Go Crazy: Flesh For Lulu’s “Long Live The New Flesh” and “Plastic Fantastic” Reissued, Expanded by Omnivore
For fans of Flesh for Lulu, October 16 is going to be your “Lucky Day.” On that date, Omnivore Recordings unveils deluxe 2CD expanded editions of two seminal albums from the U.K. post-punk heroes: Long Live the New Flesh (1987) and Plastic Fantastic (1989). These two deluxe sets arrive in advance of the band’s long-awaited reunion onstage at London’s Lexington on February 6, 2027.
Lead vocalist Nick Marsh, lead guitarist Rocco Barker, bassist Kevin Mills, and drummer James Mitchell’s 1987 debut on the Beggars Banquet label, Long Live the New Flesh, marked a new beginning for the band that had formed five years earlier in Brixton, South London. While Flesh had played key roles in the post-punk and goth scenes, their influences ran deep: from T. Rex to Scott Walker, Frank Sinatra to Alice Cooper, reggae to blues and soul. New Flesh, helmed by producer Mike Hedges, would reflect many of those influences.
All four core members of the band contributed songs to the album (the band’s third full-length studio LP overall), including Kevin’s “Postcards from Paradise” (a U.S. Dance chart entry) and James’ “I Go Crazy,” which wasn’t included on the original U.K. release but appeared on the U.S. version (and on this expanded reissue). The latter, produced by Stephen Hague, was featured in the John Hughes/Howard Deutch film Some Kind of Wonderful and on its soundtrack. MCA issued the infectious “I Go Crazy” as a single and it charted on the Billboard Alternative survey, earning Flesh for Lulu a loyal American fan base.
Omnivore’s expanded edition has been remastered by Michael Graves from the original tapes, and features a whopping 15 bonus cuts including single edits, extended versions, and non-LP rarities – among them covers of songs by The Kinks (“I’m Not Like Everybody Else”), T. Rex (“Spaceball Ricochet”), The Standells (“Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White”), and The Weirdos (“Life of Crime”). TSD’s Joe Marchese has written the new liner notes, drawing on fresh interviews with Barker, Mills, and Mitchell.
Plastic Fantastic followed Long Live the New Flesh on Beggars Banquet in 1989. It both continued the band’s hit streak with three charting singles and brought the first chapter of the Flesh for Lulu story to a close. Mainly produced in Australia by Mark Opitz (INXS, Cold Chisel), the sessions were fraught with creative tensions, but that didn’t keep the band from creating a lasting and varied reminder of what made Flesh great. Kevin, James, Nick, and Rocco all contributed songs to the Sydney sessions, as did additional guitarist Derek “Del Boy” Greening (a.k.a. Del Strangefish).
Mills’ thunderous “Decline and Fall” peaked at No. 15 on the U.S. Billboard Modern Rock chart in October 1989, solidifying the band’s college radio following. Greening’s pop-leaning “Time and Space” earned Flesh another Modern Rock hit when it reached No. 9 in December 1989. (Both “Time and Space” and “Decline and Fall” were supported by music videos shot by Peter Webber, the future director of such movies as Girl with a Pearl Earring.) Greening also penned “Every Little Word,” a top 15 hit on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in 1990. That wasn’t all. Plastic Fantastic reflected the band’s ongoing association with filmmaker John Hughes, who included Mitchell’s rockabilly-flavored “Slowdown” and Greening’s fast and furious “Slide” in his big-screen comedy Uncle Buck. Barker’s tender “Choosing You” and Marsh’s Prince-inspired “Stupid on the Street” were two more highlights of a stylistically diverse album.
It’s been expanded here with the bonus non-LP single “Bloodshot Moon” and Flesh’s full concert (featuring Marsh and Barker supported by a new rhythm section after the core band’s dissolution) live at Long Island’s Club Malibu on November 26, 1989. Once again, Michael Graves has mastered from the original tapes, while Joe Marchese’s liner notes feature quotes from Rocco Barker, Kevin Mills, and James Mitchell. Omnivore’s Cheryl Pawelski has produced and Greg Allen has designed both reissues in expansive fashion.
Flesh for Lulu’s upcoming reunion is a bittersweet affair following the death of Nick Marsh in 2015 at the age of 53 following a battle with cancer. It’s a celebratory affair, too, though, as the band keeps Marsh’s memory alive via the remarkable body of work the foursome created together. Omnivore’s reissues of Long Live the New Flesh and Plastic Fantastic are due on October 16. You’ll find pre-order links and the full track listings below. (As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.)
Flesh For Lulu, Long Live The New Flesh (Omnivore OVCD-643, 2026) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
CD 1: The Original Album (Beggars Banquet BEGA82, 1987) plus bonus tracks
- Lucky Day
- Postcards from Paradise
- Hammer of Love
- Siamese Twist
- Sooner or Later
- Good for You
- Crash
- Way to Go
- Sleeping Dogs
- Dream on Cowboy
- I Go Crazy (MCA 53036, 1987)
- Postcards from Paradise (Extended Version) (Capitol V-15337, 1987)
- Siamese Twist (Extended Version) (Beggars Banquet B184T, 1987)
- I Go Crazy (Dynamix) (MCA 23736, 1987)
CD 2 – Bonus Tracks:
- I’m Not Like Everybody Else (Beggars Banquet BEG 193, 1987)
- Dumbest Thing (Live in Your Living Room) (Beggars Banquet BEG 184, 1987)
- Idol (Extended Version) (Beggars Banquet BEG 177T, 1987)
- Life of Crime (Beggars Banquet BEG 177, 1986)
- Sleeping Dogs (Edit) (Beggars Banquet BEG 177, 1986)
- Spaceball Ricochet (Beggars Banquet BEG 177, 1986)
- Blue Sky (Beggars Banquet BEG 184, 1987)
- Baby Baby Baby Baby Baby (Beggars Banquet BEG 221T, 1988)
- Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White (Beggars Banquet BEG 193T, 1987)
- Postcards from Paradise (Dub) (Capitol V-15337, 1987)
- I Go Crazy (Instrumental) (MCA 23736, 1987)
Flesh For Lulu, Plastic Fantastic (Omnivore OVCD-644, 2026) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
CD 1: The Original Album (Beggars Banquet BEGA100, 1989) plus bonus track
- Decline and Fall
- House of Cards
- Time and Space
- Every Little Word
- Slowdown
- Highwire
- Slide
- Day One
- Choosing You
- Stupid on the Street
- Avenue
- Plastic Fantastic
Bonus Track:
- Bloodshot Moon (from Beggars Banquet BEG 240, 1990)
CD 2 – Live at Club Malibu, Long Island, NY, November 26, 1989
- Slide
- High Wire*
- Seven Hail Marys*
- I Go Crazy
- Stupid on the Street*
- Avenue *
- Neighborhood Threat*
- Time and Space
- Cat Burglar*
- Siamese Twist
- Laundromat Kat*
- Postcards from Paradise
- Decline and Fall
- Subterraneans*
- I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man
*previously unissued
Tracks 1, 4, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15 from Final Vinyl (And Live Flesh), Capitol U.S. promotional LP SPRO-79992/79993, 1990
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These are pleasant surprises! Some bonus material that isn’t in my already extensive Flesh for Lulu collection makes these must-buys. Hard to imagine a Flesh for Lulu reunion without Nick Nasty, though.