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Post by Liebezeit on Jun 2, 2019 18:57:29 GMT
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Post by gazman on Jan 26, 2020 16:50:50 GMT
Yes, Olivia's 1979 album 'Totally Hot' was also issued in Sweden on Polar. I saw a copy in a 2nd-hand record shop in Malmö.
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Post by Alan on Nov 22, 2021 12:50:01 GMT
I got the deluxe edition of Physical as a birthday present to myself… I’d recommend it. I’d read some dreadful reviews of it on Amazon, particularly of the DVD mastering. However, most of the audio sounds great, and there’s a lot of different mixes that I’d never heard before. “(Livin’ In) Desperate Times” has an alternate vocal take towards the end where she sings some lines completely differently.
ABBA may have recently sang about the plight of bumble bees but Olivia was doing it 40 years ago in Silvery Rain (which was itself a cover version). Definitely an overlooked album, particularly in the UK where only the single Landslide did better than in the US or Australia.
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Post by Michal on Nov 25, 2021 14:00:07 GMT
I got the deluxe edition of Physical as a birthday present to myself… And I thought I was the only one who buys birthday and Christmas presents to myself  I have ordered the album too but I don't have it yet. I hope that more of her albums will receive the deluxe treatment, as you said in one of your posts. Many of her albums are hard to come by, especially if you're not after budget reissue. |
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Post by Alan on Nov 26, 2021 8:47:53 GMT
I hope that more of her albums will receive the deluxe treatment, as you said in one of your posts. Many of her albums are hard to come by, especially if you're not after budget reissue. Yes, it’s mentioned in the CD booklet that Primary Wave now have control/ownership of most of her entire recorded output, so this should be the first of many issues. No idea what they’re going to do next though, whether they’ll carry on with 1980s stuff or go back to the 1970s. I’d like to think that the Totally Hot issue will have all her songs from Grease and Xanadu, but not totally sure if Primary Wave have the rights to that. There is one song from Xanadu (“You Made Me Love You”) that’s never had a CD release. |
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Post by HOMETIME on Nov 26, 2021 9:42:28 GMT
What is the video quality like on the DVD, Alan ? I downloaded the album and enjoy it. I'm not sure how often I'd watch the DVD (I'm a casual fan/admirer). I was listening to Physical again last week and it's as good as I remember from when I bought the original vinyl in *cough* the late 1900s. But the bonus tracks really took me by surprise. I bought GHV2 when I was on holiday in the US in 1982. I liked Heart Attack and Tied Up without particularly loving them (Magic and A Little More Love have always been my faves on that set). But they really jump out in this new setting, and sound really fresh. Tied Up is really lovely. But the shiniest gem in the set is Twist Of Fate. I fell in love with it about 10 years ago after not having heard it for years and it has been among my most-played songs since. Desperate Times is OK. The production reminds me of Bucks Fizz records from the same era (not a criticism in my book) but the tune is less engaging. I played the Soul Kiss album straight after and was surprised at how good it is. The title track has aged really well. The production is creamy and the performance is lovely. I like Toughen Up more now than I did back then. Even the daft Overnight Observation is fun (if someone had told me that Bjorn had a hand in these lyrics, I mightn't be too surprised). I think the problem for fans awaiting these reissues is that there is a very small team doing a LOT of work. The excellent Vinny Vero seems to be doing a massive amount of the technical work himself. And it's all a labour of love. He loves Olivia. He loves Sheena Easton (her recent Definitive Singles set was done really well and the reissue of A Private Heaven is ready for release). He's a MASSIVE ABBA fan too, having run a/the US fanclub in the 80s. As fans go, he's particularly blessed: he got to remix singles from Frida's Djupa Andetag (Alla Mina Basta Ar and Ogonen) and he did the dance remixes of her collab with The Real Group on Dancing Queen. He seems to be working flat out on a TON of different reissue projects, so we'll probably need to manage our expectations and our need for instant gratification when it comes to release timelines. There are legalities to consider and sometimes the artist can slow things down too. |
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Post by Michal on Nov 26, 2021 11:26:52 GMT
I hope that more of her albums will receive the deluxe treatment, as you said in one of your posts. Many of her albums are hard to come by, especially if you're not after budget reissue. Yes, it’s mentioned in the CD booklet that Primary Wave now have control/ownership of most of her entire recorded output, so this should be the first of many issues. No idea what they’re going to do next though, whether they’ll carry on with 1980s stuff or go back to the 1970s. I’d like to think that the Totally Hot issue will have all her songs from Grease and Xanadu, but not totally sure if Primary Wave have the rights to that. There is one song from Xanadu (“You Made Me Love You”) that’s never had a CD release. Is it known how often they will release them? Olivia's back catalogue is huge, so I hope it will happen faster than one album a year, or I'll be in my sixties before they finish the series. I would prefer if they started with her earlier stuff. As for the Grease and Xanadu songs - since they regularly appear on various Greatest Hits' and Best Ofs, I think there won't be an issue with rights. |
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Post by Michal on Nov 26, 2021 11:30:32 GMT
I think the problem for fans awaiting these reissues is that there is a very small team doing a LOT of work. The excellent Vinny Vero seems to be doing a massive amount of the technical work himself. And it's all a labour of love. He loves Olivia. He loves Sheena Easton (her recent Definitive Singles set was done really well and the reissue of A Private Heaven is ready for release). He's a MASSIVE ABBA fan too, having run a/the US fanclub in the 80s. As fans go, he's particularly blessed: he got to remix singles from Frida's Djupa Andetag (Alla Mina Basta Ar and Ogonen) and he did the dance remixes of her collab with The Real Group on Dancing Queen. He seems to be working flat out on a TON of different reissue projects, so we'll probably need to manage our expectations and our need for instant gratification when it comes to release timelines. There are legalities to consider and sometimes the artist can slow things down too. So it seems I'll be in my eighties before they finish the project 🤔 |
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Post by Alan on Nov 27, 2021 8:22:25 GMT
HOMETIME, I haven’t watched much of the DVD yet. I’ve seen some quite bad reviews of it on Amazon. I did watch a bit of the video album. The picture and sound quality was comparable with what’s on the Video Gold DVD. Apparently both parts of the DVD have loud noises at the end, and the concert footage isn’t in great quality, but I’ve not seen those for myself yet. As with most of these things, the emphasis is on the audio. The DVD can be regarded as an extra with not that much effort put into it. The videos for the Two of a Kind songs, not to mention Tied Up and Heart Attack, aren’t present. Thankfully I have the Video Gold compilation so it’s not a problem for me. Perhaps they’ll include them on the Soul Kiss release (as, aside from that the five videos made for that album, I don’t think there’s much else they can include).
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Post by HOMETIME on Nov 28, 2021 12:11:28 GMT
Coincidentally, I stumbled upon the Olivia episode of Sky Arts' Video Killed The Radio Star yesterday. It looked at the making of the video album for Physical and the Two Of A Kind videos. It was a fun watch. I imagine it'd take a lot of expensive work, but wouldn't it be nice to have those clips updated to 4K? I hadn't realised that Physical got the first ever video Grammy, or the Brian Grant also directed Kim Wilde's earlier videos.
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Post by Alan on Nov 28, 2021 14:06:52 GMT
Is that the one where she was interviewed by Brian Grant? And included the video for Shaking You? I saw it a few years ago, I must watch it again.
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Post by HOMETIME on Nov 28, 2021 17:30:17 GMT
That's the one! Some nice insights about the various clips. Olivia came across so well: very unaffected, very likeable.
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I have ordered the album too but I don't have it yet. I hope that more of her albums will receive the deluxe treatment, as you said in one of your posts. Many of her albums are hard to come by, especially if you're not after budget reissue.