Last year marked the 30th anniversary of Samantha Fox's debut on Jive Records.  Recently, Cherry Red imprint Cherry Pop Records released a box set chronicling her career.  The 2CD/2DVD set Play It Again, Sam: The Fox Box traces Fox's musical journey from 1986 all the way up through the present day.

While initially gaining fame in the U.K. as a model, Samantha Fox began a career in music at nearly the same time.  In her early teens, she formed the band SFX, which also included Ringo Starr's son Zak Starkey as a member.  In 1983, the group released a single on the independent Lamborghini label entitled "Rockin' With My Radio."  Her music ambitions would be put on hold, however, when she was runner-up in a British modeling contest and found herself photographed for the British newspaper The Sun.  Fox would soon become the most popular of the "Page 3 girls" and continue to model until she turned 20, when she retired and turned her attention towards reigniting her music career.

Signed to Jive Records in 1986, her debut single "Touch Me (I Want Your Body)" would quickly become a hit, climbing to No. 3 in the U.K. and No. 4 in the US.  Her follow-up "Do You Do Ya (Wanna Please Me)" would also go Top 10 in the UK and Jive released her first full-length album Touch Me Later in 1986.  The team of Jon Astrop, Steve Lovell and Steve Power produced the first two singles most of the album.  They would remain with Fox for most of the 1980s and help continue the dance/pop sound with a sexy vide that she utilized on these first recordings.

Ultimately, Fox would record four albums and release several compilations for Jive through 1992.  More hits would follow including collaborations with Stock Aitken Waterman on the No. 8 U.K. "Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now" and with Brooklyn's Full Force on her biggest U.S. hit, the No. 3 "Naughty Girls (Need Love Too.)."  Her popularity also lead to sold-out concert tours and becoming a guest MTV VJ.

Fox parted ways with Jive, deciding to go the independent route for future albums and projects.  One of her first was a collaboration with the prog-rock band Hawkwind on a cover of The Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" which went to No. 23 in Britain.  After contributing "Go For the Heart" to the 1995 Eurovision contest, Fox's next full-length album would not appear until 1998.  Unfortunately, 21st Century Fox would not see a release in her home country.  She would reappear that year on the U.K. charts, however, with a cover of the Stock/Aitken tune "Santa Maria."

Since that time, Fox has contributed one-off songs to various projects and recorded on more full length album in 2005: Angel With an Attitude.  She has also appeared on television and in film.  She has an autobiography entitled Forever due in November and is working on a new album.

Cherry Pop previously released 2-disc expanded editions of Fox's four Jive albums.  For this project, the label looked at her entire career and included tracks from her post-Jive efforts.  The first disc of the set is focused on the singles Fox has recorded, some in single versions and some not.  The 21-track disc traces her output from "Touch Me" in 1986 to her duet in 2010 with Italy's Sabrina on a cover of Blondie's "Call Me."  It also includes the previously unreleased "You've Got Me Believing in Make Believe," written and recorded as a potential theme for the 1999 film The Match.  While Fox acted in the film, the song was ultimately not used.  The 2^nd CD gathers up 18 remixes and rarities from across Fox's career.  Here you will find her collaboration with Hawkwind as well as covers of The Beatles' "I Should Have Known Better"), ABBA ("The Winner Takes It All") and Madonna ("La Isla Bonita").  Among the other tracks are B-sides, 3 previously unreleased remixes and the previously unreleased song "It's You."   Also included is the remake of "Touch Me" Fox recorded last year.

The first DVD concentrates on 20 of Fox's music videos.  The second has some alternate versions of these videos together with several interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.  It also includes the 1983 video for "Rockin' With My Radio," making that the earliest entry for the set.  The DVDs are Region 0, but encoded in PAL format, unfortunately meaning that they are not playable on North American DVD players.  Some internet reports have raised some issues with the quality of the videos (which Cherry Pop has countered) but we were unable to view the discs so cannot offer our assessment.

A 32-page full color booklet is included.  It features many examples of picture sleeves and other photos.  The set's producer and CD mastering engineer Tom Parker has written a 3-page essay and Samantha Fox has provided a hand-written introductory note and annotations about the songs, mostly focusing on the music videos.  Full lyrics and discographical information are also included.  The four discs themselves come in cardboard sleeves housed in a sturdy CD-sized cardboard box with a lift-off lid.  Also included in the package are 4 buttons and a double-sided poster.

The Fox Box is the most comprehensive collection focusing on Samantha's Fox's entire career.  The addition of music videos makes it even more valuable.  However, even those who cannot view those discs will still find a very nice greatest hits collection with a good booklet and nice packaging.  If you would like to see for yourself, we've got ordering links below and the tracklisting for the set.

Samantha Fox, Play It Again, Sam: The Fox Box (Cherry Pop/Cherry Red Records, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD Disc 1 - The Singles

1. Touch Me (I Want Your Body)
2. Do Ya Do Ya (Wanna Please Me)
3. Hold on Tight (Radio Mix)
4. I'm All You Need (Single Re-Mix)
5. Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now
6. I Surrender (To the Spirit of The Night) (7" Mix)
7. I Promise You (Get Ready)
8. True Devotion (New Mix)
9. Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)-(Single Edit)
10. Love House (7" Edit)
11. I Only Wanna Be with You
12. I Wanna Have Some Fun (7" Edit)
13. (Hurt Me! Hurt Me!) But the Pants Stay On (Radio Edit - Sam Talks)
14. Another Woman (Harding/Curnow 7" Version)
15. Go for the Heart with Sox
16. Let Me Be Free
17. The Reason Is You (Radio Edit)
18. Santa Maria with DJ Milano
19. Angel with An Attitude
20. Call Me with Sabrina
21. You've Got Me Believing in Make Believe (Bonus Track)

CD Disc 2 - Rarities & Remixes

1. I Should Have Known Better
2. Confession
3. Lovin' Don't Grow on Trees (Alternative Mix)
4. All I Wanna Do... with Full Force
5. Love to Love You Baby (Hip Hop Mix)
6. Even in the Darkest Hours (7" Edit)
7. Love House (7" Remix)
8. I Only Wanna Be with You (Special Single Edit)
9. Too Late to Say Goodbye (Original 12" Mix)
10. The Winner Takes It All
11. La Isla Bonita
12. A Question of Honour
13. Midnight Lover
14. I Give Myself to You (Pete Hammond Remix)
15. Touch Me 2016 (Radio Edit)
16. It's You (Nick Harvey Club Mix)
17. Gimme Shelter with Hawkwind
18. The Best Is Yet to Come (7" Mix)

DVD Disc 1 - The Videos

1. Touch Me (I Want Your Body)
2. Do Ya Do Ya (Wanna Please Me)
3. Hold on Tight
4. Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now
5. I Surrender (To the
6. Spirit of the Night)
7. I Promise You (Get Ready)
8. True Devotion
9. Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)
10. Love House
11. I Only Wanna Be with You
12. I Wanna Have Some Fun
13. Hurt Me! Hurt Me!
14. But the Pants Stay on)
15. Another Woman
16. Just One Night
17. Go for the Heart with Sox
18. Let Me Be Free
19. The Reason Is You
20. Santa Maria with DJ Milano
21. Angel with An Attitude
22. Call Me with Sabrina

DVD Disc 2 - Bonus Footage

1. Rockin' with My Radio
2. I Surrender (To the Spirit of the Night) (Unedited Version)
3. Naughty Girls (Need Love Too) (Club Version)
4. Love House (Dance Mix)
5. I Only Wanna Be with You
6. (Alternative Version)
7. All I Wanna Do... with Full Force
8. Touch Me with Günther
9. Rockin' with My Radio (Behind the Scenes)
10. 1987 Interview
11. 1989 Interview
12. 1991 Interview
13. Call Me with Sabrina (Behind the Scenes)

Disc 1, Tracks 1-2 from Touch Me, Jive LP HIP 39, 1986
Disc 1, Track 3 from Jive single FOXY 3, 1986
Disc 1, Track 4 from Jive single FOXY 4, 1986
Disc 1, Track 5, 7 from Samantha Fox, Jive LP HIP 48, 1987
Disc 1, Track 6 and Disc 2, Track 18 from Jive single FOXY 6, 1987
Disc 1, Track 7 from Jive single FOXY 7, 1987
Disc 1, Track 8 and Disc 2, Track 6 from Jive single FOXY 8, 1987
Disc 1, Track 9 from Jive single FOXY 9, 1988
Disc 1, Track 10 from Jive single FOXY 10, 1988
Disc 1, Track 11 from I Wanna Have Some Fun, Jive LP HIP 72, 1988
Disc 1, Track 12 from Jive single FOXY 12, 1989
Disc 1, Track 13 from US Jive single 1441-1-JD, 1991
Disc 1, Track 14 from Jive single FOXY 13, 1991
Disc 1, Track 15 from Living Beat CD single LBECD 33, 1995
Disc 1, Track 16 from Living Beat CD single LBECD 34, 1996
Disc 1, Track 17 from German UKK CD single UKK-4150, 1997
Disc 1, Track 18 from All Around the World CD single CDGLOBE 163, 1998
Disc 1, Track 19 from Angel With an Attitude, La Chapelle CD LACHAPCD 9183, 2005
Disc 1, Track 20 from Italian X-Energy CD Single X 12337, 2010
Disc 1, Track 21 and Disc 2, Tracks 3, 5, 9, 16 Previously Unreleased
Disc 2, Track 1 from digital release The Beatles Complete on Ukulele #082, 2010
Disc 2, Track 2 from Jive Single FOXY 11, 1989
Disc 2, Track 4 from Columbia Single 44-73152, 1990
Disc 2, Track 8 from Jive single FOXY 11, 1989
Disc 2, Track 10 from Abba Mania, Polystar CD 9834344, 2005
Disc 2, Track 11 from Itunes digital release, 2015
Disc 2, Track 12 from Super Best Trance Presents X'Mas Trance, Japanese Avex Trax CD AVCD-23084, 2006
Disc 2, Track 13 from Greek LDR Music CD single release LDR 68007, 2008
Disc 2, Track 14 from Samantha Fox Fan Club Release, 2009
Disc 2, Track 15 from Fox CD single FOX003UKCD, 2016
Disc 2, Track 17 from It is the Business of the Future to be Dangerous, Essential CD ESSCD 196, 1993