Shoes - Elektrafied: The Elektra Years 1979-1982 (2020)

Four CD box. Having created a grassroots buzz with their homemade proto-power pop classic Black Vinyl Shoes, Illinois band Shoes duly attracted major label interest, and they signed to Elektra in early 1979. Over the next three years they released a triptych of classic pop albums - Present Tense, Tongue Twister, and Boomerang - and a clutch of Wurlitzer-worthy seven-inch nuggets that should have catapulted them to fame, fortune and all manner of related excess. Sadly, however, they never quite made the leap from critics' darlings to Top Thirty success, and the band were obliged to settle for enduring cult status as power pop avatars. But while rock-star level fame and fortune never quite came their way, Shoes do have the considerable consolation of knowing that their body of work has stood the test of time far better than many of their more commercially successful contemporaries. This anthology of the band's recordings for Elektra, fleshed out with a swathe of pre-album demos, lost songs, alternative versions and live tracks dating from the same period, is a veritable smorgasbord of perfect pop from a time when Shoes were genuine contenders for rock's glittering prizes. Housed in a stylish clamshell box, Elektrafied contains a 32 page booklet that features rare photos and a new 10,000 essay on the band's adventures during their sojourn with Elektra.

Tracklist:

Disc 1
Present Tense (1979)
01. Tomorrow Night
02. Too Late
03. Hangin' Around With You
04. Your Very Eyes
05. In My Arms Again
06. Somebody Has What I Had
07. Now And Then
08. Every Girl
09. I Don't Miss You
10. Cruel You
11. Three Times: See Me/Say It/Listen
12. I Don't Wanna Hear It
13. Tomorrow Night [Demo]
14. Too Late [Demo]
15. Hangin' Around With You [Demo]
16. Your Very Eyes [Demo]
17. In My Arms Again [Demo]
18. Somebody Has What I Had [Demo]
19. Now And Then [Demo]
20. Every Girl [Demo]
21. I Don't Miss You [Demo]
22. Cruel You [Demo]
23. Three Times: See Me/Say It/Listen [Demo]
24. I Don't Wanna Hear It [Demo]



Disc 2
Tongue Twister (1981)
01. Your Imagination
02. Burned Out Love
03. The Things You Do
04. Only In My Sleep
05. Karen
06. She Satisfies
07. Girls Of Today
08. Hopin' She's The One
09. When It Hits
10. Yes Or No
11. Found A Girl
12. Hate To Run
13. Time to Make It
14. Burned Out Love [Demo]
15. The Things You Do [Demo]
16. Only in My Sleep [Demo]
17. Karen [Demo]
18. She Satisfies [Demo]
19. Girls Of Today [Demo]
20. Hopin' She's The One [Demo]
21. When It Hits [Demo]
22. Yes Or No [Demo]
23. Found A Girl [Demo]
24. Hate To Run [Demo]



Disc 3
Boomerang (1982)
01. In Her Shadow
02. Curiosity
03. Mayday
04. Too Soon
05. Double Talk
06. The Summer Rain
07. Under The Gun
08. The Tube
09. What Love Means
10. Bound To Be A Reason
11. Shake It Away
12. Tested Charms
13. In Her Shadow (Demo Version 2)
14. Curiosity (Demo)
15. Mayday (Demo)
16. Too Soon (Demo)
17. Double Talk (Demo)
18. The Summer Rain (Demo)
19. Under The Gun (Demo)
20. What Love Means (Demo)
21. The Tube (Demo)
22. Bound To Be A Reason (Demo)
23. Shake It Away (Demo)
24. Tested Charms (Demo)



Disc 4
Rarities (2020)
01. Jet Set [Manor Version]
02. Ever Again
03. Take You Away [Demo 1]
04. See Me [Demo 1]
05. Jet Set [Demo 1]
06. In Her Shadow [Demo 1]
07. A Voice Inside Me [Demo 1]
08. Take You Away [Demo 2]
09. Karen [Acoustic Demo]
10. Jet Set [Demo 2]
11. A Voice Inside Me [Demo 2]
12. I Wanna Give It To You
13. Too Late [Live]
14. Hangin' Around With You [Live]
15. Cruel You [Live]
16. In My Arms Again (Live)
17. She Satisfies [Live]
18. Hate To Run [Live]



All thanks to original releaser!