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Cherry Red is continuing its longtime association with singer-songwriter Marc Almond on a new, deluxe 3-CD edition of his 1999 album Open All Night.  While not his most commercially successful record, it remains one of his most beloved for its compelling blend of the many styles that informed his music.  This new release, on Cherry Red’s SFE imprint, expands the original LP with demos, alternate versions, live tracks, and more.  SFE previously reissued Open All Night as a 2-CD set in 2010; this edition has all 18 of that version’s bonus tracks plus an additional 18.

With Open All Night, his tenth album, the former Soft Cell singer left the major label machine and set up his own Blue Star Music label.  This creative freedom led him to indulge his muses, and he merged disco, cabaret, pop, dance, electronica, and cinematic, orchestral scoring into a cohesive whole.  The influence of artists such as John Barry, Scott Walker, and Jacques Brel was evident as Almond (also the album’s producer along with engineer Kenny Jones) and his collaborators penned songs that embraced the beauty in the darkness.  The opening track, “Night and Dark,” set the tone of exquisite melancholy, rendered in Almond’s distinctively fragile, expressive voice: “In the dark, you’ll never see me cry/You’ll never see the tears in my eyes/You’ll never see the tears that I try to hide/In the night and dark.”  In Almond’s landscape, pulsating dance rhythms accompany languid, yearning melodies.

Themes of decadence, death, lust, and love were threaded throughout the album’s thirteen original tracks including two collaborations.  Almond, who had revitalized the career of ’60s hitmaker Gene Pitney when he invited him to sing on a chart-topping revival of the elder singer’s “Something’s Gotten Hold of My Heart” in 1989, here invited Kelli Ali of trip-hop group Sneaker Pimps and Siouxsie Sioux to join him on “Almost Diamonds” and “Threat of Love,” respectively.  The latter also featured drummer Budgie of Siouxsie and the Banshees.  The original 13-song album has been expanded on CD 1 of this new edition with three remixes including “My Love” from Almond’s Soft Cell bandmate Dave Ball.

The second disc collects 18 rarities from this time period including one-off contributions to soundtracks, the American/European Tour Edition bonus track “Beautiful Losers,” another pair of bonuses from the European Tour Edition (“Lonely Go-Go Dancer,” “One Big Soul”), the B-side “Satan’s Child,” six demos, and various early and alternate versions of such album cuts as “Heart in Velvet,” “Sleepwalker,” “Almost Diamonds,” and “When Bad People Kiss.”  The third CD brings together a dozen live performances culled from Almond’s performances at London’s intimate Almeida Theatre in 1999 and 2004 as well as at Wilton’s Music Hall (2008) – one of few surviving music halls – and Belgium’s Lokerse Festival (2000).

Open All Night peaked just out of the top 100 of the U.K. Albums Chart at No. 112 but its reputation has steadily grown.  SFE’s reissue is housed in a slipcase with a 28-page color booklet offering full lyrics for the original album and bonus tracks, but no new liner notes or discographical annotation.  No remastering credits are included.  Open All Night is available now at the links below from Cherry Red/SFE.

Marc Almond, Open All Night (Blue Star BSRCD001, 1999 – reissued Cherry Red/SFE 089T, 2023) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: Original Album and Bonus Tracks

1. Night and Dark
2. Bedroom Shrine
3. Tragedy (Take a Look and See)
4. Black Kiss
5. Almost Diamonds
6. Scarlet Bedroom
7. My Love
8. Heart in Velvet
9. Open All Night
10. Threat of Love (with Siouxsie Sioux)
11. When Bad People Kiss
12. Sleepwalker
13. Midnight Soul
14. My Love (Dave Ball Remix) (Blue Star CD single BSRS 002, 1999)
15. Threat of Love (Marc Almond and Neal X Remix) (with Siouxsie Sioux) (from European Tour Edition, Blue Star CD 523640 0, 1999)
16. Black Kiss (Hard Vocal Mix) (Blue Star CD single BSRS 001, 1999)

CD 2: Bonus Tracks and Demos

1. Beautiful Light of Madness (Alternate Version) (from Open All Night, Cherry Red/SFE 002, 2010)
2. Beautiful Losers (from European Tour Edition, Blue Star CD 523640 0, 1999)
3. Lonely Go-Go Dancer (from European Tour Edition, Blue Star CD 523640 0, 1999)
4. One Big Soul (from European Tour Edition, Blue Star CD 523640 0, 1999)
5. Rhythm and Blues (from Rhythm and Blues soundtrack, included on Open All Night, Cherry Red/SFE 002, 2010)
6. My Porno Star (from Rhythm and Blues soundtrack, included on Open All Night, Cherry Red/SFE 002, 2010)
7. Satan’s Child (Echo CD single ECSCD58, 1998)
8. Sequins and Stars (from Mojo: Original Soundtrack, EMI 7243 8 21718 2 9, 1998)
9. One Night of Sin (from Mojo: Original Soundtrack, EMI 7243 8 21718 2 9, 1998)
10. Tale of a Tart (Hell) (from Rhythm and Blues soundtrack, included on Open All Night, Cherry Red/SFE 002, 2010)
11. Scarlet Bedroom (Full Version Demo) (from Open All Night, Cherry Red/SFE 002, 2010)
12. Half World (Demo Version) (from Little Rough Rhinestones Vol. 1, Blue Star THEATRE 004, 2002)
13. Heart in Velvet (Demo Version) (from Open All Night, Cherry Red/SFE 002, 2010)
14. Sleepwalker (Demo Version) (from Open All Night, Cherry Red/SFE 002, 2010)
15. Tragedy (Demo Version) (from Open All Night, Cherry Red/SFE 002, 2010)
16. Almost Diamonds (Early Demo) (from Open All Night, Cherry Red/SFE 002, 2010)
17. When Bad People Kiss (Early Demo) (from Little Rough Rhinestones Vol. 2, Blue Star THEATRE 007, 2006)
18. Lonely Go-Go Dancer (Early Version) (from Little Rough Rhinestones Vol. 2, Blue Star THEATRE 007, 2006)

CD 3: Live Versions and “Black Kiss” Remixes

1. Black Kiss (Live at the Almeida Theatre, 1999) (Echo CD single ECSCD58, 1998)
2. Threat of Love (Live, 1999) (with Siouxsie Sioux)
3. Midnight Soul (Live at Wilton’s Music Hall, 2004) (from In Bluegate Fields, Live at Wilton’s Music Hall, Cherry Red/SFE SFN 6530, 2008)
4. When Bad People Kiss (Live at the Almeida Theatre, 2004) (from Sin Songs, Torch, and Romance, Demon Vision DVD 002, 2005)
5. One Big Soul (Live at the Lokerse Festival, 2000) (from Live at the Lokerse Feesten 2000, Charly Films MVDV4769. 2005)
6. My Love (Live at the Lokerse Festival, 2000) (from Live at the Lokerse Feesten 2000, Charly Films MVDV4769. 2005)
7. Open All Night (Live at the Lokerse Festival, 2000) (from Live at the Lokerse Feesten 2000, Charly Films MVDV4769. 2005)
8. Black Kiss (Live at the Lokerse Festival, 2000) (from Live at the Lokerse Feesten 2000, Charly Films MVDV4769. 2005)
9. Lonely Go-Go Dancer (Live at the Almeida Theatre, 2004) (from Sin Songs, Torch, and Romance, Demon Vision DVD 002, 2005)
10. Satan’s Child (Live at the Almeida Theatre, 2004) (from Sin Songs, Torch, and Romance, Demon Vision DVD 002, 2005)
11. One Night of Sin (Dress Rehearsal live at the Almeida Theatre, 2004) (from Sin Songs, Torch, and Romance, Demon Vision DVD 002, 2005)
12. Open All Night (Dress Rehearsal live at the Almeida Theatre, 2004) (from Sin Songs, Torch, and Romance, Demon Vision DVD 002, 2005)
13. Black Kiss (Tall Paul Mix) (Echo CD single ECSDJ58, 1998)
14. Black Kiss (Baby Doc Mix) (Echo CD single ECSDJ58, 1998)
15. Black Kiss (DJ Face Telephone Mix) (Echo CD single ECSDJ58, 1998)​