Rating: ****
After 25 years, Bananarama have finally released their seventh album, Ultra Violet, in the UK – and it’s absolutely been worth the wait!
The record, which dropped sporadically around the globe in 1995, includes the singles Every Shade Of Blue and Take Me To Your Heart, and served as the follow-up to the brilliant Please Yourself – Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward’s last collaboration with Stock Aitken Waterman.
However, Ultra Violet’s musical style couldn’t be more different from its predecessor, with the girls opting for a pure mid-’90s techno sound, turning the bass up to 11 and relying on heavy beats, catchy melodies and irresistible hooks. The result – one of Bananarama’s strongest albums.
Despite the shift from SAW, Ultra Violet picks up on the experimentation that began on Pop Life in 1990, replicating similar house music sounds on tracks including Every Shade, System, Don’t Stop Me Now and Time Out, which stand up against their chart hits from the ’80s.
Meanwhile, slowed-down offerings Take Me To Your Heart – which was given the remix treatment for its single release, but is kept in its original form here – Take Me Away and Maybe The Next Time are perfect breezy summer hits, offering moments of respite amid the dancefloor-friendly offering.
At its time of release, the duo didn’t have a major label deal, and instead opted to release the album on various minor labels worldwide, in a number of formats. The roll-out began with the Japan-only release of the album as I Found Love, with the title track as the lead single.
While that tune remains on the new edition as the final track, it also appeared as a bonus track on subsequent editions of the album, which was re-branded as Ultra Violet with brand new artwork.
It has since remained unavailable on streaming services in the UK – the only Bananarama record to be absent – with Friday’s release completing the group’s online discography.
The physical release, which is the record’s first time on vinyl, is a stunning pressing on clear violet single vinyl, featuring the original Ultra Violet cover and an updated back cover and tracklist, featuring an outtake from the photoshoot of Sara and Keren.
Although a printed inner sleeve would have been nice – and perhaps a bonus disc of remixes, outtakes and rarities – we won’t pretend that we’ll shy away from throwing our cash at a deluxe reissue in a couple of years!
Ultra Violet has always been one of our favourite Bananarama records, and it only feels right to finally see the album have its long-overdue UK release and get the widespread recognition it deserves.
Now, about that Exotica re-release…
