Bronski Beat | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Londons Bronski Beat will be remembered for a number of things. Anyone who has seen the video for "Smalltown Boy" -- which remains gripping and sobering decades later -- can likely recall at least one of its scenes in vivid detail. It was only Bronski Beats first single, but it became the groups best-known, reaching the top of Billboards U.S. dance chart while peaking at number three on the U.K. pop chart. More importantly, the song was typical for the group in that it centered on singer Jimmy Somervilles experiences as a young gay man. It also exemplified the groups moody electronic-pop sound and introduced a number of people to a voice that continues to sound like no other -- one that can soar into a unique falsetto while drawing from a deep pool of emotions that ranges from intense internal strife to bliss. Somerville, fellow Glaswegian Steve Bronski (keyboards), and Londoner Larry Steinbachek (also keyboards) formed Bronski Beat in 1983. They performed at venues in and around London, and scored a major coup by landing an opening gig for Tina Turner. The London label soon swept up the group, and the bandmembers almost immediately became pop stars in the U.K. "Smalltown Boy" proved to be a huge breakthrough. The Age of Consent, supported by that single, "Why," and a cover of Donna Summers "I Feel Love," went over extremely well. Not only did the album gain attention for its combination of compelling songwriting and club-friendly pop; the inner sleeve listed the legal age of consent for homosexual acts in several countries across Europe. Somerville boldly left the group a year later, before it was able to record a follow-up; he started the more overtly political Communards with Richard Coles. Bronski and Steinbachek continued with vocalist John Jon, who had previously been in Bust. The new version of Bronski Beat was quite successful as well, notching club hits in the U.K. and abroad; Truthdare Doubledare, the 1986 sophomore album, went Top 20 in the groups home country, and "Hit That Perfect Beat" rivaled "Smalltown Boy" in high chart placements. Before the years end, John Jon left the group, which eventually disbanded. Steve Bronski brought a new lineup together in the mid-90s -- including vocalist Jonathan Hellyer -- and recorded Rainbow Nation for the German ZYX label. Somerville enjoyed modest success in the Communards and has recorded sporadically as a solo artist since the late 80s, releasing such albums as Read My Lips (1989), Dare to Love (1995), Manage the Damage (2000), and Home Again (2004). In 2009, he released the acoustic covers album Suddenly Last Summer. Somerville then returned the following year with the first of a three-part EP trilogy, Bright Thing, followed by Momentum (2011) and Solent (2012). In 2014, Somerville celebrated the 30th anniversary of Bronski Beats classic "Smalltown Boy" single with the release of a re-recorded version of the song. A year later, he released his sixth full-length album, the vintage disco-inspired Homage. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 10 Title: The Age of Consent Released: 1984 Tracks: 12 Duration: 1:01:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Why? (04:03) 2 Ain’t Necessarily So (04:43) 3 Screaming (04:15) 4 No More War (03:55) 5 Love and Money (05:08) 6 Smalltown Boy (05:01) 7 Heatwave (02:40) 8 Junk (04:17) 9 Need a Man Blues (04:19) 10 I Feel Love / Johnnie Remember Me (06:01) 11 Smalltown Boy (full 12″ version) (09:04) 12 Why? (full 12″ version) (07:45) |
| The Age of Consent : Allmusic album Review : To say The Age of Consent is a great album of dance-oriented synth-pop music is to sell it extremely short; this is simply a great album, period. Jimmy Somervilles soaring tenor may take some getting used to, but the songs, many of them dealing with homophobia and alienation (none more eloquently than "Smalltown Boy"), are compelling vignettes about the vagaries of life as a gay man. Cynics predisposed to dismissing entire genres of music based on trendiness or a limited appeal ("dance music is for dancing, not listening") miss the point in lumping this in with more mindless forays into techno or neo-disco. As the Pet Shop Boys (the worlds greatest disco band) proved a few years later, you can have substantive content and wrap it up in a compelling, visceral, dance-oriented package. Few bands understood this better, or earlier, than Bronski Beat. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 10 Title: I Feel Love Released: 1985 Tracks: 4 Duration: 17:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Love to Love You Baby / I Feel Love / Johnnie Remember Me (vocal - Cake mix) (08:23) 2 The Potato Fields (02:54) 3 Puit damour (01:38) 4 Signs (and Wonders) (04:57) |
 | Album: 3 of 10 Title: Hundreds & Thousands Released: 1985 Tracks: 6 Duration: 40:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Heat Wave (05:42) 2 Why (06:18) 3 Run From Love (08:20) 4 Hard Rain (08:11) 5 Smalltown Boy (06:04) 6 Junk (06:08) |
 | Album: 4 of 10 Title: Truthdare Doubledare Released: 1986-07 Tracks: 11 Duration: 50:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Hit That Perfect Beat (03:38) 2 Truthdare Doubledare (04:42) 3 C’mon! C’mon! (03:50) 4 Punishment for Love (04:14) 5 We Know How It Feels (04:13) 6 This Heart (04:19) 7 Do It (03:50) 8 Dr John (04:37) 9 In My Dreams (04:19) 10 Hit That Perfect Beat (12” version) (06:27) 11 C’mon! C’mon! (12” version) (06:15) |
| Truthdare Doubledare : Allmusic album Review : Bronski Beat were already faced with a formidable challenge in following up their debut, The Age of Consent, an album whose frank homosexual themes and catchy electro-disco made the London trio a huge left-field success. Then singer Jimmy Somerville departed, taking with him the wail that sent gay dancefloor anthems like "Smalltown Boy" and "Why" into the stratosphere, and the job facing Steve Bronski and Larry Steinbachek suddenly looked impossible. It was, in fact, although they made a respectable go of it on Truthdare Doubledare, recruiting far less flamboyant vocalist John Jon and offering a more polished Hi-NRG sound on the single "Hit That Perfect Beat," which reached the Top Five in Britain. The rest of the album, which spun off another similar-sounding hit, "Cmon! Cmon," is fine, kinetic club music that lacks the ambition and personality of the debut. Despite songs that address the spread and awareness of AIDS ("Dr. John") and the pressures of gay life ("Punishment for Love"), the band seems a few steps removed from the pain that Age of Consent exposed so compellingly. And part of the reason is the obvious one -- John Jon, though undoubtedly skillful (and less fatiguing than his predecessor), simply lacked Somervilles ability to hit listeners raw nerves, instead of just that perfect beat. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 10 Title: Rainbow Nation Released: 1995 Tracks: 11 Duration: 48:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Hit That Perfect Beat Boy (05:47) 2 Slow Down (04:47) 3 Kicking Up the Rain (04:07) 4 Forever and a Day (03:40) 5 I Love The Nightlife (03:41) 6 Tell Me Your Name (04:03) 7 Why (06:25) 8 Taste Those Tears (05:08) 9 Be Serious (03:50) 10 Easterize (03:27) 11 No Difference (03:36) |
| Rainbow Nation : Allmusic album Review : After a groundbreaking, truly revolutionary debut album, 1984s THE AGE OF CONSENT, Scotlands Bronski Beat went through a period of turmoil occasioned by the abrupt departure of singer Jimmy Somerville, who formed the even more explicitly political Communards. Replacing Somerville with the much less distinctive singer John Jon, Bronski Beat released a few more albums in a less confrontational Hi-NRG dance style. After several years of inactivity, Bronski Beat returned rather unexpectedly with 1995s RAINBOW NATION, a thumping dance album with skittering sequencers, booming bass, and all the classic characteristics of Giorgio Moroder-influenced Eurodisco. They even cover the disco-diva classic "I Love the Nightlife" in an unabashed celebration of their dance floor roots. Somewhat more surprisingly, the trio also cover themselves, recasting THE AGE OF CONSENTs "Why" into a dance floor prayer. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 10 Title: The Essentials Released: 2002 Tracks: 12 Duration: 51:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Smalltown Boy (04:05) 2 Why? (03:57) 3 It Aint Necessarily So (04:07) 4 Run From Love (03:56) 5 I Feel Love / Johnny Remember Me (05:47) 6 You Are My World (04:31) 7 Don’t Leave Me This Way (04:32) 8 Never Can Say Goodbye (04:27) 9 Comment te dire adieu (03:37) 10 You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) (03:57) 11 To Love Somebody (04:17) 12 So Cold the Night (04:41) |
| The Essentials : Allmusic album Review : This budget-priced collection features 12 cuts from the moody English electronic pop outfits Bronski Beat and the Communards. Fueled by frontman Jimmy Somervilles emotionally charged falsetto, Essentials presents a tidy rendering of the two bands best moments ("Smalltown Boy," "Why?," "Dont Leave Me This Way," and "Never Can Say Goodbye," but it pales in comparison to 2005s 17-track Very Best of Jimmy Somerville: Bronski Beat and the Communards. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 10 Title: Dance & Desire: Rarities & Videos Released: 2014-11-17 Tracks: 22 Duration: 2:32:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Smalltown Boy (12" version) (08:59) 2 Why (12" version) (07:47) 3 I Feel Love (Cake mix) (08:25) 4 Infatuation / Memories (07:41) 5 It Aint Necessarily So (single version) (04:10) 6 Never Can Say Goodbye (Us 7" version) (04:09) 7 You Are My World 87 (07:52) 8 Dont Leave Me This Way (Son of Gotham City Full mix) (13:40) 9 Disenchanted (12" version) (06:11) 10 I Do It All for You (05:06) 1 So Cold the Night (12" version) (09:18) 2 77, the Great Escape (02:18) 3 Theres More to Love (12" version) (07:44) 4 Never Can Say Goodbye (Classical mix) (05:38) 5 Communards Megamix (10:50) 6 You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) (Gary Langan remix) (09:34) 7 Safe (DJ Tonka mix) (08:03) 8 Hurts So Good (Beatmasters radio edit) (03:42) 9 Comment te dire adieu (05:58) 10 By Your Side (acoustic version) (05:45) 11 Heartbeat II Mix (06:32) 12 Smalltown Boy (reprise 2014) (02:46) |
 | Album: 8 of 10 Title: The Age of Reason Released: 2017-07-28 Tracks: 25 Duration: 2:09:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Why (04:20) 2 No More War / It Ain’t Necessarily So (06:52) 3 Screaming (04:18) 4 Love & Money (04:46) 5 Smalltown Boy (05:24) 6 Heatwave (02:48) 7 Junk (04:31) 8 Need a Man Blues (04:14) 9 Close to the Edge (04:27) 10 Hard Rain (05:40) 11 Run From Love (04:43) 12 A Flower for Dandara (05:29) 1 Stars (radio edit) (03:24) 2 Stars (extended) (05:10) 3 Stars (Sordid Soundz remix) (06:30) 4 Stars (Qubic Cosmic Energy mix) (08:45) 5 Stars (S.S Darkstar mix) (04:23) 6 I’ll Be Gone (04:05) 7 I’ll Be Gone (Dub and Dusted) (07:46) 8 I’ll Be Gone (Stompin’ Stiletto mix) (08:16) 9 I’ll Be Gone (S.S Down & Out mix) (04:38) 10 A Flower for Dandara (radio edit) (03:35) 11 A Flower for Dandara (Sordid Soundz edit) (03:48) 12 A Flower for Dandara (extended) (05:29) 13 A Flower for Dandara (Sordid Soundz extended) (06:05) |
 | Album: 9 of 10 Title: Smalltown Boy 2k18 Released: 2018-02-23 Tracks: 4 Duration: 26:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Smalltown Boy (Dario Trapani Remix) (04:17) 2 Smalltown Boy (dirty disco Mainroom remix) (08:22) 3 Smalltown Boy (Babert Remix) (05:30) 4 Smalltown Boy 2018 (Space City remix) (07:59) |
 | Album: 10 of 10 Title: The Age Of Remix Released: 2018-03-30 Tracks: 38 Duration: 2:32:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 No More War (Leæther Strip Remix) (05:25) 2 It Aint Necessarily So (Mazai Remix) (05:46) 3 Love & Money (Scandall N Ros Remix) (05:57) 4 Junk (Hatiras Spacedisco Remix) (07:02) 5 Hard Rain (Cevs Remix) (05:51) 6 A Flower For Dandara (Rob Moore Remix) (05:06) 7 Smalltown Boy (Gettoblaster Remix) (05:59) 8 Heatwave (Dwayne Minard House Mix) (05:26) 9 Why? (Gabry Venus Remix) (05:27) 10 Ill Be Gone (Mathey B Remix) (07:15) 11 Run From Love (Dirty Disco Mainroom Remix) (07:13) 12 Need A Man Blues (Zurra Remix) (05:30) 13 Screaming (Deanne Club Mix) (06:03) 1 Smalltown Boy (Dario Trapani Remix) (04:20) 2 Love & Money (Oggie B Remix) (06:21) 3 It Aint Necessarily So (Vincent Caira Remix) (05:45) 4 Junk (Babert Remix) (05:33) 5 Why? (HP Vince Dub) (06:05) 6 Close To The Edge (Mvzzik Remix) (06:43) 7 Run From Love (Sordid Soundz Dub) (07:24) 8 Hard Rain (Space City Remix) (08:12) 9 A Flower For Dandara (Jose Jimenez Remix) (05:50) 10 Stars (People Theatres Milky Way Mix) (06:53) 11 Ill Be Gone (Interface Remix) (05:26) 12 Smalltown Boy (Babert Remix) (05:32) 1 Smalltown Boy (Babert Remix) (?) 2 Need A Man Blues (Zurra Remix) (?) 3 Love & Money (Oggie B Remix) (?) 4 Heatwave (Dwayne Minard House Mix) (?) 5 Ill Be Gone (Mathey B Remix) (?) 6 Why? (Qubiq Deep Club Mix) (?) 7 Hard Rain (Cevs Remix) (?) 8 Run From Love (Dirty Disco Mailroom Remix) (?) 9 Close To The Edge (Mvzzik Remix) (?) 10 A Flower For Dandara (Jose Jimenez Remix) (?) 11 It Aint Necessarily So (Digital Anodyne Remix) (?) 12 Stars (People Theatres Happiness Mix) (?) 13 Junk (Tweaka Turner Tech House Mix) (?) |