Communards (1986)

UK Import

Note: the CD I listened to was the 1997 reissue, remastered with a bonus track.

I was never much of a Bronski Beat or Communards fan, but I'm a huge disco fan and this group's cover of Don't Leave Me This Way was just what I needed in '86 (and I'm still dancing to it all these years later).

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "unusual new band"
• Stereo Review: "this first album is pretty uneven"

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #90

Tracks: There's Don't Leave Me This Way and then there's the rest. Track 4, Reprise, has a pretty melody and You Are My World is catchy, but the other songs are bland and forgettable. The cover of the jazz standard Lover Man is especially flat. But, let's face it, this CD was purchased solely for the bonus track: 23 minutes of remixes of Don't Leave Me This Way (originally issued in 1986 as The Gotham City Mix, when it was split across two sides of a 12" single).

That's one heckuva tune written by Philly soul legends Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Cary Gilbert. You should check out these earlier versions:

• Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes (1975) featuring Teddy Pendergrass on vocals. Never released as a single in the US.
• Thelma Houston (1976).  Reached #1 on three Billboard charts: Hot 100, Hot Soul Singles, and Disco.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  I'm a dancin' fool.