Johnny Nash

Stir It Up – The Anthology 1965-1979

(Soul Music Records)

Although Johnny Nash had been recording for almost a decade by the late 60s, it wasn’t until 1968 that he scored his first British Hit, Hold Me Tight.

The Houston Texas born singer would quickly follow with two further hits You Got Soul and a cover of Sam Cooke’s Cupid before proceeding to chart again no less than 9 times over the next 20 years with memorable hits including I Can See Clearly Now and the Number One Tears on My Pillow.

Over 46 tracks, Stir It Up The Anthology 1965-1979 brings together all of Nash’s greatest hits as well as several album tracks. Combining pop, reggae and soul, Nash’s sound remains feel good and uplifting, making this an ideal soundtrack for those idyllic summer days ahead.

A Flock of Seagulls

Remixes & Rarities

(Cherry Red)

Mention 80s synth-pop band A Flock of Seagulls to the casual pop fan and you will likely get a quip about outlandish hairstyles rather than praise for the bands music . Thankfully this new release of remixes and rarities focuses on the latter.

The bands biggest hits I Ran and Wishing (IF I Had a Photograph of You) are soundscapes of synth-pop brilliance in their full 12 inch formats and several remixes of both make the collection here along with several B Sides, remixes and other hits.

No doubt such a collection would have cost the average Seagulls fan a pretty penny back in the 80s to assemble on to a C90 – thankfully we can now indulge on this two CD set in pristine quality at a reasonable price and even remind ourselves of the bands space-age record sleeve artwork in the CD booklet.

Andy Howells