I remember when this album first came out, and the singles as well, as there was a lot of controversy surrounding them – mainly due to the overtly sexual nature of the subject matter. Also what we suspected at the time, and now know, is that the the only member of the band that actually appears on the album is vocalist Holly Johnson. Trevor Horn the guy behind label ZTT, and producer of this album, wrote most of the music and played keyboards and bass. Members of Yes, who Horn was working with at the time, were heavily involved, namely Trevor Rabin and Steve Howe as well.
Two massive worldwide hits are on the record namely Relax and Two Tribes. The whole record is disco/club driven and very of its time. The production is amazing throughout as you would expect from Trevor Horn. As with a lot of concepts albums, it does tend to wander at times, but the overall feel of the album is epic. It does make you wonder how much of this was written before Horn found the band and was adapted around them.
It’s been a long time since I’ve heard this and I found it very enjoyable to listen to after all this time.
7/10 from The Grooveman.
