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The Very Best Of
The Very Best Of
Greatest hits album by Jimmy Somerville featuring Bronski Beat and The Communards
Released	10 September 2001
Recorded	1984–1995
Genre	Synth-pop; Hi-NRG; dance;
Length	74:54
Label	London
Producer	Mike Thorne; Stephen Hague; Pascal Gabriel;
Jimmy Somerville featuring Bronski Beat and The Communards chronology

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]

The Very Best Of is a compilation album covering Scottish pop singer Jimmy Somerville's career in Bronski Beat, The Communards and as a solo artist. It was released in 2001 and reached number 29 in the UK Albums Chart.

The album features mostly the same tracks, although in a different order, to the 1990 compilation The Singles Collection 1984/1990. Only one track from that album, "Run from Love", isn't featured on The Very Best and is replaced with the newer track "Hurt So Good".

Although Bronski Beat had three UK top 40 hits after Somerville's departure ("Hit That Perfect Beat", "C'mon C'mon" and "Cha Cha Heels")^[2] they are not included on the compilation as it is intended as a retrospective of Somerville's career.

In 2002, the compilation was re-released as a limited edition double CD set.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	From album	Length
1.	"Smalltown Boy" (Bronski Beat)	Jimmy Somerville Larry Steinbachek Steve Bronski	The Age of Consent	5:00
2.	"Don't Leave Me This Way" (The Communards with Sarah Jane Morris)	Kenneth Gamble Leon Huff Cary Gilbert	Communards	4:33
3.	"Why?" (Bronski Beat)	Somerville Steinbachek Bronski	The Age of Consent	3:58
4.	"You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" (Jimmy Somerville)	Sylvester James Dip Warrick	Read My Lips	3:58
5.	"Disenchanted" (The Communards)	Somerville Richard Coles	Communards	4:11
6.	"Never Can Say Goodbye" (The Communards)	Clifton Davis	Red	4:28
7.	"So Cold the Night" (The Communards)	Somerville Coles	Communards	4:41
8.	"To Love Somebody" (Jimmy Somerville)	Barry Gibb Robin Gibb	The Singles Collection 1984/1990	4:17
9.	"There's More to Love (Than Boy Meets Girl)" (The Communards)	Somerville Coles	Red	3:51
10.	"Comment te dire adieu" (Jimmy Somerville featuring June Miles-Kingston)	Jack Gold Arnold Goland Serge Gainsbourg	Read My Lips	3:38
11.	"You Are My World" (The Communards)	Somerville Coles	Communards	4:31
12.	"I Feel Love/Johnny Remember Me" (Bronski Beat with Marc Almond)	Giorgio Moroder Pete Bellotte Donna Summer Geoff Goddard	Hundreds & Thousands	5:48
13.	"Tomorrow" (The Communards)	Somerville Coles	Red	4:49
14.	"Hurt So Good" (Jimmy Somerville)	Phillip Mitchell	Dare to Love	3:52
15.	"Read My Lips (Enough Is Enough)" (Jimmy Somerville)	Somerville	Read My Lips	4:49
16.	"For a Friend" (The Communards)	Somerville Coles	Red	4:38
17.	"It Ain't Necessarily So" (Bronski Beat)	George Gershwin Ira Gershwin	The Age of Consent	4:06

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2001–02)	Peak position
German Albums Chart^[3]	49
Scottish Albums Chart^[4]	26
UK Albums Chart^[5]	29

Chart (2009)	Peak position
UK Budget Albums^[6]	17

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)^[7]	Gold	100,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

iTunes charts performance

In August 2015 the album debuted on the German iTunes chart at number 12, while in August 2017 on the French equivalent it reached number 85.^[8]

The Collector's Edition of the set would make entries first in Brazil, reaching number 17 in May 2019, and later in France at number 41 as well at number 43 in Spain, both in May 2020. In the UK, the enhanced version peaked at number 48 in July 2021, in Italy at number 40 in April 2022, and in Germany at number 50 in June 2022.^[9]}