Huey Lewis and The News's 1983 Sports album spawned four Top 10 hit singles (and another that cracked the Top 20), iconic music videos, and sold almost 10 million copies. To celebrate the blockbuster album's 30th anniversary, Lewis has personally overseen an expanded commemorative edition. Sports (30th Anniversary Edition) pairs each of the original album's nine songs with choice live versions on a second disc, many of which have never before been released...

Can it really be 30 years since Sports was released? As a teenager, mainly thanks to the band's iconic 'The Power of Love' being used in the movie Back to the Future, I sought out Lewis's back catalogue of albums and discovered a band that ended up provided the soundtrack to a great period of my life. I eventually went on to buy the band's first six studio albums: Huey Lewis and the News (1980); Picture This (1982); Sports (1983); Fore! (1986); Small World (1988); and Hard at Play (1991). Of all of these Sports is still my favourite, mainly because there isn't a dull track on it.

The band went on to record several more albums: Four Chords & Several Years Ago (1994); Plan B (2001) and Soulsville (2010); as well as some compilation albums, but sadly I'd moved on musically and never got around to buying these later releases.

For the 30th anniversary of Sports, UMG has rereleased the digitally remastered version along with all the album's tracks recorded live - chosen by Huey Lewis himself. And it's this second album that makes this an essential purchase. The live tracks add a little depth to some of the old familiar songs. 'The Heart of Rock & Roll' seems to come more alive with the live version; likewise listening to 'If This Is It' you can tell the band are really enjoying themselves.

Fans of the group should pick this album up - it's surprising how much extra value is added by the inclusion of the live tracks.

CD 1 - Remastered Original Album

01 - 'The Heart Of Rock & Roll'
02 - 'Heart And Soul'
03 - 'Bad Is Bad'
04 - 'I Want A New Drug'
05 - 'Walking On A Thin Line'
06 - 'Finally Found A Home'
07 - 'If This Is It'
08 - 'You Crack Me Up'
09 - 'Honky Tonk Blues'

CD 2 - Live Versions (song order as CD 1).

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Darren Rea