On the strength of some of the finest and most enduring pop singles of the ’80s, like “Brand New Lover” and “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)”, British group Dead Or Alive have proved over the past few decades to be more alive than dead at new wave dance parties and other retro nights around the world.
That, however, fails to brace us for next month’s release of a whopper of a Dead Or Alive box set, a career-spanning collection from Edsel that is stuffed into 19 — yes, nineteen! — compact discs and DVDs.
In addition to finding a “Brand New Lover”, you might also need to find a brand new display rack.
The collection is called Sophisticated Boom Box MMXVI, it’s out October 28, and it will set you back about $135. Tack on an extra $20 if you want it signed. Not bad for a group that had three charting albums in the United Kingdom in the ’80s, and are mostly known here stateside by their hits (“You Spin Me Round” hit Number 11 on the US Billboard charts in 1983, and “Brand New Lover” peaked at 15 the following year).
By our counts, there are more than 30 versions of “You Spin Me Round”, in case you were wondering how this all shapes up.
Here’s word from Edsel, via Super Deluxe Edition, because… well damn.
Dead Or Alive / 19-disc career box set: Sophisticated Boom Box MMXVI
“Curated by frontman Pete Burns and drummer/keyboard player Steve Coy, the set comprises eight albums, three of which (Fan The Flame (Part 1), Nukleopatra and Fragile) receive their UK debut release via this set (with new cover art).
The first four albums issued in the 1980s all feature here as two-CD sets, except 1985’s Stock Aitken Waterman produced Youthquake (which spawned the mega-hit You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) – which is a three-disc package. So this box delivers the original album track listings for each long-player, plus plenty of rarities, live recordings, alternate mixes and instrumental versions. In fact, it also contains 12 previously unreleased remixes and tracks from the band’s vaults. 1987 greatest hits album Rip It Up is also present and correct (as a two-CD set)
In addition to these 17 CDs of audio, Sophisticated Boom Box MMXVI comes with two DVDs – one full of promo videos and the other featuring a 1987 concert (Rip It Up Live in Japan) and a selection of UK TV appearances (including Top of the Pops, The Kenny Everett Television Show and Blue Peter).
The set is packaged as a deluxe casebound book and features a 4,000 words of sleeve notes from Pete Burns himself. Sophisticated Boom Box MMXVI will also be available as a 10 LP vinyl box set (more detail on that soon) featuring the eight studio albums.
Amazon in the UK have an exclusive edition available (same price) which come with a SIGNED PRINT. These are limited to the first 750 units.”
Sweet Jesus.
And here’s a look at the packaging:
