Day 0532 - Welcome to the Pleasuredome

Frankie Goes to Hollywood "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (1984)

Much more than just "Relax".   Produced by gloss pop maestro Trevor Horn (ABC, Spandau Ballet and Malcolm McLaren's Duck Rock), this album takes that gloss and rubs it in the smutty dirt.

The album manages to deliver some catchy pop while also delving into sonic experimentation such as on the meandering cover of "War" or the sprawling, bouncy epic "Welcome to the Pleasuredome".

Elsewhere the album has fairly loyal covers of Bacharach/David's "Do you know the way to San Jose" and Springsteen's "Born to run".  It's a bit of a musical smorgasbord and I'd happily listen to it again.  Might even pick up a copy at some point.

Fun fact: the band's name was taken from an entertainment headline regarding Frank Sinatra.

Day 0386 - Suicide

Suicide "Suicide" (1977)

I'd been keen to check these guys out ever since I saw/heard them referenced in Don Letts' excellent documentary "Punk Attitude".

Suicide are another band that took the punk attitude and abrasiveness but avoided falling into a generic 'punk' sound. The duo combined a confrontational name, a dose of nihilism and an approach that eschewed the basic ingredients of rock (even punk rock) by having no guitar player or drummer!

Using a primitive drum machine and a distorted organ the band delivers a set that is part punk rock, part avant rock with beat poetry overlaid, part drone... I could imagine these guys having been fans of the Velvet Underground's first couple of albums.