Hi,
I know this section is about reissues but it also seemed the best place to ask all you people in the know why are Polydor so opposed to remastering and doing a deluxe issue of the first Visage album? I’ve heard snippets from some people that they have been unwilling to allow Access to tapes for compilations or reissues. This was why the Cherry Red ‘The Anvil’ reissue took the album from the Canadian CD release and the 12” mixes and b sides from vinyl. The first album has a worldwide no.1 single on it yet all we have of the first album is a CD issued way back in the early 90’s. I’ve heard that even Midge and Rusty are getting doors closed in their faces on this. Can anybody shed any light on what’s happening?
I know way back when the band were in the charts there were some problems the guys had with releasing in the uk as they were signed to Polydor New York, not London. Has this any baring on it?
Back in the late 90’s I found a record label who wanted to reissue the Visage back catalogue and even met with Steve Strange but when Polydor were approached they just said they were not interested in having it released.
I was surprised when Cherry Red released Beat Boy mastered from the original tapes (such a shame they didn’t do their research and missed out on including the remix album or the white label only mixes) but in relation to the first two albums this was the runt of the litter which barely scratched the charts while the first album has Fade To Grey and The Anvil was a bigger hit than its predecessor.
I’ve read on so many blogs about how many fans want the first album remastered and released as a deluxe (including the never released Eve of Destruction, All The Kings Horses and the vinyl only release of the original We Move plus goodness knows what else, e.g. pre-Midge mixed versions of Blocks On Blocks and Visage) and a quality remaster and deluxe of The Anvil. Even when Steve Strange died there was no interest in reissuing to cash in on the bands music being in the news, almost unheard of in music executive/accountants circles.
So what’s going on?