A Secret Wish (25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) [Collector's Edition, Extra tracks]

 

 

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"A Secret Wish", an album of mystery without explanation and a musical journey best undertaken in completeness, much like Roxy's "Avalon" or Frankie's "Pleasuredome". I can't actually believe it has taken 25 years for the definitive version of this magnificent recording to finally be realised.

Packaged beautifully in a fold out digipack with a 24 page booklet, the release continues to uphold the extremely high standards that I have now come to expect from ZTT, Union Square and project producer Ian Peel. There's attention to detail on the minutest scale, from the thoroughly researched band history right through to the pinpointing of tiny differences between analogue and digital versions of the same song. People with a passion for what they are doing go to this much trouble, and again, that is what continues to set this re-issue series apart from those of others. Well, that and the excellent audio quality which abounds here, thanks to every track being sourced and enhanced (note, `enhanced' not `maxxed out to oblivion') from the original masters. It appears that in the ZTT archives, the Propaganda catalogue has been well cared for, meaning that the very best of what was recorded at the time has been available for inclusion here.

Turning to the original album, Propaganda, or as one journalist dubbed them in 1985, "Abba in hell" (I love that!) delivered a moment in time. It was one of the truly great albums of the year, a sonic masterpiece that ran the whole gauntlet of contemporary music and beyond. "Jewel" remains one of the most disturbing pieces of music I have ever listened to, truly the complete opposite of "Duel", a great pop record that probably ranks as one of the most commercial singles ever released by ZTT. So commercial even Mandy Smith recorded a passable version of it several years later at PWL! This is even more interesting considering there was talk of sending Propaganda off to work with Stock Aitken & Waterman at one point to create a German version of Dollar (in fact "Testament One" on disc two could have easily evolved into a "Mirror Mirror" clone). Anyway, back to "Duel"! As a song it never fails to make me smile, and it really did deserve to go much higher in the charts than it did. In fact I would wager most people think it made the top 10, instead of #21.

"Frozen Faces" is a beautiful, off the wall moment which always reminds me of Yazoo. With some re-structuring I think this could have made a killer single. I'd rate it as one of Stephen Lipson's' production highlights, rivalling even the majestic opulence of "p:Machinery". It's featured in expanded form on disc two, in a version that wouldn't have been too out of place in an acid house set in 1988. "The Murder Of Love" is another non-single favourite and I wouldn't be surprised if it was the inspiration for much of New Orders output in the mid/late 80s. Influential band? Definitely. The liner notes reveal even Quincy Jones was a fan.

What can I say about "Dr. Mabuse"? Even at a 10:41 running time it still isn't long enough. Getting the opportunity to see Claudia perform this song with Trevor back in 2004 at Wembley was a real dream come true. It still remains a pop masterpiece, overlooked on all the usual 80s compilations.

Disc two contains many previously unreleased alternate/extended and remixed versions, including the Goodnight 32 mix of "p:Machinery", one of the last Propaganda mixes to be completed during the album sessions.

A highlight for fans will definitely be the inclusion of "Do Well", the "Duel" cassingle exclusive. Running at 20 minutes this megamix included an exclusive segment, called "Wonder", where the ethereal meets the industrial. Now at last it's time to throw away those dodgy cassette-to-CD transfers!

Revisiting this album again makes me realise how many potential singles there actually were on this record, but back in 1985 it was definitely ahead of its time. Propaganda clearly wasn't a band or concept that could easily be shoe horned into pop radio, and that's a real shame because a significant audience therefore missed out on the opportunity of enjoying this album. Fortunately as people mature, so often does our taste, and those who missed it now have the chance again to strike out of their comfort zone just for a spell and enjoy something deeper, darker and totally fabulous. Those who are already fans and waiting with anticipation for this release will be well rewarded for their (25 year) patience!

I'll write a more contemplative review when I've lived with this 25th anniversary edition for a few weeks, but the initial play-through has been a great experience.

What you get on Disc One is, firstly, the original "Secret Wish" album as issued on CD on ZTT/Island in 1985, including the specially-remixed "Dream Within A Dream" that Stephen Lipson produced just for CD; the vinyl and cassette had a different version that became the one on the previous ZTT re-issue. Confused? You will be - the superb 10' 41" mix of Dr Mabuse is also here from that original 1985 CD. This is what we've been waiting for for so long. As if that weren't enough, the rest of Disc 1 contains the analogue format versions of the tracks above, plus trainspotters-only versions of Duel and p:Machinery that you'd be hard-pressed to tell apart from the earlier versions. But we do get all those riches in the form of "Dream Within A Dream" in both mixes and the unexpurgated "Dr Mabuse", which is wonderful.

Disc 2 is also a treasure-trove. People have commented on "Do Well", the cassette single version of Duel, and it's brilliant. Some of the other mixes etc. are more subtle (or not, as in "Echo of Frozen Faces"). Fans will probably bemoan the omission of some material e.g. the Beta Wraparound 12" version of p:Machinery but, after all, you've gotta leave something for those vinyl specialist record shops to deal in!

The mastering sounds perfect to me. I'm not sure what the reviewer who complained was expecting - the original tapes put through the too-good-to-be-true filter? (e.g. loads of artificial treble boost? horrible compression to make it sound 'louder'?). The compilers of this re-release seem to have decided that, what Stephen Lipson and Trevor Horn wanted us to hear, is what we get. Which is fine by me.

In summary, if you buy this, "Wishful Thinking" and the "Outside World" compilation from a few years ago, you'll have more Propaganda tracks than you could ever need. Excellent re-issue and, as everyone seems to be saying, about time too!

Until now I only had this on vinyl, plus the Outside World and Wishful Thinking CDs (and some 12"). As such I can't compare to the SACD or previous CD release!

However I am very impressed with the artwork (quite a booklet), notes and compilation itself. Yes, it is quite a loud master (everything is apparently from the master tapes), but I didn't hear any distortion or obvious 'flattening' as a result, so the sound seems fine.

Disc 1 is great, as you get the original CD version, plus the analogue only tracks/versions. This means you can either play the whole lot, or program to mimic the original vinyl running order/tracks, or simply play tracks 1-9 for the standard CD running order (includes Frozen Faces and 'longer' versions/mixes of Jewel & Mabuse). This should satisfy most fans, and also allow completists to spot the sometimes subtle differences in the mix betwen analogue and digital outings.

Disc 2 is sublime, including a thoughtful compilation of released and unreleased material/mixes. The 20 minute cassingle of Jewel/Duel (Do Well) opens proceedings, with its exclusive segments very welcome, and then we have several tracks that did not make it onto Outside World/Wishful, or even the light of day in some cases! The quality does not drop here, although a larger number of lengthy tracks may not suit all listeners if listening from start to finish.

I could not find any mention of in the credits of Digital Remastering, for those who hunt this out, but at this price I feel this is a worthwhile edition, and essential if you want all (as far as I can tell!) available album versions in one place.

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5.0 out of 5 stars THE SECRET OF PERFECT PROPAGANDA
Digitally remastered throughout and enhanced beyond measure by the addition of a bonus disc containing alternate versions, previously unreleased remixes and studio out-takes -... Read more

Published 3 months ago by Kelvin J. Dickinson

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful.
This record still sounds ahead of it's time. ABC and Scritti around 84/85- Astute use Fairlights and endless tinkering in the studio where technological advancements aroused... Read more

Published 11 months ago by M. J. Farnworth

4.0 out of 5 stars A bonus DVD would have made this really 'deluxe'
This is a rich package, and the remixing of the original tracks has paid some sonic dividends, but in some ways I would have been just as satisfied with a remix of the original... Read more

Published 11 months ago by James Hayes

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent album so so edition
This is one of my absolute all time favourite albums and the previous CD edition that I have (10th anniversary edition, cat nr 4509-94749-2) is easily a five star album, so why... Read more

Published 11 months ago by jema

5.0 out of 5 stars A gem of a wish
Nicely packaged with comprehensive booklet. I didn't really know of this band during the eighties except that their track was used on BBC's Rally Report in the late 80s/ early... Read more

Published 11 months ago by rob

3.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly nice sound, questionable choice of bonus tracks, pretentious quotes in the notes, the answer to the questions...
So how many copies of this album did you buy before this came out?

This CD pulls together the mixes from both the original vinyl and CD versions of the album and is... Read more

Published 12 months ago by Mike the Fish

5.0 out of 5 stars Leicester Bangs Review (2010):
Propaganda - A Secret Wish: Deluxe Edition (Salvo)
An extremely welcome reissue from the Salvo label, marking the 25th anniversary of the album's original release. Read more

Published 12 months ago by Leicester Bangs

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the best
quite possibly the best albumn ever - Propaganda exploded into the 80's this albumn and this is the original line up to the band, it was perfect on Vinyl but even stronger on CD... Read more

Published 12 months ago by Andrew Lee Stringer

5.0 out of 5 stars 1985, the apex of my teenage music years!
No doubt 'apex' is the wrong word - 'pinnacle' probably should be it: 1985, Kate Bush, Bryan Ferry, Peter Gabriel....and Propaganda!! Read more

Published 13 months ago by Carl Hubbard

5.0 out of 5 stars RE-ISSUE OF 2010!
What can I say that probably has'nt aleardy been said by music mags and fans alike. This really is an awsome pacakge in every respect. Read more

Published 16 months ago by slatts352

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