An unexpected return to the Official Singles Chart for The Smiths this week as a limited 7″ and 12″ release of the title track from their 1986 album The Queen is Dead reaches #85 – inevitably, it’s also #1 on the Physical and Vinyl Singles charts. It hasn’t propelled its parent album back into the chart but Alison Moyet enters at #12 with her new album Other and the Stone Roses resurgence continues, The Stone Roses climbing 22 places to #39 while The Very Best of the Stone Roses leaps 23 places to #50.
The first major plundering of Prince’s vaults arrives today with an expanded version of Purple Rain, bolstered by a disc of previously unreleased material, another featuring single edits and B-sides plus a DVD of Prince in concert at the Carrier Dome in 1985; there’s also a new picture disc vinyl edition of the original LP. The vinyl reissues of Iron Maiden’s back catalogue continue with Brave New World (2000), Rock in Rio (2002), Dance of Death (2003) and A Matter of Life and Death (2006). Going Back To My Roots is a reasonably priced Odyssey compilation, comprising a disc of 7″ versions and another of 12″ mixes; similarly the Pointer Sisters are compiled on double set Automatic. American soft rock supergroup Bad English have their eponymous 1989 début reissued with two bonus remixes; from the same year Spandau Ballet’s swansong Heart Like a Sky gets a CD reissue. Europop superstars Modern Talking return – sort of – with Back For Gold – The New Versions which marries six re-recordings of old hits to five original versions, three new remixes and a megamix. Finally, in compilation corner, Smash Hits: The 80s is a 3CD set compiling sixty tracks, at least two of which are from 1990.
