Hello & Goodbye...

Well, 2012 is here! Dear god - that means it's been 30 years since Duran Duran released Rio, 20 years since Madonna released Erotica and 10 years since Pet Shop Boys released, well, Release.

It is good to see though that this year we will still see new albums from both Madonna and Pet Shop Boys - and they lead a list of many other big names that have been with us for a couple of decades.



The Madonna album (expected to be relesed in March/April) is of course THE event of the year! But here is a look at what else to expect in 2012....

Pet Shop Boys will release a brand new b-sides compilation on February 6th, 2012, on Parlophone. Entitled "Format", it celebrates the duo's prolific song-writing and recording by collecting 38 b-sides and bonus tracks originally released on singles from 1996 to 2009. The album will be released on a double-CD, as well as download.

All tracks have been remastered and the CD booklet features an interview with Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe by Jon Savage (author of "England's Dreaming" and "Teenage"). Design is by Farrow.

"Format" follows on from the 1995 release, "Alternative", which collected the duo's b-sides from 1985 to 1994.

CD1
1	The truck driver and his mate
2	Hit and miss
3	In the night (1995)
4	Betrayed
5	Discoteca (New Version)
6	How I learned to hate rock 'n' roll
7	The calm before the storm
8	Confidential (Demo for Tina)
9	The boy who couldn't keep his clothes on
10	Delusions of grandeur
11	The view from your balcony
12	Disco potential
13	Silver age
14	Screaming
15	The ghost of myself
16	Casting a shadow
17	Lies
18	Sexy Northerner

CD2
1	Always
2	Nightlife
3	Searching for the face of Jesus
4	Between two islands
5	Friendly fire
6	We're the Pet Shop Boys
7	Transparent
8	I didn't get where I am today
9	The Resurrectionist
10	Girls don't cry
11	In private (7-inch mix): Pet Shop Boys with Elton John
12	Blue on blue
13	No time for tears (7-inch mix)
14	Bright young things
15	Party song
16	We're all criminals now
17	Gin and Jag
18	After the event
19	The former enfant terrible
20	Up and down

Pet Shop Boys are currently working on their 11th studio album which is due for release in early autumn.




Then of course there is Kylie! She will be celebrating her 25th year in the business with a new hits release. There will be a CD of "orchestral/acoustic" etc versions of her hits, there might be an "anti-tour" and a TV special, there might be a new book... I think we can safely say that 2012 will be a very fun year for Kylie fans!



Other interesting artists that have new albums coming out in 2012:

Grace Jones - We'll see about that though. It is Grace, so it might not come out until 2020. But she has been working on new material, some with Boy George

Culture Club - Speaking of Boy George, Culture Club played their first comeback gig in Sydney a couple of days ago. They will be celebrating their 30th year in the business with a new album.

Sandra - Oh yes, my german pop princess will return with a new album this year. No further info yet...

OMD - They will complete a new album this year, so a release in the latter part of the year looks likely.

Lady Gaga - While not 100% certain, she is looking at a release date late this year. However, with Gaga going on a massive tour this year it wouldnt surprise me if the album came out next year instead...

Clare Maguire - During 2011, Maguire has been working with various songwriters and producers for the second album. During her debut headline tour, she premiered new song titled 'Mess You Around'. She has also premiered two new songs during festivals over the summer of 2011, titled 'A Change In Me' and 'Lights Out'. Maguire has described the second album as more of a "bluesy/soul record". The album has not been announced yet.



Lana Del Rey - Born To Die - Released Janury 27th
Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas - Released January 31st
Adam Ant - Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter - January
Adam Lambert - Trespassing - Released March 20th
Chris Brown - Fortune - March
The Killers - Battle Born - Summer

Other expected releases this year are new albums from Bruce Springsteen, Garbage, Scissor Sisters, McFly - and dare I say Cher??? As always, all the info on upcoming albums that moi finds interesting will be posted here...

So that's a sneak peak at 2012 - but were there any good albums released in 2011? IMO, there were some. But overall, the year left a lot to be desired. There were very few releases from artists I really like - but here are the albums that stood out for me:

And some excellent compilation albums: