Collection: Simply Red Vinyl Records – Stars, Picture Book & Essential Albums on Vinyl
Simply Red are one of the best-selling British acts of the late twentieth century, fronted by Mick Hucknall's unmistakable soul voice. Emerging from Manchester in 1985 with a cover of the Valentine Brothers' Money's Too Tight (To Mention), they went on to sell over 50 million albums worldwide. Stars, released in 1991, was the best-selling album in the UK for two consecutive years — a feat matched by very few artists. Their blend of blue-eyed soul, pop, and funk gave them a crossover appeal that kept them on the charts for two decades.
On vinyl, Simply Red's records reveal the quality of their production and Hucknall's vocal range in ways that compressed digital formats struggle to match. Stars in particular is a lush, warm recording that was made for this format — the depth of the arrangements, the layered backing vocals, and the subtle jazz inflections all benefit from vinyl's dynamic range. The recent 180-gram reissues sound excellent and do justice to a catalogue that has aged far better than its critical reputation might suggest.
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Best Simply Red Albums on Vinyl
Stars (1991)The album that made Simply Red a household name worldwide. Stars was the best-selling album in the UK in both 1991 and 1992, driven by the title track, Something Got Me Started, and For Your Babies. The production is immaculate — warm, sophisticated, and dripping with soul. One of the defining records of early nineties pop.
Picture Book (1985)Their debut album introduced Mick Hucknall's extraordinary voice to the world. Holding Back the Years became a transatlantic number one and remains one of the greatest blue-eyed soul ballads ever recorded. The album also features their breakout cover of Money's Too Tight (To Mention), which set the template for everything that followed.
A New Flame (1989)The album that bridged their early soul-pop sound and the commercial peak of Stars. It's Only Love and If You Don't Know Me by Now (a cover of the Harold Melvin classic) were huge hits, and the album went multi-platinum in the UK. Polished, confident, and full of warmth.
Life (1995)The follow-up to Stars maintained their commercial momentum with Fairground — a drum-and-bass-influenced single that became their first UK number one. The album showed a willingness to experiment with contemporary sounds while keeping Hucknall's soulful voice at the centre. A mature, underrated record.
