Released 12 July 1986 Label London Communards
(1986) Red
(1987) | Genre Synthpop, dance Producer Mike Thorne | |
Communards is the debut album by The Communards, released in 1986 (see 1986 in music) on London Records. The album was produced by Mike Thorne, who had previously produced 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", was number one in the UK for four weeks and was the top-selling single in the UK that year. During the single's four-week run at number one, the album itself reached a chart peak of number seven, going on to spend a total of 45 weeks in the UK Albums Chart.
Musically, the album contains tracks that largely fall into one of two styles, either Hi-NRG (all of the singles lifted from the album were in this style) or piano ballads showcasing the talents of Richard Coles, a classically trained pianist. The standard "Lover Man" is arranged as a straight jazz number, albeit with the unusual twist of being performed as a duet.
The front sleeve features a stark graphic design consisting of the group's name and logo against a black background. A photo of the duo appears on the back, while the inner sleeve features small photos of Coles, Somerville and Sarah Jane Morris, alongside the album credits and full lyrics for all the songs.
Two songs had dedications in the sleevenotes: "Don't Leave Me This Way" was dedicated to the GLC, and "Reprise" to Margaret Hilda Thatcher.
Track listing
All tracks by Jimmy Somerville and Richard Coles unless otherwise indicated.
- "Don't Leave Me This Way" (Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, Cary Gilbert) - 4:50
- "La Dolarosa" - 2:43
- "Disenchanted" - 4:13
- "Reprise" - 5:22
- "So Cold the Night" - 5:45
- "You Are My World" - 4:30
- "Lover Man" (Jimmy Davis, Roger Ramirez, Jimmy Sherman) - 3:52
- "Don't Slip Away" - 2:58
- "Heavens Above" - 3:58
- "Forbidden Love" - 5:02
- "Breadline Britain" - 2:31 (CD and cassette only)
- "Disenchanted (Dance)" - 8:46 (CD and cassette only)
The original CD version featured longer versions of the four singles; however, subsequent reissues have used the basic vinyl LP versions. The four extended versions were:
The 1997 remastered version of the album replaces "Disenchanted (Dance)" with "Don't Leave Me This Way (Mega Mixes)", a 22:55 version of the song which also incorporates the Communards song "Sanctified". This track was originally issued in 1986 as "The Gotham City Mix", when it was split across two sides of a 12" single.