The original intention was to re-release all of Tony Banks’ solo albums on CD/DVD - remixed and remastered. There would be not just a new mix on the albums but also a bonus DVD with a 5.1 surround sound version and bonus material, if available. Unfortunately, this series was not continued after A Curious Feeling and The Fugitive. When we spoke with Tony about FIVE in our GNC interview last year (click here) he seemed at a loss at how to proceed.
The announcement in May came as a surprise, then: All solo albums will now be re-released in a 7CD/DVD set. This includes the soundtrack for The Wicked Lady. There will also be a bonus DVD with eight promotional videos that were shot during Tony's solo career. The set is called Banks Vaults: The Albums 1979-1995, and will be released by Esoteric/CherryRed in mid-July.
The set comes in some sort of double secured slipcase (there is an outer case and an inner case). The single CDs and the DVD come in cardsleeves and are integrated in the slipcase besides the book. Images of the finished product can be seen in this article.
The full 60-page booklet contains all lyrics and information about each album (as well as their covers and photos from the period - some of them even rare and unavailable until today or other takes from the sessions back then) in chronological order. Why The Wicked Lady has been placed at the rear of the book, even behind the information about the bonus DVD, remains unclear.
Nevertheless, the whole package is high quality!
Nick Davis had begun to remix the albums. But after Esoteric stopped the CD/DVD 5.1-Surround reissues, new mixes of the albums were discontinued. We now know that the albums A Curious Feeling, The Fugitive and parts of Soundtracks have been remixed. Some tracks from Bankstatement have also been remixed (please check the track list below to see which songs), but Still and Strictly Inc were not remixed. The question why Nick Davis didn't finish the remixes remained unclear until Tony Banks himself explained this in our inerview him from 27th June 2019 (click here to read it). It was neither necessary nor affordable to do that with the later tracks. The Wicked Lady actually contains the same mix that was already used in 2013 for the CD release that has gone out of print since.
Remastering was done at Abbey Road Studios by Nick Davis and Mike Showell using 24-bit digital re-mastering. Showell is also responsible for the remaster of Seconds Out (vinyl version, released in June 2019) and the Collins back catalogue, which came out remastered in 2016.
The CDs themselves do not contain any additional bonus material, but there is a bonus DVD with music videos. The box set does not contain 5.1 surround versions and also the bonus DVD is in stereo only.
CD1: A Curious Feeling*
From The Undertow
Lucky Me
The Lie
After The Lie
A Curious Feeling
Forever Morning
You
Somebody Else's Dream
The Waters Of Lethe
For A While
In The Dark
CD2: The Fugitive*
This Is Love
Man Of Spells
And The Wheels Keep Turning
Say You'll Never Leave Me
Thirty Three's
By You
At The Edge Of Night
Charm
Moving Under
K
Sometime Never
CD3: Soundtracks
Shortcut To Somewhere*
Smilin' Jack Casey
Rebirth
Gypsy
Final Chase
You Call This Victory*
Lion Of Symmetry*
Redwing*
Lorca
Kid And Detective Droid
Lift Off
Death Of Abby
CD4: Bankstatement
Throwback*
I'll Be Waiting*
Queen Of Darkness*
That Night
Raincloud
The Border*
Big Man*
A House Needs A Roof
The More I Hide It*
Diamonds Aren't So Hard
Thursday The Twelfth*
CD5: Still
Red Day On Blue Street
Angel Face
The Gift
Still It Takes Me By Surprise
Hero For An Hour
I Wanna Change The Score
Water Out Of Wine
Another Murder Of A Day
Back To Back
The Final Curtain
CD6: Strictly Inc
Don't Turn Your Back On Me
Walls Of Sound
Only Seventeen
The Serpent Said
Never Let Me Know
Charity Balls
Something To Live For
A Piece Of You
Strictly Incognito
An Island In The Darkness
CD7: The Wicked Lady
Music from the film
The Wicked Lady
Portrait Of Jerry Jackson
Caroline's Theme
Scherzo
Pastorale
Prelude To The Wicked Lady
Kit's Theme
Finale
Versions played by Tony Banks
Barbara
The Chase
Spring
Kit
Repentance
Caroline
Jerry Jackson
The Wicked Lady (custom version)
DVD: Videos
For A While
The Waters Of Lethe
This Is Love
Shortcut To Somewhere
Throwback
I Wanna Change The Score
The Gift
Only Seventeen
The bonus DVD contains eight promotional videos made over the years for songs by Tony Banks. Some of them are rather banal, but they are all part of the Genesis history and so it's nice to see them published here. The bonus DVD has only stereo sound.
Banks Vaults: The Albums 1979-1995 was released on July 19th and can be purchased at CherryRed or amazon-UK.
You may discuss this release in our forum in this thread.
Rerelease of the original soundtrack plus some extra tracks. Due 15th April 2013.
Mechanics-Album from 1995, contains the Hits Over My Shoulder and Another Cup Of Coffee.
Review available