UMA to release Savage Garden 20th Anniversary compilation & rediscovered demo

PRESS RELEASE:

In mid 1995, two young Brisbane men joined forces to create Australia’s biggest and most successful musical duo, Savage Garden, breaking records and winning awards and acclaim along the way.

To celebrate this 20 year milestone, Universal Music Australia (UMA) has today announced that they have reached agreement for the distribution and marketing of the Savage Garden catalogue of recordings. Said George Ash, President Universal Music Asia Pacific, “Theincredible songscreated by Savage Garden over such a small periodisthe envy of any artist – in any era. The fact these songs connected with such a massive audience acrossthe worldand remain so beloved almost 20 years later is proof of their enduring strengthandtheir timeless appeal. Weare veryexcited to be working with Darren and Daniel to bring these songs to new audiences and new generations in new ways for a new era–it’s a true privilegefor us all”.

On Friday, 12 June a new compilation album – Savage Garden: The Singles – will go on sale in stores and via download alongside their two beloved, multi-platinum selling albums Savage Garden and Affirmation which feature Deluxe Edition bonus discs of previously unavailable live performances and rare remixes of key songs.

Savage Garden: The Singles features all the band’s singles and includes a bonus DVD of Australian and international videos. See below for the full album tracklisting.

When the master recordings were being transferred to UMA, a previously unreleased demo of a 1994 song called She was uncovered among some multi-track cassette based recordings. As a special treat for their fans and friends SHE (1994 Demo) was made available via Savage Garden’s Facebook page and website earlier today and will appear on Savage Garden: The Singles as a bonus track. The recording features Daniel on piano and Darren’s signature, passionate vocals.

Darren Hayes said, “It’s a long time ago, but my recollection is I was writing about the relationship that I have, and continue to have, with the women in my life. From my Sister to my Mother and all the friends and the wonderful female relationships in my life. I know I’m indebted to these incredibly strong women who loved me and taught me what it was like to be strong and succeed in a world where you sometimes feel underestimated.”

Daniel Jones added, “From memory I think we just sat down and literally wrote it together in my parents’ house in Brisbane. I remember my mother really liked the track – the innocence and raw beauty of it. It’s very pro-female song so I think a lot of girls will relate to how powerful it is for them. I think that was probably the biggest reason why my Mum really took to this particular song”.

Savage Garden is one of the most successful duos in pop music history and among the most successful Australian recording artists of all time with sales in excess of 20 million albums. They hold the Guinness Book of World Records for winning an unprecedented 10 Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Awards in one year (1997). In addition, they are the reigning record-holders for the longest number of weeks on the Monitor/Billboard Adult Contemporary Airplay charts in the US for their singles: I Knew I Loved You (124 weeks) and Truly, Madly, Deeply (123 weeks). Savage Garden is one of only two Australian bands to have ever had two #1 singles in the US.

The beauty of the first, self-titled, Savage Garden album was how naive it all was. Songs written in suburban bedrooms became global anthems; the intimacy and innocence of their tunes was immediately genuine and untouched by corporate fingerprints. It was homemade, world-class music.

Savage Garden went on to dominate the world, song by song, with hit singles including To the Moon and Back, Truly Madly Deeply, Break Me Shake Me and of course, with an added chic-a-cherry-cola, I Want You.

Savage Garden’s second album, Affirmation, was made with a skyscraper-weight of expectation knowing that, unlike their debut, the world was listening and the band delivered another outstanding success. The flawless run of singles continued with The Animal Song, I Knew I Loved You, Affirmation, Hold Me and The Best Thing all becoming radio staples.

It was following the Affirmation that Daniel Jones retreated from the spotlight and Darren Hayes continued as a solo artist. Both men have politely declined increasingly lucrative reformation offers choosing to let the songs continue to ably represent them instead.

In hindsight, Savage Garden left a short but perfectly formed legacy. They followed up the debut nobody thought they could better, they sold millions right at the tail end of the period where people still paid for music they loved, they shared their highly personal songs with audiences on stages around the world.

Savage Garden: The Singles will be released on Friday, 12 June through Universal Music Australia. SHE (1994 Demo) can be streamed from http://SavageGarden.lnk.to/She.

Savage Garden: The Singles | Savage Garden – Expanded Edition | Affirmation – Expanded Edition are available for pre-order: http://SavageGarden.lnk.to/music