Communards (album)

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Communards
Studio album by Communards
Released July, 1986
Genre Synth Pop
Label London Records
Producer Mike Thorne
Professional reviews
Communards chronology
Communards
(1986)		 Red
(1987)
Singles from Communards
  1. "You Are My World"
    Released: September, 1985
  2. "Disenchanted"
    Released: May, 1986
  3. "Don't Leave Me This Way"
    Released: August, 1986
  4. "So Cold The Night"
    Released: November, 1986

Communards is the debut album by 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. It spent a total of 45 weeks in the UK albums chart. 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.

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 blackground. A photo of the duo appears on the back, while the inner sleeve features small photos of Richard Coles, Jimmy 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.

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Don't Leave Me This Way" - 4:50
  2. "La Dolarosa" - 2:43
  3. "Disenchanted" - 4:13
  4. "Reprise" - 5:22
  5. "So Cold The Night" - 5:45
  6. "You Are My World" - 4:30
  7. "Lover Man" - 3:52
  8. "Don't Slip Away" - 2:58
  9. "Heavens Above" - 3:58
  10. "Forbidden Love" - 5:02
  11. "Breadline Britain" - 2:31 (CD and cassette only)
  12. "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:

  • "Don't Leave Me This Way" - 6:50
  • "Disenchanted" - 6:12
  • "So Cold The Night" - 6:14
  • "You Are My World" - 8:38

The 2000 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.