It’s a cold fact of life that the real labels will often remaster and reissue a title beloved by many several times, and even my simulated vanity label has done this on occasion. No more occasions than for this title. Back in 2009, I finally made what was one of my favorite self-compiled CD-R projects ever when I put together a selection of Peter Godwin remixes and non-LP singles that he had once talked about releasing ages ago called “Torch Songs + Heroics.” How I loved that collection. I loved it so much I could not keep my hands off of it! When against all odds, Peter Godwin began his slow trickle of modern material a decade or so ago, I have dutifully revised the track listing to make it more complete and canonical. There have been a second and third remastering of the material with REVO catalog numbers 057A, and 057B, but those are now passé. Because this summer I finally got moving on making it seriously canonical and finally secured a copy of the long-rumored “Window Shopping” Netherlands 7″ remix and of course there were a few newer wrinkles in the Godwin saga. But first, let’s review the original 2009 edition.

REVO | 2xCD-R | 2009 | REVO 057

Peter Godwin: Torch Songs + Heroics 2xCD-R [2009]

Disc 1

1. America In My Head [7″]
2. Torch Songs For The Heroine [7″]
3. Cruel Heart
4. America In My Head [12″]
5. Torch Songs For The Heroine [ballad]
6. Cruel Heart [inst.]
7. America in My Head [dance mix]
8. Torch Songs For The Heroine [dance mix]
9. Emotional Disguise [12″]
10. Luxury [extended ver.]
11. Images Of Heaven [7″]
12. Emotional Disguise [inst.]
13. Spoken Images
14. Emotions Francaises/inst. [segue mix]

Disc 2

1. Images Of Heaven [12″]
2. Baby’s In The Mountains [new york remix]
3. Images Of Heaven [razormaid ver.]
4. The Art Of Love [new york remix]
5. Rendezvous
6. The Art of Love [new york dubmix]
7. Rendezvous [french ver.]
8. The Art Of Love [UK remix]
9. Another World
10. Rendezvous [english remix]
11. Naked Smile
12. Rendezvous [french remix]

26 tracks dating from 1981 to 1998. About an hour per CD of some of the best material from the New Romantic era as well as the modern chanson work that Godwin had been exploring at the Fin de siècle. But subsequent digital singles needed to be here.

“Disguise” in 2012

Click here for review.

“Sky Falls” in 2012

Click here for review.

“The Art Of Love Remix” in 2013

Click here for review.

“You!” in 2020

Click here for review.

And then there was the “bootleg” 2015 version of “Images Of Heaven” by Godwin’s partner, widescreen remixing maniac Johnson Somerset! The man is routinely used by Bryan Ferry and Simple Minds for his distinctive, low BPM remixing. But Godwin had been partnered with Somerset for a long time now, with the Neuvo album of 2009 written together between them. Then there was the little sticking point of this single, which I had ignored earlier, owing to its rarity.

Polydor | Netherlands | 7″ | 1983 | 821 520-7

Peter Godwin: Window Shopping – Netherlands – 7″ [1983]

1. Window Shopping [remix]
2. The Art of Love [Zeus B. Held 7″ remix]

I finally sourced a copy of this from Europe last February, with shipping not being terribly taxing since it was a 7″ single. €13 later, it was mine and while yes, the A-side was indeed a Georg Kajanus remix, I was astonished to find that the B-side, only identified as “The Art Of Love” on Discogs, was in fact a remix by the great Zeus B. Held! So… come for the Kajanus, and stay for the Zeus B. Held! Never had $15 been so well spent! So with these seven additional tracks in hand the time was night to revisit my favorite homeburn CD-R set for the fourth and final time which happened this summer. I was so thrilled, that I managed to also de-noise the vinyl rips that Oglio Records had done of the “America In My Head” single mixes this time!

REVO | 2xCD-R | 2020 | REVO 057C

Peter Godwin: Torch Songs + Heroics 2xCD-R [2020]

Disc 1

1. America In My Head [7″]
2. Torch Songs For The Heroine [7″]
3. Cruel Heart
4. America In My Head [12″]
5. Torch Songs For The Heroine [ballad]
6. Cruel Heart [inst.]
7. America in My Head [dance mix]
8. Torch Songs For The Heroine [dance mix]
9. Emotional Disguise [12″]
10. Luxury [extended ver.]
11. Images Of Heaven [7″]
12. Emotional Disguise [inst.]
13. Spoken Images
14. Emotions Françaises/inst. [segue mix]
15. Images Of Heaven [12”]
16. Baby’s In The Mountains [new york remix]
17. Images Of Heaven [razormaid ver.]

Disc 2

1. The Art Of Love [new york remix]
2. Window Shopping [7” remix]
3. The Art of Love [zeus b. held remix]
4. Rendezvous
5. The Art Of Love [new york dubmix]
6. Rendezvous [french ver.]
7. The Art Of Love [UK remix]
8. Another World
9. Rendezvous [english remix]
10. Naked Smile
11. Rendezvous [french remix]
12. Disguise
13. Sky Falls
14. The Art Of Love [johnson somerset remix]
15. Images Of Heaven [johnson somerset remix]
16. You!

New songs are in red and now each disc sits at a peak 79+ minutes; the limit of my disc burning capability. And of course it goes without saying that the 16 page booklet was re-written/re-compiled for each edition since not only did the liner notes change, but it also contained a full Peter Godwin discography which expanded with each edition. So now, almost a decade later, I have the ultimate Peter Godwin rarity collection in my hands…

…With the exception that today I remembered to look at iTunes, since a few months ago commenter Gavin mentioned to me in June that Johnson Somerset was doing an epic 10 minute remix of “You!” and I’ve been so busy that I only thought to look for it on iTunes now, and yes, it’s there. So my once perfect collection will now be less than perfect. Like anything in this fallen world, I suppose. But as soon as I get home from work I’m buying that track!

You can as well for a pittance at the usual places that offer olde fashioned downloads for the grandad set.

…Like me.

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