Eleanor Rigby - The Complete Eleanor Rigby Collection (2023)

Described as a cross between The Kinks, Blondie and The Jam at their best on her arrival on the pop scene in 1985, she influenced many of female singers of the next generation. When Britpop appeared in the mid 90's she was regularly name checked by many of the major Britpop artists of the time. She was ahead of the game, but if you want to catch up with her career and to find out the full story then read on… Eleanor's career was short yet controversial and mysterious and this, along with the quality and limited quantity of her releases has led to her becoming a cult figure on the collector's market. Her total original output was only 4 singles and the album Censorship, which now changes hands for big money.

Her legendary debut single I Want To Sleep With You was released in 1985 and came complete with free condom. This caused quite a stir and although the record was subsequently banned (for the title and the free condom), it went on to become a single that every Mod had to have in their collection. With the video and concerts also banned shortly afterwards it was like the Sex Pistols all over again. More singles followed -Take Another Shot Of My Heart, Mad Xmas and the classic 60s style Over and Over which one journalist described as the best single Ray Davies never wrote.

After further controversial press where Eleanor turned down half a million pounds to pose nude for a Japanese porn magazine, she released her one and only album Censorship which came complete with a very tasteful nude poster, more reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe's calendar shots than Madonna's full frontals. The Censorship vinyl album has changed hands for up to £100 on the collectors market and is often described as a Mod classic that sits nicely next to classic '60s releases or '90s Britpop albums.

Three years after her splash onto the world of pop she was selling out 3,000 capacity venues and being courted by a number of major record companies, some offering serious money. But with the world at her feet she suddenly resigned and disappeared. Nobody really knows why or where she went.

Due to a mini Mod revival and the Britpop scene that came later Eleanor started to get the recognition she deserved, which led to FLR releasing two albums containing all of her previous work. Just prior to this, You Only Live Twice, a track that she'd recorded in advance for a planned Themes from the 60's Vol 1 album, was brought out as a single. It was a beautiful cover of this classy Bond theme. Even though she was no longer around to promote it, the single went to Number One in the charts in Italy and gained lots of airplay in the UK. A little later The Best of Eleanor Rigby was released on CD format and the The Best of Eleanor Rigby Vol 2 was released on CD and vinyl picture disc.

Eleanor left the music scene and has, not, to our knowledge, recorded anything since. When an artist dies or disappears this is one reason they reach cult status and this seems to be where Eleanor is currently lodged in the scheme of things. She could have been the Queen of Britpop had she only stuck it out. Why she disappeared is still a mystery, but despite that her independent and gutsy attitude went on to influence a host of Britpop acts including Blur, Oasis, St Etienne, Garbage, Sleeper and many more.

Tracklist
01. I'm Not Like Everybody Else 4:29
02. Mod Girls 3:07
03. Play With Fire 2:20
04. Up The Junction 4:29
05. I Want to Sleep with You (Remix) 3:51
06. Take Another Shot of My Heart (Remix) 3:27
07. Over And Over 3:04
08. Think For Yourself 2:52
09. Love On The Phone 2:40
10. You Only Live Twice 2:50
11. She's got Everything 3:15
12. 1995 2:59
13. Censorship 2:04
14. More Than The Truth 2:31
15. Last Night In Soho 3:20
16. See My Friend (Edited Version) 7:04
17. Getting Thru The Day 2:46
18. Till The End Of The Day (Remix) 2:07
19. For The Video 3:11
20. Kiss Me Quickly 3:51
21. Mad Xmas 2:26
22. All Or Nothing (Bonus Track) 0:55