in the first part, we also get to follow the trials and tribulations of one man who wants to see Bowie play, but can’t afford the ticket. So there are Bowie-less “TV movie” scenes involving this man, who after various approaches, manages to resolve his woes by simply asking somebody to lend him the money - and they do. Not exactly “It’s A Wonderful Life”. In another segment, Bowie escapes from his hotel and is seen pondering life whilst watching a street opera performance. How any of this can be classed as a behind the scenes ‘documentary’ is beyond me. Anyway, the bonus feature is a good 75 minutes long - this involves an hour of Bowie footage/drama nonsense and about 15 minutes of gig material, four live performances of complete songs from the shows in Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok.
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Arguably just as bizarre is 1984’s “<b>Jazzin’ For Blue Jean</b>” (<b>EMI/VMC PM 0017</b>). Either the sign of a man trying to emulate the superstar actions of Michael Jackson, a man once again getting a chance to do a bit of acting on the side, a man heading off into a world of avant garde film making, or a combination of all three, this video is simply the full 22 minute long version of the “Blue Jean” promo. It presumably has a title to give it some movie-esque gravitas. It does have a plot, so you get 19 minutes of Bowie the actor, and 3 minutes of pop music in the middle where the bloke from Right Said Fred appears playing guitar. Again, there are no doubts that the intentions here are honourable, a desire to do something a bit left field - but “Blue Jean” is one of Bowie’s most mainstream pop songs, so that deadens the effect. Furthermore, Bowie’s own performance is regarded by some as being downright cheesy, so once more, this isn’t the music world’s equivalent of “Duel”. Most Bowie comps that later included “Blue Jean” went for the heavily shortened TV edit, which basically just features the performance of the song itself from the middle of the clip, and the original full length version has never been made available since, although “alternative” edits have been.
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Not previously mentioned I think when I did my original Bowie blogs was 1987’s “<b>Day In Day Out</b>” (<b>PMI MVR 9900682</b>). On the face of it, this could be seen as an attempt by the label to carry on issuing video singles in order for them to put all of Bowie’s new promos out on the shelves (it includes “Loving The Alien”, meaning that all 6 clips Bowie had filmed for EMI singles taken from the studio LP’s up to this point had thus been made available officially) but I think it was more to do with the fact that the clip was quite controversial, and some TV stations refused to play it (it was, indeed, the final Video-Single). Hence, a VHS release (rated “18”) to allow people to get to see what all the fuss was about. The main thing that sticks out of me is the baffling scene where Bowie roller skates through a library.
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You get two versions of the A-side, thus meaning you have to endure this nonsense for even longer in the “Extended Dance Version” clip. To be fair, “DIDO” isn’t too bad, it’s a pleasant enough bit of gated drum obsessed pop, but to have fallen this far from the likes of “Low” and “Lodger” within a decade or less is something that I still struggle to come to terms with. I recoiled in horror when “Classic Pop” responded to Bowie’s death by putting a photo of him from this period on the cover of their tribute issue - of all the aspects of his career that you could choose to remember him by, why pick this one?
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We have covered Bowie’s 1987 “<b>Glass Spider</b>” releases in the live albums blog. Just to clarify, shows in Sydney were filmed, edited, then issued across a pair of VHS releases in early 88. The second VHS, simply because of the setlist and the removal of certain songs from the show, amounts to a sort of 50 minute long hits set, titled “More Of David Bowie - Glass Spider 2”. You do get to see Bowie attempting to reconnect with his past on a cover of “I Wanna Be Your Dog”, but the mullets and the “80s sound” make it quite hard to even enjoy seeing him rattle through “Time” and “White Light White Heat”. The most common release of the tour is the standard DVD release from 2007 (<b>EMI 0946 3909 6497</b>) which combines the two VHS releases into one single concert film.
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By 1993, Bowie had got his career back on track. Ignore those obituaries that claim he did nothing of worth between 1983 and 2013 - I was there people, and “Black Tie White Noise” wasn’t just an improvement over “Never Let Me Down”, it more or less grabbed that thing, buried it, and then trampled all over it’s grave. This was a glorious comeback, written out of history now by the bandwagon jumpers who raved over “The Next Day”, but rightly regarded by Bowie-philes as the actual moment that The Dame started to make glorious music again.
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He was newly signed to Arista, more specifically to a subsidiary label called Savage, and the rights to his “pre-Tin Machine”/”post-Laughing Gnome” stuff, ie. The years from 69 to 87, were now in the hands of EMI. EMI responded to the critical and commercial success of “Black Tie” by issuing, at the tail end of 93, the excellent “The Singles Collection” - which included large numbers of quite famous Bowie songs that were not actually singles. To accompany this, they also issued a promo video collection on their affiliate video imprint (Picture Music International) on VHS called, yep, “<b>The Video Collection</b>” (<b>PMI 7243 4911863 9</b>). It is, simply, a run through of most - but not all - of Bowie’s promo clips from “Space Oddity” to “Never Let Me Down” and the “Fame 90” clip. Most of these had thus never been issued before commercially, although the 1989 US boxset “Sound + Vision” had included “Ashes To Ashes” on the VCD bonus disc in the Compact Disc edition of the set.
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It runs in ‘single release date’ chronological order, but this is not necessarily the order in which the clips were filmed. “Space Oddity”, for example, was filmed in late 72 to help plug RCA’s reissue of the Philips album from which it was taken, meaning the following “John I’m Only Dancing” is slightly out of place, but it makes sense to indulge in this bit of artistic license. Pop videos weren’t really the thing in the 70s, so the bulk of this video dates from the 80s onwards, which skews things quite a bit. It’s a bit awkward when it jumps from 1973 to 1977, but Bowie simply didn’t film videos for anything during the time, so the “Station To Station” LP is simply erased from history. From a collectors point of view, you get to see the never before released video for 1986’s “As The World Falls Down” - capturing Bowie’s 80s nadir at it’s over-produced peak, I’m afraid - but look at the genius of what else you get on here...”Be My Wife”, “Absolute Beginners”, “Boys Keep Swinging”, “Life On Mars”. It’s not Adele, put it that way.
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Bowie had killed off Tin Machine by now, but for whatever reason, didn’t want to resume touring as a solo artist just yet. Instead, he did produce the slightly confusing “<b>Black Tie White Noise</b>” VHS (<b>BMG Video 74321 16622 3</b>) at round about the same time “The Video Collection” appeared. It features Bowie and his band MIMING to selected cuts from the LP, interspersed with David interview footage. It feels like an extended electronic press kit - perhaps that’s what it was? It then concludes with the promo clips for the three singles from the album. A nice souvenir, but a bit random. When the “Black Tie” album was reissued in 2003 to both celebrate it’s 10th birthday and to also get it back in the shops, it came with a DVD featuring this video release. The DVD was not housed in it’s own sleeve, so if you are a completist, you will need the original Video (or Laserdisc, they exist) in your life.
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The period around 1999’s “Hours” album would eventually generate a fair amount of Bowie video releases, all a bit oddball to be fair, but video material nevertheless. Several late 90s/early 00s singles were issued as enhanced CD Singles with video material on the CD-Rom section. The release of an atrocious remixed version of “<b>Under Pressure</b>” in 1999 saw a new video created in which Bowie’s performance of the song from the 1992 Freddie Mercury tribute gig was mashed up with footage of an earlier Queen stage performance of the song, and included on the CD1 edition of the “new“ single (<b>Parlophone CDQUEENS 28</b>). The CD1 version of the “<b>Survive</b>” single included the video (<b>Virgin VSCDT 1767</b>), whilst a live recording of the same song was included in video form on the CD2 edition (<b>Virgin VSCDX 1767</b>). A bit late, but the brilliant “Bowie being stalked by Trent Reznor” video for “<b>I’m Afraid Of Americans</b>” was included on the CD2 version of “Seven” (<b>Virgin VSCDX 1776</b>), presumably on the basis that being a US only single, some UK fans might not have seen the clip before.
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There were some other enhanced CD releases thereafter - the Scumfrog remix of “<b>Loving The Alien</b>” also resulted in a new promo clip being made, and this was added to the enhanced section of the single that was issued by Positiva at the start of the millennium (<b>Positiva CDTIV-172</b>), whilst the accompanying “<b>Club Bowie</b>” album (<b>Virgin VTCD 591</b>) from 2003, a series of pointless remixes and “dance singles with Bowie samples”, came with a clip for the “Club Bolly” mix of “Let’s Dance”. I cannot for the life of me remember what either of these two videos look like. We have also mentioned before the 2009 release of the 1999 filmed “<b>VH1 Storytellers</b>” show (<b>EMI DBVH1</b>), an 8 track CD from the TV show accompanied by a 12 track DVD, which gives a basic overview of the setlist that Bowie was peddling for the handful of “Hours” gigs he played in 1999/2000. More about that tour in my “Bowie Live Part 2” blog in due course.
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Let’s rewind a bit to “Survive” and the late 90s again. Bowie declined to film a video for “Seven”, and the promo campaign for “Hours” concluded, more or less, with the triumphant Glastonbury show in 2000. After the abandoned “Toy” project the following year, Bowie returned with 2002’s sublime “Heathen” album. He was now on another new label, having come full circle sort of by ending up on Sony (who did, at some point, have the RCA imprint under their wing). EMI, or now more accurately, Parlophone, thus now had the rights to everything from 1969 to 2001 - or at least, had the power to include material from this period altogether without too many licensing issues. And so, as Sony unleashed “Heathen” on Bowie’s own Isolar imprint, Parlophone unleashed “Best Of Bowie”, famously issued with variant tracklistings in each country, and an update of sorts of the “Singles Collection”. In the UK, “Slowburn” from “Heathen” was actually tacked onto the end, so it brought the story (post-Laughing Gnome) completely up to date.
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There was an accompanying DVD release. This too was, in essence, an expanded version of the “Video Collection” but this time around, extra clips for missing singles, and missing “well known” album tracks were included, sourced from TV shows. The set opened with Bowie’s famous 1972 “Whistle Test” appearance, so “Oh You Pretty Things” starts things off. “Space Oddity” now appears after “Jean Genie” and before “Drive In Saturday”, itself taken from the ‘Russell Harty Plus Pop’ show.
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Most of the extra clips this time around were either TV performances of at-the-time current singles (“Rebel Rebel”, on a loud sounding show called ‘Top Pop’ in Holland in 74) or were clips used to bring the story up to date. Every clip post-“Fame 90” is here (barring Tin Machine stuff, and the Bowie-less clip for “Real Cool World“, which instead cobbled together clips from the “Cool World“ film), and so the set concludes, slightly low key, with “Survive”. The decision to use TV shows second time around helps to fill in the gaps we had on “TVC” with the 70s stuff, as an example you get “Young Americans” here from the Dick Cavett show in late 74. Anybody who wants to see more of the same appearance will be advised to hunt down the 2007 reissue of “<b>Young Americans</b>”, which includes a DVD of Dave doing “1984” as well (<b>EMI 0946 369 50921</b>) or the “Dick Cavett Rock Icons“ DVD.
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There are various easter egg bonuses - I am useless at doing these, but the Discogs page lists them somewhere. These give you extra alternate videos, but it does NOT give you the missing clips for, say, the original “Under Pressure” or “The Drowned Girl”. We shall come to that in a bit. As mentioned earlier, after Bowie went into hiding after “Reality”, Parlophone started to reissue material from the past. “<b>Best Of Bowie</b>” got a 2007 reissue, mainly a move to turn the original gatefold sleeved issue into a standard jewel case release, and this happens to be my copy (<b>Parlophone 0946 3897 1191</b>).
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Slight rewind again. In 2003, Bowie launched the “Reality” album with the glorious 45 “<b>New Killer Star</b>”. With the DVD now successfully installed as the home video format of choice, Iso issued the single in the UK as a DVD Single only - no vinyl, no CD formats, and certainly no cassette release (<b>Iso 674275 9</b>). It included the promo clip and the EPK for the LP, along with an audio only version of “Love Missile F1-11”. “<b>Reality</b>” itself was also subjected to a DVD release when a late 2003 reissue of the LP saw a change in sleeve, change in bonus tracks, and the inclusion of a free DVD featuring Bowie performing the album in full (<b>Iso 512555 3</b>). This is an especially interesting release as a number of these songs simply didn’t feature on the tour that followed.
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That tour was documented by the accurately titled “<b>A Reality Tour</b>”, filmed in 2003 and released the following year. After years of being wary of playing too many old hits, Bowie had by now settled on a setlist that mixed new songs, rarities (“Battle For Britain“, “Fantastic Voyage“) and crowd pleasing faves (“Hang Onto Yourself“ and “Ziggy“ closed the show). In 2008, it was one of several music videos that were reissued as part of a “Visual Milestones - On Stage” series, with each release using similar artwork designs, and this version may be of more interest as it thus uses a quite different looking sleeve to the audio edition that you might already own (<b>Columbia 88697 278019</b>).
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By 2007, and Bowie had gone into hiding. EMI meanwhile were continuing to mine the back catalogue and since the late 90s, had been issuing a series of quite baffling best of releases, featuring what I can only refer to as having “eclectic” track listings, each covering a specific period of his career. In 2005, a 3 disc set called “The Platinum Collection” was issued which included the two discs released so far, and a third disc of stuff from the eighties. For continuity reasons, EMI decided to issue this disc in it’s own right in 07 as “<b>The Best Of Bowie 1980/1987</b>” (<b>EMI 0946 3864782 9</b>).
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The CD itself is, of course, an awkward one. A mix of brilliant “Scary Monsters” material mashed up with some of the less exotic fluff that followed. Same goes, I guess, for the DVD. But as I once said before, Bowie’s 45s from this period are overall, not too bad, and this disc is thus a decent watch. It runs in chronological order, from “Ashes To Ashes” to “Time Will Crawl” (so no “Never Let Me Down”, apparently because it was never officially released at the time, and indeed a few other clips from “Best Of Bowie” are also missing). But it does include (the original) “Under Pressure”, included on various Queen best of collections over the years, but until now absent from any Bowie ones, either because it was available on the Queen sets or perhaps the absence of both Dave and Queen from the clip itself meant that the record label thought nobody would be interested in it. You also get “When The Wind Blows” and, from the “Baal” EP, “The Drowned Girl”, filmed at the same time as “Wild Is The Wind” and thus included here instead of that. Despite being issued as a single in 1982, “<b>Peace On Earth</b>” is also missing, I guess, because it really dates from 1977. But you can get hold of the clip officially, courtesy of a 1999 US CD Single which has the video of Bowie and Bing crooning away on Bing’s Christmas show on the enhanced CD-Rom element of the disc (<b>Oglio OGL 85001-2</b>).
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As mentioned in an earlier blog, the expanded version of “<b>The Next Day</b>” at the tail end of 2013 came as a triple disc release, including a DVD of the four music videos made for the album by that point (<b>Iso 88883 787812</b>) - namely “Where Are We Now?”, “The Stars Are Out Tonight“, “The Next Day“ and “Valentines Day“. A video was made for “Love Is Lost” more or less at the same time this edition of the album was being released which meant that, unlike the “Black Tie” VHS, the “Next Day” DVD is a nice, but ultimately, incomplete item. Think of it as a Video EP, rather than any sort of box-ticking exercise.
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And for now, that’s it I think. I was convinced Bowie’s 1978 “Musikladen” show was given an official (but unauthorised) release in the 90s, but I can’t find anything other than bootleg looking releases. Get in touch or add a comment below if you can help. There are promo clips still missing in action (“Slowburn” was apparently exhumed from the vaults years after it had been filmed) and there are of course the now famous clips from the “Blackstar” album, so maybe we will get another updated “Best Of Bowie” at some point. Not that I want to encourage the record companies to extract some more cash from me but it would make sense to somehow tie up these loose ends at some point.
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Next Bowie blog the month after next.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-12673376422341622252016-08-11T02:35:00.003-07:002016-08-11T03:13:51.754-07:00Tubeway Army<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Despite the fact that the sound of Gary Numan’s debut solo LP was drawn from totally different influences than that of the first Tubeway Army album, you won’t find too many people who like one act and not the other. Indeed, as soon as Numan started touring as a solo artist, large numbers of old Tubeway Army songs were installed into the set, as Numan knew they would be crowd pleasers. And to this day, still are.
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But it makes sense to look at his former band in isolation, simply because Numan’s own solo career has run on for years, with a back catalogue that is both lengthy and at times, quite complex. It probably needs covering in multiple blogs. So before we even think about going there, it makes sense to look at the band Numan was in beforehand.
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Gary Webb had emerged during the punk scene of 76, and hooked up with bass player Paul Gardiner in a band called The Lasers, before the pair decided to form their own band. Recruiting a relative of his to be their drummer, Jess Lidyard, the trio formed Tubeway Army in 1977. A demo tape was recorded deliberately in the punk rock vein, as Numan later explained, to garner interest from record labels, and the band were dutifully signed to indie label Beggars Banquet. The band had an interest in science fiction, and each of the band members were initially referred to by single, almost “alien” type names - Webb was credited as “Valerian”.
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The band’s first single was “That’s Too Bad”, backed with “Oh! Didn’t I Say”, both songs being given equal billing on the front cover. By all accounts, the single was issued in relatively small numbers, with just 4000 copies pressed, a combination of both the then obscure status of Beggars and the band themselves being virtually unknown. By the time the single was released, Lidyard had been temporarily replaced by Bob Simmonds, and the photo of the band used on the back cover featured the new line up instead of the line up that actually featured on the record itself.
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When the band went into the studio to record a second single, the personnel had changed again, and “Bombers” featured the new 4-man line up of the band on it’s cover, although Webb’s image was far more prominent than those of his fellow band members. Although “Bombers” was still very much a guitar based track, it had a slightly more mainstream sound than it’s punky predecessor, which may well explain why it slotted into Numan’s solo setlists in the early 80s where it was performed in his, by-then, trademark synth style.
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In late 1978, the band issued their self titled debut LP. The lineup had reverted back to the original trio, with Lidyard back in the group. Beggars only pressed 5000 copies of the album - again, seemingly because it was felt there was no demand for any more, and I guess the label might have gone under had they tried to press too many copies. It came in a sleeve which, you might think, looks like the sort of dodgy looking cover you’d expect to see on a budget compilation release, with a slightly tacky band logo filling up the entire front image - made all the more surprising when you realise that the superior and more common sleeve it gained when it was reissued was not the original cover, you’d have expected it to have been the other way round. All 5000 copies were pressed on blue vinyl. After the band found fame in 1979, Beggars reissued it in the new, far more stylish sleeve - a monochrome cover with a portrait of Numan on the cover, and a new, “professional” looking band logo printed at the top.
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Although the album is still often thought of as being more aligned to their punk roots, the legend goes that some of the more electronic numbers on the album came about after Numan found a Minimoog synth lying about in the recording studio, and had a bit of a play on it. This would have something of a minor influence on the debut LP, but it was only really after the release of that album that Numan, who by now had dropped the Valerian moniker (after the release of “Bombers”), began to really push the band in a synth based direction, having been completely fascinated by the sounds he thought he could produce on it.
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Seemingly also determined to move away from the band’s punk beginnings after being unhappy at the violence that sometimes erupted at punk gigs, Numan more or less reinvented the band overnight. In March 1979, the band issued their third single, the dark, brooding, electro pop of “Down In The Park”, an absolute age away from the rudimentary three chord thrash of the debut 45. On the front cover of the 7” was a new look Numan, dressed all in black whilst staring forlornly out of a room lit by a single light bulb and a lamp. It seemed to conjure up an air of isolation, the short blond hair adding to the almost robotic vision that Numan seemed to project. On the back, a close up of his eye, complete with Bowie-esque make up and eyeliner, and a pupil that looked quite space age. There was also a now rare 12” issued, with an extra bonus track and housed in a completely different sleeve. Some copies underwent an accident in the pressing plant, and produced a bizarre concoction which mixed up the image with that of a Leif Garrett album sleeve. The bonus track on the 12” was an alternate version of a song called “I Nearly Married A Human”, the original version of which was due to be featured on the band’s second LP. The title itself suggests a further fascination with the alien concept.
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“Down In The Park” sold in meagre numbers again, although it would later become an almost permanent feature of Numan shows. It was the lead 45 from the band’s second LP, “Replicas”. The front cover used the same exact image as the 7" single, and even the rear cover of that 7” appeared on the back of the album - Beggars must have been too skint to take any more photos! But this time around, things were about to change.
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After the album’s release, notable for featuring no photos of any of the band other than Numan, the second song from the LP was issued as a single. “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” catapulted the band into the mainstream. With a sleeve depicting another alien-like image of Numan, the song itself concerned the themes of isolation and loneliness, and seemed to place Numan in a strange world where robots were his best companions, and not humans (“but are 'friends' electric? Mine’s broke down”). You can, perhaps, read into this the fact that Numan was many years later diagnosed as having a mild form of Asperger’s Syndrome. He admitted in 2001 “polite conversation has never been one of my strong points...I have trouble interacting with people”. For anybody who, in 1979, felt as though they couldn’t relate to the world they lived in, then Numan must have made complete and utter sense.
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Helped, most likely, by a 7” picture disc pressing that used the same photo as that featured on the sleeve of the black vinyl edition, “Friends” hit the number 1 spot, making Tubeway Army one of the more unlikely chart pop acts of the decade. Sales of “Replicas” started to pick up, and by July, it too had topped the charts. It is an undisputed classic, it’s synthetic electronic stylings predating the likes of Depeche Mode and Soft Cell, and getting the balance between mainstream pop and futuristic synth sounds just right.
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For reasons that I have never fully understood, Numan decided to go one stage further. Having removed any traces of his bandmates from the artwork of “Replicas”, he now presented himself as a solo artist, and by the end of the year, had released his debut solo album “The Pleasure Principle”, which continued the alien/robot like image, and the electronic, Kraftwerk-esque sound. The idea of abandoning your band the minute they had had a hit record might have seemed odd, but it worked. His debut solo 45 “Cars” became an enormous hit just weeks after “Are 'Friends' Electric?” had hit the charts.
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Numan later found himself being invited to perform both songs on the Christmas edition of “Top Of The Pops”. The result? The same backing band who appeared with Numan as Tubeway Army doing “Friends” were the same backing band backing a solo Numan when he came to do “Cars”. No wonder in later years, the two “artists” got lumped together.
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As “Cars” went to the top of the chart in the UK, Beggars began to cash in - unsurprisingly - on the man who was now their new star signing. The first Tubeway Army singles were reissued as a double pack 7” in August 79, some copies using the original “That’s Too Bad” cover on the front, whilst others used the photo of the band that had appeared on the rear of the “Bombers” 45. Both variants were housed in a gatefold sleeve, and whichever one you bought, the front and rear covers of both singles were featured in the artwork somewhere. There was also the aforementioned reissue of the debut LP, issued second time around on Cassette as well as Vinyl, and pressed in considerably larger numbers.
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As early as 1983, Numan’s newfound pop star status was being used to try and drum up interest in his old band. Reissues of the “Tubeway Army” album on EMI’s Fame imprint were rather tackily credited to “Tubeway Army featuring Gary Numan” - later reissues of both this and “Replicas” were similarly credited in this way. Expanded reissues of both albums were conducted in 1998/99, with the “Tubeway Army” name now correctly reinstated. The debut album appeared as a double CD set, with a live concert on disc 2, whilst “Replicas” was a single disc job, adding some outtakes from the album sessions along with the B-sides of “Are 'Friends' Electric?“ (“We Are So Fragile“) and the “Down In The Park” 12“ (“Do You Need The Service?” and “I Nearly Married A Human 2”). In 2008, the album was reissued again as a double disc release, credited to “Gary Numan + Tubeway Army”, and dubbed “Replicas Redux”. The three B-sides appeared on disc 1 with the original 10 track album, whilst disc 2 included an “alternate” version of the LP. The outtakes from the 1999 reissue were included second time around as well. To coincide with this reissue, a 7” picture disc was issued, a double A-side release of “Are 'Friends' Electric?” and “Down In The Park”.
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Tubeway Army material continued to appear long after the band had ceased to exist. The demos that were recorded for Beggars were eventually issued on a 1984 album called “The Plan”, later reissued in expanded form on CD to include further outtakes along with the five tracks from the first two 45’s. And you will be hard pushed to find a Numan “best of” that doesn’t cover the Tubeway Army years. A 1987 reissue of “Cars”, remixed and dubbed the “E Reg Model” version, included the original “Are 'Friends' Electric?” as a B-side - credited simply to Numan, with no mention of the Tubeway Army name at all. Trying to detail these oddities isn’t easy, but future articles on Numan’s solo career that I hope to do will obviously identify the occasions when this happened. It is worth mentioning that many of the former members of the band during it’s final months later formed a group called Dramatis, who then backed Numan on a 1981 solo single called “Love Needs No Disguise”, which they included on their first LP. When the album later got reissued, the entire record was recredited - cheekily - to “Tubeway Army Featuring Gary Numan”. Probably one for completists only.
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Anybody specifically hoping for a Tubeway Army reunion will be unlucky. Aside from the fact that “Replicas” was the subject of a Numan solo tour when the “Redux” release took place, the only other permanent member of the band other than Numan, was co-founding member Paul Gardiner, who died of a drugs overdose in 1984.
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<b>Discography</b>
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Now, anybody starting from scratch will only need a handful of releases to tick the boxes - the expanded debut album from 98, the “Redux” version of “Replicas”, the expanded “The Plan” and then one copy of each single. But to try and show you some of the other oddities that appeared, I have listed selected releases aside from these where the artwork or the band credits differ. There are more variants than listed below, but for anybody with money to burn, these are the most interesting ones. The 45s list is a fairly complete list, as the album reissues in the 90s took into account all the flipsides, so it almost doesn’t matter what version of “Are 'Friends' Electric?” you buy, you won’t be losing out in any way.
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<b>SELECTED ALBUMS</b>
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<b>Tubeway Army</b> (1978, Blue Vinyl LP, Beggars Banquet BEGA 4)<br />
<b>Tubeway Army</b> (1983, LP, Fame FA 3060, “Numan” sleeve credited to “Tubeway Army Featuring Gary Numan”)<br />
<b>Tubeway Army</b> (1983, Cassette, Fame TC-FA 3060, “Numan” sleeve credited to “Tubeway Army Featuring Gary Numan”)<br />
<b>Tubeway Army</b> (1988, LP, Beggars Banquet BBL 4, “Numan” sleeve credited to “Tubeway Army Featuring Gary Numan”)<br />
<b>Tubeway Army</b> (1988, Cassette, Beggars Banquet BBLC 4, “Numan” sleeve credited to “Tubeway Army Featuring Gary Numan”)<br />
<b>Tubeway Army</b> (1998, 2 x CD, Beggars Banquet BBL 4 CD, “Numan” sleeve, expanded edition)<br />
<b>Tubeway Army</b> (2010, Blue Vinyl LP, Vinyl 180 VIN180 LP026)
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<b>Replicas</b> (1979, LP, Beggars Banquet BEGA 7)<br />
<b>Replicas</b> (1979, Cassette, Beggars Banquet BEGC 7)<br />
<b>Replicas</b> (1988, LP, Beggars Banquet BBL 7, credited to “Gary Numan + Tubeway Army“)<br />
<b>Replicas</b> (1988, Cassette, Beggars Banquet BBLC 7)<br />
<b>Replicas</b> (1995, Cassette, Music Club MUSMC 509, altered p/s without light bulb)<br />
<b>Replicas</b> (1995, CD, Music Club MUSCD 509, altered p/s without light bulb)<br />
<b>Replicas</b> (1998, CD, Beggars Banquet, BBL 7 CD, expanded edition)<br />
<b>Replicas Redux</b> (2008, 2 x CD, Beggars Banquet BBQCD 2057, credited to “Gary Numan + Tubeway Army”, mail order copies include bonus CD with extra alternate mixes [GNCD 2008])
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<b>2 Original Albums On 1 Cassette</b> (1982, Cassette, Beggars Banquet BEGD 1, credited to “Gary Numan And Tubeway Army”, with “Replicas” on side 1 and “The Pleasure Principle” on side 2)
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<b>The Plan</b> (1984, LP, Beggars Banquet BEGA 55)<br />
<b>The Plan</b> (1984, Picture Disc LP, Beggars Banquet BEGA 55 P)<br />
<b>The Plan</b> (1984, Cassette, Beggars Banquet BEGC 55)<br />
<b>The Plan</b> (1988, LP, Beggars Banquet BBL 55)<br />
<b>The Plan</b> (1988, Cassette, Beggars Banquet BBLC 55)<br />
<b>The Plan</b> (1999, CD, Beggars Banquet BBL 55 CD, expanded edition in new sleeve)
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<b>Replicas / The Plan</b> (1987, CD, Beggars Banquet BEGA 7 CD)<br />
<b>Replicas / The Plan</b> (1993, 2 x CD, Beggars Banquet BEG 152 CD, expanded editions of both albums, although “The Plan“ is missing 2 tracks when compared to 1999 edition)<br />
<b>Tubeway Army / Dance</b> (1993, 2 x CD, Beggars Banquet BEG 151 CD, includes bonus tracks)
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<b>SINGLES</b>
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<b>That’s Too Bad/Oh! Didn’t I Say</b> (1978, 7”, Beggars Banquet BEG 5)<br />
<b>Bombers/Blue Eyes/O.D. Receiver</b> (1978, 7”, Beggars Banquet, BEG 8)<br />
<b>Down In The Park/Do You Need The Service</b> (1979, 7”, Beggars Banquet BEG 17)<br />
<b>Down In The Park/Do You Need The Service/I Nearly Married A Human 2</b> (1979, 12”, Beggars Banquet BEG 17T, unique p/s)<br />
<b>Are 'Friends' Electric?/We Are So Fragile</b> (1979, 7”, Beggars Banquet BEG 18)<br />
<b>Are 'Friends' Electric?/We Are So Fragile</b> (1979, 7” Picture Disc, Beggars Banquet BEG 18P, in clear sleeve with backing insert)<br />
<b>That’s Too Bad/Oh! Didn’t I Say/Bombers/Blue Eyes/O.D. Receiver</b> (1979, 2 x 7”, Beggars Banquet BACK 2, some copies issued as 4 track releases without final track)<br />
<b>Are 'Friends' Electric?/Down In The Park</b> (1981, AA-side Cassette, Beggars Banquet SPC 4, unique p/s)<br />
<b>The Peel Sessions EP: Me! I Disconnect From You (BBC Version)/Down In The Park (BBC Version)/I Nearly Married A Human (BBC Version)</b> (1987, 12”, Strange Fruit SFPS 032)<br />
<b>Are 'Friends' Electric?/I Die You Die</b> (1990, 7”, Old Gold OG 9917)<br />
<b>Are 'Friends' Electric?/Down In The Park</b> (2008, AA-side 7” Picture Disc, Beggars Banquet GNS 2008)
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Note: there are also a pair of boxsets issued by Vinyl 180 in 2010 - one houses “The Plan” along with the first album, and the other includes all three plus “The Pleasure Principle”. They were both pressed in very limited numbers, so may be quite hard to find.
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Note 2: in 85, Beggars issued what seemed to be a Cassette only release credited to “Gary Numan” in big letters, with the words “Tubeway Army” in smaller lettering beneath (<b>BEGC 7879</b>). In addition to this, they released three singles dealing with Tubeway Army material, but all were also heavily credited to Numan as a solo artist. Only the first (<b>BEG 92E</b>) even bothered to mention the band name on the labels at all, with a curious credit stating “Gary Numan Tubeway Army 1978”. We shall list these in any future Numan solo articles in greater detail because of these quirks. I have also avoided any hits compilations that mix Numan solo material with Tubeway Army material, as these will also make more sense to include in a Numan solo article as they usually weigh heavily towards the solo stuff.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-17272202242511495002016-07-10T06:37:00.000-07:002016-07-10T09:02:51.347-07:00Bowie Live Part 1: Before Tin Machine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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When Bowie passed away, various experts came out of the woodwork to talk about how he was more than just a great singer, but also a great actor, a great painter, and also, a supreme stage performer. But in all honesty, Bowie was never a regular touring act, spending several periods of his career in a state of gig-less inactivity. There were no tours during the late 70s or early 80s, whilst live performances between 1991 and early 1995 were virtually non existent.
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In addition to this, there were some tours that were nothing more than trawls around the festival circuit (2002’s “Heathen” shows), and other tours where getting tickets was a bit of a lottery as Bowie hit the clubs instead of the arenas (1997’s shows in support of “Earthling”). Technically, the only ’proper’ tour Bowie did after the shows for 1995’s “Outside” were the “Reality” shows in 2003/2004 - which turned out to be his last.
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As such, the gaps between one tour and the next means that looking at Bowie’s gig life, post-”Space Oddity”, is not quite as daunting as you might think. This was not a man who played shows every year, unlike Dylan has post-1987. So I thought it would be fun to look at Bowie’s tours from the “Ziggy” days onwards, looking at what was officially released from each, and when. The early years haven’t really spawned anything official at all, the best you will get is the “In Concert” stuff on the “Bowie At The Beeb” album, so we are looking here at what happened after Arnold Corns had been abandoned, and “Hunky Dory” had started to prick up people’s ears. This is part 1, looking at the period from 1972 to 1988. There are a few releases in here not previously documented on earlier Bowie blogs I have done, so it’s not completely pointless, but I hope you enjoy it. Part 2, from 1995 to 2004 will appear early next year I think.
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<b>1972 - 1973</b>
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The Ziggy Stardust tour was, in reality, a series of smaller tours sort of “clumped” together, but were all presented as a showcase for Ziggy and the Spiders From Mars. The first handful of shows were now legendary, under attended, gigs in Aylesbury and at the Toby Jug pub in London, but by the time “Aladdin Sane” was out, Bowie was able to fill venues like Earls Court. For some years, there were no official releases of any of these shows, and by the time they finally did start to appear, they sort of appeared in ‘reverse’ chronological order.
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In 1979, a film documenting the final gig of the tour, the now famous (second) show at Hammersmith Odeon on 3rd July 1973, was released, and generally became known as “Ziggy Stardust”. It had been filmed by D A Pennebaker, who had been asked to film about 20 minutes worth of footage on RCA’s behalf, but after seeing the previous night’s show, Pennebaker was so impressed, he decided to film it all. The film was, for the most part, a fully fledged document of the show, interspersed with bits of backstage footage, and some great “pre gig” scenes filmed outside the venue of the fans, which captured the whole Ziggy phenomenon. RCA also recorded the entire show, ostensibly because it was the last gig of that part of the tour, although it sometimes seems a bit of a coincidence that it would turn out to be the show during which Bowie killed Ziggy - Pennebaker has, in one interview, claimed that he was approached by RCA specifically because they thought ‘it might be the last show he will play’.
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Eventually, Pennebaker’s film was given a proper theatrical release, and emerged in 1983, before making it onto home video soon after. RCA decided to issue a “soundtrack” album to coincide with the cinema release. Bowie, having moved away from music in the early 80s to concentrate more on his acting career, thus incurred the wrath of RCA who decided to fill the market with Bowie product whenever things went quiet. By 1981, Bowie was so convinced that RCA would dig the tapes out of the archives, that he made the decision to try and produce a decent sounding mix of the show himself with help from long time producer Tony Visconti. <b>“Ziggy Stardust The Motion Picture”</b> was thus issued, initially on LP and Cassette, in October 83, although it was later given a (now deleted) CD release <b>(EMI CDEMD 1037)</b> in 1992.
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Neither the film nor the LP featured the full gig - the encore had included performances of “Jean Genie” and “Round And Round”, with Jeff Beck guesting on guitar - and even though these songs were shown in an hour long US TV special which documented the show in 1974 (available on Youtube), Beck refused to allow for either the LP or movie to include these songs when the “official“ release was being put together. Restrictions due to the logistics of vinyl saw “Changes” moved towards the end of the record, appearing at the start of side 4, whilst “Width Of A Circle” was heavily edited. “Cracked Actor” was actually longer than the version in the film, as Pennebaker declined to show the intro to the song in the movie.
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In 2003, a 30th anniversary reissue was conducted. Not only did the film reappear on DVD in remixed form, but so did the soundtrack. The running order was revamped so that the songs appeared in the same order as the film, whilst “Width Of A Circle” was included in unedited form - with a running time some five minutes longer than the 1983 version. According to my notes, the version in the film is still slightly edited, but I could be wrong. The Beck tracks were still missing. The 2003 version was slightly retitled, appearing as <b>“Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars - The Motion Picture Soundtrack”</b>, and appeared on both CD and Double Red Vinyl <b>(EMI ZIGGYRIP 3773)</b>. 2014’s <b>“Five Years”</b> boxset includes not only albums originally issued in the 1969-1973 period, but live albums taped during the same time frame. The box thus includes the 2003 version of the LP. The box has been issued on both vinyl and a slightly more affordable CD set <b>(Parlophone DBXL 1)</b>, and the LP itself is now available as a stand alone vinyl release for about £20.
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Some of the songs have appeared on other occasions. <b>“White Light White Heat”</b> was issued as a 7” by RCA to promote the album <b>(RCA 372)</b>, with the live version of “Cracked Actor” on the b-side, using the same front cover image as that on the album. The 1989 “Sound + Vision” boxset (technically only ever available in the UK on import) included three songs from the album - “Ziggy Stardust”, “White Light” and “Rock N Roll Suicide”, the latter minus it’s ’farewell speech’ ending. This track got yet another lease of life in 2014, when it appeared on the flip of a Record Store Day 7” picture disc reissue of the studio mix of <b>“Rock N Roll Suicide“</b> itself <b>(Parlophone DBROCK 40)</b>.
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It was the CD edition of the <b>“Sound + Vision”</b> box which also provided the next bundle of official recordings from the Ziggy tour. The boxset came with a bonus disc, which included three previously unissued live recordings of “John I’m Only Dancing”, “Changes” and “The Supermen”, all taped at a show at Boston Music Hall on 1st October 1972 <b>(Rykodisc RCS 90120)</b>. In 2003, an expanded 2-CD 30th anniversary edition of <b>“Aladdin Sane”</b> included all three tracks on the second disc of the package (in a different order) along with a previously unheard take of “Life On Mars” from the same show <b>(EMI 583 0122)</b>. Then, in 2013, a 40th anniversary picture disc reissue of the <b>“Life On Mars”</b> 7” was issued, which included the live version of “Mars” from the Boston gig again on the flip <b>(Parlophone DBMARS 40)</b>. So, four tracks, and a multitude of ways to get them. The “Aladdin Sane” reissue is probably the easiest approach.
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The 2 disc “Aladdin Sane” also included two other live recordings from the tour. There was a “lo fi” recording of “Drive In Saturday” from the Cleveland Public Auditorium, taped on 25th November 1972. It must have been lifted straight from an audience recording, but no other songs from the same show have appeared officially yet. And there was also a recording of “Jean Genie” from the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on 20th October 1972.
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The Santa Monica gig had done the rounds on bootleg for years, having been originally taped for US radio. In 1994, Bowie’s former management company, Mainman, re-emerged with a new label entitled Golden Years. They would release three Bowie related releases over the next couple of years, all of which were issued without Bowie’s consent. <b>“Santa Monica 72” (Golden Years GY 002)</b> was the first such release, a good quality reissue of the full gig, complete with DJ introductions. The UK release looked good, and came with a free reproduction of the original ticket, although some of the overseas releases look more like bootlegs. The Mainman pressing eventually went out of print, and Bowie issued an official release in 2008, slightly retitled “Live Santa Monica 72”, which was more or less the same as the 1994 version. Of interest is that the front cover, whilst different from the Mainman one, includes as part of it’s artwork, a reprint of the ticket (again). It was almost as if Bowie and his team acknowledged the importance of the original release, and were simply retooling it to meet their own approval. The “Five Years” boxset includes this version of the album.
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Several of the Santa Monica songs resurfaced on other Mainman releases. Aside from a slightly pointless reappearance for “Ziggy” on the next Golden Years Bowie release, 1995’s “RarestOneBowie” - more on this one in a bit - three tracks from the gig turned up on a CD EP at the same time, the first time <b>“Ziggy Stardust”</b> had appeared as a UK single <b>(Golden Years GYCDS 002)</b>. The extra tracks were “Waiting For The Man” and “Jean Genie”. Meanwhile, the newspaper freebie album <b>“iSelect” (EMI UPDB 001)</b>, a joint release between EMI and the Mail On Sunday, included “Hang On To Yourself”, as part of an attempt to promote the reissued 2008 version.
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As for <b>“RarestOneBowie” (Golden Years GY 014)</b>, this hotch potch of odds and sods also included other recordings from the Ziggy tour which, again, remain the only ‘official’ releases from these shows. The final two tracks on the album were a version of “My Death” taped at New York’s Carnegie Hall on 28.9.1972, and the album concluded with another lo-fi recording, “I Feel Free”, from the Kingston Polytechnic on 6.5.1972. Bowie had finally recorded a studio version of the track for 1993’s “Black Tie White Noise”, and it was obvious that this live version had again been snaffled from a bootleg, and included for it’s historical importance.
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<b>1974</b>
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Bowie’s 1974 tour of America, often referred to somewhat generically as the “Diamond Dogs” tour, not only showed that Bowie was far from being ’retired’, but was a showcase of his new love of soul music. It has been claimed by some that this was the tour in which Bowie changed musical direction halfway through, but this is not strictly true. Yes, the final leg of the tour was dubbed “The Soul Tour”, which boasted a new stage lineup, altered setlist and simplified stage production, but even before the “Diamond Dogs” album had been completed, the first strains of Bowie’s “Plastic Soul” period were already in situ. Just watch the late ‘73 “1980 Floor Show”, a US TV special filmed - strangely - in London, where the likes of “1984” were given their first airing, and you can hear that the seeds were already being sown.
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Bowie’s management had been lining up a US tour for the fall of 1973 after the Hammersmith shows, but the killing of Ziggy put a kibosh on that idea. That may or may not explain why “Diamond Dogs” was only promoted on the other side of the Atlantic - what is known is that at first, the tour was designed as a big, theatrical extravaganza, which would have made it difficult, logistically and financially, to cart around the globe. Seen as one of the earliest examples of the modern day ’stadium rock’ spectacle, the stage design saw Bowie inhabiting a place known as “Hunger City” - an idea floated early on was that the show would play for multiple nights in each city, thus giving the “Hunger City” backdrop a sort of home for the week, but this idea was never followed through. In certain cities, Bowie did play what were almost mini residencies, presumably due to healthy ticket sales, and this did at least give the road crew a rest, as the elaborate stage design reportedly took 36 hours to build.
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As expected, the new album featured heavily in the setlists - but from day one, the “Plastic Soul” vibe was evident. “Rebel Rebel”, a glam, Ziggy-esque stomper on the LP, was retooled as a loose, funky, sax driven groove. It would take years before Bowie would ever get round to playing a version that sounded relatively faithful to the original. Songs from the Ziggy era remained in place, with the Hammersmith closer “Rock N Roll Suicide” routinely used to close the shows, but by now, had been redesigned as a slow and swaying piece of minimalist R&B, as opposed to the anthemic, rocking, call to arms it had been on the “Ziggy” tour.
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Bowie used the tour to try out new material, including performances of a revamped “John I’m Only Dancing” and “It’s Gonna Be Me”, neither of which made it onto the next record. But by the time the tour had been rechristened for it’s final leg, songs from the forthcoming “Young Americans” album were being performed on stage, Bowie quite possibly having decided by this point exactly what was going to appear on the LP, and what was being put into the archives.
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Bowie played in Philadelphia during both the first and third sections of the tour, and first time around, played six shows at the Tower Theater on the edge of the city. By all accounts, all of the shows were recorded for what would be Bowie’s first live album, the late 1974 release “David Live”. Initial copies in some countries cited that the album had been recorded over two nights, but with the wrong dates shown (Bowie had left Philadelphia before the first show was alleged to have occurred), and later editions listed two alternate dates, which did actually match the dates of gigs Bowie played there. But experts have stated that the album features material from at least three of the shows.
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It was issued as a double album, and as such, was a reasonable document of a typical gig. Space constraints prevented every song that the band played on those nights from being included, but there was space for Bowie’s cover of <b>“Knock On Wood”</b>, which was issued as a 7” single to help promote the album. On the flipside was an outtake from the “David Live” tapes, a magnificently trumped up recording of “Panic In Detroit”, taking the one time Bo Diddley shuffle of a tune, and reinventing it as a piece of epic, thrilling, funk <b>(RCA 2466)</b>.
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“David Live” had it’s detractors. Be it the ghostly looking Bowie on the cover, or the ‘stilted’ performances, some critics had the knives out. But I have always thought it was a fascinating, and dare I say it, IMPORTANT album - rather than offer up facsimile versions of the studio recordings, Bowie here offered up an album of well known material, but presented it entirely in a form you wouldn’t have heard it in before. Not even The Beatles ever did that. It’s one of my favourite live albums ever.
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In the late 70s, long before albums were pressed in the EU and then distributed across the whole of the European Union (that might be over post-Brexit), most countries had their own pressing plants, and this would result in selected European nations issuing albums for distribution exclusively within that country. And so, an edited highlights version of the album surfaced as “Rock Concert” in certain overseas locations. Dismissed as pointless by some, I think it is an essential release. Mainly because there are some unique mixes on it. Bowie and his band would often finish one song and race straight into another, but the “RC” album simply picks whatever it fancied, meaning that you get to hear the opening strains of the next song in the show just as that particular tracks fades out. Well, you might not be excited by that at all, but I love it for that reason. I know - you could just get the same effect by turning the volume down in the right places whilst playing your normal “David Live”. In 1982, this ’shortened’ album was reissued on LP in Holland as <b>“At The Tower Philadelphia” (RCA PL 42993)</b>, which used a healthy looking image of Bowie on stage on the cover. They did this by using a picture from the 1978 tour. Still, I was thrilled when I bought this album as a kid, and still cherish it to this day. I was always intrigued as to why no effort was made to put either Bowie’s name nor the album title on the front cover though.
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In 1990, as part of the EMI/Rykodisc reissue campaign, “David Live” got the expanded reissue treatment. For some reason, there was no place for the live “Panic In Detroit”. It had had a few second leases of life, appearing on the <b>“Bowie Rare”</b> LP in 1982 <b>(RCA PL 45406)</b>, and on the B-side of the RCA Lifetimes picture sleeved 7” reissue of <b>“Knock On Wood”</b> the following year <b>(RCA BOW 505)</b>, but not this time around. The expanded <b>“David Live”</b> was issued on vinyl, tape and CD <b>(EMI CDDBLD 1)</b> with previously unheard versions of “Time” and The Ohio Players’ “Here Today Gone Tomorrow” (thus providing you with further evidence that Bowie had already ‘gone soul’ long before the third leg of the tour). They were added at the end of the album, so you could sort of pretend they were the encores, but both would normally be performed midway through the show.
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There are other releases of note. In 2005, “David Live” was reissued again <b>(EMI 311 2482)</b>. This time around, the two bonus tracks were moved to their correct place in the running order, and “Panic In Detroit” was also restored. This left one song that had been played at the Philly gigs missing, “Space Oddity” - and so this too was included in the reissue. The whole gig was remixed to boot. Meanwhile, the title track of the <b>“Young Americans”</b> album was issued as a 7” in 1975, which included the live version of “Suffragette City” from the “DL” album on the flip <b>(RCA 2523)</b>. There was also a Lifetimes reissue of this single as well in 83 <b>(RCA BOW 506)</b>. The 40th anniversary picture disc reissue series has also seen mixes from the 2005 version appear on vinyl for the first time, with the reissue of <b>“Diamond Dogs”</b> including the live take of the same song from the LP on the flip <b>(Parlophone DBDOGS 40)</b>, whilst the 2014 reissue of <b>“Knock On Wood”</b> was issued as a AA with the live recording of <b>“Rock N Roll With Me” (Parlophone DBKOW 40)</b>. The <b>“Sound + Vision”</b> box included three selections from the album, namely “Suffragette City”, “Watch That Man” and “Cracked Actor”. An expanded 4-CD version of the boxset issued in 2003 was the first ‘official’ release in the UK for the set, and is now available in a more compact edition, courtesy of a charming 2014 reissue <b>(Parlophone DBSAVX 1)</b>.
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Any other recordings you might hear from the tour are boots. There is, in Australia, a release called “A Portrait in Flesh” which has been described by some as being semi-legal, as some state it’s source is from a radio broadcast, where copyright issues outside of the US for such releases can get quite “fuzzy“. More later. Taped at the Los Angeles Universal Ampitheatre, it has done the rounds on bootlegs for years, if it was me, I would just try and locate “a” copy of it, rather than pay through the nose for a release that, despite having a barcode, is still considered by some as a bootleg, rather than a “RarestOneBowie” style unauthorised release. My version is on a 2-CD release called “Strange Fascination” from 1990, and it does the job just fine.
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<b>1976</b>
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Bowie’s 1976 tour, later named the “Isolar” tour after the moniker that appeared on the tour programme, remains one of Bowie’s most famous tours, and yet one of the least well documented in terms of audio material. From the surrealist imagery that appeared on film just before Bowie took to the stage, to the black and white lighting, and Bowie’s monochrome “Thin White Duke” stage character, the photos from the tour range from stylish to impossibly cool. And yet, only one live album officially exists - and even that is buried away as part of a boxset.
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The tour was to promote 1976’s sublime “Station To Station”, and four of the six songs from the album were regularly performed. Most recent single “Golden Years” was rumoured to have been played at least once, but no more. In some respects, just as the 1974 tour had kept chunks of “Ziggy” material, the 1976 tour was not too far removed from the “Diamond Dogs” one, with “Panic In Detroit” once again appearing as a reworked piece of funk, whilst the cover of “Waiting For The Man” was back in the set, and re-invented as a piece of soul music. The shows would open, as the LP did, with “Station” and there was still some “Ziggy” era songs floating about, with “Suffragette City” usually being played second, and “Jean Genie” providing the climax to the encore. After declining to tour the UK in 74, Bowie returned to his homeland, playing six nights at the Empire Pool in London in May 76. They were his only shows in Britain.
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Bowie once stated that he was disappointed that no official film was made, given that the shows had a very striking visual element - but footage of the gigs do exist in part, courtesy of at least one TV show, and parts of it were shown (in the background) during the lengthy rolling Sky News reports that were aired on the day of Bowie’s death. Rehearsal footage of complete songs also exist on Youtube.
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In 1991, the EMI/Rykodisc reissue of <b>“Station To Station”</b> added two live recordings from a gig that Bowie had played in New York at the Nassau Coliseum on 23rd March. I picked this up on a US Cassette copy, which used a ’cut down’ front cover <b>(Ryko RACS 0141-2)</b>, that differed not only to the vinyl and CD editions, but also slightly to the original UK tape edition as well. The two songs were both versions of songs from the original “STS” LP, “Word On A Wing” and “Stay”. In 1995, the “RarestOneBowie” set included a version of “Queen Bitch” from the same gig. Bowie had split from the Mainman management company in 1975, so it is interesting to see both a Bowie authorised release and an unauthorised one using the same gig as source material - achievable it seems because the recordings were conducted independently by RCA. The New York gig had been taped for broadcast on American radio, and had done the rounds as a bootleg for some time. Originally issued as “The Thin White Duke”, original bootlegs concluded with two songs Bowie performed on the Cher show in 1975.
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Eventually, the entire Nassau gig was released officially in 2010 as part of the “Station To Station” boxset. Aside from the Super Deluxe box I mentioned in my original Bowie blog(s) from the same year, the gig was available as well in a slightly more affordable triple-disc CD set <b>(EMI BOWSTSX 2010)</b>, which included the studio LP and the “LiveNassauColiseum’76” album in their own individual sleeves inside a clam shell box. “Panic In Detroit” was edited, I think, for space constraints - the Super Deluxe Edition included the Nassau gig on double vinyl as well as CD, so it would seem as though this mix was created in order to avoid groove cramming. Anybody wanting to hear the full, 10 minute long version, complete with unedited drum solo, will need to track down a bootleg. You was able to download it officially as well, at some point, but as you might know, downloading is not my forte. And that’s it for official releases.
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<b>1978</b>
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Bowie didn’t tour as a solo artist in 1977, the year of “Low” and “Heroes”, choosing instead to play keyboards as part of Iggy Pop’s band as he toured the Bowie produced “The Idiot”. But he did end up belatedly promoting these albums the following summer, on the “Isolar 2” tour.
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As mentioned, I think, on an earlier blog, it was rumoured that Bowie agreed to this tour to try and recover the “losses” he had incurred during the years when he was signed to the Mainman management group, where the financial deals he had signed up for were rumoured to have left him a bit skint. Even the title of the tour suggests that it was designed as a “second lap” of the original 1976 shows, with the stage design an extension of the original minimalist approach. However, in a now famous interview backstage with Janet Street Porter just before he took to the stage at one of the Earls Court gigs in June, he admitted that he was enjoying touring more, so even if he had agreed to the gigs as an attempt to gain some financial security, then at least he was now actually providing the audience with art that he had total involvement with. This was the polar opposite of what later happened in the 80s.
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Just as it had been in 76, Bowie launched the tour in North America, and a number of shows were recorded for a planned live album. The reasoning behind this was to try and counteract the rampant bootlegging that had occurred of the Nassau gig on the last tour. For the first time since 1973, Bowie conducted UK shows outside of London, with gigs in Newcastle, Stafford, Glasgow and the capital. Multiple shows were conducted in each location.
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Alongside songs that had (again) survived from the previous tour, including three of the four songs from “Station To Station” that had regularly been played in 76, Bowie played a number of the instrumental numbers that had appeared on “Low” and “Heroes”. On the likes of “Warszawa”, the performances were an almost note for note replication of the studio recordings, almost as if Bowie had brought the original synths with him onto the stage, creating versions that he later referred to as being ’ponderous’.
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No attempt was made to try and recreate the atmospheric guitar sounds that Robert Fripp had brought to the studio versions of “Heroes” or “Beauty And The Beast” - instead, Bowie employed a violinist on the tour, and several of the songs featured the instrument quite prominently, meaning several songs found themselves being slightly reworked on stage. I’ll be honest, I haven’t heard a single live take of “Heroes” that comes anywhere near to the avant garde beauty of the original. Bowie also, just for fun, decided to play a big chunk of the “Ziggy” album on stage, and all 11 songs were reportedly rehearsed with many, but not all, being performed at different points on the tour.
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Bowie would perform a big chunk of the ‘new’ material during the first half of the show, before hitting the audience with a 20 minute long bit of nostalgia by rattling through five or six “Ziggy” songs halfway through. The three “STS” tracks were usually used as the climax to the show. RCA taped the final gig in London, but despite this, there were seemingly no plans to do anything with those tapes, and when “Stage” appeared in the fall of 78, it was compiled exclusively from the US gigs previously recorded.
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“Stage” was, like “David Live” before it, a double album. However, rather than using the format to give the listener a vague idea of what the gigs from the tour sounded like, the album was controversially split into sections, with each side of the LP being devoted to a different part of Bowie’s career. The “Low” and “Heroes” material took up the second half of the record, and the “Station To Station” stuff landed on side 2, alongside a version of 1975‘s “Fame“. Five tracks from the Ziggy days opened proceedings. I could be wrong, but I believe this may well have been done to not only place the songs in more or less chronological order, but also to act as a bit of a retro throwback. The opening numbers on the LP, “Hang Onto Yourself” and “Ziggy Stardust”, had been the routine openers on the 1972 and 1973 gigs.
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Coloured vinyl was now also all the rage. Initial copies of the UK LP appeared on yellow vinyl, whilst the <b>“Breaking Glass”</b> 7”, issued late in 78 in an attempt to (re)promote the LP, appeared on blue vinyl when issued in Holland. The UK edition was pressed on black vinyl, and in a different sleeve <b>(RCA BOW 1)</b> and included two other songs from the “Stage” album, “Art Decade” and “Ziggy Stardust”. The 1983 “Lifetimes” reissue <b>(RCA BOW 520)</b> used a totally different picture sleeve as well.
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In 1991, as part of the ongoing EMI/Ryko reissue campaign, <b>“Stage”</b> was reissued. It came with an extra track, Bowie’s psychotic take on “Alabama Song”. Despite being one of the more oddball concert choices, Bowie was obviously quite taken with this song - despite the fact that The Doors’ version from their first LP was superior, Bowie later even went into the studio to cut a new version for release as a single, making it one of the more ‘out there’ Bowie 45’s. In the UK, the reissue of "Stage" appeared on CD and Cassette <b>(EMI TCEMD 1030)</b>.
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In 2005, as with “David Live”, a revamped and remixed version of the album appeared. Overseen by Tony Visconti, the songs were first reordered to appear in the order in which they had originally been performed on stage. “Alabama Song” now thus appeared just before the “Station To Station” material. In addition to this, two songs that had been played at the gigs but never released were also included as bonus tracks (in the correct part of the show as well), “Be My Wife” and “Stay”. Even so, this version of the album was not as ‘complete’ as it could have been, as several songs performed during the gigs that had been recorded were still omitted from the new edition <b>(EMI 7243 863 4362)</b>.
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As for the Earls Court show, versions of “Be My Wife” and “Sound And Vision” were issued on “RarestOneBowie”. This show marked the first time that Bowie had ever played the latter, and decided to do so as it was the final night of the European tour, hence the shout of “this is all last night stuff folks” during the opening section. The aforementioned “Sound + Vision” boxset also included three songs from the original, unremixed, version of “Stage” - “Station To Station”, “Warszawa” and “Breaking Glass”.
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<b>1983</b>
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You can count on one hand the amount of officially released (audio) songs - not gigs note, but songs - in the Bowie catalogue that have come from the “Serious Moonlight” tour. By 1983, we were now living in MTV land, and home video land. And so, rather than just record songs for a live album, why not just film a concert for a live video? And so, that’s what happened. We shall look at Bowie on Film in the next blog.
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Only two songs seem to have surfaced with Bowie’s blessing. The third single from the album that the tour was promoting, “Let’s Dance”, was <b>“Modern Love”</b>. On the flipside was a live recording of the same song, lifted from a show that was taped for radio broadcast in Montreal on 13th July 1983. Original copies of the 12” <b>(EMI America 12EA 158)</b> came with a free poster, and general consensus is, that a large number of these have either been destroyed, or separated and kept from the single, so copies with one inside will be worth more than those without. One reason as to why this, and nothing else, from the tour was released in audio form is probably because the “Serious Moonlight” video that was released omitted this song entirely, which in itself was probably because footage of Bowie performing the song on stage had been used for the promo video. If you buy either the 2003 or 2014 version of the “Sound + Vision” boxset, this one-time rarity is now available in this expanded set.
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The only other song to have been released in audio form is actually one lifted straight from the video. When <b>“Sorrow”</b> was reissued as a 7” 40th anniversary picture disc in 2013, the reissues in that series at that time were using ’alternate’ versions of the A-side as their B-sides, and so the live version of the same track appears on the flip <b>(Parlophone DBSOZ 4030)</b>. This performance dates from Vancouver on 12th September 1983.
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<b>1987</b>
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Bowie’s “Glass Spider” tour remains probably the most divisive moment of the man’s career. For some, it was the final straw, the sign of a man losing his way completely whilst playing to the biggest crowds of his career underneath the legs of what was apparently a big arthropod. For others, it was seen as a groundbreaking stadium spectacular, setting the way for future pop acts to approach the concert performance in a different way, as opposed to just holding a microphone and singing the hits.
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In my opinion, it was flawed from the outset. Bowie’s new album, “Never Let Me Down”, had been written with the sole purpose of Bowie then being able to present most of it’s content on stage, which was a problem when said material was the weakest of the man’s career so far. Thus, Bowie found himself performing large numbers of so-so tracks like “87 And Cry” - had the new album been really good, then it wouldn’t have been a problem wheeling out most of the songs. But it wasn’t, and so it’s difficult to listen to or watch a show from this tour without feeling slightly bemused by it all. It’s Bowie, so you can still get some enjoyment out of it, but at times, as the late 80s gated drum sound hurts your ears, you will find yourself thinking “is this the same guy who was doing ‘Be My Wife’ ten years ago?”
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If you accept that Bowie simply got better from this point on, then you can start to look at the more interesting parts of the show, accepting it as a tour which represented the start of the turning point. Bowie, determined to try and shake off the ‘mainstream pop’ tag he had found himself lumbered with post-”Let’s Dance”, dragged some obscure oldies out of the bag for this tour, playing several songs for the first time in years (“Big Brother”, “Time”) whilst others were seemingly being played for the first time ever, despite dating from the previous decade (“Sons Of The Silent Age”, “All The Madmen”). Early on, Bowie too seemed to realise that neither the album nor the tour were quite the return to form he had hoped they would be, and was dropping some of the new material as the tour approached it’s climax.
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Like the 83 tour, gigs that Bowie played in Sydney in November were filmed and highlights were used for a video release (two actually, as the first half was on one VHS, and the second on another). Briefly mentioned on an earlier blog was the fact that a label called Immortal later dubbed these recordings, rather pointlessly, into audio form for use on an album simply called <b>“Glass Spider”</b> - they did a similar thing with an early 80s Who release as well.
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However, in recent years, there have been some more interesting releases. First up, the two videos were released on DVD in 2007. The missing material was still missing. However, initial copies came with a free bonus album, a gig from Montreal taped on 30th August, spread across two CD’s <b>(EMI 0946 391 00224)</b>. This show had previously been recorded for a radio broadcast, and was making it’s first official appearance here. Unlike the DVD, it featured the entire show. Trouble is, this release was done as a limited edition, and last time I looked, copies were selling for wildly inflated prices, so you might have more chance tracking down a bootleg as, being a radio recording, they should be easy to locate.
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2015 meanwhile saw the release of an intriguing album on an obscure label called Laser Media, simply called <b>“Day In Day Out”</b>. I have mentioned on other blogs the strange world of the ’unauthorised’ live album, and this is one of those. A double disc set <b>(LM 160)</b>, it purports to include a radio broadcast of another show that Bowie played in Sydney on 3rd November, a couple of days before the cameras were brought to the venue to film material for the official VHS. Some experts have stated that the sound suggests it’s a soundboard recording. But, if we assume it’s a radio broadcast, then there is apparently an EU loophole that allows for albums like this to appear in your local HMV or on Amazon. According to one reviewer on the latter, if a concert is recorded outside of the EU, it can then be released within the EU without the artist’s consent. Hence, this release. Not sure how copies are being made available on Amazon in the US though, as last time I looked it wasn’t in the EU.
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It’s not perfect - the cover uses a photo of Bowie from the 76 tour, although at least that’s a better look than the mullet he wore in 87 - and the end of disc 1 fades out midway through “Fashion” (and disc 2 fades in midway through “Scary Monsters”) but if you can’t find the Montreal gig, then I’d go for this. Some will state it’s a bootleg, some will argue that being unofficial you should avoid it, but for me, it’s probably the easiest way you will be able to get hold of this show, so if you don’t already own a copy from more dubious sources, I recommend it, despite it’s flaws.
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-56706772273322973632016-06-14T23:46:00.000-07:002016-06-15T00:09:26.954-07:00Madonna Long Players: 2005-2010<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Here we go again. Another Madonna LP blog, this time looking at what Madonna did during the second half of the noughties. In keeping with the last blog, we shall make mention of the special edition releases that appeared in the USA for the two studio albums from this period, and the discography at the end lists the official UK editions. In comparison to earlier albums, overall, the choice is limited - as Cassette pressings had more or less died a death, and the Compact Disc was normally the format of choice.
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But this was also a period in which Madonna ventured into the world of the live album - all previous efforts having been concert films, videos and DVD’s. It’s not been the most brilliant decision, and we shall see why later. Note, that the discography is for ‘album’ releases only - DVD releases without an audio element were also issued for some of these live releases, but we shall detail them another time.
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We begin with a career highlight. 2005’s “Confessions On A Dancefloor” was, like “Ray Of Light” before it, a reminder that nobody does pop music like Madonna does. Heralded by the incendiary Abba-sampling first single “Hung Up”, this was a return to the joyous, bouncy, disco that Madonna had partly sidestepped on the overtly political “American Life”. Whereas that record had an air of sadness and anger, driven by a post 9/11 attitude, this LP was mostly high energy, straight to the point, future pop of the highest order.
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It was, kind of, a follow up to 1987’s “You Can Dance”, a record which had been designed to acknowledge the club scene, by featuring one long continuous mix on each side of the album. With “Confessions” being issued in the CD era, the decision was taken to mix everything on the album into one, 56 minute long, mix. It helped to create an exhilarating and often euphoric sound, and it’s modern influences meant that the album didn’t just take on the youngsters of this world, like Britney and Girls Aloud, but essentially reminded them how it was supposed to be done in the first place.
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Whereas the promo campaign for “American Life” petered out after three singles, the critical acclaim afforded “Confessions” seemed to give it legs, and Warners issued one hit single after another. In the UK, multiple formats, picture discs and a wave of remixes due to another change in UK formatting rules, helped to produce a series of quite exciting releases. The Pet Shop Boys were invited to remix “Sorry”, whilst “Jump” featured that rare occurrence - an actual B-side in the form of “History”. And then there was the US only triple-12” set, “Confessions Remixed”, a 6 track release consisting of revamps of “Hung Up”, “Sorry”, “Get Together”, “I Love New York” and “Let It Will Be”.
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Although the album’s big selling point was it’s continuous mix approach, the two most interesting releases were actually those that messed with this design. First, a limited edition boxset edition of the album featured a bonus track, “Fighting Spirit”, which simply appeared as an isolated track after the 56 minute mix had ended. My copy is from the US, but I am told there was a European pressed edition. Then there was the vinyl edition, which, realising that it was going to be impossible to do anything with the continuous mix situation, instead opted to include unique, unedited mixes of all the tracks. UK copies were also pressed on pink vinyl, so, if you only buy one UK edition of this LP, this really should be it - probably. Might be hard to find a copy cheaply nowadays though.
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Whilst Madonna headed back out on tour in the summer of 2006, there was then the slightly confusing issue of a new live release from her previous tour. “I’m Going To Tell You A Secret” was a ‘Truth Or Dare’ style documentary, documenting Madonna’s 2004 “Reinvention” tour - itself a slightly delayed promo plug for the “American Life” album from the year before. As you’d expect, the concert film was issued as a DVD - but came with a free CD. No previous Madonna concert release had headed down this route.
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One reason for this change of approach may possibly have been that, being a documentary, the amount of actual music in the film amounted to just over an hour’s worth of material only - something which could be squeezed onto a CD quite easily. And so, it was issued as a sort of “live album with free movie” release. Essentially, the songs that were included in the film were thus utilised for the audio disc, along with a couple of audio only exclusive extras - but this still meant that a big chunk of the gig was completely AWOL. In some instances, the performances in the film were fairly complete, and were thus near DVD to CD transfers, but most of the songs had been subjected to some form of editing, and the CD featured these songs in “unbutchered” form. The CD also ended with a quite brilliant demo of “I Love New York”, wildly different to the finished version on “Confessions”.
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For reasons that are not totally clear, the album was issued as a CD+DVD set, and a DVD+CD set. “What’s the difference” you ask. Well, I am guessing the CD+DVD set was aimed at the album charts, the DVD+CD at the video charts, and each release came in packaging ’tailored’ for the format. So the CD+DVD release came in a CD sized box, with a catalogue number based on typical Warners albums, and the DVD+CD came in a DVD sized box, with a catalogue number based on typical Warners video releases. The cat number listed down below is for the CD+DVD release only, just to make it a bit clearer in the context of this article, but it all actually gets more confusing later on. We shall come to that soon enough. We shall leave the DVD+CD release for now for my future “Madonna Live Videos” blog, which is in it‘s very early stages of production.
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Whilst all this was going on, the cameras had been carted off to Wembley Arena to film several of Madonna’s shows for her next concert DVD. The not brilliantly titled “The Confessions Tour” was originally a TV broadcast, issued officially in the early part of 2007 - making it three new bits of Madonna product in 18 months.
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Aside from the expected DVD release, there was also a CD+DVD set in a CD sized digipack, but whereas the audio element of “Secret” did seem to have an air of usefulness about it, the audio element of “TCT” didn’t. The DVD ticked all the boxes, featuring a typical full length Madonna show in glorious technicolor, thus bettering “Secret” in terms of “concert tour documentation”, but the accompanying CD this time around was obviously restricted to whatever could be squeezed onto an 80 minute long audio disc, so all you got were edited highlights lifted straight from the DVD. Pointless, really. But slightly more strange was the fact that, at the time of writing, this was the beginning of a series of live albums that would be issued to document every tour Madonna subsequently conducted, with the soundtrack of said CD being lifted from the accompanying DVD. And given that this sudden obsession with live albums coincided with Madonna facing increasing accusations of miming, makes the idea of a “live album” even more confusing.
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2008’s “Hard Candy” was always going to struggle to shine whilst it remained in the shadow of the “Confessions” long player, and despite arriving with the usual hype and excitement that surrounded all previous Madonna albums - remember the now famous mini gig in Maidstone as part of the Radio 1 “Big Weekend“ ? - critical acclaim overall was a bit muted. It’s reference points of hip hop and modern R&B were always in danger of meaning that Madonna might be selling herself a bit short, and indeed, launching the album via a single featuring both the bland Justin Timberlake and the not-particularly-great Timbaland (“4 Minutes”) was not the sort of arrival akin to that that “Hung Up” had given the predecessor. To be fair, it’s not a bad album, and there were moments of glorious pop like “Heartbeat” and the thrilling follow up 45 “Give It To Me”, it‘s just it was given an impossible task.
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There were two editions from the US that were of collectors interest. First up, was the boxset edition which used a slightly different sleeve (the Madonna image from the regular edition, but printed against a black, and not candy coloured, background) and featured a couple of bonus remixes of “4 Minutes”. It also came with a booklet, and, yep, a bag of ‘Starlite Mint Candies’ sweets in a cellophane bag. Suffice to say, any copies that get sold with the sweets missing are worthless. Probably one of the most ridiculous items I have in the collection. By all accounts, the copies that were imported into the UK were marketed as “semi UK” versions, as Discogs quotes a ‘UK release date’ for the box. Still a US release as far as I am concerned.
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There was also a vinyl release on ’Candy Coloured’ vinyl. This was a quite elaborate affair, which in addition to having the album pressed as a double, also included a bonus black vinyl 12” with a couple of remixes of “4 Minutes” (different to those on the boxset edition), along with a CD of the regular 12 track album. There has been, in recent years, a real obsession not only with vinyl, but attempts to allow purchasers of said vinyl to not have to actually worry about playing it, with digital downloads and free CD’s often made available as part of the pack. I can both understand this, but also wonder exactly why this happens so often, as some vinyl experts will tell you they buy vinyl because of it’s warm sound, and so probably don’t want some free MP3’s to go alongside it.
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I have already mentioned on an earlier blog the head scratching “random” order in which Madonna’s 2009 “Celebration” best-of followed. Madonna’s third hits set, it marked the end (sort of) of her lengthy association with Warners, and unlike the two previous comps which were designed to be listened to one after the other, this one covered her entire career.
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It didn’t matter what format you went for - you would get an album full of decent songs, but shuffled around so that you had no idea of just how Madonna’s music had developed since 1982. The mix of production techniques and the pitch of Madonna’s voice going up and down, makes for a slightly incoherent listen - in my opinion.
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The “basic” format was the double CD, where each disc concluded with a new song - “Revolver” on one, and “Celebration” on the other. In a slightly strange throwback to the days when record companies would issue cheap, edited highlights, versions of an album for the poorer music lovers, the album was also issued as an 18 track “short” single disc release, minus “Revolver” and multiple hits. It came in a slightly different cover, same image, but in a more ‘colourless’ sleeve. But it doesn’t include “Borderline” so really, what’s the point?
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There was also a vinyl edition. Now, I don’t seem to have this. Either it was so limited I never saw it, or I discounted it as it wasn’t technically a UK edition (Madonna’s UK releases had all been pressed in Europe for many years by this point, and were then generically scattered around the EU, with no UK editions receiving their own catalogue numbers anymore), or it was too expensive. Copies, be they from the ‘UK’ or the US, seem to be fetching ridiculous prices on the market now, suggesting they were marked up quite highly to start with - I really can’t remember much about how I didn’t buy a copy! But if you want one, it’s a quadruple-LP utilising the track listing from the double-disc edition. In terms of “non album” singles, well, you get “Into The Groove”, “Justify My Love”, “Crazy For You”, “Who’s That Girl”, and “Beautiful Stranger”. No “Gambler” again for the second time, almost as if Madonna was continuing to hide this one away from the world, thus increasing it’s obscurity status.
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Even though “Celebration” was touted as the final fling for Madonna‘s Warners career, that honour actually fell to 2010’s “Sticky And Sweet Tour”. Another concert film with free album, this show was taped way back during the first leg of the tour in Argentina in 2008, the gig first being shown on TV before eventually being issued “officially” well over a year later. In the UK, the album was issued, technically, on two formats with no “video only” releases, and thus both came with “9362” catalogue numbers, as per all Warners album releases as mentioned earlier. But whilst the DVD+CD edition came in a CD sized digipack sleeve, the BluRay+CD release was actually housed in a slightly oversized plastic, but standard for that format, BluRay case instead.
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As per the “Confessions” release, the film was a full blown document of a typical Madonna show, although being filmed in Buenos Aires, this particular gig saw “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” shoehorned into the show as a bonus. The 2009 leg of the tour saw some alterations, but you will need to shop around on YouTube for anything from those dates. But the CD, again, being a CD, was restricted to 79 minutes of audio, so you just had a 13 song “edited highlights” set. I’ll be honest - it’s been a while since I listened to the CD, but I have a feeling at least one song may have been slightly edited for the audio side of the package, so if you get hold of a copy, you may want to give the audio disc a spin just to see if you can spot the differences.
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And that was that. A slightly low key end to a lengthy, mostly brilliant, and highly successful, collaboration between artist and label. 28 years on from “Everybody”, and it was all over. Well, sort of. Warners were about to do an “RCA mining the pre-1981 Bowie catalogue” style bit of work on Madonna, but waited until she had a new studio album out until they did it. Madonna on LP in 2012 is coming soon.
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<b>Discography</b>
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<b>Confessions On A Dance Floor</b> (CD, Warner Bros 9362 49460 2)<br />
<b>Confessions On A Dance Floor</b> (2 x Pink Vinyl LP, Warner Bros 9362 49460 1)<br />
<b>Confessions On A Dance Floor</b> (Limited US CD, Warner Bros 2 49464 2, Boxset edition with 2 books and “Icon” fan club membership insert)
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<b>I’m Going To Tell You A Secret</b> (CD+DVD, Warner Bros 9362 49990 2)
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<b>The Confessions Tour</b> (CD+DVD, Warner Bros 9362 44489 2)
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<b>Hard Candy</b> (CD, Warner Bros 9362 49884 9)<br />
<b>Hard Candy</b> (Limited US CD, Warner Bros 2-440444 (#1))<br />
<b>Hard Candy</b> (2 x US Coloured Vinyl LP + 12” + CD, Warner Bros 1-470972 (#1))
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<b>Celebration</b> (2 x CD, Warner Bros 9362 49729 6)<br />
<b>Celebration</b> (CD, Warner Bros 9362 49927 4)<br />
<b>Celebration</b> (4 x LP, Warner Bros 9362 49729 3)
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<b>Sticky And Sweet Tour</b> (CD+DVD, Warner Bros 9362 49728 4)<br />
<b>Sticky And Sweet Tour</b> (CD+BluRay, Warner Bros 9362 49675 4)
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-18252173870987536432016-05-11T12:07:00.000-07:002016-05-11T12:50:45.393-07:00Bowie: An Alternative Guide to the Early Years<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Back in 2010, I did a series of blogs on Bowie, running from the early pre-Space Oddity years right up to the current day, via the criminally underrated Tin Machine period. The first blog ran from 64 to 72, a period in which - “Space Oddity” aside - Bowie released a consist run of flop singles. Suffice to say, these original pressings are now worth a small fortune.
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But if like me, you want to try and own these 45s in some form or another in single form, then you could try ‘cheating’ a bit. Many of these singles have, technically, been issued again in the intervening years - some official, some not so official. So, having finally now got nearly all of these releases on “alternative” single releases myself, I thought it would be worth showcasing what these releases are. The purists amongst you might baulk, and will be happy to shell out £500 for a “Prettiest Star” on Mercury, and I acknowledge that - I wish I could do the same. But if you want to cut a few corners - and hey, there are also going to be some people who will want both sets of releases - then this is my own little run through of the sometimes slightly dubious world of the alternative Bowie “Early Years” single releases.
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Bowie’s first 45, as leader of Davie Jones And The King Bees, was 1964’s “<b>Liza Jane</b>”. By the late 70s, the rights to release this song seemed to have fallen to Decca, who dutifully put out a 7” reissue of the single in 1978. Possibly in order to showcase that this was a 60s effort, Decca declined to issue the single in a picture sleeve - despite the fact that these were becoming all the rage post-Punk. Instead, they simply issued it in the standard Decca ‘blue and white’ bag (<b>7”, Decca F 13807</b>). By all accounts, the single didn’t sell brilliantly second time around - there is no mention of Bowie anywhere on this release, so perhaps some people simply had no idea who or what it was - but it is obviously nowhere near as rare as the original. There are quotes that only 3500 copies of the Vocalion original were pressed (plus, a series of totally illegal US “repressings“ that can easily be found on eBay), and even though the Decca one is a more obscure release than other Decca singles from the same period (I bought Adam And The Ants’ “Young Parisians” for about £2 some years ago), the reissue is not wildly OTT in terms of value - I recently purchased a copy for £30.
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Bowie was then, for a short time, a regular recording artist for Parlophone. Well, he lasted for two singles. First up was a single with The Manish Boys called “<b>I Pity The Fool</b>”, and then his first release where he was billed as a solo artist, Davy Jones - “<b>You’ve Got A Habit Of Leaving</b>”. In 1979, EMI decided to stick all four tracks together on an EP (<b>7”, EMI 2925</b>). The EP doesn’t totally have a title, you just have a picture of Bowie and his backing band, The Lower Third, on the cover, with the name of the two bands above. So, effectively, all four tracks get equal billing here. The EP was later issued, in slightly altered but mostly very similar packaging, by the See For Miles label in 1982 as a 10” (<b>10”, See For Miles CYM1</b>), in 1985 as a 12” (<b>12”, See For Miles SEA1</b>) and a CD in 1990 (<b>CD, See For Miles SEACD1</b>). I seem to recall picking up my CD copy a couple of years ago for about £15, so again, not out of the budget of most people. There was also a totally revamped version of the EP in 2013, when EMI did a Record Store Day release called “<b>Bowie 1965!</b>” (<b>7”, EMI GEP 8968</b>) but being an RSD release, meant it was already rising in value as soon as the eBay scalpers got home.
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It was then onto Pye, where Jones became Bowie, and three singles were issued on the label. He started his tenure by crediting his band, with 1966’s “<b>Can’t Help Thinking About Me</b>” appearing as a release by David Bowie With The Lower Third, but issued the two follow ups as Bowie solo efforts - “<b>Do Anything You Say</b>” and “<b>I Dig Everything</b>”. The Pye material itself has resurfaced quite a bit over the years, including an EP issued by the label itself in 1972 which included all three A-sides, under the banner of “<b>For The Collector</b>” (<b>7”, Pye 7NX 8002</b>). However, the one to go for is 1999’s “<b>I Dig Everything: The 1966 Pye Singles</b>”. This release is so sexy it hurts. It was issued, as the Pye material often was, as a 6 track Mini Album, but there was also a 3-disc box set release which included, in their own individual sleeves, repressings of the three singles on both vinyl (<b>3x7”, Castle Music ESB07 765</b>) and Compact Disc (<b>3xCD, Castle Music ESBCD 765</b>).
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A word on the sleeves themselves. When ‘Early Years Bowie’ stuff first started to surface, the labels used to try and dupe the record buyers into purchasing what they thought might be contemporary sounding music - 1973’s “Images”, dealing with the Deram stuff, was famously issued in a “Young Americans”-esque sleeve. But by 1999, there was starting to become a fascination with this material, to such an extent that seeing actual photos of Bowie from the period was thrillingly retro. So the three singles here are all issued in what are new sleeves designed specifically for the box, but all using pictures of Bowie from the 66 era. On the back, however, are photos from after 66. Reason? A couple of these singles were issued in the 70s by Pye “post-fame” overseas, and photos from these singles appear on the rear. So, “Can’t Help Thinking About Me” has the 1972 Spanish sleeve printed on the rear, and “Do Anything you Say” has the 1972 Japanese sleeve. As far as I can make out, there was no reissue for “I Dig Anything” - it did actually appear as the B-side on both the Japanese and Spanish singles mentioned above - so the back of the third disc in the box is the Japanese “Can’t Help Thinking” 45, also issued in 1972.
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Onto the Deram years. To clarify, Bowie issued his first LP on this label in 67, and also released three singles, none of which were included on the album - although two of them did appear in alternate mix form. The first 45, “<b>Rubber Band</b>”, was backed with what was later claimed to be the first Bowie ‘classic’, “The London Boys”, which itself was later issued as a 45 in it’s own right by Deram in 75 to try and cash in on the Bowie name.
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By all accounts, the three Bowie 45’s were all reissued “post-fame”. Something to do with the matrix numbers appearing “right way up” on the reissues. Single number 2 was reissued numerous times, as there are varying label designs for “<b>The Laughing Gnome</b>”, with pressings from 1973 and 1980 featuring design differences from the 67 version. “Gnome” was never included on the debut LP, but single 3 was, albeit in alternative form - “<b>Love You Till Tuesday</b>”. “<b>The London Boys</b>” was definitely reissued in 1980, using an injection moulded label design.
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If you want to kill three birds with one stone, then I would hunt down the 1986 “<b>Archive 4</b>” EP issued by Castle (<b>12”, Castle TOF 105</b>). Issued in a sleeve that uses a 1980s Bowie image, unsurprisingly, this limited release (7500 only) was one of several EP’s issued by the label that were designed to hoover up old singles (Castle also issued a Small Faces one). What you get on this 4 tracker are “The London Boys”, “Love You Till Tuesday” and “The Laughing Gnome”. Not sure if it’s the LP or 45 mix of “LTYT”, but don’t worry about that - there are a multitude of Deram era comps knocking about that include the single mix. The EP is rounded off, slightly randomly, by “Maid Of Bond Street” from the debut LP.
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“Rubber Band” is a bit more awkward. I did see one on eBay recently being offered for £1500. Ouch. Seems to be a post death price hike, as mint copies a few years ago were safely within the 3 figure sum. However, I recently picked up a US pre-release copy for just £40, plus postage, and customs charges (Grrr) and it seems to be quite genuine (<b>7”, Deram 45-DEM 85009</b>). For those of you who are interested, it’s the album mix (again, the 7” mix is easy to find) and the flipside is another track from the LP, “There Is A Happy Land”. My copy is a stock copy, but with a “promotional copy” stamp. Demo copies, first pressings designed specifically to be sent to radio stations, are worth a lot more and are easily identified by the alternative catalogue number of 45-85009.
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Now, given that it was a big hit, “<b>Space Oddity</b>” is slightly outside our remit here. If you want a Philips original, you can get one. It went top 5 remember. But we may as well mention the four - yes, four - reissues that have turned up since. First up, was the 1975 three track reissue (<b>7“, RCA 2593</b>). Not completely sure why RCA decided to put this release out - they weren’t being starved of Bowie product at the time (“Young Americans” at the start of the year, “Station To Station” at the end) but it was issued as part of their “Maximillion” series - ‘3 tracks for the price of 2’. It was originally issued in a contemporary picture sleeve, upon which all three tracks were given equal billing - “SO”, “Changes” and the previously unissued “Velvet Goldmine” - a ‘Ziggy’ outtake reportedly stuck on side 2 without the Dame’s permission. The single was later repressed a few times, and housed in a standard RCA sleeve - initially, the sleeve used was a custom “Maximillion” bag, where “Space Oddity” was more clearly billed as the A-side, and the two bonus tracks as the B-side(s), whilst late 70s and early 80s pressings were housed in what were the regular RCA bags of the time (please look at the brilliant Bowie Singles website for visual presentations).
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In 1982, RCA were starting to cash in themselves on the Bowie phenomenon, and reissued 10 Bowie singles as 7” picture discs, as part of the “Fashions” series. Available as a boxset, or individually, these reissues included a repress of the 1975 “Space Oddity” maxi (<b>7“ Picture Disc, RCA BOW 101P</b>). This was followed in 1983 by the “Lifetimes” series, a set of 20 black vinyl 7” reissues that were all, originally, housed in picture sleeves. The sleeves had some connection to the A-side - for the reissue of “Space Oddity” (<b>7“, RCA BOW 518</b>), the image from the picture disc was used - whilst this image dated from circa 1972, it was not too dissimilar to the RCA 1972 reissue of Bowie’s second LP, which was retitled “Space Oddity”. Once the picture sleeve copies had sold out, later pressings were housed in red and grey RCA bags.
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In my 2014 blog, I detailed the ongoing series of 40th anniversary picture discs. I think a new blog will be needed to bring the story up to date, but until then, we need to mention the 2015 reissue of “Space Oddity” (<b>7” Picture Disc, Parlophone DBSO 40</b>). It uses, as it’s A-side image, the front cover of the original 1969 French version of the single - a suitably psychedelic looking bit of art. The a-side is the original 7” edit, the B-side is the original B-side - the acoustic version of “Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud”. The difference here is that the single is listed as being a AA-side, meaning that “Freecloud” appears here as a UK A-side for the first time ever. Technically. I doubt that the radio stations at the time bothered to play “Space Oddity”, let alone the flip. There is also some talk on the net about whether the A-side is the stereo or mono single mix, but I think my copy is still sticker sealed so even if my tinnitus suddenly eased up, I couldn't tell you. And don't ask if "Freecloud" is the same version as found on the original "Sound + Vision" boxset, or the one featured on the 2003/2014 one. Just buy one if you see one.
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Now, onto the infamous Mercury singles. For the 60s stuff, there is probably a reason why none of those singles sold. They are viewed, by many, as simply not being very good. But the three 45’s Bowie put out after “SO” were at a time when he was really starting to find his feet, and there is some really good material here. OK, so yes, maybe “The Prettiest Star” did benefit from being ‘glammed up’ for “Aladdin Sane”, and yes, Bowie did hate “Holy Holy” so much that he revamped it heavily during the “Ziggy” sessions. But whilst it is possible to listen to, say, the three Deram singles and scratch your head in bemusement, listen to the three Mercury singles - and they sound like the work of a completely different artist.
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“The Prettiest Star”, “Memory Of A Free Festival Part 1”, and “Holy Holy” were all massive flops. “Star” was reported to have sold less than 800 copies, and I am sure I heard a story suggesting that at least 1000 copies had been pressed, and so the remainder were melted down. By the late 70s/early 80s, the five rarities spread across these discs (“Holy Holy” had an album track on the flipside) were in demand - so in demand, that a pair of US bootlegs were issued to make these recordings available again.
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There are several US bootlegs of Bowie rarities, but we are only concerned with the two that were issued with the sole purpose of making these recordings available again. Yes, they can all be found on the “Recall” disc of the 2015 “Five Years” boxset, but back in 1982, they were like gold dust.
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Whilst I don’t normally condone bootleg releases of officially available material, I can’t help but admire the “<b>David Bowie And The Hype</b>” EP. It includes “<b>The Prettiest Star</b>”, the sublime b-side “Conversation Piece” and “<b>Holy Holy</b>”, in a sort of cartoon-esque Bowie sleeve. The single comes in a wrap around sleeve, the vinyl itself housed inside a white die cut bag, and therefore should also come with a PVC outer that holds it all together. Inside, it looks - at first glance - like a Mercury single, until you notice that the label is simply DESIGNED to look like that - the record label is the dubiously titled Major Tom (<b>7”, Major Tom 6052 200</b>). Nice. With copies sometimes available for as little as a tenner, I can certainly recommend this curio.
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The other Major Tom boot, a repress of “<b>Memory Of A Free Festival Part 1</b>”, isn’t quite so brilliant. It again comes in a picture cover, with an image of Bowie-plus-acoustic that recalls some of the foreign “Space Oddity” sleeves. And it does include the ’re-recorded’ “Part 1” on the A-side, and “Part 2” on the flip. Thing is, in the USA, the “Part 1” recording was edited, and remains - unless you know otherwise - unavailable anywhere else. Whenever the re-recorded song(s) have emerged again, such as on the 1990 expanded “Space Oddity”, it’s been the UK single mixes, and not the US ones, that have been used. So, again, for a tenner, a dubious looking reissue can be yours (<b>7”, Major Tom 6052 201</b>). And perhaps, it’s your only chance to get a copy of this 45 without breaking the bank. But what a shame they didn’t bootleg the US single. OK, so that single is so rare, it's believed by many to have actually only ever reached promo stage, but still - those mixes exist. There are also "promo" copies of the UK Mercury original kicking about on eBay from time to time, housed in original looking bags, with a big hole in the middle, but I understand these are all 'authentic' looking counterfeits. The labels are white, with a big "A", but aren't dinked like the geniune promos, but have a 'smooth' edge around the hole, and usually go for about 50 notes. AFAIK, the proper promos were issued in red bags, the "reissues" in a sort of muddy yellow sleeve.
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You could probably write a book about the Arnold Corns period. There are various theories about why Bowie formed this ‘band’. When they celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2011, Bowie’s official site stated it was a way of Bowie being able to record new material under a pseudonym to avoid record company complications. By all accounts, Bowie had been asked to write material for a band named Rungk, and also for a designer friend of his called Freddie Burretti. The initial Arnold Corns recording session, from April 71, involved Bowie actually fronting the members of Rungk, and two songs from the session were chosen to be released as a single the following month, with “<b>Moonage Daydream</b>” on the A-side and “Hang Onto Yourself” on the flip. By the time the single was released, Burretti was, for some never fully explained reason, being presented as the band’s singer. Publicity material for the single involved none of Rungk, and instead, Arnold Corns was presented as a duo of Burretti and Bowie. The single was issued on the relatively small B&C label, but failed to chart. Bowie remained signed to Mercury, and there is somewhere out there, an apparent promo poster from the period simultaneously plugging both the “Man Who Sold The World” LP, and the Arnold Corns 45.
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According to the fascinating blog Pushing Ahead Of The Dame, Bowie was seemingly inspired by the Andy Warhol “Factory”, and so continued to immerse himself within a large group of musicians, of which the Arnold Corns setup was seemingly only part of the whole shebang. In the summer of 71, Bowie did a live concert for John Peel, in which material being slated for “Hunky Dory” (“Kooks”, “Queen Bitch“) was mixed up with cover versions (“Almost Grown”, “It Ain‘t Easy“) and tracks from the Arnold Corns songbook (“Looking For A Friend”), although Buretti was not present at the gig. Rungk guitarist Mark Pritchett was however, thus adding to the confusion. Friends Dana Gillespie and George Underwood took lead vocals on a song each, with Gillespie singing a song that was actually destined to be recorded by Bowie on “Hunky Dory“ - “Andy Warhol“.
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Soon after, Arnold Corns then went back into the studio with the intention of recording material for a second single. By this time, it was almost as if Bowie was indulging in some sort of weird art experiment, as Burretti was installed as the new singer in the studio, and the not-yet-named-as-such Spiders From Mars were brought in as the musicians for this single. Two singles, both under the same name, but with totally different personnel. There are some reports that talk about Bowie having designed the band to have a “fake” singer, and that it provided the early genesis of the “Ziggy Stardust” character.
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Plans were drawn up for the release of this new single that, by all accounts, would not feature Bowie in any musical way at all - a track called “Man In The Middle” on one side, and an “Arnold Corns” cover of a ‘Bowie Original’, the aforementioned “Looking For A Friend”. But almost immediately, Bowie became bored of the project, and pulled the plug. B&C cancelled the release, Burretti became a regular Bowie costume collaborator and attention returned once again to the completion of “Hunky Dory”, with Bowie being dropped by Mercury, resulting in him shipping around a promo copy of the album (on the “Gem Management” label) to try and gain interest - eventually catching the attention of RCA. The rest as they say...
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After Bowie had started to gain an audience, B&C decided in the summer of 72 to try and cash in. Rather than just reissue the original Arnold Corns single, they opted to issued a “new” 45 with “<b>Hang Onto Yourself</b>” on one side, along with the unreleased “Man In The Middle” on the flip. Somehow, they didn’t manage to grab people’s attention, and the single flopped. By 1974, with Ziggy now dead, and Bowie a huge star in America, another label called Mooncrest had an attempt at trying to cash in, by reissuing the “Hang Onto Yourself” 45. They too, somehow, failed to get what should have been a captive audience to buy a copy, and this edition too was something of a flop.
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By the early 80s or thereabouts, the rarity of the three officially released Arnold Corns recordings caused some enterprising bootlegger to issue what, on the face if it, seemed to be a genuine B&C release. A three track 7” appeared in 1984 which included all three of the songs from the original releases, with what seemed to be an official catalogue number (<b>7”, B&C 200</b>). However, B&C had stopped functioning by the end of 1972, after the release of B&C 190. The label was resurrected a few years later, but these releases used a new catalogue system, meaning that the use of the number 200 by the counterfeiters was almost done as a tell tale sign for the initiated, a way of acknowledging to the experts that this was not a genuine B&C release.
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But I like it. It is naughty, and yet also, by reproducing the basic B&C label design, is an opportunity for you to at least own something that LOOKS like an Arnold Corns original. Copies seem to change hands for round about the £30 mark, although some cheeky sods have attempted to offload copies for closer to a ton.
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The Arnold Corns story doesn’t fully end there. By 1985, a ‘European’ 12” appeared under the banner of “Arnold Corns AKA David Bowie And The Spiders From Mars”, which coupled “Man In The Middle”, the unreleased “Looking For A Friend” and “Hang Onto Yourself”. By all accounts, it is an official, but not authorised release, but even though it comes in a sleeve which uses a variant version of the Aladdin Sane “flash”, only one of the three tunes actually features Bowie himself. The two “Bowie featuring” songs from the Arnold Corns period, the two songs on the very first B&C 45, have since reappeared with great regularity on various Bowie reissues, although the spoken word intro to “Moonage Daydream” has regularly been edited out of such reissues. That's all folks.
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Now, this is the first of FIVE Bowie blogs that are in various stages of production, the plan being to publish them all before the year end. But, given that the follow up to "1.Outside" never even surfaced, forgive me if I too fail to manage five. Or two, for that matter.
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-60355111184100976292016-04-22T22:37:00.002-07:002016-04-22T23:24:53.435-07:00The Cure on LP<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Back in 2011, I looked at the Cure’s back catalogue in terms of their singles, given that a sizeable chunk of them were “stand alone” releases, and how a number of compilation albums were later used to give a home to much of this material. I figured it was time to just do a quick albums recap - I won’t really go over the same ground in terms of how they sounded too much, you know all of that - but more to look at how the band’s original LP’s were issued, and their subsequent reissues.
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After the usual “pre fame” shenanigans as Easy Cure, the Cure became a trio in time for the release of 1979’s “Three Imaginary Boys”, with Robert Smith joined by bassist Michael Dempsey and drummer Lol Tolhurst. The LP, suffering at times from a feeling of under-production IMO, was the first of several albums to feature the band logo (officially long gone, but occasionally resurrected in a retro style manner now and then) on the cover. However, the album title was completely missing, but there were three household objects on the front that seemed to be there as some sort of “visual” metaphor (a lamp, a fridge and a vacuum cleaner).
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It was followed by 1980’s “Seventeen Seconds”, which seemed an altogether more coherent release, moving the band nearer to a more post-punk sound, with some very strong (albeit rather depressing) subject matter. The band had a new bass player, Simon Gallup, whilst for this album only, the post-punk chill was often provided by their new keyboard player Matthieu Hartley - although Hartley would be gone by the next album. The front cover was a piece of abstract art, the music has been variously described as “ethereal” and “goth”, and it really was a big leap forward. The Cure, despite being seemingly resolutely un-commercial, soon found themselves on ‘Top Of The Pops’ playing their latest hit, the minimalist classic “A Forest”.
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With Hartley gone, the band’s next album was recorded as a trio, 1981’s “Faith”, although the ‘electronic’ sound of the previous album was retained, mainly by getting Smith to provide keyboard and synthesizer work on the record, with Tolhurst being credited as drummer and “programming”. This was the first of several Cure releases during the decade which appeared as expanded Cassette pressings - the album was included on the first side of the tape, whilst a lengthy instrumental called “Carnage Visors” appeared on side 2. This was the soundtrack to a film that was shown, in lieu of having a support act, on the band’s subsequent tour. A “Deluxe Edition” reissue campaign of most of the band’s back catalogue was started in 2004, and the reissue of “Faith” included “Carnage Visors” as one of the tracks on the bonus disc. The trio made another rather downbeat album, 1982’s highly acclaimed “Pornography”, before imploding at the end of the subsequent tour.
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As mentioned in the last blog, the Cure did return relatively quickly, initially as a synth pop duo consisting of just Smith and Tolhurst, before quickly adding a new drummer in the form of Andy Anderson. 1984’s “The Top” was officially recorded as a three piece with former Easy Cure member Porl Thompson as an additional contributor, before he later joined on a full time basis, whilst a subsequent tour saw Phil Thornalley added as the band’s new bass player - Smith had recorded all of the bass and guitar parts on the LP himself.
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The subsequent tour spawned the band’s first live album, “Concert”, culled from shows played in London and Oxford in May 84. The cassette version was issued as the band’s next “long play” release, with a series of ‘official bootleg’ recordings covering the band’s career from 77 up until the present day on the flipside. The second side of the tape opened with the previously unheard “Heroin Face” (from the Easy Cure days) and concluded with what was, at the time, a regular Cure set closer, “Forever” - the band never got around to releasing a studio version of the song. The reissue campaign saw everything from this side of the release get a second lease of life across the various “deluxe” reissues, with “Heroin Face” being added to “Three Imaginary Boys”, “Forever” being added to “The Top”, and the remainder being added to the relevant albums from inbetween, dependent on the ‘age’ of the song.
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It was time for a line up change again - Anderson was ejected from the band for ‘bad behaviour’ and replaced by Boris Williams, whilst Gallup rejoined as bassist. Thus, we had what for some is the definitive Cure line up of Smith, Tolhurst, Gallup, Thompson and Williams. 1985’s “The Head On The Door” was a classic, avoiding the sometimes patchy, directionless sound of “The Top”, and managed to be a moment of indie-rock brilliance, despite being recorded slap bang in the middle of a decade full of musical horrors. “Inbetween Days” and “Close To Me” were moments of genius pop and the album, helped along by the likes of the anthemic guitar buzz of “Push”, and the atmospheric widescreen beauty that was the closing “Sinking”, was arguably the best Cure album to date. As mentioned in my previous Cure article, the album was followed by the multi formatted (and variously titled) 1986 “hits” set, “Standing On A Beach”.
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1987’s “Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me” was seen as the band’s move into the world of superstardom, another toweringly brilliant effort, which this time saw them shift major units in the States. A double album, later limited pressings of the vinyl were technically a triple, as a free 12” was included featuring a selection of recent B-sides and remixes. The original running time was just a bit too long for the CD format, and so “Hey You” was removed from the compact disc edition. As a sort of apology, a remixed version appeared as the flipside to the “Hot Hot Hot” single. Technology has been revamped so that the most recent editions of the CD have the full track listing, as a result of pressings plants using ‘track pitch reduction’ to squeeze extra data onto the disc. Whilst the album was being recorded, there were internal band problems, as Tolhurst was starting to contribute less and less to the group - the spiteful “Shiver And Shake“ was reportedly written about Tolhurst, and appeared towards the end of the LP...I can‘t think of too many songs on albums which are attacks on existing band members who helped record the actual song. He was still with the band as they began work on their next record, but was eventually fired after seemingly recording no music for it, and was replaced by Roger O’Donnell, creating the next “classic” Cure lineup.
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1989’s “Disintegration” was the band’s third near flawless effort on the trot, and confirmed their status as arena-filling alt. rock superstars. It was later described, lyrically, as the “follow up” to “Pornography”, even though the music often had a beautiful, airy, and poppy feel - unlike it’s so-called predecessor. Vinyl copies, as opposed to being issued as a double, were instead issued as single LP with several songs removed due to time constraints. The band took to performing the album in it’s entirety on the following tour, and put together a promo only album, “Entreat”, which featured live performances of eight of the songs. After bootlegs began to surface, the band counteracted by issuing “Entreat” as a regular album in a revamped sleeve, although I seem to recall it was done as a sort of limited budget release, to avoid accusations of ‘cashing in‘. The “Deluxe” version of “Disintegration”, along with it’s expected second disc of rarities, also features a CD called “Entreat Plus” - the entire “Entreat” album, and the four other songs from the album not on the original release, all in remixed form. It was followed by 1990’s remix set “Mixed Up”, a decent enough listen in it’s own right, with some of the re-workings being enjoyable enough excursions, as opposed to it being an unlistenable re-imagining of the material, which you do get with some remix collections.
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For reasons that are not totally clear, the reissue campaign conducted in the mid-noughties stops here. All of the band’s pre-1990 studio albums appeared as 2 or 3 disc editions, and it is impossible to ignore the fact that multitudes of rarities from the 70s and 80s surfaced on these editions - but the stuff from the 90s onwards is not. Strange, when you consider 1992’s “Wish” - for which O’Donnell had quit, to be replaced by Perry Bamonte - is another piece of alternative rock genius, home to the swirling psychedelic opener “Open”, the bouncy pop thrills of “High” and “Friday I’m In Love”, the epic “From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea”, and the snarling goth menace of “Cut” and “End”. The band toured the smaller UK venues at the time of it’s release, before hitting the arenas in the fall, where the band played shows which drew heavily on the album. Although the songs were not featured in the same strict order as the LP, the likes of “Open” and “High” would usually appear at the start, with the likes of “Cut” and “End” played immediately before the encore. By now, the band’s encores themselves were usually as long as most band’s normal sets - The Cure was fast becoming a sort of big haired UK version of Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band.
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The tour was documented with not one, but two live albums. Firstly, “Show”, a double CD documenting the basic setlist (minus encores) from a pair of shows on the US tour in July 92, and was then followed up with “Paris”, a single CD featuring a more esoteric setlist, compiled with songs that were either played in the main set on only selected occasions, or during the encores. As it’s title suggests, it was pieced together from three shows the band had played at the city’s Le Zenith venue in October. A headline performance at the “Great X-Pectations” festival in Finsbury Park the following summer should have cemented the band’s reputation as Kings of Gloomy Rock, but things started to unravel a bit instead thereafter.
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The band’s 1995 headline slot at Glastonbury was slightly overshadowed by the two previous night’s headliners - new kids on the block Oasis on the Friday, on the cusp of mega stardom with the release of “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory” due in several months time, and Pulp on the Saturday, perennial underachievers who had been asked to step in for the unavailable Stone Roses, and subsequently put on the gig of a lifetime. The Cure, appearing here with yet another, newly reconfigured lineup, played some new songs from their unfinished next album, but it felt a little bit like some old gits gate-crashing the Britpop party. Their set, whilst good, lacked a certain special something that Oasis and Pulp had pulled out of their respective hats on the previous nights.
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1996’s “Wild Mood Swings”, in some respects, represents the Cure at a sort of low point. The band had seen the departure of Thompson and Williams after conclusion of the “Wish“ tour, and the band had at one point consisted purely of Smith and Bamonte, with Gallup temporarily out of the band due to health issues. The Glastonbury show saw the band’s new line up being showcased, with Gallup back in, and new members in the form of old boy Roger O’Donnell and Jason Cooper.
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The album lacked the energetic thrill of “Wish”, but still had some nice bouncy pop like “Round & Round & Round”, the shimmery post-Goth strum of “Jupiter Crash” and ‘Friday I’m In Love’ style ultra pop like “Mint Car”. It just didn’t quite have the “oomph” factor of “Wish”, lead single “The 13th” in particular, being a quite strange, slightly low-key choice of lead single - all juttering rhythms and not very Guitar-y at all. Some reviews of the album were less than complimentary.
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Perhaps it was asking too much of the band, especially one going through major line up changes, to make a follow up album to even come close to “Wish”, but “Wild Mood Swings” did keep things going. The subsequent tour saw the band once again do the rounds of the arenas, and as a live act, The Cure were still quite epic - lengthy sets, an increasingly expanding back catalogue, I seem to recall the band’s gig at Wembley Arena in December 96 was one of the best shows I ever saw them play.
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From here on, the band’s line up remained vaguely stable for a while. 1997’s “Galore” was a hits set celebrating the period from after the release of the 1986 best of, but unlike other “Part 2” hits sets, was actually a thing of pure wonderment - showing just how well the Cure navigated the choppy waters of the 1980s music scene. But the band were now starting to become more and more of a touring band, with the timeframe between albums increasing, and a feeling that their superstar days were kind of behind them.
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2000’s “Bloodflowers” isn’t one I have listened to much, but apparently I should - it is described as the final part of the “Pornography”/”Disintegration” ’Misery’ trilogy. Fiction didn’t bother to issue a single in the UK to promote it, possibly sensing that the band’s days as hit single makers were over - the new song on “Galore”, the sparky fun that was “Wrong Number”, had stalled way outside the top 40. Japanese copies featured a bonus track not on the UK CD version, and copies were made widely available at the same time as the UK release - it did make it feel, to me anyway, like the UK version of the record, with it’s “no single” status, and “less songs than the Japanese one”, was being slightly cast adrift. It probably wasn’t, but it did feel like The Cure, arena filling stars who routinely used to dent the charts, were sort of being put out to pasture by their label, radio stations, and TV shows.
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However, the band’s next label, Geffen, seemed to take a greater interest. The band’s time on Fiction was marked by the slightly pointless “Greatest Hits” set, and the arguably more interesting B-sides set “Join The Dots”, and once the band had moved to their new home, there seemed to be a real consensus in the record company promoting the band again. 2004’s self titled effort was hyped via a multitude of single releases, whilst the original pressings of the album came with a free DVD to try and encourage buyers to get in quick. The album sold well, and was critically acclaimed, it seemed to return to their noisier roots, taking the visceral attack of something like “Pornography“, but re-tooling it for the 21st century.
<br />
<br />
Despite being issued as far back as 2008, “4:13 Dream” remains the most recent Cure studio effort. Recorded by a new look four piece of Smith, the returning Thompson, Gallup and Cooper, the keyboard parts were handled by Smith. The band lined up a tour to promote the album but in the end, the album was pushed back and pushed back, eventually being pushed back so far that the LP was finally released after the completion of the tour! The “4 Tour”, a reference I guess to the new line up, ran from July 2007 to June 2008. The band played just one gig in the UK, at Wembley Arena, on 20th March 2008, where they rattled through 25 songs before returning for an encore, presented in 3 parts, which consisted of 16 - yes, count ’em - 16 songs. The third encore was a 7-song run through of material entirely from the “Three Imaginary Boys” period. Monumental. My sister was knackered by the time they finished. Four singles were released from the LP in the run up to it’s release, on a monthly basis from May to August, with each release being issued on the 13th day of that month.
<br />
<br />
So in terms of new, recorded, studio output, that’s it. But as a live band, it’s a totally different story. Whilst the pickings since signing to Geffen have been slim (indeed, I think they are label-less at the moment), the band’s touring escapades are quite intense. Following the release of “Bloodflowers”, the band conducted a tour in which the three albums from the trilogy were played in full. The idea of doing multiple albums, in full, in the same show has been repeated since. A 2011 tour saw the first three studio albums played in full (with former members rejoining temporarily to help out) which became known as the “Reflections” shows. The line up has fluctuated even more since their last studio outing, and 2016 will see the band head out on another tour where although new material is mooted, the tour is being billed as featuring “hits, rarities and favourites”, suggesting another set of 3 hour long shows that will undoubtedly delight the hardcore. The band seem to be quite proud of their past, and are more than happy to revisit it - a tour poster for the band’s run of Christmas shows at the Hammersmith Apollo from a few years back proudly used the original “Cure” logo as featured on “Three Imaginary Boys”. As I type this, the band are a five piece again - Smith, Gallup, O’Donnell, Cooper and former Tin Machine guitar mangler Reeves Gabrels. But it could easily have changed again by the time you read this.
<br />
<br />
<b>Discography</b>
<br />
<br />
So. When I was a kid, and those “expanded” Bowie albums came out in 1990, I was under the impression that the whole point of these releases were to make the album available on CD, with extra tracks taking up the otherwise ‘empty space’ that you had at the end of the LP, and that these releases were the ‘definitive’ edition.
<br />
<br />
Of course I was wrong. Every few years, something happens, and these so-called definitive releases get replaced by something else. A few years back, I had heard a rumour that the Cure’s deluxe ones had been deleted. From what I can gather, they dutifully were. And in their place came single disc, bonus track-less, reissues. Pointless. But the good news is Amazon now seems to be stocking double disc pressings from the EU with a 2012 copyright date, so it does seem as though somebody has seen sense, and that the expanded releases do now seem to exist in one form or another. The first wave were housed in fold out sleeves, the 2012 run in regular slim line cases.
<br />
<br />
Anyway, given that me and my sister got into the Cure years ago, and between us, bought all these records some 20 or 25 years ago now, I have decided to list the original discography because this is really what most of my collection consists of. I have then detailed the reissues separately, showcasing the cat numbers that were used on the original reissues from 2004/5- the 2012 ones seem to have more ‘generic‘ numbers, with about 20 digits each - too much to type out! The single disc versions, being cheaper, are still on catalogue as well.
<br />
<br />
Of course, the double (and triple) disc pressings are the ones to go for if you have the time and (little bit of extra) money to go hunting them down. A quick look while I was writing this suggests the 2012 copies are now doing the rounds at a tenner a go. Nice (although one or two albums seem to be "AWOL"). As an aside, what I will say, is that in terms of the original releases, the extra tracks on the double play cassettes have all resurfaced on the double disc releases, whilst the extra tracks from the MC version of “Standing On A Beach” and the material from the “Kiss Me” 12” are all on “Join The Dots”. The “bonus” track on the “Bloodflowers” album, “Coming Up”, was included on the vinyl edition, and later appeared on “Join The Dots”, it’s first time on a UK CD release.
<br />
<br />
<b>ORIGINAL PRESSINGS DISCOGRAPHY</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>Three Imaginary Boys</b> (LP, Fiction FIX 1)<br />
<b>Three Imaginary Boys</b> (Cassette, Fiction FIXC 1)<br />
<b>Three Imaginary Boys</b> (CD, Fiction 827 686-2)
<br />
<br />
<b>Boys Don’t Cry</b> (LP, Fiction SPELP 26)<br />
<b>Boys Don’t Cry</b> (Cassette, Fiction SPEMC 26)<br />
<b>Boys Don’t Cry</b> (CD, Fiction 815 011-2)
<br />
<br />
<b>Seventeen Seconds</b> (LP, Fiction FIX 004)<br />
<b>Seventeen Seconds</b> (Cassette, Fiction FIXC 004)<br />
<b>Seventeen Seconds</b> (CD, Fiction 825 354-2)
<br />
<br />
<b>Faith</b> (LP, Fiction FIX 6)<br />
<b>Faith</b> (Cassette, Fiction FIXC 6)<br />
<b>Faith</b> (CD, Fiction 827 687-2)
<br />
<br />
<b>Pornography</b> (LP, Fiction FIXD 7)<br />
<b>Pornography</b> (Cassette, Fiction FIXDC 7)<br />
<b>Pornography</b> (CD, Fiction 827 688-2)
<br />
<br />
<b>Japanese Whispers</b> (LP, Fiction FIXM 8)<br />
<b>Japanese Whispers</b> (Cassette, Fiction FIXMC 8)<br />
<b>Japanese Whispers</b> (CD, Fiction 817 470-2)
<br />
<br />
<b>The Top</b> (LP, Fiction FIXS 9)<br />
<b>The Top</b> (Cassette, Fiction FIXSC 9, unique p/s)<br />
<b>The Top</b> (CD, Fiction 821 136-2)
<br />
<br />
<b>Concert</b> (LP, Fiction FIXH 10)<br />
<b>Concert</b> (Cassette, Fiction FIXHC 10)<br />
<b>Concert</b> (CD, Fiction 823 682-2)
<br />
<br />
<b>The Head On The Door</b> (LP, Fiction FIXH 11)<br />
<b>The Head On The Door</b> (Cassette, Fiction FIXHC 11)<br />
<b>The Head On The Door</b> (CD, Fiction 827 231-2)
<br />
<br />
<b>Standing On A Beach</b> (LP, Fiction FIXH 12)<br />
<b>Standing On A Beach - And Unavailable B-sides</b> (Cassette, Fiction FIXHC 12)<br />
<b>Staring At The Sea</b> (CD, Fiction 829 239-2, with 4 extra tracks)
<br />
<br />
<b>Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me</b> (2xLP, Fiction FIXH 13)<br />
<b>Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me</b> (2xLP + Orange Vinyl 12“, Fiction FIXHA 13)<br />
<b>Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me</b> (Cassette, Fiction FIXHC 13)<br />
<b>Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me</b> (CD, Fiction 832 130-2)
<br />
<br />
<b>Disintegration</b> (LP, Fiction FIXH 14)<br />
<b>Disintegration</b> (Picture Disc LP, Fiction FIXHP 14, in see through PVC sleeve)<br />
<b>Disintegration</b> (Cassette, Fiction FIXHC 14)<br />
<b>Disintegration</b> (CD, Fiction 839 353-2)
<br />
<br />
<b>Entreat</b> (LP, Fiction FIXH 17)<br />
<b>Entreat</b> (Cassette, Fiction FIXHC 17)<br />
<b>Entreat</b> (CD, Fiction FIXCD 17)
<br />
<br />
<b>Mixed Up</b> (2xLP, Fiction FIXLP 18)<br />
<b>Mixed Up</b> (Cassette, Fiction FIXMC 18)<br />
<b>Mixed Up</b> (CD, Fiction FIXCD 18)
<br />
<br />
<b>Wish</b> (2xLP, Fiction FIXH 20)<br />
<b>Wish</b> (Cassette, Fiction FIXHC 20)<br />
<b>Wish</b> (CD, Fiction FIXCD 20)
<br />
<br />
<b>Show</b> (2xLP, Fiction FIXH 25)<br />
<b>Show</b> (Cassette, Fiction FIXHC 25)<br />
<b>Show</b> (2xCD, Fiction FIXCD 25)
<br />
<br />
<b>Paris</b> (2xLP, Fiction FIXH 26)<br />
<b>Paris</b> (Cassette, Fiction FIXHC 26)<br />
<b>Paris</b> (CD, Fiction FIXCD 26)
<br />
<br />
<b>Wild Mood Swings</b> (2xLP, Fiction FIXLP 28)<br />
<b>Wild Mood Swings</b> (Cassette, Fiction FIXMC 28)<br />
<b>Wild Mood Swings<b></b></b> (CD, Fiction FIXCD 28)
<br />
<br />
<b>Galore</b> (2xLP, Fiction FIXLP 30)<br />
<b>Galore</b> (Cassette, Fiction FIXMC 30)<br />
<b>Galore</b> (CD, Fiction FIXCD 30)
<br />
<br />
<b>Bloodflowers</b> (2xLP, Fiction FIX 31)<br />
<b>Bloodflowers</b> (Cassette, Fiction FIXMC 31)<br />
<b>Bloodflowers</b> (CD, Fiction FIXCD 31)
<br />
<br />
<b>Greatest Hits</b> (Cassette, Fiction FIXMC 32)<br />
<b>Greatest Hits</b> (CD, Fiction FIXCD 32)<br />
<b>Greatest Hits</b> (2xCD, Fiction FIXCDL 32, with free “Acoustic Hits“ bonus disc)
<br />
<br />
<b>Join The Dots</b> (4xCD, Fiction 981 463-0)
<br />
<br />
<b>The Cure</b> (2xLP, Geffen 986 284-6)<br />
<b>The Cure</b> (CD, Geffen 986 288-6)<br />
<b>The Cure</b> (CD+DVD, Geffen 986 289-0)
<br />
<br />
<b>4:13 Dream</b> (CD, Geffen 06025 176 42256)
<br />
<br />
<b>Bestival Live 2011</b> (2xCD, Sunday Best SBESTCD 50)
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>2004-2006 REISSUE DISCOGRAPHY</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>Three Imaginary Boys</b> (2xCD, Fiction 982 182-8)<br />
<b>Three Imaginary Boys</b> (CD, Fiction 982 182-9)
<br />
<br />
<b>Seventeen Seconds</b> (2xCD, Fiction 982 183-1)<br />
<b>Seventeen Seconds</b> (CD, Fiction 982 183-2)
<br />
<br />
<b>Faith</b> (2xCD, Fiction 982 183-4)<br />
<b>Faith</b> (CD, Fiction 983 074-5)
<br />
<br />
<b>Pornography</b> (2xCD, Fiction 982 183-7)<br />
<b>Pornography</b> (CD, Fiction 982 183-8)
<br />
<br />
<b>The Top</b> (2xCD, Fiction 984 001-2)<br />
<b>The Top</b> (CD, Fiction 984 001-3)
<br />
<br />
<b>The Head On The Door</b> (2xCD, Fiction 984 001-6)<br />
<b>The Head On The Door</b> (CD, Fiction 984 001-7)
<br />
<br />
<b>Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me</b> (2xCD, Fiction 984 008-0)<br />
<b>Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me</b> (CD, Fiction 984 008-1)
<br />
<br />
<b>Disintegration</b> (3xCD, Fiction 532 456-6)<br />
<b>Disintegration</b> (CD, Fiction 532 456-8)
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-15490079975392464282016-03-05T09:31:00.000-08:002016-03-05T10:39:20.708-08:00Spice Girls : Selected Solo Works<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sxT963vlod4/VtsXx7fV83I/AAAAAAAADjk/JQATSp1rpHU/s1600/Spice%2BSolo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sxT963vlod4/VtsXx7fV83I/AAAAAAAADjk/JQATSp1rpHU/s320/Spice%2BSolo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
When it came to work outside of the Spice banner, not all of the Spice Girls did it for me. The two Mels fared the worst. Mel B, as the one who seemed most in love with all things R&B, thus set off on a fairly unsuccessful solo career which did nothing more than offer mediocre attempts within the genre - a pointless exercise when the likes of Destiny‘s Child already existed. Mel C, as the avowed indie girl, should have been the one who walked away from the band with the most kudos, but after an ill-advised “punk” set at the V Festival, ended up indulging in a career that seemed most successful, chart wise, when she went down the dance route, but which again, music wise, offered up only so-so offerings within a genre where quality music is usually very difficult to get right. Put it this way, she didn’t do a “Blue Monday” or “The Model”.
<br />
<br />
It was the remaining trio who made the best Spice-related solo records, mainly because none of them ventured too far off the pop path with which they had made their mark. They too all experienced varying levels of success, and as I type this, neither Geri, Vicky or Emma are officially “currently inbetween" albums. So this blog, which nabs it’s subtitle from a Frankie Valli boxset BTW, could well be, forever more, the definitive list of the best Spice solo efforts.
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<br />
<b>Geri Halliwell</b>
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<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J6ZG-wpI7CI/VtsYZEUnQ-I/AAAAAAAADjo/OVtZ9LGnpgE/s1600/Geri%252BHalliwell%252BMi%252BChico%252BLatino%252B632166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J6ZG-wpI7CI/VtsYZEUnQ-I/AAAAAAAADjo/OVtZ9LGnpgE/s320/Geri%252BHalliwell%252BMi%252BChico%252BLatino%252B632166.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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By jumping ship whilst the band were still an ongoing concern, it was Ginger who thus made the first real solo outings outside of the trio, following a one-off Mel B effort and a Mel C collaboration with Bryan Adams. 1999’s “Look At Me” was a real statement of intent, a big booming Shirley Bassey-esque piece of pomp. A limited edition version of the CD single featured postcards using stills from the promo video, in which Geri took on different personas - “Bitch”, “Sister”, “Vamp” and “Virgin”. It dented the top 5 and showed that, despite having been subjected to much grumbling about her vocal skills in the past, Geri potentially had the staying power to rival her former group in the charts.
<br />
<br />
Seen by some of us not just as Ginger, but also as “Sexy Spice”, EMI decided to play up on Geri’s slightly vampy image on the next single, the flamenco romp of “Mi Chico Latino” - Geri sashayed around the video in a skimpy bikini, and the two CD Single editions issued both utilised images of Geri’s ’sultry beach’ look. From this release onwards, EMI generally decided to really kick out bonus chunks of B-side material, with new recordings adorning the first CD edition, and remixes the second. More or less every Geri single subsequently issued on EMI followed a similar path.
<br />
<br />
“Chico” was the second of four singles lifted from Geri’s debut LP, “Schizophonic”, issued in the summer of 1999. As it’s title suggested, it was issued in two different covers - a white, angelic sleeve, and a red, devilish sleeve. In America, Capitol issued the CD in a boxset edition, housed in an oversized black box with the “white” version of the album, a keyring, and a VHS containing the “Look At Me” video and an interview, housed in the same basic sleeve as the “Look At Me” single. Sales wise, “Schizophonic” - at last count - had sold more copies than the Spice Girls sole LP without her, “Forever” - further proof, potentially, that the Spice Girls minus Geri weren’t quite really the Spice Girls.
<br />
<br />
In 2001, with her former band by now having gone on an indefinite hiatus, Geri continued to have the last laugh by returning with a hi-camp, and hugely successful, cover of “It’s Raining Men”, the first release from her second LP “Scream If You Wanna Go Faster”. It was also featured in the “Bridget Jones’s Diary” movie, which possibly helped it shift more units, alongside EMI’s continued ’double CD’ approach to Geri’s singles. As with most Geri 45s, promo 12 inch copies were pressed in a different sleeve with a barrage of remixes. What these promos also offered up regularly were full length remixes, which usually had to appear in edited form on the commercially released singles due to timing restrictions. I have several Geri promos, but probably not enough to offer an authoritative view on the subject, but the potential is there for these releases to be looked at in more depth.
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<br />
I seem to recall that the weekly inkies hated the “Scream” LP, but from what I can remember, it’s nothing disastrous. Certainly, the title track - issued as the next single - was another piece of gloriously hi-energy hyper pop, and was further proof that as huge as the Spice Girls had been, Geri had shown how an individual member could prove to be just as big outside the group. She plugged the LP at 2001’s “Party In The Park”, where she paraded round onstage in a bodysuit and not much else, furthering the “Sexy Spice” image.
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<br />
After a third single from the LP, “Calling”, got no further than number 7, Geri was reportedly unhappy at it’s “failure” and stepped away from the world of pop. EMI, it seems, must have been disappointed with the sales of the last album, although it had gone top 5, because when Geri - now performing as “Geri” and not “Geri Halliwell” - returned in 2004, she was on a new label, a sister EMI imprint called Innocent, home to the likes of Billie and Spice-esque Liverpudlians Atomic Kitten.
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<br />
The comeback single on her new label was the bouncy disco romp of “Ride It”, which acknowledged the fetishistic fascination that was starting to occur as regards the vinyl comeback, by being the first commercially released Geri solo release to appear as a 12” Picture Disc. With the two track CD single now also part and parcel of UK releases, Innocent issued one of the CD editions as a “2 for 1” hits release, with “It’s Raining Men” as the flipside, a trick they also pulled with Atomic Kitten at one point. Remixes of the A-side adorned the second CD and 12” releases.
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<br />
With the next single being a reasonably seductive, and semi raunchy, piece of saucy pop called “Desire”, complete with an equally amorous video, Innocent decided to issue a DVD single rather than a slab of vinyl this time around, and the video was dutifully included on the disc, along with the clip for “Ride It” - a still from the "Desire" promo was used on the front of this edition. Again, remixes (of both old and new material) adorned the CD editions, with one of the CD versions featuring a shot of Geri in a skimpy nightshirt, another attempt at “sexing up” the release, I think.
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<br />
Now, I am not sure how it then all went wrong. But I will admit, having bought everything by this lady up till this point, I decided to wait for the new album to ’drop in price’ before I bought it. Trouble is, it seems I wasn’t the only one, because by the time I did pick up my copy, “Passion” had entered and disappeared from the UK charts overnight, charting at a lowly 41, with sales of barely 5,500 copies - making “Climate Of Hunter” look like “Sgt Pepper” in terms of success. It brought a premature end to Geri’s career - plans for her first ’proper’ tour were shelved, and “Passion” became the final release by Geri on the label. And indeed, Spice reunions notwithstanding, her final release at all. Since 2005, Geri has been seen hanging out with rich businessmen, getting married, and becoming a kids author. She probably doesn’t need to work ever again, as she was co-credited on a large number of the songs that she recorded, but I really do love Geri - and seeing her pop up now and again as a guest judge on something like “The X Factor” is a bit of a downer, really. There was some one off, download only, Australian single in 2013, but as we all know, downloads don’t count.
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<br />
<b>Discography</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>ALBUMS</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>Schizophonic</b> (CD, EMI 521 0092, red or white p/s)<br />
<b>Schizophonic</b> (Cassette, EMI 521 0094)<br />
<b>Schizophonic</b> (MiniDisc, EMI 521 0098)
<br />
<br />
<b>Scream If You Wanna Go Faster</b> (CD, EMI 533 3692)<br />
<b>Scream If You Wanna Go Faster</b> (Cassette, EMI 533 3694)
<br />
<br />
<b>Passion</b> (CD, Innocent CDSIN 19)
<br />
<br />
<b>SINGLES</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>Look At Me (LP Version)/(Mark!s Big Vocal Mix Surgery Edit)/(Terminalhead Remix)/(Video)</b> (CD1, EMI CDEMS 542, with 4 free postcards, digipack sleeve)<br />
<b>Look At Me (LP Version)/(Mark!s Big Vocal Mix Surgery Edit)/(Terminalhead Remix)/(Video)</b> (CD2, EMI CDEM 542)<br />
<b>Look At Me (LP Version)/(Mark!s Big Vocal Mix Surgery Edit)/(Terminalhead Remix)</b> (Cassette, EMI TCEM 542)
<br />
<br />
<b>Mi Chico Latino/G.A.Y./Summertime/Mi Chico Latino (Video)</b> (CD1, EMI CDEMS 548)<br />
<b>Mi Chico Latino (Original Version)/(Junior Vasquez Main Pass Edit)/(Charlie Rapino 12” Version)/(Claudio Coccoluto The Coco Club Mix)</b> (CD2, EMI CDEM 548, in unique “Bikini” p/s, some/all copies list wrong track listing on disc)
<br />
<br />
<b>Lift Me Up (Album Version)/(Metro Edit)/(Almighty Edit)/(K Klass Phazerphunk Mix)</b> (CD1, EMI CDEMS 554, in “Car” p/s + poster)<br />
<b>Lift Me Up/Live And Let Die/Very Slowly/Lift Me Up (Video)</b> (CD2, EMI CDEM 554)
<br />
<br />
<b>Bag It Up/These Boots Are Made For Walking/Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps/Bag It Up (Video)</b> (CD1, EMI CDEMS 560)<br />
<b>Bag It Up (LP Version)/(D-Bop’s Chocolate Vocal Edit)/(Trouser Enthusiasts’ Edit)/(Yomanda Edit)</b> (CD2, EMI CDEM 560, unique p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>It’s Raining Men/I Was Made That Way/Brave New World/It’s Raining Men (Video)</b> (CD1, EMI CDEMS 584)<br />
<b>It’s Raining Men (Album Version)/(Bold & Beautiful Glamour Mix Edit)/(Almighty Mix Edit)/(D-Bop’s Tall And Blonde Mix Edit)</b> (CD2, EMI CDEM 584, unique p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Scream If You Wanna Go Faster/New Religion/Breaking Glass</b> (CD1, EMI CDEMS 595, “Good Geri” p/s)<br />
<b>Scream If You Wanna Go Faster (Album Version)/(Sleaze Sisters Anthem Mix [Edit])/(Rob Searle Remix [Edit])/(Burnt Remix)</b> (CD2, EMI CDEM 595, “Evil Geri” p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Calling/Getting Better/Destiny/Calling (Video)</b> (CD1, EMI CDEMS 606)<br />
<b>Calling (Album Version)/(WIP ‘Couer De Lion’ Edit)/(Metro 7 Inch)/(Mauve’s Factor 25 Mix)/(Mareeko Remix Edit)</b> (CD2, EMI CDEM 606, unique p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Ride It (Radio Version)/It’s Raining Men</b> (CD1, Innocent SINCD 69)<br />
<b>Ride It (Radio Version)/(Hex Hector 7” Mix)/(Ian Masterson Extended)/(Maloney Remix)</b> (CD2, Innocent SINDX 69, different p/s + 4 free postcards)<br />
<b>Ride It (Hex Hector 12” Mix)/(Full Intention Mix)</b> (12” Picture Disc in clear sleeve, Innocent SINT 69)
<br />
<br />
<b>Desire/Lift Me Up (K Klass Phazerphunk Edit)</b> (CD1, Innocent SINCD 75)<br />
<b>Desire (LP Version)/(Bimbo Jones Remix (Vocal))/(Shanghai Surprize Remix)</b> (CD2, Innocent SINDX 75, unique p/s)<br />
<b>Desire (Video)/Ride It (Video)/Desire (Behind The Scenes Footage - Video)/True Love Never Dies</b> (DVD, Innocent SINDVD 75, unique p/s)
<br />
<br />
Note: several of the singles above were also issued on Cassette, often replicating the tracks from the CD1 editions - the disadvantage being that those CD1 releases usually had the video on as well, making them a more worthwhile purchase. I have had real trouble trying to get CD Roms to play recently, suggesting the technology hasn’t survived, so you may find, the cassette singles might be worth a punt if you find one, on the basis the video may not play properly anyway if you go for the CD version instead. Possibly. Same goes for some of the Emma releases detailed later in this article.
<br />
<br />
<b>Victoria Beckham</b>
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<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LcPZz68Ee70/VtsaAuYzvvI/AAAAAAAADj4/7_fh3Gh55x8/s1600/Vicky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LcPZz68Ee70/VtsaAuYzvvI/AAAAAAAADj4/7_fh3Gh55x8/s1600/Vicky.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
It seems sort of strange, given that for many she was the “least musical” of the band, that Victoria Beckham is now one of the most famous women in the world. Being married to a handsome and famous footballer helps, but I still find it incredible that Victoria gets on the cover of magazines all the time still, despite having “retired” from celebrity a few years back to become a fashion designer - put it this way, she gets in “Heat” magazine more often than Tom Ford does.
<br />
<br />
Vicky’s solo career probably seemed like an unlikely event - after all, this was the woman who doesn’t seem to actually be on the band’s first single at all - but, despite it being a quite brief period, Vicky’s solo years produced some really quite excellent material. She seemed to be able to transfer the R&B influences from the band’s past into quite good solo material in a way that Mel B, for some reason, simply couldn’t do.
<br />
<br />
Victoria started her solo career with what could have been a one off. She was invited to sing on a 2-step garage tune called “Out Of Your Mind” by a group called True Steppers, Dane Bowers from Another Level was also invited to hide away in the background. It was typically high energy, and despite coming from a genre which simply just had the one tune, by inviting an actual popstar to sing on it, gave it a more mainstream feel, meaning that as a piece of pop music, it was actually quite thrilling.
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<br />
Of course, when the single stalled at number 2, the press had a field day - Beckham was already very famous at this point, and for her to have a “flop record” was tabloid heaven. Insult to injury was added when the record that beat her to number 1 was another dance/pop collab, as the chart topper that beat her was Spiller’s “Groovejet”, featuring vocals from the one time vocalist of Indie-poppers Theaudience, Sophie Ellis Bextor. Vicky’s biggest gig had been Wembley Stadium, Theaudience’s was the University of London Union.
<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, a number 2 hit is better than a number 3, and Vicky decided a solo career was not beyond her capabilities. With Spice now on hiatus, she signed a solo deal with the label (Virgin) and returned in the autumn of 2001 with the shuffly dance-pop of “Not Such An Innocent Girl”. In a presumably unrelated throwback to the dual-cover release of Geri’s debut, she was featured on the cover of “Smash Hits” in the run up to it’s release, with one cover featuring Vicky looking innocent, and another cover featuring her looking not so innocent. The single went top 10, and was issued on 12” and DVD, with new flipsides and remixes spread across the formats.
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<br />
Her self titled album was issued in October 01, also entering the top 10, but selling in relatively modest numbers. The image shown above is of the striking front cover, promo copies were also issued in a completely different sleeve, which for such a photogenic character, interestingly featured no photo of Vicky at all. Instead, the “VB” logo was enlarged to fill the entire cover. “Out Of Your Mind” was not included on the album.
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<br />
The acoustic strum of “A Mind Of It’s Own” was issued as the next single, but with the single not being particularly remix-able, the B-sides from the CD edition were hawked around all of the other formats as well, as there was simply no other material available. This could potentially have had some effect on the sales figures, but in the end, it too dented the top 10. Like Geri, there was no solo concert performances - indeed, of the trio we are looking at here, mimed TV plugs and the odd guest spot seemed to account for all “public appearances” - but interestingly, she did perform an album track called “IOU” when she was invited to promote the LP on the “Parkinson” TV chat show.
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<br />
With sales and chart positions nowhere near the levels Vicky had attained during Spice Fever, she was dropped from Virgin, and by 2003, had signed a deal with Telstar. As the most famous of all the Spice Girls, Beckham had attracted the attentions of US record producer Damon Dash, and they began working on an album of R&B and Hip Hop inspired material, under the working title of “Come Together”. Telstar heard the results, and were unimpressed - there was some worry, it seems, as to how they could market such an American sounding album which everybody knew was by somebody as British as they come.
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<br />
Beckham then recorded an entirely new album called “Open Your Eyes”, which toned down the R&B side and returned her to her “pop” roots. Once it was finished, Vicky was reportedly unhappy with the whole thing, and Telstar now had, in the vaults, enough material for a double album, but seemingly were unsure which bits of it should see the light of day.
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<br />
In late 2003, they issued a double A-sided single which combined a song each from both the sessions, apparently as a tester to see which song the public liked more. The idea, apparently, would then be to put together an album using material from the preferred session. “This Groove” / “Let Your Head Go”, in my opinion, is the best Spice-solo release of them all. The former is a fabulous, beat driven piece of smoothly crafted R&B, with some absolutely delicious vocals from our Vic, the latter a slightly hyper-manic pop romp, complete with equally psychotic promo video - for a woman always viewed as being dour and miserable, the clip showed she could do ludicrousness and comedy quite well. The single did pretty good, and Beckham, for so long derided as the Spice Girl who either couldn’t, or didn’t want to, sing, seemed to be on the verge of a highly credible, and potentially exciting, musical comeback.
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<br />
And then it all collapsed. Telstar had gotten into the habit of giving huge advances to acts who then couldn’t help them recoup their money, and it seems as though the amount of money spent on the (two) album(s) was the final straw, and the label went bankrupt in 2004. Beckham and Dash fell out, and Beckham’s music career stalled to an undignified halt. Part of the Telstar deal was the release of a DVD and VHS ’rockumentary’ about David and Victoria called “The Real Beckhams”, about their recent relocation to Spain, and the two promo clips filmed for the single were tagged on as bonuses to the release. The documentary even came with a personalised catalogue number showing it as the second release by Vicky on the label (VHSVB2, for the video version for example), but once the label went under, it brought Vicky’s pop career to an end. She did get involved in the Spice reunions, and for a while continued to dabble in the world of celebrity whilst not saying whether or not a return to the solo career was on the cards (most memorable thing from this period was the Calvin Klein shoot, Google it if you have been living under a rock since 2005) but by the end of 2013, with her fashion designer career starting to fly, Vicky eventually started to talk about her pop career in the past tense. Ten years on from the Telstar debacle, it was finally officially all over.
<br />
<br />
<b>Discography</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>ALBUM</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>Victoria Beckham</b> (CD, Virgin CDV 2942)<br />
<b>Victoria Beckham</b> (Cassette, Virgin TCV 2942)
<br />
<br />
<b>SINGLES</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>Out Of Your Mind (Radio Edit)/(10 Degrees Below Vs X Men Vocal Mix)/(10 Degrees Below Dub)</b> (CD, Nu Life 74321 782942, with insert)<br />
<b>Out Of Your Mind (12” Mix)/(10 Degrees Below Vs X Men Vocal Mix)/(10 Degrees Below Dub)</b> (12“, Nu Life 74321 782941, unique p/s, with insert)<br />
<b>Out Of Your Mind (Radio Edit)/(10 Degrees Below Vs X Men Vocal Mix)</b> (Cassette, Nu Life 74321 782944)
<br />
<br />
<b>Not Such An Innocent Girl/In Your Dreams/Not Such An Innocent Girl (Sunship Mix Feat. MC RB)</b> (CD, Virgin VSCDT 1816)<br />
<b>Not Such An Innocent Girl (Video)/(Robbie Rivera’s Main Mix)/(Sunship Dub Feat. MC RB)</b> (DVD, Virgin VSDVD 1816, unique p/s)<br />
<b>Not Such An Innocent Girl (Robbie Rivera’s Main Mix)/(Robbie Rivera’s 3AM Dark Mix)/(Sunship Mix Feat. MC RB)/(Sunship Dub Feat. MC RB)</b> (12”, Virgin VST 1816, in unique die cut sleeve)
<br />
<br />
<b>A Mind Of It’s Own (Remix)/Always Be My Baby/Feels So Good</b> (CD, Virgin VSCDT 1824)<br />
<b>A Mind Of It’s Own (Remix)/Always Be My Baby/Feels So Good</b> (Cassette, Virgin VSC 1824)<br />
<b>A Mind Of It’s Own (Video)/Always Be My Baby/Feels So Good/Victoria “Behind The Scenes” at the Video Shoot (Video)</b> (DVD, Virgin VSDVD 1824, unique p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>This Groove (Radio Mix)/Let Your Head Go (Radio Mix)</b> (AA-side CD1, Telstar CDVB 1)<br />
<b>Let Your Head Go (Jakatta Remix)/This Groove (Para Beats Remix)/Let Your Head Go (Radio Mix)/This Groove (Radio Mix)</b> (AA-side CD2, Telstar CXVB 1, unique p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Emma Bunton</b>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zM_j37k6syg/Vtsb8a378FI/AAAAAAAADkE/ZORvOHNZBDk/s1600/Emma%252520Bunton%252520from%252520Universal%252520Records%2525202005%252520-%252520large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zM_j37k6syg/Vtsb8a378FI/AAAAAAAADkE/ZORvOHNZBDk/s320/Emma%252520Bunton%252520from%252520Universal%252520Records%2525202005%252520-%252520large.jpg" width="273" /></a></div>
<br />
Baby’s solo career seemed to stick the closest to the Spice template. Her career mostly followed the more mainstream pop sound of the group, with occasional flashes of more esoteric, and sonically odd, bouts of future-pop.
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<br />
Rather strangely, she launched her career whilst the band were still an ongoing concern, with a dance-pop crossover effort, after she contributed vocals to a cover of “What I Am”, recorded by Tin Tin Out. It wasn’t a banging club effort, like Vicky’s debut, but more a shuffly bit of funk-pop, although it was still subjected to some remix treatment. It was a big hit, with some formats technically being issued as a AA-side, as another of the band’s collaborations (with singer Wendy Page) was used to bolster the single’s track listing.
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<br />
It was eventually, several years later, tagged on as a bonus track to Bunton’s debut LP, 2001’s “A Girl Like Me”. The opening track, “What Took You So Long?”, was issued as the ‘official’ lead single from the album, and showed the breezy, semi-acoustic pop that would characterise the LP. It went to the top of the singles chart, whilst the album went top 5. Critical reaction was mixed, with some feeling that Bunton’s attempts at making a Spice-sounding record seemed like a bit of a waste.
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<br />
“Take My Breath Away”, issued as the follow up single, had a promo video that recalled Geri’s beach antics for “Mi Chico”, possibly as an attempt to sex up Bunton’s image, and get her away from the whole “Baby Spice” thing. A further piece of shameless record company shenanigans was conducted by issuing said video on a DVD single release. A Tin Tin Out remix was issued as one of the b-sides, I guess, as a bit of a thank you present.
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<br />
Multi formatting continued with the bouncy pop of “We’re Not Gonna Sleep Tonight”, although this didn’t help the single go any higher than number 20. Bunton then shifted labels from Virgin - like Beckham, she had been signed to the label as part of the Spice connection - to 19 Records, releasing her first single on the label in 2003.
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<br />
That single, “Free Me” (credited simply to “Emma“, despite the fact I can think of another solo “Emma“ from the dim and distant past), showcased a slightly more vibrant sounding Emma, and was a decent trailer for the second album of the same name. Of all the Spice-related solo efforts, this is probably the standout. Unashamedly influenced by 60s pop, Motown and soul music, it’s arguably better than any of the three albums she issued as part of the group itself, with a sound that was both simultaneously grown up, but also as catchy as hell.
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<br />
Future singles showcased moments of pop genius, that easily gave new kids on the block, Girls Aloud, a run for their money. “Maybe” was a glorious hi-energy romp of ’sophisti-pop’ (I got that genre from Wikipedia, I don’t think it actually exists), whilst the following “I’ll Be There” was an equally stunning piece of retro glamour-pop (I invented that one). Last single was arguably the best, the slightly psychotic, bossa nova swing madness of “Crickets Sing For Anamaria”. All of this was being done whilst Bunton was being presented as a stylish pin up-esque siren, none of the lollipop sucking from the Spice days, the album, it’s singles and accompanying photoshoots all attempted to showcase a new look, more “adult”, Bunton.
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<br />
In 2006, Emma took part in BBC’s “Strictly Come Dancing”. Often used by a celeb slightly past their sell by date to try and re-invigorate their career - albeit in a fabulously fun Saturday Night TV manner - Bunton decided to use it instead to plug her new LP, another retro-sounding effort called “Life In Mono”. The first single from the album, a cover of “Downtown”, killed several birds with one stone - it also included Bunton’s co-stars from the TV show in the promo video, and was also that year’s official ’Children In Need’ single. The second CD featured covers of Cilla Black‘s “Something Tells Me” and “Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps” (also covered, years before, by Geri), another nod to the direction of the retro-pop sound Bunton was now starting to excel at. The new look “sex symbol” image was still in situ - she appeared as a sexy French maid in the video, whilst the “Life In Mono” cover featured an almost-FHM style cover, with Bunton, in saucy over the knee socks, giving the camera the ’come on’.
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<br />
But the album stalled for some reason. The flipsides were included as (selected) bonus tracks on the Special Edition release (although, there was actually no “not special“ edition), but even this was not enough to get the album to go any higher than 65 in the charts. The LP didn’t get nearly enough the same level of acclaim as “Free Me”, and Bunton’s solo career was suddenly stalling in the same way Geri’s had done 12 months previous. A second single, an edited “All I Need To Know”, was issued in February 2007, although I remain convinced it was withdrawn from sale. I am sure I was buying Bunton’s singles religiously at the time, but it took me until quite recently to pick up a copy - which itself was a promo stickered edition at that. Copies do seem to be scarce, either way, because like the album, it was a relative flop, stalling at number 60 - despite being issued in the download age, it disappeared soon after. By the end of the year, the Spice reunion was underway and Bunton’s often brilliant solo career was quietly shunted into the sidelines.
<br />
<br />
<b>Discography</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>ALBUMS</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>A Girl Like Me</b> (CD, Virgin CDV 2935)<br />
<b>A Girl Like Me</b> (Cassette, Virgin TCV 2935)
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<br />
<b>Free Me</b> (CD, 19 Records 986615-8)
<br />
<br />
<b>Life In Mono</b> (CD, Universal 1718300)
<br />
<br />
<b>SINGLES</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>What I Am (Radio Version)/(Gangstarr Remix) +1</b> (CD, Virgin VCRD 53)<br />
<b>What I Am (Radio Version)/(Gangstarr Remix) +1</b> (Cassette, Virgin VCRC 53)<br />
<b>What I Am (Gangstarr Remix)/(Groove Chronicles Remix)</b> +1 (12”, Virgin VCRT 53, unique p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>What Took You So Long?/(Hey You) Free Up Your Mind/Merry-Go-Round/What Took You So Long? (Video)</b> (CD, Virgin VSCDT 1796)
<br />
<br />
<b>Take My Breath Away (Single Mix)/Close Encounter/Take My Breath Away (Tin Tin Out Mix)</b> (CD, Virgin VSCDT 1814)<br />
<b>Take My Breath Away (Single Mix)/Close Encounter/Take My Breath Away (Tin Tin Out Mix)</b> (Cassette, Virgin VSC 1814)<br />
<b>Take My Breath Away (Video)/Invincible/Take My Breath Away (Tin Tin Out Mix)</b> (DVD, Virgin VSDVD 1814, with 4 postcards)
<br />
<br />
<b>We’re Not Gonna Sleep Tonight (Radio Mix)/(3AM Mix)/Let Your Baby Show You How To Move</b> (CD, Virgin VSCDT 1821)<br />
<b>We’re Not Gonna Sleep Tonight (Radio Mix)/(3AM Mix)/Let Your Baby Show You How To Move</b> (Cassette, Virgin VSC 1821)<br />
<b>We’re Not Gonna Sleep Tonight (Radio Mix)/Let Your Baby Show You How To Move/We’re Not Gonna Sleep Tonight (Video)</b> (DVD, Virgin VSDVD 1821, unique p/s, with 4 postcards)
<br />
<br />
<b>Free Me/Who The Hell Are You/Free Me (Full Intention’s Freed Up Mix)/(Video)</b> (CD1, 19 Records 980747-2)<br />
<b>Free Me/Tomorrow/Free Me (Full Intention’s Sultra Mix)</b> (CD2, 19 Records 980747-3, unique p/s, with 3 postcards)
<br />
<br />
<b>Maybe/Don’t Tell Me You Love Me Anymore/Maybe (Bini And Martini Club Mix)/(Video)</b> (CD, 19 Records 981278-5)
<br />
<br />
<b>I’ll Be There/So Long</b> (CD1, 19 Records 981626-7)<br />
<b>I’ll Be There/Takin’ It Easy/I’ll Be There (Europa XL Vocal Mix)/(Bimbo Jones Vocal Mix)/(Video)</b> (CD2, 19 Records 981626-8, different p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Crickets Sing For Anamaria (Radio Edit)/Eso Beso/So Nice (Summer Samba)/Crickets Sing For Anamaria (Element’s Cricket Dance On Tequila Booty Mix)</b> (CD1, 19 Records 986682-6)<br />
<b>Crickets Sing For Anamaria/Maybe (Latin Version)</b> (CD2, 19 Records 986685-6, blue p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Downtown (LP Mix)/(Element Remix)</b> (CD1, Universal 1717347)<br />
<b>Downtown/Something Tells Me (Something’s Going To Happen)/Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps/Downtown (Video)</b> (CD2, Universal 1717348, unique p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>All I Need To Know (Single Edit)/Midnight And Martinis</b> (CD, Universal 1723657)
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-90164907501222750012016-02-16T11:14:00.000-08:002016-02-16T12:07:49.276-08:00Spice Girls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OxIRWaWQFMU/VsN1D_cw1fI/AAAAAAAADjU/s0dB0LBR5KU/s1600/Spice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OxIRWaWQFMU/VsN1D_cw1fI/AAAAAAAADjU/s0dB0LBR5KU/s320/Spice.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now. I am not going to claim that the debut Spice Girls LP is on a par with, say, the first Arctic Monkeys one. But with the current trend for bigging up what are, in my opinion, rather bland acts (Adele - the new Celine Dion, Little Mix - sub Girls Aloud), then that would make people who I think are quite good absolute musical geniuses. Indeed, you could argue that not only would Little Mix not have existed had it not been for Cheryl and Co, but that Girls Aloud themselves had the Spice Girls to thank for their entire career. The Spice Girls may not have been the first girl band in the world of pop (we had The Supremes and Bananarama for starters), but they did seem to be the first post-Madonna group designed specifically to cater for a style of “pure pop” that had otherwise been the domain of solo acts like Dannii Minogue. Whilst it is fair to say that Girls Aloud took the Spice template, and re-worked it into something more futuristic and, at times, more cutting edge, the Spice Girls had probably made it easier for that happen.
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<br />
The Spice Girls, allegedly, had been designed as a female Take That - only with better songs. The idea was, that Take That appealed to teenage girls, and so Spice could be designed for teenage boys, and perhaps, their dads as well. In the end, the Spice Girls had a slightly different demographic - they ended up getting a big teenage girl following, who bought into their whole ’Girl Power’ shtick, but they also caught the attention of those of us who saw them as Madonna’s younger sisters. Yes, I know, they never did a “Borderline” and certainly not a “Like A Prayer”, but equally, they never plunged the depths of awfulness that Boyzone and Westlife managed. They helped to kickstart a new sub-genre of “female pop” that saw the likes of Solid Harmonie, N Tyce, Billie and Britney follow in their wake - the latter soon taking the Princess Of Pop title along the way.
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Whilst the likes of the X Factor nowadays seem to be a short cut for those wanting to become famous overnight - which, as we have now seen quite a bit, doesn‘t usually seem to actually happen - the Spice Girls formation was actually quite a long winded process - the genesis of the group as dissected on Wikipedia goes on for ages. The short version, is that in 1994, auditions were held to try and put together a new girl band, and Victoria Adams, Melanie Chisholm and Melanie Brown were amongst the girls who were successfully making their way through the “knockout stages”. Geri Halliwell later ‘forced’ her way into the later stages of the process, and the eventual five piece that was formed, initially under the name of Touch, consisted of these four girls and Michelle Stephenson.
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<br />
By the end of the year, Stephenson had been replaced by Emma Bunton, and the group rechristened Spice Girls. Although they were, theoretically, a group of unknowns, most members had their “past” rediscovered in the years that followed - Bunton had had a couple of acting cameos, Adams had been a fashion model and had musical ambitions, whilst Halliwell had done everything from TV presenting overseas to posing nude as a glamour girl. The group eventually signed a deal with Virgin Records in 1995, and their debut single was issued in the summer of 1996.
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“Wannabe” is, I guess, the band’s signature tune. It’s probably one of the more patchier efforts in the catalogue, suffering a bit from a tinny production and an almost nursery-rhyme style sound, but it did help to introduce the band to the general public, with it’s roll call for the five girls in the middle section “we’ve got Em in your face...we’ve got G like MC” and so on. The single, like most Spice releases, used a band logo with photos of the five girls located within the five letters of the ‘Spice’ part of the band name. The single was released in the UK, and dented the top 5 straight away, before climbing to the number 1 spot. There was, to some extent, an almost punk rock vibe to the single’s success - Geri in particular, was later singled out for “not being able to sing”, Victoria got a similar slagging from some, but they had created a debut single that was quite catchy, whilst looking unlike any other “pop” group currently out there at the time. The Spice Girls were about to become the biggest band in the world.
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The follow up single, “Say You’ll Be There”, was the one to turn the borderline doubters around. It was a lot more sophisticated, a slab of smooth R&B, and far less gimmicky than it’s predecessor had been. Sensing they now had a band on their roster that were capable of shifting more units than they had possibly imagined, the CD2 edition of the single came with a free poster of the band. This single followed “Wannabe” to the top of the UK charts.
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The group must have been like manna from heaven to kids TV shows, and magazines like Smash Hits. The five girls had a very distinct look, each of them had a style which saw them get given nicknames by “Top Of The Pops” magazine. Hints of the Village People, maybe. These nicknames, Posh, Sporty, Scary, Baby and Ginger, were later adopted as official monikers by the band’s management - I have an official “Posh Spice” mug somewhere in the archives. And in the case of at least Geri, potential pin up girls for the “older” fans - indeed, one marketing campaign in late 97 saw each of the girls appear on the cover of a “suitable” magazine individually, with Geri appearing in hold up stockings on the cover of “Arena”. They may have been designed as a girl band for the pop crowd, but the popularity of the band was starting to explode in all directions, and the girls were making dents outside of their original target audiences.
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As such, the band’s debut LP, “Spice”, was issued in late 1996 on vinyl, to cater for the hipsters, as well as the more ‘kids friendly’ cassette and CD formats. The cassette version was housed in a unique sleeve, as the band logo was designed to run down the cover, as opposed to running left to right as on the LP and CD editions. It went to the top of the charts, and shifted a “Beatlemania”-esque number of units. Some critics were unsure of the whole phenomenon, but it mattered not a jot - the Spice Girls were all of a sudden the biggest pop group in the world.
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<br />
One criticism of the band was the marketing techniques used by their management to “enhance” their brand. Soon, you couldn’t move for packets of Walkers Crisps, Cadbury’s Chocolate Bars and cans of Pepsi which all adorned photos of the band. You could say, looking at modern pop approaches, that this was the beginning of a problem within the genre, of some groups becoming more well know for their looks or outside merchandising cash-ins than the music, but we’d been here before with The Beatles, and Spice were simply retooling this for the 90s. The band even did their own “Panini Sticker” album style thing, when they produced a photo album whereby you had to try and collect all the photos by buying an envelope of photos in your local newsagents, and then just hoping that you didn’t get too many doubles as time went on. You had to get 120 photos, a real money spinner - of course, by this time, I had completely fallen in love with Emma, so I totally went for it. I managed 100 photos in the end, not bad. But not as good as when I completed the Football 83 album.
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<br />
With the Christmas Number 1 in the singles charts, back then, having an air of excitement about it, before Cowell and downloading killed it, it was no surprise that the girls decided to have a stab at getting one. The swirling pop of “2 Become 1” was issued, with lyrical changes from the LP mix, just in time for Xmas - and did the job, becoming the band’s third number 1 hit single on the trot, and the first of three consecutive Christmas chart toppers. Again, the second CD edition was done as a bit of a fancy “fan edition”, and also featured a festive flipside in the form of “Sleigh Ride”.
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<br />
By the spring of 1997, Spice had more or less won over the whole world - they were launched in the US to a similar level of excitement as they had already experienced in the UK. They were invited to open the 1997 Brit Awards, and in doing so, created a piece of genuine pop culture history, as Geri strutted onstage in a barely there Union Jack mini-dress. For those of us who wanted to marry Emma, we now genuinely couldn’t decide between her or Geri. Vicky was very close to being taken by a footballer, so she was off the cards.
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<br />
The song the band played at the Brits was one side of their new AA-sided single, the glorious hi-energy disco romp that was “Who Do You Think You Are”. The single was issued as the official Comic Relief single, and a second video was created in which the band were joined by (fake) rival group “The Sugar Lumps”, including comediennes Dawn French & Jennifer Saunders and a genuine pop star in the form of Lulu in their ranks. The other side of the single was the slightly schmaltzy gospel inspired “Mama”, in which the band’s own mothers appeared in the video. In Germany, the single was issued in an “autographed” sleeve (pre-signed). The band’s first VHS collection, “One Hour Of Girl Power” was issued soon afterwards, and included the promo clips made for all of the singles thus far. This, and the AA-side single, brought the promotion for the first LP to a close.
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<br />
As part of the Pepsi tie in, the band’s next single was a mail order only release in the summer of 97, “Step To Me”, a totally brand new recording. I have no memories of how I got my copy, but Wikipedia reminds me that it involved collecting ring pulls from Spice-emblazoned cans of Pepsi, and sending them off once you had the required number. Four different mixes of the songs were included on the CD, which remains unavailable on any other Spice release in the UK. Part of the campaign also saw fans being entered into a prize draw to see the band in concert, as the group were due to play a pair of gigs (their first “proper” ones) in Istanbul in October. I seem to recall that the two shows were sort of “by invite only” and the decision to play in Turkey can surely only be that that was where Geri did her pre-fame TV stint. Otherwise, it seems a bit random. The two shows were filmed and used to compile the “Girl Power Live In Istanbul” VHS.
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The gigs were timed to coincide with beginning of the promo campaign for the band’s second LP - the second show took place on 13th October, the same day as the UK release of the first single from said LP. That single was the maraca-shaking madness that was “Spice Up Your Life”, which sailed to the top of the charts just like all the others. It was the first of two singles to feature a B-side with a play on words of the band name, with “Spice Invaders” appearing on the MC and CD1 editions.
<br />
<br />
The single was taken from the group’s “Spiceworld” album, issued soon after. It formed the sort-of soundtrack to the band’s first movie, also called “Spiceworld”, due for release that Christmas. The idea of the band doing a film was a no brainer, the group were obviously trying to do everything other popstars had done, so this was going to be their “A Hard Days Night”. Again, anybody watching this film should not be disappointed if they come away thinking “hmm, not quite as good as “Duel” or “It’s A Wonderful Life”” but the roll call of stars lining up to do cameos for it, suggested that there was a great deal of love for the Spice Girls. There was a comedic, tongue in cheek charm to what they were doing, with the band paying homage to pop culture across the board - Vicky appeared in promo photos in a re-enactment of the Ursula Andress “Dr No” bikini scene. When the film was issued on VHS the following year, it initially appeared in a number of limited editions, with the film being available in different tin cases which each featured a different Spice Girl on the cover. A later 2-VHS edition included a “making of the film” bonus tape.
<br />
<br />
The band’s second Christmas Number 1 was “Too Much”, another charmingly sweet piece of pure pop, with a promo clip including bits and pieces from the film. The following February, and the band started their first full tour in Dublin, before playing gigs in the UK in London and Birmingham. Arenas were the order of the day, although so popular were the band, they tended to play multiple shows in each city. Of interest, was that the majority of the UK shows were in Birmingham - in case you didn’t know, the UK’s second city is centrally located, and a lot easier for fans from outside London to get to, but the idea of playing bulk gigs here has never been tried again by anybody, and London is now usually the main port of call for those bands doing a “world tour”.
<br />
<br />
The band’s gig at the NEC in Brum on 3rd May was taped by the BBC. There were tentative plans to issue the whole gig as a live album, but the plan was never pursued. The Beeb broadcast the show, so bootlegs exist, and a couple of songs were later released officially when the performances of “Who Do You Think You Are” and “Say You’ll Be There” were included as B-sides on “Viva Forever”.
<br />
<br />
The third single from “Spiceworld”, the infectious Motown stomp of “Stop”, was issued to coincide with the tour. CD1 included live performances from the Istanbul gigs, the first time these had been made available on any format other than the VHS, whilst a cover of “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now”, performed as a duet with Luther Vandross on the 1997 “An Audience With The Spice Girls” TV special, appeared as a B-side on CD2. In reality, it’s really Vandross featuring the Girls, as they are mostly restricted to the choruses. The cassette single edition featured nothing rare, but the “Stop” logo used was different to the CD editions due to the quirks of the size and shape of the tape format.
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<br />
“Move Over”, as recorded in Istanbul, was issued as the next Pepsi “mail order” release. Again, collecting ring pulls was the order of the day. As well as this release, there was also a Various Artists split single release, as three other acts were doing a similar promotion with the company at the time. This EP therefore also includes tracks by Eternal, Hanson and Coolio.
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<br />
The first leg of the tour was wrapped up in Europe on May 29th 1998. The following day, newspaper reports suggested Geri was leaving the band - I seem to recall The Sun ran an article stating that she had wanted to promote a Breast Cancer Awareness campaign and the rest of the band had said “no”, but don't quote me on that. As the biggest band in the world at the time, this was of course front page “shock horror” news, but apparently, Geri had announced some weeks earlier to her bandmates that she had wanted to leave, so it was on the cards at least as far as the band’s inner circle was concerned. Geri confirmed the news in a statement the following day, although “exhaustion” was cited as the reason.
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<br />
Plans for a fourth single went ahead as planned, with “Viva Forever” being issued in July. By this point, the band had decided to carry on as a 4-piece, and were in the middle of a US tour, later documented on the “Spice Girls In America : A Tour Story” video. The video for the single was an animated affair, seemingly because there was no time for the band to film a clip, and included an animated Geri - it was seen by some as a sort of “farewell” to the flame haired goddess. It would be interesting to know what they would have done if there had been time to do a proper video, would Geri have made the final cut if it had been filmed before she left? The band finished off their tour with stadium gigs in the UK, and the band’s show at Wembley Stadium on 20th September was later issued as the “Live At Wembley Stadium” VHS.
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<br />
Plans for a third album had to be temporarily abandoned - tracks had been recorded with Geri’s vocals in early 98, but could obviously not now be used given that she had jumped ship. But during the US tour during the summer of 98, the band began to work on new material as a 4-piece. The first fruits of their labour were heard that Christmas, when the ‘Geri Tribute‘, “Goodbye”, was issued as their first single as a 4-piece. It was another mega hit, the third Xmas No 1, and did seem, at the time, to prove that the band could exist without one of their founding members. A couple of covers performed at the Wembley Stadium show appeared on the CD2 edition of the single, which if I remember correctly, came in a fan designed cartoon sleeve, as part of a competition to design a cover for the single.
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<br />
Following the release of “Goodbye”, the band went quiet. The band members - and Geri - indulged in various solo side projects, before the four remaining members got back together for a series of UK shows in late 1999. Thereafter, the group made the decision to record a third album, and eventually found themselves working with US R&B producers, which saw their next album head in a less pop direction than had been originally planned. The first single from the LP was issued in late 2000, as another double A-side, designed to showcase the slight mix in styles that ended up on the record. On one side was the jerky R&B throb of “Holler”, on the other, the big, ‘Mama’-esque, pomp of a ballad that was “Let Love Lead The Way”. It gave the band another number 1 single - Australian copies, meanwhile, came housed in a unique picture sleeve.
<br />
<br />
But whilst this should have suggested the Spice Girls were still big news, there was trouble at mill. The new album, “Forever”, it’s title suggesting a throwback to the ‘friendship never ends’ line in “Wannabe”, was released on the same day as a new Westlife album, and the press started predicting a Blur Vs Oasis style chart battle - although in this case, it was more Blur Vs Brotherhood Of Man. Still, somehow, the popularity of the stool inhabiting Irishmen won the day, and “Forever”, itself smarting from so-so reviews, stalled at number 2. A DVD EP, “Forever More”, featuring the promo clips for “Goodbye”, “Holler” and “Let Love” was issued at the same time, but despite the title, that was it. By the end of 2000, Spice had announced a “hiatus” - one that was to last for a good seven years.
<br />
<br />
By the time the Spice Girls did decide to reunite, the band members had experienced various levels of success. Geri had carved out a decent career of bouncy pop, although a third album released soon after she had signed to Innocent, Atomic Kitten’s label, called “Passion”, had flopped badly. Vicky had spent the latter part of 2003 promoting a brilliant double A side single of “This Groove”/”Let Your Head Go”, planned as the lead release from a second LP to be issued on her new label Telstar - this single showed that she had been unfairly maligned as the “miserable, non singer” in the band, and this release disproved both claims (the video for “LYHG” was nothing short of gloriously psychotic). Months later, Telstar went bankrupt.
<br />
<br />
Mel B had carved out a career of nondescript R&B, whilst Mel C, who wanted to be an indie act, ended up getting her biggest hit with her own brand of R&B, indicative of the schizophrenic nature of her solo career. Emma, possibly, survived the best. Her second LP, “Free Me”, was a joyous, retro sounding stab at pop, soul, Motown and, in “Crickets Sing For Anamaria”, bossa nova insanity. But when the 2007 follow up “Life In Mono” fell mostly on deaf ears, the signs were thus all there for a reunion. Although I doubt any of them needed the cash.
<br />
<br />
And so, in the fall of 2007, the world temporarily stopped obsessing over Girls Aloud as their mums returned to show everybody who had invented them in the first place. The Spice Girls were a five piece again, and alongside the inevitable reunion tour, they also recorded a couple of new songs for a forthcoming Greatest Hits package, helpfully called “Greatest Hits”. One of the new songs, “Headlines”, was issued as a single to tie in with the annual Children In Need charity event, although the group courted controversy when the video showing a scantily clad Geri was revealed - she paraded around the clip in a bra and no shirt, which was felt to be ’inappropriate’ for a single being released to help fund a children’s charity. Probably put into context though after the Jimmy Savile stuff, I think you’ll agree.
<br />
<br />
The “Greatest Hits” releases included a fancy boxset edition, which came with various freebies, and was issued as a 4-disc set. Disc 1 was the normal hits CD, disc 2 was a DVD featuring all of the videos with the exception of “Headlines“. Irritating (the US edition, apparently, does include it). Disc 3 was a “Karaoke” disc - ie. instrumental mixes of the same 13 songs on the DVD, and disc 4 a selection of previously released remixes. Discs 1 and 2 were housed in a “doublepack” sleeve, but discs 3 and 4 came in their own cases.
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<br />
Since the completion of the tour in 2008, the band have continued to sort of semi-exist. There was a one off reunion during the 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony, whilst Victoria announced her “official” retirement from music a year or so later. As rumours began to emerge about a possible 2016 tour to commemorate the 20th anniversary of “Wannabe”, Vicky was quoted as saying she wouldn’t do it. So the Spice Girls have reverted to a four piece again - assuming they ever properly come back.
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<br />
<br />
<b>Discography</b>
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<br />
Fairly self explanatory - never ones, at first, to do “bonus tracks” or “deluxe reissues”, it means you can buy the Spice Girls original studio albums, in the UK at least, on any format and not miss out. So all of these are listed. Although the Japanese “Spiceworld” might be worth hunting down as it adds an alternative mix of “Step To Me” as a bonus.
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<br />
The hits album was issued as both a CD and CD+DVD, alongside the boxset, which explains why the CD+DVD combo appears in a single case in the box. I have listed all three editions as even though the boxset, IMO, is an essential purchase, I am not sure how much you will have to shell out for it, and you may just prefer to go for an easier to find “less discs” option. I won’t hold it against you, I didn’t pay out for the 15 CD mega box set edition of the last Bob Dylan Bootleg Series release, so I know how it feels.
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<br />
Singles - buying CD1 and CD2 editions of everything should do the job, but there were also a handful of commercially released 12” singles, usually featuring something exclusive to the format, so they are listed as well. A couple of Cassingles are also worth a look, I have listed them where appropriate.
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<br />
I have also listed some selected odds and sods that I have in my own collection. This is probably just the tip of the iceberg, there are also numerous 12” promo pressings and promo CD’s that are housed in unique sleeves, or that have commercially unreleased mixes, Discogs is probably the place to go if you want to have a look in greater detail at those. Next month, a look at the best Spice-solo related releases.
<br />
<br />
<b>ALBUMS</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>Spice</b> (LP, Virgin V 2812)<br />
<b>Spice</b> (Cassette, Virgin TCV 2812, unique p/s)<br />
<b>Spice</b> (CD, Virgin CDV 2812)
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<br />
<b>Spiceworld</b> (LP, Virgin V 2850)<br />
<b>Spiceworld</b> (Cassette, Virgin TCV 2850)<br />
<b>Spiceworld</b> (CD, Virgin CDV 2850)
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<br />
<b>Forever</b> (Cassette, Virgin TCVX 2928)<br />
<b>Forever</b> (CD, Virgin CDV 2928)<br />
<b>Forever</b> (MiniDisc, Virgin MDV 2928)
<br />
<br />
<b>Greatest Hits</b> (CD, Virgin SPICECD 1)<br />
<b>Greatest Hits</b> (CD + DVD, Virgin SPICECDX 1)<br />
<b>Greatest Hits</b> (3xCD + DVD, Virgin SPICECDP 1)
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>SINGLES</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>Wannabe/Bumper To Bumper/Wannabe (Vocal Slam)</b> (CD1, Virgin VSCDT 1588)<br />
<b>Wannabe (Album Version)/(Dave Way Alternative Mix)/(Dub Slam)/(Instrumental)</b> (CD2, Virgin VSCDX 1588, stickered p/s)<br />
<b>Wannabe/Bumper To Bumper/Wannabe (Vocal Slam)</b> (Cassette, Virgin VSC 1588)<br />
<b>Wannabe/Bumper To Bumper</b> (7” Picture Disc, Virgin 06025 37540617, 2013 pressing in clear sleeve)
<br />
<br />
<b>Say You’ll Be There/Take Me Home/Say You’ll Be There (Junior’s Main Pass)/(Instrumental)</b> (CD1, Virgin VSCDT 1601)<br />
<b>Say You’ll Be There (Album Version)/(Spice Of Life Mix)/(Linslee’s Extended Mix)/(Junior’s Dub Girls)</b> (CD2, Virgin VSCDG 1601, stickered p/s + poster)<br />
<b>Say You’ll Be There/Take Me Home/Say You’ll Be There (Junior’s Main Pass)</b> (Cassette, Virgin VSC 1601)<br />
Note: both the above singles made mention of the A-sides being single mixes, but these would seem to be identical to the album versions. The instrumental mix of “SYBT” is on the boxset edition of “Greatest Hits”.
<br />
<br />
<b>2 Become 1 (Single Version)/(Orchestral Version)/One Of These Girls/Wannabe (Junior Vasquez Remix Edit)</b> (CD1, Virgin VSCDT 1607)<br />
<b>2 Become 1 (Single Version)/(Dave Way Remix)/Sleigh Ride</b> (CD2, Virgin VSCDX 1607, different p/s, with insert & postcard)
<br />
<br />
<b>Who Do You Think You Are (Radio Version)/Mama (Radio Version)/Who Do You Think You Are (Morales Club Mix)/(Morales Dub Mix)</b> (AA-side CD1, Virgin VSCDT 1623)<br />
<b>Mama (Radio Version)/Who Do You Think You Are (Radio Version)/Baby Come Round/Mama (Biffco Mix)</b> (AA-side CD2, Virgin VSCDG 1623)<br />
<b>Mama (Radio Version)/Who Do You Think You Are (Radio Version)/Baby Come Round/Mama</b> (AA-side Cassette, Virgin VSC 1623, final track is the LP mix, Biffco Mix available on “Greatest Hits“ box)
<br />
<br />
<b>Step To Me (7” Mix)/(Matthew’s Disco Steppin’ Mix)/(Matthew’s Extra Spicey Dub)/(Extended Mix)</b> (Mail Order Only CD, Virgin SGPC 97)
<br />
<br />
<b>Spice Up Your Life (Stent Radio Mix)/(Morales Radio Mix)/(Stent Radio Instrumental)/Spice Invaders</b> (CD1, Virgin VSCDT 1660)<br />
<b>Spice Up Your Life (Stent Radio Mix)/(Morales Carnival Club Mix)/(Murk Cuba Libre Mix)</b> (CD2, Virgin VSCDG 1660, different p/s)<br />
<b>Spice Up Your life (Morales Carnival Club Mix)/(Murk Cuba Libre Mix)/(Morales Beats)/(Morales Drums & Dub Mix)/(Murk Sugar Cane Dub)/(Murk Spider Beats)</b> (2x12”, Virgin VST 1660, stickered die cut sleeve)<br />
<b>Spice Up Your Life (Stent Radio Mix)/(Morales Radio Mix)/(Stent Radio Instrumental)/Spice Invaders</b> (Cassette, Virgin VSC 1660)
<br />
<br />
<b>Too Much (Radio Edit)/Outer Space Girls/Too Much (SoulShock & Karlin Remix)</b> (CD1, Virgin VSCDR 1669, with free postcard)<br />
<b>Too Much (Radio Edit)/(Orchestral Version)/Walk Of Life</b> (CD2, Virgin VSCDX 1669, purple p/s, with free postcard)<br />
<b>Too Much (Radio Edit)/(Orchestral Version)/Walk Of Life</b> (Cassette, Virgin VSC 1669)
<br />
<br />
<b>Stop/Something Kinda Funny (Live)/Mama (Live)/Love Thing (Live)</b> (CD1, Virgin VSCDT 1679)<br />
<b>Stop/Ain’t No Stopping Us Now (Live)/Stop (Morales Remix)/(Stretch ‘n’ Vern’s Rock & Roll Mix)</b> (CD2, Virgin VSCDX 1679, different p/s, with poster)<br />
<b>Stop/Ain’t No Stopping Us Now (Live)/Something Kinda Funny (Live)/Mama (Live)</b> (Cassette, Virgin VSC 1679, alternative logo p/s, original copies shrinkwrapped)
<br />
<br />
<b>Move Over (Live)</b> (Mail Order Only CD, Virgin CDUC 116)
<br />
<br />
<b>Viva Forever (Edit)/(Tony Rich Remix)/(Tony Rich Instrumental)</b> (CD1, Virgin VSCDT 1692)<br />
<b>Viva Forever (Edit)/Who Do You Think You Are (Live)/Say You’ll Be There (Live)</b> (CD2, Virgin VSCDX 1692, in “live” p/s with poster)<br />
<b>Viva Forever (Edit)/Who Do You Think You Are (Live)/Say You’ll Be There (Live)</b> (Cassette, Virgin VSC 1692)
<br />
<br />
<b>Goodbye (Radio Edit)/Christmas Wrapping/Goodbye (Orchestral Version)</b> (CD1, Virgin VSCDT 1721)<br />
<b>Goodbye (Single Version)/Sisters (Are Doing It For Themselves) (Live)/We Are Family (Live)</b> (CD2, Virgin VSCDX 1721, in unique “drawing” p/s)
<br />
<br />
<b>Holler (Radio Edit)/Let Love Lead The Way (Radio Edit)/Holler (MAW Remix)/(Video)</b> (AA-side CD1, Virgin VSCDT 1788)<br />
<b>Let Love Lead The Way (Radio Edit)/Holler (Radio Edit)/(MAW Tribal Vocal)/Let Love Lead The Way (Video)</b> (AA-side CD2, Virgin VSCDG 1788, different p/s, 4 free cards)<br />
<b>Holler (MAW Remix)/(MAW Spice Beats)/(MAW Tribal Vocal)/(MAW Dub)/(MAW Remix Instrumental)/(MAW Tribal Instrumental)</b> (2x12”, Virgin VST 1788, in die cut sleeve)<br />
<b>Holler (Radio Edit)/Let Love Lead The Way (Radio Edit)/Holler (MAW Remix)</b> (AA-side Cassette, Virgin VSC 1788)
<br />
<br />
<b>Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)/Wannabe (Soul Seekerz 2007 Remix)</b> (CD, Virgin HEADCD 100)
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>VIDEO/DVD RELEASES</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>The Official Video: One Hour Of Girl Power!</b> (VHS, Virgin VID 2834)<br />
<b>Girl Power! Live In Istanbul</b> (VHS, Virgin VID 2842)<br />
<b>Spiceworld</b> (VHS, Polygram 0570 483 No.1, available in 5 different tin editions, or as regular VHS, this catalogue number relates specifically to the “Emma” tin)<br />
<b>Live At Wembley Stadium</b> (VHS, Virgin VID 2874)<br />
<b>Spiceworld + Xtra Spice</b> (2xVHS, Polygram 0592063, includes bonus video with behind the scenes footage and performance of “Mama” at the Royal Albert Hall, different sleeve to original release)<br />
<b>In America: A Tour Story</b> (VHS, Virgin VID 2877)<br />
<b>Forever More</b> (DVD, Virgin VDVD 3, includes clips of “Holler“, “Let Love Lead The Way and “Goodbye”, with free poster)
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>SELECTED OTHERS</b>
<br />
<br />
<b>Who Do You Think You Are (Radio Version)/Mama (Radio Version)/Who Do You Think You Are (Morales Club Mix)/(Morales Dub Mix)</b> (German AA-side CD Single, Virgin 7243 894427 2 4, in ‘signed’ p/s)<br />
<b>An Audience With Elton John</b> (VHS, Telstar TVE 5033, includes “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”)<br />
<b>Pepsi Music Live EP</b> (Mail Order CD Single, Virgin CDLIC 117, 4-track single includes “Move Over (Live)”)<br />
<b>Viva Forever (Edit)/(Tony Rich Remix)/(Tony Rich Instrumental)</b> (Australian CD Single, Virgin 7243 8 95416 0 1, available in sleeves for each band member, this catalogue number relates specifically to the “Baby” edition)<br />
<b>Elton John And Tim Rice’s Aida</b> (CD, Rocket 524 651-2, includes “My Strongest Suit”)<br />
<b>It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (Single Version)/(Shaft’s Radio Mix)/(The Innovative Flex Remix)+1</b> (Various Artists CD Single 1, Universal 1566012)<br />
<b>It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (Full Length Version)/(Ruff Driverz Innercity Sumo Mix)+2</b> (Various Artists CD Single 2, Universal 1565982, different p/s)<br />
<b>Spice + Spiceworld</b> (French 2xCD Boxset, Virgin 7243 8501032 3, 2000 reissues of both CD’s in slipcase)<br />
<b>Let Love Lead The Way (Radio Edit)/Holler (Radio Edit)/(MAW Tribal Vocal)/Let Love Lead The Way (Video)</b> (Australian AA-side CD Single, Virgin 8 97341 0, unique p/s)
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<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-15090561271070046592016-01-11T07:08:00.002-08:002016-02-14T09:35:06.863-08:00January 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0_lGK-JNh-o/VsC6ByXJibI/AAAAAAAADjE/qdxwjJEEQso/s1600/Bowie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0_lGK-JNh-o/VsC6ByXJibI/AAAAAAAADjE/qdxwjJEEQso/s1600/Bowie.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
The January 2016 blogs feature a look at Madonna during the first half of 00's, and the man who basically invented all modern music, Bowie. To look at either of these blogs, click the relevant link to your right.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />"This is all I ever meant, that's the message that I sent"<br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-18875488624799579112016-01-11T07:08:00.000-08:002016-01-11T07:38:37.317-08:00David Bowie : A Tribute<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zy5ZKX-QvC0/VpPFNg6uo3I/AAAAAAAADi0/VdPZEOvw090/s1600/God.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zy5ZKX-QvC0/VpPFNg6uo3I/AAAAAAAADi0/VdPZEOvw090/s320/God.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>
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I think I once said to my wife, some time ago, that when David Bowie died I would probably be so upset, that I would almost certainly have to take the day off work to take it onboard.
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<br />
I woke up this morning feeling rough for the sixth day in a row. Man flu, I guess. As I watched the headlines scroll across the TV screen whilst Sky News did their newspaper review, I figured that a day of recuperation might do me good, having staggered into work throughout last week and never having managed to do a full day‘s graft. Perhaps a day of headache tablets and sore throat lozenges and a full day at home might finally cure my ills, rather than commuting and sitting in an office with no functioning air conditioning.
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<br />
On Friday, I walked in an influenza induced daze from my work place to the HMV in Birmingham because David Bowie’s new album was out. Bowie is one of those few artists whose albums I need to have on the day of it’s release. I bought the vinyl edition, and got home and did that digital download thing where you get a code to get free MP3’s to stick on your iPod. For some reason, I didn’t listen to the album. Little did I know that “Blackstar” would be the first LP I would buy by somebody who was alive when I bought it, but who would no longer be here when I first came to sit and listen to it throughout.
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<br />
Midway through that paper review, a breaking news item came up stating that Bowie’s Twitter and Facebook accounts were announcing his death. Sky News claimed it needed verification, it was possible the accounts were hacked, and so put the story into the background and carried on with the newspapers. At least one tweet came out about it stating “this can’t be true”. It left me a bit shell-shocked, because there was the other question - what if it was? We took the dogs out for a walk, and came back to look at the news channels again and put the radio on. 6Music was playing the Bowie-produced “Satellite Of Love“. The news was true. It was plastered all over the screen now on Sky News, half an hour after they had figured it couldn‘t be real. I promptly broke down in tears.
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<br />
In a way, it is good that as I type this, I am still sneezing and coughing and feeling awful, and therefore have made the right choice to not be in work. Because if I had been feeling fitting fit, I am not sure how I could have coped today anyway. Four hours after I heard the rumours, three hours after it was confirmed, I am still utterly devastated. The news channels are showing a constant stream of Bowie images and videos, and every so often, I look at them - and start crying again. And it seems I am not the only one. Tony Visconti has been quoted as saying “it is appropriate to cry”. Why? Because Bowie’s contribution to the world of music is simply unmatchable.
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<br />
Essentially, the only reason this site exists is because of Bowie. I have loved him since, well, forever. It is possible to find traces of his work in everything recorded by any indie rocker, or punk rocker, or electro pop duo ever since he first made his mark. Even Madonna will be the first to admit Bowie’s game changing adventures in the 70s inspired her to do the same within her own career.
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<br />
Bowie, for me, is part of what you could call “The Magnificent 7”. The seven artists who, between them, shaped popular music forever. Seven artists who, simply, will never be equalled for their contribution to popular music. Nobody new will ever be added to this list either - Beatles, Stones, Who, Kinks, Madonna, The Velvets - and Bowie.
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<br />
The run of albums that Bowie made from 1971 to 1980 remain, still, staggeringly superb. Nobody had ever made a series of albums of such brilliance, let alone doing so whilst genre hopping from Glam to Krautrock to New Romanticism. The run of albums that the Stones and The Who made during the late 60s through to the early 70s were good, but Bowie’s own run of albums from “Hunky Dory” to “Scary Monsters” simply wiped the floor with them. And that’s even before we talk about the often astounding run of albums that he put out in the 90s and beyond, the likes of “Outside” matching, if not bettering, the likes of “Lodger”.
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<br />
Do not ask me when I first fell in love with Bowie. My older brother and both my older sisters were Bowie fans, and so I probably became aware of him as soon as I realised I could hear. I do remember buying those 1983 “Lifetimes” singles that RCA had released to cash in on the post-”Let’s Dance” hysteria more or less as they were new in the shops. I would have been 10, maybe 11. So from a very, very, early age, I was hooked. It didn’t take me too long to realise that this man was something special. Part of the fascination, I guess, might have been that these records I was hearing of his from the previous decade seemed light years ahead of the often naff efforts that were polluting the UK charts at the time. Pop music was, for some reason, about to veer headfirst into a world of bland, overproduced, MOR in the 80s, meaning that these Bowie records sounded simply like they had come from another planet.
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The 60s Bowie stuff was something I discovered later on. Everybody, including Bowie himself, seemed to have distanced themselves from this material until recently. But once I started to listen to it, I became quite fascinated by parts of it. Admit it, “The Laughing Gnome” is, in it’s own music-hall tradition way, gloriously brilliant. “Can’t Help Thinking About Me” was a garage rock stormer that, when resurrected for the “Hours” tour in 1999, sounded like an incendiary long lost classic.
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But it was with the second album, 1969’s (second) self titled effort, that Bowie started to come of age. Try, if you can, to listen to the opening “Space Oddity” with fresh ears and you will realise just how ODD this record really is - the slow fade in, that “countdown” bit where the ensemble of musicians emulate the rocketship blast off, the swirling psychedelic finale that fades in and out. This was top 5 chart pop music - but not quite as we know it.
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Within that album, you can find traces of the sheer scope of musical boundaries that Bowie would cover in the 45 years that would follow. The rambling, ramshackle joy of “Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed”, the space rock free-form epic that was “Cygnet Committee”, the anthemic roar that concludes the otherwise almost hippy-ish “Memory Of A Free Festival”. History has mostly hidden this album from the retrospective tributes, but there is an argument that the run of great albums started not in 71, but two years earlier. This claim can be backed up by the following “The Man Who Sold The World”, which often veers off into moments of exhilarating hard rock (“She Shook Me Cold”), total psychotic madness (“The Supermen”) or proggy, shape shifting genius (“The Width Of A Circle”).
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One of my earlier blogs mentions the sheer mindblowing genius of the 71-80 period. But I shall remind you again. I shall just list the titles, because they say it all. “Hunky Dory”. “Ziggy”. “Aladdin Sane”. “Pin Ups”. “Diamond Dogs”. “Young Americans”. “Station To Station”. “Low”. “Heroes”. “Lodger”. “Scary Monsters”. Staggering. Just staggering. Especially “Station To Station”, where Bowie saw no reason why he couldn’t open the album with a ten minute long title track, and let the record company work out where the “hit singles” were or weren’t on the LP. And I can’t think of another, highly successful, musician who courted potential career suicide by deciding to devote half of his new album to showcasing his love of ambient instrumentals as he did on “Low”. Lou may have done “Metal Machine Music”, but he was still a cult hero at the time. Bowie, on the other hand, a year before, had been doing “Young Americans” on Cher’s primetime TV show in the USA. To have released “Low” at any time would have been daring - but to do it then, was simply incredible.
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OK, let’s just focus in on that period again. Because not only was the music astounding, but Bowie was able to add a “pop art” element to it all, by altering his image every time. Just look at that stunningly beautiful cover to “Hunky Dory”. The ‘coolest album cover ever’ on “Ziggy”, so cool I am now pestering my wife to ask if we can hang a pair of our (numerous) vinyl editions of the LP on our wall - front cover of the original in one frame, back cover of the RCA International repress in another. The magnificent lightning flash image of the “Aladdin Sane” period, which has become eye wateringly iconic. The striking imagery of the “Diamond Dogs” cover, especially if you have a gatefold copy. Bowie, on pretty much an annual basis, was changing his look, and changing his music, doing it so quickly that it was impossible for the imitators to catch up. The likes of Roxy and T Rex, who for a while, were Bowie contemporaries in the glam rock days, as good as they were, were simply left behind, knowing full well they couldn’t compete with what he was doing.
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The 80s were hard. He turned into a megastar, but did so whilst veering dangerously close to the middle of the road. Nobody in the Shergold household(s) could even bring themselves to buy “Never Let Me Down”, leaving it to me to go, many years after the event, for the 1995 expanded edition in order to plug the remaining gap in the back catalogue. But then we had the magnificent Tin Machine project, derided by just about everybody, but a vital, impossibly important turning point in the man’s career. An opportunity to put the “AOR” solo career on hold, and pay homage to his love of Pixies, Sonic Youth and The Stooges. They produced two albums of noisy, raucous, messy punk rock, and in doing so, managed to alienate those who had discovered him after “Blue Jean”. It sort of killed off ’Bowie The Pop Star’, not for the first time in his career, and allowed the albums that followed to return him to the esoteric brilliance of the 70s.
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Indeed, whilst there are still those who think that Bowie post-1980 ’isn’t that good’, I would implore you to check out 1993’s “Black Tie White Noise”, a magnificent car crash of 90s house music, Konrads-era throwback jazz, and warped pop. Or the same year’s “Buddha Of Suburbia”, which harked back to the experimental vibe of “Low” and “Heroes”. And I can’t say enough good things about the industrial throb of 1995’s magnificent “Outside”, home to the jerky rumble of “I Have Not Been To Oxford Town”, the clattering roar of “The Voyeur Of Utter Destruction”, the techno crunch of “I Am With Name” - easily the match of, say, “Pin Ups” or “Young Americans“.
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Same goes for 1997’s drum and bass extravaganza, “Earthling”, a record so inventive, it feels so sad that so many people still just don’t know about this record. The shuffling joy of “Battle For Britain”, the hyper energetic pounding of “The Last Thing You Should Do”, this was Bowie at the peak of his powers. He toured the club venues with his dual sets, headlined festivals, and played that now famous UK “small venues” tour in the summer of 1997, where he changed the set every night, opened with "Quicksand" ('Oh My God', was my reaction when I saw him do this at the Birmingham Que Club), tossed out the likes of “Jean Genie” three songs in, and generally showed everybody why he was, ultimately, better than everybody else.
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Bowie kept this momentum up for the next few years. 1999’s “Hours”, was a deliberately low key affair musically, a sort of rewinding of the clock back to the acoustic strum of “Hunky Dory”, that wrong footed even members of his own band, who were expecting a continuation of the dance rhythms and metallic guitar rock of the previous two long players. Then there was the Glastonbury show in 2000, where Dame David sailed through two hours of hits, which more or less said to any new kids on the block, “listen to this...and then give up now”.
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And so the genius continued. The experimental double whammy of “Heathen” and “Reality”, to me, the Noughties cousins of “Low” and “Heroes”, but not too experimental to upset the faithful. And the amazing “no hype” return of “The Next Day”, which, aside from the great music inside, simply arrived in a way that albums were rarely delivered these days. No press, no interviews, an old album cover re-used with a big white box glued over the top, and a number 1 record to boot. Genius genius genius. In these days of social media, Twitter overload and Facebook frenzies, Bowie had simply made a good, and successful, record, and managed it by not having in any way to kowtow to the generic music industry approaches in order to do so. No “here’s my new single” exploits on “The X Factor”.
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Much is now being made of the “mortality” references on “Blackstar”. Visconti has stated that Bowie’s health had been dipping for the last year, which suggests that Bowie was almost certainly resigning himself to the fact that he didn’t have long left for this world. The opening line of “Lazarus” - “Look up here, I’m in heaven” - feels almost as if it was included on the assumption that the album was most likely to have come out after his passing. The closing “I Can’t Give Everything Away”, almost feels like it is a farewell statement, a reference to the often mute and secretive approach Bowie had taken with the media since the abrupt end to the “Reality” tour. And maybe we should, or should not, read into the fact that this is (sort of) the first Bowie studio album upon which his image is absent from the cover, perhaps there is some religious or spiritual explanation also for the fact that the album, officially, is not called “Blackstar”, but is supposed to be referred to by the symbol on the front, a black coloured star. But what a way to go out - with an album that has had critics falling over themselves to praise it’s cutting edge genius. Even in his final months, Bowie was still summoning enough energy to create work that was bold, daring, innovative and wildly eclectic. Had Bowie issued the title track back in 1997, you’d have been impressed. But to be doing something like this just shy of his 69th birthday? Astounding. Contender for album of the year already.
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It is now lunchtime as I type this next paragraph, and I am still welling up with tears. The news channels are showing an “Aladdin Sane” mural in his hometown of Brixton, which is starting to be decorated with floral tributes. On CNN, there are mourners by his Hollywood Walk Of Fame. There are occasional visits to Heddon Street, the location of the Ziggy cover. This really does feel huge, monumental - an end of an era, the biggest thing to happen in music since the end of The Beatles or the death of John Lennon. Despite the fact that the end, apparently, was coming, it still doesn’t feel “real”. Even Visconti seems a bit numb about it all, and he has worked with him consistently for the last few years now, so was obviously aware of what was going on after the cancer diagnosis 18 months ago. It feels both perfectly “Bowie” - release an album on your birthday, then ‘disappear’ forever before people have time to congratulate you about it - yet at the same time, it feels totally unreal. Keith is still going, Iggy is still alive, so how on earth has Bowie gone first?
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I love Bowie more than any other musician in this world. So much so that I am even doing my own version of his “cut up lyrics” technique, by randomly taping some of these news reports onto a DVD, to see if I can get together - in a scattergun approach - a chaotic 2 hour tribute from this never ending, ramshackle, onslaught of media coverage. So huge does this all seem, that I now feel guilty that I once threw away some of my old music magazines which had Bowie on the cover, due to “space constraints”. Perhaps we should have just rented a lock up garage and kept them. We still have a few, thank god. At least one of them has that “Aladdin Sane Flash” cover. I feel as though taping this stuff needs to be done, however hard it is to watch, because I just know that in years to come, this day will become enshrined in the pantheon of Bowie history.
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My memories of Bowie? Getting a bit crushed at the Shepherds Bush Empire in 1997 when he concluded with a singalong “All The Young Dudes”. My wife and I attempting to slam dance to “Suffragette City” at a disco held above a pub in Moseley about ten years ago. First seeing the “Boys Keep Swinging” video on breakfast TV (I think), which did the whole “gender bender” things years before everyone else did it. Seeing him nearly come over to sign autographs at the stage door of the Hanover Grand, before doing a runner inside instead to ensure he would make the sound check. Perhaps it’s fate that I never got him to scribble on my piece of paper, maybe that would have destroyed the image of him being this sort of almost untouchable, alien creature, beamed down from outer space.
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I figured that I had to mark Bowie’s passing on this website in some form. Hence this little article. Because Bowie’s influence on popular culture is enormous. Despite the fact that he never fully embraced the stadium rock route, and released several albums and singles that either flopped or sold in meagre numbers, the sheer number of tributes and variety of artists who have name checked him today is staggering - with everybody from Kiss to Goldfrapp to Peter Gabriel acknowledging his loss. Bowie was sort of an anti-”The Voice” style superstar, one who rarely compromised for his art, and yet seems to have left an astonishing legacy that has touched an astounding number, and wide variety, of fans. Maybe some of these do love “Let’s Dance” more than “The Bewlay Brothers”, but still, there is a real outpouring of grief - far more so than people have experienced for some time. Numerous people have said how they have never cried when other popstars died, but that they can’t help it today. I too am one of those. It really does feel as though this is a big event, less shocking than the Lennon murder, but equally heartbreaking to those of us who looked up to Bowie as a musical innovator, or as the “King Of The Outsiders” - or both. On 6Music, Lauren Laverne has defended the fans who are crying over somebody we never met because, to paraphrase, “he was somebody who was part of your life, and now he has gone, it has a profound effect”.
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Part of Bowie’s genius was to “borrow” ideas from acts who weren’t quite part of the mainstream, and pass them off as his own. It meant that he was always one step ahead of the crowd - indeed, when Britpop was happening in 1995, Bowie’s love of Nine Inch Nails did seem to predict the change in attitudes that some of those Britpoppers were going to have. By 1997, Blur had released an “anti-pop” guitar racket called, simply, “Blur” and Primal Scream stopped copying The Stones to go back to their dancier past on “Vanishing Point”. Bowie had done all this stuff on “Outside” two years before. And because he was so brilliant at doing this, the people who he loved then name checked him in honour as a response, just check out “Trans Europe Express” by Kraftwerk.
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It is almost impossible to list a “top 5” of Bowie records. A top 50 is equally as hard. Just look at some of these things - “Life On Mars”, “Rock N Roll Suicide”, “Wild Is The Wind”, “Loving the Alien”, “John I’m Only Dancing”, “Absolute Beginners”, “Don’t Let Me Down And Down”, “Look Back In Anger”, “Teenage Wildlife”, “Running Gun Blues”, “Dead Man Walking”, “V2 Schneider”, "Be My Wife", "Always Crashing In The Same Car"...man oh man, the list of moments of genius just goes on and on and on. His death is a terrible event, as it marks the end of a big, big chapter in musical history. Even during those ‘lean’ years from 2004 to 2013, there was always the chance that Bowie might come back. And he did. And he was still brilliant. But now, it’s all over. Unlike “Prairie Wind”, Neil Young’s ‘farewell’ album which, of course, wasn’t, “Blackstar” was seemingly designed as a final gift to the fans - and has turned out to be just that. It is heartbreaking.
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I am fortunate enough to have seen Bowie play a few times. Not old enough to have seen the now famous “Ziggy In Bridlington” or Romford Odeon-era gigs that shook up popular culture like never before, but yes, I was there for the 1995 tour where, despite vowing to play no old hits, he knocked out “Look Back In Anger” and “Scary Monsters” within the opening 15 minutes. Whilst there have been other great singer songwriters, none of them ever quite reached the levels of ingenuity that Bowie did - sorry Bruce, but as good as “The River” is, “Ziggy” is just that bit better. I think that’s all I can say on the matter. Bowie’s death has left me tearful, there are more and more people turning up at that Brixton mural as I type this dosed up on Lemsip, and it’s just so sad to watch. I just wanted to say that, for all the bizarre and strange acts who get featured on this website, I love them all. But one man, simply, either outstripped them in terms of sheer musical ability, or in fact, actually invented them in the first place.
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And that man was Bowie. These lyrics from “Dead Man Walking” perhaps say it best - “And I’m gone, like I’m dancing on angels, and I’m gone, through a crack in the past”.
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The phrase ’legend’ is too often overused. Today, it gets used for the right reason.
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RIP David Bowie. Bye bye. We Love You.
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616581996343701177.post-50227148408306156452016-01-09T02:41:00.001-08:002016-01-09T03:11:32.273-08:00Madonna Long Players: 2000-2004<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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This is my seventh blog looking at Madonna’s (UK) albums, and this month we look at what the Queen Of Pop got up to in the first half of the noughties. Post “Ray Of Light”, her US record company were not only making fancy special editions of each of her new LP’s, but also ensured that large numbers were being exported to the UK, and could usually be picked up at the same time as the regular UK pressings whilst new. So, details of not only the UK releases, but also these imports, will be mentioned in this blog (and the next one, due later this year and looking at the second half of the noughties).<br />
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<b>Music</b>
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Madonna entered the new millennium at the top of her game. 1999 had seen the release of the fabulous, “Light My Fire” apeing, pop nugget that was “Beautiful Stranger”, which only seemed to confirm that the genius of “Ray Of Light” had been no fluke. Things turned a bit sour soon enough, when the half hearted “American Pie” was issued as a single, even Madonna has now admitted she was coerced into recording it. It was one of two new tunes included on the soundtrack LP to her new movie, “The Next Best Thing”.
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“Music”, the album, surfaced in late 2000. It seemed to have a mischievousness about it that “Ray Of Light” didn’t - that one had been all quite serious, new mum, with an earth hippy vibe, whereas the video for the title track of the new one, issued as lead 45, had an Ali G cameo and was naughty enough to get itself a TV ban, resulting in a special “clean edit” version of the clip needing to be created.
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The big image this time around was that of a cowgirl. Stetson hats and checked shirts were the look here, with both the album and it’s first two singles featuring videos and artwork which channelled these visuals. Even today, some Madonna fans will still pitch up at a gig in a cowboy hat - easier than the “underwear as outerwear” look from 1985 I guess. As for the album itself, just as “ROL” had been the ‘William Orbit' record, this one featured major input from French producer Mirwais Ahmadzai.
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“Music” was issued in the UK on what were, at the time, the three standard formats - vinyl, tape and CD. The vinyl copies seemed to remain on catalogue for years, I eventually bought one about a decade late, and it still seemed to be a first edition - sealed, same cat number, etc. Warners, at the time, were doing some sort of “home taping is killing music” campaign, and made the decision to put individually numbered holograms on each of the (initial) Compact Disc pressings, designed apparently to stop illegal downloading, I think. Any copies you buy today, however, are unlikely to have a hologram at all.
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Of all of the UK editions, the rarest one of all is the autographed edition. OK, doing this from memory now, but I recall that Madonna was slowly starting to become a bit more “human”, and went to the effort of personally signing 175 copies of the CD edition, which were sold exclusively in the HMV branch on Bond Street in London. Basically, they each included a card insert with Madonna’s squiggle on the back. Suffice to say, they had sold out by mid-morning, and given that it was going to be the hardcore who made the effort to sit outside the shop for a couple of hours before it opened in order to get one, you are unlikely to find anybody willing to sell their copy. And before you ask, no, mine is off limits as well.
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“American Pie” was shoved onto the end of the UK version of the album as a bonus track, something that was not done in the USA. The sessions had produced an outtake called “Cyber-Raga”, which was issued in the UK as a b-side, but was tagged onto the Australian and Japanese versions of the album as a further bonus track.
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Now, the US special edition. Again, partly from memory. This took the whole cowgirl image to it’s natural limits, via the production of a “hessian” design digipack, which I am sure was always referred to as the ‘belt buckle’ sleeve. On the front you had a burnished copper plate, with a special “Madonna - Music” logo, which you could see being used as a belt buckle, if you had a vivid imagination.
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There were two versions - US ones exported direct to the UK without “American Pie”, and copies seemingly made across two continents, which used the same sleeve, but came with German produced discs with a slightly different catalogue number, and “Pie” at the end. This meant the German ones had a catalogue number on the spine that was noticeably different to the one on the CD itself. All copies originally came shrink wrapped, with a “limited edition” sticker on the front, and a track listing sticker on the back. Because the packaging had been made in the US, but the discs in Europe, it meant there was no mention of “American Pie” inside the packaging at all.
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It was produced in four different colours, with the black pressings being the rarest - quotes of £100 for unsealed copies were being thrown about soon after the event. I found one on eBay for £190 (plus postage) in late ‘15. According to Discogs, all four colours were circulated from both countries, meaning there are eight variant versions, if you fancy it. Obviously, the most valuable ones are the sealed ones that still have their front and back stickers intact, but even if you see an opened one in a charity shop with the stickers long gone, I would go for it. The number of songs it has will tell you if it is a US one or a German one, in case your eyesight prevents you from checking the catalogue number on the disc. I believe the German ones were designed specifically to be sold alongside their “normal” counterparts in bog standard record shops (I got one in the now defunct MVC), but I also have a few US ones, and so can’t remember how I got them as this was pre-internet days for me.
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Madonna toured in 2001, the first time in eight years. This was seen as an event of such magnitude, that Warners decided to issue a “tour edition” version of the album to coincide. This wasn’t the first time a Madonna LP had been reissued in such a way (see the 1987 “free poster” pressing of the “True Blue” LP), but it was the first - and to date, only - Madonna album to be revamped in expanded form to coincide with concert dates. It was a 2-disc reissue, in a suitably tarted up slipcase, with remixes, foreign language versions, and videos on disc 2. Nothing here was unreleased, but most of it WAS new to the UK, so you may or may not come across un-sealed versions, depending on how much of a geek the original owner was.
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<b>Discography</b>
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<b>Music</b> (LP, Maverick 9362 47865-1)<br />
<b>Music</b> (Cassette, Maverick 9362 47865-4)<br />
<b>Music</b> (CD, Maverick 9362 47865-2, first 175 copies pre-signed)<br />
<b>Music</b> (2xCD, Maverick 9362 48135-2, 2001 enhanced “Tour Edition”, all originally sealed, without “American Pie“)<br />
<b>Music</b> (US CD in ‘Hessian’ sleeve, Maverick 9 47883-2, all originally sealed, without “American Pie”, but German variant editions do include it [9362 47921-2])<br />
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<b>GHV2</b>
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In my humble opinion, 2001’s “GHV2” remains the most obscure of all of Madonna’s albums. Even more so than remix ensemble “You Can Dance”. And that’s even without mentioning that it became the first Madonna album to not be made available on vinyl.
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Why is it so obscure? Well, as the title suggests, it is the follow up to 1990’s “The Immaculate Collection” (GHV2 stands for ‘Greatest Hits Volume 2’). But unlike it’s predecessor, which was subjected to a promotional campaign longer and more intense than most studio records receive, “GHV2” just sort of appeared in time for Christmas, then disappeared again in the new year. Unlike “Immac”, there were no new songs, there was no “Q-Sound” remixing, and there were no singles released to coincide. In the UK, may I remind you, “Immac” spawned FOUR 45’s - more than “I’m Breathless”.
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“GHV2” just sort of seems to suffer in every respect. Don’t get me wrong, the music is for the most part glorious (only the MOR monster of “Don‘t Cry For Me Argentina“, whilst it had to be here, does stick out like a sore thumb), overall Madonna was making better records in the 90s and 00s than she had been in the 80s, but whereas she was now more consistent, and at times, more daring, there is an argument that, as good as these singles were (see “Drowned World / Substitute For Love“), they didn’t quite have the bouncy pop “punch” of some of the earlier 45s. There may have been filler on those first three LP’s, but it was also the period that produced “Lucky Star”, “Borderline” and “Into The Groove”. “GHV2”, simply, is at a disadvantage from the off because it doesn’t have “Vogue” on it.
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The album sort of, but doesn’t quite, run in chronological order, so that’s never a help. Certain singles are missing, space constraints are obviously going to be a factor, but apparently, the ones that got ditched did so on Madonna’s own say so. So, no “Bad Girl” but another outing for “Human Nature”. Grumble. The lack of Q-Sound remixing or indeed, ANY remixing, also means that you have here a compilation that contains nothing new at all, radio edits are included where they exist, but remember, all of these singles come from post-1991, so ALL were issued on the shiny CD format in the first place, so this is not even a best-of which can claim “track X on CD for the first time”. So, I just bought a copy, and then stuck it in a box. It’s been there for 15 years now. Apparently, there was a Cassette pressing, although I have no memory of actually seeing one in my local record emporiums, so it could be a Euro-only import.
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A planned remix companion album failed to get off the drawing board. So the only other thing to mention is the US “Special Edition”. It was a fancy hardback book style thing, regular CD size, but designed to look swish when you opened it. Copies were originally shrink wrapped, and with nothing new on this release, there was no reason to bother opening them. So don’t ask me what it looks like inside, because I have no idea.
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<b>Discography</b>
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<b>GHV2</b> (CD, Maverick 9362 48000-2)<br />
<b>GHV2</b> (Cassette, Maverick 9362 48000-4, possibly only sold in the UK in very limited numbers)<br />
<b>GHV2</b> (US CD in laminated hardback digipack sleeve, Maverick 9 48257-2, all originally sealed)<br />
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<b>American Life</b>
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I haven’t listened to 2003’s “American Life” for a while, but from what I can remember, it wasn’t quite the rubbish Anti-American album that some people seem to have described it as. When I hear the singles, I hear nice twiddly electro-pop. It was almost as if Madonna’s view of the 9/11 tragedy and it’s aftermath was too near to the event to be viewed subjectively - when Green Day issued the equally ‘unpatriotic’ “American Idiot” a year later, most people - except Brandon Flowers - loved it.
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Again, it was “previewed” via a movie tie in single, when Madonna’s quite fun 007 tune from 2002, “Die Another Day”, was included in the track listing, although it was sequenced as part of the main album, rather than being included as an “American Pie” style extra track. The “official” lead single, again in the form of the title track, came complete - as did the album - in Che Guevara inspired imagery, and with a military-esque promo video that managed to get itself banned.
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The more you look at the period around this album, the more you feel it’s an album worthy of re-evaluation. Be it the not-at-all-war-related glamour of second single “Hollywood” (coming in both a beautiful sleeve, and with a monumentally stylish video), the Britney and Xtina lesbian threeway at the MTV Awards later the same year, the “Into The Hollywood Groove” mashup which is surely the most well known single ever to be made available only with a pair of jeans, and the “remixes and outtakes” bonus release of the “Remixed And Revisited” EP, which included ’metal’ inspired rock remixes, as an apparent nod to one of the considered musical approaches the album was originally envisaged to have, before M and Mirwais went down the “folk disco” route. Add to that the barrage of “non chart eligible” singles that Maverick tossed out in the UK, and it’s quite an interesting time in Madonna’s career, although it’s fair to say, 2005’s “Confessions On A Dance Floor” did help Madonna re-establish her “Queen” tag in a way this one didn’t.
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Having now settled into married English life, Madonna turned up to do an in-store at a London HMV roundabout the time of the album’s release in the UK. Such a thing would have been un-imaginable ten or fifteen years before. The album appeared in the UK on vinyl and CD, with the LP copies originally coming shrinkwrapped. According to my notes, the LP was “technically” an import, as the suffix of the catalogue number differed from the CD format - something never before seen on “UK” Madonna releases. Again, there also exist cassette pressings, some of which use a similar catalogue number to the LP edition, my guess is that any that are in the “48439” range are German pressings with the potential of being exported into the UK, as both the LP and Tape editions use this number. “48454” is probably your ’proper’ “for sale in the UK only” release number, and you should actually find that only CD pressings exist in the UK with this number - meaning no official tape release at all. If anybody can shed a bit more light on the MC pressings of "GHV2" and "American Life", please get in touch, or add your comments below.
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The US special edition came in a bigger-than-a-CD sized box. It included a poster and a set of Madonna stamps (possibly not legal tender). The front cover design differed slightly from the normal editions, as neither Madonna’s name, nor the LP title, were shown. Copies were originally sealed, but if you opened it, you found that the bit of card that was on the back of the box was not glued to said box, and just came away in your hands. However, it did reveal a “Parental Guidance” marking underneath, which for some reason, I like. So go on, if you get a sealed one, open it - the poster is quite nice, and is of a better design than the album cover, IMO.
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<b>Discography</b>
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<b>American Life</b> (LP, Maverick 9362 48439-1, all originally sealed)<br />
<b>American Life</b> (CD, Maverick 9362 48454-2, enhanced CD including weblink)<br />
<b>American Life</b> (US CD, Maverick 48440-2, enhanced CD in box with poster and stamps, all originally sealed with track listing on rear card insert)
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