These were intelligent but unapologetically catchy pop songs, so the triple-platinum-making throng of listeners were likely surprised when wandering into Songs from the Big Chair. Along with the passionate and beautiful singing and well-crafted pop writing they likely expected, there were recurring themes, tricky segues, instrumental DJ dance montages, jazzy torch songs, and icy synth minimalism. Imagine some William Zabka clone popping it into the Porsche tape deck for the first time and hearing stuff like "Broken" and "Listen". It must have unrolled the sleeves of his tweed blazer.
Songs from the Big Chair was that rare eighties smash that worked both as a bundle of irresistible hits and a genuine piece of art, so its fortieth anniversary was not going to pass unnoticed. For that milestone, we've received the record in a number of formats. The triple-disc CD is the most expansive, with the original album joined by 37 extra tracks: single edits, B-sides, outtakes, remixes, interviews, and so on. In a somewhat old-fashioned move, the vinyl editions are not nearly as bountiful as the CD one. There are single-LP "coke bottle clear" vinyl and picture disc editions of the original album. The weightiest option is a red vinyl double album with a bonus-disc alternate universe version of the proper album on LP 1.
The 2LP edition is the one I received for review. Its bonus LP includes such oddities as a more sedate and thin "alternate mix" of "Shout" that sounds like a totally different version, a minimalistic "piano" version of "The Working Hour" that's heavier on the synths than the piano, a horn embellished alternative single version of "Everybody Want to Rules the World", a cacophonous demo of "Broken", a rerecording of "I Believe", and a mostly instrumental early mix of "Mother's Talk" that sounds like a Duran Duran outtake. This stuff is fairly interesting if not revelatory.
Although a bit of surface grind is audible on LP 2, the music sounds livelier than what's on LP 1, which is a little flat and dull compared to my first pressing, though it still sounds pretty good. The vinyl is flat (the good kind of flat) and the spindle holes are well-centered. The double-LP also comes in a sleeve featuring unused art that got relegated to the shelf after Mercury decided to go with that iconic Bookends-esque B&W portrait of Roland and Curt instead.
