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The Communards

The Communards were a British pop duo, active from 1985 to 1988. They formed in 1985 after singer Jimmy Somerville left his earlier band Bronski Beat to team up with  Richard Coles.

Somerville often used a falsetto singing style, that combined with Coles, classic music background produced a unique sound for the band. 

Although mainly a pianist, Coles played a number of instruments and had been seen previously performing the clarinet solos on the Bronski Beat hit "It Ain't Necessarily So". 

The band was also joined by bass player Dave Renwick who had also played with Bronski Beat.

The band are most famous for their cover versions of "Don't Leave Me This Way" which was released in 1986 and was a they had their biggest hit with an energetic Hi-NRG cover version of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' soul classic..


... the other was  "Never Can Say Goodbye" a version inspired by Thelma Houston's version which spent four weeks at number one and became the UK's biggest selling single of 1986. It featured Sarah Jane Morris as co-vocalist, an unofficial third member of the group, taking advantage of the contrast between her and Somerville's vocal styles.


Another great track of theirs was 'There's more to Love (than Boy meets Girl)'.

The band were also part of the Red Wedge Collective but split in the late 1980s, with Somerville getting involved in a umber of solo projects and Coles ultimately becoming a Vicar and becoming a sometimes national treasure.



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