Record Rack: A round-up of the week’s new albums, expanded reissues and/or box sets, appearing each Monday on Slicing Up Eyeballs.
ARTIST: Sugar
RELEASE: Copper Blue
BACKSTORY: Rykodisc this week reissues the beloved 1992 debut by Bob Mould’s post-Hüsker Dü power trio on 180-gram audiophile vinyl with new liner notes penned by Mould, bandmate David Barbe and members of Interpol and Death Cab for Cutie. The album features “A Good Idea,” “Helpless,” “Changes” and “Hoover Dam.”
BUY IT: Amazon.com (Vinyl)
ARTIST: The Japanese Popstars
RELEASE: Controlling Your Allegiance
BACKSTORY: The Irish dance act this week releases its latest album, which is notable for ’80s college rock fans because it features “Take Forever,” a new single featuring Robert Smith of The Cure on lead vocals. The record also features Lisa Hannigan, Editors’ Tom Smith and Blues Explosion’s Jon Spencer. (Stream ‘Take Forever’ here.)
BUY IT: Amazon.com (CD, digital)
ARTISTS: Frankie Goes to Hollywood
RELEASE: Liverpool: Collector’s Edition
BACKSTORY: The second and final album from the British dance-pop act, originally released in 1986, is reissued this week in a 2CD “Collector’s Edition” that features a remastered version of the original album plus more than a dozen bonus tracks, including remixes, alternate takes and B-sides.
BUY IT: Amazon.co.uk (CD)
Is there actually a demand for a 2-CD reissue of Liverpool?
Great question! True the old version of it is terrible – i remember that I have to turn it up really loud to listen to it. However it’s not really that much of an issue since I never WANT to listen to it!
Definitely a giant step backwards after their classic debut. I remember listening to that one over and over….
Totally agreed. I remember thinking “is the same band?”
Yep, i have the original album and sadly, the only one decent song on it is Warriors. The rest is a mess of songs that should never have made it on vinyl. As to their first album, paring it down to a single disc instead of a double would have made it a great album instead of a “these songs are great but what’s with all this other rubbish??”