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Just One Lifetime: Second Disc Records, Real Gone Music Expand Melissa Manchester's "Mathematics" to 2 CDs

August 30, 2018 By The Second Disc 6 Comments

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Melissa Manchester announced her independence from Arista Records when she signed to MCA Records after nearly a decade with Clive Davis' famous label.  At Arista, Manchester had established herself as one of the finest singer-songwriters of her era (or any other!) as well as a first-class pop interpreter.  At MCA, she reinvented herself further by jumping headfirst into the world of dance-oriented synthpop, Hi-NRG, and new wave.  1985's Mathematics bore the period's hallmark of multiple big-name producers: George Duke, Brock Walsh, Robbie Nevil, Trevor Veitch, and executive producer Quincy Jones.  Mathematics featured the A-list of Los Angeles' session musicians like John Robinson, Jerry Hey, Paulinho DaCosta, and Lee Ritenour, plus backgrounds from the Waters family and special guests such as Toto's Steve Lukather, gospel pioneer Andrae Crouch, and "Maniac" star Michael Sembello.  But the real star of the album was Melissa Manchester's powerful voice in a new setting of infectious, bubbly dance-pop rhythms (and one beautiful ballad, "Just One Lifetime," which was later sung by Barbra Streisand at her wedding to James Brolin and on disc.)  Over the years, the bold Mathematics has become one of Melissa's most beloved albums, and certainly her most in-demand.  But it's never been released on CD anywhere in the world...until now.

Real Gone Music and Second Disc Records are proud to present the definitive, 2-CD edition of this classic album, coming on October 12.  Mathematics: The MCA Years boasts the newly-remastered, full-length original album on Disc One while Disc Two boasts all of the original period remixes, the B-side "So Full of Yourself," and three outtakes: the never-before-heard "Water from the Moon" and "Skin on Skin," and the never commercially available "Just One Star Beyond," written by Craig Safan, Mark Mueller, and Melissa for the sci-fi cult classic The Last Starfighter.

And that's not all.  Mathematics: The MCA Years also adds all three versions of the Oscar-nominated "The Promise (I'll Never Say Goodbye)" from the soundtrack of The Promise for the very first time on CD plus the U.S. CD debut of the Al Jarreau duet "The Music of Goodbye" from Out of Africa. 

This deluxe package has been remastered by Mike Milchner at SonicVision Mastering and has been designed by John Sellards.  TSD's Joe Marchese has written the liner notes based on a fresh interview with Melissa, and the 28-page booklet also includes lyrics, photos, and memorabilia.  Look for Mathematics: The MCA Years on October 12!  Pre-order links are available below.

Melissa Manchester, Mathematics: The MCA Years (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: The Original Album (MCA LP MCA-5587, 1985 - reissued Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music, 2018)

  1. Victims of the Modern Heart
  2. Mathematics
  3. Energy
  4. Shocked
  5. All Tied Up
  6. The Dream
  7. Restless Love
  8. Thunder in the Night
  9. Night Creatures
  10. Just One Lifetime

CD 2: Bonus Tracks

  1. Water from the Moon (previously unreleased)
  2. Skin on Skin (previously unreleased)
  3. Just One Star Beyond (previously unreleased)
  4. So Full of Yourself (Non-LP B-side) (MCA single MCA-52575, 1985)
  5. Just One Lifetime (Single Edit) (MCA single MCA-52688, 1985)
  6. Mathematics (Dance Mix) (MCA 12-inch single MCA-23554, 1985)
  7. Mathematics (Dub Version) (MCA 12-inch single MCA-23554, 1985)
  8. Energy (Power Mix) (MCA 12-inch single MCA-23563, 1985)
  9. Energy (Dub Version) (MCA 12-inch single MCA-23563, 1985)
  10. Main Title: The Promise (I'll Never Say Goodbye) (The Promise: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, MCA LP 3082, 1979)
  11. Remembrance Montage/The Promise (I'll Never Say Goodbye)/Ben's Drive (MCA LP 3082, 1979)
  12. The Promise Kept/End Title: The Promise (I'll Never Say Goodbye) (MCA LP 3082, 1979)
  13. The Music of Goodbye (Love Theme from Out of Africa) - with Al Jarreau (MCA single MCA-52784, 1986)

Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Pop Tags: Melissa Manchester

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The Second Disc

The Second Disc is devoted to the weird, wild and wonderful world of music catalogue projects. Every week, Mike Duquette, Joe Marchese, and Randy Fairman bring you news, reviews, commentary and features on remasters, reissues, compilations and box sets.

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Comments

  1. Dana says

    August 30, 2018 at 8:56 pm

    I'll gladly be the first to place my comment! This is fantastic news! Mathematics is still in my regular playlist, as it never sounds tired. Such an underrated album & one that certainly deserved a fate more fair than it received. So many tracks with killer hooks, so many hit single opportunities missed & mishandled. This album is sometimes maligned by some Manchester fans as being too 80s, but when stacked up against the rest of her catalog it comes out close to the top and certainly ranks as her very best output of the entire 80s decade. This deluxe edition looks like this album was given the proper treatment it's been deserving...Well worth the wait!

    Reply
  2. Galley says

    August 30, 2018 at 9:22 pm

    This one has been available as a digital download for several years, but it’s great to see it’s finally being released on CD with a ton of bonus tracks!

    Reply
  3. Daniel says

    October 25, 2018 at 5:51 pm

    Got my [autographed] copy of this yesterday from Real Gone. I was really looking forward to finally getting "I'll Never Say Goodbye" on CD. I am wondering what the source for it was, because it sounds hissy and cleaned up. The credits for the entire project say "remastered from the original master tapes," but I wonder if that's actually true for the selections from "The Promise." If anything, it sounds like it was mastered from a cassette master or something.

    Reply
    • Avatar photoJoe Marchese says

      October 26, 2018 at 12:19 am

      Good catch, Daniel. The booklet had to be completed before mastering, and we ended up having no choice but to use a less than perfect source for the film songs. We apologize for any sonic deficiencies on those tracks, though we can assure you that we utilized the best source available for this release. That said, we do hope you enjoy the rest of the collection.

      Reply
      • Galley says

        October 26, 2018 at 7:21 am

        The CD sounds much better than the digital downloads!

        Reply
        • Avatar photoJoe Marchese says

          October 26, 2018 at 10:19 am

          Thank you! Glad you're enjoying it!

          Reply

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