More Volumes: Play It Again and Again Nicki! updated

not the real LP yet, image taken from Energise

What's a Eurovision season without Nicki French?.

Exactly.

It's 2023 and our Nicki is giving us her new album, or rather Celebration, the imaginatively titled Eurovision. 

Collecting several tracks we already know from her EP's and a few new ones, Eurovision will be released on CD and Yes Vinyl.

Vinyl is limited to 100 copies and expected in September (darn those vinyl production traffic jams) 

The CD is expected on May 10.

Check out Energise music for ordering. 

But if you can't wait until your hardcopy arrives, your favourite digitals already have it.

Here's the tracklist for the CD and digital release.
1. Dont Play That Song Again 2015 Matt Pop edit
2. One Step Further
3. Love Games
4. My Star
5. Too Late For Love
6. Go (Before You Break My Heart) (Ballad Mix)
7. You Are The Only One
8. Ding A Dong
9. I'm Never Giving Up
10. Shine
11. Hold Me Now
12. Tonight Again (Pete Ware Mix)
13. Don't Play That Song Again (Candlelight Mix)
14. One Step Further (Matt Pop Extended Remix)
15. Love Games (Matt Pop Extended Remix)
16. You Are The Only One (Project K's Melodrama Remix)
17. Ding A Dong - Pete Ware Simply Divine Mix 

I'm a bit busy/lazy so: Below is the Nicki French article from May 17, 2021 when her Let's Play That Song Again EP was released. I moved it up. Yay!. 

Also check out her 2019 EP here and here's the post on her 2015 EP.

Eurovision 2023: The Liverpool Collection

Volumes: Play It Again and Again Nicki!

Nicki French, you either love her or adore her. But I have a confession to make. When Don't Play That Song Again won A Song For Europe I was not immediately bowled over. Sorry Nicki. 

I was there on that 13th of May in Stockholm and saw Nicki give it her all and from that moment I began to see the light. 

And today I love it to bits. Also because it's an excellent example of clever songsmithery by John Springate and Gerry Shepherd.

Fast Foward to 2021:

Let's Play That Song Again Vol. 2 is the third Nicki French EP (or mini album as they call it now) offering a number of Eurovision Coverversions (Nicki loves Eurovision) that also includes new versions of Don't Play.. (see below)

The Tracks:

1. I’m Never Giving Up (Matt Pop Radio Edit)
2. Shine (Pete’s Shine Like a Star Mix)
3. Eurovision Mini-Medley
4. Don’t Play That Song Again (Candlelight Mix)
5. I’m Never Giving Up (Matt Pop Dream Sweet Club Mix)
6. Shine (Pete’s Shine Like the Sun Mix)
7. Don’t Play That Song Again (New Extended Version)
8. Eurovision Mega Medley

the original cdsingle

The two versions of Nicki's own Eurovision tune are new versions making the total of versions a nice round 11 (afaik). Whatever will be next, a French version?

Shine is one of the most used titles in Eurovision and Nicki opts for the Russian entry of 2014 by the Tolmachevy Sisters. A bit random maybe, since she also recorded a Russian entry on the 2019 EP.

I'm Never Giving Up is the U.K. entry of 1983, originally by Sweet Dreams.

Now if someone could only convince Nicki to record Boum Bada Boum by Minouche Barelli for her next Eurovision release.

Let's Play That Song Again Vol. 2 is available at Energise Records on CD and as digital download. Or if you're poor, it's also at your regular streamers.

Volume 0 and Volume 1

Eurocovers has featured the other Nicki French Eurovision EP's back in 2015 and 2019. 

(If you click the pictures you'll go to the original Eurocovers posts) They are still available at Energise records.

Don't Play That Song Again from the Eurovision Collectors Guide.

(click to enlarge)

Have I missed any?, please let me know.

Links and sources

Nicki French website and FB
Energise Records website and FB

Eurovision Collectors Guide FB

Play It Again Nicki!

Picture from Energise records Facebook.

Look who's at it again! Nicki French releases a new EP Let's Play That Song Again covering some Eurovision tunes we all know and love. 

The EP includes Go (Gigliola Cinquetti's Si from 1974), My Star (Brainstorm 2000) You Are TheOnly One by Sergey Lazarev and Tonight Again (Guy Sebastian)
One of these is one of my top 3 favorite Eurovision songs ever, so well done Nicki.

All songs feature in two versions on the EP including mixes by Pete Ware and Matt Pop.
If you buy the CD version a new mix of Don't Play That Song Again (Nicki's own Eurovision classic from 2000) is yours as well.

We. Love. Nicki.

The 2015 Eurovision EP

CD version (still) available at Energise Records who also still have Nicki's first Eurovision from 2015 EP available. (more about that one here at Eurocovers)

The digital version is out on May 6. (but discontinued as of 2023)

Energise!
Energise Records "does" Nicki French and also gives us some great Linda Martin, Sinitta, Hazell Dean and more. 
There's also a delicious cover version of Verona (Koit 'n' Laura's Estonian entry that was robbed) by Sean Smith and Peter Wilson released in a variety of mixes (on a 2CD set).

Links and sources
Nicki French website and FB
Energise Records website and FB
Nicki French: The first Eurovision EP

also check out:

Nicki French 2015: The Eurovision EP

Digital release image

Nicki French, much loved British Eurovision chanteuse, releases a new remix EP including new mixes of her 2000 entry Don't Play That Song Again and a few Eurovision covers.

Don't Play That Song Again ended 16th in the 45th Eurovision Song Contest (in Stockholm).
Hold Me Now is the winner of the Brussels contest of 1987. It was Johnny Logans 2nd victory for Ireland.
One Step Further, originally by Bardo, ended 7th in Harrogate (1982)
And then there's Ding A Dong, the winner of 40 years ago. The Dutch entry by Teach In won the contest in Stockholm en became a European hit.

Update 2019: Nicki French released another Eurovision EP, more info here.

Nicki French shot to fame with her dance coverversion of Bonnie Tylers Total Eclipse Of The Heart. 
It was already the third time Nicki released the song but the 1995 version became a worldwide hit.
It was a No. 5 in the U.K. and a No. 2 in the USA. It went to No. 1 in Canada, Japan and Brasil.

Eurovision EP Tracks:

1. Don't Play That Song Again 2015 (Andy Haldane Remix)

2. Hold Me Now (Andy Haldane Remix)

3. One Step Further (Matt Pop Mix)

4. Ding A Dong (John Springate Mix)

5. Don't Play That Song Again 2015 (Matt Pop's Golden Anniversary 12inch)

6. Hold Me Now (Matt Pop Mix)

7. Don't Play That Song Again 2015 (Andy's Karaoke Mix)

8. Hold Me Now (Andy's Karaoke Mix)
A CD single is released on May 15, still available at the Energise Records shop.
The digital release is out May 23. (but discontined now)

Earlier this year the album One Step Further was released including Matt Pop remix versions of the four Eurovision songs mentioned above.
Another recent release is the album Nicki French: The Singles 1997-2015.
Energise Records also offer a 4-disc (though CD-r) release with the albums One Step Further, The Singles 1997-2015, a Megamix CD and a 4th album Total Eclipse Of The Heart including two previously unreleased demo's.

Energise Records website
More Eurocovers Ding A Dong posts are here, and various versions of Hold Me Now are here.

Original cdsingle

Also check out 2015: The Vienna Collection
Quick links to all countries:
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