Holy Toledo! On July 28th, we wrote about the need to collect the complete works of Gleaming Spires after finally playing their “How To Get Girls Thru Hypnotism” single. Last Friday morning, I received an email via the handy contact form on PPM from the PR firm alerting the world that Omnivore Recordings were gearing up to re-issue the complete works of Gleaming Spires on September 17, 2021! Okay, so it’s not immediate gratification, but surely it’s the next best thing?!

This is especially welcome since in 2014, there had been a reissue of the debut LP “Songs Of The Spires” as the inaugural release of the now sadly defunct Futurismo reissue label out of the UK. They had a real penchant for New Wave, but the irritating thing to me was that the 2014 reissue was on LP only! So I could buy the new colored vinyl LP from England or I could source a much easier to obtain original Posh Boy pressing. Either way, I’d have to digitize and denoise it myself. As of last week, I was all ready to do that but now it’s a moot point. The best brains at Omnivore are doing the remastering for me and they are packing on the bonus tracks that go beyond what is out there on PVC. Here’s the rundown.

Gleaming Spires: Songs Of The Spires DLX RM – US – CD [2021

1. Going Hey Hey
2. Are You Ready For The Sex Girls?
3. While We Can
4. When Love Goes Under Glass
5. The End Of All Good Things
6. Watch Your Blood Beat
7. How To Get Girls Thru Hypnotism
8. Talking In The Dark
9. Big Hotels
10. The Way Marlena Moves – Bates Motel
11. Real Time – Bates Motel
12. Only The Young Die Young – Bates Motel
13. Dedication – Bates Motel
14. Unexpected Overnighters – Bates Motel
15. Real Love – Bates Motel
16. Walk Right
17. Life Out On The Lawn
18. Somewhere
19. Passion Pit

The original album has been abetted with the Bates Motel sessions as produced by L.A. popster Andrew Gold. The six Bates Motel tracks here are new to all ears. The only Bates Motel track ever released previously was “Live Among The Dancers” on the “Sharp Cuts” New Wave Compilation, but I’m guessing the masters to that are in limbo that only lawyers can sort out. “Walk Right” was the B-side to “How To Get Girls Thru Hypnotism,” the the remaining three cuts are from the “Life Out On The Lawn” 12″ single. To answer your probing question, yes. “Somewhere” is the “West Side Story” chestnut decades before it was a gleam in Pet Shop Boys’ eyes.

Gleaming Spires: Walk On Well Lighted Streets DLX RM – US – CD [2021]

1. Mining
2. You’re Right
3. Big Surprise
4. Walk On Well Lighted Streets
5. Fun Type
6. A Christian Girl’s Problem
7. Happy Boy
8. At Together
9. The Making Love Project
10. Yes I Can
11. Funk For Children
12. Does Your Mother Know?
13. Christine
14. Brain Button
15. Funk For Children (Part II)
16. Brain Button (Part II)
17. It’s Kinda Like The Movies
18. Are You Ready For The Sex Girls? (Full Band Version)
19. All Night Party

The second album was also an early Stephen Hague production, and dig that Mark Kostabi cover painting. It’s from so early in his career he might have actually held the brush! Bonus materials here are from the “Party EP” [11-16] with tracks 18 and 19 from the “Revenge Of The Nerds” OST. Track 17, was previously unissued.

Gleaming Spires: Welcoming A New Ice Age DLX RM – US – CD [2021]

1. Mercy
2. Welcoming A New Ice Age
3. Tearaway
4. No One Coming Over
5. Your Secret Room
6. Bigger Than Life
7. Things I Have Done To Our Love
8. Blowing Up My Life
9. What’s Coming Next
10. Unprotected
11. Harm
12. Here Comes Mr. Funhog
13. Dedication
14. I Want More
15. A Boy And A Girl
16. Suspicious Minds
17. It’s All Right Ma, I’m Only Bleeding – Eleven Blue Men
18. Crumbling – Eleven Blue Men
19. That’s It, Forget It

Album number three was produced by Greg Penny in 1995, who had helmed the previous “Party EP” as well as Martini Ranch’s 1988 album, “Holy Cow.” He might have been a go-to point of reference for that one by his work here with Gleaming Spires. The bonus material here was all previously unreleased; some of it dating from the “School Spirit” unreleased OST as well as the Eleven Blue Men session done after guitarist Bob Haag hung up his Spires shoes. Following this album, Les Boheme fell back on screenwriting while David Kendrick would go to work for The Motherbaugh brothers; eventually becoming DEVO‘s drummer for their Enigma Records releases.

This amazing series of reissues was produced by Chaim O’Brien-Blumenthal [who kindly left a comment on the posting on The Spires the week before last], David Kendrick, and Cheryl Pawelski of Omnivore Recordings. The extensive liner notes have new essays by Chaim and track-by-track commentary by Kendrick + Boheme. Each disc is priced to move at $16.95 and will be issued on September 17th. We want these badly. You should too. Hit that button.

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