Bronski Beat

Bronski Beat was a popular British synth pop trio of the 1980s. At the height of its popularity, the band consisted of distinctive singer Jimmy Somerville (born in Glasgow, Scotland on 22 June 1961), backed by Steve Bronski (born Steven Forrest, 7 February 1960, in Scunthorpe, England) and Larry Steinbachek (born Lawrence Cole 6 May 1960 in London), both of whom played keyboards and percussion.

Their music is characterized by Somerville's soulful counter-tenor voice and quirky synthesizer accompaniment.

Bronski Beat formed in 1983 when Somerville, Steinbachek and Bronski shared a three bed roomed flat, Lancaster House, in Brixton, south west London. Apparently the band's name was "God Forbid" before Bronski Beat was suggested by Bronski, as a pun on the group name of Roxy Music and the main character from the Günter Grass novel, The Tin Drum.

Bronski Beat signed a recording contract with London Records in 1984 after only doing nine live gigs. The band's arresting debut single, "Smalltown Boy", the tale of a boy who was cast away by his family for being gay, was a huge hit, peaking at #3 in the UK Singles Chart. The single was accompanied by a memorable promotional video of Somerville eagerly trying to make friends at a swimming pool then being attacked by a homophobic gang and being returned to his family by the police and having to leave home. (The police officer was played by Colin Bell, the then marketing manager of London Records). "Smalltown Boy" reached #48 in the US charts and peaked at #7 in Australia. It is now widely considered a 1980's classic, in addition to being a gay anthem.

"Smalltown Boy" established the trio as an outlet for gay issues – all three members are gay – and the follow-up single, "Why?", while focusing on a faster energetic musical formula, was more lyrically focused on anti-gay prejudice. It also achieved Top 10 status in the UK, reaching #6, and was a Top 10 hit for the band in Australia.

At the end of 1984, the trio released an album which was provocatively titled The Age of Consent. The inner sleeve listed the varying ages of consent for consensual male homosexual activity in different nations around the world. At the time, the age of consent for gay men in the UK was 21. The LP hit #4 in the UK album chart, #36 in the US and #12 in Australia.

A third single was released amid controversy before Christmas 1984: a revival of "It Ain't Necessarily So", the George and Ira Gershwin classic (from Porgy and Bess) which questions the authenticity of Biblical tales. It also reached the UK Top 20.

In 1985, the trio joined up with Marc Almond to record a version of the Donna Summer classic "I Feel Love". The full version was actually a medley, also incorporating snippets of Summer's "Love to Love You Baby" and John Leyton's "Johnny Remember Me". It was a huge success, reaching #3 in the UK, equalling the chart achievement of "Smalltown Boy", and was memorably described by one critic as "the gayest record ever made". Although the original had been one of Marc Almond's all-time favourite songs, he had never read the lyrics and thus incorrectly sang "What'll it be, what'll it be, you and me" instead of "Falling free, falling free, falling free".

Shortly before the remix album Hundreds and Thousands was released, Somerville quit the band, stating he wanted a career which was "more political". Somerville went on to form The Communards with Richard Coles.

Bronski Beat recruited John Foster as lead singer. A single, "Hit That Perfect Beat", was released in January 1986, reaching #3 in the UK. It repeated this success in the Australian charts and was also featured in the film, Letter to Brezhnev. A second single, "C'mon C'mon", also charted in the UK Top 20 and an album Truthdare Doubledare was released in May 1986, peaked at #18.

Foster left the band in 1987.

In 1989 Jonathan Hellyer became lead singer and extensively toured the U.S.A. and Europe with Steve and back-up vocalist, Annie Conway, and had one minor hit with the song "Cha Cha Heels", a one off collaboration sung by American actress and singer, Eartha Kitt, which was originally written for movie and recording star Divine, anticipating to record the song before his untimely death in 1988.

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Blondie

Blondie is an American rock band that first gained fame in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The band was a pioneer in the early American punk rock and New Wave scenes. Its first two albums contained strong elements of these genres, and although successful in Australia and the United Kingdom, Blondie was regarded as an underground band in the United States until the release of a third album in 1978. Over the next three years, the band achieved several hit singles and was noted for its eclectic mix of musical styles incorporating elements of disco, pop and reggae, while retaining a basic style as a New Wave band.

Lead singer Deborah Harry achieved a level of celebrity that eclipsed other band members leading to tension within the group. Following a poorly received album, and with core member Chris Stein diagnosed with a potentially fatal disease, the group disbanded in 1982. As members pursued other projects, Blondie's reputation grew over the following decade and the group reformed in 1998, achieving renewed success and a number one single in the United Kingdom the following year. The group toured and performed throughout the world over the following years, and was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the RockWalk of Fame in 2006.

Their album Autoamerican was released 1980 and contained two more worldwide hits, the reggae-styled "The Tide Is High" and the rap-flavoured "Rapture", each hitting number one in both the U.S. and UK. "Rapture" was the first song containing elements of rap music vocals to reach number one in the U.S. and helped introduce the then underground rap genre to a larger audience. "Rapture" would be their only single to do better on the U.S. charts than in the UK, where it peaked at number five.
Following their success of 1978-80, Blondie took a brief break in 1981. That year, Debbie Harry and Jimmy Destri both released solo albums; Stein helped out with Harry's album, and Burke with Destri's. Also in 1981, Blondie was offered the chance to record the theme to the new James Bond film, For Your Eyes Only, but declined the opportunity.

The band reconvened in 1982 to record and issue The Hunter. In contrast to their earlier commercial and critical successes, The Hunter generally received lukewarm-to-negative reviews, and failed to hit the top 20 in the US top charts. The album did spin off two fairly minor hit singles: "Island of Lost Souls" (#11 UK, #37 US), and "War Child" (#39 UK).

With tensions within the band on the rise due to the commercial decline and the constant press focus on Harry to the exclusion of other band members, events reached a breaking point when Stein was diagnosed with a serious, life-threatening illness. In mid-1982, Blondie announced their break-up.

Stein and Harry (a couple) stayed together, and retreated from the public spotlight for a few years. After Stein recovered from his illness, Harry resumed her solo career in 1985, with active participation from Stein in all her recordings. Meanwhile, Burke became a much-in-demand session drummer (and played for a time with Eurythmics), and Destri also maintained an active career as a producer/session musician.

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Antrax

Anthrax is an American, New York City-based Thrash Metal band, who released their first full-length album in 1984. Anthrax was one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene and are notable for combining metal with rap and hardcore music early on. They are generally classified as one of the "big four" of thrash metal alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer.

They have made several appearances on television including: Married... with Children, WWE Raw, NewsRadio and Ask Dr. Ruth along with their mothers. The band has also appeared in movies such as Run Ronnie Run (performing as the fictional band Titannica) and Calendar Girls.

Anthrax was formed in 1981 by guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker, who, after a few early changes, were joined by drummer Charlie Benante, guitarist Dan Spitz, and vocalist Neil Turbin. In the earliest days Lilker played guitar, but switched instrument as they were having difficulty finding a bass player. The band signed with Megaforce Records and released its first full-length album, Fistful Of Metal, in 1984. This was an inauspicious debut for a band that would soon rise to the forefront of the thrash metal scene. Anthrax went through a significant lineup change in 1985 prior to recording their second album, Spreading the Disease. After Dan Lilker left to form Nuclear Assault, he was replaced by Frank Bello, Charlie Benante's nephew and a former roadie for the band. It was a vocalist change that would have the greatest impact on the band's overall sound. Joey Belladonna brought a much wider vocal range and style and the band altered its writing style to include a more melodic sound it hadn't explored in the past.

Anthrax were, almost from the start, noticeable among their peers for their willingness to experiment with genre and image. During the late 1980s, the band radically departed from the "traditional" heavy metal look in favour of a brightly coloured "surfer" style of appearance. They were known for introducing a humorous side to their music, in contrast to the serious mindedness of fellow metal bands such as Slayer, and Metallica.

In 1987, Anthrax released their third album, Among the Living. To this day, the album remains a fan favourite and is considered by some to be their best. Lyrically, Anthrax began to write about movies, comic books and Stephen King novels. All elements that would for years become typical lyrical themes Anthrax fans would come to expect. "I Am the Law" is a tribute to comic book hero Judge Dredd. "Efilnikufesin (N.F.L.)" is about comedian John Belushi's drug addiction and death. "Indians" and the mosh pit anthem "Caught in a Mosh" are both considered Anthrax classics today. The album was dedicated to the memory of Cliff Burton. The band continued its success, sticking to the thrash metal genre of Among ... on the album State of Euphoria. The single "Anti-Social"—originally by French heavy metal band Trust—was a staple on MTV in regular rotation as well as "Headbangers Ball".

In 1989, MTV held a contest to have the band come and trash the winner's home. The contest was won by a female fan, and the band subsequently came to her home and caused havoc.

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