80s post-punk UK band The Comsat Angels are getting some of their early albums the deluxe edition. Edsel announce the release of 2 CD deluxe editions of Waiting For A Miracle, Sleep No More, Fiction and Chasing Shadows/Fire on the Moon on November 20th. The deluxe editions will include the original albums remastered, non-LP singles, demos, BBC radio session tracks plus accompanying booklets with rare photos, memorabilia and detailed liner notes.

Named after the J. G. Ballard story of the same name, The Comsat Angels were born in the UK Post-Punk era. One of the most underrated acts of the early 80’s, the Sheffield four-piece twinned together sparse, economical musicianship and a large sound.

While other bands of the era with a big sound such as U2, Simple Minds, Echo and the Bunnymen and the Teardrop Explodes all achieved mainstream success, the Comsat Angels never made the breakthrough into the main arena.

Perhaps too dark for populist tastes at the time, Comsat’s music has been described as “abstract pop songs with spare instrumentation, many of which were bleak and filled with some form of heartache.”

Unjustly overlooked for their important contribution to music, their influence however, is enormous; the haunting atmospherics and simply played, but expansive nature of their music having a direct effect on countless Post-Punk revival bands including Blacklist, Bell Hollow, Editors and Interpol.

On 20th November, Edsel are pleased to announce 2CD deluxe editions of pivotal albums from the band’s catalogue; ‘Waiting For A Miracle’, ‘Sleep No More’, ‘Fiction’ and ‘Chasing Shadows’/‘Fire On The Moon’, all originally recorded between 1980 and 1990.

The Comsat’s first three albums all receive the deluxe treatment; the introspective, but absorbing debut album ‘Waiting For A Miracle’; the intense, monumental follow-up ‘Sleep No More’ and the understated but equally under-rated third, ‘Fiction’.

Also, reissued for the first time, is the long out-of-print ‘Chasing Shadows’ album which lists Robert Palmer (a constant champion of the band) as co-producer. Packaged with the little-known ‘Fire On The Moon’ (recorded while the Comsats were briefly known as Dream Command), proves beyond all reasonable doubt that while commercial recognition may have eluded the Sheffield-based quartet, they still accumulated one of the most enviable, enduring and unsung catalogues known to rock.

Included in the deluxe editions are non-LP singles, demos and BBC radio session tracks, plus booklets with rare photos, memorabilia and detailed liner notes.

The Comsat Angels are Stephen Fellows (guitar, vocals); Mik Glaisher (drums) ; Kevin Bacon (bass) and Andy Peake (keyboards).

Tracklistings:

Waiting For A Miracle (1980)

CD1
1 Missing In Action
2 Baby
3 Independence Day
4 Waiting For A Miracle
5 Total War
6 On The Beach
7 Monkey Pilot
8 Real Story
9 Map Of The World
10 Postcard
Bonus Tracks
11 Home Is The Range
12 We Were
13 Ju Ju Money (LP out-take)
14 Work (LP out-take)
CD2
1 Red Planet
2 I Get Excited
3 Specimen No.2
4 Independence Day (Demo)
5 Real Story (Demo)
6 Target Talk (Demo)
7 Living In (Demo)
BBC Sessions
8 Total War
9 Independence Day
10 Baby
11 Ju Ju Money
12 Real Story
13 Monkey Pilot
14 Waiting For A Miracle
15 Home Is The Range

Sleep No More (1981)

CD1
1 The Eye Dance
2 Sleep No More
3 Be Brave
4 Gone
5 Dark Parade
6 Diagram
7 Restless
8 Goat Of The West
9 Light Years
10 Our Secret
Bonus Tracks
11 Eye Of The Lens
12 Another World
13 At Sea

CD2
1 Mass (album out-take)
2 Dark Parade 1 (Demo)
3 Goat Of The West (Demo)
4 Be Brave (Demo)
5 Gone (Alt. EP Version)
6 Be Brave
7 At Sea
8 Eye Of The Lens
9 Dark Parade
10 Gone
11 Total War
12 Eye Dance
13 Be Brave

Fiction (1982)

CD1
1 After The Rain
2 Zinger
3 Now I Know
4 Not A Word
5 Ju Ju Money
6 More
7 Pictures
8 Birdman
9 Don’t Look Now
10 What Else!?

CD2
1 (Do The) Empty House
2 Red Planet Revisited
3 It’s History
4 Private Party
5 For Your Information
6 After The Rain (Remix)
7 (Do The) Empty House [Live]
8 What Else!? [Live]
9 Now I Know
10 Ju Ju Money
11 Our Secret
12 Goat Of The West

Chasing Shadows (1986)

CD1
1 The Thought That Counts
2 The Cutting Edge
3 Under The Influence
4 Carried Away
5 You’ll Never Know
6 Lost Continent
7 Flying Dreams
8 Pray For Rain
Bonus
9 Something’s Got To Give

CD2 Dream Command: Fire On The Moon (1990)

1 Celestine
2 Whirlwind
3 Sleepwalking
4 Reach For Me
5 Ice Sculpture
6 Venus Hunter
7 Phantom Power
8 Transport Of Delight
9 She’s Invisible
10 Mercury