Bros - The Time (Anniversary Celebration)

UK release date: October 12th 1989
UK album chart peak: #4

Buy Bros "The Time" here
Read my Bros album anniversary posts here

By the time 1989 rolled around, Bros were surfing the crest of their popularity - having scored 5 top 5 hits from their debut album Push and filled Wembley Stadium with their BrosIn2Summer extravaganza (I was there - my beloved Debbie Gibson was the support act), they were ready to put the disappointment of original 3rd member Craig Logan leaving and move forward with their second album. I can't say I was a hardcore Brosette (as fans were known) - I had no Grolsch bottle tops on my shows, but I had thoroughly enjoyed the brash vibrancy of their first album and they had totally won me over with their energetic live spectacle. I was excited for second album Time - and eager to see what offerings the twins would serve up as co-writers of their own pop hits.

It all kicked off with lead single Too Much - an exuberant, rock infused anthem with a driving beat and assertive chorus. Matt's confident, swaggering vocal style gave the song a real personality but also revealed the melancholic pathos of the lyrics - that when you've loved and lost, you work so much harder to ensure it works the next time Cupid's arrow hits your heart. The refrain of "Too much love and I don't wanna lose it/Don't wanna be lonely like before" showed the boys could be achingly sensitive but added layers by dressing it up in such a machismo sound. It took me a few years to work out how vital this song was as an enduring legacy to the tribulations of romance - but even just appreciating it's superficial charms upon release was more than enough :) Britain agreed and sent it top five in a charts dominated by the synth-pop sound of Stock Aitken and Waterman. In that respect, they felt like a breath of fresh air. Follow up Chocolate Box was even better. The same percolating energy to the prominent drums was ever present but the music added an engaging gospel choir giving subtle backing vocals and spicy synths to mix things up. Matt delivered the vocals with mellifluous ease while those ferocious guitar licks in the middle 8 were tangibly electrifying. I was still in my ugly duckling phase when this came out so I couldn't really relate to the narrative of being judged solely on your looks rather than your inner worth, but it all sounded magnificent and I was utterly smitten. It still remains one of my favourite Bros songs of all time - I'd love to see a contemporary artist do an update of this...

Sister was the third (and if memory serves me correctly Christmas?) single from the album which, by this time, had already swooped in the charts to give them another top five hit. It's hard to write about such a poignant personal song that is entirely heartwrenching and devastating from start to finish. Elegiac spanish influenced guitar provide the perfect backdrop for the sombre poetry of the lyrics that allow the twins to express their feelings about the loss of their sister Carolyn in such wistful and honest manner. The lyrics never fail to have an impact and one must admire the boys for so exquisitely working through their grief in such dignified manner. It quite rightly gave them a top ten - and hopefully provided some soothe to the family (and others who had been through the same situation). Sister is reflective of the growth of the band as craftsmen of mature, evergreen pop standards. In hindsight this was quite the accomplishment for what surely must be one of the first bands to herald back the era of pin-up pop in the late 80s. Madly In Love, the fourth and final single, was further evidence of this. It was quite the bold choice for single - edited down from the longer album version and using what was essentially the melody template from Too Much yet felt as invigorating and new as that lead off single had felt 9 months earlier. It was more rhythmic than rock with hints of new jack swing permeating the production, almost like the best song Michael Jackson never recorded. It may have ended their run of 8 consecutive top ten hits (peaking at fourteen) but it showed that Matt & Luke were not content to rest on their laurels, wanting to push the boundaries of what was expected from them. They certainly succeeded - if you've not delved into Time you should absolutely do so, it's aged well and deserves more, ahem, time to shine.