Ironically, with news of the Stock Aitken Waterman/PWL box set also comes news of one of the SAW team's most prolific collaborators: U.K. girl group Bananarama, who are celebrating their 30th anniversary with a new CD/DVD compilation.
The band initially consisted of childhood friends Keren Woodward and Sara Dallin and schoolmate Siobhan Fahey. The trio's mutual interest in tomboyish fashion and the burgeoning post-punk scene - leading to early gigs opening for The Jam and Iggy Pop and early interest from provocative ex-Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren - set them apart from other cute-girl pop acts of the day, and their unique musical style, which relied less on harmonics and more on catchy choruses sung in unison, became their musical calling card.
The band's early work with producers Joffrey & Swain were instantly successful in the U.K., with hit covers like The Velvelettes' Motown obscurity "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'" and Steam's "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" reaching the uppermost levels of the pop charts. But their original tunes found many listeners, too, particularly "Robert De Niro's Waiting" and "Cruel Summer" from the band's sophomore self-titled album in 1984. "Cruel Summer," which featured prominently in the film The Karate Kid, was a U.S. Top 10 hit.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGYNvx9lqDQ]
Teaming with Stock Aitken Waterman in the mid-'80s, Bananarama had their biggest hits in tracks like their chart-topping cover of Shocking Blue's "Venus" and "I Heard a Rumour." But Fahey would depart the band in 1988, later joining Shakespeare's Sister, and Jacquie O'Sullivan would become the band's third member until 1992, at which point Woodward and Dallin would continue as a duo. The pair still record and tour to this day, with modern remixes of their original hits still placing well on U.K. dance charts. (A healthy amount of catalogue activity from Rhino U.K. has also kept the band in record stores, with expanded reissues, remix compilations and other products having been released in the past few years.)
Now, to commemorate the band's three decade mark, Rhino will release a new compilation, 30 Years of Bananarama, compiling the band's biggest hits from 1983 to 2009's Fascination, and paired with a DVD featuring 35 of the band's music videos, many of which are coming together on DVD for the first time.
The whole package is out July 9 in the U.K.; you can hit the jump and see what's offered, and you'll also find a pre-order link!
30 Years of Bananarama (Rhino (U.K.), 2012)
Disc 1: CD
- Aie A Mwana
- Really Saying Something
- Shy Boy
- Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
- Cruel Summer
- Robert De Niro's Waiting...
- Venus
- I Heard a Rumour
- Love in the First Degree
- I Can't Help It
- I Want You Back
- Love Truth & Honesty
- Nathan Jones (1988 Version)
- Help!
- Only Your Love
- Preacher Man
- Movin' On
- Every Shade of Blue
- Move in My Direction
- Look on the Floor (Hypnotic Tango)
- Love Comes
- Love Don't Live Here
Disc 2: DVD
- Really Saying Something
- Shy Boy
- Cheers Then
- Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
- Cruel Summer
- Robert De Niro's Waiting...
- Rough Justice
- Hotline to Heaven
- The Wild Life
- Do Not Disturb
- Venus
- More Than Physical
- A Trick of the Night
- I Heard a Rumour
- Love in the First Degree
- I Can't Help It
- I Want You Back
- Love Truth & Honesty
- Nathan Jones (1988 Version)
- Help!
- Only Your Love
- Preacher Man
- Long Train Running
- Tripping on Your Love
- Movin' On
- Last Thing on My Mind
- More More More
- Every Shade of Blue
- Take Me to Your Heart
- Move in My Direction
- Look on the Floor (Hypnotic Tango)
- Love Comes
- Love Don't Live Here
- Venus (12")
- I Can't Help It (12")
Tracks 1-4 from Deep Sea Skiving (London, 1983)
Tracks 5-6 from Bananarama (London, 1984)
Track 7 from True Confessions (London, 1986)
Tracks 8-11 from Wow! (London, 1987)
Tracks 12-14 from Greatest Hits Collection (London, 1988)
Tracks 15-16 from Pop Life (London, 1991)
Track 17 from Please Yourself (London, 1993)
Track 18 from Ultra Violet (Curb (U.S.), 1995)
Tracks 19-20 from Drama (A&G, 2005)
Tracks 21-22 from Viva (Fascination, 2009)
This is what I've been waiting for!!
Specifically the video collection.
I wish it featured some TOTP or other early "live" performances though.
Waterloo would have been a great addition too!
I've been waiting for this FOREVER, though I do agree with your comment about wishing it would have included at least a few of the 'Nanners memorable appearances (with Fun Boy 3!) on TOTP. Regardless, I will definitely buy this.
Not a bad collection at all. I've had the vinyl Greatest Hits LP for many years but looks like I'm going to have to upgrade to this set now.
I am excited about this. I have the Greatest Hits VHS tape but this is more complete.
This is definitely more promising than the underwhelming SAW box set.
I had long ago given up on the notion that there would ever be a collection of Bananarama's music videos released on DVD, so this news truly comes as a wonderful surprise, and it's especially nice to see how extensive it is, including, as it does, some lesser-known gems such as "Hotline to Heaven". I just hope that the digitization of the footage doesn't wind up with the same fate as the video transfers of another popular '80s girl group, The Bangles.
Take a look at the reviews of Sony's "Bangles' Greatest Hits" DVD on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/The-Bangles-Greatest-Susanna-Hoffs/product-reviews/B0007GP6E2/ref=sr_1_1_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1), including my own (which received 30 out of 30 votes as the most helpful negative review), to see the problems plaguing The Bangles' set, which will hopefully be avoided in the encoding of Bananarama's videos. I have two of the latter group's VHS compilations, released during their heyday in the '80s, and I'd love to replace them with the clean, higher-resolution remasterings of which DVDs are capable.
Edsel is re-issuing Bananarama's first six albums on Sept. 30th, 2013 as 2CD+1DVD sets. Similar to the Deacon Blue and Belinda Carlisle sets.