Propaganda – A Secret Wish

I wish (a secret wish perhaps?) that people were able to hear Propaganda's original demos which were like hearing Propaganda as done by The Fall or someone. The bore no resemblance at all to what became their first album. Working for Sarm in 1983 was my first job in a UK recording studio (Sarm West studio 2). I wish I would have had an idea how big they'd become, and that I could listen to those demos now. Even though demos can and do frequently change shape on the journey to their finished form, the early demos (I believe that they were Ralf Dörper's early experimental recordings from Dusseldorf) sounded so different as to be unrecognisable.

It's my opinion that a bit like Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Propaganda was really an experimental platform for Horn and Lipson to indulge their pop and prog rock sensibilities (hence the participation of musicians such as Steve Howe and Ian Mosely & Horn and Lipson's own affinity with pop, rock, and prog), as well as becoming acknowledged experts of the Fairlight and Synclavier. Michael Merten's was the member with the musical training.

For "Dr Mabuse" !

What's worth mentioning is that "The Analogue Variations" here are actually the "Digital Variations," as all six of these variations appeared consistently over the years on every CD edition labelled "Full Digital Recording" on the cover art. The "Full Digital Recording" packaging was a standard for nearly every CD edition over the years, the initial European versions from 1985 and this 25th Anniversary Edition excepted. Credit is due to the curators of the 25th Anniversary Edition who were careful to restore the original nine tracks, as this album was intended to be experienced.

Only the original nine tracks (tracks 1–9 on the first disc here), what I understand to be the analogue multitrack recordings, appeared on CD issues which were absent the "Full Digital Recording" label on the cover art (a good example: the original Europe/German CD pressing with catalogue number 610 540/CID 126, the Sonopress glass master). Until this 25th Anniversary set here came to be in 2010, this fact was always a deep sticking point behind my decision to forgo each of the subsequent re-issues of the CD in 1990, 1994, 1999, 2000, or even the 2004 SA-CD edition, and to stick with said German CD pressing from 1985 until a suitable remastering came about. Longtime devotees of A Secret Wish are likely to understand why these variations made the difference between a complete work and something which felt chopped, diced, and unapologetically incomplete.

A Secret Wish, in its original nine-track form, has held as my favourite album of all time for three decades. It's a highly dynamic, inspiring, influential work. It is also a gift which keeps giving forward to its faithful as one of the few albums which somehow has original variations from its tracks still rising to the surface so many decades later (the 2012 remaster of the Wishful Thinking album, itself a late-1985 re-working of several A Secret Wish tracks, included new-old variations never before known to CD).

The 25th Anniversary Edition here is probably the wisest way to get to know this masterpiece, which to call it such is to condemn A Secret Wish to tepid acclaim.

There's almost no point in singing the praises of this album as it's already rightfully regarded by many as an electronic masterpiece, ahead of its time and hugely influential. The song-writing varies from the downright leftfield (Frozen Faces), dark and atmospheric (Mabuse) to uplifting and anthemic pop (Duel) and the production, courtesy of Horn & Lipson, is of-its-time but somehow timeless and definitely and defiantly relevant. The voice of Claudia Brucken is totally unique and icily beautiful (I'd also recommend her Act, solo and OneTwo projects to fans) and Suzanne Freytag's spoken contributions are far more important and enjoyable than they should be by rights! And don't think that this is 3 singles padded with pretentious filler: every track is worthy of its inclusion and the album makes for great listening from beginning to end.

So what of this latest reincarnation?
The sound quality is mostly awesome - clean and crsip and not overly compressed and clipped, and without the occasional minor errors present on the Outside World compilation. However, the new-to-CD "Bejewelled" segment of "Do Well" on CD2 has a hideous tape glitch (at 16:07) which could have been removed with some digital splicing from undamaged sources (I've made my own!), as does the end of the previously-unreleased Unapologetic 12" of "Sorry For Laughing". "Do Well" also contains the standard version of "Duel" for the 3rd time on this package (I challenge anyone to spot the differences between the digital and analogue versions on disc 1) but "Bejewelled" (a crudely edited medley of "Duel" and "Jewel") is worth having for Claudia's closing "I've looked at life from both sides now" overdub alone! Similarly, the Unaplogetic "...Laughing" is an interesting mix with a new spoken age from Suzanne. This fan was a little disappointed, however, by the previously unreleased 'Tausend Augen' mix of "Dr. Mabuse" as it is primarly the '13th life' mix without the fade and left to run to the song's natural end.

The other exclusives... "Testament One" is a new but irrelevant interlude and "Testament Three" is simply the intro to the mix of "Murder of Love" on "Wishful Thinking". The 'Goodnight' mixes of "p:Machinery" & "The Chase" are very close to the finished album versions but well worth having for the subtle differences, particularly in the intro to the former and the verse of the latter.

Disc 1 contains both the original (vinyl & US CD) versions and the UK CD remixes for 6 tracks. "Dream Within A Dream" is quite substantially different in its 2 incarnations, with the "Analogue variation" having a gentler intro and much slower build. Dr. Mabuse features in both original edit and as the full, gloriously dramatic 'Das Testament' 12" remix (complete with screeching orchestra and haunting Freytag chatter over industrial & relentless drum machine looops building to a "Strength to Dream" closing). Analogue "Jewel" is a vocal-less 3 minute edit of the full 6 minute shouty CD version and "Strength to Dream" is worth having for its gorgeous string intro (ommitted in the Testament mix of Mabuse).

The packaging is also sublime - informative and lovingly written sleevenotes with lots of pictures in a tasty digipack. And all at a ridiculously reasonable price - over here in Britain, at least! So, well worth buying if you already have the album and recommended as essential if you don't but have any interest in 80's/electronic/influential (or indeed influential electronic 80's) albums.
Combine this reissue with "Outside World" and "Wishful Thinking" for an almost-complete Propaganda package!