Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Sex Mix (Archive Tapes And Studio Adventures, Volume One)

The embarassing mastering glitch on the "Pleasuredome"-segment taints the whole compilation. Frankie say: Give us a corrected CD1!

This new edition to ZTT/Salvo’s Element series (#22) makes a refreshing change to the disappointing Frankie Goes To Hollywood compilation albums that have gone before, as it ignores all the album track fillers and the tedious remixes from 1993 to 2009, instead it concentrates on the actual singles formats!

“Sex Mix (Archive Tapes and Studio Adventures, Volume One)” goes back to the time when Frankie were an actual band a virtual band at the same time. At a time when “Frankie Say…” tee-shirts were a fashion statement, a time when the morality of Mike Reed’s ego decided that he could, and indeed did ban “Relax”, without him, that single may never have reached number one in 1984. In sarcastic way we must say “thank you” to him, as the irony of his actions propelled Frankie Goes To Hollywood to one of the biggest selling acts of the 80s.

To give a true representation of what made all seven of Frankie’s multi-mix, multi-format singles unique, a lot of time and effort has gone into the making of this compilation. For the very first time since the release of those 7”, 12” & cassettes, the listener is given the chance to experience FGTH as they should be heard, as a singles band.

The title of this double archive set is derived from the original “Relax (Sex Mix)” 12”, included here along with the exclusive b-sides taken from the cassettes “From Soft To Hard From Dry To Moist” and “Two Tribes – Keep The Peace”. The main singlette mixes have been omitted from this edition of the ever expanding Element series as they have already been issued on other volumes, #06: “Welcome To The Pleasuredome” and #21, the various artists compilation “The Art Of The 12”, Volume Two”. This makes room to include “The Power Of Love” cassette in its entirety and an approximation of the “Welcome To The Pleasuredome” singlette “All In The Body, All In The Mind” with the never before released full length “How To Remake The World” mix. Those crafted tracks were produced and re-worked by Trevor Horn, assisted by his THeam: Steve Lipson, JJ Jeczalik, Andy Richards, Anne Dudley, Bob Kraushaar & Paul Morley. With that collaboration of studio masterminds and the energy of FGTH themselves it is easy to understand why the likes of Duran Duran never stood a chance against them.

Not all of the tracks were recorded during the making of the debut long player, as tracks from the “Liverpool” period are also included. The CD only remixes, “Rage Hard (+ ++ *)” and “Warriors (Compacted)” see the light of day for the very first time since they were originally released in late 1986, along with “Watching The Wildlife (Voiceless)”. These Lipson produced tracks marked the end of Frankie’s journey. At the time, their first four singles overshadowed these final three, but listening to them again in this form lets us realise that they deserved more credit than they did when initially released. There is also another exclusive track from the archives, a cover of Rod Stewart’s “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” with Paul Rutherford on lead vocals. The track acts as a taster of what the group may have sounded like if he had taken over the singing should they of continued without Holly Johnson.

Frankie were the defining pop band of the 1980s and the template for others since. They were not just a band, they were an entire entertainment package that was Frankie Goes To Hollywood. This new entertainment package was compiled by Ian Peel and includes a booklet with rare photos, a commentary by the curator with a design that reflects the spirit of FGTH.

For me this is the first Frankie compilation that I have enjoyed listening to from beginning to end. The majority of the tracks still sound as fresh today as they did back then. Those that don’t, reflect the era that they were recorded in, and are included in their original form rather than being remixed by some DJ destroying the joy of what we grew up listening to. There is space on my shelf for volume two, but until that arrives, volume one is in my opinion the definitive Frankie Goes To Hollywood collection to date.

10/10