Communards (album)

Communards
Studio album by
the Communards
Released14 July 1986
Studio
  • Sigma Sound, New York City
  • Rawlston Recording, New York City[a]
  • Westside, London, UK[a]
Genre
LabelLondon
ProducerMike Thorne
The Communards chronology
Communards
(1986) 		Red
(1987)
Singles from Communards
  1. "You Are My World"
    Released: September 1985
  2. "Disenchanted"
    Released: May 1986
  3. "Don't Leave Me This Way"
    Released: August 1986
  4. "So Cold the Night"
    Released: November 1986
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[2]

Communards is the debut studio album by British synth-pop duo the Communards, released on 14 July 1986 by London Records.[3] The album was produced by Mike Thorne, who had previously produced lead singer Jimmy Somerville's earlier band, Bronski Beat. Although the singles released ahead of the album were only moderately successful, the first single to be lifted from it after release, "Don't Leave Me This Way", topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks and became the best-selling single in the UK that year. During the single's four-week run at number one, the album itself peaked at number seven, going on to spend a total of 45 weeks in the UK Albums Chart.

Musically, the album contains tracks that largely fall into one of two styles, either Hi-NRG (all of the singles lifted from the album were in this style) or piano ballads showcasing the talents of Richard Coles, a classically trained pianist. The standard "Lover Man" is arranged as a straight jazz number, albeit with the unusual twist of being performed as a duet.

The front sleeve features a stark graphic design consisting of the group's name and logo against a black background. A photo of the duo appears on the back, while the inner sleeve features small photos of Coles, Somerville and Sarah Jane Morris, alongside the album credits and full lyrics for all the songs.

Two songs had dedications in the sleevenotes: "Don't Leave Me This Way" was dedicated to the GLC, and "Reprise" to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.[4][verification needed]


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  1. ^ Kellman, Andy. "Communards – The Communards". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  2. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 157.
  3. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 43.
  4. ^ Communards, Communards. Edsel 2012 Deluxe Edition liner notes, p. 9