The Style Council’s ‘Café Bleu’ Receives Deluxe Reissue
The 6CD, 3LP set will arrive on January 30 via Universal Music Recordings.
The Style Council, which Paul Weller founded after unexpectedly disbanding The Jam in 1982, will be reissuing their groundbreaking 1984 debut, Café Bleu. The 6CD, 3LP special edition is set to arrive on January 30 on Universal Music Recordings.
Weller, alongside his trusty collaborator Mick Talbot (a former member of Dexys Midnight Runners and mod outfit The Merton Parkas), immediately began making waves with their unexpected and playful blend of familiar genres like jazz, pop, soul, and more.
For the album, Weller and Talbot added members Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn from Everything But the Girl, Weller’s then-wife Dee C. Lee on vocals, specialist horn players, and Bobby Valentino on the violin.
With this new reissue, The Style Council have dug deep into the vaults, unearthing a number of previously unreleased treasures that will delight Weller fans. Café Bleu Special Edition includes early demos, alternate takes, and unreleased songs. Additionally, the release includes a collection of BBC sessions and live recordings.
There are also sleevenotes from broadcaster and longtime Café Bleu champion Gary Crowley, as well as bonus features like the extended edition of Introducing… The Style Council, previously only available as a Dutch import, and all related singles, B-sides, remixes, and demos from the Café Bleu era.
The collection includes unreleased demos, outtakes, and alternate versions, highlighted by an early 1982 version of “Long Hot Summer.” Other unearthed cuts include “Boy Hairdresser,” which was originally written for Respond artist Tracie Young; and an early version of “Summertime Song.” The release also includes some previously unheard instrumental tracks from Mick Talbot, including a jazzed-up version of “Party Chambers” and “Mick’s Demo.”
The live releases, meanwhile, include recordings from Cheltenham’s Gold Diggers and London’s Dominion Theatre, plus BBC Radio One sessions. Those performances feature impressive versions of “Headstart for Happiness,” “The Paris Match,” “Long Hot Summer,” and “My Ever Changing Moods.”
