Youth of Killing Joke and subsequently a top producer/remixer; Jimmy Cauty, later to find fame and fortune as one half of the KLF; and (prior to the band signing with WEA) Ben Watkins a.k.a.
For the first incarnation of Brilliant as a full band, Youth recruited Marcus Myers on vocals and guitar, who left as the record deal was about to be signed, the only vocalist until June Montana took over from backing vocals, (joined Hard Rain, Then Jericho, Alishas Attic) a second bass player Guy Pratt (who left for the Australian band Icehouse and was replaced by Frenchman Stephane "Tin Tin" Holweck (later to form Total Eclipse) prior to their first live performances), and the two drummers Andy Anderson (The Cure) and Peter Ogi, along with synthesist Rob Waugh.
[1] Overall through its four years of existence the band included roughly 30 players until reducing to the trio of Youth, Cauty and female vocalist June Montana.
June Montana formed the female duo Disco 2000 with Cauty's wife Cressida,[2] releasing several singles on the KLF Communications label.
[4] AllMusic were a little more generous, calling Brilliant an initially "promising act: a more soulful take on the aggressive funk-rock of Killing Joke" but added that, after being teamed up with Stock, Aitken and Waterman, they "came up with a generic pop-dance album that fell well short of the original concept".
Awarding Kiss the Lips of Life two stars out of five, they added that "What aggression there is comes courtesy of Jimmy Cauty's metallic guitar solos; the sterile synth whitewash of SAW dominates the rest of the mix, and vocalist June Montana isn't strong or distinctive enough to fight through it".
[5] In Music Week, a review of the Kiss the Lips of Life stated that "Brilliant are a very 1986 band with a strong image", but criticized the "lack of punch" and "pale vocals and dance rhythms" on this album.
[11] Robin Smith of Record Mirror called "Love Is War" a "cumbersonme" single with a "pretty disinterested tune, low on atmosphere and extremely diluted".
[15] Regarding "Somebody", Stuart Bailie of Record Mirror noted "the very wonderful June Montano moving more to the front, and Youth involving himself in outside ventures", and said the song "is a fine, but never outstanding, dance track, vaguely reminiscent of Man Parish".