Alphaville – Forever Young (Super Deluxe Edition) (1984/2019) [FLAC 24bit/44,1kHz]

German synthpop band Alphaville‘s 1984 debut album Forever Young will be reissued as a five-disc super deluxe edition in March, for its 35th anniversary.

The singles pulled from this album include the international hit ‘Big in Japan’, the anthemic title track, ‘Sounds Like A Melody’ and ‘The Jet Set’.

The album has been remastered (for the first time, apparently) and this package comes with two additional CDs, one with original single versions, B-sides and remixes and the other with 16 original demos. The fourth disc is a DVD which boasts a documentary and promo videos.

Alphaville’s 1984 debut, Forever Young, deserves to be viewed as a classic synth pop album. There’s no doubting that Germans are behind the crystalline Teutonic textures and massive beats that permeate the album, but vocalist Marian Gold’s impressive ability to handle a Bryan Ferry croon and many impassioned high passages meant the album would have worldwide appeal. Indeed both “Big in Japan” and the touching, sad change-of-pace “Forever Young” raced up the charts in multiple continents. Borrowing inspiration from Roxy Music’s detached theatricality and Kraftwerk’s beats and rhythms, Gold and company hit upon a magic formula that produced here an album’s worth of impossibly catchy tunes that could almost serve as pure definitions for the synth pop genre. The hits race straight for one’s cranium and embed themselves upon impact. “Big in Japan” feels like a more serious cousin to Murray Head’s “One Night in Bangkok,” as a slow-pounding beat spars with Gold’s desperate voice. “Forever Young,” a stark, epic song that would become essential for every post-1984 high school graduation, drips sadness and never fails to cause a listener to nostalgically reflect on life and loss. Outside of these hits, the remainder of the songs rarely falter, mixing emotion, theater, and of course electronics into a potent, addictive wave of synth euphoria. It’s likely every fan could pick his own favorite of the other should-have-been-hits, but “Fallen Angel” deserves special mention. It begins with spooky, funny warbling and icy keyboards, and then explodes and transforms into a startling, romantic epiphany at the chorus. If its lyrics are a bit goofy or juvenile, it only adds to the heartfelt love the song expresses. Alphaville stick firmly to their synths and sequencers on Forever Young, but they keep things interesting by incorporating motifs from funk, Broadway, Brazilian jazz, and even hip-hop. Even when the band takes itself too seriously, the songs’ catchy drive and consistently smart production cover any thematic holes. Forever Young is a technically perfect and emotionally compelling slice of 1980s electronic pop/rock music. It’s also a wonderfully fun ride from start to finish. – Tim DiGravina

Tracklist:
1-1. Alphaville – A Victory of Love (2019 Remaster) (04:17)
1-2. Alphaville – Summer in Berlin (2019 Remaster) (04:46)
1-3. Alphaville – Big in Japan (2019 Remaster) (04:44)
1-4. Alphaville – To Germany With Love (2019 Remaster) (04:13)
1-5. Alphaville – Fallen Angel (2019 Remaster) (03:56)
1-6. Alphaville – Forever Young (2019 Remaster) (03:46)
1-7. Alphaville – In the Mood (2019 Remaster) (04:32)
1-8. Alphaville – Sounds Like a Melody (2019 Remaster) (04:46)
1-9. Alphaville – Lies (2019 Remaster) (03:32)
1-10. Alphaville – The Jet Set (2019 Remaster) (04:56)
2-11. Alphaville – Big in Japan (Single Version; 2019 Remaster) (03:54)
2-12. Alphaville – Seeds (2019 Remaster) (03:18)
2-13. Alphaville – Sounds Like a Melody (Single Version; 2019 Remaster) (04:32)
2-14. Alphaville – The Nelson Highrise (Sector 1: The Elevator) (Single Version; 2019 Remaster) (03:17)
2-15. Alphaville – Forever Young (Version Rapide; 2019 Remaster) (03:51)
2-16. Alphaville – Welcome to the Sun (2019 Remaster) (03:11)
2-17. Alphaville – The Jet Set (Single Remix; 2019 Remaster) (03:52)
2-18. Alphaville – Golden Feeling (2019 Remaster) (03:53)
2-19. Alphaville – Big in Japan (Extended Remix; 2019 Remaster) (07:25)
2-20. Alphaville – Sounds Like a Melody (Special Long Version; 2019 Remaster) (07:44)
2-21. Alphaville – The Nelson Highrise (Sector 1: The Elevator) [Extended Version] (2019 Remaster) (04:13)
2-22. Alphaville – Forever Young (Special Dance Version; 2019 Remaster) (06:11)
2-23. Alphaville – The Jet Set (Jellybean mix; 2019 Remaster) (06:31)
2-24. Alphaville – Big in Japan (Extended Instrumental; 2019 Remaster) (05:57)
2-25. Alphaville – The Jet Set (Dub Mix; 2019 Remaster) (05:08)
3-26. Alphaville – A Victory of Love (Demo Remix; 2019 Remaster) (04:17)
3-27. Alphaville – Summer In Berlin (Original Demo; 2019 Remaster) (06:56)
3-28. Alphaville – Big in Japan (Demo Remix; 2019 Remaster) (06:24)
3-29. Alphaville – To Germany With Love (Original Demo; 2019 Remaster) (04:29)
3-30. Alphaville – Fallen Angel (Demo Remix; 2019 Remaster) (04:08)
3-31. Alphaville – Forever Young (Demo Remix; 2019 Remaster) (04:45)
3-32. Alphaville – In the Mood (Demo Remix) (Demoo Remix; 2019 Remaster) (05:04)
3-33. Alphaville – Sounds Like a Melody (Original Demo; 2019 Remaster) (04:25)
3-34. Alphaville – Lies (Original Demo; 2019 Remaster) (03:48)
3-35. Alphaville – The Jet Set (Original Demo; 2019 Remaster) (04:22)
3-36. Alphaville – Leben Ohne Ende / Seeds (Original Demo; 2019 Remaster) (03:15)
3-37. Alphaville – Traumtänzer (Original Demo; 2019 Remaster) (05:18)
3-38. Alphaville – Blauer Engel (Original Demo; 2019 Remaster) (04:40)
3-39. Alphaville – Romance (Demo Sketch; 2019 Remaster) (01:17)
3-40. Alphaville – Colours (Instrumental Version; 2019 Remaster) (03:24)
3-41. Alphaville – Into the Dark (Demo Remix; 2019 Remaster) (04:32)