STRENGTH 1985-1986 Remaster – Released March 15th 2019

As exclusively revealed by Mike Peters during another very special Keynote Address at this year’s Gathering event, the third generation era of Alarm music will continue on March 15th 2019 with the official release of ‘Strength 1985-1986’.

Strength 1985-1986 is available to PRE-ORDER now from thealarm.com. [All pre-orders will be shipped in advance to arrive in time for the the official release date of March 15th.)

Strength 1985-1986 is also available to pre-order at various international retail outlets.

All individual CD and LP pre-orders placed through thealarm.com will qualify for a Free CD that is exclusive to the alarm.com entitled: ‘The Alarm – A Story of Strength‘ featuring a host of exclusive Alarm tracks and narration by Mike Peters. This fascinating CD tells the entire story of The Alarm’s Strength period from 1985-1986.

A special Limited Edition package of 300 is also being made available to pre-order which will include both the CD and LP Editions, a free CD copy of The Alarm – A Story of Strength, along with a very special Replica Strength Era Backstage Pass personally signed by Mike Peters, that can be used to create a unique ‘collectors’  edition. The Limited Edition Collectors package is only available at thealarm.com

Strength 1985-1986 Remaster

The band’s classic 1985 album Strength has been expanded, remastered and revised for future generations to enjoy and will be made available for pre-release online and in record stores worldwide from February 4th 2019 onwards.

All titles have been remastered from the original master tapes by mastering engineer Pete Maher (u2, White Stripes…) under the supervision of Mike Peters.

The comprehensive re-mastering process has been undertaken to allow the band’s music to fully embrace digital and online streaming services and ensure the music of The Alarm can be listened to by future generations as intended by the band, when recorded and committed to tape for all time.

Strength 1985-1986 is being released through The Twenty First Century Recording Company – which has been ‘home’ to all Mike Peters and The Alarm music since 1994.

And so, on Monday February 4th 2019,  The Alarm – Third Generation era 81-19, continues with the online premiere of a new remastered video for The Alarm’s ever popular album track ‘Deeside’ which will be followed during the build up to the release with other unique video premieres at the official alarm youtube channel.

thealarm.com will also continue the enormous task of re-telling the story of the band via a lengthy Alarm YouTube Channel campaign, that will follow the timeline of the group from where the last series left off in 1985, right through to 1986 and the seminal concert at UCLA known as the Spirit Of ’86 Concert. A Screening of Mike Peters taking part in th classic BBC Television show ‘Pop Quiz’ hosted by Mike Peters is available to view at The Alarm You Tube Channel now, followed on Monday February 4th when the pre-order window opens by the Online Video Premiere of remastered album classic ‘Deeside’.

“To see how the Strength album has endured over the years has been very gratifying,” says Mike Peters. “To still hear the title song being played in global television series such as in the Season 2 finale of ’13 Reasons Why’ and connecting with new audiences through that medium, is more than I could have hoped for when writing the song for the first time in 1985. Not to mention the fact that our charity Love Hope Strength took it’s name from within the lyrics. Back in 2008, the song was even used in the USA as an unofficial part in the Obama Presidential campaign and still has an impact wherever it gets played today. To be reissuing the album in all it’s remastered glory in 2019, provides a chance for listeners to reacquaint themselves with a story that began in 1985 with the original recording / writing sessions and continues to have so much relevance to this very day.” 

Please follow The Alarm today on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Spotify to stay in tune and ensure you don’t miss a thing!

Strength 1985-1986 is being officially released to record stores on March 15th 2019, in both Double CD and Vinyl LP formats and also on all online music streaming services.
Painstakingly put together by Mike Peters from original sources, the ‘Strength 1985-1986’ CD Edition brings together all three original 1985/86 Alarm singles and B-sides from the era, two of which have never been released in CD or digital formats, including the ‘Strength 7″ single version, and the ‘Spirit Of ’76 7″ Single version.
Strength 1985-1986 has also has been restored to its original 1985 running order with the US version featuring on the CD that includes the album session version of ‘Absolute Reality’.

STRENGTH 1985-1986 CD Editon – Features the US album along with the original 1985 7″ version of Strength (with the guitar / vocal beginning), that has never been issued on CD before along with the 1986 7″ single version of ‘Spirit Of ’76’ which is also making its first ever appearance on CD. All four original ‘Strength’ period B-sides are included also. The Second disc features 22 previously unreleased album session recordings including outtake versions (with different lyrics and guitar parts), for every song on Strength including an outtake of the unreleased electric version of ‘One Step Closer To Home’. An in studio jam session of spontaneous and impromptu covers of Led Zeppelin, The Who, Free, T-Rex, Lou Reed and Deep Purple are featured between tracks along with a complete run through of the previously unreleased live in the studio version of Rod Stewart’s Maggie May which segues into re-workings of The Beats ‘Stand Down Margaret’ and Bob Dylan’s ‘Maggie’s Farm’, providing a fascinating insight into The Alarm working together in the studio on the way to creating their magnum opus.

STRENGTH 1985-1986 CD ONE – Original US album, Singles and B-sides Remastered.

KNIFE EDGE [Album Master]
STRENGTH  [Album Master]
DAWN CHORUS  [Album Master]
SPIRIT OF ’76  [Album Master]
DEESIDE  [Album Master]
FATHER TO SON  [Album Master]
ONLY THE THUNDER  [Album Master]
THE DAY THE RAVENS LEFT THE TOWER  [Album Master]
ABSOLUTE REALITY [Album Master – CD / Digital ONLY]
WALK FOREVER BY MY SIDE  [Album Master]
STRENGTH [7″ SINGLE VERSION]
MAJORITY [Strength B-SIDE]
STRENGTH [12″ POWER MIX]
ABSOLUTE REALITY [IMPROMPTU ACOUSTIC VERSION]
SPIRIT OF ’76 [7″ SINGLE VERSION]
CAROLINE ISENBERG [Knife Edge B-SIDE]

STRENGTH 1985-1986 CD TWO [ALTERNATIVE STRENGTH ALBUM VERSIONS AND STUDIO SESSION OUT TAKES] 

INTRO
GET IT ON [OUTTAKE]
DAWN CHORUS [OUTTAKE FROM ROUNDHOUSE STUDIOS]
SUMMERTIME BLUES [OUTTAKE]
KNIFE EDGE [ROUGH MIX FROM ROUNDHOUSE STUDIOS]
ALARM ALARM / RADAR LOVE [OUTTAKE]
ONLY THE THUNDER [OUTTAKE FROM MARCUS STUDIOS]
BURN [OUTTAKE]
SPIRIT OF ’76 [OUTTAKE FROM MARCUS STUDIOS]
WALK ON THE WILD SIDE [OUTTAKE]
FOR TOMORROW [OUTTAKE FROM MARCUS STUDIOS]
VICIOUS [OUTTAKE]
DEESIDE [OUTTAKE FROM MARCUS STUDIOS]
ALL RIGHT NOW [OUTTAKE]
ABSOLUTE REALITY [OUTTAKE FROM MARCUS STUDIOS]
UNKNOWN [OUTTAKE]
THE DAY THE RAVENS LEFT THE TOWER [OUTTAKE FROM MARCUS STUDIOS]
COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN [OUTTAKE]
ONE STEP CLOSER TO HOME [OUTTAKE FROM MARCUS STUDIOS]
MAGGIE MAY / MAGGIE’S FARM / STAND DOWN MARGARET [OUTTAKE]
BRASS BAND [OUTTAKE]
WALK FOREVER BY MY SIDE [OUTTAKE FROM MARCUS STUDIOS]
UNTITLED JAM SESSION [OUTTAKE]
STRENGTH  [OUTTAKE FROM MARCUS STUDIOS]
OUTRO

‘Strength 1985-1986’ Vinyl Edition also features many additional and unseen photographs exclusive to the format and the vinyl LP has exclusive unreleased demo versions of what would have been the ‘Absolute Reality’ album.

NB: All additional and unreleased tracks on the CD are EXCLUSIVE to the CD format.

STRENGTH 1985-1986 – DOUBLE VINYL LP / GATEFOLD SLEEVE

The Alarm’s most iconic and best selling album Strength is reissued on Double Vinyl LP with the original 1985 UK album pressing.

All tracks have been remastered from the original master tapes by Mike Peters and Pete Maher with extensive sleeve notes and quotes from original band members, plus a host of previously unseen photographs.

SIDE ONE & TWO – Features the UK album remastered from original 1985 mix and running order.

SIDE THREE & FOUR – Features 9 demo tapes for the original album concept of Absolute Reality including 3 previously unreleased songs ‘Sons Of Divorce’, ‘Black Side Of Fortune’ and ‘Memorial Day’. All the demos were recorded with ‘Strength’ album recording engineer Nigel Luby and feature raw versions of Knife Edge and We Are Majority both with different lyrics along with the original version of ‘Deeside’ which was then known as ‘Steeltown’. The album also includes the Strength’ era soundcheck demo of the title song and two other unreleased studio demos of ‘In The Cold Light Of Day’ (which was originally written for The Who’s Roger Daltrey), and Dave Sharp’s ‘River Still To Cross’.

LP SIDE ONE – ORIGINAL UK ALBUM Remastered

KNIFE EDGE [Album Master]
STRENGTH [Album Master]
DAWN CHORUS [Album Master]
SPIRIT OF ’76 [Album Master]

LP SIDE TWO – ORIGINAL UK ALBUM Remastered

DEESIDE  [Album Master]
FATHER TO SON  [Album Master]
ONLY THE THUNDER  [Album Master]
THE DAY THE RAVENS LEFT THE TOWER  [Album Master]
WALK FOREVER BY MY SIDE  [Album Master]

LP SIDE THREE – [ABSOLUTE REALITY ALBUM DEMOS]

ABSOLUTE REALITY [Demo]
SONS OF DIVORCE  [Demo]
ONE STEP CLOSER TO HOME  [Demo]
THE DAY THE RAVENS LEFT THE TOWER  [Demo]
STEELTOWN  [Demo]
WE ARE MAJORITY  [Demo]

LP SIDE FOUR – [ABSOLUTE REALITY ALBUM DEMOS PLUS SOUNDCHECK AND STUDIO DEMOS]

KNIFE EDGE  [Demo]
MEMORIAL DAY  [Demo]
BLACK SIDE OF FORTUNE  [Demo]
GIVE ME LOVE  [Soundcheck Demo]
IN THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY [Pluto Studios Demo]
RIVER STILL TO CROSS  [Marcus Studio Demo]

NB: All additional and unreleased tracks on the LP are EXCLUSIVE to the LP format.

STRENGTH 1985-1986 – DIGITAL RELEASE 

The Alarm’s most iconic and best selling album Strength is reissued digitally with the original 1985 US album pressing which includes the band’s preferred version of Absolute Reality (It was left off the UK Version of the album). 

DIGITAL RELEASE – Features the US album track listing along with previously unreleased and alternative 7″ mixes of 1985’s Strength single that has never been heard before, along with an unreleased alternative 7″ mix of the 1986 ‘Spirit Of ’76’ single. Also included is the band’s preferred ‘lost’ mix of the Knife Edge single B-side ‘Caroline Isenberg’, along with a recently discovered 1986 radio mix of ‘Absolute Reality’ that has never been released until now. 

The digital formats also include a remastered version of the Absolute Flexi Disc recording that was originally issued as part of the band’s tour program and remastered versions of all the ‘live’ tracks that were used as b-sides for the 1986 ‘Spirit Of ’86’ UK ONLY single release and also the ‘Live For Life’ US Only compilation album track ‘Howling Wind’ which was sourced from the same live concert in Boston from November 9th 1985.

21C105 ORIGINAL 1985 US ALBUM, UNRELEASED EXTRAS AND LIVE B-SIDES

KNIFE EDGE [Album Master]
STRENGTH  [Album Master]
DAWN CHORUS  [Album Master]
SPIRIT OF ’76  [Album Master]
DEESIDE  [Album Master]
FATHER TO SON  [Album Master]
ONLY THE THUNDER  [Album Master]
THE DAY THE RAVENS LEFT THE TOWER  [Album Master]
ABSOLUTE REALITY [Album Master – CD / Digital ONLY]
WALK FOREVER BY MY SIDE  [Album Master]
ONE STEP CLOSER TO HOME [Radio Session Version]
WALK FOREVER BY MY SIDE [Radio Session Version]
ABSOLUTE FLEXI DISC
STRENGTH 7″ [Unreleased alternative single mix]
SPIRIT OF ’76 [UNRELEASED ALT SINGLE VERSION]
CAROLINE ISENBERG [UNRELEASED Band Mix]
ABSOLUTE REALITY [UNRELEASED 1986 RADIO MIX]
WHERE WERE YOU HIDING WHEN THE STORM BROKE? [LIVE]
DEESIDE [LIVE]
HOWLING WIND [LIVE]
SIXTY EIGHT GUNS [LIVE]
KNOCKING ON HEAVEN’S DOOR [LIVE]

NB: All additional and unreleased tracks on the Digital Format are EXCLUSIVE to the Digital format.

‘Strength 1985-1986′ is available to  pre-order now in CD,LP and Limited Edition Formats at thealarm.com
‘Strength 1985-1986′  is also available to pre-order from international stores and to pre-save in it’s digital format online here:
All digital pre-sale orders will be sent immediately, one advance album track (with others to follow), leading up to the official release date of March 15th 2018.
And so, The Alarm – Third Generation 81-19, continues here, and onwards with the release of ‘Strength 1985-1986’, that will be released around the world on March 15th 2019