Description

First ever deluxe expanded edition of Marc Almond s landmark seventh studio album.Originally released in 1991, this collaboration with Trevor Horn yielded three Top 40 UK hitsExclusive to this boxed edition are four unique CDs adding to a total 76 audio tracks, 34 of them never previously having been commercially released. Plus a DVD that showcases all three promo videos and Marc Almonds five contemporaneous BBC TV appearances.The actual Trevor Horn produced Tenement Symphony sequence opens CD1 as was his original intention, with the dramatic statement of the orchestral Prelude as a precursor to the intoxicating energy of lead hit single, Jacky, as written by Jacques Brel.Tenement Symphony was an attempt, at the time, to make the definitive Marc Almond album as masterminded by Warner Music UKs then chairman Rob Dickins . The effect of the album was meant to be like looking through the windows of different rooms in a tenement building and hearing a bouquet of narrative songs about disparate characters residing therein. It saw the first postbreakup rekindling of the songwriting partnership with Soft Cells Dave Ball with The Grids Richard Norris on the three technotorch tracks Meet Me In My Dream, Ive Never Seen Your Face and UK hit My Hand Over My Heart. It was an album that also featured three cowrites with Marcs longstanding collaborator and arranger Billy McGee Marc amp The Mambas, The Willing Sinners on the emotionally charged tracks Vaudeville amp Burlesque, Beautiful Brutal Thing and Champagne. Complementing the 11 tracks of the original album on CD 1 are a collection of songs which were used as Bsides to the different formats of the albums three hit singles, Jacky UK17, My Hand Over My Heart UK33 and The Days Of Pearly Spencer UK4. Many of these Bsides evidence such stellar songwriting quality that they could have easily created a double album back in the day to showcase all the contemporaneous contributing talents of Trevor Horn, The Grid, John Coxon and Billy McGee. CD2 collates the of fi cially released remixes, extended versions, lesser heard 7 version variants of the albums singles and more Tracks worth singling out are Marcs joyous cover version of Madonnas Like A Prayer, a previously unheard John Coxon 12 Mix of My Hand Over My Heart and the 7 edit of the shelved 4th single from the album, What Is Love Further insights into the repertoire that made up the Tenement Symphony album project are contained in the exclusive four CDs that follow the development of the albums songs through the inclusion of early versions, demos, variant mixes, backing tracks and live renditions including multiple unheard remixes of unreleased singles What Is Love and Beautiful Brutal Thing and the unissued Phil Harding and Ian Curnow Remix of Jacky. The package also contains a 32page booklet full of lyrics, photos and listening notes and a fold out poster. Marc Almond Boxset is available for home delivery from Vinyl Records London, only £45 +P&P