Bananarama (album)


Bananarama is the second album released by British girl group Bananarama. Released in 1984, the album peaked at no.16 on the UK album chart, also reaching the US top 40 album chart and was certified Silver by the BPI.
The group continued their association with producers Jolley & Swain. With this album, Bananarama had their first significant U.S. success with the single "Cruel Summer", which became a top ten hit there, bolstered by the song's inclusion in the soundtrack to the movie The Karate Kid. Further hits from the album included "Robert De Niro's Waiting..." and "Rough Justice". The track "Hot Line to Heaven" was also released as a single in the UK but failed to reach the top 40, peaking at #58.

Details

The original vinyl release came in an embossed sleeve and included a poster which, as well as the album lyrics and a photo of each member of the group, contained the message: "Well, a year is a long time, people change & maybe we have too – hopefully for the better! Anyway here are results of our hard work over the past twelve months. This is for you – we hope you like it. Best Wishes, love Keren X, All the best, love Sarah x, and Lots of love, Siobhan xx".
The album and the song on it, "King of the Jungle" were dedicated to the memory of their friend Thomas ‘Kidso’ Reilly, who had recently been killed in Belfast.

Reception

Reviewed at the time of release, Creem said the album had a, "misty feeling that's almost nostalgic. Women don't sing like this anymore, with this kind of sighing regret. The album has curves, not edges, and it's got a texture you can float on, a shine like "Don't Worry Baby" without the harmonic intricacy. With their waif-like, wafer-thin pipes, Keren, Siobhan and Sarah sound dazed, as though someone roused them from sleep and stuck them behind a mike."

Track listing

CD, LP and cassette versions
  1. "Cruel Summer" – 3:35
  2. "Rough Justice" – 5:07
  3. "King of the Jungle" – 3:28
  4. "Dream Baby" – 3:01
  5. "Link" – 1:31
  6. "Hot Line to Heaven" – 7:19
  7. "State I'm In" – 2:48
  8. "Robert De Niro's Waiting..." – 3:43
  9. "Through a Child's Eyes" – 3:40
CD and LP US versions
  1. "Cruel Summer" – 3:35
  2. "Rough Justice" – 5:07
  3. "King of the Jungle" – 3:28
  4. "Dream Baby" – 3:01
  5. "Link" – 1:31
  6. "The Wild Life" – 3:50
  7. "Hot Line to Heaven" – 3:50
  8. "State I'm In" – 2:48
  9. "Robert De Niro's Waiting..." – 3:43
  10. "Through a Child's Eyes" – 3:40
2007 CD re-issue plus bonus tracks
  1. "Cruel Summer" – 3:35
  2. "Rough Justice" – 5:07
  3. "King of the Jungle" – 3:28
  4. "Dream Baby" – 3:01
  5. "Link" – 1:31
  6. "Hot Line to Heaven" – 7:19
  7. "State I'm In" – 2:48
  8. "Robert De Niro's Waiting..." – 3:43
  9. "Through a Child's Eyes" – 3:40
  10. "Cairo" – 3:44
  11. "Push!" – 4:10
  12. "Rough Justice" – 3:38
  13. "Live Now" – 3:04
  14. "Hot Line to Heaven" – 3:54
  15. "The Wild Life" – 3:50
2013 Deluxe Edition 2CD/DVD re-issue
Disc 1
  1. "Cruel Summer" – 3:35
  2. "Rough Justice" – 5:04
  3. "King of the Jungle" – 3:26
  4. "Dream Baby" – 3:08
  5. "Link" – 1:30
  6. "Hot Line to Heaven" – 7:16
  7. "State I'm In" – 2:45
  8. "Robert De Niro's Waiting..." – 3:42
  9. "Through a Child's Eyes" – 3:39
  10. "The Wild Life" – 3:54
  11. "Cairo" – 3:46
  12. "Push!" – 4:08
  13. "Live Now" – 3:05
  14. "Cruel Summer" – 4:55
  15. "Robert De Niro's Waiting..." – 5:42
  16. "Rough Justice" – 5:20
  17. "The Wild Life" – 6:23
  18. "Cruel Summer 89" – 5:17
Disc 2
  1. "Cruel Summer 89" – 3:21
  2. "Robert De Niro's Waiting..." – 3:29
  3. "Rough Justice" – 3:38
  4. "Hot Line to Heaven" – 3:45
  5. "The Wild Life" – 3:17
  6. "Cruel Summer" - 3:27
  7. "Rough Justice" – 6:40
  8. "King of the Jungle" – 3:18
  9. "Dream Baby" – 3:08
  10. "Link"/"Push!" – 5:55
  11. "State I'm In" – 4:37
  12. "The Wild Life" – 7:04
  13. "Cruel Summer" - 5:13
  14. "State I'm In" – 3:07
  15. "The Wild Life" – 4:06
  16. "Cruel Summer 89" – 5:02
DVD
  1. "Cruel Summer" - directed by Brian Simmons
  2. "Robert De Niro's Waiting..." - directed by Duncan Gibbins
  3. "Rough Justice" - directed by Jonathan Gershfield
  4. "Hot Line to Heaven" - directed by Jonathan Gershfield
  5. "State I'm In" - directed by Jonathan Gershfield
  6. "The Wild Life"
  7. "Cruel Summer 89"
  8. "Cruel Summer" - on Top of the Pops
  9. "Robert De Niro's Waiting..." - on The Russell Harty Show
  10. "Rough Justice" - on Top of the Pops
  11. "Michael Row the Boat Ashore" - on Saturday Superstore
Some mid-80's US LP and CD versions
Bananarama