The ’80s were a fertile space of time that gave birth to many styles, something that the ’70s, as rich as they were, would not have been so gracious with. One of the ’80s personas was Klaus Nomi. Nomi released two albums for RCA Records that blended operatic voice with the electronic infatuation of the time to give us his eponymous debut (1981), and his sophomore set, Simple Man (1982). From those, several loved singles formed with “Total Eclipse”, a delightful and brave cover of “Lightning Strikes”, the Lou Christie hit, an adorned version of “Ding Dong (The Witch Is Dead)” (from The Wizard of Oz), “You Don’t Own Me”, and “Simple Man”. With a career expanding, Klaus Nomi died in 1983 from complications of AIDS at the young age of 39.
On June 16, Sony and Legacy Recordings will recognize the 40th Anniversary of the passing of Klaus Nomi with a reissue of four sets that include the two studio albums, a compilation set, and a 1986 live album.
All sets will be issued on CD, and DD. For vinyl LP, there will specialized Box packaging that will contain all four titles in vinyl in standard black. The Box will provide the LPs, a choice of tee-shirt, a tote bag emblazoned with the stylized Nomi moniker, a cassette, and badges. A collector’s Box with just the vinyl LPs is prepared for those that only want the LPs with no swag. The live set – In Concert – will not be offered as a standalone set while the others will be. All albums are currently available on streaming services. Encore…: Best of Klaus Nomi will be released in Dolby Atmos.
To help you (if you haven’t heard of Klaus Nomi), there are three videos below. You can pre-order any configuration of these classics at this link. Bear in mind that these are only being reissued via Europe and Japan. But that shouldn’t stop you if you’re a fan for these new pressings and reissues.
Klaus Nomi – Klaus Nomi
01 Keys Of Life
02 Lightning Strikes
03 Twist
04 Nomi Song
05 You Don’t Own Me
06 Cold Song
07 Wasting My Time
08 Total Eclipse
09 Nomi Chant
10 Samson and Delilah
Simple Man – Klaus Nomi
01 From Beyond
02 After The Fall
03 Just One Look
04 Falling In Love Again
05 ICUROK
06 Rubber Band Lazer
07 Wayward Sisters
08 Ding Dong
09 Three Wishes
10 Simple Man
11 Death
12 Return
Encore… – Klaus Nomi
01 Fanfare
02 Can’t Help Falling In Love
03 Walnut Tree
04 Just One Look
05 Twist
06 Total Eclipse
07 Three Wishes
08 ICUROK
09 Wasting My Time
10 Rubber Band Lazer
11 Ding Dong (The Witch Is Dead)
12 Nomi Chant
13 Death
14 Wayward Sisters
15 From Beyond
16 Falling In Love Again
In Concert – Klaus Nomi
01 Keys Of Life
02 Falling In Love Again
03 Lightning Strikes
04 Nomi Song
05 The Twist
06 Total Eclipse
07 I Feel Love
08 Samson and Delilah