Itâs probably my age, but iâm still adding to my collection of vinyl. Just last weekend I picked up an almost complete collection of Altered Images 12 inch singles, all in great condition, and I was well chuffed.
Iâm still adding to my Frankie Goes To Hollywood collection. There are just a handful of discs I need but Iâm going to have to work hard to find them, I wonât get them at a car boot sale, and even then a couple are well outside my price range. More about that later, but what I will say now is that ZTT records certainly made things interesting for the record collector.

7″ & 7″ picture disc
First thereâs the 7â versions. Thereâs a few of them…the standard 7â and the picture disc 7â (did you know that if you have ârelaxâ on a compilation CD it wonât be the 7â mix, itâll probably be the album version, which is slightly different). Then thereâs the limited edition âlast seven inchesâ white label…both of them! One is a mis-pressing with âFerry âcross the Merseyâ wrongly listed as the âBâ side and with A & B labels actually the wrong way round. The other is correctly pressed with âOne September Mondayâ on the reverse. Other ‘variations’ are available! I had to get a US copy of Relax with alternative chequerboard sleeve and slightly different mix to the standard UK 7â too…

American 7″ pressing

‘The Last Seven Inches’ x2
If you have a smashing 12â copy of the âsex mixâ then the chances are you donât actually have the âsex mixâ. I went through this is in âIs That The 12â Mixâ. The original 16 minute sex mix was mastered at 33rpm and had the cat no â12 ZTAS 1â. However, upon criticism that it was too long, an edited 8 minute version was then put out…at 45rpm in the same âsex mixâ sleeve and with the cat. no â12 ZTAS 1â. This didnât appease the critics so Trevor Horn put out a new 7 minute plus mix…again with the same sleeve and cat.no â this is actually known as the US Mix or New York Mix and is the one that sold in 90% of cases. You can tell which mix you have by looking at the matrix number in the run out grooves. 1A-4U (or 1A-5U) is the US Mix which is pretty standard. But 1A-1U is the original sex mix and A-2U / 12-IS-ZTAS-1 the 8.20 mix. All are pictured apart from the original 33rpm pressing as I still need that. There’s also a 12″ picture disc that contains the US Mix…
I hope youâre keeping up because it gets a little tricker. ZTT records then decided to confuse everybody by reissuing the 16 minute sex mix at 45rpm but with âoriginal mixâ written in big letters on the inner label (there was no picture sleeve for this pressing)…and if youâve got a German 12â and the label indicates it is the 8.20 mix then it could be the US/New York Mix (as mine does) instead as there are several pressings emanating from there too. One thing ALL the UK 12″ versions have in common is the instrumental mix of Relax (with an acapella start) on the B side along with Ferry ‘cross the Mersey.

Twelve Inches of Pleasure
A couple of years ago Salvo music reissued a new 12â of Relax featuring a new âsex mix edition 3â â it has a purple lettering rather than the standard peachy colour. It is open to debate whether this is a ânewâ mix or one that had remained in the ZTT archives waiting to be discovered for the best part of three decades.
Thereâs a cassette single too….containing the âgreatest bitsâ. This is a type of megamix which incorporates the best of all the Relax mixes. This ,along with every other mix has appeared on one of the many recent CD releases that Salvo music have put out since acquiring the rights to the ZTT back catalogue.

‘Cassingles’
I might add that I always have a budget. I never spend more than ÂŁ10 (including postage!) for a record, which is why the single sided âWarp mixâ of Relax is out of reach as it tends to go for upwards of ÂŁ50. As itâs virtually the same as the âlast seven inchesâ version I wonât lose any sleep over that. Thereâs also a âGreek Disco Mixâ, released only in Greece which is a cut and paste mix using bits of the 16 minute mix and 7â mix â this too goes for a fortune. The other I still need is the original sex mix pressing at 33rpm (mentioned above) ..not that rare a pressing but all of them advertised on discogs are actually the 45rpm version. Remember the key is that matrix number etched into the run-off grooves..in this case it has to be 1 A-1U.. Iâll have it if you have it for sale please.
ZTT decided not to confuse all of us who liked Frankie Goes To Hollywoodâs Relax 1984 follow-up TWO TRIBES. They didnât need to replace any mixes in order to get the song noticed, simply because FGTH HAD been noticed by now – but they did issue their second consecutive number one in a large number of formats in the UK.

Two tribes 7″ & 7″ picture disc
Thereâs the standard 7â version, although amazingly that original mix (âcowboys & indiansâ) is virtually unobtainable on CD. The 7â picture disc is a slightly different mix (âwe donât want to dieâ) as is the American pressing (which I donât actually have) which is the same as the album version (‘for the victims of ravishment’)
The 12â mixes are easily recognisable. The standard 12â with Lenin on the cover is the âannihilation mixâ. The second, released a few weeks later, is the âcarnage mixâ. Both have an extra track, War , on the B side as well as an alternative version of Two Tribes (âsurrenderâ).. A third twelve inch version featured the âcarnageâ mix on the B side with a remix of War (âhiddenâ mix) on the A side instead. War was not available on the 7â versions despite being classed as the double-A side in the UK.

‘annihilation’ 12″

‘carnage’ 12″
A fourth UK 12â was the picture disc, which had the same tracks as the third release before a final fifth disc -featuring the âHibakushaâ mix of Two tribes, with War back on the B side . There was no picture sleeve for this one and for many years was considered a ârareâ disc.
I do have a sixth 12â disc â a rare promo copy that features the âcarnage mixâ on side A and the (correctly-titled) US mix of Relax on the reverse.

‘War (hidden)’ & picture disc 12″ singles

‘hibakusha’ & ‘carnage promo’ 12″ singles
The cassette single of Two Tribes is similar in format to that of âRelaxâ, pasting together bits of various mixes of the track.
I will keep collecting Frankie Goes to Hollywood releases. Unfortunately there are others 80s acts i’ll also keep collecting. Needless to say, I have an understanding partner & younger brother who is just as insane…his blog is at http://thefreeeps.blogspot.co.uk/
Like this:
Like Loading...