Thursday 1 October 2015

Rewind: 1985 Strength - The Alarm

Hard to believe that it's 30 years ago that The Alarm released their second album Strength, it was the follow up to their hugely successful debut Declaration (that reached #6 in the UK and #50 in the US).

Whilst I like the album I was not as bowled over as I was with the Debut. There are still a few songs on the album though that I still love to this day.

There's loads of links so have a click on them to enjoy the music.



Strength - The Alarm
IRS
Produced by Mike Howlett
Released 1st October 1985
UK Chart #18
US Chart #39

The Alarm
    Mike Peters - vocals
    David Sharp - guitars, vocals
    Rupert Black - keyboards
    Eddie Macdonald - bass, vocals
    Nigel Twist - drums
Original Tracklist
Side One
    "Knife Edge" - 5:06
    "Strength" - 5:34
    "Dawn Chorus" - 5:24
    "Spirit of '76" - 7:05
Side Two
    "Deeside" - 3:08
    "Father to Son" - 4:04
    "Only the Thunder" - 4:06
    "The Day the Ravens Left the Tower" - 4:45
    "Absolute Reality" - 3:24
    "Walk Forever by My Side" - 3:32

Over on The Alarm's Website at present they are releasing a series called Strength: An Oral Histroy 1985-86. Here's links to the first four parts released thus far.
Strength: An Oral History Pt4.

Singles From Strength
Absolute Reality UK Chart #35
Strength UK Chart #40
Spirit of '76 UK Chart #22
Knife Edge UK Chart #43

Strength Promo Video.
Strength (Power Mix).
Spirit of 76 (Short version).
Spirit of '76 (Whistle Test).
Spirit of '76 (Acoustic).
Knife Edge (Live on the Oxford Road Show).
 
Live at Guilford Civic 22nd May 1985.
Spirit of '86 Show at UCLA.

As he did with Declaration on it's 30th Anniversary Mike Peters has reworked, reimagined and re-recorded the whole of the Strength album under the banner of The Alarm. I'll see if I can find the links for live versions of the tracks as the actual album is not on You Tube. I'll post the links in the tracklisting below. I'm not a huge fan of this but I'll put it out there for your ears to have a listen. The videos are taken from shows here in the UK and in the USA.


 Track Listing
1. Spirit Of ’76
2. Deeside
3. Knife Edge
4. The Day The Ravens Left The Tower
5. Walk Forever By Your Side
6. Strength
7. Dawn Chorus
8. Father To Son
9. Only The Thunder
10. Last Train
11. Absolute Reality


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