TS: Frankie Goes to Hollywood vs. Bronski Beat vs. Soft Cell.

"I what" = "I guess what"

implicitly!

Perosnally, this quite hard for me. I love Bronski Beat and Soft Cell more than Frankie for their image and lyrics, but musically I think FGtH just about beats them.

(x-post)

I don't think Soft Cell were ever explicitly gay, were they? (Even besides the fact that Dave Ball is straight.)

Soft Cell were the most explicitly camp, tho'. That counts for something. The girls piling on stage to hug FGtH seemed remotely plausible. Bronski Beat were dour. Almond oozed knowing smiles.

Well, to be honest I was barely conscious when these bands were big, so I'm basing my assessment only on their lyrics and videos. I didn't mean to say Almond wasn't interpreted as gay, merely that the other two had more explicitly gay lyrics and/or imagery.

I mean, Almond himself says in his autobiography, when talking about how Somerville criticized him for not coming out publicly, that he never wanted to be identified as specifically gay artist, in order to have a more universal appeal.

Soft Cell, because of the least annoying vocals.

Although the correct answer would be either Pet Shop Boys or Erasure.

for the sheer monster that was Two Tribes, it has to be FGTH.

The "Two Tribes" mix on the album is kind of cool. The hit version is not at all particularly good though. Way too harsh-sounding. Sure the hard-sounding sampled digital synth sounds may have been groundbreaking at the time, but change isn't always for the better.

I only have the Greatest Hits, do you know which version it has? The Greatest Hits would be otherwise perfect, but for some reason it only has the 12-inch version of "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (which sounds kinda forcibly stretched) and not the shorter edit.

I only have the Greatest Hits, do you know which version it has?

Neither, I think. On the Greatest Hits they continued the tradition of making a new mix whenever "Two Tribes" was included somewhere.

Yep, the continued remixing of the Frankie catalog combined with the continued retitling of the tracks makes determining what is what a challenge.

The wikipedia articles only cover the mixes on the oldest releases, and the more recent discographies I found still don't do a thorough job of labeling each mix properly.

It's very frustrating when you're dealing with something like the infamous New York Mix of Relax, only to find that most versions labeled as such aren't actually the notorious one...

"Relax (Sex Mix)" was the original 15 minute version.

And a re-released "hit" version.

The only way is to check the matrix numbers.

Well, yeah, I'd still like to hear the original notorious 16-minute 'Sex Mix' of Relax - I don't think it has made CD tho...

Soft Cell, because there's a lot more depth to their music and Almond is the better lead singer. But at the time I prefer FGTH, mainly because my mother hated them, especially Holly Johnson, who she said "looked like a rat" - so of course I thought they were great. There's a fantastic TOTP performance of "Two Tribes" where the band are throwing dollar bill all over the place, like complete capitalistic wankers. When it came on the radio I'd always turn it up when it got to the "we are living in a land where SEX and HORROR are the NEW GODS! YEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! OW OW OW!".

http://members.fortunecity.com/shamen2/discog-fgthztt.html

Check this page for your variations on a theme.

Bronskis ruled out for just being po-faced & not fun, somehow. They just never seemed very joyful or exciting, somehow. They always make me think of the proclaimers for some reason.

Frankies and Soft Cell both about equally great qualitywise, but Soft Cell win for me because they've got quantity as well (also better taste in novelty cover versions hendrix medley pwnz "ferry across the mersey")

Thanks...that's the closest thing to a Rosetta Stone on the matter that I've seen so far...too bad nobody can be bothered to just put together a comp of all the classic mixes properly labeled...

I sorta see what you're getting at when you say Bronski Beat was not fun, but I still think I'm gonna vote for them, because no Soft Cell or Frankie tune has touched me like "Smalltown Boy" did. Does everything have to be fun?

Soft Cell for first album consistency, with Bronskis a close second.

I have always mentally filed Non Stop Erotic Cabaret, The Age Of Consent and the Pets's Please together as the finest examples of dark night time synth noise of the 1980s. They are all to me synonymous with walking the city streets at night between pub and nightclub in Autumn and Winter, senses heightened with alcohol and with a definite feel of nocturnal urgency and anticipation.

He said nostalgically.

"Smalltown Boy" moves me more than anything in the SC or Frankie catalogue, but the extended remix of "Two Tribes" is a stomper – it's like the kid in "Smalltown Boy" hitting a gay club on his second night in a new city.

Bronski Beat were my kinda fun

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Soft Cell, obv.

You know what would be a hard vote? Best album art for these three.

I'm going with Frankie, just for the novel-like ambition of Welcome to the Pleasuredome.

Does everything have to be fun?

yes

Soft Cell = Ugh

Frankie Goes to Hollywood = UGH!

Bronski Beat = they're alright I guess, but Smalltown Boy, however, is a masterpiece in its own right.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

At least there's some sense left on ILM.

Frankie Say: I lost?!?!

OK this is pretty amazing - Bronski Beat & Marc Almond - I Feel Love (Live 1985:

lol at the opposite ends of the spectrum outfits that Jimmy and Marc are sporting.

Also pretty fabulous, the video for Hit that Perfect Beat:

Oh no no no, you all have your priorities wrong. Frankie is supposed to win this.

Heh, I scrolled down the the Hit the Perfect Beat video without seeing what was above it, and the first thing that came to mind was "this sounds a lot like 'I Feel Love'"

Ok, that video is pretty amazing.

and re: this poll. Until Frankie Goes to Hollywood or Soft Cell ever make anything as good as Smalltown Boy, then you can forget it!