Tracie Young (often just billed as Tracie) is a former English pop singer from the 1980’s who achieved success after becoming a protégée of Paul Weller.

This fantastic 4CD/1DVD clamshell collection entitled Souls On Fire – The Recordings 1983-1986 features the period spans her eight singles and two studio albums over the period of 1983-1986, while Tracie was signed firstly to Paul Weller’s label, Respond Records, and then to Polydor Records for the release of two singles and the then unreleased second album, ‘No Smoke Without Fire’.

This was subsequently released in 2014 on Cherry Red Records. The exclusive DVD brings together her original promo videos, rare footage of Tracie’s appearances at the BBC and a live performance filmed in Japan in 1984.

CD 1 is centered around the ten-track debut album ‘Far From The Hurting Kind’, originally released in 1984 plus ten bonus tracks. The album opener, (I Love You) When You Sleep was written by Elvis Costello.

Disc 1:
FAR FROM THE HURTING KIND + BONUS TRACKS
1. (I LOVE YOU) WHEN YOU SLEEP
2. SOULS ON FIRE
3. NOTHING HAPPENS HERE BUT YOU
4. I CAN’T HOLD ON ‘TILL SUMMER
5. DR. LOVE
6. THANK YOU
7. MOVING TOGETHER
8. SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN
9. WHAT DID I HEAR YOU SAY
10. FAR FROM THE HURTING KIND
11. THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT (SINGLE VERSION)
12. GIVE IT SOME EMOTION (SINGLE VERSION)
13. THE BOY HAIRDRESSER
14. YOU MUST BE KIDDING +
15. SAME FEELINGS (WITHOUT THE EMOTION)
16. MAMA NEVER TOLD ME
17. DR. LOVE (B-SIDE VERSION) +
18. GIVE IT SOME EMOTION (EXTENDED VERSION)
19. SOULS ON FIRE (LONG VERSION)
20. THE COUNTRY CODE +
+ denotes appearing on CD for the first time

I’ve always been a fan of Tracie, even saw her perform a very sweaty show in London back in the ’80s at The Marquee (although, in hindsight, it could have been The 100 Club), but I digress. Although the album didn’t spark a massive rush by the public for it at the record shops, to me (and all her fans) it was/is a bonafide masterpiece.

Also a nice reminder that there was more going on in the ’80s than all the disco-glitter-synthesizer bang-bang-bang (to paraphrase), like many Cherry Red reissues, this one wisely adds some fun bonus tracks, and in this case that makes all the difference; since Weller opted to mysteriously leave Tracie’s two major chart entries OFF the original album!

Ah, Mr. Weller, always the fly in the ointment. As for the original album, it is chock full of bouncy, catchy, soul-pop tunes driven by a sweet, pretty and passionate young voice in Tracie Young.

In what was a terribly ignored album in its time, stand outs still today include the totally gorgeous (I LOVE YOU) WHEN YOU SLEEP, the pop-grooved power of the addictive synth beauty DR. LOVE (complete with a slap bass middle), the poplicious WHAT DID I HEAR YOU SAY, and both the smoothness of the titular FAR FROM THE HURTING KIND and the upbeat pop-tastic THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT.

The bonus cuts - on the first disc, let alone all those spread throughout - really do bump this package up a couple notches, especially the brilliantly impassioned GIVE IT SOME EMOTION (extended version), the groovy MAMA NEVER TOLD ME, and a B-side track, where if Bananarama fanatics were ever curious to hear a very different version of Weller’s Deep Sea Skiving contribution, well, here it was aka DR. LOVE.

CD 2 features the ten tracks of Tracie’s second album, ‘No Smoke Without Fire’, plus eight related bonus tracks.

Disc 2: NO SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE + BONUS TRACKS
1. ITALIAN GIRL
2. I THINK YOU’RE LUCKY
3. FINGERS CROSSED
4. LOVE WITHOUT JEALOUSY
5. I CAN’T LEAVE YOU ALONE
6. INVITATION
7. ME AND JIMMY STONE
8. THE COUNTRY CODE
9. (WHEN YOU) CALL ME
10. NO SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE
11. (WHEN YOU) CALL ME (7” VERSION) +
12. I CAN’T LEAVE YOU ALONE (7” VERSION)
13. INVITATION (RSVP MIX – 7” VERSION) +
14. WE SHOULD BE TOGETHER (7” VERSION) +
15. FINGERS CROSSED (HEARTBEAT DEMO)
16. I THINK YOU’RE LUCKY (ALTERNATIVE TAKE)
17. I CAN’T LEAVE YOU ALONE (PICK ‘N’ MIX)
18. FIND IT IN YOUR NATURE
+ denotes appearing on CD for the first time

Recommended for die hard fans of the Style Council or any of the acts that proliferated briefly during the new wave of UK jazz pop (ie: early Sade, Weekend, Working Week, Matt Bianco, etc.), the second disc is her much-delayed album No Smoke Without Fire, and is yet another brilliant slice of what Tracie could do.

Although the album is, as noted, a classic Tracie, smooth-sung gem, unfortunately, aside from a couple more singles that would appear randomly here and there on compilations, this is as far as her singing career went. For Weller kind of lost interest in the label and thus it eventually disappeared, but luckily for us, this quite excellent sophomore recording lives on today.

Inclusive of a booklet that features and photos from Tracie’s own collection from behind the scenes on tour in Japan and elsewhere, stand out tracks here for me are the infectious I THINK YOU’RE LUCKY, the melodic FINGERS CROSSED, and both the dutifully harmonized (WHEN YOU) CALL ME, and the smoothly grooved, titular NO SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE.

CD 3 features rarities from Tracie’s catalogue including six tracks appearing on CD for the first time.

Disc 3: RARITIES
1. THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT (12” VERSION) +
2. FAR FROM THE HURTING KIND (EARLY TRACK 1)
3. MOVING TOGETHER (CLUB MIX) +
4. GOOD FOR YOU (DEMO)
5. THE WAKING HOURS (DEMO)
6. BABY COME BACK (7” VERSION)
7. I CAN’T HOLD ON ‘TILL SUMMER (WITHOUT STRINGS)
8. THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT (1ST MIX)
9. NO SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE (REMIX)
10. SOULS ON FIRE (7” VERSION) +
11. FAR FROM THE HURTING KIND (EARLY TRACK 2)
12. INVITATION (RSVP MIX)
13. BABY COME BACK (12” VERSION)
14. THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT (12” INSTRUMENTAL) +
15. GIVE IT SOME EMOTION (12” B-SIDE) +
16. INVITATION (DEMO)
17. TRACIE TALKS +
+ denotes appearing on CD for the first time

This wondrous third disc is, as it says, a most delicious slice of Tracie rarities, and includes a whole bunch of her stuff that I myself have never had the pleasure to hear before. Sure I have all her 12 inch singles, together with their collective poster sleeves still in tact, and sure some of those B-side tracks are never to far from my ear when the mood strikes, but here we get such gems as early versions of FAR FROM THE HURTING KIND, I CAN’T HOLD ON ‘TILL SUMMER performed here without strings, a 12 inch instrumental version of THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT, along with a quite brilliant 12 inch B-side cut of GIVE IT SOME EMOTION.

CD 4 includes previously unreleased live performances recorded by Tokyo FM recorded live in Japan, plus tracks recorded by the BBC for their In Concert series, along with many remixes.

Disc 4: LIVE + MIXES
1. MAMA NEVER TOLD ME (LIVE IN JAPAN) +
2. GIVE IT SOME EMOTION (LIVE IN JAPAN) +
3. THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT (LIVE IN JAPAN) +
4. MOVING TOGETHER (LIVE IN JAPAN) +
5. I CAN’T HOLD ON ‘TILL SUMMER (LIVE IN JAPAN) +
6. I CAN’T LEAVE YOU ALONE (LIVE IN ROME) +
7. DR. LOVE (IN CONCERT – LIVE AT THE PARIS THEATRE, LONDON) +
8 .THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT (IN CONCERT) +
9. MAMA NEVER TOLD ME (IN CONCERT) +
10. NOTHING EVER HAPPENS HERE BUT YOU (RADIO SESSION)
11. GIVE IT SOME EMOTION (RADIO SESSION)
12. 19 (THE WICKHAM MIX)
13. WE SHOULD BE TOGETHER (JEZAMIX) +
14. TRACIE RAPS +
+ denotes appearing on CD for the first time

On what is yet another pure, unmined thus far gem of musical finds, this disc contains a lot of live tracks from Tracie, most all of which I have never heard before. Stand outs amongst the beautiful tracks include two cuts from her Japan tour in the form of GIVE IT SOME EMOTION and THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT, along with three mixes: the interesting 19 (THE WICKHAM MIX), the pop-flow bounce of WE SHOULD BE TOGETHER (JEZAMIX), and the beyond fantastic to hear all these years later, TRACIE RAPS cut!

The DVD features several original promo videos plus Tracie’s memorable 1985 appearance on Wogan to perform ‘I Can’t Leave You Alone’, and ‘The House That Jack Built’ on the seminal children’s program Cheggars Plays Pop. The DVD also features a seven-track live performance recorded on May 4 1984 at Nakano Sun-plaza Hall in Tokyo.

DVD:
1. GIVE IT SOME EMOTION (PROMO) 2. SOULS ON FIRE (PROMO) 3. I CAN’T LEAVE YOU ALONE (PROMO) 4. THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT (1983 TOTP APPEARANCE) 5. GIVE IT SOME EMOTION (1983 TOTP APPEARANCE) 6. I CAN’T LEAVE YOU ALONE (1985 APPEARANCE ON WOGAN) 7. THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT (1983 CHEGGARS PLAYS POP) 8. ME AND JIMMY STONE (PROMO) 9. MAMA NEVER TOLD ME (LIVE IN JAPAN) 10. (I LOVE YOU) WHEN YOU SLEEP (LIVE IN JAPAN) 11. THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT (LIVE IN JAPAN) 12. MOVING TOGETHER (LIVE IN JAPAN) 13. DR. LOVE (LIVE IN JAPAN) 14. I CAN’T HOLD ON ‘TILL SUMMER (LIVE IN JAPAN) 15. SOULS ON FIRE (LIVE IN JAPAN)

Compilers’ note: The DVD has been compiled using the best available source material. Where any such sources weren’t ideal, the compilers felt that those clips should be retained as their historical interest to fans outweighs any technical limitations.

Tracie - Souls On Fire – The Recordings 1983-1986 [Official Trailer]

Official Purchase Link