Most of the world may forever associate Kiki Dee‘s name with that of Elton John with whom she duetted on “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” back in 1976 – but there’s much more to the English chanteuse than that Number 1 single which the duo performed on-stage a few times, including Live Air. 2023 marks the 60th anniversary of her first platter, and it’s great to see Dee’s complete recordings’ reissues in box sets reaching their third era, with the three discs of 2020’s “The Fontana & Motown Years” comprising Kiki’s ’60s output and five CDs of 2019’s “The Rocket Years” rounding up her ’70s gems are followed by the four discs of “The Ariola & EMI Years”: more than a mere compilation of the artiste’s ’80s releases.
What will be out on January 26th, 2024 consists of the lady’s 1980 album “Perfect Timing” and “Angel Eyes” from 1987 – the former augmented with bonuses, among them another piece shared with Elton, and the latter boasting production by Dave Stewart and Chris Kimsey – yet now there’s a strange chronological gap between the two LPs is filled with a previously shelved 1982 longplay, directed by Pip Williams who had also worked on its predecessor, that’s titled “Two Sides To Every Story” and has been mastered recently from the original tapes. Finally, there’s a disc with Dee’s single sides, where another cut with John on makes an appearance, remixes and three demos, mixed for the fist time for inclusion into this collection. All of it is painstakingly annotated by Alan Robinson, who conducted new interviews with Kiki, Williams and Kimsey to render the result rather irresistible.
The Ariola and EMI Years
CD 1 – Perfect Timing:
1. Star
2. Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever – with Elton John
3. Wild Eyes
4. Twenty Four Hours
5. Perfect Timing
6. Midnight Flyer
7. There’s A Need
8. Another Break
9. Love Is Just A Moment Away
10. You Are My Hope In This World
bonus tracks:
11. Give It Up
12. Perfect Timing (extended 12″ version)
13. The Chase Is Finally On
14. Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever (single mix) – with Elton John
15. The Last Love Song – Roger Voudouris feat. Kiki Dee
CD 2 – Two Sides To Every Story:
1. Stayin’ With It
2. Diamond Lady
3. Heart To Beat
4. Nowhere To Hide
5. Saviour
6. Two Sides To Every Story
7. Peter
8. Yellow Kimono (Waiting On Tokyo Time)
9. I Could Feel You
10. Under One Banner
CD 3 – Angel Eyes:
1. I Fall In Love Too Easily
2. Stay Close To You
3. I’ll Build A Tower Over You
4. Pay
5. We Cry On
6. Angel Eyes
7. Knowing You Like I Do
8. Another Day Comes (Another Day Goes)
9. Keep It To Yourself
10. Good Times
CD 4 – Singles A’s and B’s:
1. The Loser Gets To Win
2. (I Want Our) Love To Shine
3. Won’t Make Sense (Barbed Wire Fence)
4. Another Day Comes (Another Day Goes) (Nightmare mix)
5. I Fall In Love Too Easily (extended mix)
6. Don’t Cry
7. Beyond Control
8. Africa
bonus tracks:
9. True Love – with Elton John
Kiki’s 1984 Demos:
10. Pleasure And Pain
11. Golden Opportunity
12. You Sure Know How To Break A Heart
