Hi all!

I've just had a Helden day and I've been thinking a lot about the unreleased Spies album. Surfing here and there I've found 2 bootlegs:

Does anyone own copies of these?

http://www.hans-zimmer.com/fr/disco_detail.php?id=305

http://www.hans-zimmer.com/fr/disco_detail.php?id=527

What about a home-made CDR made up of all that's been released so far that we can all share:

Holding On
Once Upon a Time...
2529
Stranded
Holding On (Extended Version)

Was the Helden's concert at The Planetarium ever recorded? Perhaps Warren knows. Warren long time no see!

Warren please remember that the Spies album is still eagerly awaited by many fans.

Just imagine when Hollywood or alike find out that there's material that's going to be officially released by Hans Zimmer and Warren Cann from that famous electronic band of the 80s (from Germany ??? The Americans always used to get it wrong!). They'll probably want more!!!

Chris C

If Billy Currie can release that Humania album as a reasonably-priced mp3 download from his website, perhaps a similar approach could work for Helden. Or, alternatively, a small-run CD release like John Foxx's Nation 12 material.

Or are there rights or copyright issues involved?

The issues are... complicated. A lot of artists were involved (we had to track them all down a while back), and back in 82/83 Chris Morrison put up a chunk of money to get the project started, and we put up a comparatively small amount of our own money to have the tapes remastered. A system needs to be in place to ensure that, should that money get paid off (which is unlikely if it's a cut-price download), that any further profit is equally shared amongst the artists, including Hans and Warren, as per their request and subsequent agreement with everyone. It's really not something we're qualified to do, even if we could be seen as independent trustees of the money - which we can't, as we know Warren better then anyone else, and have a vested interest in getting our own money back. Also, Hans needs a water-tight contract, as he has since used small elements of the work he created for Spies, in various film soundtracks.

Trust me, there's nothing we'd like to do more than get this released! But there are still issues to be resolved.

On the upside, we have two new record companies that have expressed interest, and we'll be talking to them over the next few months to see which is best suited, and able to give Hans the sort of contract he requires. We'll keep you posted.

Cerise keep up the hard work. It's bound to happen sooner or later. Record companies must be mad in not getting the rights to this album. It could go even further and maybe ask Hans and Warren to produce more music for films. Perhaps it's what Hans at this stage requires after writing themes for quite a long time by himself. These guys could make it big....Big in America!

Chris C <img border="0" title="" alt="[Cool]" src="cool.gif" />

Or big in Japan!!

Mrs. X

Not very likely...

Rob

I think Hans is doing quite well in this area by himself so far... :rolleyes:

Yeah I think Hans is quite happy with his film scores. Even if the album was issued it's not going to spark them into doing stuff together again. That was all so long ago. Andy

It'll do well over a period of time if released.

Yeah you are right Hans is happy on his own composing for films and boy has he done well. Once keyboard player of the Zaine Griff Band and now releasing renowned film scores!

Warren, although successful with Ultravox, still hadn't reached his full potential. IMHO he's an electronic percussion maestro and could have gone a level higher both in songwriting and in creating soundscapes. His ideas I admire and would love to see him back recording. I sometimes visualize him teaming up with another synth legend in similar fashion to the Louis Gordon and John Foxx partnership.

Chris C

which one?

It's too foggy ! I can't see too clearly but I would have dreaded to say Gary Numan but Gary has moved onto more guitar based projects which are very alternative, very unlike Warren.

Warren would probably meet up some day with some other musician in a similar way as John met Louis. Warren I'm pretty sure is still up for it.

Chris C

i would suggest that warren one day meets fellow drummer colleague wolfgang flür (ex-kraftwerk) to work on some nice tunes with him under his yamo project maybe!?

cheers

Hi Cerise

Was the following the official track-listing that Warren and Hans had agreed for Spies?

1. Mother Company
2. Once Upon A Time In The... / The Ball
3. Young And Scientific
4. My Killing Hand
5. Pyramids Of The Reich
6. Transmission
7. Holding On
8. Moonlight In Vermont
9. 2529
10.On The Borderline
11.Stranded
12.Movies For Eva
13.Eva

On re-mastering the master tapes did you discover other recordings or demos?

Cheers
Chris

The correct (and final) track-listing appeared in issue twenty of Exteme Voice and was as follows...

01. Once Upon a Time in the...
02. The Ball
03. Young and Scientific
04. My Killing Hand
05. Pyramids of The Reich
06. Transmission
07. Holding On
08. Moonlight in Vermont
09. 2529
10. On the Borderline
11. Stranded
12. Movies For Eva
13. Eva

I don't know where you got the track Mother Company from, because as far as we're aware there's no such track.

The tapes which were used for remastering only contained the above thirteen tracks. That doesn't mean that other tracks don't exist. As with other similar threads, we're not going to discuss potential track-listings at this stage.

Rob

Rob, how likely is it that this will see the light of day in the next couple of years?

Thanks for clearing that one.

Mother Company was probably the figment of someone's imagination in some blog.

There are bootlegs about which omit the first track (instrumental)and the final instrumental track. The one I have omits these two plus Movies for Eva. Argh! It has the brilliant Zaine on vocals I guess this will do for now until the time comes...

Chris

Originally posted by Chris C:

Hello Chris

Sometime back, the Helden music was uploaded on YouTube (but then most of it was removed for some reason), I noticed that someone had uploaded a Helden instrumental under the title of Mother Company (which I presume is actually Once Upon A Time In The...), perhaps this is what caused the confusion regarding song titles...

Anyway, there are only two Helden songs remaining on YouTube (for now), here they are :

Stranded:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04-bC2eqELU

Holding On:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4QRnpaDFmY


Cheers

As far as we were concerned the issue had already been cleared up.

The sooner Spies is formally released the better 'cos it will end (once and for all) all of these bogus track-listings.

That's inevitably the problem with bootlegs...

Well, we certainly haven't given up hope on it yet. It's one of these things that we want to give our full attention to, and that's been a tad difficult with everything else that's been going on with the other releases.

Rob

Rob

It's worth all the time and money invested in the project.

If you like Warren's electronic percussion at the height of Ultravox and Hans' keys a la Billy Currie this would be the cherry on the cake amidst all the Ultravox related reissues.

Rob if you could add any single edits or mixes and b-sides as bonus tracks that would be fab.

Cheers
Chris

Curious that this thread should once again start smouldering now, when a lot of my YouTube activity at the moment seems to lead back to Helden, too. Can this mean that the time is drawing near?

I notice that RONNY, French ex-model-cum-chanteuse, also features on Spies. I've been almost addicted to her scant output as posted on YouTube, especially Blue Cabaret (and, no, not just for the accompanying "video" picture montage). It gives me similar feelings to those which Passionate Reply gives me. Nice.

Only in a glacial sense...

Believe me, if there was some news about this release - we would be shouting it from the rooftops.

Rob

Have no fear, Rob, I was only joking. I have no wish or desire to start yet another bout of speculation.

Mind you, with the experiments soon to be carried out at CERN under Switzerland soon, there's always the possibility of parallel existences opening up and signed contracts dropping out from New Zealand golf ranges, French pharmacists, the HQ of ZimmerCorps . . . or not.

I've been listening to this album a fair bit again recently - it's a real shame this never got an official release, I would love to hear this one remastered

CORRECTION:

HELDEN 7" single Holding On :
https://www.discogs.com/Helden-Holding-On/release/748064

in full in WAV -

https://we.tl/t-rjUtxgicQu

Available for a week.

Sounds great, thank you, shame the album couldnt get released in this great quality, one of the many 80s 'what could have been's...'