- For some reason, Virgin decided to delay the release
of Sparkle In The Rain, pushing it into the first months of 1984.
(It was finished by October 1983). However, with the
Tour Du Monde kicking off with a series
of warm up gigs in the UK in November, a single was needed to highlight the tour,
and give an indication of what to expect for the album (which was now four months away).
- Waterfront was selected as the first single from the album. An excellent choice:
it represented of the band’s new sound; was familiar to fans who’d heard its live debut at
Crooke Park earlier in the year; and received its radio premiere as a session
on Kid Jensen’s show.
- In addition to two different edits for the single, Lillywhite
produced a magnificent extended version, a feat he’d repeat for all the
Sparkle singles.
- A longer edit was used for the commercially available singles - this included a "1-2-3-4" count-in which
wasn't included on the album. The shorter edit only appeared on promos.
- Virgin were customary tight lipped for the lead single of an album,
offering a minimum number of formats and tracks. Collectors eagerly lapped up the live
version of Hunter And The Hunted, recorded
live from the
Newcastle City Hall the previous year (and as the gig was recorded for TV
and radio broadcasts, was easy choice for B-side material), but there was little else on offer.
However, they could take heart by searching out the 7" promo.
- The matrix grooves across the various formats included the band’s nicknames: MacCracknel
(Mick),
Pirhana (Charlie),
Lasher The Cakeman (Mel) and
Dan Yer Man (Derek).
- A&M promoted the single after the release of the album, pressing up a single
12" promo backed with Up On The Catwalk. Some included
promotional pictures of the band.
- Given Malcolm Garrett's fondness for using videos as
inspiration for sleeves, it's interesting noting how similar the picture of a lake used for the
sleeve was to the video for Speed Your Love To Me.
(Both Waterfront and
Speed Your Love To Me videos were shot back-to-back
in November 1983. However, the aircraft footage may have been shot previous to that date. All conjecture
on my part.)
- The early discographies, which all copied from each other, mentioned a song called
If You Want My Love. I've searched through
old cuttings, press releases, posters and magazine adverts for a source of this rumour, but
drawn a blank. It turns out that the mysterious third track was mentioned in
The Music Master trade book (a publication by Music Week magazine)
and it's assumed the first discographies got it from there. Meanwhile the band have denied
ever recording a song of that name.
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