Since 2017, Howard Jones has worked with Cherry Red to distribute his classic Warner-era back catalogue spanning 1983 to 1993. This fall, they'll be the ones to release a lavish new multi-format collection commemorating his 40 years as a recording artist.
Celebrate It Together: The Very Best of Howard Jones 1983-2023 brings together Jones' unforgettable synth-driven hits like "New Song," "Things Can Only Get Better," "No One is to Blame," "Everlasting Love" and many more, alongside the terrific independent work he's issued through his own Dtox label since 1994, for a new compilation unlike any he's released. It will be available as a 2CD or 2LP set (pressed on mint green vinyl) as well as a 4CD box set in a clamshell case boasting four previously unreleased tracks and six making their CD debuts.
Personally curated by Howard himself, the deluxe version is divided into four categories: Popular Hits (featuring his biggest singles), Electro (including a new to CD mix of his latest single which gives the set its name and a brand-new electronic version of debut single "New Song"), Chill (offering downtempo selections kicked off by the iconic single version of "No One is to Blame," produced and featuring drums and backing vocals by Phil Collins) and Curiosities (incorporating live tracks, hard-to-find works from Japan-only album Angels & Lovers, download-only exclusives and even a version of "Things Can Only Get Better" recorded in "Simlish," the gibberish language from the popular computer game The Sims). The cut down versions offer the highlights of those tracks, plus a few non-rare songs that don't appear on the 4CD edition. (The 2CD set exclusively features "Hero in Your Eyes," from the 2019 album Transform, while the vinyl carries "Little Bit of Snow," a fan favorite from 1986's One to One.)
The packaging is complemented by new photos of Howard and excerpts from a new interview with Anil Prasad reflecting on this milestone of his career. Jones is keeping active as his career hits the four-decade mark: he's been touring North America alongside '80s stalwarts Culture Club and Berlin, has released a book in celebration of his 40th anniversary as a musician, and is putting the finishing touches on his next album Global Citizen, completing a series of thematically connected albums that includes Engage (2015), Transform and Dialogue (2022).
Celebrate It Together will be available October 6. Cherry Red's official site will carry limited stock of the deluxe set with an exclusive signed postcard as well as a small set of signed test pressings of the vinyl.
Celebrate It Together: The Very Best of Howard Jones 1983-2023 (Cherry Red PCRCDBOX160 (U.K.), 2023)
* previously unreleased ** previously unreleased on CD
4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Disc 1: Popular Hits
- Things Can Only Get Better
- Like to Get To Know You Well
- Life in One Day
- Look Mama
- All I Want
- Everlasting Love
- New Song
- What is Love? (Single Version)
- Pearl in the Shell
- Bounce Right Back
- You Know I Love You...Don't You?
- Always Asking Questions
- Lift Me Up
- Tomorrow is Now
- The Prisoner
- Just Look At You Now
- Celebrate It Together (Lifelike Radio Edit) **
Disc 2: Electro
- Celebrate It Together (Lifelike Extended Club Mix) **
- The One to Love You (Lifelike U.K. Radio Remix) - Howard Jones & BT
- The Human Touch
- Eagle Will Fly Again
- Stay with Me
- Revolution of the Heart
- Powerhouse
- Specialty
- Who You Really Want to Be
- New Song (2023 Elephant Talk Remix) *
- You're the Buddha
- The Prisoner (2011 Remix)
- Look Mama (Megamamamix)
- Conditioning (Peaceful Tour Live)
- Things Can Only Get Better (Radio Edit) - Cedric Gervais feat Howard Jones
Disc 3: Chill
- No One is to Blame (Single Mix)
- If You Love
- City Song
- Not One of the Lonely Tonight
- Hide and Seek (Single Version)
- Sleep My Angel
- Soon You'll Go
- Someone You Need
- One Last Try
- Formed by the Stars
- Don't Always Look At the Rain
- Will You Still Be There?
- Tears to Tell
- Blue
- Back in Your Life Again
- At the Speed of Love - Howard Jones & BT
Disc 4: Curiosities
- Overture 2 *
- Angels and Lovers (Single Mix)
- Road to Cairo
- Lazarus (Live at Siyan)
- Hide and Seek (Perform Version)
- Things Can Only Get Better (Simlish Version) *
- Cookin' in the Kitchen
- I.G.Y. (What a Beautiful World) (Single Mix)
- When Lovers Confess
- Stay with Me (We're in This Together) (Alternative Recording) *
- I Don't Hate You **
- Collective Heartbeat (Havana Version) **
- Let the People Have Their Say (Original Version)
- You Know I Love You...Don't You? (Video Mix) **
- Pearl in the Shell (Live in Hamburg) **
- New Song (Peaceful Tour Live)
Disc 1, Tracks 1 and 3-4 and Disc 2, Track 8 from Dream Into Action - WEA WX15 (U.K.)/Elektra 60390 (U.S.), 1985. Tracks 2 and 10 released on U.S. pressings only
Disc 1, Tracks 5 and 11 and Disc 3, Track 12 from One to One - WEA WX68 (U.K.)/Elektra 60499 (U.S.), 1986
Disc 1, Tracks 6 and 15 and Disc 2, Track 7 from Cross That Line - WEA WX225 (U.K.)/Elektra 60794 (U.S.), 1989
Disc 1, Tracks 7 and 9 and Disc 3, Track 11 from Human's Lib - WEA WX1 (U.K.)/Elektra 60346 (U.S.), 1984
Disc 1, Track 8 from WEA U.K. single HOW 2, 1983 - original version from Human's Lib
Disc 1, Track 12 from The 12" Album - WEA WX14 (U.K.), 1984
Disc 1, Track 13 and Disc 3, Tracks 3, 9 and 13 from In the Running - EastWest WX456 (U.K.)/Elektra 61135 (U.S.), 1992
Disc 1, Track 14, Disc 3, Tracks 2, 4, 6 and 15 and Disc 4, Track 13 from People - Dtox C3 (U.K.)/Ark 21 61868 10031 2 0 (U.S.), 1998
Disc 1, Track 16 and Disc 2, Track 6 from Revolution of the Heart - Dtox CD14 (U.K.)/Koch KOC-CD-9612 (U.S.), 2005
Disc 1, Track 17 and Disc 2, Track 1 from Dtox digital single (no cat. #), 2022. Original version from Dialogue - Dtox CD42A (U.K.)/BFD 431 (U.S.), 2022
Disc 2, Track 2 from Dtox digltal single (no cat. #), 2019. Original version from Transform - Dtox CD38 (U.K.)/BFD 169 (U.S.), 2019
Disc 2, Track 3 from Engage - Dtox CD37 (U.K.), 2015
Disc 2, Track 4 from Fly (Songs Inspired by the Film "Eddie the Eagle") - Universal Music Catalogue 477 352-2 (U.K.), 2016
Disc 2, Track 5 and Disc 3, Track 16 from Transform
Disc 2, Track 9 and Disc 3, Track 10 from Dialogue
Disc 2, Track 11 and Disc 4, Track 9 from Angels & Lovers - Canyon International PCCY-01153 (Japan), 1997
Disc 2, Track 12 from One to One/Cross That Line/In the Running box set - Dtox DTOXSET34 (U.K.), 2012. Original version from Cross That Line
Disc 2, Track 13 from WEA U.K. 12" HOW7TE, 1985. Original version from Dream Into Action
Disc 2, Track 14 and Disc 4, Track 16 from The Peaceful Tour - Dtox CD10 (U.K.)/Cleopatra CLP 1232-2 (U.S.), 2002
Disc 2, Track 15 from Spinnin'/disco.wax promo CD single (Netherlands), 2013
Disc 3, Track 1 from WEA U.K. single HOW9 and Action Replay - Elektra 60466 (U.S.), 1986. Original version from Dream Into Action
Disc 3, Track 5 from WEA U.K. single HOW3, 1984. Original version from Human's Lib
Disc 3, Tracks 7-8 and original version of Disc 4, Track 12 from Ordinary Heroes - Dtox CD19 (U.K.), 2009
Disc 3, Track 14 and Disc 4, Track 7 from Working in the Backroom - Dtox CD1 (U.K.), 1993
Disc 4, Track 2 from 2 from Dtox CD single 2 (U.K.), 1997. Original version from Angels & Lovers
Disc 4, Track 3 from Rubáiyát (Elektra's 40th Anniversary) - Elektra 60940, 1990
Disc 4, Track 4 from Live At Siyan (August 2, 2020) - Dtox CD39 (U.K.), 2020
Disc 4, Track 5 from Perform.00 - Dtox CD8 (U.K.), 2000
Disc 4, Track 8 from EastWest U.K. single HOW18, 1993. Original version from The Best of Howard Jones - EastWest 92701 (U.K.)/Elektra 61540 (U.S.), 1993
Disc 4, Track 11 released as download on Howard's official website, 2008
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Disc 1
- New Song
- What is Love? (Single Version)
- Hide and Seek (Single Version)
- Pearl in the Shell
- Like to Get to Know You Well
- Things Can Only Get Better
- Look Mama
- Life in One Day
- No One is to Blame (Single Version)
- All I Want
- You Know I Love You...Don't You?
- Everlasting Love
- The Prisoner
- Lift Me Up
- I Don't Hate You **
- Collective Heartbeat (Havana Version) **
- Angels and Lovers (Single Mix)
- Tomorrow is Now
- Lazarus (Live At Siyan)
Disc 2
- Hero in Your Eyes
- Formed by the Stars
- Back in Your Life Again
- If You Love
- Will You Still Be There?
- Tears to Tell
- Blue
- City Song
- Things Can Only Get Better (Radio Edit) - Cedric Gervais feat. Howard Jones
- The One to Love You (Lifelike U.K. Radio Remix) - Howard Jones & BT
- The Human Touch
- Revolution of the Heart (Album Version)
- You're the Buddha
- New Song (2023 Elephant Talk Remix) *
- Celebrate It Together (Lifelike Radio Edit) **
- Stay with Me (Album Version)
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
+ previously unreleased on vinyl
LP 1
- New Song
- What is Love? (Single Version)
- Pearl in the Shell
- Like to Get to Know You Well
- Things Can Only Get Better
- Look Mama
- Celebrate It Together (Lifelike Radio Edit)
- Angels and Lovers (Single Mix) +
- Revolution of the Heart (Album Version) +
- The One to Love You (Lifelike UK Radio Remix) - Howard Jones & BT +
- The Human Touch
- I Don't Hate You +
LP 2
- No One is to Blame (Single Mix)
- Hide and Seek (Single Version)
- Tears to Tell
- All I Want
- Little Bit of Snow
- Life In One Day
- Everlasting Love
- The Prisoner
- Lift Me Up
- I.G.Y. (What a Beautiful World) (Single Mix)
BiliyD says
The 'hits' disc from the 2 cd version should have been included in the 4 cd set. You'll have to wade through too much just to get all of the good bits.