Belle Stars, The - The Belle Stars (2026 Reissue)

Formed in 1980 from the ashes of 2 Tone’s The Bodysnatchers, seven-piece, all singing, all playing, all female combo, The Belle Stars, signed to the legendary Stiff Records label in 1981. Between 1982 and 1984, they enjoyed seven UK singles chart entries with the label, and their sole studio album also reached the UK Top 20.

Off to a roaring start with the monster hit, ‘Sign Of The Times’ – a UK No. 3 smash in early 1983 – The Belle Stars is a heady mix of percussive, post-punk shiny new pop.

The album brings together radically updated covers of classic R&B standards – ‘Iko Iko’, (a huge US hit after it was included in the film ‘Rain Main’) ‘The Snake’, ‘Harlem Shuffle’, ‘Mockingbird’, ‘Needle In A Haystack’ – with strong self-penned material, including the aforementioned ‘Sign Of The Times’ and breezy later single ‘Indian Summer’.

The 3CD edition includes their debut album in full, singles and B-sides, plus 12” versions, remixes and unreleased tracks. Also features a 1983 live concert from Birmingham Odeon