For years, fans have clamored for expanded reissues from Olivia Newton-John's rich discography.  Now, those wishes are about to be answered as a catalogue campaign begins for the pop queen with a 40th anniversary 2CD/DVD set of 1981's multi-platinum Physical.  It arrives on October 22 from Green Hill, the label arm of publishing powerhouse Primary Wave which partnered with Newton-John in 2020 for a deal encompassing both masters and publishing rights.

When Newton-John's character of Sandy transformed at the finale of the 1978 film Grease from virginal innocent to leather-clad greaser, the artist took the opportunity to similarly revamp her already-successful music career.  The British-born, Australian-raised Newton-John - her family moved when she was six - had enjoyed a number of successes in the U.S. on the Pop, Country, and AC charts including "If Not for You" (1971, No. 1 AC), "Let Me Be There" (1973, No. 6 Pop/No. 7 Country/No. 3 AC), "I Honestly Love You" (1974, No. 1 Pop/No. 6 Country/No. 1 AC), "Have You Never Been Mellow" (1975, No. 1 Pop/No. 3 Country/No. 1 AC), and "Please Mr. Please" (1975, No. 3 Pop/No. 1 AC/No. 5 Country), just to name a few.  But "Please Mr. Please" was her last top ten Pop entry until the Grease juggernaut yielded three smashes: the upbeat John Travolta duets "You're the One That I Want" and "Summer Nights" and the solo torch song "Hopelessly Devoted to You."

Newton-John was keen to capitalize on the worldwide success of Grease.  The sultry cover of Totally Hot, released just a few months after the film and soundtrack, featured her aping Sandy's climactic leather look.  The lead single "A Little More Love" (composed, like "You're the One That I Want," "Hopefully Devoted to You," and many ONJ hits before it, by songwriter-producer John Farrar) rewarded her with a fourth consecutive top five U.S. Pop smash.  She returned to the big screen with the future cult classic Xanadu in 1980.  Like Grease, it spun off three major hits ("Magic," "Xanadu," and the irresistible Cliff Richard duet "Suddenly").  Farrar's spellbinding "Magic" spent four weeks atop the Hot 100 and five atop the AC chart, becoming her biggest AC hit to date.  The pump was primed for one of the biggest triumphs in a career filled with them.

Physical, recorded between October 1980 and June 1981, completed Olivia Newton-John's transition from young ingenue to adult superstar.  Upon its release in October 1981, it went top ten in eight countries around the world including the U.S., though it just missed that mark in the U.K. with a No. 11 chart placement.  It spun off three hit singles including the title track, one of just four tracks not written or co-written by producer John Farrar.  Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick's "Physical" was an immediate hit with over two million copies shipped to the U.S. alone and a chart stay of ten weeks atop the Hot 100 - the longest run of any song in the 1980s.  Featuring Farrar's up-to-the-minute, electronics-heavy production and Steve Lukather's searing guitar solo, "Physical" boasted Olivia's most assertive, sensual vocal.  Its suggestive lyrics ("There's nothin' left to talk about/Unless it's horizontally...") even got it censored on various radio stations, adding a soupcon of danger to a colossal, mainstream pop hit.  Even the cover, a steamy photograph by Herb Ritts of the artist in workout clothing, became an era-defining image.  Newton-John would continue the exercise motif in the famous music video.

John Farrar and Tom Snow's "Make a Move on Me" was a melodic slice of uptempo soft rock that became the album's second chart-topper on the U.S. Hot 100.  Farrar's dance-oriented "Landslide" was the third single spun off the LP but failed to make much of an impression, peaking at No. 52.  Among the album's other highlights was "Carried Away," written and demoed by Barry Gibb and Albhy Galuten for (but ultimately unused on) Barbra Streisand's Guilty (and featuring Gibb's recognizable vocals); and "Silvery Rain" from Hank Marvin, the Shadows guitarist who served alongside Farrar in the band Marvin, Welch, and Farrar.  Olivia contributed the album's final track, the heartfelt "The Promise (The Dolphin Song)."

Physical is expanded with six bonus tracks on the first disc and a further fifteen on the second disc.  The bonus tracks (many new to CD) include Olivia's material from the soundtrack of the 1983 film Two of a Kind (including its duet with John Travolta, "Take a Chance"), her new songs from Greatest Hits Vol. 2, and various live versions, alternate mixes, and single edits.

Olivia, an early champion of music videos, released a compendium of short films for each song directed by Brian Grant.  The Physical video album, presented on the DVD in this collection, was aired on television and issued on home video.  It also included videos for "Magic," "Hopelessly Devoted to You," and "A Little More Love."  The Physical video album earned a Grammy Award as well as an Emmy nomination, and the cheeky film for the title track became an instant classic.  The video album is joined on the DVD by Olivia in Concert, featuring a nearly-complete Utah concert from October 1982 with many of the Physical tracks performed alongside Olivia's greatest hits.

All of the audio on Physical has been remastered from the original tapes.  While the 2CD/DVD edition is due October 22, the vinyl version will not be available until May 2022.  In addition to standard black vinyl, it will be offered in four different colored vinyl variants at Target, Walmart, Amazon, and Urban Outfitters, respectively.  Each will contain an identical poster with the exception of Target's edition which will have its own exclusive poster design.

2021 has turned out to be quite a year for Olivia Newton-John fans.  Second Disc Records proudly teamed with Real Gone Music for the first-ever vinyl reissue of the soundtrack album to her 1970 musical film Toomorrow; now, the hotly-anticipated deluxe edition of Physical is on the way from Green Hill/Primary Wave on October 22.  You'll find the track listing and pre-order links for the 2CD/DVD edition below!

Olivia Newton-John, Physical: 40th Anniversary Edition (Green Hill/Primary Wave 927559021-2, 2021) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

Original Album (MCA MCA-5529 (U.S.)/EMI EMC 3386 (U.K.), 1981)

1. Landslide
2. Stranger's Touch
3. Make A Move on Me
4. Falling
5. Love Make Me Strong
6. Physical
7. Silvery Rain
8. Carried Away
9. Recovery
10. The Promise (The Dolphin Song)

Bonus Tracks

11. Landslide (Edited Version) (Interfusion (Australia) single K-8757, 1981)
12. Heart Attack (from Olivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2, MCA MCA-5547, 1982 (U.S.), 1982)
13. Tied Up (Edited Version) (Interfusion (Australia) single K-8948, 1983)
14. Twist Of Fate (from Two of a Kind, MCA MCA-6127, 1983/MCA single MCA-52284, 1983)
15. (Livin' In) Desperate Times (Remixed Version) (Interfusion (Australia) single K-9331, 1984)
16. Take A Chance - with John Travolta (from Two of a Kind, MCA MCA-6127, 1983/MCA single MCA-52284, 1983)

CD 2

1. Tied Up (from Olivia's Greatest Hits Vol. 2, MCA MCA-5547, 1982 (U.S.), 1982)
2. Shaking You (from Two of a Kind, MCA MCA-6127, 1983)
3. Face To Face - with Barry Gibb (from Now Voyager, MCA MCA-5506, 1984)
4. Physical (Long Version) (from EMI (France) 12-inch single 2C 052-52.904 Z, 1982)
5. Falling (Video Mix) (from Physical Video Album, MCA Home Video, 1982)
6. Carried Away (Alternate Mix) (source TBD)
7. Twist Of Fate (Alternate Mix) (source TBD)
8. Livin' In Desperate Times (Soundtrack Version) (from Two of a Kind, MCA MCA-6127, 1983)
9. Twist Of Fate (Extended Version / Fade) (MCA (U.S.) 12-inch single MCA-13987, 1984)
10. Livin' In Desperate Times (Alternate Soundtrack Version) (source TBD)
11. Twist Of Fate (Extended Version / Cold Ending) (MCA (U.S.) 12-inch promo single L33-1150, 1983)
12. Livin' In Desperate Times (Extended Version) (MCA (U.S.) 12-inch single MCA-13987, 1984)
13. Livin' In Desperate Times (Humberto's Alternate Mix) (MCA (U.S.) single MCA-52341, 1984)
14. Jolene (Live) (EMI (U.K.) single 5438, 1983)
15. Physical (Live / Extended Version) (EMI (U.K.) 12-inch single 12EMI5360, 1983)

DVD

Physical Video Album (MCA Home Video, 1982)

1. Intro: Rolling
2. Landslide
3. Magic
4. Physical
5. Carried Away
6. A Little More Love
7. Recovery
8. The Promise (The Dolphin Song)
9. Love Make Me Strong
10. Stranger's Touch
11. Make a Move on Me
12. Falling
13. Silvery Rain
14. Hopelessly Devoted to You

Olivia in Concert (MCA Home Video, 1983)

1. Olivia's Overture
2. Deeper Than the Night
3. Let Me Be There
4. Please Mr. Please
5. If You Love Me, Let Me Know
6. Jolene
7. Sam
8. Xanadu
9. Magic
10. Suddenly
11. A Little More Love
12. Silvery Rain
13. Falling
14. Heart Attack
15. Make a Move on Me
16. Hopelessly Devoted to You
17. You're the One That I Want
18. Physical
19. I Honestly Love You

Recorded at Weber State University, Ogden, Utah, October 12-13, 1982