THE AGE OF CONSENT - 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Synth pop trio Bronski Beat's 1984 debut The Age of Consent is a rarity in musical history - an album that both defined a generation and challenged the status quo. Its four singles, and particular lead single 'Smalltown Boy', have endured with astonishing resonance, offering home to all listeners dreaming of escape from their familiar surroundings and situations. Every track on the album places the listener 'in the room': they are in it, living it, rolling inside each song's thematic meaning. Through the blue-eyed wonder of singer Jimmy Somerville's vocal pirouettes, they too take the punch of hate in 'Why?', question the bible with alongside a male voice choir on 'It Ain't Necessarily So', and watch the same crappy TV advertising on 'Junk'. They are part of the trade-off between lust and commerce in 'Love and Money' and the heated near climax of 'Need A Man Blues.' 40 years later and The Age of Consent remains as prescient and vital as ever as it did on its original release; truly transgressive - defiant, queer, and laden with hooks. To celebrate this important anniversary, London Records revisit the album across a series of expanded formats, uncovering sonic archival gems, new mixes, essays and more.

TRACKLIST 

CD1

01. WHY?
02. IT AIN'T NECESSARILY SO
03. SCREAMING
04. NO MORE WAR
05. LOVE AND MONEY
06. SMALLTOWN BOY
07. HEATWAVE
08. JUNK
09. NEED A MAN BLUES
10. I FEEL LOVE / JOHNNY REMEMBER ME
11. SMALLTOWN BOY (ABSOLUTE. EXTENDED REWORK)
12. SMALLTOWN BOY (PLANNINGTOROCK'S 'THE LOVE THAT YOU NEED' REWORK)
13. SMALLTOWN BOY (DAVE AUDÉ VS TALL PAUL REMIX) *
14. WHY? (SUPERCHUMBO MIX FT. NEIL TENNANT) *
15. SMALLTOWN BOY (THE KNOCKS & BRONSKI BEAT FT PERFUME GENIUS) *

CD2

01. HEATWAVE (HARVEY GOLDBERG REMIX)
02. WHY (HARVEY GOLDBERG REMIX)
03. RUN FROM LOVE (DOMINIC MAITA REMIX)
04. HARD RAIN (HARVEY GOLDBERG REMIX)
05. SMALLTOWN BOY (HARVEY GOLDBERG REMIX)
06. JUNK (HARVEY GOLDBERG REMIX)
07. LOVE AND MONEY (HUNDREDS & THOUSANDS REMIX) *
08. INFATUATION / MEMORIES
09. CLOSE TO THE EDGE
10. I FEEL LOVE (CAKE MIX) WITH MARC ALMOND
11. CADILLAC CAR (EXTENDED)

* PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED