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Here’s Holly Johnson’s memories about the writing and the recording of Relax, Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s first signle:
“There was also a drug called Crystal which we would snort for Saturday Night at Heaven, the famous gay disco under the arches at Charing Cross[London, ndr]. This scene had an influence on the music I wanted to make. I would pester Ped [Gill, dums] to play fours on his basss drum, just like the disco records I’d heard in London.” (A Bone in My Flute, 147)
“I had been given some ‘speed’ by a friend one day and was late for rehearsals. I had no money so I had to walk all the way from my parent’s house to town. Walking down Princess Avenue, I started to sing something to myself to make the journey go faster.
Relax, don’t do it, When you want to go to it
Relax, don’t do it, When you want to come
I laughed out at the last line, which I kept repeating, with its sinmple tune, over and over in my head. When I got to rehearsals Mark [O’Toole bass] and Ped were jamming on a simple one-note bass line and my little tune seemed to fit perfectly. Because of the simplicity of the repetitive chorus, we created a convoluted middle eight in a different rhythm, but later we dropped that for the simple but climactic middle eight that ended up on the record.” (ABIMF, 151)
“January 1983 was the month when Trevor eventually called upon us to start recording. Sarm Studios was still not ready so he booked us into The Manor Studios, Virgin's luxurious residential studio in Oxford. We all went down there;[…] There was little for me to do but swim in the outdoor pool, while Trevor was putting the band through their paces. He did not like what he heard. Mark, Nasher and Ped were between sixteen and eighteen years old, and inexperienced as studio musicians. Trevor soon got tired of their playing and started to construct a rhythm track on his Fairlight (a then state-of-the-art sampling keyboard device). Trevor occupied 'The Lads', as they became known, by getting J. Jeckzalic, the Fairlight operator (and co-founder of The Art of Noise) to record samples of them jumping into the swimming pool, a sound effect which was to be their only musical contribution to the recording of `Relax'. We were in awe of Trevor and whatever he said we went along with. As with the contract, we understood only that ZTT held all the cards.
Meanwhle the refurbishing of SArm was completed so Trevor abandoned The Manor sessions, and resumed recording there.” (ABINF, 161)
“With the help of J.J. Jeckzalic, Andy –richards on keyboards and Steve Lipson on guitar, Trevor created a new, machine-like electronic version of the backing track. It was a hybrid of the kind of disco records I had heard in the gay clubs, but with a significant rock edge to it.
Paul and I were summoned to the studio at about eleven pm. Trevor played us the latest version. He told us to go to a club and come back later. Excitedly we went to a gay club, the Copacabana in Earls Court, then returned in the studio at about two am. After an hour of waiting, Trevor sent Paul home. After another hour, I was asked to sing. […] So, very stoned, I was positioned in front of a microphone in the huge, empty studio. […] I was very excited by the new groove that ‘Relax’ had, and finally I sang my heart out -- at four am in the morning. I did some overdubs afterwards but the bulk of the vocal was done very quickly that night.” (162)
“Trevor had the idea during these sessions to record ‘Ferry Cross the Mersey’, the old Gerry and the Pacemakers song, as a B side. Although I was a bit reluctant, this was recorded quickly with Trevor playing bass and Andy Richards on keyboards. I did a vocal that surprised everyone, and for a while it was sounding better than ‘Relax’.
Another night, when I got very stoned, Morley [Paul, NME] came to the studio and interviewed a giggling Paul and me in a very relaxed mood. Trevor told us that this was going to be the B side of the seven inch single. […] I had composed an instrumental years earlier that was used as background music. […] Trevor [included] a little spoked set piece just before the song ‘Reffy cross the Mersey’ (album version) [in the folder, at the very beginning of ‘Relax (From Hard to Soft)’] . I got my actress friend Teabag to play the part of the Social Security officer, and Paul played the dole-ite.
Paul: “I’ve left me card [a UB40] ar’’ome.”
Teabag: “Well yer late as well, next time I’ll put yer on daily signin.”
On one occasion Trevor said to me that he had considered sacking the musicians from the band, leaving just Paul and me to front the act. I protested gently, saying I did’t fancy being an Eighties version of Siomon and Garfunkel. And I had enough loyalty to the band at that time to discourage the idea.
Finally ‘Relax’ seemed completed after a mix by Julian Mandelsohn. […] Meanwhile work on the first twelve inch dance mix of ‘Relax’ began in Sarm East. I did a special whispering vocal, speaking a list of sexual peccadilloes and the names of Amsterdam leather bars. Appropriately this became known as the Sex Mix. It was not the most popular mix, though, as it did not include the song’s familiar refrain. Also people were unsure what speed to play t at, as the speed instructions given were incorrect.
Our minds were now directed at a record cover. Our friend, the illustrator Yvonne Gilbert, had done some erotic illustrations for Men Only magazine which I had seen. I showed them to Bob and the rest of the band, and decided on one with a man on his knees and a red haired woman reclining on h sack. This image was sent to XL to incorporate into a record sleeve.” (ABIMF, 163-164)
Relax – (single and re-mixes)
- 1 Relax (Move)
- 2 One September Monday
- 3 Relax (Come Fighting)
- 4 Ferry Cross The Mersey
- 5 Relax (From Soft To Hard)
- 6 Relax (US Mix)
- 7 Relax (Sex Mix) (From Dry To Moist)
- 8 Relax (Warp Mix) (The Last 7 Inches)
- 9 Relax (The Party Trick - Cassette)
Relax
“When the US tour ended, we returned home to London, then travelled to Liverpool to do two special concerts. They were to be at The Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool's second-biggest theatrical venue. It was a kind of 'Thank You' homecoming for our Liverpool fans who had bought a high proportion of our records. It also proved a chance for families and friends to show off. Certain band-members' families swarmed around as if they owned the joint. When my mother tried to sit in her allotted seat she was told by one of the group's relations that 
it was reserved for his family, as if he were God. I think she ignored them and sat in her seat anyway.
