Salting The Bettlefield

Digitally remastered and expanded edition of the 1980 debut album by post-punk band The Passions including three bonus tracks. The Passions released their first single on Soho Records in 1979. Later, after being seen by a record company A&R guy during a residency at the Moonlight Club in West Hampstead, the band were signed to Fiction Records, for which they recorded a single and their first album before moving to Polydor Records. Michael & Miranda was released in 1980. This special edition includes the 12 original album cuts plus three related bonus tracks and appears on CD for the first time. The bonus tracks on this CD include the band's only Fiction single 'Hunted' and the band's first single 'Needles & Pills'/'Body & Soul'. The master tapes of this independent single are long since lost, so we have used a vinyl restoration specialist to provide these two tracks. The album was produced by label boss Chris Parry, whose credits include The Jam, The Cure and The Associates amongst others. All the tracks have been sourced from the original production master tapes except tracks 14 and 15, as stated above. The CD booklet features the original album flip-side front cover (white front or black front cover), lyrics, plus detailed diary entries-'The Passions' First Album - a diary by Clive Timperley' from the related period of 1979-1980. There is also a UK discography.

The Passions were a post-punk band formed by guitarist/vocalist Barbara Gogan, bassist Claire Bidwell, drummer Richard Williams, vocalist Mitch Barker, and guitarist Clive Temperley. Prior to forming in 1978, most of the members had spent time in other groups. Most notably, Temperley was an ex-101'er, and Williams was in Prag Vec precursors the Derelicts. The Passions debuted in March of 1979 with the Needles and Pins single on Soho, which helped them gain a contract with Fiction, home of the Cure.

Fast forward to 2020 and, just like everyone else, Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons had to cancel a lot of carefully-laid plans when the global pandemic descended on us all. But as if to confirm their absolute dedication to blowing people’s heads off with thunderous rock’n’roll, the band refused to cancel plans to record a follow-up to their widely lauded debut. Recorded and engineered during lockdown by guitarist Todd Campbell, the second Bastard Sons album may be just the tonic people need right now. It’s called We’re The Bastards and it’s bigger, better and even more raucously uplifting than its predecessor.

It was in June 1960 that THE SHADOWS entered Abbey Road Studios to record APACHE, the track that was to become the instrumental hit of the decade. It shot to No.1 and became an instant classic and saw the start of a string of over thirty hits – including another four No.1’s, WONDERFUL LAND, KON-TIKI, DANCE ON! and FOOT TAPPER - for the group who pioneered the now familiar band line up of two guitars, bass and drums. APACHE also inspired a new generation of artists such as Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Pete Townshend and Queen’s Brian May to take up the guitar. The unique sound of THE SHADOWS is captured on this 2CD collection especially compiled by the band to mark their 60th anniversary year.