On the DVD (more on this later) Greg describes the original version of the song Remote as “over arranged”.
The Only Thing (Drone Song) offers a break from the jazz interpretations for a stunning Kraftwerk-style slice of vocoder-driven pop – a fantastic track. It dispenses with the sweet sugar-coated ’80s production (nothing wrong with that, mind!) and is quite raw with sorrowful piano, hammond organ, upright bass, vibrant acoustic drums and trumpet solo. It’s hard to ruin a great song, and thankfully this doesn’t happen with the 2014 version of Violently, renamed Violently (Open To The Core). ‘Linda’ doesn’t get a look in, since this is a good example of a new ‘lyrical character’ with the words changed to reflect another encounter Pat Kane had on a train with an ex-athlete who had “tumbled into a bad place.”
The chorus is at least intact which is more than can be said for Looking For Linda which becomes Slow Train Home (Never Stop Looking). Ordinary Angel is a successful reworking, percussive and frantic with some Isley Brothers-style lead guitar. There is a strong jazz influence throughout. The songs are very different on the “Major to Minor” disc. As well as a new interpretation of the music Pat and Greg describe this disc as an “update of the lyrical characters” in the original Remote CD using their current line-up of musicians. Unusually, disc two is the album proper (remastered) with the first CD being completely new re-recording of the entire album, created especially for this reissue.
Remote: Major to Minor is a limited edition run of 1000 signed copies and takes the form of a 48-page deluxe book which contains four discs (3CD+DVD). It’s clear from the introduction to this new deluxe book set (dubbed Remote: Major to Minor) that songwriting brothers Pat and Greg Kane also view the record as something approaching their best work “we are as proud of the songs on this record as we ever were.” Released at the end of 1988, it was recorded in Sigma Sound studios in Manhattan, New York and features the fondly remembered UK top 30 hits Looking For Linda and Violently (Your Words Hit Me). Although Scottish duo Hue and Cry‘s biggest hit single was Labour of Love from their 1987 debut Seduced and Abandoned (the song reach number six on the UK charts), their second album Remote that was the bigger selling long-player.
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