Frankie Goes To Hollywood- Bang! (ZTT)

Ten years since Relax and five since the infamous split and court case, this Greatest Hits Of Frankie Goes To Hollywood really is long overdue. With the wealth of Frankie remixes from their year of notoriety still keeping them high in RC's collectability poll, their 10th Anniversary could mark the opening of the vaults at FGTHQ. But for now the powers-that-be appear to have taken the soft, or rather the broad appeal option. All the Frankie singles are on the album, from 'Relax' to 'Watching The Wildlife', but in standard 7" form. In fact the only non-standard mix included is the full length album version of 'The World Is My Oyster'/'Welcome To The Pleasuredome', which constituted all of Side 1 of FGTH's first album. Also included are a clutch of b-sides, namely cover versions of 'War', 'Ferry Cross The Mersey' and 'Born To Run'.

A lot has changed in music since Frankie first hit it big, so it will be interesting to see how this collection meets with contemporary ears. 'Two Tribes' stands out as bpm-wise it isn't that different from contemporary techno. 'Relax' would be a bit more difficult on the dancefloor nowadays, although the quality of overall production and arrangement values still shine through. The same goes for 'The Power Of Love', but 'Ferry...' and 'War' are rather more difficult to categorise, standing up now more as interesting curios rather than off-the-wall 'tributes', as they first appeared.

'Born To Run' however is a different matter. One of the first recordings to prove that the band could actually play their instruments, it shaped the direction of their second album 'Liverpool'. Given the relative commercial failure of this album compared to their debut 'Welcome To The Pleasuredome', it's a surprise to note that the tracks from 'Liverpool' have aged very little. 'Rage Hard', 'Watching The Wildlife' and 'Warriors Of The Wasteland' are 3 minute punches of rock pop that are only slightly less memorable than 'Relax' or 'Two Tribes' due to their lack of a forthright lyrical message.

The point of Liverpool is hammered home with the inclusion of 'For Heaven's Sake' but Frankie will be remembered for their more off-the-wall productions so the compilation aptly ends with the one minute long 'Bang'. This combination of the two very different sides of one of the most important bands in 80s pop should both stir the memories of those who experienced Frankie Goes To Hollywood the first time around and attract the new buyers of 90s pop.


This review also published in: Record Collector