I did wonder about the song selection but on reflection ‘Relax’ is maybe still a bit tricky for BBC1 primetime, ‘Power of Love’ too downtempo and ‘Two Tribes’ probably not appropriate given the context of the contest.
I’m personally not a fan but happy for people want to get excited about Holly Johnson singing along to a Trevor Horn backing track - let’s face it Trevor Horn did the heavy lifting with FGTH.
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Just looked at their chart history and I’m probably being harsh here. They consistently had top 10 hits through the 90s so it wasn’t a huge drop off. It’s just that after Heart got to #1 (the fourth single from Actually remember) if you’d told me they’d never have another #1 I’d have been very surprised
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The version of the song that Trevor Horn saw and made him sign them is proper interesting to see
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On reflection is was a lot about the speed in the 80’s, if a band went away for a few years people forgot about them and they were replaced with the next big thing. Today a 5, 6 year gap between albums is almost a norm, that wouldn’t have happened (I’m generalising) in the 80’s.
Are they playing Eurovision? Would be fitting.
Good points about potential songs if so. Could see them doing a medley and strongly imagine they’ll do something at least slightly controversial.
The Power of Love was released after the debut album, whereas Relax and Two Tribes were staggeringly huge singles in their own right, both attracting lots of controversy. A bit like the GTA V of chart singles, they just wouldn’t budge out of the top end of the charts at all.
I didn’t like it (The Power Of Love) initially but was pleased to see them have their first three singles top the charts, first band to do so since Gerry & the Pacemakers, felt like it meant something until Jive Bunny ridiculed the whole thing. I admit I was wrong about it and it is a great song, loved the montage the beeb put together for the World Cup recently.
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Maximum Joy and Lunar Bay could be binned, but I like the Liverpool album.
Rage Hard is one of their best songs. I have it on 7 inch single with the 5 pop up fists, which is a cool cover.
Watching The Wildlife though…
And iirc For Heaven’s Sake includes the excoriating diatribe against Thatcher:
She should stop and think
She should stop and think
She should buy us all a drink…
I like WTW.
I would have been 14/15 when it came out. We all hear things at that age that are stuck in our heads as good tunes for the rest of our lives. I can’t be objective about it.
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Looks like a soundcheck which might explain the one song although you’ve tagged Eurovision so I guess that’s why the single song, just the one as part of the big night?
I guess one for musical things you’ve been slow to realise but I’ve never seen them live that I recall (the Two Tribes video is all that I can think of) so I had in my mind a far more electronic setup. That driving bass/drums combo just made me picture them as an electronic setup with keyboards mainly.
From what I read people were expecting a mini concert but they came out, did that, then went and people were a bit confused
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Given the original song is 13 minutes long they even shortchanged them on the one!
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should’ve done a George Michael at the Olympics and done a brand new song
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Holly Johnson was/is a fabulously charismatic lead singer, such a natural performer. And as was mentioned upthread, the overt in-your-face gayness of the band (at least the two who were front and centre) was years ahead of its time
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Shooting stars never stop…
Still sounds expensive af. Love Trevor Horn’s 80’s production work.
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Just got an email from Gigs and Tours about a couple of Holly Johnson solo dates in October.
Good for him but, um yeah, I hope that’s not it
I think that absolutely will be ‘it’. The fact they didn’t do either of their big hits for the reunion speaks volumes
https://www.ocweekly.com/frankie-say-scam-the-public-6391841/
Had never heard of this before
“…that two-hit-wonder band from the '80s”
FO,M
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