Arcadia: So Red The Rose - cd versions

Between things here I had been comparing  a couple of copies of an album that didn't sell that well in 1985 that I do like for its artsy lush feel, a deluxe version that came out in March of 2010 that might of been mentioned on the older of the blogs back then that had twelve inch and seven inch mixes and a dvd and its first cd issue in 1990.

This is the Japanese first pressing which has full lyrics, a potted history of Duran Duran and Arcadia in Japanese very well printed as you  might expect.

The Deluxe edition was part of a series EMI put out across 2009 and 2010 to meet the demands of hardcore fans who typically want every major mix variant that some titles of such as Duran Duran, the self titled first album in its UK form and Seven and the Ragged Tiger were heavily criticized for for their very loud. screechy sound with poor dynamics although other titles such as 2009's Rio that used the UK lp mixes for once were decent.

So Red The Rose in that series housed in clam shell which again was at odds with the remainder of the discs for packaging was not bad but comparing them that 1990 cd has noticeably better dynamics on what was a extremely well recorded album and a a bit more natural sound that just breathes. 

While the 2010 wins on completeness and is worth owning for those 12" mixes and the dvd, cd fans would be better served getting either the this edition, the similar 1990 Capitol US one or the 1993 European for sound.

On vinyl UK, US and Japan first issue issues sound really good if having it on that form matters to you.

 

Comics and Spins

This life mixes the old original and new old fashioned way and for me that always included the things I read such as Disney magazines and comics such as the Beano so Friday's announcement that David Sutherland who draw from 1962 the Bash Street Kids, Biffo the Bear and that lovable menace, Dennis for some 1,000 episodes had died my mind flipped back to those copies I had through the 1970's and 80's that lightened many a day.

Comics were a thing some brought by my parents others though people like my Nan who took a great interest in meeting my needs when it came to them and some I might be gifted a week later from friends families apart from swapping during recess if it was raining.

Between things I've been playing recordings by The Yardbirds and Jeff Beck following the latters recently announced  death as a guitar hero of mine, even ahead - just- of Clapton and Page when it comes to Britishers.

I have a few lps and a rather good 4 cd compilation of the Yardbirds that I bought must of been ten or so years ago that has sessions and live tracks mixed in with final takes so you see how all got together sounding so powerful.
 

Midnights - some thoughts

 It's probably overdue from October but never mind.

With some artists a new release just comes out, ads here and there and that is it but one by Miss Taylor Swift it must be said  is more an Event with lots of little things all co-ordinated into massive multimedia campaign.

 

Midnights thematically is an album of some thirteen songs based upon as many sleepness nights across her life and has a rather different, more reflective feel than any of her previous albums which I found took a couple of more plays to "get" but does lodge its way into you.

The major hit from from the album Anti Hero, is a personal favourite of mine for talking about insecurities, the sense of never getting any the more older or wise and somehow to subconsciously stop yourself from really achieving what you long for apart from the recognition of the impact of intrusive thoughts on your functioning.

I suspect many people can relate to much of what she is talking about which to me is major property of being an effective song writer, communicating ideas and images in this modern age.

Updating the NOWS - Now Yearbook 80-84 & 80-84 Extras

So we have had Christmas, wrote the New Year entry and now double back to something that made an appearance in the Christmas edition briefly.

We have made reference to the Now Yearbook series here, the concept of a series of releases by NOW that take a year and has a main Yearbook  on four cds and a matching three cd extra started in late 2021 and its vinyl counterpart starting with the 1982 volume.

Shortly after the release of the 1985 Yearbook, we were informed because of the unexpected popularity of this series and the interest shown in the vinyl editions a "Final Chapter" was to come out in December that added a number of tracks from 1980 through 1984 which had been missed off.

This the three lp vinyl edition was housed in a cover similar to the 1980 set on gold vinyl.

 

The track listing and running order is noticeably different from the cd version taking its cue from side length limits to maximize the number of tracks included.

An array of "New Romantic" hits from the likes of Japan, Ultravox, Simple Minds and Culture Club put in appearance while Soul is well represented by the likes of Lionel Richie, Kool & The Gang, the much missed Donna Summer, Jeffery Osbourne with his Stay With Me Tonight and Shalamar's Friends.

Rock is represented by Iron Maiden's Run To The Hills  from their Number Of The Beast album, The Jam and U2.

Shortly after this set appeared to pre-order, we were surprised to see another package connected this batch of releases.

The Extra volumes in the cd series had proven popular for expanding upon the main release but one irritant to some was that there was no lp equivalent something this packaged of five lps in a slim box attempts to put right with a single year per coloured vinyl disc per year.

Unlike any vinyl issue in this series, each individual lp has its own sleeve and for the first time the short "background capsule" that was always a feature of the original NOW albums and in the book edition of the cds was reproduced.

Although this set was per disc more expensive than the previous Yearbooks, I got it as while I had the 80's NOW and HITS, the 1982 disc builds on my original Ronco albums while the 1983 set covers tracks that for licensing reasons were not on the first NOW lp and didn't make the first HITS either.

It dovetails into my vinyl edition sets for 1980, 81 and 82 very well so all in spotted at a 20% discount the set made sense to pick up.

1980: The stellar track list kicks off with Blondie’s No. 1 ‘Call Me’, before a line-up including Madness, Kate Bush, Roxy Music, and Siouxsie And The Banshees. Classic Rock from Motörhead and Judas Priest, Soulful Disco from Diana Ross and Donna Summer, and a perennial Christmas favourite from Jona Lewie are all featured.

1981: Side A reflects the explosion of artists enjoying their huge early hits in this incredible year for Pop; Adam & The Ants, Toyah, Kim Wilde, The Human League, and Fun Boy Three are all included – and on the flip side, The Police open an equally dynamic listing featuring Pretenders, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Gary Numan, and closes with the Pop gem ‘Wired For Sound’ from Cliff Richard.

1982: Duran Duran, Haircut 100, Soft Cell, Japan, ABC, The Clash, and The Jam represent some of the greatest artists of all-time, as well as the era – plus pure pop heaven from Bucks Fizz, Tight Fit and Dollar.

1983: Opening with Wham! and featuring a run of huge hits from ‘83’s contemporary chart stars Spandau Ballet, Bananarama, Paul Young, Culture Club, The Cure and Tears For Fears – plus global smashes from long-established chart legends Elton John, Billy Joel, Robert Plant and ‘Say Say Say’, the collaboration between Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson.

1984: An amazing year for pop is reflected here with a line-up that kicks off with Queen’s iconic ‘Radio Ga Ga’ and finishes with the biggest selling single of the decade, ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ from Band Aid. Between these are massive hits from Lionel Richie, Rufus And Chaka Khan, Tina Turner, Alison Moyet, Howard Jones and Frankie Goes To Hollywood.

The unanswered question from this deluxe extra edition is will they be planning vinyl Extra editions for subsequent  years and what are they going to do for other Extras issued on cd such as the 1979 and upcoming 1985 ones?

New Year entry

The year was different to what was anticipated because just a few weeks in, I became seriously ill for several weeks missing much both at home and Winter Camp which had the unfortunate consequence of not being able to register an interest in the usual fashion for either this year so much of what normally happen this year is off.

That spell of misfortune is seeing the year out with "fake" Covid - most of symptoms but but no positive plus very bad flu being more on drinks and bed rest  outside of typing this up as it don't do itself.

On the upside, I did redo much of my littles outfits to match more where in my head I am, however others may see it, were more of an emphasize on quality sometimes more tradition, other stuff more what modern school girls wear such as in sports wear.

I'm less interested in exact replication of a period so much as just being the little side of me taking the benefits of the modern era, more in tune with the spirit of modern co-ed prep schools with the mix of ancient and modernity.

Not everything of the past was great although much is worth keeping if not defending.

Women's soccer came of age, the Lionesses won the cup, inspiring a generation of girls who we all knew wanted to play but never got the breaks thanks to gender bias and overt discrimination not just by adults but boys too in the past.

I don't feel inclined to play by the rules of the past anymore than today's girls and that runs beyond groan up talk to littles life. 

What's wrong with inclusivity for all, girls and boys of all shades and tastes?

I did get a whole bunch of cds and records as recording performers became more possible after covid restrictions were gone and performances could take place in studios and concert halls and literally shrunk a bunch of cds with some space saving storage wallets from a company in Telford, Shropshire.

Hopefully a few meet ups of a different sort will be achievable across the year so long as the industrial unrest resolves itself as train travel is very difficult currently, that would go some way towards keeping face to face contact until the bigger meets become an option again.

Here's hoping twenty twenty-three may be better than it looks presently.