Rick Astley celebrates his 1987 debut album with reissue

NEW YORK (AP) - Most pop stars take some time before they hit the big time, putting out a few albums before one sticks. With Rick Astley, it took just his first song.

'œWith me, it's like, song one - Boom! No.1 all over the world,'ť he says via Zoom. 'œI was just trying to write something that you could sing along to in the chorus.'ť

That album was 1987's multi-platinum debut 'œWhenever You Need Somebody,'ť with, of course, that single 'œNever Gonna Give You Up'ť that went from radio earworm to internet prank sensation.

It's been 35 years since Astley's debut and BMG is marking the anniversary in May with a two-CD set and digital release that boasts the remastered original album plus B-sides, remixes and Astley's own reimagined versions of the album's original singles.

Astley was only 20 and 21 while recording 'œWhenever You Need Somebody'ť with the songwriting and record production trio known as Stock, Aitken and Waterman, who had crafted songs for Bananarama and Dead or Alive.

'œI was just happy to be in a professional recording studio, making noises with guys who were having hit records," says Astley, who came from a small town in the north of England. He knew nothing about the recording process. 'œI was inexperienced, I guess, and naïve.'ť

'œNever Gonna Give You Up'ť spent two weeks at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and 'œTogether Forever'ť spent a week atop the same chart. The songs 'œIt Would Take A Strong Strong Man'ť and 'œShe Wants To Dance With Me'ť also made it into the top 10. Listening to it again, the album fits today's '80s-vibing, dance soundscape very well.

He would make more albums, leave the business for many years and then reemerge with the strong albums 'œ50'ť in 2016 and 'œBeautiful Life'ť in 2018, dogged by rick-rolling - when a promised link on a website turns out instead to be an Astley video - but making his peace with it.

Shortly after the anniversary release of his debut album, Astley will join New Kids on the Block, Salt-N-Pepa, and En Vogue for the 57-date 'œMixtape 2022'ť U.S. arena tour. He credits 'œWhenever You Need Somebody'ť for all of it, for basically making his career.

'œThe overwhelming thing is just gratitude. If I'm honest, it's simply that. I've had a really nice, comfortable existence because I got to make a pop record in 1987.'ť

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Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits