The music of David Essex has long had a home at Cherry Red’s 7Ts label. Late in 2014, 7Ts revisited the catalogue of the British singer/actor for a two-for-one, double-disc reissue of 1983’s The Whisper and 1984’s This One’s for You.

David Essex, OBE, was born David Albert Cook in 1947. Since making his record debut on the Fontana label in 1965, he has scored nineteen Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom (including two No. 1s), and sixteen Top 40 albums. Following a stage appearance in the 1971 original London cast of Godspell alongside other future notables like Jeremy Irons, Marti Webb and Julie Covington, Essex took to the big screen to star in 1973’s That’ll Be the Day. That same year, he earned a hit in the form of his self-written “Rock On,” crossing international shores with the song that also appeared on the That’ll Be the Day soundtrack. “Rock On” reached No. 5 in the U.S. and received a Grammy nomination; it topped the charts in Canada and made No. 3 in his native United Kingdom. It seemed that Essex struck gold in whichever medium he chose to pursue. When he appeared onstage in the original production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Evita in 1978, his recording of his character Che’s “Oh, What a Circus” became a No. 3 U.K. pop hit itself.

By the early 1980s, Essex’s commercial returns were diminishing. Though 1980’s Hot Love and 1981’s Be-Bop the Future weren’t big hits, they set the stage for his “comeback” in 1982 with a hit television program (The David Essex Showcase) and Top 20 hit single “Me and My Girl (Night-Clubbing).” Also in 1982, a best-of compilation LP went to the top 40 of the U.K. Albums chart, as did his Stagestruck album. Reuniting with Tim Rice, Essex notched another victory in December ’82 with “A Winter’s Tale.” Written by Rice and Mike Batt, and produced by Batt, the song went to No. 2 in the U.K., held off from the top only by Phil Collins’ revival of “You Can’t Hurry Love.”

Riding the crest of this new success, Essex worked on readying the West End musical Mutiny! He would not only appear in the show, but co-write its score. “Tahiti,” from the musical, was another Top 5 hit single. The Whisper, a pop album, followed the single release of “Tahiti” into stores in late 1983. A collaboration with co-producer Mike Batt, the album featured “A Winter’s Tale” and featured such key personnel as Rod Demick (bass), Chris Spedding (guitar) and Ray Cooper (drums). The ten-song LP featured seven songs written by Essex, plus the Batt/Rice “Winter’s Tale” and two other Batt-penned songs. (“Tahiti” was added on some international editions. 7Ts has left it out, citing its rightful place on the Mutiny! album.) Alas, The Whisper only made it to No. 67 on the U.K. Albums chart. 7Ts has added five non-LP singles to this expanded edition.

Essex kept busy throughout 1984 working on his musical with co-writer Richard Crane, releasing a single of “Welcome” b/w “War Dance” from the score. (Neither song had appeared on the concept album but would appear in the eventual show and cast recording.) “Welcome” also found a home on This One’s for You, the second album in this 2-CD set, while “War Dance” is added as a bonus track. Essex produced this LP himself, with personnel including background vocalists Chris and Eddie Amoo, Ray Lake and Dave Smith, and longtime session pro Herbie Flowers. The bassist even co-wrote one song with Essex, “Look at Them Laughing.” Other than “Look at Them” and “Welcome,” the album was entirely self-composed by Essex. Despite strong material, This One’s for You fared less well than its predecessor, failing to make the top 75. The album’s “Falling Angels Riding” b/w “Song for a Painter” (a non-LP track also included here as a bonus) became Essex’s final Mercury Records single, and the A-side – a Top 30 hit - was destined for the stage version of Mutiny! which opened in London in July 1985.

David Essex has continued to perform in every arena of show business and remains a popular draw in his native country. 7Ts’ two-fer of A Whisper/This One’s for You includes new liner notes by Phil Hendriks and a full discography of the period covered by this release; Tim Turan has remastered all tracks. It’s available now at the links below!

David Essex, A Whisper/This One’s for You (7Ts GLAM CDD 152, 2014) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

CD 1: A Whisper (Mercury MERH 34, 1983)

1. The Whisper
2. You’re in My Heart
3. Down Again
4. Fishing for the Moon
5. Ears of the City
6. Love, Oh Love
7. Moonlight Dancing
8. Love is a Stranger
9. A Winter’s Tale
10. Two Runaways
11. The Smile (Mercury single ESSEX 1-A, 1983)
12. Slave (Mercury single ESSEX 1-B, 1983)
13. Come On Little Darlin’ (Mercury single ESSEX 2-B, 1983)
14. Zulu Warrior (Mercury single ESSEX 3-B, 1984)
15. The Smile (Extended Version) (Mercury 12-inch single ESSEX 112, 1983)

CD 2: This One’s for You (Mercury MERH 57, 1984)

1. Secret Habit
2. Look at Your Face
3. Alice (Stay Young and Free)
4. Victim
5. Look at Them Laughing
6. Danze Music
7. Don’t You Go
8. Welcome
9. This One’s for You
10. Falling Angels Riding
11. Friends
12. War Dance (Mercury single ESSEX 4-B, 1984)
13. Song for a Painter (Mercury single ESSEX 5-B, 1985)