For those unaware, Cherry Red Records are delighted and proud to announce the newly remastered and expanded release of Howard Jones’ second album “Dream Into Action”.

Released in March 1985, “Dream Into Action” reached No.2 in the UK Album Charts and achieved Gold Album status. Like its pre-decessor “Human’s Lib”, “Dream Into Action” contained four Top 20 hit singles; ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ reached No.6, ‘Look Mama’ at No. 10, ‘Life In One Day’ at No.14 and ‘No One Is To Blame’ at No.16.

In addition to these four Top 20 Hit singles, the original CD version of “Dream Into Action” also contained a bonus track, namely Howard’s hit single from the previous year - ‘Like To Get To Know You Well’ - which reached No.4 in the Singles Chart.

“Dream Into Action” also enjoyed massive international acclaim and success; particularly in the USA where it reached No.10 in the Billboard Album charts achieving Platinum status. It spawned three Billboard Top 20 hit singles including ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ at No.5, ‘Life In One Day’ at No.19 and a re-recorded version of ‘No One Is To Blame’ featuring Phil Collins on backing vocals and drums (produced by Hugh Padgham), which gave Howard his biggest ever US hit single reaching No.4.

As well as achieving great success in the UK (# 1) and USA, “Dream Into Action” and the various singles taken from it also enjoyed tremendous success internationally in such countries as Canada, New Zealand, Australia and throughout most of Europe.

Disc 1: Blu-Ray - 5.1 Surround Sound Mix and 96/24 LPCM 2024 New Stereo Mix
1. Things Can Only Get Better
2. Life In One Day
3. Dream Into Action
4. No One Is To Blame
5. Look Mama
6. Assault And Battery
7. Automaton
8. Is There A Difference?
9. Elegy
10. Specialty
11. Why Look For The Key
12. Hunger For The Flesh
13. Bounce Right Back
14. Like To Get To Know You Well
15. Things Can Only Get Better [Dolby Atmos Mixes]
16. Like To Get To Know You Well [Dolby Atmos Mixes]

Howard Jones’ second album is very different from his brilliant Human’s Lib, as it doesn’t really rely quite as much on synthesizers, although they are still very dominant. But in no way is Dream Into Action much weaker, of that I think we can all attest to.

Again, Jones has released an uplifting, encouraging and melodious album, concentrating on people; their feelings and emotions. The first two songs, “Things Can Only Get Better” and “Life In A Day”, typify this perfectly, with such lyrics as “Try and enjoy the here and now, the future will take care of itself somehow/Grass is never greener over there”.

Other songs, that focus on troubled lives, include “Elegy” and “Specialty” (“’bout time you realized, you are a specialty, there is no-one like you / Spend your life worrying ‘bout what you could have been, can’t you like being you.”).

“Dream Into Action” and “Look Mama”, the latter about an overbearing parent, are two other fine tracks, while Jones does include hard-hitting songs here, including “Hunger For The Flesh” and the magnificent “Assault and Battery”, arguably his best song of all.

OK, sure, the brilliant first half of the record is followed by a slightly lesser second, but overall, this is another outstanding release from a very talented man, and possibly the one of his which has aged the best.

Disc 2: CD - 2024 New Stereo Mix
1. Things Can Only Get Better 2. Life In One Day 3. Dream Into Action 4. No One Is To Blame 5. Look Mama 6. Assault And Battery 7. Automaton 8. Is There A Difference? 9. Elegy 10. Specialty 11. Why Look For The Key 12. Hunger For The Flesh 13. Bounce Right Back 14. Like To Get To Know You Well

The Blu-Ray disc contains a 5.1 Surround Sound mix and 96/24 LPCM 2024 New Stereo Mix of the entire ‘Dream Into Action’ album plus bonus tracks ‘Bounce Right Back’ and ‘Like To Get To Know You Well’.

The 5.1 Surround Sound Remix and 96/24 LPCM 2024 New Stereo Mix created from the original multi-track mastertapes by the original ‘Dream Into Action’ album engineer Stephen W Tayler.

The Blu-Ray disc also contains Dolby Atmos mixes of ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ and ‘Like To Get To Know You Well’ created from the original multi-track mastertapes by Bob Clearmountain.

The CD contains the 2024 New Stereo Mix of the entire ‘Dream Into Action’ album plus bonus tracks ‘Bounce Right Back’ and ‘Like To Get To Know You Well’.

Packaged in a digipack with a fully illustrated 12 page CD booklet containing brand new interviews with Howard Jones and Stephen W Tayler in conversation with Anil Prasad discussing the 5.1 Surround Sound Remix and 96/24 LPCM 2024 New Stereo Mix.

Official Purchase Link