Dionne WordPress Banner

The Second Disc

Expanded and Remastered Music News

  • Home
  • News
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Features
    • Release Round-Up
    • The Weekend Stream
    • Giveaways!
    • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Release Calendar
    • Coming Soon
    • Now Available
  • About
  • Second Disc Records
    • Full Catalog
  • Contact

/ News

Cherry Pop Laces Up Dancing Shoes with Compilation of Rare '80s, Motown Mixes

November 10, 2011 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

Cherry Pop Records has a major treat next week for British club junkies of the '80s: a double-disc set of rare and unreleased remixes by noted engineer Phil Harding.

If you're a British pop junkie who came of age in the '80s, you're doubtlessly familiar with three names: Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman. The trio of producers hit it big with Hi-NRG pop, all clean beats and shimmering synths, from Bananarama's "Venus" to Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up." All told, the trio racked up over 100 Top 40 hits in their native country - an impressive number in any year.

But one lesser-known name is arguably just as essential to the team and their famed PWL Studios: Phil Harding. A mixing engineer who'd worked with everyone from The Clash to Matt Bianco by 1984, the importance of Harding's engineering skills was obvious from his work on the first major SAW hit, Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)."

Harding, who'd later work with Depeche Mode, Erasure and the Pet Shop Boys, wrote his own account of his work in the record industry, PWL - From the Factory Floor, in 2009, releasing it in a limited run through Cherry Red's book arm. Now, as a greatly expanded edition of that book arrives in U.K. shops, Cherry Pop has produced a double-disc set of some of Harding's rarest mixes for U.K. acts and legacy groups.

There's no shortage of hits on Phil Harding Club Mixes of the '80s, including remixes of "You Spin Me Round," ABC's "When Smokey Sings" and cuts by Five Star, Holly Johnson and Godley & Creme. But the nectar for collectors is multitudinous: four unreleased tracks and mixes by Rick Astley, including an unused 12" mix of "Never Gonna Give You Up," are included. Jimmy Ruffin, elder brother of Temptations member David and solo artist in his own right ("What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"), has two latter-day tracks on here, only one of which has ever been released, and never on CD until this set.

Most humorously for Motown fans is the inclusion of three of Harding's then-contemporary remixes of classic Motown singles, including The Four Tops' "Reach Out I'll Be There" and The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back." (While the breakbeat-heavy mixes can't hold much of a candle to the originals, their quirky charm and collectibility doubtlessly appeal themselves to someone out there!)

The set and the expanded book (both of which can be ordered together through Cherry Pop) are out Monday, November 14 in U.K. shops. Hit the jump for a full track breakdown!

Various Artists, Phil Harding Club Mixes of the '80s (Cherry Pop CRPOPD100, 2011)

Disc 1

  1. I Want You Back '88 (12" Remix) - Michael Jackson with The Jackson 5 (Motown 12" A-side ZT 41914, 1988)
  2. I'm Not Scared (10" Remix) - Eighth Wonder (CBS 10" A-side SCARE Y1, 1988) **
  3. When Smokey Sings (The Miami Mix) - ABC (Mercury 12" A-side 888 604-1, 1987)
  4. Love Hangover (PWL '88 Remix) - Diana Ross (Motown 12" A-side ZT 42348, 1988)
  5. She Wants to Dance with Me (Original Extended R'n'B Version) - Rick Astley *
  6. Reach Out I'll Be There '88 (12" Remix) - The Four Tops (Motown 12" A-side ZT 41944, 1988) **
  7. Americanos (PWL Extended Version) - Holly Johnson (UNI Records 12" B-side 8013 (U.S.), 1989)
  8. Snack Attack (Extended Remix) - Godley & Creme (Polydor 12" A-side POSPX 875, 1987) **
  9. Easy Just to Say (I Love You) (Extended Club Mix) Jimmy Ruffin (Polydor 12" A-side POSPX 869, 1987) **
  10. Until You Come Back to Me (Phil Harding 12" Remix) - Basia (Epic 12" B-side 656378 6 (France), 1990)
  11. Til the Day That I Die - Rick Astley *
  12. You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) (Murder Mix) - Dead or Alive (Epic 12" A-side TX 4861, 1984)

Disc 2

  1. I Want to Be Your Property (DEF B4 Dishonour Mix) - Blue Mercedes (MCA 12" A-side BONAX 1, 1987) **
  2. Heartache (Dot & Daisy's Club Remix) - Pepsi & Shirlie (Polydor 12" A-side POSPA 837, 1987)
  3. Instinctual (Jack Leee Freak Mix) - Imagination (RCA 12" A-side PT 41698-R, 1987) **
  4. Digging Your Scene (Remix) - Blow Monkeys (RCA 10" A-side MONK Y1, 1987) **
  5. Stay with Me Tonight - Rick Astley *
  6. Beat Your Body (Manhattan Mix) - Fe Fi Fo Fum (Blue Dot 12" A-side 12 HOLE 4, 1990) **
  7. Oxygen (Extended Dance Version) - The Blue August Project (Blue August 12" A-side 12 JUN 4, 1987)
  8. Body Shopping (New Vogue Version) - Sinitta *
  9. I Need More (Extended Dance Version) - XS-5 (VCN Records 12" A-side 12 VCN 5, 1988)
  10. The Upstroke (12") - Agents Aren't Aeroplanes (Proto Records 12" A-side AGENT 1, 1984) **
  11. Truly Yours - Jimmy Ruffin *
  12. Rain or Shine (Remix) - Five Star (RCA/Tent 12" A-side PT 40902, 1986)
  13. Never Gonna Give You Up (Phil Harding 12" Mix) - Rick Astley *

* indicates previously unreleased track. ** indicates track previously unreleased on CD. All catalogue numbers are U.K.-based except where noted.

Categories: News Tags: Rick Astley, The Four Tops, The Jackson 5

Avatar photo

Mike Duquette

Mike Duquette (Founder) was fascinated with catalog music ever since he was a teenager. A 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in journalism, Mike paired his profession with his passion through The Second Disc, one of the first sites to focus on all reissue labels great and small. His passion for reissues turned into a career, holding positions at Legacy Recordings and Rhino Records and contributing to Allmusic, Discogs, City Pages, Ultimate Classic Rock and Mondo Records, for whom he penned liner notes for his favorite piece of music: John Williams' Oscar-winning score to 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.' Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike lives in Astoria, Queens with his wife, a cat named Ravioli, twin daughters and a large yet tasteful collection of music.

Connect With Mike:

You Might Also Like

  • Everybody is a Star The Sly Stone SongbookNot So Simple Songs: Ace Records Compiles Sly Stone Covers
  • A Yacht Rock OdysseyRelease Round-Up: Week of August 30
  • Rick Springfield SpringfieldRelease Round-Up: Week of May 12
  • HDHIn Memoriam: Lamont Dozier (1941-2022)

Comments

  1. John Palmer says

    January 20, 2012 at 12:53 pm

    Brand new Promo-only MEGAMIX just put out of the first 7 tracks of the CD in order to give people an idea of it…

    http://www.youtube.com/embed/JkeZGrYiDJU

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Upcoming Releases

  • Barbra Streisand Partners Volume Two
    The Secret of Life: Partners Volume Two
    Barbra Streisand
    June 27, 2025
    US UK
  • Version 1.0.0
    The Manticore Tapes
    Motörhead
    June 27, 2025
    US UK
  • Toy Story 30 vinyl
    Toy Story: Songs to Infinity and Beyond
    Randy Newman
    June 27, 2025
    US UK
See Full Calendar

Connect

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,675 other subscribers

Popular Posts

  • Most Commented
  • Most Viewed
  • Dionne Warwick Make It Easy on Yourself(Don't) Walk On By: Dionne Warwick's "Make It Easy on Yourself: The Scepter Recordings 1962-1971" Due in June on 12...
  • Tracks II CD packshot no disc artShut Out the Light: Bruce Springsteen Offers Seven Unheard Albums on 'Tracks II'
  • Rod Stewart Ultimate Hits Amazon exclusiveHe Wears It Well: Rod Stewart's 'Ultimate Hits' Due in June
  • RSD 2025 best of restRecord Store Day 2025: The Best of the Rest
  • record store day logoThe Second Disc's Guide to Record Store Day 2025: Our Favorite Picks
  • John Williams Anthology 1Mondo Maestro: New John Williams Box Set Series Announced, Plus 'Star Wars' Re-Recordings on Vinyl

Music Resources

  • Addicted to Vinyl
  • Crap from the Past
  • Discogs
  • Film Score Monthly
  • IMWAN Forum – From the Vaults
  • MusicTAP
  • Musoscribe
  • Pause & Play
  • Popdose
  • Slicing Up Eyeballs
  • Steve Hoffman Music Forums
  • Ultimate Classic Rock
  • Vintage Vinyl News
  • Wolfgang's Vault

Labels of Note

  • Ace Records
  • Analog Spark
  • Bear Family
  • BGO Records
  • Big Break Records
  • Blixa Sounds
  • Cherry Red Label Group
  • Craft Recordings
  • Demon Music Group
  • Friday Music
  • Funky Town Grooves
  • Iconoclassic Records
  • Intervention Records
  • Intrada
  • Kritzerland
  • La La Land Records
  • Legacy Recordings
  • Light in the Attic
  • Masterworks Broadway
  • Now Sounds
  • Omnivore Recordings
  • Real Gone Music
  • Rhino Entertainment
  • Rock Candy Records
  • SoulMusic Records
  • Sunset Blvd. Records
  • Supermegabot
  • Varese Sarabande
  • Vinyl Me, Please
  • Wounded Bird
Copyright © 2025 The Second Disc. All rights reserved. · Site by Metaglyphics

The Second Disc is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk.

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy