Read My Lips is the 1989 debut solo album by Jimmy Somerville, former lead singer of the successful synthpop groups Bronski Beat and The Communards. The album was released through London Records. Singer Jimmy Somerville lent his soaring falsetto to two of the premier dance-pop outfits of the '80s, Bronski Beat and the Communards, before embarking on a solo career. Born in Glasgow, Scotland on June 22, 1961, he co-founded Bronski Beat in 1984; from the band's debut single "Smalltown Boy" onward, Somerville's songs dealt openly with his own homosexuality, a recurring theme that met with surprisingly little commercial resistance, as both the record and its follow-up, "Why?," cracked the U.K. Top Ten.

That's the Way I Like It: The Best of Dead or Alive collects 18 tracks from the androgynous British dance-pop outfit responsible for one of the '80’s most enduring club hits, “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)”. Other highlights include a cover of KC & the Sunshine Band's disco classic "That's the Way (I Like It)," “Lover Come Back to Me," "In Too Deep," "My Heart Goes Bang,” and 1986's "Brand New Lover,” as well as the four extended/alternate mixes that populate the collections’ second half. Remastered from the original studio tapes, the anthology may not be exhaustive, but it’s solid enough for casual fans, and engaging enough to recommend to listeners with the false notion that Dead or Alive was a mere one-hit wonder.

THE FLIRTS are a female trio from NEW YORK that had several dance hits and music videos in MTV in the early 80’s. The group was created by American producer BOBBY ORLANDO. They are best known for their high energy tunes "Passion", "Danger", "Helpless", and "Jukebox (Don't Put Another Dime)". "Jukebox" received significant airplay on MTV and is featured on the popular 80’s New Wave compilation VALLEY GIRL film soundtrack. The Flirts released six studio albums from 1982–1992 and numerous singles and completed several international tours. In 1985, The Flirts had a number one U.S. dance track, "You and Me". Their songs continue to receive radio airplay and are included in various CD compilations.

Kim Wilde's second album didn't score any hits on the level of the debut's "Kids in America," although the dramatic "Cambodia" was a sort of cult favorite in some circles. That said, it's a far better album than the patchy debut; the songs, again by brother Rikki Wilde with occasional collaborations by father Marty Wilde, don't have the bubblegum tinge that colored much of 1981's Kim Wilde. The arrangements are more synth-oriented, at times approaching the dark atmospherics of Japan or Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. The occasionally melodramatic lyrics cover topics like police brutality and paranoia – unsurprisingly, new insights aren't much in evidence – and even the love songs, like the delicate "View from a Bridge," aren't exactly happy. The overall vibe of this album is so chilly that the one basically upbeat song, "Can You Come Over," sounds really out of place, but overall, it works. Wilde sings with a clinical detachment here that suits her voice quite well; whenever Wilde tries to emote musically, the results sound forced and melodramatic, but her icy edge on this album is surprisingly appealing.

Kim Wilde's number one cover of the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On" gave her a number one hit back in 1987, but she gained chart life five years earlier with the glitzy bounce of "Kids in America," allied with the new decade's keyboard-laden pop sound and peaking at number 25 on Billboard's Top 40. The Singles Collection 1981-1993 is easily the most opportune avenue available to investigate the rest of Wilde's material. While video may have been her best friend throughout her career, sporting her attractive looks and modest Brit attitude, Wilde's music does contain some pleasing dance hooks and catchy melodies. "Another Step (Closer to You)" and "Love Is Holy" are bright and lively with typical yet congenial pop melodies, while "You Came" mixes a clean, keyboard-aided backdrop to Wilde's sheer vocal style. "Chequered Love" and "Water on Glass" aren't genius, but their arrant pop melodies and simplistic beats are anything but standstill.

Issued exactly 40 years after Patrick Cowley's death, Malebox is a set of six previously unheard disco tracks from the heralded producer. Following the release of 2020's Some Funkettes, this EP concentrates on Cowley's disco-funk side, with no shortage of pounding beats and killer synth basslines. "Floating" is more laidback and vibey, but others such as the guitar-laced "If You Feel It" are no-nonsense dancefloor jams. "Low Down Dirty Rhythm" (which LaBelle's Sarah Dash recorded and released as a single in 1983) is the only non-instrumental, with Jeanie Tracy verbally illustrating the song's gloriously sleazy rhythm. "Love Me Hot" is Hi-NRG at its unforgettable best, all pulsating neon synths and electro-disco beats. Cowley's posthumous releases have demonstrated his extraordinary range as an artist, but for those who just want to dance to pure disco, Malebox is where it's at.

NOW Music is proud to present the newest edition to our ‘Yearbook’ family: NOW – Yearbook 1985, the 6th addition to our Yearbook 80s series and 7th addition including NOW – Yearbook 1979. This Special Edition CD is housed in ‘hard-back-book’ packaging, including a 28-page booklet featuring a summary of the year, a track-by-track guide, a quiz, and original singles artwork.

Secret Passion is the seventh studio album by French singer Amanda Lear, first released on Carrere Records in early 1987. It included single releases "Wild Thing", a dance cover of The Troggs 1965 classic, the romantic pop ditty "Aphrodisiac" and the howlingly vampire-esque rocker "She Wolf". Secret Passion was Lear's first full-length album since 1983's disappointing Tam-Tam and her first for French Carrere, a major label in Francophone countries like France, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada in the 70's and 80's. "Secret Passion" was a contemporary new wave dance production baring more than a fleeting resemblance to Madonna's True Blue album, mainly recorded in Los Angeles with American composers, musicians and arrangers, making it her first album to be recorded outside of Europe.

Samantha Karen Fox (born 15 April 1966) is an English singer, songwriter, actress and former glamour model. In 1983, at age 16, she began appearing as a topless model on Page 3 of British tabloid newspaper The Sun, and continued as a Page 3 girl until 1986. During this time, she became the most popular pin-up girl of her era, as well as one of the most photographed British women of the 1980s…