Введение
Bronski Beat были британской синт-поп группой, образованной в 1983 году в Лондоне, Англия. Первоначальный состав, записавший большинство их хитов, состоял из Джимми Сомервилля (вокал), Стива Бронски (клавишные, перкуссия) и Ларри Стейнбачека (клавишные, перкуссия). Саймон Даволлс участвовал в записи бэк-вокала многих песен. Bronski Beat добились успеха в середине 1980-х годов, особенно с синглом 1984 года "Smalltown Boy" с их дебютного альбома The Age of Consent. "Smalltown Boy" стал их единственным синглом в американском чарте Billboard Hot 100. Все участники группы были открытыми геями, и это отражалось в их песнях, которые часто содержали политические комментарии на тему проблем ЛГБТК+. Сомервилль покинул Bronski Beat в 1985 году и добился успеха в качестве вокалиста группы Communards и сольного исполнителя. Его заменил вокалист Джон Фостер, с которым группа продолжала выпускать хиты в Великобритании и Европе вплоть до 1986 года. Фостер покинул Bronski Beat после выхода их второго альбома, и к группе присоединился Джонатан Хеллъер, прежде чем группа распалась в 1995 году. Стив Бронски возродил группу в 2016 году, записав новый материал с участником 1990-х годов Иэном Дональдсоном. В том же году умер Стейнбачек, а Ларри Стейнбачек (из Саутхенда, Эссекс)
Bronski Beat were a British synth pop band formed in 1983 in London, England. The initial lineup, which recorded the majority of their hits, consisted of Jimmy Somerville (vocals), Steve Bronski (keyboards, percussion) and Larry Steinbachek (keyboards, percussion). Simon Davolls contributed backing vocals to many songs. Bronski Beat achieved success in the mid 1980s, particularly with the 1984 single "Smalltown Boy", from their debut album, The Age of Consent. "Smalltown Boy" was their only US Billboard Hot 100 single. All members of the band were openly gay and their songs reflected this, often containing political commentary on gay issues. Somerville left Bronski Beat in 1985 and went on to have success as lead singer of the Communards and as a solo artist. He was replaced by vocalist John Foster, with whom the band continued to have hits in the UK and Europe through 1986. Foster left Bronski Beat after their second album, and the band were joined by Jonathan Hellyer before dissolving in 1995. Steve Bronski revived the band in 2016, recording new material with 1990s member Ian Donaldson. Steinbachek died later that year; and Larry Steinbachek (from Southend, Essex)
Bronski Beat signed a recording contract with London Records in 1984 after doing only nine live gigs. The band's debut single, "Smalltown Boy", about a gay teenager leaving his family and fleeing his home town, was a hit, peaking at No 3 in the UK Singles Chart, and topping charts in Belgium and the Netherlands. The single was accompanied by a promotional video directed by Bernard Rose, showing Somerville trying to befriend an attractive diver at a swimming pool, then being attacked by the diver's homophobic associates, 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 48 in the U. S. chart and peaked at 8 in Australia. The follow up single, "Why? ", adopted a hi NRG sound and was more lyrically focused on anti gay prejudice. It also achieved Top 10 status in the UK, reaching 6, This event is featured in the film Pride. The third single, released before Christmas 1984, was a revival of "It Ain't Necessarily So", the George and Ira Gershwin classic (from Porgy and Bess). The song questions the accuracy of biblical tales. It also reached the UK Top 20. 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" on the finished record. The band and their producer Mike Thorne had gone back into the studio in early 1985 to record a new single, "Run from Love", and PolyGram (London Records' parent company at that time) had pressed a number of promo singles and 12" versions of the song and sent them to 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 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.
Bronski Beat подписали контракт со звукозаписывающей компанией London Records в 1984 году, после всего девяти концертов. Дебютный сингл группы, "Smalltown Boy", о подростке-гее, покинувшем семью и родной город, стал хитом, достигнув третьего места в британском чарте синглов и возглавив чарты в Бельгии и Нидерландах. Сингл сопровождался рекламным видео, снятым Бернардом Роузом, в котором Сомервилль пытается подружиться с привлекательным пловцом в бассейне, после чего подвергается нападению со стороны гомофобных знакомых пловца, возвращается домой под конвоем полиции и вынужден покинуть дом. (Роль полицейского исполнил Колин Белл, в то время менеджер по маркетингу London Records.) "Smalltown Boy" достиг 48-й позиции в американском чарте и 8-й в Австралии. Следующий сингл "Why?" был выполнен в стиле хай-энерджи (hi NRG) и был более сосредоточен на лирическом выражении предрассудков против геев. Он также вошел в десятку лучших в Великобритании, достигнув 6-й позиции. Это событие отражено в фильме "Гордость" (Pride). Третий сингл, выпущенный перед Рождеством 1984 года, представлял собой кавер-версию песни "It Ain't Necessarily So", классики Джорджа и Айры Гершвин (из оперы "Порги и Бесс"). Песня ставит под сомнение достоверность библейских историй и также вошла в британский Топ-20. Хотя оригинальная песня была одной из любимых песен Марка Алмонда, он никогда не читал текст и поэтому неправильно пел "What’ll it be, what’ll it be, you and me" вместо "Falling free, falling free, falling free" на финальной записи. Группа и их продюсер Майк Торн вернулись в студию в начале 1985 года, чтобы записать новый сингл "Run from Love", и PolyGram (материнская компания London Records в то время) изготовила ряд промо-синглов и 12-дюймовых версий песни, разослав их на радио и в музыкальные магазины Великобритании. Однако выпуск сингла был отложен, поскольку напряженность в группе, как личная, так и политическая, привела к уходу Сомервилля из Bronski Beat летом того же года. "Run from Love" впоследствии была выпущена в ремикшированной форме на альбоме Bronski Beat "Hundreds & Thousands" – сборнике преимущественно ремиксов (LP) и би-сайдов (в качестве бонусных треков на CD-версии), а также хита "I Feel Love". Сомервилль впоследствии сформировал группу Communards вместе с Ричардом Коулсом, в то время как остальные участники Bronski Beat искали нового вокалиста.
Bronski Beat were a British synth pop band formed in 1983 in London, England. The initial lineup, which recorded the majority of their hits, consisted of Jimmy Somerville (vocals), Steve Bronski (keyboards, percussion) and Larry Steinbachek (keyboards, percussion). Simon Davolls contributed backing vocals to many songs. Bronski Beat achieved success in the mid 1980s, particularly with the 1984 single "Smalltown Boy", from their debut album, The Age of Consent. "Smalltown Boy" was their only US Billboard Hot 100 single. All members of the band were openly gay and their songs reflected this, often containing political commentary on gay issues. Somerville left Bronski Beat in 1985 and went on to have success as lead singer of the Communards and as a solo artist. He was replaced by vocalist John Foster, with whom the band continued to have hits in the UK and Europe through 1986. Foster left Bronski Beat after their second album, and the band were joined by Jonathan Hellyer before dissolving in 1995. Steve Bronski revived the band in 2016, recording new material with 1990s member Ian Donaldson. Steinbachek died later that year; and Larry Steinbachek (from Southend, Essex)
Bronski Beat signed a recording contract with London Records in 1984 after doing only nine live gigs. The band's debut single, "Smalltown Boy", about a gay teenager leaving his family and fleeing his home town, was a hit, peaking at No 3 in the UK Singles Chart, and topping charts in Belgium and the Netherlands. The single was accompanied by a promotional video directed by Bernard Rose, showing Somerville trying to befriend an attractive diver at a swimming pool, then being attacked by the diver's homophobic associates, 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 48 in the U. S. chart and peaked at 8 in Australia. The follow up single, "Why? ", adopted a hi NRG sound and was more lyrically focused on anti gay prejudice. It also achieved Top 10 status in the UK, reaching 6, This event is featured in the film Pride. The third single, released before Christmas 1984, was a revival of "It Ain't Necessarily So", the George and Ira Gershwin classic (from Porgy and Bess). The song questions the accuracy of biblical tales. It also reached the UK Top 20. 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" on the finished record. The band and their producer Mike Thorne had gone back into the studio in early 1985 to record a new single, "Run from Love", and PolyGram (London Records' parent company at that time) had pressed a number of promo singles and 12" versions of the song and sent them to 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 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.
1985-1995: уход Сомервилла, эпоха Джона Фостера и Джонатана Хеллера
Бронски Бит пригласил Джона Фостера на замену Сомервиллу (Фостер известен как "Джон Джон"). Единственный сингл "Hit That Perfect Beat" был выпущен в ноябре 1985 года и достиг 3-го места в британском чарте. Бронски умер 7 декабря 2021 года в возрасте 61 года в результате пожара в квартире в центре Лондона.