Throw Off Your Mental Chains: Howard Jones Releases Music Video Anthology

New Wave hitmaker Howard Jones did a fantastic job remastering his catalogue through his own Dtox label with the help of Rhino U.K., releasing three great waves of remastered albums from his years on WEA/Elektra over the past three years. Now, he’s got one more package up his sleeve: a new anthology of music videos.

The Video Collection will nicely collate not only all of Jones’ videos from his MTV years (with all the audio newly remastered), but four recent videos, taken mostly from the albums People (1998) and Ordinary Heroes (2009). (“Building Our Own Future,” the last video on the standard program, was a non-album song from 2006.) Three bonus videos will be included as well: the “London version” of U.K. Top 5 hit “Like to Get to Know You Well,” an alternate version of “Everlasting Love” (one version swapped out vintage romantic film clips for the humorous side narrative of two mummies on a date) and a version of “Tears to Tell” tinted in blue.

Jones is on tour in America this summer as part of the “ReGeneration” ’80s-themed package alongside Andy Bell of Erasure, A Flock of Seagulls and others. At the end of the year, he will perform two special U.K. shows in honor of the 30th anniversary of his debut single “New Song,” featuring hits and a new multimedia composition as part of the set.

Order your copy from the Dtox web store (the disc is not only hand-numbered but region-free, meaning anyone can enjoy it on any DVD player!) and check out the track list below.

The Video Collection (Dtox, 2013)

1. New Song
2. What is Love
3. Hide & Seek
4. Pearl in the Shell
5. Like to Get to Know You Well
6. Things Can Only Get Better
7. Look Mama
8. Life in One Day
9. No One is to Blame
10. All I Want
11. You Know I Love You…Don’t You?
12. Everlasting Love
13. The Prisoner
14. Lift Me Up
15. Tears to Tell
16. I.G.Y.
17. Tomorrow is Now
18. Let The People Have Their Say
19. Soon You’ll Go
20. Building Our Own Future
21. Like to Get to Know You Well (London Version) (bonus video)
22. Everlasting Love (Alternative Version) (bonus video)
23. Tears to Tell (Blue Tint Version) (bonus video)

Tracks 1-4 from Human’s Lib (WEA/Elektra, 1983)
Tracks 5 and 21 from The 12″ Album (WEA/Elektra, 1984)
Track 6-8 from Dream Into Action (WEA/Elektra, 1985)
Track 9 from Action Replay (Elektra, 1986)
Tracks 10-11 from One to One (WEA/Elektra, 1986)
Tracks 12-13 and 22 from Cross That Line (WEA/Elektra, 1989)
Tracks 14-15 and 23 from In the Running (WEA/Elektra, 1992)
Track 16 from The Best of Howard Jones (WEA/Elektra, 1993)
Tracks 17-18 from People (Dtox, 1998)
Track 19 from Ordinary Heroes (Dtox, 2009)
Track 20 from non-LP single (Dtox, 2006)

Release Round-Up: Week of April 10

Howard Jones, One to One / Cross That Line / In the Running: Remastered Edition (Dtox)

HoJo’s last set of remasters is a five disc set featuring his last three Warner-era albums from 1986 to 1992, plus two generous discs of B-sides and remixes. Parts of this era are really underrated, and if this box is as loving as the last one was, it may well earn your everlasting love.

Various Artists, Philadelphia International Classics: The Tom Moulton Mixes (Harmless)

This gorgeous four-disc set, coming from the U.K., features some of PIR’s greatest hits and deepest cuts, all mixed (or newly remixed) by disco master Tom Moulton. There’s a whole hard-to-find vintage remix album in here, along with some other great 12″ single masters.

World Party, Arkaeology (Seaview/Fontana)

Five discs of unreleased goodies from Karl Wallinger’s famed band, plus diary packaging for you to create with. (Sorry, U.K. fans, we’re actually getting this one first; the international release date is later.)

Kraftwerk, The Catalogue (MoMA Edition) (Kling Klang/Astralwerks)

The electronic icons first put their last eight remastered albums into a box in 2009. Now, to coincide with a weeklong residency at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, they’re reissuing that box through the MoMA exclusively, with new artwork.

Gilbert O’Sullivan, I’m a Writer Not a Fighter: Deluxe Edition (Salvo)

Released in the U.K. last week, Gilbert’s third album comes expanded with four additional tracks from single sides and includes the hit “Get Down.”

Bette Midler, Live at Last (Friday Music)

The Divine Miss M’s first live album (and a double, at that!) gets the red-carpet remaster treatment from Friday Music.

Madness, Forever Young: The Ska Collection (Salvo)

A compilation for everyone who might already know “Our House,” with a small helping of unreleased material for hardcore fans.

Something Special, Something Pure: Howard Jones Announces Final Warner Remasters Box Set

Howard Jones brings his Warner remaster series to a close with a massive five-disc box set to be released next week.

Jones’ Dtox label, in agreement with Rhino Records, has licensed and remastered Jones One to One (1986), Cross That Line (1989) and In the Running (1992) to be released as one box set with two bonus discs of bonus material.

After a whirlwind few years that saw him ascend to the top of the British pop scene and perform with luminaries at Live Aid and the Grammy Awards, Howard Jones opted for a more mature, nuanced sound on his subsequent albums. Third studio album One to One had a built-in hit in the stunning re-recording of Jones’ “No One is to Blame,” produced by Phil Collins and reaching the Top 5 in America. (It was first released there on the Action Replay EP, included in the last HoJo box set.) But with producer Arif Mardin, he recorded some great tunes like “All I Want” and moderate U.S. hit “You Know I Love You…Don’t You?” Cross That Line featured former Tears for Fears producers/sidemen Chris Hughes and Ian Stanley and had Jones’ final major hit in the U.S., the gorgeous “Everlasting Love,” while In the Running is best known for its experimental sound with producer Ross Cullum.

Two bonus discs, labeled ‘RISK’ after the performer’s fan club discs of old, feature extended and alternate remixes of the singles of this era, including new mixes of “You Know I Love You” and “The Prisoner,” described not as “dance mixes” but “complete reconstructions from the original parts using modern technology.” Thirteen B-sides, including compilation appearances and rare promo-only mixes of 1989’s “Powerhouse,” round out the final disc.

The limited hand-numbered box will retail for £35 and will start selling next week, April 10, both in the Dtox shop and on Howard’s upcoming U.K. and U.S. tour dates. The box will also go on sale on Amazon for April 30. We’ll link to all those as soon as they’re up, but for now, enjoy the track lists after the jump!

Weekend Wround-Up: Pulp and Howard Jones Reissue News, Record Store Documentary In Progress

• NME reports the first three albums by the recently-reunited Britpop legends Pulp will be reissued later this summer. Although It (1983), Freaks (1987) and Separations (1992) (the first originally released on indie label Red Rhino and the other two released through indie Fire Records) will not be remastered, they will feature new artwork and, in the case of the latter two, bonus tracks culled from single B-side material. (It was re-released by Cherry Red in 1994 with three bonus tracks; one of which was included on a subsequent reissue by Fire Records.) The albums will join deluxe reissues of the band’s His ‘n’ Hers (1994), Different Class (1995) and This is Hardcore (1998), released by Universal Music Catalogue in 2006.
• In his latest fan newsletter, Howard Jones touched on the next batch of remastered albums to come, following reissues of his two great dance EPs earlier this year. It’s going to be a rather sizable release; Jones plans to reissue his last three Elektra albums (One to One (1986), Cross That Line (1989) and In the Running (1992)) as one batch, with two – count ’em, two! – discs of bonus material in one box set. Among the intended bonus tracks are new remixes of 1989 singles “Everlasting Love” and “The Prisoner.”
• While this news isn’t exactly reissue-oriented, we know catalogue enthusiasts love record stores. And there’s a pretty neat project about one of the most famous record stores in the works. All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records, is a new documentary about Russ Solomon, who started the modest chain in 1960 only to see it grow into one of the biggest music retailers – and ultimately, one of the industry’s biggest casualties. The project, the directorial debut of actor Colin Hanks (son of Oscar-winning actor Tom), has taken to fundraising website Kickstarter to raise money for the project – and since his page was activated five days ago, has raised over $46,000 on a goal of $50,000. Who says the music-buying public has disappeared?

Short Takes: Cars on Friday, INXS Live Show and Howard Jones Tidbits

• Our friends at Friday Music have found a great way to celebrate the reunion of The Cars: a reissue of one of their albums! A straight reissue of the group’s final album for Elektra, 1987’s Door to Door, remastered by the label’s own Joe Reagoso, will be available May 10, the same day as the band’s brand-new studio album, Move Like This.
• In honor of the impending royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, INXS have released a digital album of their 1985 concert performed in honor of a visit to Australia by William’s parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Rocking the Royals: Live 1985, recorded on the eve of the band’s Listen Like Thieves tour, has been released through iTunes in Australia, New Zealand and Mexico; further releases worldwide are forthcoming. (Thanks to Slicing Up Eyeballs for the tip!)
• Those who are digging the new Howard Jones remaster box have some more bits here and there to be excited about. Jones has released another vintage remix – the U.K. 12″ version of “Look Mama” – as a free download on his Facebook page, and is spearheading ReWork, a new remix project for his catalogue. Fans can click the link in the preceding sentence and get access to the multitrack stems of “Automaton,” from the Dream Into Action LP. Jones will be listening to the remixes of fans for potential inclusion on a future compilation. If you’re handy with a remix, this might be your chance!

The track lists for The Cars’ Door to Door and the INXS live set are after the jump.

Short Takes: More News on Queen Reissues, Stax Expansions, Howard Jones Box Ships

• Queen’s official site issued a press release yesterday confirming a June 13 release date in the U.K. of the next batch of the band’s reissues. News of the World (1977), Jazz (1978), The Game (1980), Flash Gordon (1980) and Hot Space (1982) will comprise this batch. No bonus material has been announced (nor has a U.S. release date been set), but a Deep Cuts compilation will accompany the discs.
• We have our friends at Vintage Vinyl News to thank for this tip: Concord Records is releasing three expanded albums from the Stax catalogue! The albums, all remastered and expanded with as-yet-unconfirmed bonus material, are Booker T. & The MGs’ McLemore Avenue (1970), The Staple Sisters’ Be Altitude: Respect Yourself (1972) and Johnnie Taylor’s Taylored in Silk (1973).
• Howard Jones recently let fans know via Twitter and Facebook that his latest box set (The 12″ Album / Action Replay) has begun shipping after a short delay. (A comment from Howard’s team also confirmed remasters of One to One (1986) and Cross That Line (1989) in the pipeline. Has anyone got their box yet?

Wait for It, Wait for It, Give It Some Time: Howard Jones Box Delayed to April

If you’ve ordered the upcoming Howard Jones box set featuring remastered versions of his first two EPs plus a bonus disc of rare and unreleased remixes, you have more time to savor the anticipation than originally expected.

While the set was due to ship at the end of March, a manufacturing error which necessitated a disc repress resulted in the box’s ship date being pushed back to April.

As of this reporting, no one is to blame.

Jones’ label, Dtox Records, put this statement out on their news page:

We are sorry to report there will be a small delay in dispatching the much anticipated new box set.

There has been an error in the manufacturing process of one of the discs which will require them to be repressed. We are confident that this will only take a few days to resolve and we are working as hard as possible with the manufacturers to resolve this issue.

We will send out more news as soon as we have it.

This is extremely frustrating for us as you can imagine and we thank you for your patience.

All the best

The Dtox Shop

Getting Closer to the Next Batch of Howard Jones Reissues

Mark your calendars, fans: the next set of Howard Jones reissues are almost ready to pre-order.

As previously reported, the next batch of HoJo discs – after last year’s remasters of Human’s Lib and Dream Into Action – will be the EPs The 12″ Album and Action Replay, which collated dance mixes, B-sides and – perhaps most notably – the hit single version of “No One is to Blame” produced by Phil Collins. As with the last batch, there will also be a limited edition box set that combines both discs with an additional bonus CD, this one focusing on additional remixes from various singles. The Human’s Lib/Dream Into Action box with bonus disc was a limited affair; it is not yet known if this one will be, too.

But the set will be available to pre-order on February 21, so be prepared for more information as it comes!

UPDATE 2/5: Track listing for the bonus disc now available courtesy of our friend Matt from Addicted to Vinyl! Unreleased tracks will be included! Hit the jump and see!

More Howard Jones Reissues on the Way

Note: in my haste I forgot to accredit the fine Addicted to Vinyl for first mentioning the Wounded Bird reissue of The 12″ Album, which in turn led to my checking for new remasters and having something to report. Thanks, guys!

The Howard Jones box set from late last year, which compiled remasters of Humans Lib and Dream Into Action alongside a bonus disc of vintage live cuts – was a fun if light tribute to one of the more underrated artists of the ’80s. Happily, Jones’ independent label, Dtox Records, is looking to replicate that success with more reissues.

In a news post reported just before Christmas, HoJo’s official site mentioned that a second box set is on the way, which will collect both of Jones’ early remix albums: 1984’s The 12″ Album (the first LP appearance of hit “Like to Get to Know You Well”) and Action Replay (1986), the U.S.-exclusive EP which included the artist’s biggest U.S. hit, “No One is to Blame,” in a re-recorded version produced by Phil Collins. Much like the last box, a bonus disc will be included, which looks to collect other remixes that weren’t included across these two EPs.

“We are currently in the process of ordering and processing the original master tapes from Warner’s vaults,” the release went on. “More details will be announced on the track order as soon as we can confirm if all the tapes we have requested still exist.” While that line is a bit of a cause for concern, Jones nevertheless hopes to have the second box ready for February or March.

This discussion of collating the tapes casts suspicion from this writer over a recent reissue of The 12″ Album by Wounded Bird Records (WOU-543). Ideally, the forthcoming Dtox box will be as clear as any release these mixes (which we’ve had fun discussing in earlier Reissue Theory posts) have ever earned on CD.

Release Round-Up: Week of November 9

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Damn the Torpedoes: Deluxe Edition (Geffen/UMe)

With a bonus disc of B-sides and unreleased outtakes and an optional Blu-Ray audio version, audiophiles hopefully won’t have a reason to say “don’t do me like that” with this set. (Official site)

Bon Jovi, Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Collection (Island)

If 1994’s Cross Road isn’t enough of a Bon Jovi comp for you, this career-spanning set (available in single and double-disc formats) combines all the usual hits with two new tracks (or four, depending on what set you buy). (Official site)

Elvis Presley, Viva ELVIS: The Album (RCA/Legacy)

The King gets his own equivalent to The Beatles’ Love, complete with a soundtrack of remixed, re-imagined classics. (More material you’re not going to find on the box set.) (Official site)

The Rolling Stones, Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones (Box Set) (Eagle)

The Stones’ classic Exile-era concert film (just recently released on DVD) is paired with this year’s The Stones in Exile and a bunch of bonus material in a limited, numbered box. (Amazon)

Bing Crosby, The Crosby Christmas Sessions (Collector’s Choice) / The Television Specials Volume 2: The Christmas Specials (Infinity)

Hooray for Christmas catalogue titles! Collector’s Choice honors Bing’s holiday spirit with a trove of mostly-unreleased Yuletide tracks, while Infinity Entertainment gets his holiday television specials on DVD. (Official site)