Edsel is expanding and reissuing four albums by Scottish pop star Sheena Easton as a pair of double-disc sets in February.
After the success of 1980's insanely catchy "Morning Train (9 to 5)," Easton generally continued recording in the soft, synth-based pop vein in which she'd proven to work well. But sophomore You Could Have Been with Me, released by EMI in 1981, was most bolstered by two singles that didn't appear on the album: "When He Shines" was a Top 20 hit in the U.K., and "For Your Eyes Only," one of the best James Bond title themes of the '80s, was a worldwide Top 10 hit. (Easton appeared in the film's title sequence, lip synching to Bill Conti and Mick Leeson's sensuous tune. Until last year's smash theme to Skyfall as performed by Adele, it was also the last Bond song to garner an Oscar nomination.)
Third album Madness, Money and Music, released in 1982, was not chock full of hits - in the U.K., only "Machinery" dented the Top 40 - but ballad enthusiasts will appreciate one of the first major recordings of "Wind Beneath My Wings," several years before Bette Midler and Beaches turned it into a smash.
After the jump (and a skipped album), Sheena shows off her wild side - and has some Stateside hits on her hands.
After the album Best Kept Secret (1983) gave Easton another U.S. Top 10 with "Telephone (Long Distance Love Affair)," it seemed prudent that America should be the market to chase. (This rule was slightly sidestepped with the international success of Todo Me Recuerda a Ti, a Spanish-marketed compilation that won Easton a Grammy Award.)
A Private Heaven was a bit more muscular pop, thanks to a proliferation of American session legends in the studio (Steve Lukather and Lee Ritenour on guitar, Michael Boddicker on keyboards, Abe Laboriel on drums and Jerry Hey writing horn charts). The biggest hit, though, was "Sugar Walls," a lyrically-risqué New Wave plea to a lover written by the mysterious "Alexander Nevermind." (One listen to those Linn drum patterns and Oberheim synths makes it pretty clear, though: Nevermind is a pseudonym for Prince, who'd later recruit Easton for his own smash "U Got the Look" off Sign "O" the Times in 1987.)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8WZ-Ba-gps]
Follow up Do You (1985) was even more club-ready than its predecessor, thanks mostly to the addition of CHIC's Nile Rodgers as producer. It didn't earn much chart success in the U.S., however, and the U.K. basically ignored both albums outright. The remainder of Easton's tenure with EMI was rocky, with internal reorganization canceling the U.S. release of her last album for the label, 1987's No Sound But a Heart. (Easton briefly bounced back with the L.A. Reid/Babyface-penned hit "The Lover in Me" for MCA in 1988.)
These four albums were previously remastered and expanded by EMI's One Way Records imprint in the U.S. around 2000; fans were quick to criticize the mastering and sequencing (You Could Have Been with Me and Madness, Money and Music did not feature the original U.K. running orders), though bonus tracks were prevalent. You Could Have Been features "When He Shines" and "For Your Eyes Only" as well as three non-LP B-sides, two of which look to be making their CD debut. Madness and A Private Heaven retain the same bonus tracks as the One Way reissues, while Do You swaps out one bonus cut (an edit of "Money Back Guarantee") for the 12" version of Martha and The Vandellas' "Jimmy Mack."
Both titles, featuring new packaging and liner notes, will be available in the U.K. on February 25. The track lists and Amazon U.K. links are below.
You Could Have Been with Me / Madness, Money and Music (Edsel (U.K.), 2013)
Disc 1: You Could Have Been with Me (originally released as EMI EMC-3378 (U.K.), 1981) and bonus tracks
- A Little Tenderness
- You Could Have Been with Me
- Just Another Broken Heart
- I'm Not Worth the Hurt
- (He's Got) Savoir Faire
- A Letter from Joey
- Telephone Lines
- Johnny
- Trouble in the Shadows
- Isn't It So
- When He Shines (single A-side - EMI 5166, 1981 - also included in place of Track 10 on U.S. pressing - EMI America SW-17061, 1981)
- For Your Eyes Only (single A-side - EMI 5915 and from For Your Eyes Only: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Liberty LBG 30337), 1981)
- No-One Ever Knows (from Take My Time - EMI EMC 3354, 1981)
- Family of One (B-side to "You Could Have Been with Me" - EMI 5252, 1981)
- Right or Wrong (single B-side - EMI 5166, 1981)
Disc 2: Madness, Money and Music (originally released as EMI EMC 3414, 1982) and bonus tracks
- Weekend in Paris
- Are You Man Enough
- I Wouldn't Beg for Water
- Machinery
- Ice Out in the Rain
- I Don't Need Your Word
- Madness, Money and Music
- There When I Needed You
- You Do It
- In the Winter
- Please Don't Sympathize
- Some of Us Will (B-side to "I Wouldn't Beg for Water" - EMI America B-8142 (U.S.), 1982)
- Loner (B-side to "Are You Man Enough" - EMI 5349, 1982)
- So We Say Goodbye (B-side to "Machinery" - EMI 5326, 1982)
A Private Heaven / Do You: Deluxe Edition (Edsel (U.K.), 2012)
Disc 1: A Private Heaven (originally released as EMI EJ 2402291, 1984) and bonus tracks
- Strut
- Sugar Walls
- Hungry Eyes
- It's Hard to Say It's Over
- Swear
- Love and Affection
- Back in the City
- You Make Me Nervous
- All By Myself
- Double Standard (B-side to "Sugar Walls" - EMI 5517, 1984)
- Letters from the Road (B-side to "Back in the City" - EMI 5498, 1984)
- Straight Talkin' (B-side to "Strut" - EMI 5510, 1984)
- Fallen Angels (B-side to "Swear" - EMI America B-8263 (U.S.), 1984)
- Strut (Dance Mix) (12" A-side - EMI 12EMI 5510, 1984)
- Sugar Walls (Dance Mix) (12" A-side - EMI 12EMI 5517, 1984)
- Sugar Walls (Red Mix) (12" B-side - EMI 12EMI 5517, 1984)
- Swear (Dub Mix) (12" B-side - EMI America V-7847-1 (U.S.), 1984)
Disc 2: Do You (originally released as EMI 064 24 0454 1, 1985) and bonus tracks
- Do It for Love
- Don't Break My Heart
- Magic of Love
- Don't Turn Your Back
- Jimmy Mack
- Can't Wait Till Tomorrow
- Young Lions
- Kisses
- Money Back Guarantee
- When the Lightning Strikes Again
- Do It for Love (Extended Dance Mix) (12" A-side - EMI 12EMI 5536, 1985)
- Can't Wait Till Tomorrow (Dance Mix) (12" B-side - EMI 12EMI 5536, 1985)
- Do It for Love (Instrumental Mix) (12" B-side - EMI 12EMI 5536, 1985)
- Jimmy Mack (Extended Mix) (12" promo A-side - EMI America SPRO-9588 (U.S.), 1985)
cdmaniac says
Already Pre-ordered!
I was trying to alert you guys of these about a week ago but I couldn't find where to contact you.
Neja says
Why only dub mix for Swear?