Phil Harding Club Mixes of the 80s

 

 

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With a CV resembling a 'Who's Who' of the music industry, the career of remixer/producer PHIL HARDING spans over 30 years - from recording The Clash and Elton John in the 70s, to remixing and producing top club/dance/pop acts in the 80s/90s, to recently working with Lamont Dozier in L.A.

In the 80s, working out of a basement studio in the Pete Waterman-owned PWL studio complex (with production partner Ian Curnow), Phil Harding club mixes and productions dominated the dancefloors and club charts on an international scale. On this long-awaited, remastered double-CD package are 25 sought-after classic 80s remixes and rarities - including 10 US Dance Chart hits (4 reaching No 1) and UK club and singles chart successes too numerous to mention (and many first-time-on-CD). A must-have release for 80s club, dance and pop devotees alike, it features...

- Motown stars... DIANA ROSS, THE FOUR TOPS, MICHAEL JACKSON WITH THE JACKSON 5, JIMMY RUFFIN (best known for 'What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted')

- Hit 80s artists... ABC, HOLLY JOHNSON, EIGHTH WONDER & THE PET SHOP BOYS, IMAGINATION, BASIA (MATT BIANCO), BLOW MONKEYS, FIVE STAR, GODLEY & CREME, RICK ASTLEY and DEAD OR ALIVE

- Previously unreleased tracks and mixes... JIMMY RUFFIN stunning unreleased production, RICK ASTLEY (2 unreleased mixes including the original 'Never Gonna Give You Up' Club Mix + 2 unreleased Harding/Curnow productions) and a planned SINITTA 1990 re-launch with a Madonna 'Vogue'-style club sound.

- Comprehensive colour booklet... packed with new research, Phil Harding mix commentary and interviews on an unprecedented scale (equivalent to an extra 5 chapters-worth if included in the Phil Harding book)... In addition to an in-depth brand new interview with Phil Harding and Ian Curnow together on 'the making of' these tracks and beyond, there are interviews with 10 other artists/industry personnel involved with these tracks back-in-the-day.

The CD is a tie-in release with Harding's recent 600-page book ''PWL From The Factory Floor'', the inside story of PWL Studios, whose vast array of hits for other artists - beyond KYLIE MINOGUE and JASON DONOVAN - included the PET SHOP BOYS, FIVE STAR, DONNA SUMMER, MEL & KIM, BANANARAMA, ERASURE, GARY MOORE, CHIC and DOLLAR - as well as working with unknown industry newcomer SIMON COWELL.

The book explains what went on behind-the-scenes at the 24/7 studio and has sections on working with well-known artists, in-depth interviews, commentaries on classic mixes and a technical section with something for everyone - including how to mix a Number 1 hit and revealing some of the techniques and wizardry of working in the record industry.

CD1 [See the key below for track rarity symbols]
01. Michael Jackson with The Jackson 5 - I Want You Back ['88] (12" Remix) *
02. Eighth Wonder - I'm Not Scared (10'' Remix) @@
03. ABC - When Smokey Sings (The Miami Mix)
04. Diana Ross - Love Hangover ['88] (12'' Version) @
05. Rick Astley - She Wants To Dance With Me (Original Extended R'n'B Version) +
06. Four Tops - Reach Out I'll Be There ['88] (12'' Remix) @@
07. Holly Johnson - Americanos (PWL Extended Version) @
08. Godley & Creme - Snack Attack (Extended Remix) @
09. Jimmy Ruffin - Easy Just To Say (I Love You) (Extended Club Mix) @@
10. Basia - Until You Come Back To Me (Phil Harding 12'' Remix) @
11. Rick Astley - Til The Day That I Die +
12. Dead Or Alive - You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) (Murder Mix) #

CD2
01. Blue Mercedes - I Want To Be Your Property (DEF B4 Dishonour Mix) @@
02. Pepsi & Shirlie - Heartache (Dot & Daisy's Club Remix)
03. Imagination - Instinctual (Jack Leee Freak Mix) @@
04. Blow Monkeys - Digging Your Scene (Remix) @@
05. Rick Astley - Stay With Me Tonight +
06. Fe Fi Fo Fum - Beat Your Body (Manhattan Mix) @@
07. The Blue August Project - Oxygen (Extended Dance Version) @
08. Sinitta - Body Shopping (New Vogue Version) +
09. XS-5 - I Need More (Extended Dance Version) @
10. Agents Aren't Aeroplanes - The Upstroke (12'') @@
11. Jimmy Ruffin - Truly Yours +
12. Five Star - Rain Or Shine (Remix)
13. Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Phil Harding 12" Mix) +

+ Previously unreleased
@@ First time on CD
@ First time on CD in the UK
* Rare on CD
# First time on CD from studio master original

The sound quality of this x2 album is just amazing! It's been remastered in 24Bit! The 2CD Set comes with a x16 page glossy booklet, with loads of background information; technical remixing details and colour photos of each release.

Technically this is a great collection and Phil Harding and the Cherry Pop team score 10/10 for producing this.

Musically - although most of these track were remixed at PWL, they sound hollow and lack the 'magic, glitter & stars' of pure Stock Aitken & Waterman productions.
They are not Stock Aitken Waterman quality productions, and sound mostly like misses than hits (underground club hits at best)

It's an interesting vintage collection. Sonically near perfect.

Production wise, if the "Phil Harding" mix of Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" were released as back in 1987, it would NOT have been a hit. The 'magic, glitter & stars' of a pure Stock Aitken & Waterman production is 100% missing.

Stock Aitken & Waterman some how created a world of musical extasy in their records. They made perfect pop records!

I give this 3 stars because it deserves to be in your collection if u were a PWL phil harding fan 20 year ago and u must check out phil's work but this cd has almost nothing to do with the PWL YEARS. Except a few tracks all the rest are work phil did outside pwl's influence and that's great cause we will discover songs and remixes we didn't had so far but on the other hand the title of this cd is a little...misleading cause many fans would think this is another PWL release of past greatness...

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