Pat Benatar’s first three studio albums—In the Heat of the Night, Crimes of Passion, and Precious Time—helped establish her as one of rock’s biggest stars and most powerful voices in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Now, Benatar will reissue those records as limited-edition vinyl LPs on September 13.
Each disc will be available in standard black vinyl or in colored-vinyl variants. The colored-vinyl editions for In the Heat of the Night, Crimes of Passion, and Precious Time will be pressed, respectively, on tangerine, opaque magenta, and opaque fruit punch vinyl.
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“We know how much you’ve wanted reissues of the early records on vinyl. Finally, here they are!” Benatar and her husband and longtime, Neil Giraldo, said in a joint statement. “Happy listening, enjoy!”
You can pre-order the vinyl reissues now.
About In the Heat of the Night
Benatar’s debut album, In the Heat of the Night was released in 1979. The album featured Pat’s first two charting hits in the U.S., “Heartbreaker” and the Giraldo-penned “We Live for Love.” The songs peaked, respectively, at No. 23 and No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album also included a popular cover of John Mellencamp’s “I Need a Lover.”
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In the Heat of the Night reached No. 12 on the Billboard 200, and went on to be certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of more than 1 million in the U.S.
About Crimes of Passion
Benatar’s career really took off with her sophomore album, Crimes of Passion, which arrived in 1980. The album boasted two Top-20 Hot 100 hits, Benatar’s signature tune “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” and the driving rock tune “Treat Me Right,” the latter of which she co-wrote. The songs peaked at No. 9 and No. 18.
Crimes of Passion also featured the fiery “Hell Is for Children,” which Benatar and Giraldo co-wrote with her bassist, Roger Capps. Other memorable songs on the record included covers of The Young Rascals’ “You Better Run” and Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights.”
Crimes of Passion reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified four-times platinum. In 1981, Benatar was awarded a Grammy in the Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female for the album.
About Precious Time
Precious Time was released in July 1981, and became Benatar’s first and only album to top the Billboard 200 that August.
The album included two Top-40 hits on the Hot 100—“Fire and Ice” and “Promises in the Dark.” Benatar and Giraldo co-wrote “Fire and Ice,” which peaked at No. 17. Pat also co-wrote the latter tune, which reached No. 37. Among the other standout tunes on the album were the title track, and covers of The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter” and Paul Revere & the Raiders’ “Just Like Me.”
Precious Time has gone on to sell more than 2 million copies in the U.S. In addition, Benatar won another Grammy in the Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female category for “Fire and Ice.”
About Benatar and Giraldo’s Tour Plans
Benatar and Giraldo kicked off a 2024 U.S. summer tour in early July. The trek is mapped out through an August 16 performance in Airway Heights, Washington. The duo’s next show takes place Tuesday, July 30, in Denver.
Tickets for Benatar and Giraldo’s concerts are on sale now via a variety of outlets, including StubHub.
(Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Love Rocks NYC/God’s Love We Deliver)
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