Bronski Beat
Encyclopedia
Bronski Beat were a popular British
synthpop
trio
who achieved success in the mid 1980s, particularly with the 1984 chart hit "Smalltown Boy
". All members of the group were openly homosexual and their songs reflected this, often containing political commentary on gay-related issues. Although many groups in the early to mid-80s had an openly gay image, Bronski Beat was one of the first groups to address the issues of gay people. At the height of their popularity the band consisted of singer Jimmy Somerville
backed by Steve Bronski and Larry Steinbachek, both of whom played keyboards and percussion. Somerville went on to have success as lead singer of The Communards
and as a solo artist.
, southwest London
.
Bronski Beat signed a recording contract
with London Records
in 1984 after doing only nine live gigs
. The band's debut single
, "Smalltown Boy
", the tale of a boy who was cast away by his family for being homosexual, was a hit, peaking at #3 in the UK Singles Chart
. The single was accompanied by a promotional video
directed by Bernard Rose
, showing Somerville eagerly trying to make friends at a swimming pool, then being attacked by an anti-homosexual gang, being returned to his family by the police
and having to leave home. (The police officer was played by Colin Bell, then the marketing manager of London Records
). "Smalltown Boy" reached Nº48 in the U.S. chart
and peaked at Nº7 in Australia. The single featured vocals from session singer Kevin Glancy who would later be tried for fraud, before re-inventing himself as a Christian singer.
The follow-up single, "Why?
", while focusing on a Hi-NRG musical formula, was more lyrically focused on anti-homosexual prejudice
. It also achieved Top 10 status in the UK
, reaching Nº6, and was a Top 10 hit for the band in Australia.
At the end of 1984, the trio released an album entitled The Age of Consent
. The inner sleeve listed the varying ages of consent
for consensual male homosexual
activity in different nations around the world. At the time, the age of consent for sexual acts between men in the UK was 21 (compared with 16 for heterosexual acts). The album peaked at Nº4 in the UK Albums Chart
, Nº36 in the U.S., and Nº12 in Australia.
A third single was released amid controversy before Christmas 1984: a revival of "It Ain't Necessarily So
", the George
and Ira Gershwin
classic (from Porgy and Bess
) which questions the authenticity of Biblical tales. It also reached the UK Top 20.
In 1985, the trio joined up with Marc Almond
to record a version of Donna Summer
's "I Feel Love
". The full version was actually a medley
, also incorporating snippets of Summer's "Love to Love You Baby
" and John Leyton
's "Johnny Remember Me
". It was a success, reaching Nº3 in the UK, equalling the chart achievement of "Smalltown Boy". Although the original had been one of Marc Almond's all-time favourite songs, he had never read the lyrics
and thus incorrectly sang "What'll it be, what'll it be, you and me" instead of "Falling free, falling free, falling free".
The band and their producer Mike Thorne had gone back into the studio in early 1985 to record a new single, "Run From Love". PolyGram (London Records' parent company at that time) had pressed a number of promo singles and 12" versions of the song, sending them out to both radio and record stores in the UK. However, the single was shelved as tensions in the band, both personal and political, resulted in Somerville leaving Bronski Beat in the summer of that year. "Run From Love" was subsequently released in a remix
form on the Bronski Beat album Hundreds & Thousands
, a collection of mostly remixes (LP) and b-sides
(as bonus tracks on the CD version) as well as the hit "I Feel Love". Somerville went on to form The Communards with Richard Coles
while the remaining members of Bronski Beat searched for a new vocalist.
as Somerville's replacement. A single, "Hit That Perfect Beat
", was released in November 1985, reaching Nº3 in the UK. It repeated this success in the Australian charts and was also featured in the film
, Letter to Brezhnev
. A second single, "C'mon C'mon", also charted in the UK Top 20 and an album, Truthdare Doubledare
, released in May 1986, peaked at Nº18. The film Parting Glances
(1986) included Bronski Beat songs "Love and Money", "Smalltown Boy" and "Why?". During this period, the band teamed up with producer Mark Cunningham on the first-ever BBC
Children In Need
single, a cover of David Bowie's "Heroes", released in 1986 under the name of The County Line.
Foster left the band in 1987. Following Foster's departure, Bronski Beat began work on their next album, Out and About. The tracks were recorded at Berry Street studios in London with engineer Brian Pugsley. Some of the song titles were "The Final Spin" and "Peace And Love". The latter track featured Strawberry Switchblade
vocalist Rose McDowell and appeared on several internet sites in 2006. One of the other songs from the project called "European Boy" was recorded in 1987 by disco group Splash. The leader singer of Splash was former Tight Fit
singer Steve Grant. Steinbachek and Bronski toured extensively with the new material and got great reviews, however the project was abandoned as the group were dropped by London Records. Also in 1987, Bronski Beat and Somerville did a reunion concert for "International AIDS Day", supported by New Order
, at the Brixton Academy, London.
In 1989 Jonathan Hellyer became lead singer, and the band extensively toured the U.S. and Europe with back-up vocalist Annie Conway and had one minor hit with the song "Cha Cha Heels", a one-off collaboration sung by American
actress and singer Eartha Kitt
. The song was originally written for movie and recording star Divine, who was unable to record the song before his death in 1988. 1990-91 saw Bronski Beat release three further singles on the Zomba record label, "I'm Gonna Run Away", "One More Chance" and "What More Can I Say". The singles were produced by Mike Thorne.
Foster and Bronski Beat teamed up again in 1994, and released a techno
"Tell Me Why '94" and an acoustic
"Smalltown Boy '94" on the German
record label
, ZYX Music
. The album Rainbow Nation was released the following year with Hellyer returning as lead vocalist, as Foster had dropped out of the project. Bronski Beat then dissolved with Steve Bronski going on to become a producer for other artists. Larry Steinbachek became the musical director for Michael Laub
's theatre company, 'Remote Control Productions'.
In 2007 Bronski remixed the song "Stranger To None" by the UK alternative rock
band, All Living Fear
. Four different mixes were done, with one appearing on their retrospective album, Fifteen Years After.
used the songs "Smalltown Boy" and "Why". In 2002, the US remake of Queer as Folk used the song "Smalltown Boy" in an episode. In 2006 the signature keyboard riff from "Smalltown Boy" and part of the vocals from "Why?" were featured in the Supermode song "Tell Me Why". The keyboard riff was used again in 2006, in the September song "Cry for You
". It is also heard on Daft Punk's "Alive 2007" Album in the track "Too Long / Steam Machine". In 2008, "Smalltown Boy" was used in the sexual comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno
. Gothic metal
band Paradise Lost
also covered "Smalltown Boy" as a bonus track on the digi-pack version of the Symbol of Life album. Metallica's Kirk Hammett and Lars Ulrich can be seen dancing to "Hit That Perfect Beat" during the closing credits of the Metallica video "A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica". Another Eartha Kitt collaboration, "My Discarded Men," was choreographed on the episode "Top 14 Perform" of So You Think You Can Dance
season 8.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
who achieved success in the mid 1980s, particularly with the 1984 chart hit "Smalltown Boy
Smalltown Boy
"Smalltown Boy" is the debut single of the British synthpop group Bronski Beat, released in June 1984. It would also appear on the band's debut album The Age of Consent, released in December 1984....
". All members of the group were openly homosexual and their songs reflected this, often containing political commentary on gay-related issues. Although many groups in the early to mid-80s had an openly gay image, Bronski Beat was one of the first groups to address the issues of gay people. At the height of their popularity the band consisted of singer Jimmy Somerville
Jimmy Somerville
James William Somerville is a Scottish pop singer and songwriter. He had considerable success in the 1980s with the pop groups Bronski Beat and The Communards, and has also had a successful solo career. He is known in particular for his falsetto singing voice...
backed by Steve Bronski and Larry Steinbachek, both of whom played keyboards and percussion. Somerville went on to have success as lead singer of The Communards
The Communards
The Communards were a British pop duo active from 1985 to 1988. They are most famous for their cover of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes' song, "Don't Leave Me This Way" as well as "Never Can Say Goodbye".-History:...
and as a solo artist.
Early years (1983–1985)
Bronski Beat formed in 1983 when Somerville, Steinbachek and Bronski shared a three-bedroom flat in Lancaster House in BrixtonBrixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, southwest London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Bronski Beat signed a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with London Records
London Records
London Records, referred to as London Recordings in logo, is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 to 1979, then becoming a semi-independent label....
in 1984 after doing only nine live gigs
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
. The band's debut single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Smalltown Boy
Smalltown Boy
"Smalltown Boy" is the debut single of the British synthpop group Bronski Beat, released in June 1984. It would also appear on the band's debut album The Age of Consent, released in December 1984....
", the tale of a boy who was cast away by his family for being homosexual, was a hit, peaking at #3 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The single was accompanied by a promotional video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
directed by Bernard Rose
Bernard Rose (director)
Bernard Rose is an English actor and film director most famous for his direction of the 1992 urban horror film Candyman and the 1994 historical romance film Immortal Beloved....
, showing Somerville eagerly trying to make friends at a swimming pool, then being attacked by an anti-homosexual gang, being returned to his family by the police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
and having to leave home. (The police officer was played by Colin Bell, then the marketing manager of London Records
London Records
London Records, referred to as London Recordings in logo, is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 to 1979, then becoming a semi-independent label....
). "Smalltown Boy" reached Nº48 in the U.S. chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
and peaked at Nº7 in Australia. The single featured vocals from session singer Kevin Glancy who would later be tried for fraud, before re-inventing himself as a Christian singer.
The follow-up single, "Why?
Why? (Bronski Beat song)
"Why?" is a single from the British synthpop trio Bronski Beat and appeared on their 1984 album The Age of Consent.The song, recorded at RPM Studios, NYC and mixed at Townhouse Studio, London, pursued an energetic musical formula, while the lyrics focused more centrally on anti-gay prejudice...
", while focusing on a Hi-NRG musical formula, was more lyrically focused on anti-homosexual prejudice
Prejudice
Prejudice is making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover"...
. It also achieved Top 10 status in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, reaching Nº6, and was a Top 10 hit for the band in Australia.
At the end of 1984, the trio released an album entitled The Age of Consent
The Age of Consent
The Age of Consent is a synthpop album by Bronski Beat , released at the end of 1984 on London Records.-Overview:...
. The inner sleeve listed the varying ages of consent
Age of consent
While the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal statutes, when used in relation to sexual activity, the age of consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. The European Union calls it the legal age for sexual...
for consensual male homosexual
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
activity in different nations around the world. At the time, the age of consent for sexual acts between men in the UK was 21 (compared with 16 for heterosexual acts). The album peaked at Nº4 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, Nº36 in the U.S., and Nº12 in Australia.
A third single was released amid controversy before Christmas 1984: a revival of "It Ain't Necessarily So
It Ain't Necessarily So
"It Ain't Necessarily So" is a popular song with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The song comes from the Gershwins' opera Porgy and Bess where it is sung by the character Sportin' Life, a drug dealer, who expresses his doubt about several statements in the Bible.The role of...
", the George
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
and Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century....
classic (from Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward...
) which questions the authenticity of Biblical tales. It also reached the UK Top 20.
In 1985, the trio joined up with Marc Almond
Marc Almond
Marc Almond is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who originally found fame as half of the seminal synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell...
to record a version of Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
's "I Feel Love
I Feel Love
"I Feel Love" is a song by Donna Summer, taken from her 1977 concept album I Remember Yesterday.The song constituted the "future" segment of the album, which represented a stylistic progress through time...
". The full version was actually a medley
Medley (music)
In music, a medley is a piece composed from parts of existing pieces, usually three, played one after another, sometimes overlapping. They are common in popular music, and most medleys are songs rather than instrumental. A medley which is a remixed series is called a megamix, often done with tracks...
, also incorporating snippets of Summer's "Love to Love You Baby
Love to Love You Baby (song)
"Love to Love You Baby" is a song by American singer Donna Summer released in 1975 . It became one of the first ever disco hits to also be released in an extended form.-Song information and original release:...
" and John Leyton
John Leyton
John Leyton is an English actor and singer. As a singer he is best known for his hit song, "Johnny Remember Me" , which reached Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in August 1961.-Career:Leyton went to Highgate School and after completing his national service, he...
's "Johnny Remember Me
Johnny Remember Me
"Johnny Remember Me" is a song which became a 1961 UK #1 hit single for John Leyton, backed by The Outlaws. It was producer Joe Meek's first #1 production. Recounting the haunting - real or imagined - of a young man by his dead lover, the song is one of the most noted of the 'death ditties' that...
". It was a success, reaching Nº3 in the UK, equalling the chart achievement of "Smalltown Boy". Although the original had been one of Marc Almond's all-time favourite songs, he had never read the lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
and thus incorrectly sang "What'll it be, what'll it be, you and me" instead of "Falling free, falling free, falling free".
The band and their producer Mike Thorne had gone back into the studio in early 1985 to record a new single, "Run From Love". PolyGram (London Records' parent company at that time) had pressed a number of promo singles and 12" versions of the song, sending them out to both radio and record stores in the UK. However, the single was shelved as tensions in the band, both personal and political, resulted in Somerville leaving Bronski Beat in the summer of that year. "Run From Love" was subsequently released in a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
form on the Bronski Beat album Hundreds & Thousands
Hundreds & Thousands (album)
Hundreds & Thousands is a remix album by Bronski Beat , released in 1985...
, a collection of mostly remixes (LP) and b-sides
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
(as bonus tracks on the CD version) as well as the hit "I Feel Love". Somerville went on to form The Communards with Richard Coles
Richard Coles
Richard Coles is a musician, journalist and Church of England priest. He is known for having been the multi-instrumentalist who partnered Jimmy Somerville in the 1980s band The Communards, who achieved three Top Ten hits, including the Number 1 record and best-selling single of 1986, a Hi-NRG...
while the remaining members of Bronski Beat searched for a new vocalist.
Post Jimmy Somerville period
Bronski Beat recruited John FosterJohn Foster (singer)
John Foster is a singer/songwriter who found fame when he joined the British synthpop trio the Bronski Beat in 1986, after the departure of Jimmy Somerville. The band's best known song during this period with Foster as vocalist was Hit That Perfect Beat. The song became a popular dance hit and...
as Somerville's replacement. A single, "Hit That Perfect Beat
Hit That Perfect Beat
-Charts:...
", was released in November 1985, reaching Nº3 in the UK. It repeated this success in the Australian charts and was also featured in the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Letter to Brezhnev
Letter to Brezhnev
Letter to Brezhnev is a 1985 British comedy film about working class life in contemporary Liverpool. It was written by Frank Clarke and directed by Chris Bernard. It starred Alfred Molina, Peter Firth, Tracy Lea, Alexandra Pigg, Margi Clarke amongst others...
. A second single, "C'mon C'mon", also charted in the UK Top 20 and an album, Truthdare Doubledare
Truthdare Doubledare
Truthdare Doubledare was a 1986 release on MCA Records by the British dance band Bronski Beat. Jimmy Somerville was not member of Bronski Beat on this release.-Track listing:# "Hit That Perfect Beat"# "Truthdare Doubledare"# "C'mon! C'mon!"...
, released in May 1986, peaked at Nº18. The film Parting Glances
Parting Glances
thumb|Parting Glances released on VHS format in 1998Parting Glances is an American film shot in 1984 and released in 1986. With its realistic look at urban gay life in the Ronald Reagan era and at the height of the AIDS crisis, many film critics consider it an important movie in the history of gay...
(1986) included Bronski Beat songs "Love and Money", "Smalltown Boy" and "Why?". During this period, the band teamed up with producer Mark Cunningham on the first-ever BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Children In Need
Children in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...
single, a cover of David Bowie's "Heroes", released in 1986 under the name of The County Line.
Foster left the band in 1987. Following Foster's departure, Bronski Beat began work on their next album, Out and About. The tracks were recorded at Berry Street studios in London with engineer Brian Pugsley. Some of the song titles were "The Final Spin" and "Peace And Love". The latter track featured Strawberry Switchblade
Strawberry Switchblade
Strawberry Switchblade was a female pop rock band formed in Scotland in 1981 by Jill Bryson and Rose McDowall, best known for their song "Since Yesterday" in 1985.-Before being signed:...
vocalist Rose McDowell and appeared on several internet sites in 2006. One of the other songs from the project called "European Boy" was recorded in 1987 by disco group Splash. The leader singer of Splash was former Tight Fit
Tight Fit
Tight Fit are a British pop group who had a number of hits in the early 1980s, including a UK No.1 with their cover version of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" in 1982...
singer Steve Grant. Steinbachek and Bronski toured extensively with the new material and got great reviews, however the project was abandoned as the group were dropped by London Records. Also in 1987, Bronski Beat and Somerville did a reunion concert for "International AIDS Day", supported by New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
, at the Brixton Academy, London.
In 1989 Jonathan Hellyer became lead singer, and the band extensively toured the U.S. and Europe with back-up vocalist Annie Conway and had one minor hit with the song "Cha Cha Heels", a one-off collaboration sung by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress and singer Eartha Kitt
Eartha Kitt
Eartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the...
. The song was originally written for movie and recording star Divine, who was unable to record the song before his death in 1988. 1990-91 saw Bronski Beat release three further singles on the Zomba record label, "I'm Gonna Run Away", "One More Chance" and "What More Can I Say". The singles were produced by Mike Thorne.
Foster and Bronski Beat teamed up again in 1994, and released a techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
"Tell Me Why '94" and an acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
"Smalltown Boy '94" on the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, ZYX Music
ZYX Music
ZYX Music is a German record label which was founded in 1971 by Bernhard Mikulski. Until 1992, the label's name was Pop-Import Bernhard Mikulski. The label specialized in disco and early house music. Founder Bernhard Mikulski is credited with coining the term Italo disco in the 1980s...
. The album Rainbow Nation was released the following year with Hellyer returning as lead vocalist, as Foster had dropped out of the project. Bronski Beat then dissolved with Steve Bronski going on to become a producer for other artists. Larry Steinbachek became the musical director for Michael Laub
Michael Laub
Michael Laub is a renowned avant-garde stage director and contemporary dance choreographer. His work has been shown around the world, notably at the Venice Biennale of 1984, the Universal Exposition Seville Expo '92, and the Festival d'Avignon of 2005...
's theatre company, 'Remote Control Productions'.
In 2007 Bronski remixed the song "Stranger To None" by the UK alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band, All Living Fear
All Living Fear
All Living Fear are an alternative rock band from the South West of England. The band was formed in 1992 by Matthew North and the core of the band was sealed in 1994 with the arrival of vocalist Andrew Racher....
. Four different mixes were done, with one appearing on their retrospective album, Fifteen Years After.
Contemporary usage
In 1998, the film Edge of SeventeenEdge of Seventeen (film)
Edge of Seventeen is a 1998 coming of age romantic comedy-drama film directed by David Moreton, written by Moreton and Todd Stephens, starring Chris Stafford, and co-starring Tina Holmes and Andersen Gabrych.-Plot:...
used the songs "Smalltown Boy" and "Why". In 2002, the US remake of Queer as Folk used the song "Smalltown Boy" in an episode. In 2006 the signature keyboard riff from "Smalltown Boy" and part of the vocals from "Why?" were featured in the Supermode song "Tell Me Why". The keyboard riff was used again in 2006, in the September song "Cry for You
Cry for You (September song)
"Cry for You" is the title of a number-one Billboard Hot Dance Airplay single by Swedish singer September. The dance pop track spent three weeks at the top spot in May 2007...
". It is also heard on Daft Punk's "Alive 2007" Album in the track "Too Long / Steam Machine". In 2008, "Smalltown Boy" was used in the sexual comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Zack and Miri Make a Porno is a 2008 romantic comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, distributed by The Weinstein Company, and starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks. It is Smith's second film not to be set within the View Askewniverse and the first not set in New Jersey. It was...
. Gothic metal
Gothic metal
Gothic metal or goth metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that combines the aggression of doom metal with the dark melancholy of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music...
band Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost (band)
Paradise Lost are a heavy metal band that formed in 1988 in Halifax, England.-History:Their first three full-length albums are examples of the death/doom style, although the latter two incorporated some melodic and gothic elements...
also covered "Smalltown Boy" as a bonus track on the digi-pack version of the Symbol of Life album. Metallica's Kirk Hammett and Lars Ulrich can be seen dancing to "Hit That Perfect Beat" during the closing credits of the Metallica video "A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica". Another Eartha Kitt collaboration, "My Discarded Men," was choreographed on the episode "Top 14 Perform" of So You Think You Can Dance
So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)
So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance competition and reality show that airs on Fox in the United States.The series first premiered on July 20, 2005, and was created by American Idol producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is produced by 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions...
season 8.
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... |
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| UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
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SWE Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
SWI Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
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| The Age of Consent The Age of Consent The Age of Consent is a synthpop album by Bronski Beat , released at the end of 1984 on London Records.-Overview:... |
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British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... : Platinum |
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| Truthdare Doubledare Truthdare Doubledare Truthdare Doubledare was a 1986 release on MCA Records by the British dance band Bronski Beat. Jimmy Somerville was not member of Bronski Beat on this release.-Track listing:# "Hit That Perfect Beat"# "Truthdare Doubledare"# "C'mon! C'mon!"... |
Compact Cassette The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel... |
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Remix albums
| Title | Details | Peak positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... |
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| UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
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| Hundreds & Thousands Hundreds & Thousands (album) Hundreds & Thousands is a remix album by Bronski Beat , released in 1985... |
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Compilations
- The Singles Collection 1984 / 1990 (incl. Jimmy Somerville, Bronski Beat & The Communards), 1990 UK#4
- The Very Best Of Jimmy Somerville, Bronski Beat & The Communards, 2002
- For a Friend: The Best of Bronski Beat, The Communards & Jimmy SomervilleFor a Friend: The Best of Bronski Beat, The Communards & Jimmy SomervilleFor a Friend: The Best of Bronski Beat, The Communards & Jimmy Somerville is a 34-track, 2-CD greatest hits compilation and career retrospective by Jimmy Somerville, featuring his work as a solo artist, as well as with Bronski Beat and The Communards...
, 2009
Singles
- "Smalltown BoySmalltown Boy"Smalltown Boy" is the debut single of the British synthpop group Bronski Beat, released in June 1984. It would also appear on the band's debut album The Age of Consent, released in December 1984....
", UK #3, AUS #8, NL #1, US Dance Chart #1, IRL #4, IT #3, GER #3, US Hot 100 #48 - "Why?Why? (Bronski Beat song)"Why?" is a single from the British synthpop trio Bronski Beat and appeared on their 1984 album The Age of Consent.The song, recorded at RPM Studios, NYC and mixed at Townhouse Studio, London, pursued an energetic musical formula, while the lyrics focused more centrally on anti-gay prejudice...
", September 1984, UK #6, AUS #10, NL #2, IRL #6, IT #18 - "It Ain't Necessarily SoIt Ain't Necessarily So"It Ain't Necessarily So" is a popular song with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The song comes from the Gershwins' opera Porgy and Bess where it is sung by the character Sportin' Life, a drug dealer, who expresses his doubt about several statements in the Bible.The role of...
", December 1984, UK #16, AUS #58, NL #32, IRL #26, IT #28 - "I Feel Love" (medley with Marc Almond), April 1985, UK #3, AUS #34, NL #17, IRL #3
- "Hit That Perfect BeatHit That Perfect Beat-Charts:...
", December 1985, UK #3, AUS #3, NL #16, IRL #5, IT #9 - "C'mon C'mon", March 1986, UK #20, AUS #27, IRL #9, IT #40
- "Cha Cha Heels" (with Eartha Kitt), 1989, UK #32, IRL #22
- "I'm Gonna Run Away", 1990
- "One More Chance" 1990
- "What More Can I Say", 1990
- "Smalltown Boy" (remixRemixA remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
), 1991, UK 32 - "Why '94" 1994
- "Smalltown Boy '94", 1994
- "Kicking Up the Rain", 1995
- "I Luv the Nightlife / Hit That Perfect Beat Boy '95"