Here we have two copies of "The Two Ring Circus" where one is literally a pale imitation of the other. I own an original pressing which is in very good condition, and thanks to the fact that this album is presented as two 45rpm 12" discs, it sounds fantastic. The other copy is a "Queuing for records day" Record Store Day cash-in from 2018. The artwork for the newer version was clearly reproduced from scans as it is rather pale, blurred and not colour matched to the original. This newer version is pressed on yellow vinyl, but as my original copy is in such good condition, I haven't had need to open it.
The remixes on this album aren't radical reinterpretations or even funkier dance versions. No, these mixes belong to the 'tinker with it' school of remixing that was predominant in the eighties. Around 80% of the original backing track always seem to be retained and only the occasional new element added.
The "Erasure and Flood Remix" of "Sometimes" starts of promisingly but reverts to the same structure as the album version with only the occasional new drum sound thrown in. The most radical mix is probably Louie Vega's version of "Hideaway" which features an extend break and some nice TR-808 hit hats. Daniel Miller's mix of "Don't Dance" is suitably Kraftwerk inspired and is probably the highlight.
The last three tracks on the album are orchestral interpretations of "If I Could", "Spiralling" and a song from their debut album called "My Heart So Blue". As a fan of electronic music I'm not too interested in these versions and the arrangements sound a little ostentatious for my taste. The live tracks found on the CD (and cassette as I remember) aren't on the vinyl so here we end. 3/5
