Liverpool

Frankie Goes To Hollywood: Holly Johnson, Paul Rutherford (vocals); Brian Nash (guitar); Mark O'Toole (bass); Peter Gill (drums). Additional personnel: Stephan Lipson (guitar, keyboards); Peter Vetesse, Andy Richards (keyboards); Betsy Cooke (background vocals). Frankie Goes to Hollywood's first double album was a huge hit. Their second offering also met with some success, although it is not as well remembered. And yet, on many accounts, Liverpool can be considered as an improvement over its predecessor. For one thing, the album is shorter, more conventional. While Welcome to the Pleasuredome had some strong material, the length weakened the whole in many places. Here, the band focused on eight tracks and the result is somewhat more convincing. "Warriors of the Wasteland," "Rage Hard," and "Watching the Wildlife" were all minor hits back in 1986, and the other tracks are, for the most part, of the same quality, with perhaps "For Heaven's Sake" standing out as a favorite. Again, Trevor Horn was involved in the production (the band was signed to his famous Zang Tuum Tumb label, so it's no big surprise) -- thus the production is impeccable, as one would expect from a Horn-produced album. Worth a listen if you like the band or have an interest for '80s music -- of which this is not such a bad sample. ~ Alex S. Garcia