After more than 20 years, there is finally a CD available of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_nails" target="_blank">The Nails</a>' 'Mood Swing' -- the album from which the pop hit "88 Lines About 44 Women" came.

RCA, or rather parent company Sony-BMG Entertainment, finally agreed to license their two albums to the band and so after all this time they're finally putting them out, independently. I bought 'Mood Swing' at <a href="http://cdbaby.com/cd/nails" target="_blank">CDBaby.com</a>.

I had 88 Lines on one of Rhino's new wave hits compilations, but it was the old pre-RCA version and I like the RCA version best. The new CD also has a third version as a bonus track which I think is a modern remix they worked on after getting the tapes late last year.

Thanks for the info. I'll be ordering a copy straight away!

Does this new release have all three versions?

No, it only has the RCA version and a new remix:



>> Mood Swing -- The Nails' 1984 album is finally on CD! Remastered from the original RCA tapes with bonus tracks! Contains the hit version of 88 Lines about 44 Women plus Home of the Brave, both of which continue to garner airplay over 20 years after its vinyl release. <<

1. Every Time I Touch You
2. Dark Brown
3. 88 Lines about 44 Women
4. Home of the Brave
5. Let It All Hang Out
6. Mood Swing
7. Phantom Heart
8. Juanita Juanita
9. She Is Everything to Me
10. White Wall
11. 88 Lines about 44 Women (remix)
12. Let It All Hang Out (remix)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000QJLLSA/?tag=imwan-20

"88 Lines" has appeared on a number of new wave/80s comps. Richard Blade's Flashback Favorites (Vol. 1) includes the RCA LP version. I definitely remember seeing a 12" single back then, but don't have one to compare to the bonus remix on this new CD.

I bought CD-Rs of "Mood Swing" and "Dangerous Dreams" directly from the band's website some time ago. Apparently they were not too happy that the stuff wasn't in print. I was particularly happy to get the latter, because I always liked "Things You Left Behind", which was very similar in style to "88 Lines About 44 Women". I wonder if "Dangerous Dreams" will ever get this treatment and get an official release?

Years ago, I taped a copy of the Mood Swing album from a friend. While "88 Lines . . . " is certainly a keeper, it's far from the only great song on this set. Other standouts include "Let It All Hang Out" and "Juanita Juanita". However, the whole album is pretty solid.

This one's on my list.

Yes, Dangerous Dreams is next. According to their website they've received the supply and are about to send them to CDBaby, etc.

I wonder what their bootleg CDs from a few years back were sourced from? Not that it matters now that they got the actual masters from RCA from which they are making this first official release, but still, I wonder.

I got my Nails CD in the mail today. Happy to report that the bonus remixes are the A & B sides of the original 12" single of "88 Lines," issued by RCA in 1985. Nice package all around for an indy release.

P.S. Didja ever notice that the melody underneath the tick-tock synths on "88 Lines" bears more than a passing resemblance to Chad & Jeremy's "A Summer Song"?

Okay, I'm confused.

What's the difference between the two versions of 88 Lines about 44 Women on "Mood Swing" and the three versions that are on "Corpus Christi?"

If you get Mood Swing you get the two RCA versions
-album version, and
-12" version
in state of the art quality. These are the versions you likely heard on the radio those years ago.

If you get Corpus Christi (against the band's wishes) you get
-the early 1981 (pre-RCA) version,
-a version that sounds similar to the RCA version, but is not
-and a weird "house" remix of the sounds-similar-to-the-RCA-version
I am not sure what the origin is of the "sounds-similar-to-the-RCA-version", but a guess would be that they re-recorded it at the time of Corpus Christi in a manner that was faithful to the RCA version as a way of making up for the unavailability of the RCA version.

FYI..."Dangerous Dreams" is now showing on the CDBaby website. You can also order both titles directly from the band's website.


http://cdbaby.com/cd/nails


http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/nails2

http://www.the-nails.com/

Another archive release from The Nails. Got this news in my inbox this afternoon:



"Hotel for Women CD - just released and available!

Many of you have emailed us through the years asking about when/if Hotel for Women would be released on CD. Hotel for Women was the record that "put The Nails on the map" in 1981. It contains the original version of 88 Lines about 44 Women which first began to get airplay in the UK, USA and elsewhere as the record became more widely available.

The main impediment to a CD release was that the E.P contained only 3 or 4 songs, depending on the pressing you purchased. 4 songs are not enough for a full-length CD. As the digital age shaped up, the dearth of songs would be less of an impediment since a CD wasn't necessary; we could sell via digital download.

While researching the project, however, tapes of the 1981 Hotel sessions were discovered which consisted of 5 additional songs besides the songs that appear on the 3 (or 4) song E.P. Some of the songs were completely finished, some had in-studio live vocals and some were even improvised; all were excellent and show a side of The Nails hardly anyone has ever heard, as they grew into the band most people are familiar with. Additional material was discovered from 1982 recording sessions. Most of these songs were also never released. We've decided to leave nothing out. So without further adieu,

Hotel for Women CD - the 1981 4-song E.P. that introduced 88 Lines about 44 Women to the world, has been remastered and expanded to contain not only the original 4 songs, but a TON of unreleased bonus tracks, over 60 minutes of great music. Highlights include:

* The only available completely remastered original version of 88 Lines about 44 Women
* The entire 1981 Hotel for Women recording session consisting of 5 unreleased songs
* 1982 studio recordings including unreleased versions of 88 Lines about 44 Women, and much more
* CD digipak with beautifully restored artwork and a cover poster!

Hotel for Women CD is available on The Nails’ Store Page and will be available soon through other online retailers and at major download sites. Of course, the two RCA albums released on CD in 2007, Mood Swing and Dangerous Dreams, continue to be available on our store page and elsewhere."
http://www.the-nails.com/cdstore.html