Backside

Two Tribes is the second single by FGTH, released in the UK by ZTT Records in May 1984. The single was a phenomenal success in the UK, staying at the top of the singles chart for nine consecutive weeks, during which time the group’s previous single “Relax” climbed back up the charts to number two. To accentuate this inherent musical tension, Horn juxtaposed the driving funk/rock rhythm section with a dramatic formal string arrangement and plenty of orchestral stabs, a novel technique that Horn himself had pioneered the previous year in producing Yes’s “Owner of a Lonely Heart”.
ZTT aggressively marketed the single in terms of its topical political angle, promoting it with images of the group wearing American military garb in combat, as well as Soviet-style army uniforms set against an American urban backdrop.
The original cover art featured a Soviet mural of Lenin and images of Reagan and then-UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The sleeve notes, attributed to ZTT’s Paul Morley, dispassionately reported details of the relative nuclear arsenals of each superpower and the unknown power of “synergisms”. The various mixes were subtitled in terms of the expected aftermath of nuclear conflict.

Relax is the debut single by FGTH, released in the UK by ZTT Records in 1983. Although fairly inauspicious upon initial release, “Relax” finally reached number one in the UK singles chart on 24 January 1984, ultimately becoming one of the most controversial and most commercially successful records of the entire decade. The single eventually sold a reported 1.91 million copies in the UK alone, making it the seventh best-selling single in UK singles chart history. Following the release of the group’s second single, “Two Tribes”, “Relax” rallied from a declining UK chart position during June 1984 to climb back up the UK charts and re-attain number two spot behind “Two Tribes” at number one, representing simultaneous chart success by a single act unprecedented since the early 1960s.
Horn dominated the recording of “Relax” in his effort for perfectionism. The band were overawed and intimidated by Horn’s reputation, and thus were too nervous to make suggestions. Johnson said in his autobiography, “Whatever he said we went along with”. When attempts to record with the full band proved unsatisfactory, Horn hired former Ian Dury backing band the Blockheads for the sessions. Those sessions were later deemed to be not modern sounding enough. Horn then constructed a more electronic-based version of the song with keyboardist by session musician Andy Richards and with rhythm programming assistance from J. J. Jeczalik. Horn developed this version of the recording in his west London studio while the band remained in their hometown of Liverpool. Ultimately lead vocalist Johnson was the only band member to perform on the record; the only contribution by the other members was a sample crafted from the sound of the rest of the band jumping into a swimming pool. Horn explained years later, “I was just . . . Look, ‘Relax’ had to be a hit.” Despite the band’s absence from the record, Horn said, “I could never have done these records in isolation. There was no actual playing by the band, but the whole feeling came from the band.” Horn completed the recording having spent £70,000 in studio time.

Frankie Goes to Hollywood was one of the biggest dance acts of the mid-1980s. Formed in Liverpool, UK in 1980, the group comprised William “Holly” Johnson, Paul Rutherford, Brian Nash, Peter Gill and Mark O’Toole.
Following an appearance on Channel 4 TV show “The Tube”, the group were signed up by Trevor Horn and Paul Morley’s new ZTT record label. With the benefit of Horn’s production skills and Morley’s off-the-wall marketing ideas, FGTH slowly but surely took off. They became not just a pop group but a phenomenon. “Frankie Says” T-shirts (some dreamt up by Morley, but far more the creations of small-time bootleggers) became the fashion statement of the year, and anticipation was at such a fever pitch that every subsequent FGTH release that year – two singles and a double-LP – went straight in at number one in their home country, an unprecedented achievement and a triumph for ZTT.
Nowadays, Frankie Goes To Hollywood are one of the most collectable bands of the 1980s and, thanks to endless reissues and remixes, FGTH are still ZTT’s most bankable act, more than a decade and a half after they split up. (Quelle Discogs)