Title - 'Sons And Lovers: Expanded Edition'
Artist - Hazel O'Connor
For those not in the know, Hazel O'Connor is a British singer-songwriter and actress who became famous in the early 1980s with hit singles 'Eighth Day', 'D-Days' and 'Will You', as well as starring in the film Breaking Glass.
Her film debut was in Girls Come First in 1975. She became prominent as an actress and singer five years later in 1980 when playing the role of Kate in the film Breaking Glass, and performing its accompanying soundtrack.
Her performance as Kate won her the Variety Club of Great Britain Award for Best Film Actor. She was also nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music.
The film's soundtrack album featured songs written and performed by O'Connor and reached number 5 in the UK Albums Chart. It had a 38-week chart run and was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry.
Several tracks from the album were released as singles, the most successful being the previously mentioned 'Eighth Day' and 'Will You' which both reached the UK Top 10.
Subsequent albums released by O'Connor included Sons and Lovers (which featured the UK Top 10 hit single 'D Days'), Cover Plus, Smile, Private Wars and Five in the Morning.
O'Connor also collaborated with other artists, and made appearances in the video for Mick Karn's "The Sound Of Waves" and a cameo appearance in the 1983 Eurythmics video, "Who's That Girl?".
The aforementioned Sons And Lovers is now being released as an incredible expanded package in a deluxe digi-pack with a richly illustrated lyric booklet containing an introduction from Hazel OfConnor herself.
This expanded edition of Hazelfs landmark post-punk album contains three versions of the lead UK top ten single eD- Daysf; the album version, the better known Tony Visconti remixed version and the lesser known alternate eNewf version dating from 1981.
eD-Daysf, also known as eDecadent Daysf had been inspired by Hazel visiting a fledgling New Romantic nightclub in Londonfs eWest Endf and viewing the poseurs and gpeople looking very bizarreh of that new musical movement.
In many ways, Sons & Lovers is very much a bridge between epunkf and the enew wavef and, without a shadow of a doubt, is one of Hazel's best to date.
1. 'D-DAYS'
2. 'WAITING'
3. 'WHO WILL CARE?'
4. 'ZOO'
5. 'GIGOLO'
6. 'DO WHAT YOU DO'
7. 'SONS AND LOVERS'
8. 'GLASS HOUSES'
9. 'AINfT IT FUNNY'
10. 'DANNY BOY'
11. 'BYE BYE'
12. 'TIME (AINfT ON OUR SIDE)'
BONUS TRACKS:
13. 'AINfT IT FUNNY' (LIVE)
14. 'SUFFRAGETTE CITY' (LIVE)
15. 'D-DAYS' (7 VISCONTI VERSION)
16. 'TIME IS FREE' (ORIGINAL e79 VERSION)
17. 'D-DAYS' (ALTERNATE f81 eNEWf VERSION)
We kick off brilliantly with the uber vibrant 'D-DAYS' which she backed with both the jaunty 'WAITING' and the trippy storytelling of 'WHO WILL CARE?'. The languishingly Bowie-esque 'ZOO' is then followed by the fervent sax-led 'GIGOLO', the passive new wave poetry of 'DO WHAT YOU DO', before the upbeat sax adorned title track is laid out before us.
The punchy 'GLASS HOUSES' is the followed by my all-time favorite HO song, the brilliant 'AINfT IT FUNNY', with her haunting rendition of 'DANNY BOY' along next. The original album then rounds out with the fun 'BYE BYE', and then finally the tell-it-like-it-is live breakdown of 'TIME (AINfT ON OUR SIDE).'
Amongst the five bonus track rarities included in this deluxe package are two live tracks from a celebrated 1980 live concert at the Dominion Theatre in London; a reworking of the album track eAinft It Funnyf and a spirited cover version of David Bowiefs eSuffragette Cityf which features Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran who, at that time, were Hazel OfConnorfs support act.
These tracks were originally featured as the B-sides of the 12h single of eTime (Ainft On Our Side)f, the second track to be taken as a single from the album. Another bonus track rarity is the very first version of eTime Is Freef that had been the B-side of Hazel OfConnorfs pre-eBreaking Glassf debut 1979 single.
www.cherryred.co.uk
Expanded Edition CD Purchase Link