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Red (The Communards album)

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Red is the second album from the British pop duo The Communards. The Stephen Hague produced album was released in 1987 on London Records in the UK and MCA in the US. It reached number 4 in the UK and 93 in the US and was certified platinum in the UK. Red features the hits "Never Can Say Goodbye", "Tomorrow", "There's More To Love Than Boy Meets Girl" and "For a Friend".

Notable songs

"Never Can Say Goodbye"

This Clifton Davis penned song was originally performed by The Jackson 5[1] but this version is more of a remake of Gloria Gaynor's disco version.[2][3][4] Jimmy Somerville's "straight ahead"[3] vocals are a strength of the song, with Andy Kellman of Allmusic crediting him with producing a recording that "stands apart" from other versions.[2] The single proved to be a hit on both sides of the Atlantic; reaching number 4 in the UK[1] and 51 in the US[5] while being certified silver in the UK.[6]

"For a Friend"

The last cut on the original vinyl side one is an emotional ballad. It was written in memory of Mark Ashton[4] a friend of Somerville and Richard Coles [2] who died of AIDS.[2][4] Mark Hooper of The Rough Guide to Rock writes that this cut may be Somerville's "most impassioned moment".[4] "For a Friend" reached number 28 on the British charts.[1]

Album cover and title

The album cover is white with a gray five pointed star containing two faces in profile (the group's logo). Directly above the star is the band's name in plain all capital letter. Above the band's name in red flowing script is the album title 'Red'. The title is a nod to the duo's socialist leanings.[3]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic

Opinions vary as to where this album stands next to its predecessor, Communards. Andy Kellman of Allmusic feels it "tops their respectable debut in nearly every aspect" and that the singles "Tomorrow" and "There's More to Love Than Boy Meets Girl" are "stronger than anything on the debut".[2] On the other hand, Kate Walter of Spin says it is "weaker than [their] sizzling debut album".[3] Balancing these opinions is Mark Hooper of The Rough Guide to Rock who writes that the album is "every bit as accomplished as its predecessor".[4]

Kellman's review praises the production work of Stephen Hague and calls the album "a defining Euro-dance record of the latter half of the '80s".[2] Walter credits Cole's "rickety–tickety synthesizers" and "tingly keyboards" along with Somerville's "squeals" and "whoops" as strengths of the album but bemoans the cohesiveness of the album's side two.[3]

Track list

All tracks are written by Richard Coles/Jimmy Somerville unless noted

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Tomorrow"4:52
2."There's More to Love Than Boy Meets Girl"4:38
3."Matter of Opinion"4:27
4."Victims"4:32
5."For a Friend"5:03
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Never Can Say Goodbye"Clifton Davis4:53
7."Lovers and Friends"Coles4:16
8."Hold on Tight" 4:49
9."If I Could Tell You"W. H. Auden/Somerville4:17
10."C Minor" 5:10
Total length:45:11

Singles

Never Can Say Goodbye 12" Vinyl - MCA Records MCA-23812 (US)
No.TitleLength
1."Never Can Say Goodbye"7:50
2."Tomorrow" (Extended Version)7:15
Never Can Say Goodbye 12" White Label Vinyl Promo- MCA Records L33-17469 (US)
No.TitleLength
1."Never Can Say Goodbye"11:14
2."Never Can Say Goodbye" (Dub Mix)5:45
3."Never Can Say Goodbye" (Instrumental Mix)5:42
Tomorrow 12" Vinyl - London LONX 143 (UK)
No.TitleLength
1."Tomorrow" (Extended Version) 
2."I Just Want to Let You Know" 
3."Romanze For Violin, Piano And Hedgehog" 
4."Scat" 
There's More to Love 12" Vinyl - London LONX 173 (UK)
No.TitleLength
1."There's More to Love" (Extended) 
2."Zing Went the Strings of my Heart" 
3."Spanish Rap (El Amor No Es Solo Un Hombre Y Und Mujer)" 
4."When the Boy in Your Heart is the Boy in Your Arms" 

Personnel

Additional musicians

Production

  • Alvin Clark – assistant producer, engineer, producer
  • Stephen Hague – producer
  • David Jacob – engineer, mixing
  • Avril MacKintosh – assistant engineer

Charts

Certifications

Country Format Title Certification Date
United Kingdom (BPI) single "Never Can Say Goodbye" Silver 1 December 1987[6]
United Kingdom (BPI) album Red Platinum 8 January 1988[6]

Singles

UK

Year Single Peak
1987 "Tomorrow" 23[1]
1987 "Never Can Say Goodbye" 4[1]
1988 "For a Friend" 28[1]

US

Year Single Peak
1988 "Never Can Say Goodbye" 51[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Warwick, Neil; Kutner, Jon; Brown, Tony (2004). The Complete Book of the British charts: Singles & Albums. Omnibus Press. p. 256. ISBN 978-1-84449-058-5. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Kellman, Andy. "Review: Red". Allmusic. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e Walter, Kate (April 1988). "The Communards Red MCA". Spin. p. 20. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d e Hooper, Mark (2003). Buckley, Peter (ed.). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. pp. 221–222. ISBN 978-1-84353-105-0. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
  5. ^ a b "Charts & Awards Billboard Singles: Red". Allmusic. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
  6. ^ a b c "British album certifications: The Communards". Retrieved 5 January 2011. Enter The Communards in the field Search. Select Artist in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Click Go
  7. ^ Netherlands - Mechacharts - Red
  8. ^ Germany - Media Control Charts - Red
  9. ^ a b Italy - Albums Charts - Red
  10. ^ Switzerland - Albums Chart - Red
  11. ^ UK - Albums Chart - Red
  12. ^ Switzerland - Albums Chart - Red
  13. ^ New Zealand - Albums - Red
  14. ^ U.S. - Billboard 200 - Red
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