The Very Best Of (Jimmy Somerville album)

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The Very Best Of
Jimmy Somerville, Bronski Beat and The Communards, The Very Best of.jpg
Greatest hits album by
Released10 September 2001
Recorded1984–1995
Genre
Length74:54
Label London
Producer
Jimmy Somerville featuring Bronski Beat and The Communards chronology
Manage the Damage
(1999)
The Very Best Of
(2001)
The Essentials
(2002)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]

The Very Best Of is a compilation album covering Scottish pop singer Jimmy Somerville's career in Bronski Beat, The Communards and as a solo artist. It was released in 2001 and reached number 29 in the UK Albums Chart.

Contents

The album features mostly the same tracks, although in a different order, to the 1990 compilation The Singles Collection 1984/1990 . Only one track from that album, "Run from Love", isn't featured on The Very Best and is replaced with the newer track "Hurt So Good".

Although Bronski Beat had three UK top 40 hits after Somerville's departure ("Hit That Perfect Beat", "C'mon C'mon" and "Cha Cha Heels") [2] they are not included on the compilation as it is intended as a retrospective of Somerville's career.

In 2002, the compilation was re-released as a limited edition double CD set.

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)From albumLength
1."Smalltown Boy" (Bronski Beat)
The Age of Consent 5:00
2."Don't Leave Me This Way" (The Communards with Sarah Jane Morris) Communards 4:33
3."Why?" (Bronski Beat)
  • Somerville
  • Steinbachek
  • Bronski
The Age of Consent3:58
4."You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" (Jimmy Somerville)
Read My Lips 3:58
5."Disenchanted" (The Communards)
Communards4:11
6."Never Can Say Goodbye" (The Communards) Clifton Davis Red 4:28
7."So Cold the Night" (The Communards)
  • Somerville
  • Coles
Communards4:41
8."To Love Somebody" (Jimmy Somerville) The Singles Collection 1984/1990 4:17
9."There's More to Love (Than Boy Meets Girl)" (The Communards)
  • Somerville
  • Coles
Red3:51
10."Comment te dire adieu" (Jimmy Somerville featuring June Miles-Kingston)
Read My Lips3:38
11."You Are My World" (The Communards)
  • Somerville
  • Coles
Communards4:31
12."I Feel Love/Johnny Remember Me" (Bronski Beat with Marc Almond) Hundreds & Thousands 5:48
13."Tomorrow" (The Communards)
  • Somerville
  • Coles
Red4:49
14."Hurt So Good" (Jimmy Somerville) Phillip Mitchell Dare to Love 3:52
15."Read My Lips (Enough Is Enough)" (Jimmy Somerville)SomervilleRead My Lips4:49
16."For a Friend" (The Communards)
  • Somerville
  • Coles
Red4:38
17."It Ain't Necessarily So" (Bronski Beat)The Age of Consent4:06

Charts and certifications

iTunes charts performance

In August 2015 the album debuted on the German iTunes chart at number 12, while in August 2017 on the French equivalent it reached number 85. [8]

The Collector's Edition of the set would make entries first in Brazil, reaching number 17 in May 2019, and later in France at number 41 as well at number 43 in Spain, both in May 2020. In the UK, the enhanced version peaked at number 48 in July 2021, in Italy at number 40 in April 2022, and in Germany at number 50 in June 2022. [9] }

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bronski Beat</span> British synthpop band

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 and Larry Steinbachek. Simon Davolls contributed backing vocals to many songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Somerville</span> Scottish pop singer

James William Somerville is a Scottish pop singer and songwriter. He sang in the 1980s with the pop groups Bronski Beat and the Communards, and has also had a solo career. He is known in particular for his powerful and soulful countertenor/falsetto singing voice. Many of his songs, such as "Smalltown Boy", contain political commentary on gay-related issues.

The Communards were a British synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985. They consisted of Jimmy Somerville and Richard Coles. They are most famous for their cover versions of "Don't Leave Me This Way", originally by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes featuring Teddy Pendergrass, and of the Jackson 5's "Never Can Say Goodbye".

<i>Truthdare Doubledare</i> 1986 studio album by Bronski Beat

Truthdare Doubledare is the second album by the British dance band Bronski Beat. It is their first album to feature John Foster as lead vocalist, following the departure of Jimmy Somerville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smalltown Boy</span> 1984 single by Bronski Beat

"Smalltown Boy" is a song by British synth-pop band Bronski Beat, released in May 1984 as the first single from their debut album, The Age of Consent (1984). The song was a big commercial success, reaching number three in the band's native UK. It was also a number one hit in the Netherlands and Belgium, and hit the top 10 in Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland and West Germany. The track reached number 48 in the US pop chart and was a number one US dance hit. A remix by Stephen Hague was released as a single on 24 December 1990. The song was released again in December 2013 after featuring in a Christmas advertising campaign for Boots UK. "Smalltown Boy" was also re-recorded by Jimmy Somerville and released as "Smalltown Boy Reprise" (2014) for the 30th anniversary of its initial release.

<i>The Age of Consent</i> (album) 1984 studio album by Bronski Beat

The Age of Consent is the debut album by synth-pop band Bronski Beat, released on London Records in October 1984. This was the only album released by the band to feature Somerville, who departed the band in 1985.

Banderas were a British music duo of the early 1990s who were signed to London Records. The band was an offshoot of Jimmy Somerville's band The Communards, and featured two of his female backing musicians, Scottish vocalist Caroline Buckley and English violinist/keyboardist Sally Herbert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Read My Lips (Enough Is Enough)</span> 1989 single by Jimmy Somerville

"Read My Lips" is a song written and performed by Scottish singer-songwriter Jimmy Somerville from his 1989 début solo album Read My Lips. The song discusses the need for increased funding to fight HIV/AIDS.

<i>Hundreds & Thousands</i> 1985 remix album by Bronski Beat

Hundreds & Thousands is a remix album by Bronski Beat released in 1985.

<i>Communards</i> (album) 1986 studio album by the Communards

Communards is the debut studio album by British synth-pop duo the Communards, released on 12 July 1986 by London Records. The album was produced by Mike Thorne, who had previously produced lead singer Jimmy Somerville's earlier band, Bronski Beat. Although the singles released ahead of the album were only moderately successful, the first single to be lifted from it after release, "Don't Leave Me This Way", topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks and became the best-selling single in the UK that year. During the single's four-week run at number one, the album itself peaked at number seven, going on to spend a total of 45 weeks in the UK Albums Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)</span> 1978 single by Sylvester

"You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" is a 1978 song by American disco/R&B singer Sylvester. It was written by James Wirrick and Sylvester, and released by Fantasy Records as the second single from the singer's fourth album, Step II (1978). The song was already a largely popular dance club hit in late 1978, as the B-side of his previous single "Dance (Disco Heat)", before it was officially being released in December. It rose to the number one position on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. Music critic Robert Christgau has said the song is "one of those surges of sustained, stylized energy that is disco's great gift to pop music".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heartbeat (Jimmy Somerville song)</span> 1995 single by Jimmy Somerville

"Heartbeat" is a song by Scottish pop singer-songwriter Jimmy Somerville, formerly the lead vocalist of the bands Bronski Beat and Communards. Released in January 1995 as the first single from his second solo album, Dare to Love (1995), it peaked at number 24 on the UK Singles Chart in February of that year and reached number in his native Scotland. The song also topped the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play for one week in April 1995, becoming Somerville's first and only solo number one on that chart. Backing vocals on the song are performed by American dance music singers Shawn Christopher and Yvonne Gage.

<i>For a Friend: The Best Of</i> 2009 greatest hits album by Jimmy Somerville featuring Bronski Beat & The Communards

For a Friend: The Best Of is a 34-track, double disc 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.

<i>Red</i> (The Communards album) 1987 studio album by The Communards

Red is the second album by British synth-pop duo the Communards, released on 5 October 1987 by London Records in the United Kingdom and MCA Records in the United States. It reached number 4 on the UK Albums Chart and number 93 on the US Billboard 200 and has been certified platinum in the UK. Red features the singles "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Tomorrow", "There's More to Love Than Boy Meets Girl" and "For a Friend".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Somerville discography</span>

Scottish recording artist Jimmy Somerville has entered the music industry as the frontman of the synth-pop act, known as Bronski Beat. Alongside, he would score an early international success with a series of top-ten hits, such as "Smalltown Boy", "Why?" and "I Feel Love Medley"; all taken from the trio's debut album The Age of Consent (1984), as well the remix equivalent Hundreds & Thousands (1985). A similar status enjoyed the follow-up hit singles: "Don't Leave Me This Way", "So Cold the Night" and "Never Can Say Goodbye"; these though, were recorded for the eponymous set of his later duo Communards (1986), or its Red successor (1987) yet. The singer's own full-length debut would see its eventual results at the very end of the 1980s, marking the ending of his former bands' years, or rather the beginning of his solo era since.

The discography of the British pop music group Bronski Beat contains albums, singles, and videos. They were a synthpop trio which achieved success in the mid-1980s.

<i>Read My Lips</i> (Jimmy Somerville album) 1989 studio album by Jimmy Somerville

Read My Lips is the 1989 debut solo album by Jimmy Somerville, former lead singer of the successful synthpop groups Bronski Beat and The Communards. The album was released through London Records and peaked at number 29 on the UK Albums Chart. It has been certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry for sales in excess of 100,000 copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">By Your Side (Jimmy Somerville song)</span> 1995 single by Jimmy Somerville

"By Your Side" is a song from Scottish singer-songwriter Jimmy Somerville, released as the third and final single from his 1995 album, Dare to Love. The song was written and produced by Matt Rowe, Somerville and Richard Stannard.

<i>Dare to Love</i> 1995 studio album by Jimmy Somerville

Dare to Love is the 1995 second solo album by Jimmy Somerville, former lead singer of the synthpop groups Bronski Beat and The Communards.

<i>The Singles Collection 1984/1990</i> 1990 greatest hits album by Jimmy Somerville, Bronski Beat and The Communards

The Singles Collection 1984/1990 is a compilation album covering Scottish pop singer Jimmy Somerville's career in the bands Bronski Beat, The Communards and as a solo artist. It was released in 1990. In Italy, the album was marketed under the alternate title, 1984/1990 Greatest Hits.

References

  1. "Very Best of Jimmy Somerville: Bronski Beat and the Communards - Jimmy Somerville - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  2. "BRONSKI BEAT - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  3. Germany - Media Control Charts - The Very Best Of [ dead link ]
  4. "The Very Best Of". Official Charts Company. OCC. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. #26
  5. UK - Albums Chart - The Very Best Of
  6. "Chart Log UK (1994–2010) – Jimmy Somerville". Zobbel. Dipl.-Bibl.(FH) Tobias Zywietz. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. ¥THE VERY BEST OF ... [ri] (28.02.2009): 17 (-/4)
  7. "British album certifications – Jimmy Somerville – The Very Best Of". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 25 October 2018.Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type The Very Best Of in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  8. "The Very Best of Jimmy Somerville, Bronski Beat & The Communards – International iTunes Chart Performance". iTunes Charts. Retrieved 25 June 2023. GER #12 | FRA #85
  9. "The Very Best of Jimmy Somerville, Bronski Beat & The Communards (Collector's Edition) – International iTunes Chart Performance". iTunes Charts. Retrieved 25 June 2023. UK #48 | BRA #17 | GER #50 | ITA #40 | ESP #43 | FRA #41