I was never a Brosette you will be pleased to hear, but Bros were strutting their stuff as I was finishing school and starting college and that coupled with the fact that my Sister loved them meant the often high pitched warbling of Matt Goss et al was never far from my ears. In such a situation I could either rebel against the music of Bros or embrace it, I decided to embrace it. Although I quite liked some of the Bros tunes I never went as far as to buy any of their CD`s (Or tapes as it would have been in those days), but when I noticed they had a best of CD out recently and that it was a very reasonable £5.97 at Amazon.co.uk I took it as the ideal time to reacquaint myself with the music of messers Goss, Goss and Logan. The CD is produced by Columbia music and contains nineteen tracks to produce an overall play time of seventy-seven minutes and forty seconds.

●A Little on the History of Bros●

Matt and Luke Goss met Craig Logan at Camberley Comprehensive School in Surrey, a firm friendship was formed and the trio set up a pop group to tour and play in local working men’s clubs. Despite being regularly booed off stage the trio soon started attracting interest from record companies and signed for Massive Management who managed to secure a recording contract with CBS. Their debut single, "I Owe You Nothing" was released in August 1987 and went to number two in the charts, their next single “When Will I Be Famous” went one better and hit top spot and “Drop the Boy” also did well with a number two position in the chart. Unfortunately, in 1989 Craig Logan decided he had had enough of the band and left, although the Goss brothers continued to perform under the Bros name it was never quite the same and they both decided to call it a day in 1992.

●The Songs on this CD●

●When Will I Be Famous? (4.01)●
This is the first song on the compilation and was also the first single to be released from Bros` debut album, Push. The song has a light and pacey feel to it and as such is an ideal opener for the album. Matt Goss` vocals are well balanced with plenty of Roohahs and Whoops thrown in to good effect. The drums keep the track flowing nicely without drowning out the words and I’m sure I detected cow bells in the background; A fine melodic start to the album.

“You're suitably at one with your body and the sun, Yes you are.
You've read Karl Marx and you've taught yourself to dance, you’re the best by far! But you keep asking the question, Oh you're not supposed to mention.
When will I will I be famous?”

●Drop the Boy (3.51)●
Another song form Bros` Push album, Drop the Boy starts with a heavier drum beat to that of When Will I be Famous. Plenty of roohahs and such are soon replaced with a slower vocal from Matt Goss which I feel shows the depth of his voice to far better effect. A slight touch of synthesizer can just be made out in the distance and some electric guitar breaks into the song about three quarters of the way through. Towards the end most of these supplementary instruments fade out so we are left with the vocals and a simple drum beat.

“Drop the boy, drop the boy-oy. I'm a man, yes I am (I'm a man), But they still call me boy-oy, so just drop it”

●Madly In Love (4.33)●
Madly In love was released in 1990 and made it to the top ten in the UK. It was the third single to be taken form Bros` second album, the time. Another pacey song with a simple drum beat underlining it, Madly In Love starts very quietly and again allows Matt Goss to go through the range of his voice which delivers a good sound. A soft synthesizer sound can be heard as well which compliments the song to perfection.

“Now you know that I’m madly in love, Hey girl I’m still so madly, Does it show that I’m madly in love, Listen all that I wanna do Is be madly in love with you”

●Ten Out of Ten (4.10)●
Ten out of Ten starts with a heavier drum beat and a touch of synthesizer which sound rather like the theme tune to the krypton Factor. The Chorus is sung in a breathless style by Matt and the song is slow of pace and very melodic. A very nice and easy to listen to song that was originally released from Bros` the time album.

“Brick walls and windows, reflect in the light, Fabric so limp hiding the night. People almost families, Building their nests, God knows it’s perfect, ten out of ten.”

●Cat Among the Pigeons (4.08)●
Another slow song, Cat Among The Pigeons was originally released as a double A-side with Silent Night and was featured on the Push album, released to contend for the 1998 Christmas number one spot it narrowly missed out with a chart position of number two. A light drum beat is used to good effect with a touch of bass guitar lifting the whole song well. This is a very haunting and relaxed song which again relies on Matts` voice to convey the emotion, which it does with aplomb.

“Screaming in silence, fast on her feet, nervously feeling, fear on the street, No-moving traffic. Only the odd, wing in the air, A shape of light, A strand of hair, No time, time to despair”

●Too Much (3.35)●
Now to the untrained ear Too Much sounds just like Madly In Love, indeed a lot of the same tune is used but with a more rock and roll style in the drumming and vocals. The heavier sound seemed to go down well as Too Much reached Number two in the charts on its release in July 1989. Good use of electric guitar and backing singers no doubt helping the cause.

“My head is sore I'm a tortured man, Am I encase in this devils plan, I'm in pain I've been rearranged, My conception of love is new, Why am I running running away, From everything that I wanted to do”

●I Owe You Nothing (3.43)●
I Owe You Nothing is my favourite Bros song and it seemed to be other peoples too as it topped the charts for two weeks in June 1988. Another well paced song that makes good use of synthesisers and light drumming as well as a fine vocal performance from Matt. I remember my Sister cried when this made it to number one, such was her love for the group. I Owe You Nothing is still an extremely catchy song some sixteen years after its first release and would probably still do well in the charts today.

“I’ll watch you crumble, like a very old wall (ooh), I’ll see you stranded (yeah), you took me for a fool (ooh), I’ll have my revenge (ooh, ooh yeah), ´cos I owe you nothing, nothing at all. I owe you nothing, nothing at all, I owe you nothing, nothing, nothing at all”

●Liar (3.44)●
Liar was not a song I was instantly familiar with and yet it is a fairly catchy little tune. A continuous thunk thunk thunk drum beat is complimented with catchy lyrics and what sounds like a saxophone break half way through. Liar reminds me of the kind of tunes Duran Duran produced in their early days.

“All day long you’re talking, words escaping from your head, not a truthful sentence, Lady – this must be said. Basically you’re a liar, a teller of untruths, every reason not to trust you, and this is telling you the truth”

●Chocolate Box (4.00)●
Chocolate Box featured on the time album and only got to number nine in the UK charts when it was released in October 1989. Matt delivers a much throatier lyric and the song goes back to the earlier use of the synthesizer, the drums are subtle and a light electric guitar riff breaks into the song near the end. Chocolate box is not dissimilar in sound and make up to I Owe You Nothing.

“Chocolate in the box, I know you'll take another, What you want is a looker not a lover in the box, Cos I know you'll take another, What you want is a looker not a lover I discovered”

●Money (4.24)●
Another Bros song that I had never heard before, Money was never released as a single which begs the question as to why it is on this compilation. Originally from the time album Money is a jaunty little number with trumpet blasts, methodical drumming and good lyrics. This song almost has a jazzy feel to it and is an OK addition to this album.

“He had the money to put the diamonds on your rings, Money to put the furs on your back (YUK!!), Money to give you everything, Everything you never had with me, Materialistic girl don’t do it to me girl”

●It’s a Jungle Out There (4.17)●
Back to a more popular song and It’s a Jungle Out There featured on Bros` first album, Push. The pace of the song is medium to fast with a heavy synthesizer and electric guitar influence. This song has essences of Peter Andre about it in my opinion and is a catchy tune with easy lyrics to sing along too if the urge takes you.

“It’s a jungle out there, I am just a prisoner help me to survive that
jungle out there, Help help me please help me to survive that jungle out there, there”

●I Quit (3.36)●
I Quit is another of my favourite Bros ditties, it reached a highly respectable number four in the charts on its release in the autumn of 1988. Originally from the Push album, I Quit is a fast song with a light and pacey drum beat and heavy synthesizer use. An electric guitar is also obvious with Matts` voice going through the octaves with relative ease. A great song to play to your boss if you have had

enough!

“Most of my friends were strangers when I met them, Familiarity breeds contempt, Well I’m better alone than in company so get out stay out of my life, I’m at the point I’m at the point where I quit”

●Changing Faces (4.03)●
Unfortunately it seems we are back to the fillers with Changing Faces which comes from the album of the same name. It doesn’t even sound particularly Bros like with Matt seeming to try just a little too hard in his singing. Trumpets and bass guitar do little to lift this song which in my opinion is the worst on the album,

“Changes make faces come and go, Got a look in your eyes it's the only way I know, Changes make faces come and go, Eyes on your face are the windows to your soul (To your soul)”

●Sister (4.24)●
Sister is a lovely little song which is especially poignant to anyone like me who has a Sister. Instruments are kept to a minimum with a delicate drum beat and the occasional strum of a guitar. Matts` voice is at its very best in this song with a delicious subtlety to his delivery. Another fine and relaxing tune, Sister made it to number ten on its release in late December 1989, it can be heard on the time album.

“Alone is now, then was together, I have only memories that make me feel better, Time alone is my only drug, I’ll never forget my sister. She was torn between two worlds of a city and a suburb, Were her shouts of anger and frustration ever heard, But she ….”

●Life’s a Heartbeat (4.49)●
Another filler, Life’s a Heartbeat is from the time album but was never released as a single. Similar in sound to It’s a Jungle Out There but without the clever lyrics this is very much a hit and miss song. For some unknown reason the song turns into a Pet Shop Boys type song near the end which just adds to the disjointed feel even more, one to skip on the CD I fear.

“Never look down on a lesser man, don’t judge a book by its cover, One man’s duties in his life, Just might not fit another’s”

●Are You Mine? (4.42)●
From the Changing Faces album this song is familiar. A quiet start eventually builds up to an almost choral tune with instruments again kept to a minimum except for the chorus when drums and bass guitar compliment Matts` lyrics beautifully. Unfortunately the song goes on a little too long and gives off a sort of “We Are the World” type feel toward the end, this would be a great song if it were a minute shorter.

“Distance makes the heart grow fonder, These are the words that make time take longer, Out of sight out of mind, You know these are the words that blow my mind”

●Try (3.41)●
Try, from the Changing Faces album, seem to be Bros trying out a rock type sound. I’m not sure it works but it is a decent enough and well paced song with heavy bass guitar influences. A Gospel choir also adds to the chorus which lends the whole tune a jaunty feel.

“We're the reason why there'll be no birds up in the sky, We got to put our hands together cos we're running out of time”

●I’ll Count the Hours (4.12)●
I don’t even know which album I’ll Count the Hours is from which doesn’t bode well. Sure it’s a nice enough tune but if it didn’t even make it onto an album the first time around what is it doing here? Instruments are kept to a minimum with no drums and just an occasional piano tinkle. Matts` voice is the predominant feature of this song and he delivers an adequate performance.

●Silent Night (3.47)●
Silent Night is a nice tune to end on with Bros doing an admirable take on the Christmas classic. This was released as a double A-side with Cat Among the Pigeons and just missed the 1988 Christmas top spot by one position. Silent Night does not feature on any previous Bros albums which is probably why it was paired on a double A-side to gain its release. Matts` voice is the driving force of this song with Christmassy tinkles and sparkles thrown in to good effect.

“Silent night, holiest night, Darkness flies, all is light, Shepherds hear the Angels sing: Hallelujah, to the newborn King, Jesus, the saviour is here, Jesus the saviour is here!”

So there we have it! A decent enough trip down memory lane that should keep any brosettes appetite sated for a while. I will give The Best of Bros four stars out of five with the fifth star dropped due to the few fillers that have snuck onto the album. That said, this is a great album to listen to, and a bargain indeed at the price Amazon currently have it for sale at.