European Son single
UK/Ireland/Germany/Australia
January 1982
7"
version:
A: European Son (remix) 3.48
B: Alien 5.00
12" version:
A: European Son (extended remix) 5.14
B: Alien 5.00
The
7" and 12" versions
on this release were remixed by "Tin Drum" producer Steve Nye and have
a harder less disco sound than the John Punter
mixes. The b-side in both cases is "Alien". There is also a German
pressing with a different sleeve. UK chart position: 31.
- UK
& Irish 7" HANSA 10
- UK
12" HANSA 1210
- German
7" Hansa 103.897
- Australian
7" RCA Victor 103981
- Scandanavian 7"
ARI 8204 - this is manufactured in the Netherlands but the NCB on the
label means it was released in Sweden/Norway/Finland.
European
Son was written
by David Sylvian in 1978 following the group's US tour. It was intended
to be the title track of their third album, and Sylvian intended to
record it with Giorgio Moroder. However, the producer preferred Life In
Tokyo so this did not happen. Japan then recorded the song with Simon
Napier-Bell and it was mixed by John Punter before release. Seemingly
"always the bridesmaid never the bride" the song was first released as
the b-side of I Second That Emotion in Japan and on the Special Edition
EP in Canada, following an aborted plan to release it on an EP in 1979
along with A Foreign Place and All Tomorrow's Parties (Assemblage
version). It wasn't out in the UK until 1981, again as a b-side,
this time to Life In Tokyo (Hansa 4) and later on Assemblage. A rare
John Punter 12" version can be heard as the b-side of the 1981 Life In
Tokyo 12" (Hansa 124). |
