Basia's "London Warsaw New York" Goes Deluxe From Cherry Pop

A little less than two years following the expanded reissue of Basia’s 1987 Time and Tide, Cherry Pop has returned to the catalogue of the Polish singer-songwriter with a similarly lavish 2-CD reissue of her sophomore album, London Warsaw New York. Originally released on Epic Records in 1989, the platinum-selling album yielded one Top 40 hit and three charting Adult Contemporary singles, all in the artist’s beguiling blend of pop and vocal jazz. A Top 20 entry in the Billboard 200, the LP also topped the Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.

Basia Trzetrzelewska began her musical career performing with a number of groups in her native Poland including Alibabki and Perfect; a move to England found her joining Mark Reilly, Danny White, and (briefly) Kito Poncioni – all expats of the band Blue Rondo A La Turk – in a new outfit named Matt Bianco. 1984’s Whose Side Are You On, the debut of the “sophistipop” trio, yielded two U.K. Top 30 singles and proved a launching pad for Basia’s solo career. White and Basia embarked on a romantic as well as professional relationship, and soon, Basia was signed to CBS by Muff Winwood. She and White served as co-producers and co-writers of Time and Tide. While the album didn’t fare well in the United Kingdom, greater success was met across the pond. Basia’s bossa nova-flavored approach to modern pop made her a comfortable fit for adult contemporary and smooth jazz programmers. Time and Tide eventually went platinum, and reached the peak of the Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart while placing none-too-shabbily within the Top 40 of the Top Pop Albums (later the Billboard 200).

Basia and White collaborated once more on London Warsaw New York, named for a lyric in the brisk, pulsating “Copernicus.” Many of the musicians featured on Time and Tide returned, as well, including Peter White (Danny’s brother) on guitar, Kevin Robinson on trumpet, Ronnie Ross on saxophone, and Andy Ross (Ronnie’s son) on guitar. Peter Ross, who had supplied a number of lyrics on Time and Tide, wasn’t called to repeat his duties, as Basia became more confident in her English-speaking and writing abilities. Basia and Danny White co-wrote all of the album’s largely upbeat, lively tracks drawing on styles from bossa nova to salsa, save one. Stevie Wonder’s alluringly soulful “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do),” a 1973 million-seller for Aretha Franklin, was reinvented in modern style by Basia.

Continuing the shimmering, old-meets-the-new sonic approach of its predecessor, London Warsaw New York was warmly greeted by the American record-buying public. The opening salvo “Cruising for Bruising” reached No. 29 Pop and No. 5 Adult Contemporary. The breezy bossa “Baby You’re Mine” and a remix of “Until You Come Back to Me” also scored on the AC survey. Britain once again was left cold by Basia’s warm, Latin-flavored pop grooves, with the album getting no higher than No. 68 Pop.

Cherry Pop’s reissue lives up to its billing as a Deluxe Edition. Producer Vinny Vero has added six bonuses to Disc One – two non-album B-sides, the single remix of “Until You Come Back to Me,” and three more remixes. The packed second disc has a whopping eighteen bonuses, thirteen of which are previously unreleased: three alternate versions, eleven instrumentals, and four demos. The booklet designed by Johan Mauritzson is just as lavish, including lyrics, track-by-track annotations by Basia and Danny White, essays from Bill Pitzonka and album mixer Phil Harding, and detailed credits and discographical annotation. Andy Pearce has remastered all tracks.

The Deluxe Edition of Basia’s musical travelogue London Warsaw New York is available now at the links below!

Basia, London Warsaw New York: Deluxe Edition (Epic E 45472 (U.S.), 1989 – reissued Cherry Pop CRPOPD161, 2015) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

CD 1

Cruising for Bruising
Best Friends
Brave New Hope
Baby You’re Mine
Ordinary People
Reward
Until You Come Back to Me
Copernicus
Not an Angel
Take Him Back Rachel
Come to Heaven
Masquerade
Until You Come Back to Me (Single Remix) (Epic 656378-7 (Netherlands) )
Cruising for Bruising (Extended Mix) (Epic BASH T7)
Baby You’re Mine (Berimbau Mix) (Epic BASH T7)
Until You Come Back to Me (Phil Harding 12-Inch Mix) (Epic 656378-6 (Netherlands))