This second 5CD box set Clouds Across The Moon: The Rah Band Story Volume Two covers the period 1985-1998 and contains expanded versions of the albums ‘Mystery’, ‘Something About The Music’ and the previously unreleased ‘World Keeps Turning’ plus 2CDs of additional 12” mixes, 7” mixes and remixes.

The Rah Band was formed by Richard Anthony Hewson (RAH) in 1977, and launched with ‘The Crunch’, a strange compelling instrumental which was a mixture of glam stomp, space age jazz and futuristic pop that was recorded DIY style in his bedroom.

The single reached No.6 in the UK singles chart and launched a career that has spanned 25 studio and compilation albums and over 40 singles, enjoying chart and sales success in both the UK and a number of overseas territories.

Richard Hewson is still recording today and this collection of his recordings covering the period 1985-1998 demonstrate Hewson’s role as the shapeshifting sonic adventurer with demagogic power.

Disc 1: Mystery
1. Clouds Across The Moon
2. Night Wind
3. Sorry Doesn’t Make It Anymore
4. Float
5. Mystery Boy
6. Are You Satisfied? (Funka Nova)
7. Shadow Of Your Love
8. Out On The Edge
Bonus Tracks
9. Clouds Across The Moon (7” Single Mix)*
10. Night Wind (7” Single Remix)*
11. Sorry Doesn’t Make It Anymore (7” Single Remix)*
12. Mystery Boy (7” Single Mix)**
13. Are You Satisfied? (7” Single Mix)*
14. Clouds Across The Moon (Solar Horizon Mix)*
15. Clouds Across The Moon (Lunar Mix)*

This, in all truth, fictitious studio group (as aforementioned, masterminded by Richard A. Hewson, who in the late 60s, the arranger, conductor and multi-instrumentalist had already worked with James Taylor and Herbie Hancock), gave us the sweepingly gorgeous Mystery back in the heady days of 1985.

Thus, this magnificent, and uber catchy ‘Clouds Across The Moon’ song, with vocals by his wife Liz, gave him a second Top 10 single, of which over the years the band have chalked up seven UK hits.

Billboard actually described the album as a quirky pop work with a distinctly English flavor, which sums it up just perfectly, meanwhile others described the ambient tracks as a dutiful blend of disco and jazz, which one also cannot argue with.

Disc 2: Something About The Music
1. Run 4 The Sun
2. Something About The Music
3. Take Some Thyme
4. Nothing In This World**
5. A Womans Life*
6. Adventures Of E.Man**
7. Life After Love*
8. Jammin’ On The Byte
9. Across The Bay
10. Road Of No Return**
Bonus Tracks
11. Run 4 The Sun (7” Single Mix)*
12. Life After Love (7” Single Mix)*
13. Adventures Of E.Man (7” Single Mix)
14. Run 4 The Sun (Alternative 12” Single Mix)**
15. Jammin’ On The Byte (7” Single Mix)*

Interestingly enough, this follow-up album was originally intended for release in 1987, following the release of the singles Run 4 The Sun / Life After Love and Across The Bay / Jammin’ On The Byte, but due to a change in management at RCA the album did not get released at that time.

Sadly that happens way more than you would imagine, and although a few editions of it were released on promo down the years, here it is now, in all its extended glory, within this most sumptuous box-set from Cherry Red Records.

A collection of that still deserves oh-so much more attention even today, stand out tracks include the propulsive dancefloor smash Run 4 The Sun, the silky smooth Nothing In This World, the sweetly rhythmic within A Woman’s Life, and both the contagiously funky Take Some Thyme and the addictive Life After Love.

Disc 3: World Keeps Turning
1. Turn My Love Around**
2. Living For The Nitelife*
3. Chained To The Rhythm**
4. World Keeps Turning**
5. Beyond The Sun
6. Could You Be The One?*
7. Looks Like I’m In Love Again*
8. Follow Your Lucky Star**
9. If I Ever**
10. Let Your Love Shine**
Bonus Tracks
11. Turn Around (La Vuelta Mix)**
12. World Keeps Turning (Cosmos Mix)**
13. Could You Be The One (Luv Akshun Mix)**
14. Hungry 4 Your Love (Orkestronic Mix)**
15. Let Your Love Shine (Gospel Stomp Mix)**
* Previously unreleased on CD
** Previously unreleased

The most wondrous, and as of just now, previously-unreleased album, continued to showcase their ’80s soul approach, but still with all the sweet electric elements that made them so great in the first place.

Stand out tracks here are the opening trilogy of the harder-thumping melodies within Turn My Love Around, the under-rated R&B smoothness of Living For The Nitelife and the euphoric Chained To The Rhythm, alongside the melodic nature of both Looks Like I’m In Love and Follow Your Lucky Star.

Disc 4: Remixes & Rarities Part One
1. Night Wind (12” Remix)** / 2. Are You Satisfied? (12” Instrumental Mix)* / 3. Sorry Doesn’t Make It Anymore (12” Mix)* / 4. What’ll Become Of The Children (12” Mix) / 5. Float (12” Remix)** / 6. The Crunch ’85 (7” Single Mix)* / 7. What’ll Become Of The Children (7” Single Mix)* / 8. The Crunch ’85 (12” Single Mix)* / 9. Shadow Of Your Love (7” Single Mix)** / 10. The Crunch ’85 (Jazz Mix)* / 11. Sweet Forbidden (7” Single Mix)* / 12. Perfect Stranger (7” Single Mix)* / 13. Sweet Forbidden (12” Single Mix)* / 14. Perfect Stranger (12” Single Mix)*.

Disc 5: Remixes & Rarities Part Two
1. Time Keeps Tearing Us Apart (12” Mix) / 2. Nice Easy Money (7” Single Mix)* / 3. Every Little Drop (Demo featuring Liz Hewson)** / 4. Time Keeps Tearing Us Apart (7” Single Mix)* / 5. Nice Easy Money (12” Single Mix)* / 6. Close To Home (Demo featuring Liz Hewson)** / 7. Silverbird (7” Single Mix)* / 8. I Feel Like Love Tonight (Original Club Mix)* / 9. Big Love Turnaround (Extended Mix)** / 10. This Is My Time (Alternative Mix)** / 11. It’s The Rhythm (Extended Mix)** / 12. Hungry 4 Your Love (Vocal Remix)** / 13. Life After Love (Remix)** / 14. Nothing In This World (Duet Version)** / 15. Believe In The Miracle (SNCL Club Mix)** / 16. I Wanna Thank You (WKD Club Mix)**

* Previously unreleased on CD
** Previously unreleased

Official Purchase Link

The Rah Band @ Facebook