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

Return of the Kinetic Kid: Stewart Copeland's 'Klark Kent' Gets a Bonus-Packed Reissue

October 18, 2023 By Mike Duquette 6 Comments

Klark Kent

BUY NOW FROM AMAZON.COM

From the twisted minds of one of rock's most celebrated drummers came a burst of tongue-in-cheek post-punk by Klark Kent, a mysterious presence who made a brief cameo on the U.K. pop charts. Now, the Klark Kent album - out of print for over 25 years - gets a generously expanded double-CD reissue next month with 14 previously unreleased bonus tracks!

Dig past the lofty liner-notes of the original Klark Kent EP - pressed on green 10" vinyl with a K-shaped die-cut sleeve - and you'll find the unmistakable rhythms of Stewart Copeland, co-founder and drummer for The Police. At the time, the trio - Copeland, singer/bassist Sting and recently-hired guitarist Andy Summers - were struggling to gain attention for their unusual blend of rock and reggae. With Sting handling most of the writing for the group, Copeland took a song of his the frontman rejected, the snotty "Don't Care," and put it together himself, playing drums, guitar and bass and singing.

To everyone's shock, "Don't Care" became a modest hit on the U.K. singles chart, peaking at No. 48 in the late summer of 1978. (For comparison: the first release of "Roxanne" earlier that year missed the charts entirely, and follow-up "Can't Stand Losing You" would only reach just a bit higher at No. 42 that October.) Things got even wilder when "Kent" was invited to perform on Top of the Pops. With Copeland up front in shades and silver space-age makeup, he recruited Sting, Summers, longtime Police roadie Kim Turner and Curved Air drummer Florian Pilkington-Miksa (whom Copeland replaced in prog combo Curved Air before he founded The Police) to back him up on-stage in disguises. (The sight of Sting pretending to play guitar through the teeth of a gorilla mask must be seen to be believed.)

Two years later, with The Police a growing presence in the U.K. and abroad, the full Klark Kent album, featuring "Don't Care" and singles "Away from Home" and "Rich in a Ditch," was released. While it wasn't hard to note the similarities to both The Police's sound and the cockeyed everyday-horror lyrics of Police album cuts like "Does Everyone Stare" and "On Any Other Day," Copeland would only cop to helping "Kent" score a record deal. Around the release of 1993's Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings, a few years before the Kent oeuvre was released on CD as Kollected Works (1995) , did Copeland (and Sting) go on record about the album. ("Stewart is good at being arrogant in a funny way," Sting opined of "Don't Care.")

Copeland briefly resurrected Klark Kent early in the COVID-19 pandemic with "It's Gonna Rain," a song recorded at his home studio (known as "The Sacred Grove"). It's that song that kicks off the new deluxe edition of Klark Kent, followed by the original album and seven additional B-sides and outtakes, some of which were released on Kollected Works. (Those tracks were recorded after The Police unofficially dissolved in the mid-'80s.) The 18-track expanded album will be complemented by a bonus CD of Copeland's Kent demos, released here for the very first time. A double vinyl edition will include the contents of the first disc.

Both sets are available November 17 and can be pre-ordered below.

Klark Kent (Deluxe Edition) (BMG, 2023)

2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

As an Amazon associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

* previously unreleased

Disc 1: Expanded album

  1. It's Gonna Rain *
  2. Don't Care
  3. Away from Home
  4. Rich in a Ditch
  5. Grandelinquent
  6. Guerilla
  7. Old School
  8. Excesses
  9. Kinetic Ritual
  10. Thrills
  11. Office Girls
  12. Too Kool to Kalypso
  13. Stay Ready
  14. Strange Things Happen
  15. Love Lessons
  16. Yo Ho Ho
  17. Someone Else *
  18. Office Talk

Tracks 2-9 released as A&M AMLE 68511 (U.K.) / I.R.S./Kryptone SP-70600 (U.S.), 1980
Tracks 10-11 released on "Don't Care" U.K. single - A&M AMS 7376, 1978
Track 12 released on A&M U.K. single KMS 7390, 1978
Tracks 13-15 released on Kollected Works - I.R.S. 72438 29690 2 0, 1995
Track 16 released on Just in Time for Christmas - I.R.S. X2 13052, 1990
Track 18 released on "Away from Home" single - A&M AMS 7532 (U.K.) / I.R.S. IR-9012 (U.S.), 1980

Disc 2: Demos *

  1. Away from Home (Demo)
  2. Rich in a Ditch (Demo)
  3. Grandelinquent (Demo)
  4. Guerilla (Demo)
  5. My Old School (Demo)
  6. Excesses (Demo)
  7. Theme for Kinetic Ritual (Demo)
  8. Don't Care (Demo)
  9. Thrills (Demo)
  10. Office Girls (Demo)
  11. Too Kool to Kalypso (Demo)
  12. Strange Things Happen (Demo)

Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Rock Tags: Klark Kent, Stewart Copeland, The Police

Avatar photo

Mike Duquette

Mike Duquette (Founder) was fascinated with catalog music ever since he was a teenager. A 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in journalism, Mike paired his profession with his passion through The Second Disc, one of the first sites to focus on all reissue labels great and small. His passion for reissues turned into a career, holding positions at Legacy Recordings and Rhino Records and contributing to Allmusic, Discogs, City Pages, Ultimate Classic Rock and Mondo Records, for whom he penned liner notes for his favorite piece of music: John Williams' Oscar-winning score to 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.' Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike lives in Astoria, Queens with his wife, a cat named Ravioli, twin daughters and a large yet tasteful collection of music.

Connect With Mike:

You Might Also Like

  • Stream 2025The Weekend Stream: June 21, 2025
  • Screenshot 2025 05 17 at 00.56.12The Weekend Stream Extra: A Guide to 'MTV Unplugged' on Paramount+ (Part 1)
  • Version 1.0.0Every Move He Makes: Sting Plans Multiple Formats of '3.0 LIVE' Album
  • Summers Fripp CompleteImage and Likeness: Andy Summers and Robert Fripp's Collaborations Revisited in New Collection

Comments

  1. BillyD says

    October 18, 2023 at 11:25 am

    I missed the original cd at a reasonable price.
    But I do own the Green K and a couple singles.
    Nice to see this being available again.

    Reply
  2. Mike says

    October 18, 2023 at 12:54 pm

    I own 2 original copies 1isstill sealed and the other 1was played a couple times great from back in the day!

    Reply
  3. Ben in Colorado says

    October 18, 2023 at 2:42 pm

    This album and The Who’s Quadrophenia defined my high school years for me.
    I too have the green vinyl 10 inch and a couple singles. Ordered this straight away.

    Reply
  4. Phil says

    October 18, 2023 at 10:57 pm

    Exposed to Klark Kent Office Girls on irs greatest hits vols 2 & 3 album songs. Wish I knew what happened to that vinyl..

    Reply
  5. bob says

    October 19, 2023 at 5:39 pm

    I'm old enough to remember that "Kinetic Ritual" was the theme song for MTV's "Cutting Edge" program, heavy on IRS bands who of course had a deep Copeland connection.

    Reply
    • Peter Ramos says

      December 21, 2023 at 4:36 am

      Yes! I watched that show religiously, every sunday night at 11. And then MTV replaced it with the much weaker and less original 120 minutes. What a drag. I still remember seeing that REM interview/ acoustic set when it first aired in November 1984.

      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

  • John Williams Anthology 1
    The Anthology Vol. 1 (1969-1990)
    John Williams
    July 18, 2025
    US UK
  • Sly and the Family Stone Winchester Cathedral
    The First Family: Live at Winchester Cathedral 1967
    Sly and the Family Stone
    July 18, 2025
    US UK
  • Elton John Rainbow Theatre Ray Cooper
    Live From The Rainbow Theatre with Ray Cooper
    Elton John
    July 25, 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 4,682 other subscribers

Popular Posts

  • Most Commented
  • Most Viewed
  • Rod Stewart Ultimate Hits Amazon exclusiveHe Wears It Well: Rod Stewart's 'Ultimate Hits' Due in June
  • Brian Wilson At My Piano Promo ShotIn Memoriam: Brian Wilson (1942-2025)
  • McCartney SHM splashPaul is Live (on SHM-CD): Five New McCartney Titles Follow Nearly a Year of Additional Discs
  • John Williams Anthology 1Mondo Maestro: New John Williams Box Set Series Announced, Plus 'Star Wars' Re-Recordings on Vinyl
  • Frank Zappa Cheaper Than CheepWowie Zowie: Frank Zappa's "Cheaper Than Cheep" Premieres Lost Concert Film, Soundtrack
  • The B 52's boxRoam Around the World: Rhino Readies Nearly-Complete Albums Box for The B-52's

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