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Deluxe Edition of his
smash hit debut album
‘WHENEVER YOU NEED SOMEBODY’
is out now

LISTEN HERE

WATCH THE BRAND NEW ANIMATED
‘NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP’ VIDEO HERE

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In the summer of 1987, Rick Astley made one of the biggest debuts in UK Pop history. His era-defining classic ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ shot to #1 and remained there for five weeks. It wasn’t long before it became a global phenomenon as it topped the charts in a staggering 25 countries. The follow-up singles ‘Whenever You Need Somebody’, ‘When I Fall In Love’ and ‘Together Forever’ all also went on to become domestic and international smash hits.

The singles all featured on Rick’s global multi-platinum selling debut album ‘Whenever You Need Somebody’, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. A newly remastered version of the album, along with physical and digital deluxes, is out now.

Rick celebrates the release of the album by sharing a brand-new animated version of the ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ video. Created by 50/50 Mediahouse, the animation lovingly recreates all the most memorable moments from the original video, which has since exceeded 1.2 billion views on YouTube.

Rick says, “Last year we had the idea for a frame-by-frame animated remake of Never Gonna Give You Up! After a lot of hard work, it’s finally ready & I love it!”

The album and the video are released as Rick embarks upon a huge US tour with New Kids on the Block. His next UK show comes with a headline set at Glasgow’s Summer Nights at Kelvingrove Bandstand on August 10th.

Astley returned to music in a big way in 2016, with ‘50’.  Entirely written and produced by Astley, the album is certified Platinum, was a #1 UK hit that sold over 400,000 copies. ‘Beautiful Life’ in 2018 followed, a top 10 UK release.  Astley has since played with the Foo Fighters, made international headlines for performing the songs The Smiths with Manchester band Blossoms, soundtracked a key late season scene on ‘Ted Lasso’, launched a lockdown video series that’s amassed 10.3 million views on YouTube with a growing catalogue of cover songs (including the just-released ‘abcdefu’), and two Autumn 2021 concerts —at Wembley Arena and Manchester Arena — for NHS workers.

While Astley continues to make new music, perform, and pursue new ventures, the resonance of his debut recording never fades. Last year, ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ achieved a rare milestone in becoming one of 23 music videos from the pre-internet era to hit one billion views on YouTube.  He has over six million monthly listeners on Spotify and is active on social media, where 2.9 million fans follow him on TikTok. In partnership with Jacqui and Kevin Hughes, Astley also recently launched BUB CLUB.  The YouTube channel for pre-schoolers shows animations filled with original music and enhanced versions of classic nursery rhymes and songs. Astley is also co-writing and co-producing new songs for BUB CLUB.

‘Whenever You Need Somebody’ (2022 Remaster) is a two-CD set and digital release that boasts the remastered original album plus b-sides, remixes, and Astley’s own reimagined versions of the album’s original singles. The set includes an expansive booklet featuring previously unseen photos from 1987/88, liner notes by Craig McLean, and reflections from Astley and two of the original album’s songwriting contributors, Mike Stock and Pete Waterman (of Stock, Aitken and Waterman). The project was remastered at Abbey Road by Frank Arkwright.

The Deluxe Edition of ‘Whenever You Need Somebody’ is now available to listen / buy  HERE.

The tracklist for the 2CD Deluxe Edition of ‘Whenever You Need Somebody’ is below. The single CD version features the new remaster of the original album (tracks 1-10), while digital formats run as below with four additional tracks.

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CD1

1. ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’
2. ‘Whenever You Need Somebody’
3. ‘Together Forever’
4. ‘It Would Take A Strong Strong Man’
5. ‘The Love Has Gone’
6. ‘Don’t Say Goodbye’
7. ‘Slipping Away’
8. ‘No More Looking For Love’
9. ‘You Move Me’
10. ‘When I Fall In Love’
11. ‘My Arms Keep Missing You’
12. ‘I’ll Never Set You Free (7” Mix)
13. ‘Just Good Friends’
14. ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ (Pianoforte)
15. ‘Together Forever’ (Reimagined)
16. ‘Whenever You Need Somebody’ (Reimagined)
17. ‘When I Fall In Love’ (Reimagined)

CD2

1. ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ (Phil Harding 12” Mix)
2. ‘Together Forever’ (Lover’s Leap Remix)
3. ‘My Arms Keep Missing You’ (The “Where’s The Harry” Remix)
4. ‘Whenever You Need Somebody’ (XK 150 Mix)
5. ‘My Arms Keep Missing You’ (Bruno’s Remix)
6. ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ (Cake Mix)
7. ‘Whenever You Need Somebody’ (Lonely Hearts Mix)
8. ‘My Arms Keep Missing You’ (No L Mix)
9. ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ (Escape From Newton Mix)
10. ‘Together Forever’ (House Of Love Mix)
11. ‘Whenever You Need Somebody’ (Rick Sets It Off Mix)
12. ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ (Instrumental)
13. ‘It Would Take A Strong Strong Man’ (Instrumental)
14. ‘Whenever You Need Somebody’ (Instrumental)

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Follow RICK ASTLEY
Official website
Spotify – Apple Music – YouTube
TikTok – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram

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AMNPLIFY – DB