Marc Almond - Tenement Symphony (2LP Translucent Blue Vinyl) (NAD23)

‘Tenement Symphony’ was an attempt, at the time, to make the definitive Marc Almond album as masterminded by Warner Music UK’s then chairman Rob Dickins. The effect of the album was meant to be like looking through the windows of different rooms in a tenement building and hearing a bouquet of narrative songs about disparate characters residing therein. It saw the first post-breakup rekindling of the songwriting partnership with Soft Cell’s Dave Ball (with The Grid’s Richard Norris) on the three techno-torch tracks ‘Meet Me In My Dream’, ‘I’ve Never Seen Your Face’ and UK hit ‘My Hand Over My Heart’.

It was an album that also featured three co- writes with Marc’s long-standing collaborator and arranger Billy McGee (Marc & The Mambas, The Willing Sinners) on the emotionally charged tracks ‘Vaudeville & Burlesque’, ‘Beautiful Brutal Thing’ and ‘Champagne’. In this re-sequencing of the album, to enable optimal mastering, ‘Champagne’ now opens the predominantly ‘bonus tracks’ second disc, the other songs were B-sides to the album’s three hit singles, ‘Jacky’ (UK#17), My Hand Over My Heart’ (UK#33) and ‘The Days Of Pearly Spencer’ (UK#4).

Many of these B-sides feature such stellar songwriting that they could have easily created a double album back in the day to showcase all the contemporaneous involved talents of Trevor Horn, The Grid, John Coxon and Billy McGee. This special double, coloured vinyl edition for fans provides a glimpse into how such a release might actually have panned out.

Side A:

Tenement Symphony:

1. (i) Prelude

2. (ii) Jacky

3. (iii) What Is Love?

4. (iv) Trois Chansons De Bilitis - Extract

5. (v) The Days Of Pearly Spencer

6. (vi) My Hand Over My Heart

Side B:

1. Meet Me In My Dream

2. Beautiful Brutal Thing

3. I’ve Never Seen Your Face

4. Vaudeville & Burlesque

Side C:

1. Champagne

2. Bruises

3. Deadly Serenade

4. Night And No Morning

5. A Love Outgrown

Side D:

1. Deep Night (12” Version)

2. Money For Love (Ennio Mix)

3. Dancing In A Golden Cage

4. Dancing In A Golden Cage (Reflection In A Golden Eye)