Category: Versions, versions

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The Human League – ‘Travelogue’ Canadian LP (Virgin/Polygram VL 2202, 1980)

The Human League’s fine second album, presented here in the altered version released in Canada alone that saw a different sleeve design and altered tracklisting. All in all, added up to an appealing import temptation from the racks of HMV. Whether it was to the band’s liking, I don’t know – can’t be very satisfying to spend all that time and effort sequencing a running order and sleeve design only to have a record label change it – even retitling one of the tracks!

The Human League - 'Travelogue' Canadian LP front cover
^ The Human League – ‘Travelogue’ Canadian LP front cover

First off, the altered sleeve design… ditching the more familiar design used for the front in most other territories, this version chose to re-use the cover photo used for the ‘Holiday ’80’ EP, tweaking the title graphics to keep the regular ‘Travelogue’ titling. Meanwhile, the back cover kept the layout, though with an alterations to the colourway to tone in with the front cover, I presume, with block blue background instead of a golden yellow. Continue reading “The Human League – ‘Travelogue’ Canadian LP (Virgin/Polygram VL 2202, 1980)”

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A.C.Marias – ‘One Of Our Girls (Has Gone Missing)’ Japanese CD (Mute ALCB-5, 1989)

It was still in the era of vinyl-only for me when I first bought this album – it would not be until Wire’s ‘Manscape’ album the following year that the lure of CD would prove too much, since a good chunk of that album was missing from the vinyl copy. ‘One Of Our Girls (Has Gone Missing)’ was the one and only album release by A.C. Marias and the Wire connection comes via Bruce Gilbert primarily, though it stretched back to 1980 and the ‘Dome’ album by Gilbert and Lewis (with vocals on the cool and strange ‘Cruel When Complete’) then 1981 and first actual A.C. Marias named release on the Gilbert/Lewis ‘Dome’ label, with single ‘Drop’/’So’.

I’m focusing here on the Japanese CD release which I came across many years later when I realised it benefitted for extra tracks that the UK CD did not include.

A.C.Marias - 'One Of Our Girls' Japanese CD - front cover design
^ A.C.Marias – ‘One Of Our Girls’ Japanese CD – front cover design

Continue reading “A.C.Marias – ‘One Of Our Girls (Has Gone Missing)’ Japanese CD (Mute ALCB-5, 1989)”

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Side by side: Wire – ‘Our Swimmer’ and ‘Second Length’ versions, versions

 

Our Swimmer

‘Our Swimmer’ dates from a late 1979 recording session* at Magritte Studios which also witnessed the recording of ‘Go Ahead’ (which would be released on the B side of the ‘Map Ref. 41N 93W’ 7″ single) and ‘Midnight Bahnhoff Cafe’ (which would be released on the B side of the ‘Our Swimmer’ 7″ single). It was after the recording sessions that produced the ‘154’ album and the first time without the involvement of long-term producer, Mike Thorne – self-produced by the band. It was proposed as a single release while the band were still signed to EMI records, but rejected by the company.

* The 2014 re-issue of ‘Document and Eyewitness’ states ‘recorded at Magritte Studio, Harmondsworth Dec 1979’ – but I question that date if indeed it was the same session that also produced ‘Go Ahead’, since it was already released long before December. The ‘Nine Sevens’ singles box set also gets it wrong by stating 1980 as the recording year.

Wire - 'Our Swimmer' and 'Second Length' singles
^ Wire – ‘Our Swimmer’ and ‘Second Length’ singles

Continue reading “Side by side: Wire – ‘Our Swimmer’ and ‘Second Length’ versions, versions”

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A Tourist’s Guide to ‘Life In Tokyo’ – Part 4

So, now that the long anticipated super deluxe re-issue of ‘Quiet Life’ and its accompanying supplementary extra ‘Life In Tokyo’ CD EP, has finally been released, time for a final instalment in this series and take stock of what’s new and what’s what.

Japan 'Life In Tokyo' CD EP 2021 front cover
^ Japan ‘Life In Tokyo’ CD EP 2021 front cover

Even more version craziness!

In a maddening example of baffling record company thinking, putting together a whole CD EP that was (seemingly) intended to gather up all official mixes of ‘Life In Tokyo’ into one place manages to come undone from the off by the inclusion only on the ‘A Quieter Life’ CD of the super deluxe box set edition of a newly unearthed version – and leave it off of the CD EP! Continue reading “A Tourist’s Guide to ‘Life In Tokyo’ – Part 4”

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Gang Of Four – ‘What We All Want’ UK 7″ and 12″ (EMI, EMI 5146 and 12EMI 5146, 1981)

The road to the Gang Of Four’s second album, ‘Solid Gold’, was something of a tentative, stop-start affair, looking back. Although the album itself in its final form was recorded in January 1981 with Jimmy Douglass sharing the producer role along with the band themselves, no fewer than five of its tracks had been released before the album on singles or compilation album appearances*.

‘What We All Want’ would be the track lifted from the album as a single immediately prior to the album’s eventual release however, ramping up the funk side of the band’s muscular rhythm section in particular into a hard-hitting battering ram of a single that stands up well forty years on from its original release.

7″ single

For the single’s A side, ‘What We All Want’ was edited down to 3’23” – losing its scratchy vibrato style opening guitar-only rhythm that the LP/12″ version features), so it jumps right on in.

Gang Of Four - 'What We All Want' UK 7
^ Gang Of Four – ‘What We All Want’ UK 7″ front cover

Continue reading “Gang Of Four – ‘What We All Want’ UK 7″ and 12″ (EMI, EMI 5146 and 12EMI 5146, 1981)”