As the build-up to National Album Day continues, Carol Decker, Jazzie B and Kim & Marty Wilde have been unveiled as 2020 ambassadors.
The third edition of National Album Day celebrates the music of the 1980s and is set for October 10, with Billy Ocean, Blossoms, La Roux, Psychedelic Furs and Toyah Wilcox already announced as ambassadors.
T’Pau vocalist and musician Decker, Soul II Soul founder Jazzie B, ABC’s Martin Fry, Kim & Marty Wilde and country twins Ward Thomas are now also lined up to take part.
Former Music Week cover stars Ward Thomas release their new album Invitation on October 9 and will play an exclusive livestream show at London's Theatre Royal Haymarket on National Album Day, featuring a cover of an ’80s song.
Carol Decker said: “I know that streaming is really easy and convenient, and I too like to quickly dip into a single I just heard on the radio, but when an artist puts an album together they are creating a narrative for their work. In my songs I am often curating my personal thoughts and dreams and laying them out for you to inspect. I labour over the tracklisting, making sure one song hands over smoothly to the next. I take you on a journey of different tempos and emotions. It is a very raw feeling to let your baby go after months in the studio and see if it makes any friends. I am proud to have been a small part of the most diversely creative era in music and hear its influence on emerging artists. I am honoured to support National Album Day.”
I am proud to have been a small part of the most diversely creative era in music
Carol Decker
Jazzie B commented: “I’ve always loved albums. A good album tells an entire story instead of just giving you a chapter, taking the listener through a series of emotions. To me, getting an album’s track sequencing right to make that story as smooth as possible was one of the most exciting parts of the recording process – similar to when I'm playing (DJ-ing) the Soul2Soul sound system and spinning tunes in a certain order to take the crowd up and down almost without them realising it.”
Martin Fry added: "Growing up listening to everything from Bowie to the Buzzcocks there were albums released that, hand on heart, saved my life.”
Ward Thomas said: “Albums are so important to us because they are a perfect time capsule showing where a specific artist is at a specific time. By listening to an album in full you can really get to know an artist. There really isn’t anything else that can do that.”
Albums are so important to us because they are a perfect time capsule
Ward Thomas
The chart-toppers also paid tribute to the ’80s for inspiring their music.
“The decade had so many exciting musical cultures blended into one and it inspired us to create music with an open mind,” said the pair. “It made us approach music in a way that is never genre specific. The musicianship is just unreal and the messages in so much of the songwriting were very philosophical, a lot of music from the '80s has inspired the way we create music now."
A variety of of reissues, limited vinyl and box sets will be released on October 9 as part of National Album Day, with highlights including Sade’s six-album vinyl set This Far, a 40th anniversary picture disc of Iron Maiden’s debut album, and records by Bonnie Tyler, Ultravox, The Specials, Marillion, Phil Collins, Cyndi Lauper, Europe and Meat Loaf and more. Details of BBC Music coverage of this year's event will be confirmed soon.
National Album Day has previously been supported by the likes of Lewis Capaldi, Jess Glynne, Mark Ronson, Elbow, Paloma Faith, Alice Cooper, Novelist, Tom Odell, Mahalia and Orbital.
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