BRONSKI BEAT

A synth-pop trio from London, everything that made Bronski Beat interesting, and at times compelling, came primarily from the larynx of Glasgow-born vocalist Jimmy Somerville.

Possessing a soaring tenor voice that frequently exploded into falsetto, Somerville was a rare singer, capable of imbuing even the most rote dance songs with near-palpable heartache and layers of emotional turmoil. Openly gay, Somerville and the Bronskis, despite the rock world's implicit homophobia, became darlings of the British music press in 1984 after the U.K. success of their first two singles, "Why" and "Smalltown Boy".

From that point on, Bronski Beat seemed poised to rule the pop world (at least in England), releasing a superb cover of the Donna Summer disco hit "I Feel Love" and a remarkable debut album, 1984's The Age of Consent.

It was only a year later that Somerville announced he was leaving Bronski Beat to form the more explicitly left-wing Communards (with pianist Richard Coles). Bronski Beat took his departure in stride, and the lead vocal slot went to a fairly anonymous singer named John Jon.

There were more Bronski Beat recordings, but even fanatics would agree that the band lost out when Somerville left. Ironically, the Communards got off to a fast start with a great cover of Thelma Houston's "Don't Leave Me This Way.
By 1989, Somerville was a solo act, his voice still intact and the quality of the material still in question.