On March 5, 1984, the English pop band The Style Council performed a show at Goldiggers, Chippenham, that was filmed for the BBC’s Sight & Sound In Concert. A clip from that evening, of the group playing “Speak Like A Child,” has been remastered in HD to coincide with a massive reissue of their 1984 debut album Café Bleu.
The 6CD, 3LP special edition of Café Bleu is set to arrive on January 30 on Universal Music Recordings. The reissue includes early demos, alternate takes, and unreleased songs in addition to a collection of BBC sessions and live recordings from Cheltenham’s Gold Diggers and London’s Dominion Theatre. Those live performances feature versions of “Headstart for Happiness,” “The Paris Match,” “Long Hot Summer,” and “My Ever Changing Moods.”
Paul Weller founded The Style Council after unexpectedly disbanding The Jam in 1982. Weller and his collaborator, Mick Talbot (a former member of Dexys Midnight Runners and mod outfit The Merton Parkas), began gaining traction for their blend of jazz, pop, soul, and more. “Speak Like A Child” was the group’s debut single. It peaked at No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart and was included on the 1983 mini-LP, Introducing The Style Council. “Speak Like A Child” features backing vocals from Tracie Young, who had just signed to Weller’s Respond Records label.
Produced by Weller with Peter Wilson, Café Bleu was led by the single “My Ever Changing Moods,” which was the Style Council’s third Top 10 hit on the UK Singles Chart. The album spent 38 weeks on the UK Albums Chart. Two other singles, “You’re the Best Thing” and “Shout to the Top!” reached the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
For the album, Weller and Talbot added members Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn from Everything But the Girl, Weller’s then-wife Dee C. Lee on vocals, specialist horn players, and Bobby Valentino on the violin.
