BREATHE
(UK, one Top 40 hit, one Top 40 album)

Ah, the lovely Breathe. A regular fixture in Debenhams bargain buckets throughout the late 80s and early 90s as they tried (and miserably failed) to reach the dizzy heights of debut single "Hands To Heaven", a sentimental, cheesy bit of harmonised smoocho pop pap which made lead singer David Glasper a top pin-up for about three weeks. Nausea- factor provided by message on back of sleeve which dedicated the song to "all those who, in innocence, still dream of a perfect love", hence an increase in the sale of J-cloths. They were basically too similar to Bros, yet probably ended up with more money.

Biggest Hit: "Hands To Heaven", No.3, 1988
Defining Moment: Having a drummer called Ian Spice.

EDIE BRICKELL AND THE NEW BOHEMIANS
(US, one Top 40 hit, one Top 40 album)

Now mentioned by DJs on big chart stations on a regular basis because Emma Bunton's first anti-Spice outing was a cover of Brickell's jolly "What I Am", which sounded a lot better first time round, unsurprisingly. Know little about this lot, but we can be grateful for them having a tune which persuaded Baby Spice not to write one of her own.

Biggest Hit: "What I Am", No.31, 1989
Defining Moment: "What I am is what I am and what you are..."

BROKEN ENGLISH
(UK, one Top 40 hit, no Top 40 albums)

Little-known one hit wonders with the raunchy "Comin' On Strong" which always appears on cheapo compilations sold only in petrol stations, usually called "On The Move" or "Drivetime".

Biggest Hit: "Comin' On Strong", No.18, 1987
Defining Moment: None.

BRONSKI BEAT
(UK, five Top 40 hits, three Top 40 albums)

Spud-headed gay electro trio led by the haunting, distinctively unbroken vocal of miniature crooner Jimmy Somerville, whose moving mid-range ballad "Smalltown Boy" ("mama will never understand why you had to leave") told of a tearful nest-flying by a young gay man in order to escape neighbourhood bigotry and made Somerville into one of the most recognisable faces in the industry overnight, with everyone giving him gifts of peanut butter sandwiches after he revealed that he was eating them on the train during the song's video. The next song, the much noisier "Why?" followed the same theme, with Somerville, along with henchmen Steve Bronski and Larry Steinbachek, trying a nation's liberalism with protest lines like "when I turn to kiss his lips" and "blood on your fist". They escaped unscathed and instead covered the atheist anthem "It Ain't Necessarily So" ("things that you're liable to read in the bible, ain't necessarily so") and did a splendidly camp Donna Summer medley with Marc Almond before Somerville quit to form the Communards and another spud-head, whose name escapes us, replaced him as singer, with disastrous effects in a nation which had taken Somerville to their hearts. A big hit followed with the mega-irritating "Hit That Perfect Beat" ("beat boy, beat boy, hit that perfect beat boy") but the grave had been dug, and one more single later, the trio buggered off for four years until they called it a day following a shocking collaboration with Eartha Kitt on "Cha Cha Heels" in '89. They have never been heard of since, unlike the ubiquitous Somerville, who still flirts occasionally with the charts to this day and gets regular mentions on "Have I Got News For You", owing to an overplayed resemblance to Ian Hislop. Boffins claim they were named after some bizarre Russian philosopher, though those who saw the wood for the trees realised that having a band member called Steve Bronski may have provided a slight clue.

Biggest Hit: "Smalltown Boy", "Hit That Perfect Beat", both No.3, 1984 and 1985
Defining Moment: "Cry boy cryyyyyyyyyyyy!"

MEL BROOKS
(US, one Top 40 hit, no Top 40 albums)

"To Be Or Not To Be (The Hitler Rap)" was the single. Enough said.

Biggest Hit: "To Be Or Not To Be (The Hitler Rap)", No.?, 1984
Defining Moment: None whatsoever.

BROTHER BEYOND
(UK, five Top 40 hits, one Top 40 album)

Image-ridden, talent-hidden boy troupe who scored two Top 10 hits in that dreadful second half of '88 before being wisely consigned to the McDonald's counter. No more need be said.

Biggest Hit: "The Harder I Try", No.2, 1988
Defining Moment: The attempts to rival them with Bros, a total non-event.