It’s been Cutting Crew’s fate to be primarily remembered for their enormous, multi- million selling international hit, ‘(I Just) Died In Your Arms’, and that’s here in two versions, but this box set shows that there’s much more to the band, whose driving pop- rock is defined by strong song writing, Nick Van Eede’s soulful vocals and Kevin MacMichael’s lead guitar.

The USA took Cutting Crew to their hearts and ‘(I Just) Died In Your Arms’ topped the Billboard chart, ‘I’ve Been In Love Before’ reached #9 and the album ‘Broadcast’ peaked at #16, going gold. In the UK ‘(I Just) Died In Your Arms’ was a #4 smash hit.

All four singles from ‘Broadcast’ are also presented as extended remixes originally issued on 12” singles including the much loved 12” mix of ‘(I Just) Died In Your Arms’ and Arthur Baker’s remix and dub of ‘Any Colour’.

Cutting Crew frontman Nick Van Eede has opened his archives to contribute five demos to the set, including two previously unreleased – ‘Open Up Your Window’ and a cover of Simon Dupree And The Big Sound’s ‘Kites’.

Van Eede, who still leads Cutting Crew today, has been newly interviewed for the box set booklet.

Featuring 52 tracks over 3CDs, this box set contains the three studio albums Cutting Crew recorded between 1986 and 1992, the Grammy nominated debut, ‘Broadcast’ (1986), acclaimed follow up, ‘The Scattering’ (1989), and the ripe for rediscovery, ‘Compus Mentus’ (1992), plus B sides, remixes and demos.

CD 1: Broadcast (1986)
1. Any Colour
2. One For The Mockingbird
3. I’ve Been In Love Before
4. Life In A Dangerous Time
5. Fear Of Falling
6. (I Just) Died In Your Arms
7. Don’t Look Back
8. Sahara
9. It Shouldn’t Take Too Long
10. The Broadcast

B-Sides & Remixes
11. For The Longest Time
12. I Just Died In Your Arms (12” Remix)
13. I’ve Been In Love Before (Extended)
14. One For The Mockingbird (Extended Remix)
15. Any Colour (Arthur Baker Remix)

The irony of Broadcast is that, for my money, the three hit singles weren’t even the best songs on it. The title track, Any Colour, It Shouldn’t Take Too Long, Sahara and Life In A Dangerous Time all gave evidence of a band far more thoughtful and creative than the MTV videos and the fairly naff cliches of I’ve Been In Love Before ever came close to suggesting.

Though (I Just) Died In Your Arms is obviously entirely worthy of its ’80s mainstream rock classic status, if any of those five previously mentioned songs had followed it as singles, Cutting Crew would have been a mega attraction for the rest of the decade (in my humble opinion).

The slick guitar rock on Broadcast may not have wowed the rock & roll intelligentsia, but it’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser, an underrated collection of simple, heartfelt love songs and up-tempo pop that reside between the stylistic boundaries of new wave and mainstream rock.

(I Just) Died In Your Arms and I’ve Been In Love Before immediately thrust Cutting Crew onto the U.S. charts; however, both songs aren’t sufficient in summing up Broadcast’s appeal overall though, as noted.

That said, the five bonus tracks include brilliant extended cuts, such as a 12” remix of I Just Died In Your Arms and a lovely I’ve Been In Love Before, but it’s my own personal CC favorite One For The Mockingbird (Extended Remix) that makes this disc what it is.

CD 2: The Scattering (1989)
1. Year In The Wilderness
2. The Scattering
3. Big Noise
4. Everything But My Pride
5. Handcuffs For Houdini
6. (Between A) Rock And A Hard Place
7. Tip Of Your Tongue
8. Reach For The Sky
9. The Last Thing
10. Feel The Wedge
11. Binkies Return (Instrumental)
12. Brag

B-Sides & Demos
13. Christians
14. Card House (Live)
15. Contact High
16. More Than A Dream (Demo)
17. Into The Night (Demo)
18. No Secrets (Demo)

In truth, by the time Cutting Crew released their second album in 1989, they were viewed as irrelevant by both critics and the fickle public that elevated (I Just) Died In Your Arms and I’ve Been In Love Before onto the pop charts two years earlier. The cold shoulders which welcomed The Scattering were most likely due to the lack of immediately catchy songs; nevertheless, while The Scattering doesn’t have ear candy like the band’s hit singles, the music is less-blatantly commercial and more personal.

Ergo, in my humble opinion, it’s still slick stuff -- big ’80s synthesizers, glossy FM radio guitars, in-your-face drums -- but Nick VanEede’s vocals have a frosty glow that creates a mood and sustains interest that I personally adore.

As for the accumulated B-Sides & Demos bonus tracks, the best of the best for me are the dynamic Contact High, the alluring demo Into The Night, and the live cut Card House.

CD 3: Compus Mentus (1992)
1. No Bad Thing
2. (Another One Of My) Big Ideas
3. Frigid As England
4. Julie Don’t Dance
5. If That’s The Way You Want It
6. Need Someone
7. Your Guess Is As Good As Mine
8. Ricochet
9 Sweet Auburn
10. Crooked Mile
11. Don’t Let It Bring You Down
12. All The Way In

B-Sides, Remixes & Demos
13. Been In Luv (92)
14. Everything But My Pride (92 Remix)
15. Open Up Your Window (Demo)
16. Mirror And A Blade (Live)
17. One For The Mockingbird (Shelly Yakus US Remix)
18. Any Colour (Dub)
19. Kites (Demo)

Their 1992 album Compus Mentus became the duo’s third and final album together, as they decided to part ways as band mates the next year which meant the end of Cutting Crew. Nick van Eede, a wholly underrated song writer and someone who always lays down his best lyrics on anything he directs his attention to, does enough here to carry the album, but it sure wasn’t their best.

That said, standout tracks for me include Frigid As England (written by Jeff Lowe), the plaintive Sweet Auburn and the darkly comic, Don’t Let It Bring You Down, with the album spawning just the one single, the empowered If That’s The Way You Want It.

As for the selection of bonus B-Sides, Remixes & Demos, stand outs for me include the two 1992 takes Been In Luv and Everything But My Pride, a totally rocking One For The Mockingbird (Shelly Yakus US Remix), and the delightful live cut Mirror And A Blade.

Official 3CD Purchase Link

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