Breakfast Club. No, not the soundtrack, the band.
Though they only released one album in 1987, the band would actually have its roots all the way back in 1979, going through several iterations before their album would eventually be released. One such iteration in the early 80's even included future Queen of Pop, Madonna, on drums, with bassist Angie Smit, and the brothers Dan and Ed (who also provided vocals) Gilroy on guitars. Madonna would leave, forming the band Emmy And The Emmys.
By the mid 80's the band consisted of the Gilroys, Gary Burk (bass), and Stephen Bray (drums), the latter two having left Madonna's above noted band to join Breakfast Club. They'd sign with ZE Records, and release the non-charting single, Rico Mambo.
When their debut finally came out, it spawned the Billboard Hot 100 hit, Right On Track, which peaked at number seven. The album as a whole would peak at number forty-seven on the Billboard 200, and they'd be nominated by the Grammy's for Best New Artist.
Knowing the history of Madonna in the band, it changes the perspective of the record itself. You can literally hear the mirroring styles of music which she turned into a goldmine for herself. Can you imagine how different things would be if between True Blue (1986), and Like A Prayer (1989), there was Madonna: Breakfast Club? Ah, the alternate timelines that could have been.
Standing on its own merits it's a relatively forgettable album. While I bought it for Right On Track, I did find a couple of new tunes for the old shuffle list. These included Never Be The Same, and Rico Mambo.
Though the group would return to the studio and record a follow-up intended for release in 1988, it would be rejected by ZE, and shelved. They would disband shortly thereafter. Bray would go on to work with Madonna, writing tracks for her, and in 2005 write and compose music for the Broadway adaption of The Color Purple, which he won a Tony for. Dan Gilroy would turn his attention to acting, but not really make any big splashes. His most notable work was for the kids shows, Mother Goose Rock ‘n’ Rhyme, and “Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. As for Ed Gilroy, and Gary Burke, not much is known about what they went on to do after Breakfast Club.
An EP was released in 2016, entitled Percolate, which apparently included some of the previously recorded unreleased tracks. Additionally, a digitally released docudram, Madonna And The Breakfast Club came out in 2019. Beyond that, not much gets said about Breakfast Club. They came and went in the blink of an eye, relatively lost to the decade of excess, with the only tie keeping them relevant being their involvement with Madonna.
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