UK synth-pop outfit Blancmange’s first three studio albums: Happy Families (1982), Mange Tout (1984) and Believe You Me (1985) are to be reissued by London Records on LP and CD, revisiting a landmark period in the history of British electronic pop. Each album features freshly restored artwork and will be available on vinyl (new 2026 vinyl cuts, faithfully following the original track listings), and also on CD, each featuring bonus tracks including B-sides, extended versions and remixes.
Originally released within a remarkably prolific run of four years, the three first Blancmange albums capture Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe at their most inventive, combining infectious synth-pop melodies with restless experimentation, distinctive rhythms and influences that reached well beyond the conventions of mainstream pop, and would go on to inspire a slew of artists including the likes of Moby, John Grant and Honey Dijon.
Blancmange signed with London Records in February 1982 and, with their first flush of early global success of ‘Living On The Ceiling,’ embarked on one of the great Imperial Phases of synth-pop. Their singles were Radio One hits secretly nourished by the likes of Can and Captain Beefheart, buoyed by off the wall videos and wrapped up in surreal sleeve iconography.
Described by Classic Pop as “a fine record featuring razor-sharp production, whose impressiveness only improves with age,” 1982’s Happy Families is reissued on transparent orange vinyl. The CD version features studio B-sides, some BBC session tracks and contemporary remixes of ‘Living On The Ceiling’ by Roman Flügel and Richard Norris, both available on CD for the first time.
The “zesty, eclectic” (Post-Punk Monk)Mange Tout (1984) took Blancmange to New York, recording with producer John Luongo and conjuring a muscular electronic sound, replete with brass stabs and soulful backing vocals. The album is released on transparent green vinyl, with the CD featuring B-sides, extended versions and Honey Dijon’s rework of ‘Blind Vision’, available here on CD for the first time.
Believe You Me (1985) was the closing chapter of the first part of Blancmange’s story, working with soul producer Stewart Levine. The album explored a different balance of electronic instrumentation, strings, woodwind and carefully constructed pop songwriting: “a selection of songs so varied yet simple that they make the whole thing seem practically effortless” (Smash Hits). The album is pressed on transparent yellow vinyl, and the CD features B-sides and extended versions.
By 1985’s end, Neil and Stephen found themselves drained of inspiration and often recording separately. After a concert for Greenpeace at the Royal Albert Hall in April 1986, Blancmange decided to take a 25-year recuperative pause, coming back up for air for 2011’s Blanc Burn album. Due to ill health, Stephen opted to step away from Blancmange duties the following year, leaving Neil to carry on with a series of forward-looking, acclaimed albums including a return to London Records with Private View in 2022. Sadly, Stephenwould pass away in September 2025.
These three albums serve to celebrate Neil and Stephen’s creative alchemy: a culmination of charisma, sounds and songs that continue to vibrate and inspire to this day. The London Records re-issues are released December 4th and available to pre-order now alongside strictly limited test pressings from The Official Blancmange Store.
Photo credit – Simon Fowler