Bronski Beat

It was composed partly of re-recorded material and partly new, and failed to make an impact. Charli Baltimore's most recent appearance was a 2003 cameo in the remix video for Ashanti's relatively unsuccessful single, "Rain On Me". In 1995 a comeback album entitled Rainbow Nation was released. had seemed committed to releasing a new Baltimore album, however as Murder Inc's general popularity has waned, the release of a new Charli Baltimore album now seems unlikely. A very catchy single called Hit That Perfect Beat managed, amazingly, to equal the two previous biggest hits by making Number 3 in the UK charts, but one solitary Top 20 hit followed, plus the listless album Truthdare Doubledare, before the band's demise. Ja Rule, Baltimore, and Murder Inc. Bronski Beat recruited John Foster as Somerville's replacement, a singer of less stage presence, charisma and a deeper and more unprovocative voice. Unfortunately for Baltimore, the single and the remix's lackluster reception compared to Rule's previous single, "Always On Time," which helped make Ashanti a superstar, did nothing to increase Baltimore's popularity.

He teamed up with Coles to form the Communards and in 1986 outsold all other singles in the UK with their version of Don't Leave Me This Way. Ja Rule featured Baltimore on his single, "Down Ass Chick," which was only a moderate hit compared to his other singles that year; and its remix, "Down 4 U," which was only slightly more successful. Presumably this related to internal politics rather than the lyrical direction of the band, as his new project relied almost entirely on unpolitical songs and cover versions - and they were a huge success in doing so. In 2002, Ja Rule and Irv Gotti took a chance at resurrecting Baltimore's career. Shortly afterwards, Somerville quit the band, stating he wanted a career which was "more political". Following that successful start, she disappeared into obscurity for a few years. It reached Number 3 in the UK charts, equalling the feats of Smalltown Boy, and was memorably described by one critic as "the gayest record ever made". Charli "Chuck" Baltimore is a female rapper who first made an attempt at becoming a superstar in 1998, with a song called "Money".

The full version was actually a medley, also incorporating snippets of Love To Love You baby and Johnny Remember Me. In 1985, the trio joined up with Marc Almond to record a version of the Donna Summer classic I Feel Love. Playing the clarinet solos in the song was Richard Coles, with whom Somerville would later team up to form the Communards. It Ain't Necessarily So, a song which questioned the authenticity of Biblical tales, reached the UK Top 20.

A third single was released from it, again causing controversy. At the time, the age of consent for gay men in the UK was 21. The sleeve inside listed the varying ages of consent for homosexual sex in different nations around the world. At the end of 1984, the trio released an album which was provocatively titled The Age Of Consent.

Again, it made the Top 10 in the UK. The song quickly established the trio as an outlet for gay issues - all three members were gay - and the follow-up single Why? pursued the same energetic and electronic formula musically, while the lyrics centred more centrally and darkly on anti-gay prejudice. Called Smalltown Boy, it peaked at Number 3 in the UK and was accompanied by a memorable video of Somerville leaving home, forlornly eating a plum on a train, being attacked by a homophobic gang and being returned to his family by the police. Formed in 1983, their debut hit came the following year - the striking tale of a boy who was cast away by his family and neighbours for being gay.

At their height, the band comprised of distinctive and diminutive singer Jimmy Somerville, backed by Steve Bronski and Larry Steinbacheck, both of whom played keyboards and percussion. Bronski Beat were a popular British synth pop trio of the early 1980s.