Mine arrived today as well, yet to play them though

what is frustrating is that while the packaging and tracklists are quite great..the remastering is usually quite poor, with the sound being way too loud and dynamics lost. I heard the recent Rio remaster sounds quite tinny and poor.

and the BBC concerts are great but why are the DD ones digital download only. Lossy file formats are generally looked down upon in the live trading community.

PAUL YOUNG, BUCKS FIZZ, TOYAH, CAROL DECKER, BROTHER BEYOND and THE CHRISTIANS will appear across two special 48 HOUR PARTY events taking place at the Southport and Camber Sands Pontins sites this month, see the event website for all the details!

DURAN DURAN will release remastered, expanded versions of their 'Big Thing' and 'Notorious' albums on June 7th in 3 disc (2-CDs and a DVD) editions. Two four-track remix EPs - entitled 'The Dub Mix EP' and 'The Remix EP' - are also scheduled as download releases on the same day, as well as a download of a 1987 concert recorded in New York. See NEWS for more details.

ULTRAVOX will release a live album, 'Live At The Roundhouse', in a special CD/DVD edition on April 5th. The release will feature two audio CDs featuring the band's entire 'Return To Eden' set recorded at London's Roundhouse in April 2009 alongside a DVD of the show. A single CD edition, containing highlights from the show will also be released on the same day. See NEWS for the fulll tracklisting of both albums and GIGS for the band's forthcoming reunion shows.

DEAD OR ALIVE are planning a tour for the summer to celebrate the 25th anniversary of 'You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)' and are planning shows that will include new material alongside their classic hits. The band are looking for show offers from agents and promoters and can be reached via the NEWS section.

GARY NUMAN has announced a one-off London show at The Scala on April 13th as a warm-up for his appearance at the Coachella Festival in the US.

HAZELL DEAN's debut album 'Heart First' will be reissued on March 15th in an expanded edition that will also feature seven bonus tracks including remixes and b-sides. See NEWS for the album tracklisting.

SWING OUT SISTER will play three US dates in April, see GIGS for details.

THE CHURCH have announced a 30th anniversary tour of the USA that will see the band play material from all stages of their career in reverse chronological order. The shows will all take place in intimate settings and everyone buying a ticket will also receive a free EP. See NEWS for more details and GIGS for all the dates.

KILLING JOKE have rescheduled their forthcoming Edinburgh and London dates and will now play the shows on October 15th and 16th respectively. The shows will support the band's new studio album 'XIII: Feast Of Fools' which will be released on September 6th.

THE STRANGLERS' recent show at the Brighton Dome has been reviewed, with pictures, in the REVIEWS section.

ERASURE, YAZOO, THE COMMUNARDS, CULTURE CLUB, DURAN DURAN, FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD, THE HUMAN LEAGUE, KIM WILDE, NEW ORDER and SOFT CELL are among the forty 80s artists to be featured in a new edition of the popular karaoke game 'Lips'. 'Lips: I Love The 80s' will be released, exclusively for the Xbox 360, on April 2nd.

BLANK AND JONES will release a new compilation of 80s remixes, So80s2, on March 26th in Germany. As with their original So80s compilation the release features three CDs, one containing a number of original remixes in a continuous mix and the others offering a selection of remastered 12" mixes from some of the most iconic bands of the decade including DURAN DURAN, NEW ORDER, SIMPLE MINDS, OMD, TALK TALK, A-HA and CULTURE CLUB. As with the So80s compilation, So80s2 will be available to buy internationally via the RememberTheEighties.com online shop with presales starting next week! See NEWS for the full tracklisting.

JIMMY SOMERVILLE's recent download album of cover versions, 'Suddenly Last Summer', is to be released as a limited edition CD/DVD package in April, featuring three extra audio tracks and two DVD tracks. See NEWS for the full album tracklisting.

A-HA will release expanded deluxe editions of their 'Hunting High and Low' and 'Scoundrel Days' albums, a live DVD and a new career-spanning compilation later this year according to reports. The band have also announced more dates on their 'Ending On A High Note' tour, including new shows in Toronto and Chicago and stadium gigs in Norway. See GIGS for all the dates.

IMAGINATION have announced a full UK tour to take place in May with MODERN ROMANCE also appearing as special guests. See GIGS for all the dates.

HOWARD JONES will play three Irish shows in April and May, playing an electric set and topping a bill that will also feature CHINA CRISIS, CAROL DECKER and BELINDA CARLISLE.

THE GODFATHERS have announced a UK tour to mark their 25th anniversary. Dates start in April and run through until August, see GIGS for all the details.

THE CURE, DEPECHE MODE, BLONDIE, DEVO, JOY DIVISION, TALKING HEADS and KYLIE MINOGUE are among artists covered on a new electronic compilation entitled 'Sing & Play' which is set for release on May 12th. The album features artists from the respected Hydrogen Jukebox roster and is described as 'a compilation of classic songs twisted into new and often beautiful electronic shapes'. The album will be preceded by a single on April 26th featuring Talking Heads' 'Once In A Lifetime' covered by Plumbline and BUZZCOCKS' 'Homosapien' covered by A1 People and featuring Pete Shelley.

SHALAMAR have announced four UK shows in April with special guests Kenny Thomas and The X-Factor's Steve Brookstein. See GIGS for all the dates.

MARC ALMOND's 1999 album 'Open All Night' - featuring SIOUXSIE SIOUX on the track 'Threat Of Love' - will be reissued in an expanded 2-CD edition on April 19th. The updated edition will feature a bonus CD, curated by Marc Almond himself, of original song demos, film soundtrack rarities and alternative versions.

NENA will celebrate her 50th birthday with a special 'Party 50' tour which will visit germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the UK, France, Poland, Denmark and Italy. See GIGS for all the dates.

PAT BENATAR and REO SPEEDWAGON will play a co-headline tour of the US in the summer under the banner of the 'Love On The Run' tour. The outing will kick off in June and play until the end of August. See GIGS for all the details.

SPANDAU BALLET have confirmed that they will be headlining the Saturday night of the forthcoming Isle Of Man Bay Festival on June 19th with other bands appearing over the weekend including Calvin Harris, The Feeling and The Saturdays. The Sunday night will be a special HERE AND NOW bill that will include appearances from BOY GEORGE, RICK ASTLEY, BELINDA CARLISLE, CUTTING CREW, CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT and KIM WILDE.

SIMPLY RED have announced the European leg of shows for their upcoming final tour with news of shows in Ireland, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium. See GIGS for all the dates announced so far.

IRON MAIDEN have announced dates in the US and Canada in June and July in support of their new studio album 'The Final Frontier' which will be released in the summer. See GIGS for all the dates.

SONIA's 'Fool For Love' is set to be re-released this spring in remixed versions from Matt Pop and The Thin Red Men. Sonia also has a number of UK dates scheduled between now and the end of the summer, see GIGS for details.

Pauline wrote:

DURAN DURAN will release remastered, expanded versions of their 'Big Thing' and 'Notorious' albums on June 7th in 3 disc (2-CDs and a DVD) editions. Two four-track remix EPs - entitled 'The Dub Mix EP' and 'The Remix EP' - are also scheduled as download releases on the same day, as well as a download of a 1987 concert recorded in New York. See NEWS for more details.

Thanks for the date of release confirmation for these two Pauline!

Pauline wrote:

A-HA will release expanded deluxe editions of their 'Hunting High and Low' and 'Scoundrel Days' albums, a live DVD and a new career-spanning compilation later this year according to reports. The band have also announced more dates on their 'Ending On A High Note' tour, including new shows in Toronto and Chicago and stadium gigs in Norway. See GIGS for all the dates.

This sounds quite interesting, particularly the possibility of a new 'Greatest Hits' package, something that I think needed to be updated since the previous release.

Received today so I thought I'd share with you guys the basics of what these three disc 'special edition' releases have to offer thus...

Duran Duran – Duran Duran

Ridged album specific white cardboard box contains…

Five stiff card postcard images of individual band members
Six times ordinary CD sized portrait orientated full colour image of group in ‘New Romantic’ clothing in period house setting
Eight page fully illustrated CD sized booklet with two pages giving full details of CD/DVD contents
Three individual white colour sleeved discs
DISC ONE (CD) – 54 mins 16 secs (contains original album track line-up! (+ extras))
DISC TWO (CD) – 70 mins 42 secs
DISC THREE (DVD) – 60 mins 30 secs

Duran Duran – Seven and the Ragged Tiger

Ridged album specific dark blue cardboard box contains…

Five stiff postcard full sized images of individual band members
Six times ordinary CD sized landscape orientated full colour image of group against plain fairly dark background
Eight page fully illustrated CD sized booklet with pages 3,5,7 giving full details of CD/DVD contents
Three individual differing coloured sleeved discs
DISC ONE (cream) (CD) – 37 mins 42 secs
DISC TWO (dark red) (CD) – 66 mins 05 secs (contains ‘Is There Something I Should Know?’)
DISC THREE (dark blue) (DVD) – 101mins 15 secs

Hope this is useful!

Last edited by sarah t (27-03-10 07:27:30)

This weeks' scoop from www.remembertheeighties.com

ERASURE's ANDY BELL will play a rare acoustic show as part of Mencap's upcoming acoustic night 'Our Friends Acoustic' that will take place at London's IndigO2 on May 13th. Other artists on the bill include JIMMY SOMERVILLE, NIK KERSHAW, HOWARD JONES, CAROL DECKER, STEVE STRANGE, THE CHRISTIANS, CHINA CRISIS and CUTTING CREW. Andy Bell will also release 'Call On Me', his new solo single, on May 10th and his second solo album - entitled 'Non-Stop' - in the UK on May 24th.

HEAVEN 17 are following in the footsteps of THE HUMAN LEAGUE's Jo Callis and will be remixing tracks for the online TV show The Cabonauts. The Sci-Fi series will release a full soundtrack album at the end of their first series, as well as individual remixes that will be available via iTunes. See NEWS for more details.

CYNDI LAUPER has announced a fifteen city US tour starting in June and running through to August and has a new album in the pipeline that will include collaborations with Basement Jaxx, The Scumfrog, Digital Dog and Richard Morel. See GIGS for all the dates.

BOY GEORGE has said in several interviews that CULTURE CLUB might reform next year to mark the 30th anniversary of them forming. Talking to BBC Radio 5 he said "I think we could do a one-off gig or maybe a small tour. It's our 30th anniversary next year so we may do something. It's all about my mood at the time."

JIM KERR's solo project Lostboy AKA will release its first album on May 17th. 'Lostboy!' will come out as a standard 11-track CD, 12" Vinyl, a limited edition CD featuring 3 bonus studio tracks, and a collectors edition bundle which includes both the CD and a 7" vinyl single featuring covers of Velvet Underground’s 'What Goes On' and The Verve's 'Lucky Man'. See GIGS for intimate Lostboy AKA UK dates and NEWS for the album tracklisting and details of a free download track.

BRYAN ADAMS will bring his acoustic 'Bare Bones' tour to the UK in October. See GIGS for all the dates.

SQUEEZE have announced a UK tour which will se them play twenty-one shows across the Uk in November and December, see GIGS for all the dates.

ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN have announced four UK dates in December where they will perform their first two albums - 'Crocodiles' and 'Heaven Up Here' - back-to-back. See GIGS for all the dates.

TEARS FOR FEARS are lining up shows throughout the summer with 18 shows around the USA in the pipeline for August and September. More details are expected to be announced shortly.

INXS's 1987 album 'Kick' has been re-recorded by Beck - in collaboration with Liars, St Vincent and Sergio Dias of Os Mutantes - for his record club. The project involved the musicians recording a new version of the entire album in just one day and will be available to download from Beck's website with a new track being made available each week. See NEWS for more information.

KID CREOLE AND THE COCONUTS have been added to the bill of the forthcoming Guilfest Festival on a bill that will also include sets from THE HUMAN LEAGUE and STATUS QUO.

MIDGE URE has collaborated with German band Schiller on a new song entitled 'Let It Rise'.

PAUL WELLER will hit the road at the end of the year with the announcement of nice UK shows in November and December. See GIGS for all the dates.

FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD's forthcoming deluxe 2-CD reissue of 'Welcome To The Pleasuredome' has been reviewed in the REVIEWS section.

RICK ASTLEY will release expanded editions of his first two albums - 'Whenever You Need Somebody' and 'Hold Me In Your Arms' - on April 12th. Both releases will come out in 2CD sets and will feature loads of bonus material including remixes and non-album b-sides. See NEWS for the full tracklistings of both albums.

FUZZBOX have reunited for UK dates in May and a new single is said to be on the way. See GIGS for all the dates.

THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS have announced US tour dates running from May until July with She Wants Revenge supporting. See GIGS for all the dates.

BRYAN FERRY will play a set at the launch of Pete Tong's Ibiza clubnight Wonderland at Eden on June 25th.

U2 are to release a vinyl-only remix album, 'Artificial Horizon', on May 14th. The album will be available only as a triple vinyl limited edition set. See NEWS for the full tracklisting.

MOTORHEAD have announced a thirty-fith anniversary tour to take place across the UK in November. See GIGS for all the dates.

BONNIE TYLER and BUCKS FIZZ will play two Irish shows together, at Belfast's Waterfront and Dublin's Grand Canal Theatre, in June, see NEWS for more details.

HOWARD JONES will play a one-off London show on November 6th where he will play his first two albums - 'Human's Lib' and 'Dream into Action' - in their entirety using a combination of modern and classic synthesizers and featuring specially commissioned visuals to compliment the songs from each album. See NEWS for more details.

MARC ALMOND will release a new album, 'Varieté', on June 7th, his first studio album of his own songs for over ten years. The album will be released as a regular CD and in a limited edition digipack version including an exclusive bonus acoustic CD featuring additional unreleased tracks. See NEWS for the full album tracklisting.

KIM WILDE has signed a new record deal with Starwatch Music and is currently working on a new album for release in the summer.

MADNESS are to follow their recent 'One Step Beyond' album reissue with expanded editions of their 'Absolutely' and 'Seven' albums on April 12th. Both releases will feature a host of extra content including live tracks, b-side, videos and radio session versions. The series will continue in June with 'The Rise & Fall' and 'Keep Moving' and August with 'Wonderful' and 'The Madness'. See NEWS for the full tracklisting of both albums.

THE HUMAN LEAGUE's single 'Things That Dreams Are Made Of' has been covered by DaM-FunK for one of ten songs commissioned by Dr Martens to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the DM boot. Other tracks in the series include BUZZCOCKS' 'Ever Fallen in Love' covered by the Noisettes, Sham 69's 'If the Kids Are United' covered by The Duke Spirit and THE STONE ROSES' 'I Wanna Be Adored' covered by the Raveonettes.

TEARS FOR FEARS have announced the dates of their forthcoming US tour. The seventeen-city trek will start on August 12th and run through to September 5th. See GIGS for all the dates.

KATRINA AND THE WAVES will re-release their classic pop hit 'Walking On Sunshine' - on CD and via digital download - on May 25th to mark the song's 25th anniversary. A new version of the song has also been recorded by the Soweto Gospel Choir, with Kimberley Rew, Vince De La Cruz and Alex Cooper from the Waves, for the BBC's World Cup coverage and both versions will feature on the single.

THE CURE will reissue their 1989 album 'Disintigration' on May 24th in a remastered, expanded deluxe edition. The 3-CD set will include previously-unreleased songs, demos and outtakes, plus a live version of the album alongside the remastered original album and was compiled by frontman ROBERT SMITH who will also provide sleevenotes. See NEWS for the full 3-CD tracklisting.

PAUL HARDCASTLE is to reissue his classic anti-war single '19' on April 19th after a friend of his son was killed during military duty in Afghanistan.

ELVIS COSTELLO has announced four UK dates in June in support of his current 'Secret, Profane & Sugarcane' album. See GIGS for all the dates.

MADONNA is the most-played artist on UK radio over the last ten years according to a poll compiled by the PPL for BBC Radio 2. She topped a list that saw The Beatles, Robbie Williams, Queen, Take That, Sugababes, Elton John, Elvis Presley, Abba and Coldplay make up the rest of the top ten.

NEW ORDER bassist PETER HOOK has announced that he will perform Joy Division's debut album live in its entirety to mark the 30th anniversary of the death of late singer Ian Curtis. The show will take place at his new Manchester venue FAC51 on May 18th and will also feature a number of special guests.

FASHION's LUKE SKY has published 'the true, unexpurgated, and twisted story (with pictures) of the original line-up of Fashion' as a book entitled 'Stairway To Nowhere' and is also offering two free downloads of previously unreleased Fashion tracks for anyone who buys a copy of the book online. See NEWS for more details and order information.

A-HA fans in the USA have arranged a series of fan parties to take place in conjunction with the band's forthcoming US dates in May, see NEWS for more details!

SAMANTHA FOX has been forced to postpone her forthcoming UK dates from May to November in order to have an operation on her knee. The new dates are expected to be announced shortly.

T'PAU singer CAROL DECKER is one of a host of celebrities featured on a charity cover of CYNDI LAUPER's 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' which will be released later this month to launch Cancer Research's 'Race for Life 2010'. Other contributors to the recording include Sonique, Liz McClarnon, Kym Marsh, Lisa Scott-Lee and the Cheeky Girls.

THE CULT have announced a trio of shows in Australia in May. The shows will see the band perform their 'Love' album in its entirety and are the first Cult shows in Australia for fifteen years. See GIGS for all the dates.

BANANARAMA will release their new single 'Love Don't Live Here' next week (April 12th) on 7" single, 12" single and CD. See NEWS for the full single tracklistings plus a special offer on all three formats!

FM will release a new album, 'Metropolis', on May 31st. The thirteen-track album, the band's sixth studio set, will also be supported with a short UK tour in May and June, see GIGS for all the dates.

JOHN FOXX's classic 'Underpass' has been remixed by Mark Reeder and will be released by Edel on May 3rd alongside a new 3CD compilation 'Metatronic', a thirtieth anniversary compilation which features a selection of key John Foxx tracks from the last three decades and includes, for the first time on DVD, the videos for 'Underpass', 'No One Driving' and 'He's a Liquid'.

It does, you gonna go to it ??  I'm hoping to, if Tracy can get us tickets.

ANDY BELL will release a new solo album, 'Non-Stop', on June 7th preceded by a single 'Call On Me' on May 31st. Anyone pre-ordering the album (see NEWS for the preorder link!) will also receive a free remix of the title track by his ERASURE partner VINCE CLARKE. The album also features a duet with JANE'S ADDICTION frontman PERRY FARRELL. See NEWS for the full album tracklisting.

KYLIE MINOGUE will release a new album 'Aphrodite' on July 5th preceded by a single 'All The Lovers' on June 28th.

ADAM ANT is working on new material in collaboration with a number of musicians including former ADAM & THE ANTS partner MARCO PIRRONI and MORRISSEY collaborator BOZ BOORER. The new album, reportedly called 'Adam Ant Is The Blueblack Hussar in Marrying The Gunner's Daughter', is described by Adam as 'a very old fashioned, old school, step-by-step album'.

BOY GEORGE's recent show in Brighton has been reviewed, with pictures, in the REVIEWS section.

PRINCE has lined up three European festival shows this summer with appearances at Denmark's Roskilde festival, Belgium's Rock Werchter and France's Arras Main Square in July.

BLONDIE will release a new album 'The Panic of Girls' in June and are in the process of announcing live dates to support the record, including three shows in the UK as well as Scotland's Rockness Festival. See GIGS for all the dates.

ELVIS COSTELLO, HERBIE HANCOCK, BILLY IDOL, PHIL COLLINS and ROXY MUSIC are among the acts performing at this year's Montreux Jazz Festival which will take place in Switzerland between July 2nd and 17th.

DEVO are asking fans to decide the tracklisting of their new album via a special poll on their official website. The band have provided audio streams of sixteen tracks of which the most popular twelve will make the album. See NEWS for more details.

BOY GEORGE, RICK ASTLEY, KIM WILDE, PAUL YOUNG and NIK KERSHAW will play a special HERE AND NOW concert in Hungary on October 2nd at Budapest's Papp Laszlo Sport Arena.

PET SHOP BOYS will be headlining the Other Stage on the Saturday night of this year's Glastonbury festival.

BROS have reissued their 1989 album 'The Time' in a special expanded edition that also includes remixes and b-sides. See NEWS for the full tracklisting.

SHAKATAK will play a London residency at The Pizza Express Jazz Club from May 27th to 29th May with two shows on the Saturday.

RECOIL's recent London show has been reviewed, with pictures, in the REVIEWS section.

THE GO-GOs have announced that they are to split after one last tour. Their 'Happily Ever After' tour will see the band play shows across the USA throughout July after which they will pursue other projects including solo shows in the US, Europe and Japan for singer BELINDA CARLISLE… see GIGS for all the dates.

JOHNNY MARR has composed the soundtrack music for the forthcoming film 'The Big Bang' and has described his work for the movie as orchestral sounding using guitars.

JUDIE TZUKE will play a gig to support her recent 'Moon on a Mirrorball' on October 7th at the Union Chapel in London and will be announcing more shows shortly.

BIG FUN (more about them in the 'Where Are They Now?' section below!) have reissued their debut album 'A Pocket Full of Dreams' in a remastered expanded edition featuring the original album alongside seven exclusive bonus tracks including an unreleased cover of 'You've Got A Friend' performed with SONIA and a number of are remixes. See NEWS for the full album tracklisting.

PHIL COLLINS is working on a new studio album, 'Going Back', which will contain covers of his favourite Motown and Stax hits for release later this year and will be playing a series of shows to support the release.

SIMPLY RED will play their last ever concert in December when they finish their farewell tour with a show at London's O2 Arena on December 19th.

I've never been a  Blondie fan, which always seems to surprise people !!  I guess it's just years and years of hearing the same few Blondie songs in every nighclub that i go to.... grrrrrrrr !

I'm glad I've been able to help out with the Where Are They Now on Bronski Beat this week.

Pauline wrote:

SPANDAU BALLET will release expanded and remastered editions of their 'True' and 'Parade' albums on June 21st. 'True' will be released in a three disc edition featuring a CD of the original album, remastered; a CD of bonus material including previously unreleased remixes and live tracks; and a DVD of the band playing live at London's Sadlers Wells theatre in 1983. 'Parade' will appear in a 2-CD edition, featuring the remastered album and a number of bonus tracks on one disc and a BBC In Concert show recorded at Wembley Arena in 1984 on the other. See NEWS for the full tracklisting of both albums.

Thanks for that Pauline... certainly good news!

For me I think that 'Parade' is probably their best album so I'm looking forward to this overdue 'Special Edition'.