62 tracks, 28 previously unreleased EMI - 0777 79994 8 2 3  Amazing CD set with all available tracks, some of which are issued in stereo for the first time.

"The Complete...." (1992)

Without doubt the release to end all releases, "The Complete" was a shock, albeit a welcome one as I picked my jaw off the ground and gingerly examined the case (pictured) in the mid-1990's.  By this time I had picked up most of the retrospective UK releaseswith the exception of the second "Best Of..." from the mid 1980's.  "Rocker" was yet to be added to my collection but this nugget in my hand potentially negated the necessity of finding it.  So what about the contents?

A quick look at the back of the CD case revealed that out of 62 tracks (for me at least), 28 would be new, if I counted the newly-released stereo mixes as you would a "remix," say.  A handful of these new stereo recordings differ markedly from the mono to the point that at least one is a totally different take to its mono counterpart.  A look at the booklet revealed another nine stereo mixes from the band's first eighteen months!?!  Er, no, it was a typographical errur(sic).  Ah well. The booklet contains an excellent potted recording history by Brian Hogg, a year-by-year list of the various line-ups and recordings made, some rare pictures and some exhaustively-detailed notes & release dates of each track.

This remains the definitive release for Kidd fans so its deletion some years back was mourned by new fans of the band.  So it was with much surprise that I found it available again this time as a DRM-free mp3 download from this page on the 7-digital website.  Click each song in the widget on the right to hear good-quality previews in mono or stereo as they appear on the set by clicking on each track in the 7digital widget on this page. 

There's not much left after this to collect.  However, recorded versions of two instrumentals originally published on the rare song sheet booklet which were attributed to Mick Green made a very welcome - if unexpected - debut in 2008's new "The Best Of..." 2-CD set.  "Popeye" drives along nicely while "Spanish Armada" is an altogether moodier piece hinting at subdued grandeur on the High Seas.  Other bits and pieces are rumoured to exist, but have yet to be found (or made known that they do exist?).  The downloadable iTunes 10-track album "Blues Masters" or the near-identical 7Digital version "Heroes Of Rock" contain mostly Pirate recordings which are nevertheless interesting in their own right, but also sport an unexpected alternate take of "Whole Lotta Woman" featuring the great man himself.  wherever this came from is unknown but hints that there may be just one or two more interesting items hidden away in the depths of the EMI vaults.

There's too much to to speak generally about this excellent release, so the tracks are listed below as they appear on the CD (in chronological order by recording dates), with appropriate notes concerning those that made their first appearance on this set, or was first issued in stereo here.

Green = mono, Red = stereo