simply

hi there

this post, look you see, was really rather close to being called day of release at HMV and the amazon order arriving two or so days later, but i figure simply, as you will note if not observe, will do.

what was to be released on the day of release that was, in a very real sense, monday? why, yet another compilation of the works of Frankie Goes To Hollywood, in this case titled simply frankie goes to hollywood. i was aware of the day of release thanks to the superb Super Deluxe Edition website, which is a home for all who still like buying, owning and holding music in a physical sense, and from repeated emails off of amazon saying YOU MUST BUY, NOW.

as tempting as it was to order it off of amazon, i felt it was an ideal chance to go and do that thing which i like doing, which is to walk into HMV and purchase a new release on the day of release. so i did not, at first, place an order with the amazon people.

this was the main, or if you like primary, window display at HMV on the monday. as you can see, there was a distinct lack of focus or emphasis on the fact that there was yet another Frankie Goes To Hollywood compilation available to the gentry and, if you will excuse me, the ladies.

there was, as equally i am sure you can see, a rather heavy promotion of that Ed Sherry (or whatever) lad that upsets Noel Gallagher so much (nice one), strangely for an album that, as far as i am aware, has been available for quite some time. maybe it's the smart price of £4.99 that they are now selling it for which is the reason for promotion. also, as you can see, they are flogging off Disney Pixar creations once more, and a while load of TV box sets. in regards of the latter, the same ones are always on display - i think they are in fact welded there.

no Frankie Goes To Hollywood in the window, then, and no new Frankie Goes To Hollywood on the shelves, so to cut to the chase for you if you are in a hurry this is what happened on Monday evening.

yeah, i went right ahead and ordered it off of amazon anyway, and took delivery, as you shall see below, this afternoon. so yay, i have another Frankie Goes To Hollywood compilation. 

am i angry, bitter and resentful in the direction of HMV in regards of them not having it in stock? not in the slightest, dear reader. it's the kind of compilation that screams for a natural home in supermarkets, really. as point of fact i am sure i have seen other compilations for lesser artists of a similar packaging and with the 'simply' name in the likes of Morrisons and Tesco.

in great fairness to HMV they did have the four most recent compilations on the shelf - Frankie Said, Frankie Said Deluxe, Sex Mix Vol 1 (where is Volume 2?) and Frankie Say Greatest. also, the special editions of Welcome To The Pleasuredome and Liverpool were there for all to purchase, and purchase at pretty decent prices. well, pretty decent if you allow for the fact that the artists who created the music get next to no royalties off of it.

in slightly less fairness to HMV, i was most displeased by my conversation with the staff of the store. when i made my purchases (a Val Doonican CD, and a DVD called Dracula Untold if you must know) i was asked if i found everything i was looking for. i said no. they asked what i was looking for. i told them simply frankie goes to hollywood. they went and looked on the computer. they said that they could offer me Simply Red instead. erm, yeah. actually, no.

so, on to the simply frankie goes to hollywood set itself, then, which i have beautified for you with a picture of the box (a pink tin, no less) taken in Commodore 64 mode.

for what reason did i purchase this? autopilot, dear reader. the novelty factor of Frankie Goes To Hollywood compilations kind of wore off after they exceeded the number of albums the band did. and yet i feel obliged to get each and every one, whether or not it features anything that i do not already have. that i do not already have, dear reader, several times over.

is it worth the £6.99 price attached to it? i guess so, yeah. i mean, all the usual suspects are there, and a few rare-ish tracks that have only been on CD once or twice before. it's a decent enough set, and paying coins of money for it in essence, for me, is paying someone to select in what order i listen to some Frankie that i would listen to anyway.

a sort of a look at the tracklisting? surely.

there is a lot of laziness on the go with the packaging. no proofreading for a start, hence us having Watching The wildlife listed rather than Watching The Wildlife, or even Watching the Wildlife if you are somewhat pedantic about that sort of thing. also, the running length is proudly stated as "over 3 hours". what, too much effort to add up all the running lengths of all three discs?

it's worth buying, dear reader, for the Paul Rutherford voiced cover of Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?, a previously unreleased intended as a b-side track that in many ways contributed to the breakup of the band and has otherwise only been available via them twats off of iTunes and on the Sex Mix Volume 1 set. it's fun, is what it is, and shows off what a great vocalist Paul is.

interestingly it is not crammed with many, many versions of the big trilogy that was, and remains, Relax, Two Tribes and The Power Of Love.  a somewhat refreshing change, as great as the songs are.

i've got no idea what the quality or mastering standard of the discs are, sorry, as i've not given them a spin as such as yet. but i will, dear reader, i will.

enjoy if you decide to buy, and no i don't blame you if you opt to not purchase yet another Frankie compilation. fear not if you miss this one, surely there shall be another along this time next year.




be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!