Remastered and pressed on 180g vinyl 'Happy Birthday' the bands debut album features a BONUS RED vinyl 7inch of the Steve Severin produced single 'Dead Pop Stars' and its accompanying b-side 'Sentimental', both of which were dropped from the album. The name Altered Images referred to the sleeve design on the Buzzcocks singles notably 'Promises'. The sleeve artwork for much of the bands early releases was in this almost comic bookesque style, bold blocks of colours and graphics. Radio 1's John Peel was a huge fan, he was the barometer of taste at the time and to many youngsters growing up, what John Peel played mattered. The list is endless of bands who's first play on National Radio was on the John Peel Show, he was that influential, his dry wit and charm as much his appeal as the music he played. His support for the band led to a recording deal with Epic. With Clare Grogan on vocals, Gerard McInutly and Tony McDaid on guitars, Michael Anderson on drums and John McElhone on bass guitar the band had little success with their first two singles 'Dead Pop Stars' and 'A Days Wait'. Much to do with timing as anything as 'Dead Pop Stars' as song sung from the point of view of a has-been pop star, the single was released shortly after John Lennon's death so gained little media attention. After the first two John Peel Sessions, Gerard McInulty left the band and John McKinven joined and undeterred they recorded most of the album, produced by Steve Severin. Martin Rushent was brought in to produce the title track 'Happy Birthday' due to be the next single. Rushent had worked with the Buzzcocks, Stranglers and Generation X and had just finished the Human League album 'Dare'; which proved to catapult the Human League into the stratosphere, 'Dare' becoming one of the, if not, the classic 80's album. 'Happy Birthday' was a huge hit, charting No2 for three weeks in the UK charts in October 1981 and earned the band the NME 'Best New Group' and Smash Hits 'Best Newcomer Award' that year.
