30 Years of Bananarama - CD & (at last!) DVD

[anfunny2003]

"Someone" versus the millions of Discogs users does not a single version make. It's as much the A-Side version as any of the other remixes which appeared on the variant formats in my opinion... it's just not the single mix! Unless you want it to be, then it's each to their own. I prefer it, to be honest, but it's not on the A-Side of any of my physical copies, so...

[Fish Finger]

Well, you're a charmer aren't you!

[letuinmybackdoor]

It's a shame they disowned 'Do not disturb' as it's a cracking track. 'True confessions' was such a bizarre album, most of it the 'classic' 'rams sound and then 2 hi-NRG stompers in the middle of it. A lot of it is quite long and dark as well. It's one of my favourite albums as a whole though as all the songs are of good qualit, there aqre no real stinkers on there.

[anfunny2003]

True Confessions is my favourite album because it's quite melancholy, dream-like and bleak... side one (I still see it as two halves after hammering it on cassette 1986-87) is perfect. Side two seems slightly less impressive thanks to More Than Physical, which I always found a bit lacklustre. I have to say, the singles chosen were uninspired... it should've gone;

Venus
Ready Or Not
A Trick Of The Night
Promised Land

I am a fan of Do Not Disturb, but it's not an obvious single option. Promised Land was a similar sort've track, but has the poppier/dancier edge so I'd rather have seen them put that out.

[Fish Finger]

It's a shame they disowned 'Do not disturb' as it's a cracking track. 'True confessions' was such a bizarre album, most of it the 'classic' 'rams sound and then 2 hi-NRG stompers in the middle of it. A lot of it is quite long and dark as well. It's one of my favourite albums as a whole though as all the songs are of good qualit, there aqre no real stinkers on there.

It's a classic Rams single, despite the floppage.

[anfunny2003]

I just dug out my CDV and the remix of More Than Physical seems to be exclusive to it. It's 3:40, not the album version [5:03], not the 7" version [3:18 - also on The Works & True Confessions reissue] and not the version on any of the compilations or budget titles. This pleases me.

EDIT: Apparently it's the USA 7" Edit, which was only on a 12" promo, but the only time lengths I can find give 3:26 for that. It's the mix which starts with the "Ba-b-b-ba-ba, Ba-b-b-ba-ba..." bit found in the middle of the UK 7" Edit, and it has a bit more umph behind it. Best mix, I'd say. It's not on YouTube.

2nd EDIT: It's also on this;

http://www.discogs.com/Bananarama-Ma...elease/1264615

But has a slightly longer fade out [3:45].

[Eric Generic]

From when does Venus originally date? Because they put Do Not Disturb out in the summer of 1985, almost a whole year earlier than Venus, so I'm surprised the decision on Do Not Disturb could have been in any way influenced or affected by Venus' existence, unless it was in the can (or in the planning stage) already by July '85. It was a good single, though, like others I like it a lot. It's got a nice moody-but-funky vibe, clearly a bit ZTT-inspired (as was a lot of the best pop at the time). Just not hugely commercial, and after Hotline To Heaven tanked, I suppose they needed a bigger success.

[anfunny2003]

Do Not Disturb was originally released as a stand alone single, actually. That's what they thought at the time. There was no album started at that point. They'd been out of the UK charts for a while (almost a year since their last flop single, well over a year since their last top 40 hit) and the label wanted something quick to keep thinks ticking along. They debuted the track before it was even finished, on the Kelly's Eye TV show;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKPP_yqQ5sg

Note the sparce arrangement on the unfinished demo they are miming too. They wanted to go and work with SAW (after hearing You Spin My Round by Dead Or Alive in a club circa 1984-85) but were contractually obligated to Jolley & Swain for another single, and album. They had to put out Do Not Disturb (a song they didn't co-write or want to sing, making it the only song on True Confessions they had nothing to do with). True Confessions should've been a 10 track album, according to Keren, but Do Not Disturb had to be put on at the insistance of J & S. Once that single was out anyway, they were able to work with SAW. Venus followed 10 months later, more to do with the fact they had to record an entire album and Keren gave birth to her son in 1986, too... but not sure if that happened before or after Venus. It's certainly not possible to work out from videos at the time because she always looks stunning. I'd guess before?

[letuinmybackdoor]

I could read your 'Rams knowledge all day, Anfunny. I thought I knew a lot about them but you know loads more. It's funny to think in today's celeb obsessed culture that Keren could have a baby at the height of their fame and no-one really noticed. Compare that to say, Una's baby. Plus, they really took their time with albums. 'Bananarama' was released nearly two years after 'Deep sea skiving' and almost a year after 'Cruel summer' and still only had 8 tracks (nine if you count the 'link'), two of which were out before the album came out. Even the gap between 'Wow' and 'Pop life' is quite a time, although they filled that gap with the GH stuff, a tour and such.

[Eric Generic]

Cruel Summer was on the 1984 album, wasn't it..so they had a history of putting old (orphan) singles onto the next studio set. Nothing wrong with that either, and they were never really an "albums act" anyway, so they could do as they wished, it's not like each LP had a big concept to stick to.

Do Not Disturb wasn't on the first edition of the '88 GH, was it...not actually sure where I first got it on CD...surely not the Rhino remasters?! I was making 80s compilations long before that, and DND is on my August 1985 set. Hmm.

[Bleu Noir]

Are there any 12" versions of DND available digitally officially?

[anfunny2003]

I'm sure there are bigger Bananarama nuts than me, who know more than I...

Do Not Disturb's digital debut was simply on True Confessions, the original 1986 CD. It appeared in the early 90s on various budget compilation CDs, too, but it's never been on an official Greatest Hits.

There are a few mixes of Do Not Disturb, none have been made available digitally...

Do Not Disturb
Instrumental
Extended Version
Bananamix [Their first official Megamix, but it starts and ends with Do Not Disturb and is given as a mix title rather than a track in it's own right]

[bichard]

I still find it odd that More Than Physical bombed so spectacularly, especially when being released on the back of Venus. The single mix is great and for it to fail to even make the top 40 is decidely strange.

I've just noticed More More More's not on the CD. A travesty!!!

[anfunny2003]

More Than Physical was dead in the water from the word go for some reason... but I don't think it's a great track, so I never really felt cheated or disappointed. It was pretty 'sexy' for them, at the time, rather than campy and saucy... It's more of a pop crme that venus only managed number 8. It should've been a number 1.

More More More is pretty dire. It must be their worst single release ever... perhaps? The original was by a porn star and it's about fucking on camera. How unsavory.

[Eric Generic]

1986 was tough on pop, half of Janet Jackson's singles from Control missed the top 40. That said, I agree that More Than Physical wasn't great.

I must have got DND on a compilation, then, because I never owned True Confessions until the reissue. I've picked up all sorts of dodgy stuff from abroad over the years (no jokes please!).

[Jackie Tyler]

I liked the fake imported Greatest Hits that was on EastEnders the other week.

[anfunny2003]

That was actually referred to as a "live Japanese bootleg with remixes and an unreleased song" I think. The CD itself, when Lauren put it on the table, was this;



...the funniest thing about that was the later scene where Tanya apologised and told Lauren it was dreadful.

[bichard]

Oooh all this More Than Physical hate! I cannot take any more!!! The album version is decidedly crapola, but the single mix is one of my favourite Bananarama singles, and much closer to my heart than Venus! I also love Trick Of The Night, although the SAW remix is something of an abomination.

I think True Confessions is probably my favourite 'Rams album (well, along with Pop Life). The title track and Promised Land are amazing, and there's really not a bad track on it (well, if you replace More Than Physical with the single mix anyway).

I agree that Promised Land should really have been a single, but I suspect the fact that it was penned just by the girls with no input from Swain & Jolley precluded it from release. It seems odd that the two Swain & Jolley singles from the album are the only two songs that are written exclusively by them, without Bananarama...

[phoenix123]

Why were characters discussing a fictional rare live Bananarama album on Eastenders? Was it related to Heather?

Bizarre...

[Lady Agnes Holland]

Aside from "It Ain't What You Do" and "Trick Of The Night (In At The Deep End Version)", they have also left off the videos for:

1, State I'm In
2, I Found Love
3, Waterloo
4, Careless Whisper

It is a good tracklisting though, pity they couldn't have gone that extra mile but I guess not everything was licensed through Polygram, although Abba's "Waterloo" was, at least and it wouldn't have taken much effort on Keren's part to ask Andrew to give George a ring and clear "Whisper".

Does anyone know if the DVD is the superior PAL or crappy NTSC format ?

[anfunny2003]

Why were characters discussing a fictional rare live Bananarama album on Eastenders? Was it related to Heather?

Bizarre...

Lauren was buying a present for her mother, Tanya, and her favourite group is Bananarama (same as Jane).

[anfunny2003]

Aside from "It Ain't What You Do" and "Trick Of The Night (In At The Deep End Version)", they have also left off the videos for:

1, State I'm In
2, I Found Love
3, Waterloo
4, Careless Whisper

It is a good tracklisting though, pity they couldn't have gone that extra mile but I guess not everything was licensed through Polygram, although Abba's "Waterloo" was, at least and it wouldn't have taken much effort on Keren's part to ask Andrew to give George a ring and clear "Whisper".

Does anyone know if the DVD is the superior PAL or crappy NTSC format ?

Cruel Summer 89 and Megarama 89 both had videos too. And it's NTSC....

[vasilios]

Aside from "It Ain't What You Do" and "Trick Of The Night (In At The Deep End Version)", they have also left off the videos for:

1, State I'm In
2, I Found Love
3, Waterloo
4, Careless Whisper

It is a good tracklisting though, pity they couldn't have gone that extra mile but I guess not everything was licensed through Polygram, although Abba's "Waterloo" was, at least and it wouldn't have taken much effort on Keren's part to ask Andrew to give George a ring and clear "Whisper".

Does anyone know if the DVD is the superior PAL or crappy NTSC format ?

Just to confirm " 30 Years of Bananarama" DVD will be NTSC (all regions)
From their Facebook.

[Jackie Tyler]

That's a shame, NTSC dvds tend to look a bit shitty on older DVD players.

[Eric Generic]

All this 'Rams talk makes me wish there was a Singles Rate for them. That whole concept seems to have been the biggest casualty on the forum changes, such a shame.

Meanwhile, I dug out my True Confessions reissue tonight, to give it another spin within the context of what's been discussed recently about that era. It's a much better album overall than I gave it credit for. I think it actually edges out the self-titled '84 effort, as long as I forget about More Than Physical (sorry! I tried to like it more but I really don't rate it much) and take Venus for what it is (a great pop record that doesn't really belong with the rest of this album's feel). Ready Or Not and Promised Land are now my favourites, but there's nothing rubbish on the album. I missed this sound from them, as Cruel Summer and Robert De Niro's Waiting are my preferred Nans setting and this album has a lot of that vibe whilst also sounding very 1986 (Perfect World could be Wang Chung, and I love it haha).