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The Nolans’ effervescent signature hit proclaimed, “I’m in the Mood for Dancing”…and that’s precisely how you’ll feel after a listen to Hot Shot Records’ new anthology dedicated to the Irish girl group.  Chemistry: The Ultimate Collection tells the story of Anne, Denise, Maureen, Linda, Bernadette, and Coleen, all of whom at various times served in the family group.  This new set from the Cherry Red imprint features 21 Nolans classics on CD plus eight music videos on DVD, all from the period of 1979-1983.

Anne, Denise, Maureen, Linda, and Bernadette (“Bernie”) joined together in 1974 as The Nolan Sisters, honing their craft as frequent guest stars on British TV shows of the decade.  The girls’ profile was so high that they even supported Frank Sinatra on his 1975 European tour.  Though there were some personnel changes (Denise exited in 1978, and Coleen became a full-time member when she replaced Anne in 1980), the familial sound remained the same.  Between 1979 and 1982, The Nolans scored seven top 20 hits in the U.K. not to mention carving out a strong fan base in Japan.  Chemistry boasts all seven of those smashes, plus Japanese hits and other key cuts to paint a comprehensive portrait of the tightly-bonded singers.

The girls’ tightly-harmonized, polished, and crystalline pop sound took in pop, R&B, and dance sounds, but it wasn’t easy for them to be accepted by the music cognoscenti.  After all, they’d gotten their start performing on variety programs, and even recorded a covers album for Target Records in which they applied their bubbly sound to hits by Neil Diamond, Bread, and Elton John.  But they cottoned to a more mature, sophisticated sound under the aegis of producer Ben Findon, and then, Nicky Graham, Robin Smith,  and Tim Friese-Greene.   Chemistry focuses on The Nolans’ largely uptempo, original works rather than the covers that peppered their career including big ballads like Diana Ross’ “Touch Me in the Morning,” Debby Boone’s “God Knows,” Dionne Warwick’s “I’ll Never Love This Way Again,” and ABBA’s “Thank You for the Music.”  (Indeed, there’s an ABBA-esque bounce to The Nolans’ “Gotta Pull Myself Together.”)  There’s a rock edge to the orchestrated ode to “Sexy Music,” while “Lead Me On” rides a cool groove.

All told, this non-chronologically-sequenced set is drawn from the Epic albums The Nolan Sisters (1979), Making Waves (1980), Don’t Love Me Too Hard (1981), Portrait (1982) and the compilation Altogether (1982) plus singles and remixes.  Altogether would mark The Nolans’ final release for Epic, and the group departed the label amid distress when Epic parent CBS was found by the U.K. Singles Chart’s regulatory board to have improperly distributed a limited edition version of their “Dressed to Kill” single to chart return shops only.  The single was removed from the chart entirely, even as it was on the road to becoming a substantial hit.  The sisters would rebound and continue recording – primarily in Japan – through the turn of the century.  In 2000, two non-siblings even bolstered the lineup.  The Nolans’ most recent album, In the Mood Again, arrived in 2009.  Bernie Nolan passed away four years later, in 2013.

Chemistry: The Ultimate Collection is a feel-good anthology filled with sparkling dance-pop.  The inclusion of a DVD, produced and restored by Jim Lang, also allows for the group’s bright visual component to come to the fore on songs including “I’m in the Mood for Dancing,” “Chemistry,” and “Don’t Love Me Too Hard.”  Note that the DVD is in PAL format and will not play on standard North American DVD players.

Compilation producer Wayne A. Dickson has provided the excellent liner notes in the full-color 20-page booklet, and Nick Robbins has remastered all tracks on CD.  The release is housed in a double Super Jewel Box.

The Nolans’ Chemistry: The Ultimate Collection is available now from Cherry Red and Hot Shot Records at the links below!

The Nolans, Chemistry: The Ultimate Collection (Hot Shot/Cherry Red HSRXD017, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD

1. Dressed to Kill
2. Chemistry
3. Who’s Gonna Rock You
4. I’m in the Mood for Dancing
5. Attention to Me
6. Every Home Should Have One
7. Don’t Love Me Too Hard
8. Don’t Make Waves
9. Spirit, Body and Soul
10. Gotta Pull Myself Together
11. Dragonfly
12. Sexy Music
13. Crashing Down
14. How Do I Survive
15. Lead Me On
16. Every Little Thing
17. I’m Never Gonna Let You Break My Heart Again
18. It Could Have Been Your Love Too
19. A Simple Case of Loving You
20. Take It Through the Night
21. Dress to Kill (12-Inch Extended Remix)

DVD

1. I’m in the Mood for Dancing
2. Gotta Pull Myself Together
3. Who’s Gonna Rock You
4. Attention to Me
5. Sexy Music
6. Chemistry
7. Don’t Love Me Too Hard
8. Dragonfly

CD:

Track 1 from Epic single A1485, 1983
Tracks 2, 6-7, 13-14, 16, 20 from Don’t Love Me Too Hard, Epic, 1981
Tracks 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 & 15 from Making Waves, Epic, 1980
Tracks 4 & 9 from The Nolan Sisters, Epic, 1979
Track 11 from Altogether, Epic, 1982
Tracks 17-19 from Portrait, Epic, 1982
Track 21 from Epic 12-inch single TA1485, 1983