Bananarama have revisited two tracks with new remixes by The Reflex and Luke Million, specially commissioned for their upcoming collection, Glorious – The Ultimate Collection.
The Reflex adds his deft French touch to the band’s 1984 Top 10 smash hit ‘Robert De Niro’s Waiting…’. Revisiting the original source tapes to unearth bass, guitars and more, The Reflex breathes new life into the track, traversing a line between the song’s original winning pop and adding subtle house flourishes.
Having remixed everyone from Cerrone and Nile Rodgers to Noel Gallagher, The Reflex is renowned for his skilful and sensitive re-workings, or ‘revisions’ as he calls them. Australian producer Luke Million brings his remix prowess to 2022’s ‘Velvet Lies’, transforming the original into a slinky combination of vocodered vocals, Italo Disco and Electronic Funk.
With releases across labels such as Future Classic and Nervous Records, and remixes for the likes of Duke Dumont and Bag Raiders, Luke Million’s percolating keyboard wizardry sounds both futuristic and “retro” at the same time. Following on from the euphoric new single ‘Feel the Love’, and the masterful Boys Noize re-rub of the worldwide #1 ‘Venus’, these new remixes feature on the digital and Deluxe 3CD versions of ‘Glorious - The Ultimate Collection’.
Other formats include a collector’s triple vinyl and double CD. Their official store exclusives include a deluxe vinyl and deluxe 3CD edition, both of which are accompanied by a book which features an introduction by broadsheet journalist Fiona Sturges, articles by Sara and Keren, and an in-depth exploration of Bananarama’s relationship with fashion and music by writer and trends expert Katie Baron.
It also includes stunning still photography of many of Bananarama's outfits and memorabilia from their personal collections. ‘Glorious- The Ultimate Collection’ charts the lives of Bananarama members Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward via their personally curated career highlights.
It takes them from the early days of breaking through with ‘Really Saying Something’ with Fun Boy Three through to their phenomenal ‘80s success (‘Cruel Summer’, ‘Venus’, ‘Love In The First Degree’, ‘Robert De Niro’s Waiting’ and many more), ‘90s (‘Only your Love’, ‘Preacher Man’, ‘Movin’ On’ and ‘Last Thing on My Mind’) and into 2005 when they were riding flying high in the singles chart with ‘Move In My Direction’ and the US dance chart smash ‘Look on The Floor (Hypnotic Tango)’.
The past half decade has witnessed their 2019 album In Stereo introduce them to a whole new generation with a show-stealing set at Glastonbury and win Classic Pop’s Best Pop Album award, and last year’s Masquerade, their highest charting and most critically acclaimed album since the 80s. On ‘Glorious- The Ultimate Collection’, Sara says, “We wanted this to be a unique collection, a celebration of all the twists and turns in our career.
Endless lists of songs, album tracks and hit singles have been whittled down to forty: our favourite tracks from the past four decades. Leafing through my early lyric books transported me back to that teenage girl writing poems and scribbles that would eventually be turned into songs.
Each track ... is a piece of the jigsaw and a connection to me. Together they create the bigger picture, the story of us as artists. It has been one almighty journey.”
Keren adds: “At times we have maybe felt that we haven’t received the credit, respect, and recognition we deserve, certainly sometimes purely down to the fact we were born female.
“I feel the collection of songs we have amassed over the last four decades hopefully speak for themselves, so I don’t have to. Putting the music together for this project... made me realise how much we have achieved and how determined, tenacious, and hardworking we are.”
Bananarama are currently flying high with their new single ‘Feel the Love’ dominating UK radio airwaves. ‘Cruel Summer’ has also been introduced to new audiences globally via the new trailer for the upcoming film Ghostbusters: Frozen World.
With two shows already announced at The London Palladium on April 3rd and 4th 2024, the band has also been confirmed to perform at London Mighty Hoopla on 1st June 2024 as well as headline 80s Classical with the Orchestra of Opera North in Leeds on July 20. Bananarama will be visiting HMV stores in the UK in March 2024, signing copies of Glorious- The Ultimate Collection, on Friday March 8th (Brighton – 12pm, London – 6pm) and Saturday March 9th (Birmingham - 12pm, Manchester - 5pm).
