A rule of thumb in the music industry is that teenage heartthrobs are good for about two years, and Bros was in its second year when its second album, The Time, was released. A second rule of thumb is that teenage heartthrobs don't necessarily travel well, and while Bros ruled the British airwaves with the three hits included on this album--in descending and (notably) chronological order, "Too Much," "Chocolate Box," and "Madly In Love"--they never made much of an impression in the U.S. As with most teenage heartthrobs, the music wasn't the point; all of these songs are heavily produced, glossy dance tracks in which Matt Goss's enthusiastic but thin vocals are the least noticeable aspect. The point was image, and without a big promotional push, that image never became visible to Americans, while, in England, it was only good for the life of this record, completing Bros' two years of fame. (Epic Records in the U.S. reconfigured the album for American release, cutting the tracks "Streetwise" and "Space Sister" and adding "Life's A Heartbeat," the 1988 #1 U.K. hit "I Owe You Nothing," which also had appeared on Bros' previous album, Push, and the 1989 Top 10 U.K. hit "Sister.")
© William Ruhlmann /TiVo