Bananarama release new album: 'Glorious: The Ultimate Collection'

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Fri, Mar 8th 2024 11:20 am

Listen, ‘Glorious: The Ultimate Collection’ // listen | watch, ‘Supernova’ // listen | watch, ‘Feel The Love’
Press Release

Today, Bananarama celebrate over 40 years at the top with the release of their new album “Glorious: The Ultimate Collection,” out today via London Records. The album features two brand-new tracks, “Supernova,” which blends wide-eyed celestial-leaning with pulsating electro-pop bass to create a joyously optimistic slice of modern-sounding, future-facing pop; and the euphoric “Feel The Love,” a perfect hybrid between the classic and contemporary eras of Bananarama with sweeping vocal harmonies, pulsating electro and a typically larger-than-life pop hook. Billboard said it “brings their spirit into a new pop era with bright colors and sweeping synth movements,” and “Bananarama’s shiny harmonies encourage longtime fans and new listeners to flood the dance floor.”

Listen to ‘Feel The Love’ here.
Listen to ‘Supernova’ here.

“Glorious: The Ultimate Collection” effectively charts the lives of founder members Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward via their personally curated career highlights. It takes them from the early days of breaking through with “Really Saying Something” with Fun Boy Three through to their phenomenal ’80s success (“Cruel Summer,” “Venus,” “Love In The First Degree,” “Robert De Niro’s Waiting”); ’90s (“Only your Love,” “Preacher Man,” “Movin’ On” and “Last Thing on My Mind”); and into 2005 when they were riding flying high in the singles chart with “Move In My Direction” and the U.S. dance chart smash “Look on The Floor (Hypnotic Tango).”

But the Bananarama story certainly didn’t stop there. Touring and recording constantly, they founded their own IN SYNK label and embarked upon a remarkable resurgence that saw the 2019 album “In Stereo” introduce them to a whole new generation with a show-stealing set at Glastonbury and win Classic Pop’s Best Pop Album award. 2022’s “Masquerade” was stronger still and held special personal significance for the duo as Sara’s daughter, Alice, co-wrote a handful of the album’s tracks. Sara and Keren also covered one of Alice’s own songs, “Favourite,” which is included in this collection. In addition to “Feel the Love” and “Supernova,” the collection includes a new version of “Cruel Summer (3am Mix).”

Not only are Bananarama immortalized in the Guinness World of Records for the most internationally charted hits by an all-female group, they’ve remained an ongoing and vital pop presence. It’s also testament to the duo’s enduring talents as they wrote or co-wrote almost every song in this 40-track collection.

Sara said, “We wanted this to be a unique collection, a celebration of all the twists and turns in our career. We compiled endless lists of songs, album tracks and hit singles, and whittled it down to 40: our favorite tracks from the past four decades. Leafing through my early lyric books transported me back to that teenage girl writing poems and scribbles that would eventually be turned into songs. Each track ... is a piece of the jigsaw and a connection to me. Together they create the bigger picture, the story of us as artists. It has been one almighty journey.”

Keren added, “At times, we have maybe felt that we haven’t received the credit, respect and recognition we deserve, certainly sometimes purely down to the fact we were born female. I feel the collection of songs we have amassed over the last four decades hopefully speak for themselves, so I don’t have to. Putting the music together for this project ... made me realize how much we have achieved and how determined, tenacious and hardworking we are.”

“Glorious: The Ultimate Collection” is available on collector’s triple-vinyl and double-CD. Their official store exclusives include a deluxe vinyl and deluxe 3-CD edition, both of which are accompanied by a coffee table book that features an introduction by broadsheet journalist Fiona Sturges, articles by Sara and Keren, and an in-depth exploration of Bananarama’s relationship with fashion and music by writer and trends expert Katie Baron. It also includes stunning still photography of many of Bananarama's outfits and memorabilia from their personal collections.

Digital formats and the deluxe 3-CD edition feature an array of bonus remixes and alternate versions of classics, deep cuts and recent favorites, with reworks by some of the world’s best contemporary producers and DJs, including Boys Noize, Krystal Klear, The Reflex, Initial Talk and Luke Million.

Next month, Bananarama is set to headline three sold-out shows at the London Palladium on April 3, 4 and 6. For a full list of tour dates, visit www.bananarama.co.uk.