— Ian Cranna
As the classic synth-pop groups of the eighties go, The Communards don't feature especially prominently. They seemed to combine all the weaknesses of their competitors while lagging way behind in terms of strengths. Like Erasure, they took themselves too seriously but they lacked Andy Bell and Vince Clarke's songwriting chops. Like Soft Cell, they had to rely on a cover version to put them over the top but Jimmy Somerville was no frontman compared to Marc Almond. Like New Order, they presented to the public a dull, everyday image but were without those distinctive qualities of a Sumner or a Hooky to set them apart. Like the Pet Shop Boys, they weren't particularly showy but they cared little for playing the pop star game. Like Yazoo, they were a short-lived entity but one that failed to make the most of their moment. True, they had their political convictions but that hardly translates into sturdy pop.
Somerville had previously been in Bronski Beat, who enjoyed a worldwide smash with "Smalltown Boy" in 1984. It's one of those numbers that seems like it should have been even bigger but it has managed to remain in the public consciousness. The "return to earlier form" that Ian Cranna alludes to is this very same band which must have made Somerville's newest group seem an offshoot project at the time — not only were they fronted by the same fun-sized, helium-voiced singer but keyboardist and future minister Richard Coles had also been an unofficial member of ver Beat. Both groups had members who were openly gay and were very much following the example of Tom Robinson by singing about it at every turn. Bronski, however, was a three piece and utilized many more talented figures in their work; The Communards were a duo with much less at their disposal.
I have to agree with Ian Cranna that "Disenchanted" is a definite step up from "You Are My World" which is over-lush and a prime example of how Somerville could make his very strong voice sound so unlistenable (the chorus is ghastly). Nevertheless, this follow-up is a dreary outing. No longer singing from the outsiders perspective, Somerville offers guidance and hope to a young outcast who could easily be the same character in "Smalltown Boy". His isn't a very insightful perspective but there's nothing wrong with a little tried and true homespun wisdom. And Somerville does a commendable job keeping his vocal histrionics in check. Where it goes wrong is the punchless tune. It drifts along, betraying the beats per minute as though it's meant to be a bedsit gay anthem divorced from the clubs and is far more restrained than it needs to be. Is it too much to expect to be thrilled by a record anymore? I might be inclined to agree with Cranna that it's "dignified" ('proud' would be a judgement call) but that's precisely the point: it holds itself back, doesn't reveal anything and is surprisingly conservative for something by a pair of hardcore lefties. And if the 'bedsit gay anthem' bit above seems like a fine prospect, I would offer up for consideration The Smiths: lyrics that really speak to human inadequacies, a real sense of a vocalist-listener connection and tunes to cherish.
Where The Communards managed to connect was with their politics. Somerville had always been outspoken on gay rights — Bronski Beat had been formed around the idea that LGBTQ groups of the time weren't addressing their community in their music and felt that needed changing — and was now becoming more involved in the left in general. But where the likes of Billy Bragg and The Style Council could effectively communicate what they stood for through their music, Somerville and Coles needed to have something to stand on away from their recordings. "Once you get geared into pop music, Coles observes, "you become part of the thing you decried. Red Wedge was a career enhancing thing for us in a funny way and gave us more of a profile". It does a group with strong principles but some duff records good to be focusing on what they really cared about.
A retooled Bronski Beat were still doing well by this time but getting ver Nards going proved a slower prospect. "Disenchanted" crawled up just inside the Top 30, a modest single placing higher than the performance of "You Are My World". Clearly the Somerville-Coles originals weren't going to cut it and they'd need to fall back on a cover version. It worked spectacularly (more in terms of sales than actual song quality) but at the price of their own tunes never quite being able to cut it. They were much like all those great synth-pop groups only they weren't much cop for the most part.
Somerville had previously been in Bronski Beat, who enjoyed a worldwide smash with "Smalltown Boy" in 1984. It's one of those numbers that seems like it should have been even bigger but it has managed to remain in the public consciousness. The "return to earlier form" that Ian Cranna alludes to is this very same band which must have made Somerville's newest group seem an offshoot project at the time — not only were they fronted by the same fun-sized, helium-voiced singer but keyboardist and future minister Richard Coles had also been an unofficial member of ver Beat. Both groups had members who were openly gay and were very much following the example of Tom Robinson by singing about it at every turn. Bronski, however, was a three piece and utilized many more talented figures in their work; The Communards were a duo with much less at their disposal.
I have to agree with Ian Cranna that "Disenchanted" is a definite step up from "You Are My World" which is over-lush and a prime example of how Somerville could make his very strong voice sound so unlistenable (the chorus is ghastly). Nevertheless, this follow-up is a dreary outing. No longer singing from the outsiders perspective, Somerville offers guidance and hope to a young outcast who could easily be the same character in "Smalltown Boy". His isn't a very insightful perspective but there's nothing wrong with a little tried and true homespun wisdom. And Somerville does a commendable job keeping his vocal histrionics in check. Where it goes wrong is the punchless tune. It drifts along, betraying the beats per minute as though it's meant to be a bedsit gay anthem divorced from the clubs and is far more restrained than it needs to be. Is it too much to expect to be thrilled by a record anymore? I might be inclined to agree with Cranna that it's "dignified" ('proud' would be a judgement call) but that's precisely the point: it holds itself back, doesn't reveal anything and is surprisingly conservative for something by a pair of hardcore lefties. And if the 'bedsit gay anthem' bit above seems like a fine prospect, I would offer up for consideration The Smiths: lyrics that really speak to human inadequacies, a real sense of a vocalist-listener connection and tunes to cherish.
Where The Communards managed to connect was with their politics. Somerville had always been outspoken on gay rights — Bronski Beat had been formed around the idea that LGBTQ groups of the time weren't addressing their community in their music and felt that needed changing — and was now becoming more involved in the left in general. But where the likes of Billy Bragg and The Style Council could effectively communicate what they stood for through their music, Somerville and Coles needed to have something to stand on away from their recordings. "Once you get geared into pop music, Coles observes, "you become part of the thing you decried. Red Wedge was a career enhancing thing for us in a funny way and gave us more of a profile". It does a group with strong principles but some duff records good to be focusing on what they really cared about.
A retooled Bronski Beat were still doing well by this time but getting ver Nards going proved a slower prospect. "Disenchanted" crawled up just inside the Top 30, a modest single placing higher than the performance of "You Are My World". Clearly the Somerville-Coles originals weren't going to cut it and they'd need to fall back on a cover version. It worked spectacularly (more in terms of sales than actual song quality) but at the price of their own tunes never quite being able to cut it. They were much like all those great synth-pop groups only they weren't much cop for the most part.
~~~~~
Also Reviewed This Fortnight
The Go-Betweens: "Head Full of Steam"
"Disenchanted" might have been an okay choice for SOTF if not for all the vastly superior records on offer. Kate Bush milking it in the best possible sense with "The Big Sky", OMD's powerful rockist workout "88 Seconds in Greensboro" ("B-side of the fortnight"), Pet Shop Boys' "Opportunities", Blancmange's "I Can See It" (synth-pop groups all showing Somerville and Coles how it's done) but the latest from The Go-Betweens tops 'em all. (And that's not even including the latest single from former Buzzcock Pete Shelley which I'll be dealing with before long) A taster for their great fourth album Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express, "Head Full of Steam" has it all: intriguing and funny lyrics, addictive jangle pop, lovely harmonies and co-leaders Robert Forster and Grant McLennan in makeup, wigs and halter tops in the video. Their earlier work showed promise and this is where they begin delivering on it. Hot take: there wasn't a better group on Earth for the next three years.
"Disenchanted" might have been an okay choice for SOTF if not for all the vastly superior records on offer. Kate Bush milking it in the best possible sense with "The Big Sky", OMD's powerful rockist workout "88 Seconds in Greensboro" ("B-side of the fortnight"), Pet Shop Boys' "Opportunities", Blancmange's "I Can See It" (synth-pop groups all showing Somerville and Coles how it's done) but the latest from The Go-Betweens tops 'em all. (And that's not even including the latest single from former Buzzcock Pete Shelley which I'll be dealing with before long) A taster for their great fourth album Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express, "Head Full of Steam" has it all: intriguing and funny lyrics, addictive jangle pop, lovely harmonies and co-leaders Robert Forster and Grant McLennan in makeup, wigs and halter tops in the video. Their earlier work showed promise and this is where they begin delivering on it. Hot take: there wasn't a better group on Earth for the next three years.
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