London Records has releases a special 30th Anniversary Edition of Jimmy Somerville’s classic album Dare To Love. The reissue uses a different cover image of Somerville and features previously unreleased B-sides, rarities and remixes by Todd Terry, The Beatmasters, Sly & Robbie and more...

Originally released in June 1995, Dare To Love traverses bass-laden house grooves, slower, dubby reggae numbers and classic pop ballads. ‘Dare To Love’ explores love, loss, and identity and includes the UK Top 30 hits 'Heartbeat', (which reached No.1 on the US Dance Singles chart) and 'Hurt So Good', along with the poignant 'Safe in These Arms'.

This reissue contains 31 tracks (2 hr, 32 min, 43 sec) including b-sides and 12" remixes. For Somerville fans, you are certainly getting value for money. However, if you're just looking to revisit the album you're probably best picking up a second hand copy, if you can find one, as the bonus tracks won't be to everyone's taste.

Discussing the album, Jimmy Somerville says: "By the time of Dare To Love, I was falling madly in love with Robert. At the same time my best friend Hugo, who I had lived with for so many years, was in the process of dying from various AIDS-related illnesses. He had made a conscious choice that rather than going with AZT and all of that hardcore toxic medication, he wanted to maintain his quality of life and be able to do the things he wanted, knowing he would die in the process. So I was dealing with that. I was part of this process of death, but at the same time I was falling madly in love. So Dare To Love is a crossover of emotions, of life and death and the two extremes of love."

Personally, I enjoyed revisiting this old classic. And whilst I probably won't listen to much of the bonus tracks again in the future, it was still nice to hear them.

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Nick Smithson