Dance and Desire: Rarities and Videos [Bonus

This bumper compilation of the earlier phases of Jimmy Somerville is a must-have for the 104-minute DVD, which gives you all the videos for these hits. It is a fantastic journey back through these years, beginning in 1984 with Smalltown Boy, and I found it brought back my feelings of those years more strongly than anything else can. The songs take you straight to that world – at the time it seemed so incredible that Bronski Beat existed. Some of the videos actually passed me by, or I may have seen them about once – but it is great to have the whole lot back to back like this. The visual language is completely of that era, adding a nostalgic feel. The range of styles is very wide, starting with the complete contrast between the short narrative film that goes with Smalltown Boy to the theatrical take on Why? , which seems to be set in some strange place, a sort of foundry/supermarket deli/lawcourt with a Paradjanov presiding judge, in order to get its gay and socialist message across. Jimmy comments in the booklet interview on how each one came into being – in the bigger budget numbers like Why? he felt that the money jarred with their avowed intentions as musicians, but at the same time they got all their friends involved as extras. It Ain’t Necessarily So shows a pie-eating contest between inmates of a borstal, and is both comic and sexy.Best of all is possibly Never Can Say Goodbye, shot on the disco floor with Jimmy leading the synchronised moves Saturday Night Fever-style. It’s a great moment, totally euphoric. So Cold The Night benefits from an exotic location which looks like Morocco but turns out to be a room in Notting Hill. For disco lovers You make me feel (mighty real) is also hard to beat, given an arresting sci-fi treatment, and Run From Love, which Jimmy says doesn’t suit him, although to me it looks and sounds great. Disenchanted is fantastic too (what a song! – an update on the figure in Smalltown Boy, really) while For A Friend and Safe are both very moving – the videos are very effective, although Jimmy expresses misgivings about the latter. The song has a wonderful sense of intimacy and tenderness that is hard to match in all pop! Perhaps Al Green or Stephanie Mills manage it, but the gayness adds something different. The CDs are a bit less essential in the sense that most fans will have the material already, all the albums already having been put out on 2-CD sets. But the versions are different, and it is great to put them on and be surprised by the variations on what you know and love. The remix of Don’t Leave Me This Way lasts a whopping 13’38”, while Heartbeat has some wonderful spoken lines that sound either a bit like Kenneth Williams, or more outrageous. The original is not really camp at all, in fact the video was Jimmy’s Nick Kamen moment. It just helps to make you realise how much these songs still matter – I think if you lived your teen or early adult life to them, they always will. Plus there is a picture of Jimmy in drag that I’d never seen – and does he look good! Practically worth the outlay in itself … But then he always did appeal on all fronts, and still does …

Managed to get this brand new with all of Jimmy Somerville greatest hits on 2 CDs and 1 DVD. Its quite hard to get, so, I was happy to buy it.

When Jimmy Somerville's London Records catalogue was recently updated with expanded 2cd deluxe editions there were a few tracks and remixes omitted from the various titles due to time constraints. In an effort to fill the gaps we have Dance and Desire, a 2cd+dvd compilation that for the most part addresses the shortfall that many fans believed existed with the expanded edition series.On the two cd's of Dance and Desire, most (but not all) of the tracks and remixes that were not released on the special edition albums have been rounded up. It would be impossible to collect them all. "Don't Leave Me This Way" for example would take up an entire cd on its own if all it's different versions were to be included. Personally, I would've preferred the mix that incorporates the single's original b-side "Sanctified" and am not sure why we get the normal Son of Gotham mix included here again. What I was pleased to hear is the '87 remix of "You Are My World". I never imagined that would get a digital release after it was left off the special edition of  Communards  debut album though it should be noted it is in fact the New York '87 Remix originally released on 12" single LONXR 123. We also have the hard to find Gary Langan mix of Jimmy's solo hit "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" and finally the full 12" version of one of my favourite Communards tracks, "So Cold The Night". For most fans they'll be satisfied with nicely remastered versions of "Smalltown Boy" and "Why?" as they were not included on  The Age Of Consent / Hundreds And Thousands  when it was reissued.But the major reason to purchase this collection of audio oddities is it also includes a dvd with most of, if not all the associated music videos. Twenty-four of them to be exact and all in pretty decent quality considering the age of some of them (30 years for the Bronski Beat tracks). The "Never Can Say Goodbye" performance always brings a smile to my face especially watching Jimmy's Communards band mate and musical genius Richard Coles getting his groove out on the dance floor. There's also a couple of videos I'd forgotten about and it was very nice to revisit them. What a wonderful way to follow an artist's journey through the first half of their career. The whole dvd programme comes full circle finishing with a 2014 re-recording of "Smalltown Boy" which is also included as the final track of the two cd set. I've grown up with this man's music and am so chuffed he's released such a fantastic video collection on DVD. If only more iconic artists from the 80's would follow suit and issue a comprehensive digital video anthology. Dvd or Blu-ray, I don't care, just get it out there."T.M.T.❤️.T.B.M.G"

Bought this just to get the DVD really, and it is worth having, comprehensive and decent quality. Only disappointment is it's only stereo not 5.1. Nice to have the 12" mixes on CD too, although some of them go on way too long! Packaging makes it difficult to get the discs out without scuffing them, and the booklet in mine had indentations at the top even though the outer hard book was fine. Minor things though, the actual package is a bargain.

Frankly, this is good. In fact it is great......to be honest it is neither of these - it is awesome!! So much better than I expected... some great tracks and 12" cuts, just pure class all the way through... And it is topped off with some of the best presentation I have seen and fascinating notes.... A lovely surprise....awesome! You would be a fool not to, frankly....

For the first time on did, all promo videos by Bronski Beat, The Communards and Jimmy Somerville. This is enough for worthing the price. Plus, two CDs full of 12", rarities and jewels never appeared before.... Simply unmissable

Got it .-)

perfect buy love love it

Article rare à trouver très satisfait

Knew the tracks that were released but wanted to see the videos that I missed. I have many of them already but this collection will replace the old ones.The remastered videos are well worth the cost of admission to this party.Worth the price if your a fan. Only complaint- still missing many of his songs but it’s the best around.Great personal notes included.Wonderful times back then!

I have been a fan of Jimmy Somerville since I first heard his voice in Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat. His songs have always been part of the soundtrack to my life, the loves and the losses. This collections of 12" mixes and rarities covering his entire career is really great! The DVD of all the video's alone is worth the price! Definitely a must have for any fan of Jimmy's

Finalmente una raccolta esaustiva di Jimmy da solo e con le bands di cui ha fatto parte in passato. Si sentiva la mancanza soprattutto di una raccolta dei video in formato digitale. Ora ce l'abbiamo!

Wer sich diese Doppel Cd +Dvd bestellt, bekommt den Jimmy Sommerville gleich noch als Bronski Beat und The Communards inklusive aller bekannten Videos in voller Länge. Das ist ja sowas von supergeil, da haben sich die Verantwortlichen mal richtig ins Zeug gelegt. Auch die Remixe sind anhörbar. Schön das Video "Why ", es ist so aktuell. Alles ordentlich Video kronologisch aufgereiht =Bronski Beat Smalltown Boy +Why , Communards Never say Goodbye + Dont leave ..., Jimmy Sommerville comment te dire adieu + you make me Feel. Die zwei CDs sind auch vorbildlich. Smalldown Boy 12" - 9 min. Dont leave me this Way. 14! Min. Ganz viel Remixe und Supermaxis. Ganz Groß.