Brilliant

The fleeting trio Brilliant holds greater value as a node in rock genealogy than for the solitary record it released. Although the act left little commercial trace, its roster featured a pair of prominent 1980s musicians: Youth, formerly the bassist in Killing Joke, and guitarist Jimmy Cauty, whose prior credits included Zodiac Mindwarp and whose subsequent work would bring wider recognition through the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, the KLF, and the Orb. Completing the lineup was vocalist June Montana, a session singer recognized for contributions to the Dream Academy; the three adopted the name Brilliant once the original ten-piece configuration had been reduced to this core. The project began as a funk-oriented outfit influenced by Killing Joke, issuing early singles through Rough Trade. Former Teardrop Explodes keyboardist Dave Balfe served as manager, and rock impresario Bill Drummond secured the group a contract with WEA. Their 1986 release, Kiss the Lips of Life, was produced by the then-rising team of Stock Aitken Waterman. Despite these connections, the band achieved only modest success: a reggae-inflected cover of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” charted in its native U.K., while the dance-rock track “Somebody” received club exposure in the United States. Brilliant disbanded shortly after the album’s appearance, freeing Cauty and Youth to pursue more prominent endeavors.