Dionne WordPress Banner

The Second Disc

Expanded and Remastered Music News

  • Home
  • News
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Features
    • Release Round-Up
    • The Weekend Stream
    • Giveaways!
    • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Release Calendar
    • Coming Soon
    • Now Available
  • About
  • Second Disc Records
    • Full Catalog
  • Contact

/ News

Mad About "Belinda": Demon Reissues Carlisle's Solo Debut for 35th Anniversary

June 24, 2021 By Joe Marchese 2 Comments

Belinda Carlisle Belinda Black Vinyl

BUY NOW FROM AMAZON.COM

On the heels of the announcement that they would soon be joining the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Go-Go's have confirmed plans for a December/January mini-tour in California and Nevada.  A recent reissue expanded the pioneering band's God Bless the Go-Go's.  And that's not all.  Demon Music Group has long been the steward of Belinda Carlisle's catalogue; following the label's expanded CD reissues of her entire discography, the label has turned to expanded vinyl presentations.  The first of these is a 35th anniversary edition of Carlisle's solo debut, 1986's Belinda.  It's arrived as a 2-LP set pressed on 180-gram vinyl - its first time in the vinyl format since its initial release.

This deluxe version takes its cues from the 2014 2-CD edition.  The original IRS Records album is featured on the first LP, and it's as joyful and effervescent as ever with the hit "Mad About You" (No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100) and the fizzy update of "Band of Gold" (the single and dance mixes of which boast original vocalist Freda Payne joining in).  While Carlisle would find greater commercial and artistic success with Belinda's follow-up, Heaven on Earth, the album holds up well today for its pop pleasures.  The shimmering and up-to-the-minute-circa-1986 production by Michael Lloyd (The Osmonds, Barry Manilow) emphasized Carlisle's recognizable, clarion voice while the songs were equally tailored to her talents.  Lloyd's longtime arranger John D'Andrea supplied the subtle string charts throughout the LP.

Half of Belinda was co-authored by her Go-Go's bandmate Charlotte Caffey including the dramatic "Since You've Gone," a collaboration with Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham, and the girl group-esque "I Feel the Magic" (which was complete with honking saxophone and sleigh bells).  In addition to "Mad About You," The Go-Go's Paula Jean Brown co-wrote two cuts, the urgent "Gotta Get to You" and the tropically-tinged "Shot in the Dark."  The Bangles' Susanna Hoffs joined with hitmakers Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg for "I Need a Disguise," another retro-styled song positioning Belinda as a latter-day heir to Mary Weiss of The Shangri-Las.

Side Three of the new set features the same five studio bonus tracks as on the 2-CD set: three mixes of "Band of Gold" featuring Freda Payne; the extended version of "Mad About You," and the soundtrack cut "Dancing in the City," written by Steinberg and Kelly and produced by CHIC's Bernard Edwards for the soundtrack of the Whoopi Goldberg vehicle Burglar.  Side Four culls five songs, including "Mad About You" and The Go-Go's "Head Over Heels," from Belinda's solo concert film recorded at West Hollywood's Roxy.  The 12-song concert is included on DVD in the 2014 release but this marks their audio-only debuts.

The deluxe packaging, featuring the album's lyrics on the gatefold, finds the two LPs each housed in an illustrated sleeve.  Justin Kantor's detailed 2014 liner notes have been reprinted on the LP 1 sleeve, too.  Phil Kinrade's mastering has been retained.  Amazon U.K. has an exclusive pink vinyl pressing while other retailers offer standard black vinyl.  But in any color, Belinda shines as the underrated predecessor to the pop perfection of Carlisle's very next album, the aptly-titled Heaven on Earth.

The 35th Anniversary Edition of Belinda will be followed in August by a 25th Anniversary set of A Woman and a Man, and then in October by a 30th Anniversary release of Live Your Life Be Free.  You'll find the track listing and order links for Belinda below!

Belinda Carlisle, Belinda: 35th Anniversary Edition (Demon DEMREC900, 2021)  (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

LP1: Expanded LP (originally released as I.R.S. Records 5741, 1986)

Side One

  1. Mad About You
  2. I Need a Disguise
  3. Since You've Gone
  4. I Feel the Magic
  5. I Never Wanted a Rich Man

Side Two

  1. Band of Gold
  2. Gotta Get to You
  3. From the Heart
  4. Shot in the Dark
  5. Stuff and Nonsense

LP2: Bonus Tracks

Side One

  1. Band of Gold (feat. Freda Payne) (Single Mix) (single A-side - I.R.S. Records 52992 (U.S.), 1986)
  2. Dancing in the City (from Burglar: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - MCA Records 6201 (U.S.), 1987)
  3. Mad About You (Extended Version) (12″ A-side - I.R.S. Records 23629 (U.S.), 1986)
  4. Band of Gold (feat. Freda Payne) (Extended Mix) (12″ A-side - I.R.S. Records 23706 (U.S.), 1986)
  5. Band of Gold (feat. Freda Payne) (Dub Mix) (12″ B-side - I.R.S. Records 23706 (U.S.), 1986)

Side Two (tracks originally released on MCA Home Video 80464, 1986)

  1. Shot in the Dark
  2. Lust to Love
  3. Mad About You
  4. Since You've Gone
  5. Head Over Heels

Categories: News Formats: Vinyl Genre: Pop Tags: Belinda Carlisle, Freda Payne

Avatar photo

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

Connect With Joe: FacebookTwitter

You Might Also Like

  • H D H Detroit 1969 1977Release Round-Up: Week of May 3
  • Belinda Carlisle Decades CornucopiaLeave a Light On: Belinda Carlisle's Third 'Decades' Box Collects Single Mixes, B-Sides and More
  • Peter Frampton at Royal Albert HallRelease Round-Up: Week of September 1
  • StreamThe Weekend Stream: August 13, 2022

Comments

  1. Robert Lett says

    June 24, 2021 at 11:01 am

    My favorite solo album of hers, got her to sign it. One of the worst signatures lol she just does a squiggle usually.

    Reply
  2. Brian Stanley says

    June 24, 2021 at 3:34 pm

    Wish the CD reissues were still in print.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Upcoming Releases

  • Version 1.0.0
    Natural Gas: Original Master Edition
    Natural Gas
    May 30, 2025
    US UK
  • Grateful Dead The Music Never Stopped
    The Music Never Stopped
    Grateful Dead
    May 30, 2025
    US UK
  • TMBG Spine Surfs Alone CD
    The Spine Surfs Alone: Rarities 1998-2005
    They Might Be Giants
    May 30, 2025
    US UK
See Full Calendar

Connect

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,673 other subscribers

Popular Posts

  • Most Commented
  • Most Viewed
  • Dionne Warwick Make It Easy on Yourself(Don't) Walk On By: Dionne Warwick's "Make It Easy on Yourself: The Scepter Recordings 1962-1971" Due in June on 12...
  • Tracks II CD packshot no disc artShut Out the Light: Bruce Springsteen Offers Seven Unheard Albums on 'Tracks II'
  • Rod Stewart Ultimate Hits Amazon exclusiveHe Wears It Well: Rod Stewart's 'Ultimate Hits' Due in June
  • RSD 2025 best of restRecord Store Day 2025: The Best of the Rest
  • record store day logoThe Second Disc's Guide to Record Store Day 2025: Our Favorite Picks
  • John Williams Anthology 1Mondo Maestro: New John Williams Box Set Series Announced, Plus 'Star Wars' Re-Recordings on Vinyl

Music Resources

  • Addicted to Vinyl
  • Crap from the Past
  • Discogs
  • Film Score Monthly
  • IMWAN Forum – From the Vaults
  • MusicTAP
  • Musoscribe
  • Pause & Play
  • Popdose
  • Slicing Up Eyeballs
  • Steve Hoffman Music Forums
  • Ultimate Classic Rock
  • Vintage Vinyl News
  • Wolfgang's Vault

Labels of Note

  • Ace Records
  • Analog Spark
  • Bear Family
  • BGO Records
  • Big Break Records
  • Blixa Sounds
  • Cherry Red Label Group
  • Craft Recordings
  • Demon Music Group
  • Friday Music
  • Funky Town Grooves
  • Iconoclassic Records
  • Intervention Records
  • Intrada
  • Kritzerland
  • La La Land Records
  • Legacy Recordings
  • Light in the Attic
  • Masterworks Broadway
  • Now Sounds
  • Omnivore Recordings
  • Real Gone Music
  • Rhino Entertainment
  • Rock Candy Records
  • SoulMusic Records
  • Sunset Blvd. Records
  • Supermegabot
  • Varese Sarabande
  • Vinyl Me, Please
  • Wounded Bird
Copyright © 2025 The Second Disc. All rights reserved. · Site by Metaglyphics

The Second Disc is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk.

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy