Customer Reviews

Bronski Beat

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album literally saved my life. It made me realise that in my tiny little corner of Smalltown Redneck Georgia there was more to life than Styx, Journey, Trans Ams with T-Tops, and pretending. And no, this isn't a therapy session, it's an album review, so let's get down to it. I heard the single from AGE OF CONSENT ( "WHY" ) on the college radio station in Athens, Georgia (ANOTHER reason I love Athens) and was immediately hooked. It spoke to me on so many levels. It was dance. It was synthetic. And it was queer. And I mean QUEER. "Contempt in your eyes when I turn to kiss his lips" is the opening line. Amazing. Way ahead of it's time. And for me, a revelation. It made me realise I wasn't the only one out there. More importantly it wasn't camp like the Village People and the like, in that it was in your face and unapologetic, and not hiding behind the "clone" stereotypes. These were three incredibly talented British musicians who just happened to be homosexuals and who weren't afraid to write songs about their experiences. "Smalltown Boy" the next US single, with incredible lyrics and vocals by Jimmy Sommerville, was another song dealing with the process of "coming out", moving on and facing who you really are without looking back with regret. And again the music is just GOOD. Hooks galore. Great production courtesy of Mike Thorne. And "Age Of Consent" is no one trick pony. There are covers of torch songs ( "It Ain't Necessarily So" which is better than you think it would be), social commentary ( in the form of "Junk", which slams our throw-away, "I want it now" society ) and several timeless originals that will take your breath away ( "Screaming", my personal favourite from this album -the first song Sommerville wrote with Bronski Beat - and "Need a Man Blues"). The remastered expanded version here adds the full length version of Bronski Beat's last single with Sommerville, a cover of "I Feel Love", a collaboration with Marc Almond of Soft Cell which comes THISCLOSE to eclipsing the original, no small feat in itself, as well as a moving cover of the French ballad "Puit d'Amour." A great album.

This is more than a re-issue of Bronski Beat's debut album, because some remixes taken from the Hundreds and Thousands LP and

Smalltown Boy is a poignant story about a young man leaving home and parents who can't understand homosexuality, whereas Why? is a HI-NRG rant against discrimination and hatred. Ain't Necessarily So is a brilliant re-working of the Gershwin classic, whereas the other, non-single tracks each have enough oomph in them to be singles. Junk sees Jimi using the lower end of his vocal range, and is comparable to Steinski & Mass Media's I'll Be Right Back (popular at the time). The best version of I Feel Love is of course the one with Marc Almond which is inspired in its incorporation of Donna Summer's Love To Love You Baby and John Leyton's Johnny Remember Me.

It would be easy to pigeonhole the Bronskis as a 'gay group' but there is much more to them than that. The superb musicianship of Steve Bronski and Larry Steinbacheck puts them in a class of their own in terms of 1980s synthesiser music, and the crunchy sounding square-waves still sound fresh nearly twenty years later. The lyrical sophistication and idiosyncratic singing of Jimi Somerville lifts this up above its contemporaries, telling a story that needed to be told and still holds up today. Mike Thorne's production also deserves a mention as he hits the right balance between vocal and instrumental prominence. The remixes are just superb, particularly Why, with its kettledrum solo being one of the best extended versions I have heard.

My only regret is that they didn't accept my offer to take over from Jimi when he left!

Straight female with a baby here, 30-something, and a smalltown girl. I got my first dose of Bronski Beat back in the days of the Montreaux Rock Festival (anyone remember?). I immediately bought it (cassette at the time). Jimmy Sommerville's stage presence and booming vocals blew me away. The man gives me goosebumps to this day! This album has, and always will be, one of my favorites. It is timeless. No two songs sound alike. If you like a blend of dance tunes (Why, Junk, I Feel Love), rhythmic, sensual groove tunes (Scream, my personal favorite, Love & Money, Need a Man Blues, Smalltwon Boy), and a few blues/jazz tunes like It Ain't Necessarily So and Heat, then this album is for you. It covers all the bases.....and well! Each song has an addictive and intoxicating hook. I Feel Love is a sure bet for someone new to Bronski Beat. Even conservative people will say "It's got a good beat...." Jimmy Sommerville and Marc Almond are a great pairing. Marcs bass voice compliments Jimmy Sommervilles awesome screaming soprano. They never miss a note. This was the first of many Broski Beat/Communards CD's but this one rises to the top effortlessly. If you only buy one CD by these guys, make this the one. But buy 2, you'll wear one out in the first year.

I was [age] when this came out, and GAY. In Margaret Thatchers Britain, that wasn't a good thing to be. And then I heard "Smalltown Boy". It was me - and thousands like me. The album lists the ages of consent across Europe, at the time, Britains was 21. This is still the best album for any gay man coming to terms with life, there's nothing to touch it. It's a protest album with a lot to say, that is still very relevant today. Their interpretation of "it ain't neccessarily so" is given new meaning in the context. "Why" became an anthem. The songs were used in various movies, including; Parting Glances, Letter to Brehznev, The Fruit Machine. This album changed lives, and still can.

A re-release of their 1984 album "Age of Consent", with added remakes of three of their most popular hits. This CD is a must have for parties.

Smalltown boy alone gives this album 5 stars. Way ahead of its time. It is a pity they didn't stick around together very long, because Bronski beat was Erasure before Erasure was cool.

"Why" is one of those rarities: A song that is so visual in its rhythms that you can't help but dream of making its music video. Really hard to sing along with unless you primarily go for falsetto. The cover of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" is at least as good as the original, and more hypnotic. And who can't relate to the haunting sadness of "Smalltown Boy"?

"You leave in the morning
With everything you own
In a little black case
Alone on a platform
The wind and the rain
On your sad and lonely face

Mother will never understand
Why you had to leave
For the love that you need
Will never be found at home
The answer you seek
Will never be found at home

Run away turn away run away turn away run away (repeat)

Pushed around and kicked around
Always a lonely boy
You were the one
That they'd talk about around town
As they put you down
And as hard as they would try
They'd hurt to make you cry
But you'd never cry to them
Just to your soul
No you'd never cry to them
Just to your soul "

If the limbic part of your brain hungers for good synth sounds, look no further. This is Mecca.

I bought this album based on the historical reputation of Bronski Beat, but was surprised to find, underneath the dated HiNRG production, surprisingly well-crafted lyrics lifted by astonishing vocals. Sommerville is like few vocalists in pop, and on only one track does he abandon his soaring falsetto. If you listen carefully, though, you can make out incisive, carefully considered lyrics, bemoaning the plight of gay youth in terms that must have shocked the masses and invigorated the outcast youth. I was young, living in the US, when this was released, and I only wish I had a good memory of the record's effect; surely it must have been remarkable.

Ah, to be in the 80's again: young, beautiful, moussed haired, tight and toned and dancing like a fool at the alternative lifestyle clubs with the cutest boys in town....this album brings it all back. Not only is this CD a must have for any dance party, it was, for its time, one of the most political musical statements around. In a medium sized town in NE Florida, the music said "I'm here, I'm queer and play me LOUD!" And we did. It gave pride to all those young men (and women) in the Bible Belt who were just coming to grips with their sexuality. The music affirmed they were OK and that what they were was nothing to be ashamed of. The testament of "Age of Consent" is that the music and the message has weathered the test of time and is still as relevant today as it was then.

Great album. Bronski Beat is so totally identified with disco and this album has all the best.