Frankie Goes to Hollywood Album: “Liverpool”

This album got short shrift once upon a long ago. FGTH made much more of a splash and had most of their commercial success with 1984's "Welcome to the Pleasure Dome," but the band came apart so quickly that many people didn't notice this 1986 effort. That's a shame, because this is a very good album. It's far more straightforward then "Pleasure Dome;" there's none of the extra-long or extra-short tracks or crazy intros and interludes that laced the first album together. The concept here focuses in from the hedonistic and apocalyptic overtones of "Dome" to the nature of man in the modern world. And `focus' is a key word; whereas the first album was all over the place stylistically, this is just eight tight, well-crafted songs with an alternative-pop sheen provided by producers Stephen Lipson and Trevor Horn. If you enjoyed "Relax" and "Two Tribes" but never gave this album a chance, you might want to reconsider. And the Bowie cover that's been added as a bonus track (if you buy the right version) is just about worth it all by itself.

Very good album. I give it 4 stars because of the debut album Welcome to the pleasure dome which was more original and fresher. But this album is very underrated. Beside the hits: Rage Hard and Warriors there is a lot on this album to keep you listening.

Like the moving ballad Is anybody out there whinch is sing by Holly Johnson with such incredible ease, beautiful! And then there is Maximun Joy a very danceable song but in a different way then Relax was. Maximum Joy is also the title of the forthcoming Best of which is gonna contain a lot of remixes. They really haver tried to make this album different and it worked quite well, Lunar Bay is a bit experimental and not like other bands. Even today the sound original and not typical eighties.

If you like Frankie in a little rougher version than they were on Welcome check this album out. Good!

'Liverpool' was Frankie's follow up to 'Welcome...' but is has often been ignored. Holly Johnson said he didn't like the music and critics have accused it of being over produced. I would say that that the music is as good as the previous effort and that the production is excellent. The first three songs are massive rock numbers with the bass playing to the fore. Things mellow out thereafter but this does not mean the album drops in terms of quality. For 'Heaven's Sake' is my personal favourite track, a song asking what have we done to the world. If anybody likes 'The Power of Love' then the last track, 'Is Anybody Out There' should be just as appealing. This album is Shorter than 'Welcome' because it does not have the incidental music bit between songs but it is just as enjoyable a listen.

I bought the vinyl version of this album almost twenty years ago. Frankie had come and left Hollywood by then. Through the years, I kept coming back to it. And it holds up very well, for '80's new wave. "Maximum Joy" echos earlier Frankie Goes to Hollywood fabulously. "For Heaven's Sake" is stellar.

I wished Frankie Goes To Hollywood had made more albums! I liked Welcome To The Pleasuredome a lot. Though I could have done without the four cover tracks though.

This is a decent follow up though. Maximum Joy is my favorite of the bunch. Rage Hard and Warriors I can do without. It is nowhere near as cool as Pleasuredome but it is still fun.

Holly and the boys need to reunite for a third album! The 80's are cool again these days. We need them in the rock and roll wasteland of today. Frankie say, no more.