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💿 RELEASE DETAILS
Artist: Lifesavers
Album: A Kiss of Life
Label: Retroactive Records
Catalog Number / Product ID: RRCD2202
UPC: 732131700183
Format: CD
Packaging: Jewel Case with 12-Page Booklet w Ltd Collector Card
Pressing: Limited to 300 Copies
Edition: 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition
Original Release: 1986 (Frontline Records)
Release Date: December 2026
Produced & Engineered By: Doug Doyle
Liner Notes: Matt Crosslin
🔥 KEY COLLECTOR DETAILS
- 40TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTOR'S EDITION — 1986–2026!
- STRICTLY LIMITED TO ONLY 300 CDs!
- 2026 RETROACTIVE RECORDS REISSUE of the influential 1986 Frontline Records album.
- JEWEL CASE WITH 12-PAGE BOOKLET featuring original lyrics, rare photographs, archival memorabilia, and recording credits.
- EXTENSIVE NEW HISTORICAL LINER NOTES BY MATT CROSSLIN! Tracing the evolution of Lifesavers and Michael Knott's arrival in the band.
- A PIVOTAL MICHAEL KNOTT RECORDING that helped establish the musical direction leading to Lifesavers Underground (L.S.U.).
- CLASSIC 1980s POST-PUNK, NEW WAVE, AND ALTERNATIVE ROCK featuring atmospheric guitars, urgent rhythms, and memorable melodies.
- PRODUCED & ENGINEERED BY DOUG DOYLE at 3-D Studios in Costa Mesa, California.
- Features Michael Knott, Brian Doidge, and Kevin Lee, with additional contributions from Doug Doyle, Kenny Samuels, and Alan Palmer.
- 11 TRACKS including "She's On Fire," "I Pray You Pray," "I Can't Wait," "Free Her," and "See Me Fall."
- FOR FANS OF: The Cure, The Alarm, U2, The Church, The Psychedelic Furs, and classic 1980s alternative rock.
🎸 ABOUT THE ALBUM — A KISS OF LIFE
40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION. ONLY 300 CDs. THE RECORDING THAT HELPED LAUNCH A NEW ERA FOR MICHAEL KNOTT AND LIFESAVERS.
Before Lifesavers Underground, before the extraordinary succession of Michael Knott solo albums, and before his reputation as one of underground alternative rock's most adventurous and unpredictable songwriters, there was A Kiss of Life. Originally released in 1986 on Frontline Records, this remarkable album captures a band in transformation, moving beyond its earlier musical identity toward the darker, more atmospheric, and creatively ambitious sounds that would define much of Knott's subsequent career.
A Kiss of Life is filled with the musical possibilities of the mid-1980s. The influence of British new wave and post-punk is unmistakable, but Lifesavers never simply imitate their contemporaries. Instead, they combine urgent rhythms, ringing guitars, memorable melodies, restless energy, and emotionally direct songwriting into something distinctly their own. The result is an album that sounds rooted in its era while pointing toward an entirely new chapter in underground alternative music.
Michael Knott's involvement proved transformative. Lifesavers had already established a following and released several recordings before Knott joined the group. But his arrival brought a new creative perspective, one that would eventually lead to the emergence of Lifesavers Underground (L.S.U.). On A Kiss of Life, listeners can hear the beginning of that transition: the accessible melodies and energetic performances of Lifesavers colliding with the more introspective, unconventional artistic instincts that would become central to Knott's work.
The album opens with "She's On Fire," an immediate statement of purpose that sets the stage for the record's vibrant combination of melody and atmosphere. "I Pray You Pray" and "I Can't Wait" demonstrate the band's ability to deliver infectious hooks without sacrificing urgency, while "Choose to Be True" and "Highway to Zion" offer additional glimpses of their evolving sound. The evocative "Dreamin'" closes the album's first half with a different emotional texture.
The second half continues with the irresistible "Love Boy Love Girl" and the propulsive "Turn, Turn, Turn." Songs such as "We Live for the Sun" and "Free Her" reveal a band willing to explore different arrangements and musical moods, while the closing "See Me Fall" provides a memorable conclusion to this pivotal recording.
Produced and engineered by Doug Doyle, A Kiss of Life features Kevin Lee on drums and percussion, Brian Doidge on bass, and Michael Knott on vocals, guitars, keyboards, and percussion. The record also features contributions from Doyle, Kenny Samuels, and Alan Palmer. Together, they created an album that bridged the band's earlier history with the bold musical experiments still to come.
The historical significance of A Kiss of Life extends well beyond the songs themselves. It represents a fascinating moment when one of the most distinctive voices in alternative music was finding a new artistic direction. The Lifesavers name would soon give way to Lifesavers Underground, setting the stage for a remarkable series of recordings that challenged expectations and earned a devoted following.
THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY CD COLLECTOR'S EDITION: Retroactive Records celebrates four decades of A Kiss of Life with this special reissue, LIMITED TO ONLY 300 CDs. Packaged in a traditional JEWEL CASE WITH A 12-PAGE BOOKLET, the edition features original song lyrics, rare band photographs, archival memorabilia, recording credits, exclusive Ltd Collector Card and EXTENSIVE NEW HISTORICAL LINER NOTES BY MATT CROSSLIN. Crosslin traces the band's fascinating journey from its earliest recordings through Michael Knott's arrival, the creation of A Kiss of Life, and the transformation into Lifesavers Underground.
For longtime collectors, this edition offers an opportunity to revisit a crucial recording with the historical context it deserves. For listeners discovering the early work of Michael Knott, it provides a compelling introduction to the music that helped establish his distinctive artistic voice.
Whether you discovered Lifesavers through their original Frontline Records releases or followed Michael Knott's career through L.S.U., Aunt Bettys, and his solo recordings, A Kiss of Life deserves a place in your collection. More than a nostalgic reminder of the 1980s, it is an essential chapter in the history of alternative rock, capturing a band on the verge of reinvention. With only 300 CDs being pressed, this 40th Anniversary Edition is one collectors will not want to miss.
FOR FANS OF: The Cure, The Alarm, U2, The Church, The Psychedelic Furs, and classic 1980s post-punk and alternative rock.
🎵 CD TRACKLIST
- She's On Fire
- I Pray You Pray
- I Can't Wait
- Choose to Be True
- Highway to Zion
- Dreamin'
- Love Boy Love Girl
- Turn, Turn, Turn
- We Live for the Sun
- Free Her
- See Me Fall
🎵 TRACKLIST
She's On Fire / I Pray You Pray / I Can't Wait / Choose to Be True / Highway to Zion / Dreamin' / Love Boy Love Girl / Turn, Turn, Turn / We Live for the Sun / Free Her / See Me Fall
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