There is something fabulous about Bananarama. They are a pop phenomenon built around a childhood friendship. They were neither created, nor moulded, but have gone on to have more international hits than any other all-female group, including thirty hit singles in the UK, a US number one, and thirty million record sales worldwide.
Initially as a trio with Siobhan Fahey, then Jacquie O’Sullivan, and for the last 33 years as a duo, Bananarama have defied sexism and ageism in the pop music industry. They write, (or co-write) the majority of their own material – something that they do not receive nearly enough credit for – and in recent years they entirely self-fund releases on their own record label, putting them firmly in charge of their careers. Along the way they have been wholeheartedly embraced by the LGBTQ+ community and helped redefine what an all-girl group could be: individual, authentic, innovative, irreverent, tenacious, cool, self-determining, and fun. Like I say, fabulous.
Bananarama’s legacy is celebrated in Glorious: The Ultimate Collection. The title implies that this is a ‘greatest hits’ compilation, which it is not. Rather, it is a unique collection, personally curated by founder members Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward, which celebrates the various twists and turns of the group’s career, each song representing a piece of the jigsaw, adding up to a bigger picture of the group’s story over five decades. Consequently, a number of the group’s hits are omitted (no place for ‘Shy Boy’, ‘Love, Truth and Honesty’ or ‘Nathan Jones’ for example) but conversely each of the group’s twelve albums are represented, from their 1983 debut Deep Sea Skiving, to 2022’s Masquerade. It is also gratifying that their 1995 album Ultra Violet and 2001’s Exotica, neither of which were released in the UK at the time, are given their moment to shine.
There are, of course, beloved, evergreen pop classics aplenty, from their debut hit ‘Really Saying Something’ with Fun Boy Three through to ‘Cruel Summer’, Robert De Niro’s Waiting’ and their collaborations with Stock Aitken Waterman on ‘I Heard A Rumour’, ‘Love In The First Degree’ and their irresistible cover version of Shocking Blue’s ‘Venus’, but there are other gems on Glorious worth investigating. Every fan will have their own favourites, but I have always had a soft spot for Bananarama’s 1993 album Please Yourself (their first album as a duo), so I would point to ‘Movin’ On’ and ‘Last Thing On My Mind’, both of which were subsequently covered by Steps, the latter becoming a top ten hit for them. Then there is the haunting electro disco of ‘Feel For You’ from Drama, US dance smash ‘Look on The Floor (Hypnotic Tango)’, the 1970’s feel of ‘Stuff Like That’ and the uplifting, harmony laden ‘Feel The Love’, one of two new songs for this collection with long-time collaborator Ian Masterson.
Glorious is a sumptuous collection released on multiple formats including double CD, vinyl, cassette, triple gold vinyl, triple red vinyl and a splendid 3CD deluxe edition with a hardback book, numbered slipcase and signed print (which I may have pre-ordered!). Sara and Keren will also be visiting HMV in Birmingham on 9th March, to sign copies of the album.
If you are a casual listener, looking for a catch all collection of Bananarama’s UK hits, then this is probably not the album for you. However, if you want to dig a little deeper and explore all eras of the group’s extensive body of work, then Glorious would be an excellent place to start….
…And if you’re a fan of Bananarama, then this album is a must-have, and the whole Glorious era – these releases, these signings, and the forthcoming shows at London Palladium – are a joyous celebration of the group’s enduring pop legacy and events not to be missed.
- Reviewed by David Waterfield.
- Glorious: The Ultimate Collection is released via London Records on 8th March 2024 (available here).
- Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / X (Twitter) / YouTube Channel
Track List:
CD1: (vinyl sides A-C)
1. Really Saying Something
2. Cruel Summer
3. Robert De Niro’s Waiting
4. Venus
5. More Than Physical
6. A Trick of the Night
7. I Heard a Rumour
8. Love in the First Degree
9. Only Your Love
10. Preacher Man
11. I Could Be Persuaded
12. Movin’ On [Disco Chic]
13. Last Thing on My Mind [Electrified]
14. Every Shade of Blue
15. Take Me to Your Heart
16. Prove Your Love
17. If
18. Crazy
19. Move in My Direction
20. Look on the Floor (Hypnotic Tango)
CD2: (vinyl sides D-F)
1. Feel for You
2. Lovebite
3. Love Comes
4. Love Don’t Live Here
5. Seventeen
6. Extraordinary
7. Baby It’s Christmas
8. Now or Never
9. La La Love
10. Stuff Like That
11. Looking for Someone
12. I’m on Fire
13. It’s Gonna Be Alright
14. Favourite
15. Masquerade
16. Forever Young
17. Running With The Night
18. Cruel Summer (3am Mix)
19. Feel The Love
20. Supernova
CD3: (Deluxe Edition / digital only)
1. Robert De Niro’s Waiting (The Reflex Revision)
2. Do Not Disturb (Krystal Klear New Wave Mix)
3. Venus (Boys Noize Rework)
4. Only Your Love (Initial Talk Remix)
5. Tripping on Your Love (Metropolis Mix)
6. Now or Never (Extended Version)
7. Tonight (Bright Light Bright Light Remix)
8. Stuff Like That (Extended Version)
9. Velvet Lies (Luke Million Remix)
10. Masquerade (Castle Elvira Mix)
