The Communards
| The Communards | |
|---|---|
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Genres | Synthpop, alternative dance,pop,Hi-NRG, club,dance-pop |
| Years active | 1985–1988 |
| Associated acts | Bronski Beat, Banderas |
| Past members |
Richard Coles Jimmy Somerville |
The Communards were a British pop duo active from 1985 to 1988. They are most famous for their cover versions of "Don't Leave Me This Way" and "Never Can Say Goodbye".
The Communards formed in 1985 after singer Jimmy Somerville left his earlier band Bronski Beat to team up with classically trained musician Richard Coles. Though mainly a pianist, Coles played a number of instruments and had been seen previously performing the clarinet solos on the Bronski Beat hit "It Ain't Necessarily So". They were joined by bass player Dave Renwick who had also played with Bronski Beat. Somerville was well known for his falsetto singing style, and that he was openly gay during a period of increasing socio-political debate and conflict in the UK regarding lesbian and gay rights.
The name Communards refers to the revolutionaries of the 1871 Paris Commune. Karl Marx said of the uprising that "Yes, gentlemen, the Commune intended to abolish that class property which makes the labour of the many the wealth of the few... this is communism." Somerville seems to have used the term to express his political sympathies while avoiding immediate connections to contemporary activism. However, the use of the term and Somerville's left-wing politics drew regular accusations that he was a communist.
The band had their first UK Top 30 hit in 1985 with the piano-based No. 30 single "You Are My World". The following year, they had their biggest hit with an energetic Hi-NRGcover version of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' soul classic "Don't Leave Me This Way" (in a version inspired by Thelma Houston's cover) which spent four weeks at number one and became the UK's biggest selling single of 1986. It also made the US Top 40. It featured Sarah Jane Morris as co-vocalist, taking advantage of the contrast between Morris' deep and rounded contralto and Somerville's soaring falsetto. Morris performed both backing and co-lead vocals on many of the Communards' other recordings, and appeared in group photos as an unofficial third member.
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