Against all odds, this classic album by Sincerely Paul has been re-issued… and one sweet re-issue it is! Not only do you get the full original album re-mastered, you also get a full extra disc of bonus material. Grieve has been reviewed here before, so I’ll just briefly touch on the re-mastering on disc one: yes, you can hear a difference between the original disc and the re-mastered disc. That would be worth the price alone, but there is more.
The main value of this re-issue for fans is really the disc of extra songs. Contained here are all of the unreleased songs off of the early Sincerely Paul demos, as well as some live tracks. The quality of the early demo material is great – it is hard to tell that they were demos at one time. Stylistically, these early songs are less gothic and more rock than songs that came later. The passion and energy are still there. These songs just showcase a band evolving in style.
The live songs are the real treat, even for hardcore Sincerely Paul fans that might already own the demos. Some of the live songs are from Grieve, but some are new songs that have never been released, including an early version of the upcoming SLIDE single “January.” The second disc closes with a sweet early demo version of the “The Black and the Blue” (later recorded by SLIDE for a compilation album in the early 1990s). These unreleased songs serve as glimpse into what could have been Sincerely Paul’s second album – but sadly will be as close as we’ll ever get to knowing.
Combine all of this with well designed and informative liner notes, and you have one of the best re-issues in recent memory. If you are a fan of the band, or even Gothic music in general, you have to get yourself a copy of this album.
[2009 Slide Music Group | Purchase: SlideMusicGroup.com]
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