''Rarities'' is a compilation album by

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

pop duo A pop duo is a pop music group with only two members. Examples of pop duos Male *A Great Big World * Associates *Charles & Eddie *Erasure * Go West *Godley & Creme *Hall & Oates *Heaven 17 *Lighthouse Family *Marcus & Martinus *Pet Shop Boys * ...

Roxette, released from 10 February 1995 by

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

exclusively in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

. The record is composed of previously released b-sides, demos, single mixes and remixes, as well as several songs from the duo's 1993 performance for ''

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...

''. As of 2001, the compilation has sold in excess of a million copies worldwide.

Album information

The album was issued exclusively in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

and

, with its release in those territories timed to coincide with dates of the band's "

Crash! Boom! Bang! Tour The "Crash! Boom! Bang! World Tour" was the fourth concert tour by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, launched in support of their fifth studio album ''Crash! Boom! Bang!'' (1994). Box office and commercial recordings The "Crash! Boom! Bang! Tour" ...

". " Vulnerable" concomitantly served as both

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from ''Rarities'', as well as the fifth and final single from previous studio album ''

Crash! Boom! Bang! ''Crash! Boom! Bang!'' is the fifth studio album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on 9 April 1994 by EMI. The album was an immediate commercial success, peaking within the top 10 in over 20 national charts throughout Europe, Australasia and ...

'' (1994). The record includes four previously released remixes, including two single mixes: "

Fingertips '93 "Fingertips '93", is a song by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released as the third and final single from their fourth studio album ''Tourism'' on 26 January 1993. The single was only released in a select few countries, and charted moderately in terri ...

" – originally from 1992's ''

Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

'' – and

Chris Lord-Alge Chris Lord-Alge is an American mix engineer. He is the brother of both Tom Lord-Alge and Jeff Lord-Alge, both of whom are also audio engineers. Chris and Tom are known for their abundant use of dynamic compression for molding mixes that play wel ...

's US Single Remix of "

Dressed for Success "Dressed for Success" is a song by Swedish pop rock duo Roxette, released in Europe, on 3 August 1988 as the lead single from their second studio album, '' Look Sharp!'' (1988). Following the international success of "The Look" – the album's ...

". In addition to these, a remix of "

Fireworks Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices ...

" created by British

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...

band

Jesus Jones Jesus Jones are a British alternative rock band from Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire, formed in late 1988, who continue to record and perform, as of 2021. Their track " Right Here, Right Now" was an international hit, and was subsequently global ...

was also included, along with an "Electric Dance Remix" of "

Spending My Time "Spending My Time" is a song by Swedish duo Roxette, released as the fourth single from their third studio album, '' Joyride'' (1991). It was written by Per Gessle and Mats Persson, and produced by Clarence Öfwerman. The single attained moderate ...

" by MC King Carli and Dr Renault (pseudonyms used by regular Roxette producer

Clarence Öfwerman Clarence Öfwerman (born 22 November 1957) is a Swedish record producer, best known as the longtime producer of Roxette, having been with the band from their debut album '' Pearls of Passion'' in 1986 through to 2016's '' Good Karma'', Roxette ...

and

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

Anders Herrlin). These had all been previously released on their respective singles. ''Rarities'' also contains two previously released

b-sides The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

: "The Voice" appeared as the b-side to their 1988 single "Dressed for Success", while "

The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye "The Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye" is a song by Swedish pop duo Roxette, written by Per Gessle and recorded in the spring of 1990 for their third studio album ''Joyride (Roxette album), Joyride''. However, the song was excluded from the album, and ...

" was released as the b-side to their November 1991 single "Spending My Time". Earlier that year, in April, the song had been released as the lead single from

Thomas Anders Bernd Weidung (born 1 March 1963), known by his stage name Thomas Anders, is a German singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the pop duo Modern Talking. Starting his singing career while still in school ...

' (of

Modern Talking Modern Talking was a German pop music duo consisting of arranger, songwriter and producer Dieter Bohlen and singer Thomas Anders. They have been referred to as Germany's most successful pop duo, and have had a number of hit singles, reaching ...

fame) second solo album, '' Whispers''. The song also appeared on the 1993 album ''

Over My Heart ''Over My Heart'' is the seventh and final studio album by American singer Laura Branigan. Released in August 1993, it was Branigan's most personal album and saw her again try her hand at producing, alongside successful producer Phil Ramone. Whil ...

'', by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

pop

chanteuse Many words in the English vocabulary are of French origin, most coming from the Anglo-Norman spoken by the upper classes in England for several hundred years after the Norman Conquest, before the language settled into what became Modern Engli ...

Laura Branigan Laura Ann Branigan (July 3, 1952 – August 26, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her signature song, the platinum-certified 1982 single "Gloria", stayed on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for 36 weeks, then a record for a ...

. The demo version of their 1993 single "

Almost Unreal "Almost Unreal" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 10 May 1993 as the lead single from the soundtrack of the 1993 live action adaptation of '' Super Mario Bros.'', which starred Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, and ...

" appeared on the " Run To You" CD single in 1994 while another demo - the non-album track "One Is Such a Lonely Number" - had previously appeared as the b-side to "

The Big L. "The Big L." is a song by Swedish pop music, pop duo Roxette. Written by Per Gessle, it was released as the third Single (music), single from their third studio album, ''Joyride (Roxette album), Joyride'' (1991), on 26 August 1991. The song becam ...

" in 1991. The album also includes three recordings – " Joyride", "

The Look "The Look" is a song by Swedish pop duo Roxette. It was released in early 1989 as the fourth single from their second studio album, '' Look Sharp!'' (1988). It became an international hit, and was one of the most successful singles of 1989. I ...

" and "

Dangerous Dangerous may refer to: Film and television * ''Dangerous'' (1935 film), an American film starring Bette Davis * '' Dangerous: The Short Films'', a 1993 collection of music videos by Michael Jackson * ''Dangerous'' (2021 film), a Canadian-Ameri ...

" – from the band's 9 January 1993 performance at the Stockholm Circus for ''

''. The rest of their ''MTV Unplugged'' set remained unreleased until a

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

of their entire performance was included in ''

The Rox Box/Roxette 86–06 ''The Roxbox (Roxette 86-06)'' is a boxed set compilation by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on 18 October 2006 by Roxette Recordings and Capitol. It is an expanded companion piece to the single-disc greatest hits album '' A Collection of Ro ...

'' box set.

Track listing

Notes * signifies a remixer.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Rarities''. Musicians *

Marie Fredriksson Gun-Marie Fredriksson (; 30 May 1958 – 9 December 2019) was a Swedish singer, songwriter, pianist and painter, who was best known internationally as the lead vocalist of pop rock duo Roxette, which she formed in 1986 with Per Gessle. The duo ...

– lead vocals,

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

Per Gessle Per Håkan Gessle (; born 12 January 1959) is a Swedish singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the male half and primary songwriter of the Swedish pop rock duo Roxette, which he formed with Marie Fredriksson in 1986 and which was ...

– lead vocals, acoustic guitar,

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, programming, mixing, production , compiling * Per "Pelle" Alsing – drums and

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

* Vicki Benckert –

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

* Christer Jansson – drums * Anders Herrlin –

acoustic bass The acoustic bass guitar (sometimes shortened to acoustic bass or initialized ABG) is a bass instrument with a hollow wooden body similar to, though usually larger than a steel-string acoustic guitar. Like the traditional electric bass guitar ...

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

, programming and remixing * Jonas Isacsson – acoustic and

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

s * Jarl "Jalle" Lorensson – harmonica *

–

grand piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

, keyboards, programming, production, mixing and remixing * Staffan Öfwerman – backing vocals and percussion * Mats "MP" Persson – acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, programming and engineering * Per "Pelle" Sirén – electric guitars * Alar Suurna – percussion , engineering and mixing * Nicolas "Nicki" Wallin – drums Technical *

– remixing * Mike Edwards – remixing

Charts

Release history

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rarities (Roxette Album) 1995 compilation albums Roxette compilation albums B-side compilation albums EMI Records compilation albums