Description
The Alarm's most iconic and best-selling album Strength is reissued on Double CD / Digipak with the original 1985 US album pressing (which includes the band's preferred version of Absolute Reality that was left off the UK Version of the album). All tracks have been remastered from the original master tapes by Mike Peters and Pete Maher with extensive sleeve notes and quotes from original band members, plus a host of previously unseen photographs.
CD 1 features the US album along with the original 1985 7" version of Strength (with the guitar / vocal beginning), that has never been issued on CD before along with the 1986 7" single version of 'Spirit Of '76' which is also making its first ever appearance on CD. All four original 'Strength' period B-sides are included also.
CD 2 features 22 previously unreleased album session recordings including outtake versions (with different lyrics and guitar parts), for every song on Strength including an outtake of the unreleased electric version of 'One Step Closer To Home'. An in studio jam session of spontaneous and impromptu covers of Led Zeppelin, The Who, Free, T-Rex, Lou Reed and Deep Purple are featured between tracks along with a complete run through of the previously unreleased live in the studio version of Rod Stewart's Maggie May which segues into re-workings of The Beats 'Stand Down Margaret' and Bob Dylan's 'Maggie's Farm', providing a fascinating insight into The Alarm working together in the studio on the way to creating their magnum opus.
Side 1 & 2 features the UK album remastered from original 1985 mix and running order. Side 3 & 4 - Features 9 demo tapes for the original album concept of Absolute Reality including 3 previously unreleased songs 'Sons Of Divorce', 'Black Side Of Fortune' and 'Memorial Day'. All the demos were recorded with 'Strength' album recording engineer Nigel Luby and feature raw versions of Knife Edge and We Are Majority both with different lyrics along with the original version of 'Deeside' which was then known as 'Steeltown'. The album also includes the Strength' era soundcheck demo of the title song and two other unreleased studio demos of 'In The Cold Light Of Day' (which was originally written for The Who's Roger Daltrey), and Dave Sharp's 'River Still To Cross'.
LIVE DATES:
1st – 3rd February – The Gathering, Llandudno Wales
12th – 13th April – NY Gathering, NY USA
29th June – Cardiff University, Cardiff Wales