RELEASED to mark 50 years since the Sexual Offences Act partially decriminalised homosexual acts in private between two men over the age of 21, The Age Of Reason is an enhanced remake of Bronski Beat’s trailblazing Age Of Consent album from 1984.
Important in so many ways, The Age Of Consent gloriously and gratuitously captured the mainstream pop charts with a hard, robust and unashamedly political agenda with strong story songs sporting a thumping techno beat.
Founding member Steve Bronski has recruited programmer Ian Donaldson and vocalist Stephen Granville to replace Larry Steinbeck and Jimmy Sommerville for this thoughtful and high-profile work.
The faithful track by track homage includes an additional disc of new material, including a remake of Sylvester’s Stars and A Flower For Dandara, a sensitive eulogy to the murdered Brazilian transsexual Dandara dos Santos.
Although a laudable album to be cherished, sadly The Age Of Reason doesn’t quite match the combination of heart-wrenching angst and celebrational joy of the original album, which includes Why? Screaming, It Ain’t Necessarily So and the truly ground-breaking mirror to early Eighties Britain, Smalltown Boy.
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