BUY NOW FROM LAURA BRANIGAN ONLINE
The wait is over: Other Half Entertainment, the late Laura Branigan's production company, has recently reissued her 1983 sophomore album Branigan 2 on CD in a new edition expanded with one additional track, the 12-inch mix of the leadoff single "Solitaire."
German producer Jack White returned from debut album Branigan to once again helm the LP, and was this time joined by the up-and-coming Robbie Buchanan as associate producer and arranger in place of Greg Mathieson. Keyboardist Buchanan put together a core band to lend a cohesive sound to the album: Michael Landau (guitar), Carlo Vega (drums), and Dennis Belfield (bass). The resulting album was even stronger than its predecessor, matching Branigan's big, expressively husky voice with equally big and powerful songs in both the synthpop and soft rock veins.
As he had done with the hugely successful "Gloria," Jack White sought out European songs which could be outfitted with new English lyrics for Laura. All told, four such tracks appeared on Branigan 2. The most successful was the shimmering opening track which became a top ten hit: "Solitaire." Diane Warren, who had co-written "If You Loved Me" on Branigan, wrote the dramatic English lyrics (one of her three contributions to the LP) to the Martine Clemenceau melody first recorded by the French singer on her 1981 album Clementine. "Mama" was written by the "Gloria" team of Giancarlo Bigazzi and Umberto Tozzi; Warren's new lyrics gave Branigan another sensual showcase, but its seductive, late-night vibes were quite different than the brash ebullience of "Gloria."
The modern electric sound was juxtaposed with dirty guitar on "Deep in the Dark." Its herky-jerky, robotic rhythm and sexy, spoken/sung sections gave it a distinctive sound on Branigan 2. It had previously been recorded by both Austrian singer-songwriter Falco and the U.K.'s After the Fire as "Der Kommissar" but Branigan made Bill Bowersock's tailor-made English lyrics her own. Like "Der Kommissar," Steve Bi's "Lucky" also hailed from the German pop chart. Bernie Paul and Roy Black had both cut the soft, pretty tune; Branigan brought a hint of smoke to the wistful lyrics about a broken relationship.
Diane Warren reteamed with "If You Loved Me" co-author The Doctor on the sleek, energetic dancer "I'm Not the Only One," and Robbie Buchanan brought his own, urgent "Close Enough" (co-written with John Lang). Two attractive ballads came from the pen of Carol Connors, lyricist of movie hits like "With You I'm Born Again" and "Gonna Fly Now." David Shire composed the latter's tender melody while Lee Holdridge joined Connors for the pulsating "Don't Show Your Love."
Far more unusual is undoubtedly the cover of The Who's "Squeeze Box," but it works terrifically well thanks to Branigan's straightforward delivery of Pete Townshend's naughty, double entendre-laden melodic rock tune. The most memorable moment on Branigan 2, even eclipsing "Solitaire," might well be the U.S. AC chart-topper "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You." The Michael Bolton/Doug James anthem fit Laura's emotionally authentic brand of vocals like a glove, while the classy arrangement beautifully supported but never overpowered her lead. Bolton's subsequent 1988 cover of his own song was even more successful than Laura's rendition, reaching No. 1 Pop and AC, but his emotive version (modeled on Laura's) lacked the moving quality of the original.
Other Half's reissue of Branigan 2 is presented in a slipcase with a 16-page color booklet featuring exemplary liner notes by Christian John Wikane, repeating his duties from Branigan's past expanded reissues. Wikane's essay features insights from Robbie Buchanan, Jack White, and Bill Bowersock. There are no remastering credits other than original mastering engineer Brian Gardner, but sound is crisp and comparable to the past Branigan reissues. One of Laura's strongest albums, Branigan 2 is a timely reminder of a distinctive talent gone too soon but never forgotten.
Branigan 2 is available directly from Other Half Entertainment at this link!
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I'm excited, but at the same time cautious, because this sounds exactly like the re-issue Gold Legion were offering a couple years ago. Gold Legion promised a lot of things, but never delivered and their website/business disappeared (with my money!) some years ago. When I checked with 'Other Half Entertainment' on Facebook a few months ago, they said that Gold Legion still had exclusive rights to Laura's material.
On the other hand, this is being offered directly from the Laura Branigan site so it might actually exist.
Hi, this is indeed the same reissue announced by Gold Legion some time ago. It is being sold directly by Laura’s company (not Gold Legion), and it most certainly does exist. Hope this helps.
hello Joe
thankful for highlighting the availability of this long awaited Gold Legion reissue. It has gone pretty quite since Branigan 2 was announced after Branigan (1) back in 2014. I have picked up both Branigan (1) and Self Control from amazon, to avoid the many negatives issues surrounding Gold Legion customer service. Regrettably, the shipping charges from Other Half Management to this part of the world (Malaysia) is the cost of another CD! Will Branigan 2 be available from amazon? Can anyone help? Lastly, will the management of Laura Branigan reissues her full catalogue, as her albums have been long out of print...
I got both CDs (still Brand New) of Laura Branigan from Gold Legion, I did however have a problem with other order but not for this two, is a shame that gold legion disappear, i remember that more Disco CDs would be reissues by the company but I guess Disco is Dead after all. 🙁
I'm glad that Other Half didn't let up and was able to release this after all. I did get the Self Control reissue, which actually was very well done. The Gold Legion reissues were very nice (good sound, excellent liner notes) but as company, they were problematic when it came to deadlines, release dates and customer service.
I'm thinking of ordering all LB remasters through her website via The Other Half but Amazon is selling them too...did Gold Legion go belly up?? I also saw on the LB website a CD/DVD put out by Warner South Africa called "Shine On" which looks very cool...I wonder if Rhino or Real Gone or Omnivore will release a complete anthology with all singles, 12"S, B-sides, key album tracks, all soundtrack cuts and odds n ends, maybe some cool unreleased tracks and demos in the vault?! Maybe a live cut with Leonard Cohen?! I think something like that...a 3-4CD box with a DVD of all vidclips and maybe TV appearances like on Solid Gold would be most welcome...and if I had to describe LB to a newcomer, I would say the 80s answer to Celine Dion...both had a Euro flair and dramatic vocals, but LB was better because she had the ability to pull the brake before going too far over the top...while injecting some REAL feeling and soul, cutting the schmaltz out...Sheena Easton comes close too but much of her stuff is crap...LB had a quality catalogue...i don't think she did one dud ever...big fan of her brother Billy too...his 1 album from 1987, "Make A Move" was a killer overlooked powerpop gem in the vein of prime Rick Springfield...
I have loved Laura Branigan from the first time I heard "Gloria" on a local radio station the first day in my hotel room in NYC in June 1982. The "Shine On" package is nice, but with only one CD and a 10-video-clip DVD still doesn't do her justice. I would definitely like to see the rest of her catalog updated and expanded as well as a 3/4 CD boxed set w/DVD incl. bio documentary.
I bought mine directly from Other Half Entertainment and received it in just a few days. Nothing like my experiences with Gold Legion. Order away!
I wouldn't spend a dime on this one. First, because it only has one bonus track. Second, because the other 2 reissues are a disgrace (on the original albums' tracks). The dynamic range has been completely killed. Strong filters to reduce the noise of the original masters. And some bonus tracks I'm pretty sure were digitized from vinyl format, not master tapes (some, not all of them).
Good piece of advice: stick to the first editions on CD format, especially the ones made in West Germany or Japan. Even the US editions. First editions.
Now, if you want a good, digital copy of "Solitaire" (Extended Version), so for it. But know the rest of the album will probably sound like crap as the "Branigan" & "Self Control" reissues/expanded editions did.