Cherry Pop will compile the works of U.K. model-turned-singer Nick Kamen this summer.
Available July 24, the 6CD The Complete Collection offers remastered versions all four albums Kamen recorded for Warner Music between 1987 and 1992, plus dozens of bonus tracks and remixes, many of them previously unreleased or new to CD. (The label notes that 20 mixes are previously unreleased, though we suspect this number is higher.) Two never-before-heard tracks are also available: covers of The Everly Brothers' "So Sad" and Breakfast Club's "Right On Track."
It's that latter cover that points toward how Kamen's career took off. Artistic talent certainly runs in the family: among Kamen's siblings are Chester, a guitarist who's played with Bryan Ferry, David Gilmour and Roger Waters; and Barry, a stylist and designer. Barry and Nick co-founded the influential Buffalo collective, a highly influential group in European streetwear during the '80s; it was here that Nick first earned attention, particularly for a striking cover of U.K. magazine The Face in 1984, when he was only 22. A year later, he starred in a notable British commercial for Levi's that saw him stripping to his underwear in a laundromat to the strains of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" (which re-entered the charts as a result).
After signing to WEA, Kamen collaborated with producer Stephen Bray, already well known for his association with Madonna. (The duo met in college and were both members of dance-pop outfit Breakfast Club before Madonna secured a record contract of her own; together, the duo wrote "Angel," "Into The Groove," "True Blue" and "Express Yourself," among others.) Kamen's lead single, 1986's "Each Time You Break My Heart," was written by the pair during the sessions to True Blue, and Madonna contributed backing vocals to this version. It reached No. 5 on both the U.K. pop charts and Billboard's dance survey in America. (The self-titled debut also featured a U.K. Top 20 cover of the Four Tops' "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" and a version of Benny Mardones' "Into The Night," which reached the U.S. Top 20 in 1980 and would do so again in 1989.)
Further chart hits in England were rare for Kamen; only "Tell Me," the lead single from 1988's sophomore album Us, cracked the Top 40. (The song also featured more vocals by Madonna; "Tell Me" was co-written and produced by another one of her notable collaborators, Patrick Leonard.) But the song did exceptionally well in Italy, where it became his second chart-topper, and 1990's "I Promised Myself" became a Top 10 hit in several countries across Europe, later covered by Dead Or Alive and A-Teens in the 2000s. "Promised," like Kamen's latter two albums (Move Until We Fly (1990) and Whatever, Wherever (1992)) were self-produced alongside Mike Paxman and Paul Muggleton, known for their work with British singer-songwriter (and Muggleton's wife) Judie Tzuke.
Kamen's musical story looks to be excellently and definitively told in this box set, which features new recollections from Bray and collaborator Toby Andersen (Curiosity Killed The Cat). Check out the full track list and order links below!
The Complete Collection (Cherry Pop QCRPOPBOX219 (U.K.), 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Disc 1: Nick Kamen and bonus tracks
- Win Your Love
- Open The Door To Your Heart
- Nobody Else
- Into The Night
- Come Softly To Me
- Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever
- Each Time You Break My Heart
- The Man In Me
- Any Day Now
- Help Me Baby
- Baby After Tonight
- Miss You
- Each Time You Break My Heart (Dance Mix)
- Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever (Extended Dance Mix)
- Nobody Else (7" Version)
- Open The Door To Your Heart (Extended Version)
- Each Time You Break My Heart (Instrumental)
Tracks 1-12 released as WEA U.K. 242080, 1987
Tracks 13 and 17 released on WEA U.K. 12" YZ90T, 1986
Track 14 released on WEA U.K. 12" YZ106T, 1987
Track 15 released on WEA U.K. single YZ122, 1987
Disc 2: Us and bonus tracks
- Bring Me Your Love
- Turn It Up
- Guilty
- This Is Really Love
- Count On Me
- Tell Me
- I Can't Live Without Your Love
- Wonders Of You
- Steal Love
- Better Be Good Tonite
- Bring Me Your Love (7" Version)
- Tell Me (Extended Mix)
- Bring Me Your Love (Extended Mix)
- Turn It Up (12" Mix)
- Tell Me (Dub Mix)
- Don't Hold Out
Tracks 1-10 released as WEA U.K. 242398, 1988
Track 11 released on WEA U.K. single YZ202, 1988
Track 12 released on WEA U.K. 12" YZ184T, 1988
Track 13 released on WEA U.K. 12" YZ202T, 1988
Track 15 released on WEA U.K. limited 12" YZ184TW, 1988
Track 16 released on WEA Italian single 24 7247-7, 1988
Disc 3: Move Until We Fly and bonus tracks
- I Promised Myself
- Oh How Happy
- Looking Good Diving
- Somebody's Arms To Hold Me
- Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um
- Take Back My Hand Child
- We Can Make It
- Agony & Ecstasy
- You Are
- I Want More
- Move Until We Fly
- Love Street
- Sacrifice Your Reputation
- Oh How Happy (7" Version)
- Looking Good Diving (7" Version)
- Agony & Ecstasy (7" Version)
- I Promised Myself (Independiente Mix)
Tracks 1-11 released as WEA U.K. 71059, 1990
Tracks 12 and 14 released as WEA U.K. single YZ501, 1990
Tracks 13 and 16 released as WEA U.K. single YZ526, 1990
Track 15 released on WEA U.K. single YZ546, 1990
Track 17 released on WEA U.K. 12" YZ454T, 1990
Disc 4: Whatever, Whenever and bonus tracks
- We'll Never Lose What We Have Found
- Whatever, Whenever
- You're Not The Only One
- Nothing Rhymes Now
- Did I Imagine You
- This Is Our Time
- Don't You Know
- I Need You
- There Was a Time In America
- You and I Are Here
- I'll Find Another Way
- We'll Never Lose What We Have Found (7" Version)
- I Know Where You Are
- We'll Never Lose What We Have Found (Club Mix)
- You're Not The Only One (Youth Sa Roush Mix)
- You're Not The Only One (Extended Mix)
Tracks 1-11 released as WEA U.K. 77168, 1992
Tracks 12-13 released as WEA U.K. single YZ672, 1992
Track 14 released on WEA U.K. 12" YZ672T, 1992
Track 15 released on WEA U.K. 12" YZ655T, 1992
Discs 5-6: Remixes & Rarities
- Each Time You Break My Heart (Shep Pettibone Extended Version)
- Win Your Love (The Love Mix)
- Nobody Else (Arthur Baker Dance Mix)
- Come Softly To Me (12" Version) *
- Nobody Else (Jellybean 12" Version)
- Each Time You Break My Heart (U.S. Mix)
- Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever (Alternative Mix) *
- Oh How Happy (Bubble Mix) *
- Tell Me (Instrumental) *
- Bring Me Your Love (Instrumental) *
- Agony & Ecstasy (Instrumental) *
- Looking Good Diving (Instrumental) *
- Oh How Happy (Instrumental) *
- I Promised Myself (Instrumental) *
- Agony & Ecstasy (Dawn Mix)
- Lonely Boy
- Us Megamix
- Nobody Else (Alternative 12" Mix)
- Oh How Happy (Wow How Hippy Mix)
- Looking Good Diving (Extended Mix)
- Count On Me (7" Version)
- So Sad
- Right On Track
- Oh How Happy (G.U.C.C.I. Mix)
- Take Back My Hand Child (Alternative Version)
- Win Your Love (Instrumental)
- Wonders Of You (Backing Track)
- Somebody's Arms To Hold Me (Instrumental)
- You Are (Instrumental)
- You're Not The Only One (Instrumental)
- Come Softly To Me (Backing Track)
- Oh What a Night
Disc 5, Tracks 1 and 6 released on Sire U.S. 12" 0-20632, 1986
Disc 5, Track 2 released on WEA Italian 12" 24 8291-0, 1987
Disc 5, Track 3 released on WEA U.K. 12" YZ122T, 1987
Disc 5, Track 5 released on Sire U.S. 12" 0-20750, 1987
Disc 5, Track 15 released on WEA U.K. 12" YZ526T, 1990
Disc 5, Track 16 from Shag: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Sire 25800, 1989
Disc 6, Track 3 released on WEA U.K. 12" YZ501T, 1990
Disc 6, Track 4 released on WEA U.K. 12" YZ546T, 1990
Disc 6, Track 16 released on U.S. pressing of Us - Sire 25772, 1988
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