The Singles Collection 1984/1990 is a compilation album covering Scottish pop singer Jimmy Somerville's career in the bands Bronski Beat, The Communards and as a solo artist. It was released in 1990. In Italy, the album was marketed under the alternate title, 1984/1990 Greatest Hits.
| The Singles Collection 1984/1990 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | 12 November 1990[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | London | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Jimmy Somerville, Bronski Beat and The Communards chronology | ||||
| ||||
Content edit
The Singles Collection 1984/1990 includes the first four singles by Bronski Beat, released in 1984 and 1985, which feature Somerville as lead singer;[2] following his departure from Bronski Beat the band had three further hits ("Hit That Perfect Beat", "C'mon C'mon" and "Cha Cha Heels")[3] but they are not included on the album as it is intended as a retrospective of Somerville's career. It also includes all eight singles released by The Communards, from 1985 to 1988,[4] plus Somerville's first three singles under his own name (including one duet) from 1989 up to the time of the album's release.[5] The album also contains two new songs—a cover of the Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody", which was released as a single to promote the album, reaching number eight in the UK Singles Chart[5]—and a re-recording of "Run from Love", a track originally included on the 1985 Bronski Beat remix album, Hundreds & Thousands; the new version of the song was later remixed for release as a single in 1991, reaching number 52 in the UK.[5]
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Calgary Herald | B[7] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [8] |
| NME | 6/10[9] |
Dave Obee from Calgary Herald wrote, "Those glittering disco ceiling balls have all been recycled away, but we've still got Jimmy Somerville. The British singer's soaring vocals give an elegant and emotional feel to the 17 cuts on this compilation of his best work. Yes, it's techno-pop dance music, but Somerville's singing keeps it from sounding stale. The disc includes some of his work with Bronski Beat, including "Smalltown Boy", but the real strength is in the diverse selection of songs Somerville has covered."[7]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | From album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Smalltown Boy" (Bronski Beat) |
| The Age of Consent | 5:01 |
| 2. | "Don't Leave Me This Way" (The Communards with Sarah Jane Morris) | Communards | 4:33 | |
| 3. | "It Ain't Necessarily So" (Bronski Beat) | The Age of Consent | 4:08 | |
| 4. | "To Love Somebody" (Jimmy Somerville) | new song | 4:19 | |
| 5. | "Comment te dire adieu" (Jimmy Somerville featuring June Miles-Kingston) |
| Read My Lips | 3:37 |
| 6. | "Run from Love" (Bronski Beat featuring Claudia Brücken) |
| Hundreds & Thousands | 4:39 |
| 7. | "Never Can Say Goodbye" (The Communards) | Clifton Davis | Red | 4:28 |
| 8. | "Why?" (Bronski Beat) |
| The Age of Consent | 3:57 |
| 9. | "You Are My World" (The Communards) |
| Communards | 4:31 |
| 10. | "For a Friend" (The Communards) |
| Red | 4:38 |
| 11. | "I Feel Love/Johnny Remember Me" (Bronski Beat with Marc Almond) | Hundreds & Thousands | 5:48 | |
| 12. | "There's More to Love (Than Boy Meets Girl)" (The Communards) |
| Red | 3:53 |
| 13. | "So Cold the Night" (The Communards) |
| Communards | 4:41 |
| 14. | "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" (Jimmy Somerville) |
| Read My Lips | 3:58 |
| 15. | "Tomorrow" (The Communards) |
| Red | 4:50 |
| 16. | "Disenchanted" (The Communards) |
| Communards | 4:11 |
| 17. | "Read My Lips (Enough Is Enough)" (Jimmy Somerville) | Somerville | Read My Lips | 4:51 |
Production edit
Adapted from the album's liner notes.[10]
- Tracks 1–3, 8, 9, 11, 13 & 16 produced by Mike Thorne
- Tracks 4, 7, 10, 12, 14 & 15 produced by Stephen Hague
- Tracks 5 & 6 produced by Pascal Gabriel
- Track 17 produced by Pascal Gabriel; additional production and mix by Stephen Hague
- Photography by Paul Cox
- Sleeve design by Peter Barrett and Andrew Biscomb
Charts edit
Weekly charts edit
|
Year-end charts edit
|
Certifications and sales edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[23] | Platinum | 300,000* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References edit
- ^ "SPOTLIGHT | Jimmy Somerville" (PDF). Music & Media. European Music Report. 8 December 1990. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 April 2023.
The Singles Collection 1984/1990; a compilation featuring hits by Jimmy Somerville, was released by London Records on November 12
(p. 16) - ^ "Bronski Beat | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
- ^ "BRONSKI BEAT - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ "COMMUNARDS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
- ^ a b c d "JIMMY SOMERVILLE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
- ^ "The Singles Collection 1984-1990 - Jimmy Somerville - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ a b Obee, Dave (10 March 1991). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2000). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press.
- ^ Maconie, Stuart (24 November 1990). "Long Play". NME. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ The Singles Collection 1984/1990 (liner notes). Jimmy Somerville. London. 1990.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing 25 February 1991". Retrieved 28 February 2022.
- ^ "Discographie Bronski Beat - austriancharts.at". austriancharts.at.
- ^ a b "Music & Media: Europe's Music Radio Newsweekly. Volume 8. Issue 7" (PDF). Music & Media. BPI Communications. 16 February 1991. worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved 9 June 2023. (see sections 'Top 10 in Europe', p. 30 and 'European Top 100 Albums', p. 18)
- ^ "Discografie Bronski Beat - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl.
- ^ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste [The Album Details per Artist]". InfoDisc (in French). Archived from the original on 14 June 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2016.
Jimmy Somerville – The Singles Collection 1984/1990 #4
- ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de.
- ^ https://slagerlistak.hu/album-top-40-slagerlista/1991/44
- ^ "Music & Media: Europe's Music Radio Newsweekly. Volume 8. Issue 5" (PDF). Music & Media. BPI Communications. 2 February 1991. worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved 9 June 2023. (see section 'Top 10 in Europe', p. 24)
- ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Set "Album" for option "Tipo", then write "Greatest Hits" (ie. Italian equivalent for the compilation) in the "Titolo" field and search for the artist.
- ^ "Bronski Beat - The Age Of Consent - hitparade.ch". hitparade.ch.
- ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1991" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- ^ UK ALBUMS - YEAR END (p.42)
- ^ "French album certifications – Jimmy Somerville – Singles Collection 84/90" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 2 May 2022. Select JIMMY SOMERVILLE and click OK.