Billy Ocean Suddenly Reissue

Billy Ocean celebrates the 40th anniversary of his landmark album Suddenly with the release of a new ocean blue vinyl on 13 September.

Ocean had enjoyed chart success with a pair of No.2 hits prior to Suddenly (Love Really Hurts Without You and Red Light Spells Danger) but this record catapulted him to new heights.

Its lead single Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run) raced to No.1 in the States and No.6 in the UK, with the follow-ups Loverboy and the title track also international smash hits. The album was similarly successful, leading to his first Top 10 album positions in both the UK and US, while Caribbean Queen would later be rewarded with a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Performance.

Pop Sensibility

Suddenly feels just as fresh all these years later, its sublime mix of R&B and soul with a pop sensibility together with Billy’s irresistible voice and memorable songwriting still standing tall. His collaborators on the record include the late producer Keith Diamond, who Billy credits with giving him the confidence to realise his potential on this album, plus Mutt Lange, who would become one of his regular co-writers, and Barry Eastmond, who he still works with today.

Billy says, “It has been 40 years since we released the Suddenly album. I’m getting goosebumps going down memory lane! I had the time of my life writing and recording this album. I still have fond memories of the excitement of recording at Unique Studios in New York.

“It was almost like being tested, I remember how terrible the weather was. But I was determined that nothing was going to stop me. I’ve been on quite a journey since, and I want to thank all of my fans for embracing these songs and allowing me the honour to still be performing them for you all these years later.”

Continued Success

Billy Ocean’s success continued in the wake of Suddenly, achieving similarly great things with the subsequent albums Love Zone and Tear Down These Walls, as well as further  signature hits such as When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Gets Going, There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry) and Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car.

After some years out of the spotlight, his reputation flourished again in the 21st century with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the MOBOs. His recent UK tours have included major Londonshows at the Royal Albert Hall and the Palladium, while his total global album sales have exceeded 30 million.

His upcoming UK shows include headline sets at all three Rewind Festivals, plus the Boogie By The Sea extravaganza in Hastings alongside Sister Sledge, Soul II Soul and Boney M. For a list of all shows and ticket information click here.

Ocean Blue

The ocean blue vinyl will feature the original Jive Recordings packaging and will feature a message from Billy printed on its innersleeve. A limited run of 500 vinyl will also be available via his UK official store, which adds a 12×12″ signed insert of the album artwork.

Suddenly tracklist

Side A
1 Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run)
2 Mystery Lady
3 Syncopation
4 The Long And Winding Road

Side B
1 Loverboy
2 Lucky Man
3 Dancefloor
4 If I Should Lose You
5 Suddenly

Suddenly is available to pre-order here

Read More: Popscene – Smooth Soul

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