[2019-01-25] Bananarama "Drama" (3CD) and "Viva" (2CD) Expanded Editions (SFE UK)

Linda · **Posted:** Sun Nov 25, 2018 6:54 pm

Drama

Description
The first ever expanded edition of Bananarama’s ninth studio album, 2005’s “Drama”, includes all the commercially released club remixes, edits and dubs of its two singles as well as the original album’s bonus tracks and a non-album CD Single ‘B’-side, ‘Live In The Sun’ to complete this comprehensive 3 disc celebration.

Lead single ‘Move In My Direction’ put Bananarama back in the UK singles charts for the first time in 12 years reaching #14 in August 2005, then their dancefloor smash, a re-versioning of classic Italo Disco track ‘Look On The Floor (Hypnotic Tango)’ gave them a #26 hit just 3 months later. “Drama” was also the first album to be released in Bananarama’s native UK for 12 years, heralding a British ‘comeback’ of sorts!

This deluxe packaged re-issue, comes with a full colour 20 page lyric and photo booklet including a specially written introduction from Keren and Sara. The album, an upbeat electro-pop blend of elements of 70s disco and contemporary electronica, employed a number of top end collaborators.

Bananarama worked with a select team of world renowned producers and songwriters, including Ian Masterson, Mute8 and Sweden’s Murlyn; a production team that created an album of eleven newly recorded electropop tracks that were originally released with two bonus tracks re-instated herewith; Marc Almond’s Hi-NRG remix of a version of their 1986 smash hit ‘Venus’ and an all new remix of a version of their 1982 hit, ‘Really Saying Something’ – which had been an underground club hit produced by Solasso.

Tracklist
[CD1: Original Album & Bonus Tracks]
1. Move In My Direction
2. Look On The Floor (Hypnotic Tango)
3. Waterfall
4. Frequency
5. Feel For You
6. Don’t Step On My Groove
7. Middle Of Nowhere
8. I Love The Way
9. Lovebite
10. Rules Of Attraction
11. Your Love Is Like A Drug
12. Live In The Sun
13. Venus (Marc Almond’s Hi-NRG Showgirls Mix)
14. Really Saying Something (Solasso Mix)

[CD2: Full Length Dance Remixes]
1. Move In My Direction (Bobby Blanco & Miki Moto Vocal Mix)
2. Look On The Floor (Hypnotic Tango) (Solasso Remix)
3. Move In My Direction (The Lovefreekz Club Mix)
4. Look On The Floor (Hypnotic Tango) (Soul Seekerz Remix)
5. Move In My Direction (Angel City Club Remix)
6. Look On The Floor (Hypnotic Tango) (Angel City Extended Remix)
7. Move In My Direction (Redanka’s Fascination Remix)
8. Look On The Floor (Hypnotic Tango) (Yomanda Remix)
9. Move In My Direction (Pat The Cat Ibiza Mix)
10. Move In My Direction (Redanka’s Fascination Instrumental)

[CD3: Remix Edits & Dub Remixes]
1. Move In My Direction (Angel City Remix Edit)
2. Look On The Floor (Hypnotic Tango) (Angel City Short Mix)
3. Move In My Direction (Bobby Blanco & Miki Moto Vocal Edit)
4. Move In My Direction (The Lovefreekz Radio Edit)
5. Move In My Direction (Pat The Cat Edit)
6. Look On The Floor (Hypnotic Tango) (Solasso Remix Dub)
7. Move In My Direction (The Lovefreekz Dub)
8. Look On The Floor (Hypnotic Tango) (Soul Seekerz Remix Dub)
9. Move In My Direction (Angel City Dub)
10. Look On The Floor (Hypnotic Tango) (Yomanda Dub Remix)
11. Move In My Direction (Bobby Blanco & Miki Moto Dub)
12. Move In My Direction (Pat The Cat Dub)

Amazon USA
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KLRS8P2/?tag=imwan-20

Amazon UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07KLRS8P2/?tag=imwan-21

Viva

Description
Bananarama’s tenth studio album, 2009’s “Viva”, remains their most electro sounding collection to date. It was a collaboration with celebrated producer, composer, songwriter and remixer Ian Masterson, whose credits include work with Girls Aloud, Kylie Minogue and the Pet Shop Boys.

His instinctive grasp of Bananarama’s sound, spirit and energy resulted in some monumental feel-good pop-dance music. Amongst the album’s many highlights is ‘Seventeen’, which unfolds as an undulating, low-slung electro number with the vocals recalling the all-consuming thrill of first time love. There’s also the seductive vibe of the track ‘Extraordinary’ and the unforgettable lead single ‘Love Comes’, an out and out celebratory dancefloor smash! The album is a veritable masterclass in melodic, upbeat pop. It was also the album on which Sara and Keren both started to play bass guitar again after a 17 year break!

“Viva” originated as a discofied cover versions album, but Sara and Keren changed their mind on this approach half way through recording, in response to their, then, record company actively preferring their original compositions to the array of disco styled cover versions. Just three of these originally chosen cover versions made it through to the final track listing of ‘Viva’. ‘Rapture’ had been originally recorded by trance act iiO in 2001 and had been both a dance floor and chart smash hit throughout Europe and the United States. The second cover version included was Bananarama’s inventive take on the 1978 disco classic ‘The Runner’ by The Three Degrees and an earlier pop track ‘S-S-S-Single Bed’ from 1976 was the last cover version selected. This had originally been recorded by Fox.

Four additional cover version rarities, originally made available as either bonus ‘download only’ album tracks or as B-sides on the related singles, have also been included in this deluxe expanded edition. These were ‘Voyage, Voyage’, the 1986 worldwide, anthemic, Europop hit by French singer Desireless; Bryan Adams’ pop/rock classic ‘Run To You’ from 1984; the Simon and Garfunkel folk-pop songbook standard ‘The Sound Of Silence’, first released by them in 1965 and Bryan Ferry’s 1977 single and solo album track ‘Tokyo Joe’. All of these tracks can be found on this comprehensive 30 track 2 disc expanded edition of “Viva” along with all the commercially available remixes, and edits thereof, that were released across the various formats of both of the album’s two singles; ‘Love Comes’ and ‘Love Don’t Live Here’. This release comes with a richly illustrated 20 page booklet including an introductory message from Sara and Keren.

Also included is the promotional Buzz Junkies dance remix and edit of the album cut, the girl’s deftly executed re-work of The Three Degrees track ‘The Runner’ as originally co-written by Sheila Ferguson and the legendary disco producer Giorgio Moroder.

Tracklist
[CD1: Original Album, Bonus Tracks & Edits]
1. Love Comes
2. Love Don’t Live Here
3. Rapture
4. Seventeen
5. Twisting
6. Tell Me Tomorrow
7. The Runner
8. Extraordinary
9. Dum Dum Boy
10. S-S-S-Single Bed
11. We’ve Got The Night
12. The Sound Of Silence
13. Run To You
14. Love Comes (Radio Edit)
15. Love Don’t Live Here (Radio Mix)
16. Love Comes (Riff & Rhys Radio Mix)
17. The Runner (Buzz Junkies 7” Mix)
18. Love Comes (Wideboys Club Edit)
19. Love Comes (Wideboys A-Mix)

[CD2: Extended Dance Remixes & Original Singles’ Bonus Tracks]
1. Love Comes (Ian Masterson’s Extended Mix)
2. Love Don’t Live Here (Ian Masterson’s Extended Mix)
3. Love Comes (Wideboys Club Mix)
4. The Runner (Buzz Junkies 12” Mix)
5. Love Comes (Riff & Rhys Club Mix)
6. Here Comes The Rain
7. Voyage Voyage
8. Tokyo Joe
9. Cruel Summer ’09
10. Every Shade Of Blue ’10
11. Love Comes (Wideboys Dub)

Amazon USA
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KLPTXDL/?tag=imwan-20

Amazon UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07KLPTXDL/?tag=imwan-21

David Baker · 31 Oct 2006

More great news, Linda. Apart from "Move In My Direction," I'm not a huge fan of Drama overall, but Viva is an instant purchase. IMO, it's easily their best effort since the '80s glory days. And "Love Comes" might well be my favorite dance song released in the past decade. It, "Love Don't Live Here" and "Runner" have all remained on my gym iPod since the album came out nine years ago, and I still love it when one of them pops up on shuffle play. Once I realized "Runner" was a cover of a Three Degrees song I hadn't heard, I tracked down its parent album and bought a copy of that, too. Thank you for posting this!

Linda · **Posted:** Wed Mar 20, 2019 6:02 pm

Bump: Updated the cover images in the first post to the full packshots.

David Baker · 31 Oct 2006

With "Viva" at least, the packaging looks more impressive than it is; the outer and inner cardboard sleeves are really flimsy. The booklet is good, though, and I am thrilled with the expanded selection of music.

[2019-01-25] Bananarama "Drama" (3CD) and "Viva" (2CD) Expanded Editions (SFE UK)

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