Wuthering Heights - Italy 7" Single

The Italian 7" single for Wuthering Heights has the same artwork on the cover as the UK release, but with the addition of the logo near the bottom. The back of the picture sleeve is completely different from the UK release. In fact, it actually shares a lot of similarities to the France release.

The biggest disappointment with this one is the sleeve itself. It's made out of a very cheap cardboard type material, which is more susceptible to creases, bends, edge wear and staining. It doesn't have anywhere near the same quality as the UK release. It's still nice to have though, especially if you like to collect variants of the same single.

The record labels are pretty similar to the UK ones at the time.

The Red Shoes Interview (Toronto, Canada)

Ok, I thought I’d add this one for fun. This isn’t anything “official”. Well, technically it is, but it isn‘t. Let‘s just call it a homemade bootleg of sorts. In December 1993, Kate made one of her rare visits to Toronto, Canada to promote ‘The Red Shoes’. Well known radio station in Toronto, “The Edge” (CFNY FM 102.1) gave away special passes to a special screening of Kate’s short film, ‘The Line, The Cross and The Curve’, which Kate attended, and I also got to be a part of. She also did a live radio interview with the radio station, and phone lines were open for all of Canada and the U.S. Amazingly enough, I got through on the telephone and was able to talk to Kate live on air as well. It still amazes me to this day, considering the impossible odds. I won’t say which caller I was, in case anyone else out there still has this interview, as I could be easily identified.

My thoughts on this interview: I haven’t listened to it for a very long time. This is the original cassette and extra copy I made 17 years ago. YIKES!!! I would love to put this onto CD, before it disintegrates, but I’m too stupid to know what to do. But anyway… From what I recall, it was a very nice interview. Kate was very frank with her answers, which got a few laughs from the crowd standing outside of the radio station, especially from one caller in particular that asked Kate if she would ever consider releasing her demos officially. It was an hour long live interview, and I think a good portion of the time was unnecessarily wasted with playing tracks from The Red Shoes, especially since that time could have been used for taking more calls. I must admit, all these years later, it does surprise me that Kate would do a live interview like that, considering how much she does value her privacy.

I would go so far as to call this interview rare because it’s highly unlikely that you will ever see Kate in this sort of “uncontrolled” live interview format again.

Suspended In Gaffa (German 7" Single)

The German 7" single for Suspended In Gaffa, like the France one, reuses the album artwork, which is a slight letdown. Personally, I think it would have been nicer if either the Germany or the France release could have implemented some different artwork.

The record labels are fairly average, so there isn't really a lot to say about them.

Since Suspended in Gaffa wasn't released as a single in the UK, which is surprising, it's nice to have any of the ones from Germany, France, Holland or Spain. Personally I like the Holland one the best.

There Goes A Tenner - UK 7" Single: First Issue/Reissue

There Goes a Tenner is a very interesting one for the simple fact that there is absolutely no difference between the original release and the reissue found in the Single File box set. In other words, they're one and the same.

It's been said that this single, which failed to even chart, had such a large surplus of extra copies leftover, that they used them for the Single File box set. All copies of the single, including the Single File copies have "RAYS" etched into the run off on Side A. Presumably this is for Ray Staff who did the mastering on this track.

Never For Ever - Japan First Issue Pressing

Original Japanese LP release for Never For Ever, and easily one of my favourites. This one comes with one of the nicest Obi-Strips for a Kate release, and these new scans really don't do it any justice. The colours have a sort of metallic finish to them.

The Japanese release reuses the same record jacket artwork front to back as the UK release. The only real difference on the back is a bit of Japanese writing at the bottom and some distribution information.

This is also a gatefold release, like the UK one, so you get all that wonderful artwork inside by Nick Price. You also get to see the reverse side of the Obi-Strip, which I unfortunately didn't move out of the way so some of the song lyrics are obscured.

The jacket does appear to be made from a slightly thicker card compared to the UK release, and it feels like it has a bit more weight behind it.

This release also uses the exact same picture labels that are found on the UK release. Apart from the Japanese catalogue number and distribution information, the labels don't differ in any other way.

Just like with other Japanese releases, this one also comes with an additional double-sided insert. The song lyrics are printed in full Japanese characters and it also carries some of the album's artwork on both sides. Apologies for the bad splicing job on this.

This is a rather stunning one to have if you can find a near mint copy of it with the Obi-Strip intact.