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Saturday Deluxe / 10 February 2024

Peter Gabriel news and more on Wham!

By Paul Sinclair

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41

Peter Gabriel delays

The release date of Peter Gabriel’s i/o box set has been pushed back. Originally scheduled for next month, it’s now gone back to 26 April (same day that the Pet Shop Boys album comes out).

Although it definitely looks good, this box simply gathers together all the formats that have been made available separately: 2CDs, four vinyl LPs and a blu-ray. It does include a casebound book with expanded sleeve notes and a poster, but apart from enjoying the object, it’s hard to get too excited. PG has shared some photos of the actual box (see above).

It’s still a great record though and you can read the SDE review here!

Wham!

Thanks for all the positive feedback on the Wham! SDE-exclusive blu-rays and to everyone who has so far pre-ordered. They were a year in the making and obviously I’m thrilled to be able to deliver these exclusive products to the marketplace, especially an album as iconic as Make It Big!

I was always sad that ‘Careless Whisper’ wasn’t part of the Echoes From The Edge of Heaven campaign, so it’s fantastic (pun intended) to have both the album/12-inch version and the single version in Atmos on the Make It Big blu-ray. Including the Wexler Mix of ‘Careless Whisper’ would have been the icing on the cake, but sadly George did not have a high opinion of that version (as made clear in the recent Wham! Netflix documentary) so you can guess why it hasn’t made an appearance!

But putting that to one side, I’ve done my best to bring together all the appropriate bonus material including a smattering of rarities, and together the blu-rays come very close to offering a complete discography of 1983-1986. I’d love to do the same for George Michael’s solo albums. No promises of course, but if these do well that obviously increases the chances, so if you haven’t done so already, don’t forget to place your order via the SDE shop!

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41 Comments

41 thoughts on “Saturday Deluxe / 10 February 2024”

  1. Amazing job as always on Wham! Paul. You attention to detail is unmatched. Ordered last week as soon as you posted. I had to chuckle, remembering your past April, fools, joke of Make It Bigger! Bravo

  2. I just wish there was someone who could get Sony (or whoever is in charge) to find and release the full version of “Blue (Armed With Love)” with the full vocal track, as performed on The Russell Harty Show in 1983. Obviously George was lip-syncing during the performance, so a reel must be somewhere!

    1. It does seem daft but Pete seems more interested in the artwork that accompanies each tune rather than the actual lyrics. I love the album but the packaging was dire at least for the CD/blu set, two separate copies both pinged/creased to buggery and returned. Not from SDE I should add, Paul knows how to package items properly unlike Bezos!

  4. There’s a new Crowded House single called “Oh Hi” that was just released. It’s the first single from the new album “Gravity Stairs” that is due out in May. The single is streaming in Atmos, so presumably the whole album will get an Atmos mix. It would be great to have Crowded House house in the SDE surround series!

    Ordered the Wham! blu-rays, fingers crossed that George’s solo albums will follow sometime in the not too distant future. The mixes sound great over streaming, so I’m sure they will sound much better on Blu-ray. The biggest surprise for me was “Songs From the Last Century”, which was always my least favorite of George’s albums. But it really shines in Atmos. It’s a fantastic mix and it gave me a new appreciation for George’s great interpretations of those classic songs.

    2. Thanks for the tip on Crowded House. Spotify failed to notify me about the release, although they are a favorite. Another reason why despite the service itself being good, the app is… well, crap.

      I will second the House catalog nomination for a SDE release. I have their debut on DVD-Audio (on which I can finally listen to the high-resolution option, thanks to a couple of recent home theatre upgrades) and would love to have the rest of their material in surround.

  5. Disappointed with a further delay to the i/o box as I pre ordered as soon as it was announced and don’t want to double dip beforehand. Therefore what was a 20 yr wait is now another couple of months longer. Looking forward to finally hearing the whole album as I’ve avoided streaming platforms since the December release and I’ve heard all the positive reviews….hoping my patience is paid back.

    2. The album is superb and well worth the wait. The packaging not so much although the deluxe set fingers crossed won’t be plagued with the issues of the CD/blu sets…

  6. Shame about the PG box, especially since the bulk of it is already out! I wouldn’t have thought that it would take that long to produce a book and a physical box. Not too distressed but the original date was close to my birthday so it will be a belated birthday present to myself now!

    1. Perhaps it’s further pressings of the vinyl that is causing the delay although obviously the existing 2LP sets aren’t sold out. It could be worse, for game nerds like me I have to wait 6 months of a physical release of Baldurs Gate 3 with three soundtracks included. Again there seems some kind of issue with manufacturing with box sets in general at least the more pricy ones. Surely they can’t still be using the B word excuse or Ukraine sheesh!

  7. Complete Kudos to you Paul for getting the wham releases physically released. However like the previous comment I’m fascinated who these releases are aimed at. I’m guessing I represent a typical SDE reader. Male and the wrong side of 50 ( no offence to lady subscribers) who also takes a fair interest in high fidelity music. Wham hit the peak of my late teenage years and you couldn’t escape their presence if you tried. The early eighties were great and their music brings back some lovely memories.
    However I would no more consider buying these atmos releases anymore than i would a similar release by Bananarama , Adam and the Ants or any of other such contemporaries.
    I have total respect for people who are genuinely overjoyed at this news and the way you have built this website up to become a force record companies take note of.
    I will continue to check in daily and enjoy your articles but wish more emphasis could be placed on Acts that still resonate with my generation but seem to be flying under the radar.
    For example, Billy Joel has just released a new song after 17 years or so. I would love to read an article on people’s thoughts about it. I could be wrong but I don’t think this even got a mention on the site.
    Hopefully my comments are taken as they are intended. That is to give some reader feedback and help continue the growth for all to enjoy.

    3. The new Billy Joel song is really good. EXCEPT for the line “When we’re laying in the dark”. I just can’t get past that one. Given that the song is about wanting to get the spark back in a relationship, if they were actually laying in the dark, there’d be NO SONG…

      1. Just listened to the new Billy Joel song for the first time and think that the “as we’re layin’ in the darkness” line shouldn’t be taken literally but is meant as a metaphor.

        As KC2112 asks for opinions on the song my first impression is that it’s in the same vein as ABBA’s ‘I Still Have Faith In You’ two years ago but that ABBA’s take on the subject works better for me.

        Joel’s song after a fine first verse too quickly drifts off into the land of overproduction for me and has a really anticlimactic ending that sounds like someone pulls the fader down too fast.

        Will certainly listen to it some more times though and maybe change this first opinion later. Nice to hear Joel’s voice in a pop song again but i hope if that is a hint to a new full album to be released soon that there will be some better offerings on there than this one.

    4. To each his own, obviously, but I think the comments on the Wham! release page clearly illustrates there is a large amount of interest in them among SDE readers. We all have our own tastes. The ’80s are my favorite era of music and I love Wham!, but I don’t love all ’80s music and there are several SDE high fidelity releases I haven’t purchased. It’s human nature to struggle to understand how someone else adores something we despise, so I understand where you’re coming from, but I’m willing to predict these Wham! releases will be the largest selling SDE High Fidelity releases so far.

      As far as the new Billy Joel song, I love it. I don’t want to speak for Paul, but it is fairly clear this is a site that focuses on physical releases, not streaming. As far as I know, there is no physical release of “Turn the Lights Back On,” nor is there anything in the works, so I’m not surprised it has never been mentioned on SDE.

    5. > I’m guessing I represent a typical SDE reader.
      If you don’t see the market for these releases, maybe this is the point where your analysis is going off-target? I myself would definitely consider buying any Adam [and the] Ant[s] SDE, and maybe a Bananarama box – if it was focused on their very beginning days.
      When Billy Joel puts his new song into a physical release, I hope to see news about it on this site. Looks like right now, the song is only streaming.

    7. Surely the beauty of a site like this is the variety of the series? No two releases are the same, I picked up the Eno blu and have no doubt will buy another release at some point if I get in early enough as could kick myself for missing the xPropaganda blu. And the Tears For Fears one come to think of it. Also as an indirect result punters may pick up other blu’s not in the SDE series and notice the sound difference in even a non-Atmos modest system. Really hoping for a OMD release at some point or John Foxx perhaps but not Metamatic. Shifting City would be stunning with a Steven Wilson mix…

    8. I understand your lack of interest surrounding a Wham release, but if that’s the case, then the Cure reissue should be geared towards you? There seem to be only 2 camps anymore when regarding 80’s music – the pure pop side (looking at Wham or Paul Young), and the alternative side (looking at the Cure or Soft Cell). We of course know there was so much more, but, as you say, I’m on the wrong side of 50, and I find myself not minding reading about something I may still not want to buy, but I do realize the goal posts shift as you get older, and something you might once have turned your nose up at (because you were too cool, maybe), now elicits a different response.
      For example, I was mostly an alternative kid, but I remember buying the Edge of Heaven lp in 1986, and then I bought Fantastic. And then I pretty much ignored Wham for a long, long time – until recently, when I got back into them (I say ‘got back’, but honestly, this is the most invested I’ve been in them), and realized that not only is it great music at the gym, but that George Michael was super talented! So, even a year ago, Wham spatial audio might not have interested me, but I find myself now seriously considering purchasing them! And don’t get me started on Adam Ant…I would buy Kings of the Wild Frontier in spatial audio in a heartbeat.

      1. Yes Kings of the wild frontier would be great in atmos. Imagine being surrounded by those drums!

        Might even get the long version of Antmusic that doesn’t fade.

  8. Can’t lie. The Wham releases are not my cup of tea.

    Just lately, I’ve been thinking of pulling away from SDE. Been following the site avidly pretty much from inception. Got some great deals over the years as a result.
    The deals and releases are just not there anymore. Not SDE fault.

    I’m so tired of 10th/15th//20th……etc pointless coloured vinyl reissues. Each to their own I know but why can’t you buyers see that you are being completely ripped off ?

    If an album hasn’t been available previously on vinyl or was a very short run then that makes sense. It’s the only way to get a copy without paying crazy original prices.

    Collectors. I’ve been there, done it. Narrowed my vinyl collection down to about 300 of my favourites. In the past year I must have sold in excess of 2000 records which I just don’t play. I have duplicate CD’s of my records which I probably play 50 times more often than the record. Sound quality is fantastic. I don’t need the warmth or crackles and pops from a record for nostalgia. Lucky enough to be born in the mid sixties so enjoyed all of that through the seventies with some great bands of the time.

    Formats come and go. Just don’t be fooled by marketing hype – listen to music the way suits you, not how the market at any particular time dictates.

    I’ve also noticed that a significant number of original readers of SDE have disappeared over recent years. Most of whom made some really valid, interesting points. A couple still remain but they are in the minority.
    Some of the ridiculous debates that get started by some readers just make me laugh. Nothing to say ? Well I’ll just say something anyway !

    But. For all of this, I can’t pull away from SDE. It’s sort of in my blood. I’d worry I might just miss a significant release or a bargain. For every 100 releases there might be one I’m interested in. That’s no one’s fault, just my personal taste.

    So as much as I’m not a fan of Wham and don’t really understand the adoration for them, I’m pleased for those that are interested in it that a release like this has been received so positively. I’m beginning to realise that I’m just extremely selfish and would like my favourite bands to release material that I’m personally interested in.

    I’ve also tried to stop being so cynical with some of the releases on here. Having lived through each musical decade from the 1970’s onwards it has made me laugh out loud with some of the releases that become deluxe versions from bands/singers who were pretty derided at the time, can become wanted items now from those who weren’t even born when released originally and think they are buying something great. As I say, really trying hard not to be cynical.

    So I’m going to have to continue with SDE whether I like it or not.

    And come back some of the original readers – I miss you !

    2. Very interesting read. I’m the same. For me it was a combination of things. Lack of interesting releases, going expat, wife walking out at the onset of Covid and taking the kids, and funnily enough the site redesign.

      I HATED and still do hate the redesign and it stopped me coming here very often. I refrained from saying something until all this time because I didn’t want to s*** on someone’s hard work.

      All my physical media is either sold or stored back in the UK. I don’t particularly like my life or the way I consume media these days but it is what it is.

    3. Signed back in here after the longest time specifically to give your post a thumbs up. Been a CD collector since 1985 and never stopped. I’ve never understood why CD’s have been slammed so hard over the years. Most of mine sound fantastic, including ones from the earlier days all the way up to recent masterings. I can understand the nostalgic appeal of vinyl, but I do not miss the pops, cracks, and scratches one bit.

      1. Most CDs sound like crap these days. Dylan had it right in that Rolling Stone interview during the W years when he complained that “there’s nothing but sound” all over today’s records. “Industry trends” and an audience that no longer knows any better have turned a format that promised clean sound and wide dynamic range into a distorted, oversaturated mess where loudness trumps everything else—especially dynamic range.

        That has led to today’s ironic circumstances, in which the format with inherently limited dynamic range (vinyl) frequently has MORE dynamic range than its digital counterparts. It’s been a couple of years since I last listened to anything on vinyl (I really must move my turntable into another room), but it’s nice to be able to listen to music without having to turn the volume down because what’s coming out of the speakers is so damn loud, and with no let-up.

        1. Yeah but do they really? I mean even with my average setup I just import CDs using iTunes and the Apple Lossless option and the likes of OMD, Steven Wilson etc don’t sound bad at all. Granted releases by the likes of Killing Joke can sound ropey as Hell but that’s got to be the production not the format.

      2. To me it is about paying attention. I work from home and pop in the Now 80s Cds like I used to turn on the radio back in the days. To me CDs have been reduced to background music because of the convenience. If I really want to pay attention I play vinyl in my living room or a CD in the car. Take Miles Davis’ On the Corner as an exame: I have played the vinyl multiple times but never played CDs 2 to 5 from the deluxe box set (the Metal box set).
        I pretty much have too many CDs to give them each the well deserved attention. Sad. Makes me question why I have so many.

    4. Couldn’t agree more Mr. Ronson. This comments section has become a carping cesspit from which one learns nothing but to discount pretty well every opinion expressed herein. Which was not, l am pretty sure, the intention of the otherwise excellent redesign. (Sorry about the grammar, l no longer care)
      PS. anyone else of Mick’s vintage, with 2000+ LPs to sell can give me a call anytime.

      1. I think “Carping Cesspit” is a bit harsh, after all there are plenty of people for whom “carping cesspit” is just “People I disgree with”.

        I think that SDE, whilst still better than just about every other site I visit, is suffering from a combination of it’s own success, a distinct lack of newsworthy events and an industry bent on self destruction beyond streaming and “Dollar now!”

        The niche and essential site that was 2013 to, what, 2020 – 2021? Has inevitably expanded it’s user base as word gets out and the seeming success of the SDE exclusive brand has brought a lot more punters to the yard.

        So, for me at any rate, depth has been, or is being, replaced by width. I calmed down my participation because I am tired of reading aggressive posts from “readers” with small history here of a dozen or so posts who completely fail to read the room. I was here the best part of a year before daring to make my first post as everybody seemed to know what they are talking about. It wasn’t full of people assuming they are “the main character”. I am trying, possibly failing, to keep this from being a bitchfest. It just get’s tiring wading through “comedic” one liners from people with nothing to add and zero depth to their appreciation of what SDE is, or was. Add that to people “demanding” to know of the source or some other minor complaint when it is plain to see the answer in the write-up (read the fucking write-up before commenting people!) It’s hard to take someone seriously when their sixth post is a moan about something that is answered in paragraph two. Or complain about something that isn’t and never has been the remit of this website, which you would know if you had taken but a minute to work out where you were and what this place is about.

        Then there is the industry itself that seem to be delivering far fewer items of interest and, even more annoyingly, announcing those things so far in advance that approaching alzheimers robs you of the memory that they were ever announced 15 months ago. An industry that instead of delivering a comprehensive box of delights over 5 or 6 discs seems to think a single piece of plastic in 12 different shiny colours (colors) via 12 different retailers will have the same desired effect. Spoiler alert – it doesn’t.

        Finally we have deals. Oh for the heady days of month long sales and seemingly never ending 3 for 2 offers that were genuine reductions instead of “let us put the price up by 50% just before announcing a 33% off deal alert”. Picking up “Five Years” vinyl box set from AmItaly for peanuts or a Springsteen vinyl box set for little more than a double album costs you now.

        Not many independent websites manage to get to their 12th year unscathed and SDE has fared better than most. Diversifying to the shop was a good move as was steering clear of selling bog-standard coloured vinyl of the vanilla variety.

        Niche is the way to go, the forum is a better place for older, wiser heads but it’s tough to comment on something that one doesn’t give a monkey’s about. I have tried to limit myself to comments on subjects that I do care about but that is limiting with an industry that doesn’t care about what I care about.

        Plus of course it doesn’t help when one of the major artists I do care about is making such a right royal shit-show of her legacy. A bird in the hand indeed. Quante made a good point over the weekend (see below), it’s hard to maintain interest when a new album is released only once every 15 years and the back catalogue is milked to death with differing cover art or coloured plastic. It’s even more annoying when that new album is utterly brilliant and shows what could have been achieved in the intervening years if they weren’t so intent on dicking about in the shed or watching The One Show on the chaise longue.

        I liked the #offmechest hashtag by the way, it just scans beautifully.

        Some interesting challenges ahead for SDE towers. A true love of physical music will, hopefully, win the day.

          1. A Chris Squires has always been worthy of reading with interest. That’s two or three down, now where’s the rest of you ?!! :)

    6. I have to disagree about the SDE site, which I still find interesting enough to log into every day – but then i’m not only interested in specific artists or genres but the wider musical idiom.
      If these anniversary reissues don’t sell and therefore don’t make money then the companies would stop issuing them and leave everything to streaming. And Eric Idol in today’s papers explains why he’s still working at 80 – to quote “I didn’t realise that revenue streams would tail-off so dramatically”, so there will be artists who are glad for the royalties.
      I also disagree about the number of readers “signing off”. You have no idea why people disappear from here: dead (there are a lot of original readers who are now in their 60s & 70s), change of circumstances, change in the way they consume music, etc – you really can’t blame it all on Paul’s redesign. But who am I to say, as I know nothing. (The Swami at the end of Head).

  9. i / o was the best new album of 2023. It is superb! It’s such a shame that Peter Gabriel and his fellow kindship spirits take ten to twenty years to release an album.

    Imagination’s box set was my favourite SDE of 2023, just for the first two studio albums and Night Dubbing remix album.

    The Wham releases raised the endorphin levels to joyous – well done.

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