Do you ever wonder why some vocalists or bands just suddenly stop? Some carry on for years, either churning out the same old stuff to legions of devoted fans, or changing their style to reach out to new followers.
In the early 1980s, I heard a record that caught my attention. The song had a good beat, and a highly unusual falsetto vocal. I caught the title, ‘Smalltown Boy’, and the group was called ‘Bronski Beat’. I popped into my local record shop and bought a copy of the single. They couldn’t tell me much else about the artists, but I was happy enough to take it home and play it. The record was soon high in the charts. The vocalist was widely interviewed, and appeared on many TV pop shows too. He was a tiny Scottish man with a hairstyle reminiscent of the cartoon character Tintin, and seemed to make much of being gay.
By 1985, Jimmy Somerville was very well-known, and he had formed a new group, The Communards. They released covers of Harold Melvin’s ‘Don’t leave me this way’, and Jackson Five/Gloria Gaynor’s ‘Never can say goodbye’, as well as some excellent tracks on their eponymous debut album, and the follow-up, ‘Red’. For the next couple of years, they were always high in the charts, but then split in 1988, with Somerville embarking on a solo career.
His first effort, ‘Read my lips’ was very successful, and gave us his superb cover of Sylvester’s ‘You make me feel mighty real’, as well as the charming cover of Francoise Hardy’s ‘Comment te dire adieu’. By 1990, he was reduced to releasing a ‘Greatest Hits’ album, and soon slipped from the scene completely. Five years later he returned, enjoying moderate success with his new record, ‘Dare to love’. But his moment had passed, and his disco sound was no longer flavour of the month.
He continues to perform and record, but has not achieved any chart success since 1995, despite releasing his disco album, ‘Homage’ in 2015. I look back on his brief time of fame with great fondness, and wish that he had let go of his disco mania, and adapted to changing trends. Here are some examples of his distinctive style. It’s a very much love it or hate it sound.
Smalltown Boy
Don’t leave me this way
Never can say goodbye
You make me feel mighty real
Comment te dire adieu
beetleypete 
Thank you very much, Pete! The links to the songs made the posting remarkable too. Michael
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I still enjoy those old songs, Michael. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Some great songs. Thanks for reminding me of him and them…
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Thanks, Olga. Glad you like Jimmy.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Pete, thank you for presenting this group to us.. I’d never heard of them before, but I can say I am enjoying listening to their songs you posted.. Mama gardener is rocking on her computer chair.. feels good to finally sit down… I may just listen to each one of the tunes a number of times… 🙂
Take care, Laura
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Done for you, Laura.
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oh my thank you so much.. I should have proofread the message before sending… 🙂
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Glad you enjoyed them, Laura. I am surprised that you don’t know the songs, but not at all surprised that you have never heard of the groups. The songs all have a good beat though!
Best wishes, Pete.
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I sometimes do that about bands and singers, it’s like, where did they go? Seems to happen to a lot of acts.
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That’s it exactly, V. Hence this occasional series.
Best wishes, Pete.
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This occasional series is pretty good Pete.
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I wasn’t a fan of The Communards, but somehow I know all the words to these songs. 🙂
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Perhaps because they are mostly covers of other artists, FR. Good tunes, Communards or not.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Oh goodness, remember the Communards and Don’t leave me this way…. The other guy was Richard Coles, who I think is a vicar now
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He is a vicar, Sue. And he also presents programmes on Radio 4. Two of the girls from The Communards left to form Banderas, and I featured one of their songs on this blog too.
Best wishes, Pete.
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These posts make me feel older, Pete!!
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Remember him well Pete, most of the tracks you mention immediately played in my head, despite that fact I wasn’t much of a fan of his. Nice new series idea.
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Thanks, Eddy. It might feature actors and TV personalities as well as musicians.
Cheers mate, Pete.
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Thanks for sharing – it’s always great to discover Artists who never got the recognition they deserved, or faded away after a good start
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Thanks, John. This will pop up now and again. Every time I hear myself saying “whatever happened to…”
Best wishes, Pete.
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I actually have a post written and ready to go about a very unique musical duo from the 70’s – and a strange hit song with unusual lyrics…will be posting next week!
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I’m intrigued now. Not the Alessi Brothers by chance?
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HA! No, probably not likely you’ll ever guess, and probably won’t know them even AFTER I post!
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