Fire Records has just reissued The Chills’ second and third albums — 1990’s major-label debut Submarine Bells and its follow-up, 1992’s Soft Bomb — on vinyl with newly remastered sound, pressings that are available now via the label but not until November in record stores.
Submarine Bells, with its classic opening track “Heavenly Pop Hit,” found Martin Phillipps and Co. signing to Warner Bros. subsidiary Slash Records and scoring a No. 1 album in their native New Zealand. Phillipps, a chief architect of the Dunedin sound, returned two years later with Soft Bomb, a collection of songs featuring contributions by Van Dyke Parks and Peter Holsapple.
The two reissued LPs can be ordered online now, and will be released into stores Nov. 6 worldwide.
The Chills’ most recent studio album, Snow Bound, was released in 2018.
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Watch: The Chills play ‘Pink Frost’ and more in on-air set for Seattle’s KEXP
- Listen: The Chills’ Martin Phillipps talks to Rockin’ the Suburbs podcast in 3-part interview
- The Chills to embark on first U.S. tour since 1996 ahead of SXSW next spring
- Watch: The Chills premiere video for ‘Complex’ off upcoming album ‘Snow Bound’
- The Chills to release new album ‘Snow Bound’ in September — hear 2 new songs now
Since there is no open thread options here I thought I would mention another reissue. The 1985 album “Sun City” from Artists United Against Apartheid has been reissued on both CD and vinyl. The release date is today, July 24.
This album has been out of print for years and given it’s topical nature is a pleasant surprise to see it available once again.
Just an add on to the above post of mine — it appears that this reissue is a part of an overall reissue program of Steve Van Zandt’s back catalogue. There does not appear to be any bonus material on the “Sun City” album.
As for The Chills, I was just recently listening to “Submarine Bells” for the first time in ages. Nice little coincidence with its vinyl reissue news here.