#communards — Public Fediverse posts

Hit That Perfect Beat: The London Records Story – an awesome compilation of pop and indie rock songs of the ’80s and ’90s

I haven’t received a compilation CD to review in quite a while. The digital nature of music distribution today means most of my sampling of what’s new on the music scene – including the release of reissues and anniversary issues of classic albums – is pretty much all done online. So it was nice to receive a copy of the CD compilation Hit That Perfect Beat: The London Records Story – an engaging collection of songs that highlights the remarkable breadth of London Records during the 1980s and 1990s. Finally, a quality CD I can play in my car!

Scanning the tracklisting of this double-disc set and you might be surprised by the sheer diversity of artists who were on the London Records label. From Bananarama to Bronski Beat, All Saints to New Order, every genre of the times – from pop to early EDM – makes an appearance.

A lot of these songs I’ve heard before, of course, most of them actually, and it’s so good to hear them again, seemingly mastered so that I’m hearing subtle nuances that I didn’t pick up when they were first heard. Blancmange’s Living On The Ceiling kicks the proceedings off and the version of that song alone reveals beeps and buzzes I’d not picked up on previously. Bananarama’s Cruel Summer follows – a pop classic if ever there was one. And then everything Jimmy Somerville has touched appears to follow – LGBT-proud anthems by Bronski Beat, absolute grooves by the Communards, and even a Somerville solo single. You might suspect, actually, that Jimmy had shares in the production of this compilation, his vocals appear so regularly.

Then there are the huge hits – like Fine Young Cannibals’ She Drives Me Crazy; Armand van Helden’s You Don’t Know Me (a massive one in the clubs that one was); Shakespears Sister’s You’re History, All Saints’ Never Ever, and Sugarbabes’ Overload.

And if the songs themselves don’t seem like they’ve left a major mark on the pop and indie maps, the artists certainly do. New Order’s Regret kicks off CD two with that guitar riff, and while it wasn’t as big a hit as, say, Bizarre Love Triangle or the band’s legendary Blue Monday, it has all the hallmarks of a New Order classic and it’s a nice surprise to see on here (I had forgotten the band had links to London Records). Then there’s Happy Mondays’ rave favourite Stinkin’ Thinkin’; Echo And The Bunnymen’s dream pop gem Nothing Lasts Forever; Gay Dad’s alt-rock ode To Earth With Love; and Dannii Minogue’s classic club staple I Begin To Wonder. Even without Dead Or Alive’s You Spin Me Round Like A Record – which features on an alternative version of that latter song, it’s still a good, hooky number that sits nicely amid the broad artistry here.

That sheer diversity of London Records artists also meant artists were free to move around, test the solo life, move into other fields. It’s because of the chilled vibe of the label that lead singer of Fine Young Cannibals, Roland Gift, was able to go do runway work for big designer labels; why Siobhan Faye of Bananarama was given the chance to move on from her bubblegum blonde roots and into darker, gothic-romantic territory as half of Shakespears Sister (their name taken from a Smiths song, the apostrophe and letter ‘e’ purposely missing); why the Mike Flower Pops were allowed to absolutely crucify Oasis’ sacred Wonderwall (that’s on here, too).

The London Records Story moves confidently through synth-pop, nu-wave, indie rock, dance, electronica, ska, and other alternative sounds, demonstrating how the label consistently embraced artists who reflected bold and changing musical trends.

Familiar hits sit comfortably alongside deeper cuts, making the collection appealing to both casual listeners and longtime fans.

The sequencing keeps the energy flowing, with polished pop anthems giving way to club classics and guitar-driven tracks that capture the evolving tastes of two transformative decades. The mastering is generally strong, allowing songs from different years to coexist without sounding jarring. More importantly, the compilation illustrates how London Records balanced commercial success with artistic ambition, signing acts that often influenced the direction of popular music, not merely followed it.

As a summary of the 1980s and 1990s, however, it is best viewed through the lens of one label rather than as a complete portrait of either era. What this compilation does well is capture many defining styles and moods but inevitably omitting major movements and artists released elsewhere (not much New Romantic on here, put it that way). Even so, it succeeds as a vivid snapshot of its catalogue and an enjoyable journey through two decades of memorable music.

A great double-disc set that’s still regularly rotating on the car stereo.

Antonino Tati

‘Hit That Perfect Beat: The London Records Story’ is available on CD and in digital format through London Records (naturally).

The label also presents a beaut podcast which you can subscribe to here.

Antonino Tati presents ‘Good Times’ | RTRFM 92.1

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Still loving this track.

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Rate this:

«#MichelWinock propose de revenir sur les origines, les acteurs et le projet politique de #LaCommune. Son analyse éclaire les tensions qui traversent l’expérience communarde, les mesures prises durant ces 72 jours, la place qu’y occupent les femmes, ainsi que la répression de la #SemaineSanglante et les débats mémoriels...»

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsD-XGTdl4s
#CommuneDeParis #CommuneDeParis1871 #communardes #communards #gaucheFrançaise #histFr #livres @bookstodon

Somebody just pointed out to me that Smalltown Boy came out 42 years ago next month.

Forty
Two
Years

I’ve rocked to that song. Bronski Beat - and the Communards - are still absolutely brilliant.

#BronskiBeat #Communards #SmalltownBoy

Paris Commune, my love...

https://piefed.social/c/historymemes/p/1799550/paris-commune-my-love

Paris Commune, my love...

https://piefed.social/c/mop/p/1799546/paris-commune-my-love

Communards - Don't Leave Me This Way video
Watched this ++++ times but tonight I noticed an errant hair.
Top left.

#music #communards #jimmysomerville #trim

🇬🇧 The Communards "Tomorrow" – 1987

Uplifting, politically charged synth-pop with gospel-tinged vocals and rich production. It channels hope and defiance in equal measure. A standout from their Red album, mixing dancefloor urgency with emotional depth.

#synthpop #electropop #hiNRG #newwave #80spop #communards #nowspinning
#vinyl #music #vinylrecords #vinylcollection #vinylcollector #nowspinningonvinyl #nowlistening

🇬🇧 Communards "So Cold The Night" – 1986
A synth-pop classic that blends emotional depth with dancefloor energy. Jimmy Somerville’s unmistakable falsetto meets haunting lyrics and lush production...

#synthpop #electropop #hiNRG #newwave #80spop #communards #nowspinning
#vinyl #music #vinylrecords #vinylcollection #vinylcollector #nowspinningonvinyl #nowlistening

🇬🇧 Communards "Don't Leave Me This Way" - 1986
#communards #hinrg #electropop #electronicdancemusic #clubmusicmixes #progressivedance #vinyl #music #vinylrecords #vinylcollection #vinylcollector #vinylcollectors

🇬🇧 Communards "Don't Leave Me This Way" - 1986
#communards #hinrg #electropop #clubmusicmixes #progressivedance #vinyl #music #vinylrecords #vinylcollection #vinylcollector #vinylcollectors

🇬🇧 Communards "Don't Leave Me This Way" - 1986
#communards #synthpop #hinrg #dancepop #discomusic #vinyl #music #vinylrecords #vinylcollection #vinylcollector #vinylcollectors

The #ParisCommune: A New History

#CarolynJEichner discusses her book #TheParisCommuneABriefHistory

"The Commune stands as a critical and pivotal moment in 19th century history, as the linchpin between revolutionary pasts and futures, and as a crucible allowing glimpses of alternate possibilities."

https://marxedproject.org/event/the-paris-commune-a-new-history/

#LaCommune #CommuneDeParis #histFr #Paris #communardes #communards #livres #books #18mars #18mars1871 #18March1871 #EnCeJour #OTD #CarolynEichner @bookstodon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRMGPjkL2zE

#Communards (with #JimmySommerville :anqueer_flag: )
#Runaway

#QueerRadio :newpride: :anqueer_flag: #WeAreTheRadio #pouetradio #tootradio #mastoradio

« En réalité, le bagne est également le lieu idéal pour éloigner les #PrisonniersPolitiques les plus dangereux : c’est le cas des rebelles opposés à l’#EmpireColonialFrançais en Algérie ou en Indochine, mais aussi celui des #Communards .. »

#Bagne et #colonisation, double peine pour la #NouvelleCalédonie

invités : Isabelle Merle, Louis Lagarde

https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceculture/podcasts/le-cours-de-l-histoire/bagne-et-colonisation-double-peine-pour-la-nouvelle-caledonie-9038015
#Kanaky #Kanaks #ColonisationFrançaise #histFR #ColonialismeDePeuplement #ViolencesColoniales

#WorldAidsDay #Communards #ForAFriend In honor of World Aids Day, I dedicate this song to my dear friend and fraternity brother, Kevin Dwyer, who died two years after this song came out, in 1989. I discovered his panel on the Quilt in Washington, D.C., in 1991, and it nearly destroyed me. Luckily I had my ex with me to take me off the Mall. And to ALL of the people I have lost in the last 40+ years. https://youtu.be/GkZYSFeZk7M?si=pXN0S5yC2IWNhOZS

@neonbubble In which case seeing him pre-rev as half of The #Communards will really bring you up short

#Communards For some reason this has been my earworm for the last week or so. Now maybe it can be yours! I’ve loved Jimmy Somerville’s haunting voice for the last 35 years. https://youtu.be/_v41kAb3osI?si=aVvdJJ_O3jfPo_71

* 1986 music reminds me of being at Youth Club. ‘Don’t leave me this way’ by #Communards was the biggest selling single; I knew ALL the lyrics to ‘You can call me Al’ by #PaulSimon; and #PeterGabriel’s ‘Sledgehammer’ video wowed viewers.🎢

https://archive.org/details/exile2p

Exile to Paradise: Savagery and Civilization in Paris and the South Pacific, 1790-1900 by Alice Bullard

Topics
#Kanak, #Kanaky, #genocide, #france, #frenchrevolution, #pariscommune, #newcaledonia, #colonization, #indigenouspeoples, #antiblackness, #southpacific, #exile, #whitesupremacy, #Melanesia, #history, #frenchimperialism, #frenchcolonialism, #thirdrepublic, #communards, #colonizers, #war, #paris, #savagery, #penalcolony, #penalcolonies, #Melanesians

According to the poet Victor Hugo, the year 1870/71 was France's année terrible. The country suffered a humiliating defeat by the Prussian military, and Parisians endured a cruel siege. In the wake of the siege, Paris exploded and revolutionaries proclaimed the birth of the Paris Commune.

The conservative government of the young Third Republic portrayed the Communards as savage destroyers of civilization. The Communards were depicted as plagued by original sin, the evil nature of fallen man, and atavistic degeneration.