Jimmy Somerville
Singer Jimmy Somerville lent his soaring falsetto to two of the premier dance-pop outfits of the '80s, Bronski Beat and the Communards, before embarking on a solo career. Born in Glasgow, Scotland on June 22, 1961, he co-founded Bronski Beat in 1984; from the band's debut single "Smalltown Boy" onward, Somerville's songs dealt openly with his own homosexuality, a recurring theme that met with surprisingly little commercial resistance, as both the record and its follow-up, "Why?," cracked the U.K. Top Ten. The much-acclaimed album Age of Consent preceded Bronski Beat's 1985 cover of Donna Summer's disco anthem "I Feel Love," but soon afterward, Somerville left the group to form the Communards, a duo that topped the British charts in 1986 with a rendition of another disco classic, Thelma Houston's "Don't Leave Me This Way."
After just two successful LPs, however, Somerville opted to go solo in 1988, resurfacing the next year with a cover of Françoise Hardy's "Comment Te Dire Adieu"; the follow-up, a rendition of the Sylvester club perennial "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)," rocketed into the Top Five, and the LP Read My Lips was a Top 40 entry as well. A reggae-fied rendition of the Bee Gees chestnut "To Love Somebody" was next, but in the wake of 1991's "Run from Love," Somerville was absent from recording for several years, finally returning in 1995 with the LP Dare to Love. Manage the Damage followed in 1999 and Root Beer arrived a year later, with the dance-oriented Home Again released in 2004 on the Jinx label.
In 2009, he released his fifth solo effort, the acoustic covers album Suddenly Last Summer. A year later, Somerville released the first of a three-part EP trilogy with Bright Thing, followed quickly by Momentum in 2011 and Solent in 2012. Two years later, he celebrated the 30th anniversary of the release of the Bronski Beat classic "Small Town Boy" with the release of a re-recorded version of the song. In 2015, Somerville released his sixth full-length album, the vintage disco-inspired Homage. A remix version, Club Homage, followed a year later and featured the work of the legendary disco DJ Tom Moulton.
© Jason Ankeny /TiVo
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Discography
34 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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The Very Best Of Jimmy Somerville, Bronski Beat & The Communards (Collector's Edition)
Jimmy Somerville, Bronski Beat, The Communards
Pop - Released by London Music Stream on 3 Sep 2001
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Read My Lips (Remastered and Expanded)
Pop - Released by London Records (Because Ltd) on 1 Jan 1989
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Everything Must Change
Pop - Released by Jess E Musique Ltd. on 26 Feb 2021
Available in24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo -
You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) (Gerd Janson Remix)
Pop - Released by London Records on 14 Jun 2023
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Jimmy Somerville: Live and Acoustic at Stella Polaris (Live)
Pop - Released by STRIKE FORCE ENTERTAINMENT on 29 Jul 2016
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Smalltown Boy Reprise (2014)
Pop - Released by Jess E Musique Ltd. on 16 Jun 2014
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
The Very Best Of Jimmy Somerville, Bronski Beat & The Communards
Jimmy Somerville, Bronski Beat, The Communards
Pop - Released by London Music Stream on 3 Sep 2001
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Homage
Disco - Released by STRIKE FORCE ENTERTAINMENT on 9 Mar 2015
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Read My Lips (Deluxe Edition)
Pop - Released by London Music Stream on 1 Jan 1989
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Strong Enough
Electronic - Released by STRIKE FORCE ENTERTAINMENT on 27 Nov 2015
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Lovers Unlimited
Jimmy Somerville, John Winfield
Pop - Released by Membran on 12 Feb 2016
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Back to Me (Radio Edit)
Pop - Released by STRIKE FORCE ENTERTAINMENT on 15 Sep 2014
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Overload (Felix Gauder Remix)
Pop - Released by STRIKE FORCE ENTERTAINMENT on 25 Sep 2015
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Dare To Love (Deluxe Edition)
Pop - Released by London Music Stream on 1 Jun 1995
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Suddenly Last Summer
Pop - Released by Jess E Musique Ltd. on 19 May 2009
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Home Again (Expanded Edition)
Pop - Released by SFE on 23 Nov 2004
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Read My Lips (Enough is Enough) (AMYL Remix)
Pop - Released by London Records (Because Ltd) on 16 Aug 2023
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Read My Lips
Pop - Released by London Music Stream on 1 Jan 1989
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Almighty Presents: Can't Take My Eyes Off You
Pop - Released by Almighty Records on 1 Mar 2011
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Don't Leave Me This Way: Live & Acoustic at Stella Polaris
Pop - Released by STRIKE FORCE ENTERTAINMENT on 23 Aug 2021
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo