London Records will reissue ‘Sisters’, the beloved 1984 debut album by The Bluebells, on 27th June, pre-order here.
This fully remastered and expanded edition will be available for the first time as a double LP on black or limited purple vinyl (D2C/Townsend Music Exclusive), as well as a deluxe triple CD and DVD box set. The collection includes B-sides, non-album tracks, live and extended versions, previously unreleased BBC sessions and early takes, along with restored music videos and iconic BBC performances from Old Grey Whistle Test and Top of the Pops.
Timed to arrive just before The Bluebells’ performance at this year’s Glastonbury Festival (Acoustic Stage, Saturday 28th June), these new editions also feature enhanced artwork and new liner notes from acclaimed author and music journalist Will Hodgkinson.
Part of the first wave of early ’80s Scottish indie bands, The Bluebells, writes Hodgkinson, “were the very essence of indie – they helped define its jangling, guitar-led sound – while maintaining an accessibility that went to the heart of their working-class roots.” Centered around the core trio of guitarist Robert Hodgens (aka Bobby Bluebell) and brothers David and Ken McCluskey (drums and vocals/harmonica, respectively), the band’s approach was “rooted in classic song craft, exuding cheerfulness even when dealing with loneliness, heartbreak, and other lachrymose staples.”
The lineup was rounded out by bassists and drummers Lawrence Donegan, Russell Irvine, and later Neil Baldwin and Craig Gannon. The band quickly attracted media and label attention, with their first Radio 1 session for Kid Jensen recorded in 1981—before they had even signed a deal—and becoming the first unsigned act filmed for BBC’s Old Grey Whistle Test.
A nascent London Records (also home to early signings Blancmange and Bananarama) signed the band and paired them with in-demand producers including Bob Andrews (Jona Lewie, Tenpole Tudor), Robin Millar (Sade, The Style Council), Alan Shacklock (The Alarm, JoBoxers, Meat Loaf), and Alan Tarney (Cliff Richard, A-ha). One of their earliest fans, Elvis Costello, produced or co-produced several key tracks—”Will She Always Be Waiting”, “Some Sweet Day”, “Aim In Life”, “All I Ever Said”, “Happy Birthday (Turn Gold)”, and “Wishful Thinking (Will She Always Be Waiting)”—all featured in this expanded edition.
While contemporaries like Orange Juice and Aztec Camera found intermittent success, The Bluebells scored a string of genuine hits: “I’m Falling”, “Cath”, and “Young at Heart” all made the UK Top 40, earning Top of the Popsappearances and becoming the unmistakable soundtrack of summer 1984.
Though ‘Sisters’ was marketed as upbeat pop, its sunny melodies carried deeper messages. Set against the backdrop of the Miners’ Strike, high unemployment, and Thatcher-era austerity, The Bluebells often embedded political commentary in their songs. “South Atlantic Way,” co-written by the McCluskeys and poet Dominic Behan, is a fierce indictment of the Falklands War. Behan’s “The Patriot Game” warns of the dangers of being swept up in generational conflict, while “The Ballad of Joe Hill”—a faithful version of the 1936 folk song—echoes the vilification of then-Labour leader Neil Kinnock during the miners’ strike.
In an era defined by ‘Thriller’, Duran Duran, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood, The Bluebells stood apart. As Hodgkinson notes, “The Bluebells proved there could be a counter-strain of popular music amid the excess and materialism of ’80s Britain—one embedded in community, cheerfulness, the everyday.”
Despite their success, ‘Sisters’ remained the only Bluebells studio album from their original 1980s run. The band disbanded a few years later, but in 1993, the core trio reformed following the surprise chart-topping reissue of “Young at Heart,” revived by a Volkswagen ad. They’ve continued to perform and record intermittently since, most recently releasing ‘The Bluebells: In The 21st Century’ in 2023.
Hodgkinson concludes: “Returning not just to the album but a wealth of radio sessions, singles versions, and live recordings all these years later, what amazed me is how contemporary and relevant they sound. The essence of youth, it seems, changes less than we might imagine.”
The Bluebells will perform on the Acoustic Stage at Glastonbury Festival on Saturday, 28th June, as well as dates around the country throughout the Summer and Autumn.