Brilliant debut album from Bronski Beat
09/05/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
""The Age of Consent" is stunning. Even the critics raved over this when it was released in 1984, and with good reason. There has never been an album that reaches as directly into gay life, with such haunting results.The album sounds to a certain extent like it was mixed in a wind tunnel. However, instead of being frustrating, the murky sound of some backing tracks add to the ambience. Jimmy Somerville's high-pitched falsetto vocals rise and fall with the rhythm, and his vocal gymnastics give the album its main spark. There is an aching, melancholy note in his singing which allows every track to hold up to repeated listenings.Side one opens with a great dance song, "Why?" Somerville wails, "Contempt in your eyes / As I turn to kiss his lips / Broken I lie, all my feelings denied / Blood on your fist..." His furious indictment of gay-bashing rises to a crescendo near the end, and finishes with a haunting, fading scream. There is a despair in the final utterance which defies description; it literally has to be heard to be believed. Once it is heard, there is no escaping it.The side continues with a re-make of the old Gershwin song "It Ain't Necessarily So." The production is at its murkiest here, but this song gives way to "Screaming," with piercing, well-enunciated vocals from Somerville. The final two tracks on side one sound similar in intent, decrying the evils of war in "No More War" and materialism in "Love and Money." Once again, Somerville's vocals shine.Side two begins with Bronski Beat's biggest hit, the number three U.K. smash "Smalltown Boy." This straight-forward look into the psychological trauma inflicted on gay youths in their schools and communities is biting; its young runaway is an immediately sympathetic figure, and Somerville's propulsive vocals drive the dance beat to new heights. "Heatwave" is a fairly predictable album cut, and "Junk" shows off the vocal versatility of Somerville, as he drops into a mid-range register. "Need a Man Blues" is delivered with theatrical aplomb, and then the album drops another bomb. The band made the decision to cover Donna Summer's synth-disco classic, "I Feel Love." This is be a trick Somerville would return to in his solo career, always recording at least one catchy cover of a disco song on every album, and it works very nicely here, but what makes the track is that it is placed in a medley with an old-time song called "Johnny Remember Me." The result is fascinating, as Somerville returns to a melancholy sound. His pleading for Johnny to remember him and return his love is gorgeously rendered, and the cries of pain at being forgotten are a fitting way to end the album.All in all, this could never be repeated. Somerville left early in 1985, and has gone on to a long solo career, first with his duo the Communards, then as a solo artist. The other two members of Bronski Beat, Steve Bronski and Larry Steinbachek, would add vocalist John Jon and attempt to regroup with the album "Truthdare Doubledare." But with the possible exception of "For a Friend" from the Communards' "Red" album, and Somerville's recent "Dare to Love" single, no original Bronski Beat member has ever come up with a song to match the best tracks from "Age of Consent." This is one album every gay man should own, without question. Daring, original, unforgettable."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1