Some artists do enjoy going back to their older songs and revisit them, tweak and sometimes improve them for a new pair of shoes to be walked in. Gregory Douglass has recently done that with eight of his tracks for Retro Active 3.
“Time” is a Gregory classic and is reworked into a more ethereal version tuning from an anthemic track to one that is still catchy but one that’s more layered and without drums it still has a real push behind it. “Innocence” sounds even darker than before with some great new electronica workings. “American City”, a very early track is given the Lucid treatment full of smooth, warm keyboard expertise. “North Star” is given the piano/cello stripped down edge and is every bit as dramatic as the original.
“Hard” is too given a Lucid feel with lots of glistening keyboard twinkles and bells while “Rotunda” is taken from a rocking growling menace and something that sounds like Soft Cell could have written in their Last Days in Sodom era – spooky and gritty. “Slipping” and “”Hang Around” turns the fantastically catchy originals into a heart wrenching piano/cello/vocal ensemble which packs a real punch and closes the collection perfectly.
Gregory Douglass manages to keep the spirit of the originals whilst moving their goalposts and this will be a must have for all fans.