Rough Trade Records presents a remastered reissue of Scritti Politti's classic debut album "Songs To Remember." The debut from this critically acclaimed and hugely influential British band, "Songs To Remember" is a return to Scritti Politti's very beginnings. Emerging from the DIY indie scene of London's Camden in the late '70s, the group led by Green Gartside held a musical vision comparable to that of Miles Davis—with whom they would later actually collaborate—and with this record they established themselves as true innovators of the early '80s. Their sound, a wholly original fusion of philosophical inquiry and burgeoning pop sensibility, was one of a kind. Hailed by NME as "witty and inventive" upon its 1982 release, the album has since built a solid reputation as an era-defining classic. For this reissue, the audio has been fully remastered by Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios. Overseen by Green Gartside himself, the long-awaited vinyl repress has also been realized.
Originally released in September 1982 with the catalogue number ROUGH20, the album peaked at No. 12 on the UK Albums Chart and features such classics as "The Sweetest Girl," "Faithless" and "Jacques Derrida." Available digitally and on CD, the album is also finally available on vinyl once again, in a specification faithful to the original 1982 pressing. This edition comes in an embossed sleeve, with a bee pictogram on the front corner of the jacket.

Mark E. Smith, then an artist on Rough Trade Records, once said to me: "Scritti Politti have the best rhythm section in rock music." He never mentioned Green Gartside by name, so I don't know what he made of him. But all of us at Rough Trade Records were utterly captivated by Green's honeyed vocals and his brilliant lyric writing. It was a genuinely feverish time, and we were simply overwhelmed by the sheer amount of talent flowing into Rough Trade Records one after another. Among them all, Green stood out in particular. He took on the very idea of perfected pop music head-on, armed with his intellect. At a time when sending a full album out into the world was still a relatively new experience for us, I remember well just how proud we were of "Songs To Remember."
- Geoff Travis (Rough Trade Records)


This album should be regarded as one of the most important records in music history, for bridging two realms long kept apart—pop and philosophy.
- Pop Matters

Boldly folding advanced, theoretical elements like Derrida and digital dancehall into the pop format... rarely have lovers rock and French philosophical intellect been fused so magnificently.
- MOJO

Everything that made Scritti Politti distinctive from the outset—unlikely fusions of vocoder and gospel, swooningly beautiful melodies, a light touch of humor, and a wealth of ideas... the record sounds as strikingly timeless now as it did in 1982. "Songs to Remember" is, true to its name, a memorable and superbly realized album.
- Q Magazine

(Green) Gartside still possesses one of the most beautiful voices in British rock.
- The Times

There will never be another pop star like Green Gartside.
- NME