[.ca] Age of Consent

This album will knock your socks off!:
This is more than a re-issue of Bronski Beat's debut album, because some remixes taken from the Hundreds and Thousands LP and Smalltown Boy is a poignant story about a young man leaving home and parents who can't understand homosexuality, whereas Why? is a HI-NRG rant against discrimination and hatred. Ain't Necessarily So is a brilliant re-working of the Gershwin classic, whereas the other, non-single tracks each have enough oomph in them to be singles. Junk sees Jimi using the lower end of his vocal range, and is comparable to Steinski & Mass Media's I'll Be Right Back (popular at the time). The best version of I Feel Love is of course the one with Marc Almond which is inspired in its incorporation of Donna Summer's Love To Love You Baby and John Leyton's Johnny Remember Me. It would be easy to pigeonhole the Bronskis as a 'gay group' but there is much more to them than that. The superb musicianship of Steve Bronski and Larry Steinbacheck puts them in a class of their own in terms of 1980s synthesiser music, and the crunchy sounding square-waves still sound fresh nearly twenty years later. The lyrical sophistication and idiosyncratic singing of Jimi Somerville lifts this up above its contemporaries, telling a story that needed to be told and still holds up today. Mike Thorne's production also deserves a mention as he hits the right balance between vocal and instrumental prominence. The remixes are just superb, particularly Why, with its kettledrum solo being one of the best extended versions I have heard. My only regret is that they didn't accept my offer to take over from Jimi when he left!

Hit That Perfect Beat, boys! 6 stars!:
Straight female with a baby here, 30-something, and a smalltown girl. I got my first dose of Bronski Beat back in the days of the Montreaux Rock Festival (anyone remember?). I immediately bought it (cassette at the time). Jimmy Sommerville's stage presence and booming vocals blew me away. The man gives me goosebumps to this day! This album has, and always will be, one of my favorites. It is timeless. No two songs sound alike. If you like a blend of dance tunes (Why, Junk, I Feel Love), rhythmic, sensual groove tunes (Scream, my personal favorite, Love & Money, Need a Man Blues, Smalltwon Boy), and a few blues/jazz tunes like It Ain't Necessarily So and Heat, then this album is for you. It covers all the bases.....and well! Each song has an addictive and intoxicating hook. I Feel Love is a sure bet for someone new to Bronski Beat. Even conservative people will say "It's got a good beat...." Jimmy Sommerville and Marc Almond are a great pairing. Marcs bass voice compliments Jimmy Sommervilles awesome screaming soprano. They never miss a note. This was the first of many Broski Beat/Communards CD's but this one rises to the top effortlessly. If you only buy one CD by these guys, make this the one. But buy 2, you'll wear one out in the first year.

Bronski Beat - a stepping stone in pop music for gays:
Yes, the Village People were directly targeted as the first actual gay group because of their gay themed songs and homoerotic images, but the first actual "out and proud, and in your face about it" group was Bronski Beat; Jimmy, Steve and Larry. This remaster/reissue of their debut album AGE OF CONSENT is definitely a treat. As WHAT'S GOING ON by Marvin Gaye was a stepping stone for African-Americans, AGE OF CONSENT was the same type of anthem collection for gays everywhere. Dealing with issues of homophobia, growing up gay and family issues, discrimination, religion vs. the gay issue, gay love between young men and so much more, AGE OF CONSENT is THE recommended "coming out" album for every gay man. The haunting single "Smalltown Boy" deals with a young gay male growing up in a small town, and choosing to run away from home to be able to live his life and be himself. The single "Why?" basically deals with discrimination and the way people view gays. This reissue also also includes bonus remixes not available on the original version (but most appeared on the HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS album). With excellent dance beats provided by Larry and Steve, and the falsetto voice of Jimmy Somerville, AGE OF CONSENT is an 80's must-have and is worth more than dancable music; for those of you who are unfamiliar with gays and gay issues, listen to the words to a majority of these songs to better understand what you don't understand. This is a landmark album, but Jimmy left the group after this album was released and was replaced with new vocalist Jon John for the following 2 albums, and Jimmy formed a new group, The Communards. All of this definitely worth checking into. Enjoy!

BRONSKI BEAT AND THE TECHNOPOP:
AGE OF CONSENT is basical to understand the eightis music and the new excitent movement of technopop-remakers as Felix Da Housecat, Ladytron or Chiks on Speed. Every song on this album sounds different, and that's not a god thing, but there are a really 2 or 3 themes as Smalltown boy or Junk. Vey interesting for the new generation that discovers oldies.

Awesome stuff:
Smalltown boy alone gives this album 5 stars. Way ahead of its time. It is a pity they didn't stick around together very long, because Bronski beat was Erasure before Erasure was cool.

• Why?
• Ain't Necessarily So
• Screaming
• No More War
• Love and Money
• Smalltown Boy
• Heatwave
• Junk
• Need a Man Blues
• I feel Love
• I feel Love - remix
• Run from Love - remix
• Hard Rain - remix
• Memories
• Puit D'Amour
• Heatwave - remix