The band’s classic 1985 album Strength has been expanded, remastered and revised and will be made available for pre-release online and in record stores worldwide from today February 4th 2019 onwards.
All titles have been remastered from the original master tapes by mastering engineer Pete Maher (u2, White Stripes…) under the supervision of Mike Peters.
The comprehensive re-mastering process has been undertaken to allow the band’s music to fully embrace digital and online streaming services and ensure the music of The Alarm can be listened to by future generations as intended by the band when recorded and committed to tape for all time.
Strength 1985-1986 is being released through The Twenty-First Century Recording Company – which has been ‘home’ to all Mike Peters and The Alarm music since 1994.
Strength 1985-1986 is being officially released to record stores on March 15th 2019, in both Double CD and Vinyl LP formats and also on all online music streaming services.
Painstakingly put together by Mike Peters from original sources, the ‘Strength 1985-1986’ CD Edition brings together all three original 1985/86 Alarm singles and B-sides from the era, two of which have never been released in CD or digital formats, including the ‘Strength 7″ single version, and the ‘Spirit Of ’76 7″ Single version.
Strength 1985-1986 has also has been restored to its original 1985 running order with the US version featuring on the CD that includes the album session version of ‘Absolute Reality’.
STRENGTH 1985-1986 CD Editon – 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. The Second disc 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.
STRENGTH 1985-1986 CD ONE – Original US album, Singles and B-sides Remastered.
KNIFE EDGE [Album Master]
STRENGTH [Album Master]
DAWN CHORUS [Album Master]
SPIRIT OF ’76 [Album Master]
DEESIDE [Album Master]
FATHER TO SON [Album Master]
ONLY THE THUNDER [Album Master]
THE DAY THE RAVENS LEFT THE TOWER [Album Master]
ABSOLUTE REALITY [Album Master – CD / Digital ONLY]
WALK FOREVER BY MY SIDE [Album Master]
STRENGTH [7″ SINGLE VERSION]
MAJORITY [Strength B-SIDE]
STRENGTH [12″ POWER MIX]
ABSOLUTE REALITY [IMPROMPTU ACOUSTIC VERSION]
SPIRIT OF ’76 [7″ SINGLE VERSION]
CAROLINE ISENBERG [Knife Edge B-SIDE]
STRENGTH 1985-1986 CD TWO [ALTERNATIVE STRENGTH ALBUM VERSIONS AND STUDIO SESSION OUT TAKES]
INTRO
GET IT ON [OUTTAKE]
DAWN CHORUS [OUTTAKE FROM ROUNDHOUSE STUDIOS]
SUMMERTIME BLUES [OUTTAKE]
KNIFE EDGE [ROUGH MIX FROM ROUNDHOUSE STUDIOS]
ALARM ALARM / RADAR LOVE [OUTTAKE]
ONLY THE THUNDER [OUTTAKE FROM MARCUS STUDIOS]
BURN [OUTTAKE]
SPIRIT OF ’76 [OUTTAKE FROM MARCUS STUDIOS]
WALK ON THE WILD SIDE [OUTTAKE]
FOR TOMORROW [OUTTAKE FROM MARCUS STUDIOS]
VICIOUS [OUTTAKE]
DEESIDE [OUTTAKE FROM MARCUS STUDIOS]
ALL RIGHT NOW [OUTTAKE]
ABSOLUTE REALITY [OUTTAKE FROM MARCUS STUDIOS]
UNKNOWN [OUTTAKE]
THE DAY THE RAVENS LEFT THE TOWER [OUTTAKE FROM MARCUS STUDIOS]
COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN [OUTTAKE]
ONE STEP CLOSER TO HOME [OUTTAKE FROM MARCUS STUDIOS]
MAGGIE MAY / MAGGIE’S FARM / STAND DOWN MARGARET [OUTTAKE]
BRASS BAND [OUTTAKE]
WALK FOREVER BY MY SIDE [OUTTAKE FROM MARCUS STUDIOS]
UNTITLED JAM SESSION [OUTTAKE]
STRENGTH [OUTTAKE FROM MARCUS STUDIOS]
OUTRO
‘Strength 1985-1986’ Vinyl Edition also features many additional and unseen photographs exclusive to the format and the vinyl LP has exclusive unreleased demo versions of what would have been the ‘Absolute Reality’ album.
NB: All additional and unreleased tracks on the CD are EXCLUSIVE to the CD format.
STRENGTH 1985-1986 – DOUBLE VINYL LP / GATEFOLD SLEEVE
The Alarm’s most iconic and best selling album Strength is reissued on Double Vinyl LP with the original 1985 UK album pressing.
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.
SIDE ONE & TWO – Features the UK album remastered from the original 1985 mix and running order.
SIDE THREE & FOUR – 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’.
LP SIDE ONE – ORIGINAL UK ALBUM Remastered
KNIFE EDGE [Album Master]
STRENGTH [Album Master]
DAWN CHORUS [Album Master]
SPIRIT OF ’76 [Album Master]
LP SIDE TWO – ORIGINAL UK ALBUM Remastered
DEESIDE [Album Master]
FATHER TO SON [Album Master]
ONLY THE THUNDER [Album Master]
THE DAY THE RAVENS LEFT THE TOWER [Album Master]
WALK FOREVER BY MY SIDE [Album Master]
LP SIDE THREE – [ABSOLUTE REALITY ALBUM DEMOS]
ABSOLUTE REALITY [Demo]
SONS OF DIVORCE [Demo]
ONE STEP CLOSER TO HOME [Demo]
THE DAY THE RAVENS LEFT THE TOWER [Demo]
STEELTOWN [Demo]
WE ARE MAJORITY [Demo]
LP SIDE FOUR – [ABSOLUTE REALITY ALBUM DEMOS PLUS SOUNDCHECK AND STUDIO DEMOS]
KNIFE EDGE [Demo]
MEMORIAL DAY [Demo]
BLACK SIDE OF FORTUNE [Demo]
GIVE ME LOVE [Soundcheck Demo]
IN THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY [Pluto Studios Demo]
RIVER STILL TO CROSS [Marcus Studio Demo]
NB: All additional and unreleased tracks on the LP are EXCLUSIVE to the LP format.
STRENGTH 1985-1986 – DIGITAL RELEASE
The Alarm’s most iconic and best selling album Strength is reissued digitally with the original 1985 US album pressing which includes the band’s preferred version of Absolute Reality (It was left off the UK Version of the album).
DIGITAL RELEASE – Features the US album track listing along with previously unreleased and alternative 7″ mixes of 1985’s Strength single that has never been heard before, along with an unreleased alternative 7″ mix of the 1986 ‘Spirit Of ’76’ single. Also included is the band’s preferred ‘lost’ mix of the Knife Edge single B-side ‘Caroline Isenberg’, along with a recently discovered 1986 radio mix of ‘Absolute Reality’ that has never been released until now.
The digital formats also include a remastered version of the Absolute Flexi Disc recording that was originally issued as part of the band’s tour program and remastered versions of all the ‘live’ tracks that were used as b-sides for the 1986 ‘Spirit Of ’86’ UK ONLY single release and also the ‘Live For Life’ US Only compilation album track ‘Howling Wind’ which was sourced from the same live concert in Boston from November 9th 1985.
21C105 ORIGINAL 1985 US ALBUM, UNRELEASED EXTRAS AND LIVE B-SIDES
KNIFE EDGE [Album Master]
STRENGTH [Album Master]
DAWN CHORUS [Album Master]
SPIRIT OF ’76 [Album Master]
DEESIDE [Album Master]
FATHER TO SON [Album Master]
ONLY THE THUNDER [Album Master]
THE DAY THE RAVENS LEFT THE TOWER [Album Master]
ABSOLUTE REALITY [Album Master – CD / Digital ONLY]
WALK FOREVER BY MY SIDE [Album Master]
ONE STEP CLOSER TO HOME [Radio Session Version]
WALK FOREVER BY MY SIDE [Radio Session Version]
ABSOLUTE FLEXI DISC
STRENGTH 7″ [Unreleased alternative single mix]
SPIRIT OF ’76 [UNRELEASED ALT SINGLE VERSION]
CAROLINE ISENBERG [UNRELEASED Band Mix]
ABSOLUTE REALITY [UNRELEASED 1986 RADIO MIX]
WHERE WERE YOU HIDING WHEN THE STORM BROKE? [LIVE]
DEESIDE [LIVE]
HOWLING WIND [LIVE]
SIXTY EIGHT GUNS [LIVE]
KNOCKING ON HEAVEN’S DOOR [LIVE]
NB: All additional and unreleased tracks on the Digital Format are EXCLUSIVE to the Digital format.
‘Strength 1985-1986′ will be able to pre-order from Monday, February 4th in CD, LP and Limited Edition Formats at thealarm.com
‘Strength 1985-1986′ is also available to pre-order from international stores and to pre-save in its digital format online
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