On the 16th February 2015, Edsel Records will release two box sets spanning the career of the critically acclaimed post-punk band The Sound, providing the perfect opportunity to reappraise the output of this frequently overlooked, yet influential, group. 

 

Championed by John Peel, The Sound, who  could – perhaps should have – had an impact on the post-punk era on the level achieved by the likes of Joy Division, Echo & The Bunnymen or The Cure, consisted of the late Adrian Borland (vocals, guitar) and Graham Bailey (bass guitar), Mike Dudley (drums) and Benita "Bi" Marshall (keyboard, saxophone, clarinet) - the latter leaving before the release of its follow-up From The Lion’s Mouth to be replaced by the late Colvin "Max" Mayers.

 

The first box set is a comprehensive 4CD set featuring The Sound’s debut album Jeopardy (released in 1980 to 5 star reviews from NME, Melody Maker and Sounds), From The Lion’s Mouth and All Fall Down, the three legend-enshrining LPs they recorded for Korova/Warner Brothers between 1980-’82. Each has album has been remastered and is supplemented with rarities, B-sides, the recordings with Kevin Hewick, BBC Sessions and BBC Live In Concert recordings. 

 

The second box features 5CDs representing the second half of the story of The Sound. Following their three albums for Korova, The Sound signed for Statik Records, releasing the mini-album Shock Of Daylight, the full length album Head And Hearts and the double live LP In The Hothouse recorded at London’s Marquee. One further album, Thunder Up was release by Play It Again Sam in 1987 before the band called it a day the following year. All those recordings are included here with bonus B-sides, rare unheard demos and an unreleased track, Shimmer. Also included is the added bonus disc Propaganda, the collection of recordings made at Adrian Borland’s parents’ house in 1979 before the band signed for Korova.

 

Each of the box sets’ discs are housed in their original sleeve artwork, and are accompanied by a booklet containing the detailed track listings, artwork, publicity photographs and comprehensive liner notes. 

 

In addition to the box set releases, fans of The Sound can look forward to a documentary currently in production about the life and music of Adrian Borland and The Sound. Titled "Walking In The Opposite Direction", the project’s initiators, producer Jean-Paul van Mierlo, director Marc Waltman and cameraman Thijn Teeuwissen, spent a couple of days interviewing Adrian’s Father, Bob Borland, along with members of Adrian’s pre-The Sound band The Outsiders, Michael Dudley (The Sound) and some of Adrian closest friends. Entirely self-funded, the production team decided to use these pre-interviews and include them in a trailer for their crowdfunding campaign. 

 

To watch the trailer, and find out more about the documentary, please click HERE

 

TRACK LISTINGS

 

BOX SET 1

DISC ONE – JEOPARDY

I Can’t Escape Myself

Heartland 
Hour Of Need 
Words Fail Me 
Missiles 
Heyday 
Jeopardy 
Night Versus Day 
Resistance 
Unwritten Law 
Desire 
Physical World (Physical World EP) 
Brute Force (B-Side Of ‘Heyday’ Single) 
Heartland (Live Instinct EP) 
Brute Force (Live Instinct EP) 
Jeopardy (Live Instinct EP) 
Coldbeat (Live Instinct EP) 
Heartland (BBC Session October 1980) 
Unwritten Law (BBC Session October 1980) 
Jeopardy (BBC Session October 1980) 

I Can’t Escape Myself (BBC Session October 1980) 

DISC TWO - FROM THE LION’S MOUTH 
Winning 
Sense Of Purpose 
Contact The Fact 
Skeletons 
Judgement 
Fatal Flaw 
Possession 
The Fire 
Silent Air 
New Dark Age 
Point Of No Return (Single B-side) 
Hot House (Single B-side) 
Coldbeat (Single B-side) 
New Dark Age [Live] 
Fatal Flaw (BBC Session November 1981) 

Skeletons (BBC Session November 1981) 
Hothouse (BBC Session November 1981) 
New Dark Age (BBC Session November 1981) 

DISC THREE - ALL FALL DOWN 
All Fall Down 
Party Of The Mind 
Monument 
In Suspense 
Where The Love Is 
Song And Dance 
Calling The New Tune 
Red Paint 
Glass And Smoke 
We Could Go Far 
The One And A Half Minute Song (All Fall Down Sessions) 
Sorry (All Fall Down Sessions) 
As Feeling Dies (All Fall Down Sessions) 
We Could Go Far (unreleased original version) 
Plenty (This Cover Keeps Reality Unreal EP) 
Neath Dancing Waves (This Cover Keeps Reality Unreal EP) 
Amber (This Cover Keeps Reality Unreal EP) 
Scapegoat In A Country Churchyard (This Cover Keeps Reality Unreal EP) 

DISC FOUR - BBC LIVE IN CONCERT 
Originally broadcast 21st November 1981 

BBC Intro - Pete Drummond 
Unwritten Law 
Skeletons 
Fatal Flaw 
Winning 
Sense Of Purpose 
Heartland 
New Dark Age 
Originally broadcast 15th June 1985 
BBC Intro - Pete Drummond + Intro music 
Golden Soldiers 
Under You 
Total Recall 
Burning Part Of Me 
Whirlpool 
Missiles

 

BOX SET 2

DISC ONE – SHOCK OF DAYLIGHT 

Golden Soldiers 

Longest Days 

Counting The Days 

Winter 

New Way Of Life 

Dreams Then Plans 

‘Restless Songs and Golden Soldiers - The Lost Demo Recordings’

Golden Soldiers

A New Way Of Life

Counting The Days

Mining For Heart

Oiled

Steel Your Air

Fall Of Europe

Love Is Not A Ghost

Blood And Poison

Whirlpool

 

DISC TWO – HEARTS AND HEARTS

Whirpool 

Total Recall 

Under You 

Burning Part Of Me 

Love Is Not A Ghost 

Wildest Dreams 

One Thousand Reasons 

Restless Time 

Mining For Heart 

World As It Is 

Temperature Drop 

Bonus Tracks

Blood And Poison

Steel Your Air

Oiled

Shimmer

 

DISC THREE – IN THE HOTHOUSE (LIVE)

Winning 

Under You 

Total Recall 

Skeletons 

Prove Me Wrong 

Wildest Dreams 

Burning Part Of Me 

Heartland 

Hothouse 

Judgement 

Counting The Days 

Red Paint 

Silent Air 

Sense Of Purpose 

Missiles 

 

DISC FOUR - THUNDER UP

Acceleration Group

Hand Of Love

Barria Alta

Kinetic

Iron Years

Prove Me Wrong

Shot Up And Shut Down

Web Of Wicked Ways

I Give You Pain

Hand Of Love

You've Got A Way

B-sides

Iron Years (Remix)

I Give You Pain (Live)

Fall Of Europe

Such A Difference To Me

 

DISC FIVE - PROPAGANDA 

No Salvation 

Deep Breath 

Cost Of Living 

Quarter Past Two 

Night Vs. Day 

Physical World  

Statik 

Music Business 

Propaganda 

Words Fail Me 

One More Escape 

Missiles