Deja Voodoo: 25th Anniversary [Import]

Digitally remastered and expanded two CD edition. While his own name has yet to grace an album front cover, for more than twenty years, Gem Archer has been a key contributor to some of the UK's highest profile guitar bands, beginning with Oasis in 2000, Beady Eye in 2009 and the touring version of Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds since 2015. Before all that there was Heavy Stereo, caught up in the mid '90s music maelstrom where their only album Déjà Voodoo took it's place alongside Paul Weller's Stanley Road, The Charlatans' Telling Stories, Super Furry Animals' Fuzzy Logic, Supergrass's I Should Coco, The Boo Radley's Giant Steps, Ride's Carnival Of Light - and, of course, Definitely Maybe and (What's The Story) Morning Glory? by Oasis. It is easy to understand why any album could get overlooked in such exalted company. Déjà Voodoo and the four singles - 'Sleep Freak', 'Smiler', 'Chinese Burn' and 'Mouse In A Hole' - all display Gem's deeply held affection for old-school rock'n'roll values Unavailable since it was first released on Creation Records in 1996, this set presented in an attractive A5 book includes the original 12 track album, plus a second CD of 15 B-Sides, bonus tracks and rarities, all previously un-reissued, including a blistering version of The Jam's 'The Gift', recorded for the long out of print Fire & Skill tribute album. New sleeve notes are included from respected journalist, author, broadcaster and one-time Mojo editor Pat Gilbert from new interviews with Gem Archer, and the set also includes rarely seen photographs from acclaimed photographer Andy Willsher.