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Tomorrow, June 7, Iconoclassic Records is saying: Welcome to the Jungle.  The label is reissuing the late, great Dwight Twilley’s 1984 album Jungle for the first time on CD in a 40th anniversary expanded edition featuring six bonus tracks (four of which are previously unreleased).

Twilley’s third solo album and second on EMI America, Jungle became the singer-songwriter’s most successful.  It reached the top 40 of the Billboard 200 and yielded the top 20 hit “Girls,” fueled by a music video in heavy rotation on MTV.  The irresistible “Girls” opened with a snatch of Lerner and Loewe’s “Thank Heaven for Little Girls” from the 1958 film musical Gigi and boasted a guest appearance on vocals by Tom Petty.  The track epitomized the album’s blend of contemporary power pop with a Beatles-worthy melodic sensibility.  “Why You Wanna Break My Heart” would gain a new generation of fans when Tia Carrere covered it on the double-platinum soundtrack to the 1992 comedy Wayne’s World, while “Little Bit of Love” joined “Girls” as an MTV fixture in those halcyon days.  Twilley wrote all of the album’s songs himself, with an assist on “Max Dog” from Rocky Burnette and Pat Robinson.

Recorded at Sound City with producers John Hug, Mark Smith, and Noah Shark, Jungle welcomed musicians including Buzzy Feiten, Mike Campbell, and Richie Zito on guitar; Alan Pasqua, Michael Boddicker, and Steve Goldstein on keyboards; Kenny Lewis on bass; and Craig Krampf and Mike Baird on drums. Susan Cowsill joined on background vocals.

Iconoclassic’s deluxe expanded edition boasts six bonus tracks including the outtakes “Forget About It, Baby,” “You Can Change It,” and “Don’t You Love Her,” and Twilley’s demos of “Long, Lonely Nights,” “To Get to You,” and the title track.  Ken Sharp has contributed a new essay based on his interviews with the late artist (who passed away in October 2023 at the age of 72); it can be found in the 12-page booklet which also features previously unseen photos from the original cover shoot.  These photos were recently uncovered by original art director Zox.  Rounding out this splendid package, Maria Triana has remastered the audio from the original tapes.

Jungle, released in cooperation with the Estate of Dwight Twilley, follows Iconoclassic’s essential reissue of Twilley’s Wild Dogs.  You’ll find the track listing and pre-order links below; it’s due this tomorrow, June 7.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Dwight Twilley, Jungle (EMI America ST-17107, 1984 – reissued Iconoclassic ICON 1078, 2024) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Little Bit of Love
2. Girls
3. Why You Wanna Break My Heart
4. You Can Change It
5. Cry Baby
6. Don’t You Love Her
7. Long, Lonely Nights
8. Jungle
9. To Get to You
10. Max Dog
11. Forget About It (Outtake, previously unreleased)
12. You Can Change It (Outtake, previously unreleased)
13. Don’t You Love Her (Outtake)
14. Long, Lonely Nights (Demo, previously unreleased)
15. To Get to You (Demo)
16. Jungle (Demo, previously unreleased)