''Red'' is the second and final studio album by British

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

duo

the Communards The Communards were a British synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985. They consisted of Scottish singer Jimmy Somerville and English musician Richard Coles. They are best known for their cover versions of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes fe ...

, released on 5 October 1987 by

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

in the United Kingdom and

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

in the United States. It reached number 4 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

and number 93 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 and has been

certified platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

in the UK. ''Red'' features the singles "

Never Can Say Goodbye "Never Can Say Goodbye" is a song written by Clifton Davis and originally recorded by the Jackson 5. The song was originally written and intended for the Supremes; however, Motown decided it would be better for the Jackson 5. It was the first ...

", "Tomorrow", "There's More to Love Than Boy Meets Girl" and "

For a Friend "For a Friend" is a single from the British synth-pop duo The Communards taken from their 1987 album ''Red''. The song is an emotional ballad and was written in the memory of Mark Ashton, a friend of Jimmy Somerville and Richard Coles. Mark Ho ...

Notable songs

"Never Can Say Goodbye"

The

Clifton Davis Clifton Duncan Davis (born October 4, 1945) is an American actor, singer, songwriter, minister, and author. Davis wrote The Jackson 5's No. 2 hit "Never Can Say Goodbye" in 1971. He has numerous Broadway credits, including ''Hello, Dolly! (mus ...

-penned song was originally performed by

the Jackson 5 The Jackson 5, later known as the Jacksons, are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was formed in Gary, Indiana in 1964, and originally consisted of brothers Jackie, Ti ...

, but this rendition is similar to

Gloria Gaynor Gloria Fowles (born September 7, 1943), known professionally as Gloria Gaynor, is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits "I Will Survive" (1978), "I Have a Right, Let Me Know (I Have a Right)" (1979), "I Am What I Am (Broadway mus ...

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

version.

Jimmy Somerville James William Somerville (born 22 June 1961) is a singer from Glasgow, Scotland who rose to prominence in the 1980s with the synth-pop groups Bronski Beat and the Communards. With Bronski Beat, Somerville achieved commercial success with the 1 ...

's "straight ahead" vocals are a strength of the song, with Andy Kellman of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

crediting him with producing a recording that "stands apart" from other versions. The single proved successful on both sides of the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

; reaching number 4 in the UK and number 51 in the US, while being certified silver in the UK. The track was used in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' episode "

Father's Day Father's Day is a day set aside for honoring one's father, as well as fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. "Father's Day" complements similar celebrations honoring family members, such as Mother's Day and, in som ...

"For a Friend"

The last cut on the original

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

side one is an emotional

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

. It was written in memory of

Mark Ashton Mark Christian Ashton ( – ) was a British gay rights activist and co-founder of the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) support group. He was a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain and general secretary of the Young Communis ...

, a friend of Somerville and

Richard Coles Richard Keith Robert Coles (born 26 March 1962) is an English writer, radio presenter and Church of England priest. He first came to prominence as the multi-instrumentalist who partnered Jimmy Somerville in the 1980s band the Communards. They ...

who died of

HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

. Mark Hooper of ''The Rough Guide to Rock'' writes that this cut may be Somerville's "most impassioned moment". It was among the first pop songs to address AIDS. "For a Friend" reached number 28 on the British charts. It was featured in the soundtrack of the 2014 film ''

Pride Pride is a human Emotion, secondary emotion characterized by a sense of satisfaction with one's Identity (philosophy), identity, performance, or accomplishments. It is often considered the opposite of shame or of humility and, depending on conte ...

''. It was also one of the songs played at

Burberry Burberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry and headquartered in London, England. It designs and distributes ready to wear, including trench coats, leather accessories, and footwear. It is l ...

’s February 2018 show, marking Christopher Bailey’s final outing for the brand.

Artwork and title

The album cover is white with a grey 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 letters. Above the band's name in red flowing script is the album title 'Red'. The title is a nod to the duo's

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

leanings at the time. The US issue features the cover in red.

Reception

Opinions vary as to where this album stands next to its predecessor, ''

Communards The Communards () were members and supporters of the short-lived 1871 Paris Commune formed in the wake of the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. After the suppression of the Commune by the French Army in May 1871, 43,000 Communards we ...

''. Andy Kellman of AllMusic's retrospective review 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". On the other hand, Kate Walter of ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' said it is "weaker than

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...

sizzling debut album". Balancing these opinions was Mark Hooper of ''The Rough Guide to Rock'' who wrote that the album is "every bit as accomplished as its predecessor". Kellman's review praises the production work of Stephen Hague and calls the album "a defining

Euro-dance Eurodance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of rap, techno and Eurodisco. This genre of music is heavily influenced by the use of rich ...

record of the latter half of the '80s". 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 lack of cohesion of the album's side two compared to its first half.

Track listing

Written by

and

, except where noted

LP

CD

2012 Re-issue

Source:

2022 Re-issue

Source:

Personnel

The Communards

– lead vocals and backing vocals *

– synthesizers, piano and drum machine

Additional musicians

* Rob Fisher – synthesizer and sequencer * Dave Renwick – bass *

Gary Barnacle Gary Barnacle (born 1959) is an English saxophonist, flautist, brass instrument arranger, composer, and producer. Barnacle is primarily noted for his session work and live work, including various Prince's Trust concerts at Wembley Arena, th ...

– soprano saxophone * Simon Clarke – alto saxophone and baritone saxophone * Pandit Dinesh – percussions * Sally Herbert – violin *

Judd Lander Judd Lander (born 1 March 1948) is an English harmonicist. Originally from Liverpool, Lander was previously a member of the band The Hideaways. He has experienced success as a prolific session musician, record industry executive, and company dire ...

– harmonica *

Roddy Lorimer Roddy Lorimer (born 19 May 1953) is a Scottish musician who plays trumpet and flugelhorn. He has performed with Blur, Gene, the Rolling Stones, Draco Rosa, the Who, the Style Council, Eric Clapton, Suede, Supergrass, Beyoncé, Jamiroquai, D ...

– trumpet *

June Miles-Kingston June Patricia Miles-Kingston is a British singer and drummer, best known for her work with various successful bands and singers in the 1980s. She was a founding member of the post-punk group the Mo-dettes, which lasted from 1979 to 1982, and lat ...

– drums and backing vocals *

Audrey Riley Audrey Riley is an English cellist and string arranger. Career Riley trained at the Guildhall School of Music with Leonard Stehn. She was a cellist for Virginia Astley from 1983 to 1986 and a one-time auxiliary member of the Family Cat. Ril ...

– cello *

Jocelyn Pook Jocelyn Pook (, rhyming with "book") (born 14 February 1960) is an English composer who is known for her scores for many films, including ''Eyes Wide Shut'', ''The Merchant of Venice'' and '' The Wife''. Her principal instrument is the viola. ...

– viola * Tim Sanders – tenor saxophone *

Steve Sidwell Steven James Sidwell (born 14 December 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Sidwell was a product of the Arsenal academy, and after winning two FA Youth Cups, he had constructive loan spells at Brentfo ...

– trumpet * Anne Stephenson – violin *

Annie Whitehead Lena Annie Whitehead (born 16 July 1955 in Oldham, Lancashire) is a British jazz trombone player. Career Whitehead learned the trombone in high school and participated in rock and jazz bands. When she was 16, she left school to become a member ...

– trombone * Jo Pretzel – synthesizers * Zita Wadwa – additional vocals * Caroline Buckley – backing vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Red (Communards Album) 1987 albums Albums produced by Stephen Hague The Communards albums Eurodance albums London Records albums MCA Records albums