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The brief, eclectic work of British band The Colourfield will be investigated in a new box set from Chrysalis this winter. The Sound of The Colourfield brings together five CDs and a region-free DVD collecting the band’s brief but appealing discography and 40 unreleased tracks. It includes the albums Virgins and Philistines (1985) and Deception (1987), discs devoted to single-only material, demos and live cuts, and a videography offering music videos and BBC television appearances. The mediabook package includes unseen photos and new liner notes by John Earls of Record Collector, drawing from new interviews with band members Toby Lyons and Karl Shale as well as archival commentary from late frontman Terry Hall (who gave the project his blessing before his passing from cancer in 2022). The set comes out February 27.

Hall was no stranger to British rock fans, having served as the lead singer of ska band The Specials and pop act Fun Boy Three. (In America, he was perhaps best known for a song he wrote with L.A. alt-rocker Jane Wiedlin called “Our Lips Are Sealed,” a U.K. Top 10 for Fun Boy Three, but a stateside Top 20 hit for her band The Go-Go’s.) Moving to Manchester, Hall formed The Colourfield (alternatively written as one or two words) with guitarist/keyboardist Toby Lyons (a former member of The Swinging Cats, whose sole single was released on the Two-Tone label The Specials called home) and bassist Karl Shale. Relatively free of typical ’80s pop trappings, debut album Virgins and Philistines (recently expanded on vinyl last spring for Record Store Day, to mark its 40th anniversary) was awash in gentle acoustic arrangements, with the occasional smart percussion and lush strings that harkened back to pop from a decade earlier. As such, the band was tough to market, with only lead track “Thinking of You” having any chart impact, peaking at No. 12 in England.

After an attempt to break into the American market with a self-titled EP featuring the best of the Virgins material (plus a full-time drummer, former The Teardrop Explodes timekeeper Gary Dwyers), The Colourfield (sort of) returned with 1987’s Deception. Dwyers and Shale had left before it was recorded, and Lyons exited partway through recording; Hall completed the album with a variety of players from Racquel Welch’s backing band to Roland Orzabal of Tears for Fears (who played guitar on two tracks). Between both albums, Hall indulged an affection for great songwriter pop of the ’60s and ’70s, covering such gems as the Oscar-winning Michel Legrand-Marilyn and Alan Bergman tune “The Windmills of Your Mind,” garage-rock winner “Can’t Get Enough of You Baby,” Sly & The Family Stone’s “Running Away” and the Boyce-Hart cut “She,” previously covered by The Monkees.

Though that was it for The Colourfield, their sound had an impact on British indie rockers The Lightning Seeds, whose frontman Ian Broudie co-wrote several of their tunes with Hall. Other post-Colourfield endeavors for Hall included Vegas, a short-lived duo with Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, collaborations with everyone from Stephen Duffy to Gorillaz, and even a reunion with The Specials. There’s nothing in his discography quite like The Colourfield, though, and fans of all stripes can hear what that means on The Sound of The Colourfield. It’s available February 27 and can be pre-ordered below.

The Sound of The Colourfield (Chrysalis CRB 1532, 2026) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

* previously unreleased

CD 1: Virgins and Philistines (released as Chrysalis CHR 1480 (U.K.), 1985)

1. Thinking of You
2. Faint Hearts
3. Castles in the Air
4. Take
5. Cruel Circus
6. Hammond Song
7. Virgins and Philistines
8. Yours Sincerely
9. Armchair Theatre
10. Sorry

CD 2: Deception (released as Chrysalis CDL 1546 (U.K.), 1987)

1. Badlands
2. Running Away
3. From Dawn to Distraction
4. Confession
5. Miss Texas 1967
6. She
7. Heart of America
8. Digging It Deep
9. Monkey in Winter
10. Goodbye Sun Valley

CD 3: Singles, B-Sides & Versions

1. The Colour Field
2. Sorry (Original Version)
3. Pushing Up the Daisies
4. Windmills of Your Mind
5. My Wild Flame
6. Little Things
7. Castles in the Air (Single Version)
8. Your Love Was Smashing
9. I Can’t Get Enough of You Baby
10. Things Could Be Beautiful
11. Frosty Mornings
12. Running Away (Radio Edit)
13. She (Single Version)
14. Monkey in Winter (feat. Sinéad O’Connor)
15. The Colour Field (Extended Version)
16. Take (Extended Version) *
17. Thinking of You (Singalong Version)
18. Castles in the Air (Extended Version)
19. My Wild Flame (Extended Version)
20. Castles in the Air (Instrumental Version)

Tracks 1-2 released as Chrysalis U.K. single COLF 1, 1984
Tracks 3-4 released on “Take” U.K. 12″ – Chrysalis COLFX 2, 1984
Tracks 5-6 and 17 released on “Thinking of You” U.K. double 7″ single – Chrysalis COLFD 3, 1985
Tracks 7-9 and 20 released as Chrysalis U.K. double 7″ single COLFD 4, 1985
Tracks 10-11 released as Chrysalis U.K. single COLF 5, 1986
Track 12 released on Chrysalis U.K. single COLF 6, 1987
Tracks 13-14 released on Chrysalis U.K. 12″ COLFX 7, 1987
Track 15 released on Chrysalis U.K. 12″ COLFX 1, 1984
Track 18 released on Chrysalis U.K. 12″ COLFX 4, 1985
Track 19 released on “Thinking of You” U.K. 12″ – Chrysalis COLFX 3, 1985

CD 4: Demos & Outtakes *

1. The Colour Field (Instrumental Demo)
2. Cruel Circus (Demo)
3. Armchair Theatre (Instrumental Demo)
4. The Colour Field (Guide Backing Track)
5. Take (4-Track Demo)
6. Thinking of You (Instrumental 4-Track Demo)
7. Pushing Up the Daisies (4-Track Demo)
8. Windmills of Your Mind (4-Track Demo)
9. Yours Sincerely (4-Track Demo)
10. Castles in the Air (4-Track Demo)
11. Heart of America (Ian Broudie Version)
12. Jesus and the April Rain (Ian Broudie Version)
13. Digging It Deep (Studio Davout Version)
14. She (Studio Davout Version)
15. Frosty Mornings (Studio Davout Version)
16. Confession (Studio Davout Version)
17. Jesus and the April Rain (Studio Davout Version)
18. Heart of America (Studio Davout Version)
19. Goodbye Sun Valley (Studio Davout Version)
20. Things Could Be Beautiful (Acoustic)

CD 5: Live * (except where noted)

1. The Colour Field (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London, England – 1985)
2. Pushing Up the Daisies (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London, England – 1985)
3. Faint Hearts (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London, England – 1985)
4. Your Love Was Smashing (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London, England – 1985)
5. Take (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London, England – 1985)
6. Cruel Circus (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London, England – 1985)
7. Yours Sincerely (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London, England – 1985)
8. Sorry (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London, England – 1985)
9. Hammond Song (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London, England – 1985)
10. Virgins and Philistines (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London, England – 1985)
11. Thinking of You (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London, England – 1985)
12. I Can’t Get Enough of You Baby (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London, England – 1985)
13. Armchair Theatre (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London, England – 1985)
14. Castles in the Air (Live at Hammersmith Palais, London, England – 1985)
15. Frosty Mornings (Live at Warwick University, Coventry, England – 1986)
16. Take It As It Comes (Live at Warwick University, Coventry, England – 1986)
17. Memories Can’t Wait (Live at Warwick University, Coventry, England – 1986)
18. Things Could Be Beautiful (Live at Warwick University, Coventry, England – 1986)
19. She (Live at Warwick University, Coventry, England – 1986)
20. Jesus and the April Rain (Live at Warwick University, Coventry, England – 1986)
21. 96 Tears (Live at Warwick University, Coventry, England – 1986)

Tracks 2 and 7 released on The Colour Field EP – Chrysalis B6V 41525 (U.S.), 1986

DVD: Videos

1. The Colour Field (promo video)
2. Take (promo video)
3. Thinking of You (promo video)
4. Castles in the Air (promo video)
5. Things Could Be Beautiful (promo video)
6. Running Away (promo video)
7. She (promo video)
8. Why Am I Standing Here? (The Making of “She”) *
9.  Thinking of You (The Old Grey Whistle Test – 1/22/1985)
10. Faint Hearts (The Old Grey Whistle Test – 1/22/1985)
11. Thinking of You (The Old Grey Whistle Test – 1/31/1985)
12. Castles in the Air (Oxford Road Show – 3/1/1985)
13. Thinking of You (Oxford Road Show – 3/1/1985)
14. Thinking of You (Pebble Mill At One – 4/19/1985)
15. Castles in the Air (Pebble Mill At One – 4/19/1985)