Category: Region crazy

Posted on

A Tourist’s Guide to ‘Life In Tokyo’ – Part 1

March 2021 will see the latest re-release for Japan’s third album, ‘Quiet Life’, this time in a super deluxe boxed set edition, amongst other remastered formats (single CD, vinyl LP on different weights/colours). That particular deluxe re-issue is set to include a CD of contemporary extras (‘A Quieter Life: Alternative Mixes and Rarities’) which will include the 7″ and 12″ remixes of ‘Life In Tokyo’ made by Steve Nye and released in September 1982 in the UK, as well as ‘Life In Tokyo (Theme Giorgio Moroder Version 1979)’, the exact nature of which is yet to become clear at time of writing.

Various 1979 and 1981 singe releases of 'Life In Tokyo'
^ Various 1979 and 1981 singe releases of ‘Life In Tokyo’

Continue reading “A Tourist’s Guide to ‘Life In Tokyo’ – Part 1”

Posted on

Side by side: Hard Corps – Porte-Bonheur / Lucky Charm versions

A surprisingly complicated tale to tell when it comes to the various versions of Hard Corps and their final single release, ‘Lucky Charm’ (in English) / ‘Porte Bonheur’ (en Français) that go beyond just the different language variants. In short – most have never been issued on CD and remain exclusive to the various original vinyl releases of the time, both UK and France, since the 7″ and 12″ versions not only differ in language, but in some cases the edits (rather than mixes) too. The only versions from vinyl that have ever appeared on CD are the 7″ mix of ‘Porte Bonheur’ – found on the B sides of the UK 7″ and French 7″ – this version appeared on the ‘Metal and Flesh’ CD – and the UK 12″ A side on a semi-official(?) compilation CD (and possibly a needle-drop at that?) ‘Euro Disco – The Lost Legends Vol. 2’. If you’re thinking that the ‘Metal and Flesh’ CD had the French language 12″ mix on it… pardonez moi, non! It nearly did… the mix is there, but edited down much shorter.

Hard Corps - Lucky Charm UK 7 inch single front cover
^ Hard Corps – Lucky Charm UK 7 inch single front cover

Continue reading “Side by side: Hard Corps – Porte-Bonheur / Lucky Charm versions”

Posted on

Visage – ‘Visage’ US Mini-Album (Polydor, PX-1-501, 1981)

Back to another of my favourite formats, the regional exclusive mini-album – and once again, as was often the case for this type of release, hailing from the US and Canada. As is typical, a compilation of tracks pulled together from various UK releases but with one vital extra piece of firepower going for it – an at the time new ‘Dance Mix’ of ‘Fade To Grey’.

Visage - 'Visage' US Mini-Album front cover design
^ Visage – ‘Visage’ US Mini-Album front cover design

Continue reading “Visage – ‘Visage’ US Mini-Album (Polydor, PX-1-501, 1981)”

Posted on

David Bowie – ‘It’s No Game’ (Part 1) Japanese 7″ (RCA, RPS-10, 1980)

With a variety of ’40th anniversary’ releases that have been released this year (some may say plague…), it’s been something of a surprise that David Bowie’s celebrated 1980 tour de force ‘Scary Monsters… and Super Creeps’ has not been amongst them. No album re-issue, no 7″ picture discs for any of the singles (a series that seems to have abruptly halted) – not that there haven’t been other Bowie re-issues, mind, including those ridiculous random colour vinyl lottery releases…) – quite the opposite.

David Bowie - 'It's No Game (Part One) Japanese 7" front insert design
^ David Bowie – ‘It’s No Game’ (Part One) Japanese 7″ front insert design

Continue reading “David Bowie – ‘It’s No Game’ (Part 1) Japanese 7″ (RCA, RPS-10, 1980)”

Posted on

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) – ‘History of Modern’ limited edition Greek CD/DVD boxed set (Undo / Blue Noise / EMI CDUN25B, 2010)

VersionCrazy has previously covered the full limited edition LP/2xCD/DVD boxed set edition of ‘History of Modern’ in some detail (well, visually anyway) – but did you know that there was a smaller scale boxed edition of the album released in Greece as well?

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) - 'History of Modern' limited edition CD/DVD boxed set - front case
^ Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) – ‘History of Modern’ limited edition CD/DVD boxed set – front case.

Continue reading “Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) – ‘History of Modern’ limited edition Greek CD/DVD boxed set (Undo / Blue Noise / EMI CDUN25B, 2010)”