Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Rage Hard (US 12″ Promo)

Burning The Ground Exclusive 1986

NEW 2024 Transfer!
NEW Meticulous Audio Restoration!

Originally posted November 28, 2012

“Rage Hard” is the fifth single by English pop band Frankie Goes to Hollywood. It was released on 25 August 1986 as the first single from their second album Liverpool. The song reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart and number 1 in Germany and it was also a massive success in other countries.

Having topped the charts around the world with Welcome to the Pleasuredome and its accompanying singles, Frankie Goes to Hollywood took off to Hilversum Wisseloord Studios to record the follow-up album, Liverpool. Taking on a rockier edge, “Rage Hard” was the first single culled from the album.

In a 1986 interview, singer Holly Johnson was asked about the meaning of the song explaining, “Have you read the poem ‘Do Not Go Gently Into That Good Night’ by Dylan Thomas? It was kind of inspired by that. It’s an incantation against death and lethargy, and it’s supposed to encourage lots of creative idealism in the listener.”

Not only was it the first Frankie single to be featured on CD single, it was also the first single to not feature a cassette release—new rules limited the number of items that could count towards the official charts, following the earlier ZTT excesses. “Rage Hard” eventually hit number 4 in the UK Singles Chart and number 1 in Germany for two weeks, #5 in Switzerland, #7 in the Netherlands, #12 in Austria, #19 in Sweden and #32 in France.

*The two tracks are exclusive to this U.S. Promo, and remain vinyl-only mixes.

SIDE A:
Rage Hard (Vocal / Remix) 7:00

SIDE B:
Rage Hard (Remix / Edit) / (Vocal) 4:20
Rage Hard (Remix / Dub) / (Instrumental) 5:12

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Island Records – DMD 987, ZTT – DMD 987
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Promo, Stereo, Specialty Pressing
Country: US
Released: 1986
Genre: Electronic
Style: Synth-pop

CREDITS:

NOTES:
From the LP “Liverpool”

Promotional Copy Not For Sale

Buy the 12″ at DISCOGS

VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus:  Ortofon 2M Black PnP MkII
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp:
Pro-Jec Tube Box DS2
Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
DAC:
Alpha Design Labs GT40a USB DAC
Record Cleaning
: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans
: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi

**24bit FLAC Only Available For Seven Days!


Password: burningtheground

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Queertone
Queertone
July 17, 2024 7:37 pm

FGTH! can’t go wrong with these boys, especially, for Pride Month! Excellent! Thank you, Paul!

Andrew
Andrew
July 16, 2024 12:38 am

Thank you for this new transfer. I love Frankie!

Peter
Peter
June 12, 2024 4:33 am

Thank you for this one, a perfect song by FGTH!

chercheur
chercheur
June 12, 2024 2:08 am

Again a great finding !
I bought the regular 12″ at that time and thought I had collected all versions since then but… I was wrong 🙂
Tx a million

Conner-Bennett Sharpe
Conner-Bennett Sharpe
June 11, 2024 6:11 pm

So this is one of those moments that happen to me occasionally when I purchased something when I was young that sounded nothing like the version I heard at the time. I used to think I remembered it incorrectly, but in the last few years am realizing that our radio station often played these more obscure versions. So THANK YOU for adding this. It is the version they played on the radio in Seattle. And I now I know I wasn’t hallucinating 🙂

Retro Hound
Retro Hound
June 11, 2024 5:01 pm

Thank you Paul!! Definitely worthy of a new transfer. I like the rockier edge (of course!). Rockier edge was certainly the trend in ’86, if you look at FGTH, Eurythmics, Device, Tina Turner, Billy Idol, etc. This is one to crank up and Rage Hard (however you interpret that Jeff, LOL)!

Jeff
Jeff
Reply to  Retro Hound
June 12, 2024 9:55 am

Rage!! HARD!!!!!!

Have a great day, Retro Hound!!!

Jeff

johnny42
johnny42
June 11, 2024 4:49 pm

Thank you DJ. Another good one!

RtrHG
RtrHG
June 11, 2024 2:23 pm

Many thanks for this rarity, Paul! Glad you re-visited this one. I like all their singles, there was a STORM of different and obscure 12″s back in the day. I have almost half of them. Keep posting the FGTH catalogue! Cheers!

Martika
Martika
Reply to  RtrHG
June 12, 2024 5:39 am

FGTH were like Depeche Mode in that sense. No matter how many of the different versions of their songs you have, there are always more. So, I agree with you: Keep posting more of these rare remix promos.

Marco
Marco
June 11, 2024 1:30 pm

I don’t remember this single, which is odd as it reached number 4 in the UK. I must of been off the music radar around that time of year.

Listening to it now this is a new favourite of mine.

Thanks Paul 🙂

Mikey-D
Mikey-D
June 11, 2024 1:15 pm

I always seem to back to the albums these releases come from, but Liverpool was fantastic. As a whole album I actually listen to it more than Welcome to the Pleasure Dome. The 2011 deluxe package (SALVOMDCD19, ZTT Element 19) was really well done and had a lot of great extras. As noted elsewhere obviously there was more good content that could have been there 🙂

Thanks Paul!

Raymond
Raymond
June 11, 2024 11:59 am

In 2014, the music journalist Paul Lester wrote that “no band has dominated a 12-month period like Frankie ruled 1984”. He was accurate! Thanks!!

Per Christian Frankplads
Per Christian Frankplads
June 11, 2024 11:46 am

Thank you SO much for digitising this relatively rare US promo 12″ in such good quality.

It’s really both insane and insulting that in the 38 years since this release, ZTT still didn’t manage to put the two vinyl-only Freddie Bastone remixes on any of its zillion FGTH compilations.

I already had someone else’s digitised recordings, but as usual your work is better than probably anyone else in… the world? Please keep it up, and thank you again!

Martika
Martika
June 11, 2024 11:39 am

AMAAAAAAZING!!! Thank you for a perfect transfer of this outstanding 12″!!!! When “RELAX” came out, I loved it so much that I recorded it repeatedly onto a cassette, just so I could listen to it continuously on my Walkman!!! And I loved their next singles just as much, especially “Power Of Love” and the remixes of “Two Tribes“!!! And “Rage Hard” was the perfect continuation of that stunning trend of exciting, powerful songs! Trevor should have done at least on “harder” remix with Steve Stevens to give it that Billy Idol edge! But either way, I absolutely love all FGTH… Read more »

Jeff
Jeff
June 11, 2024 11:34 am

Hell, yes, Paul!! The more I hear this Frankie song, the more I love it. I never really understood the song’s meaning, but I have read the Dylan Thomas poem, so it kind of makes sense. I guess though, as a lustful person at the time of the song’s release, and that it being, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, I thought it was a double entendre for a raging hard-on!! Sorry, to be so blunt, and apologies to those sensitive in the community, but even the band had the thought-provoking version of the song, entitled: “The Young Person’s Guide to the… Read more »

Last edited 4 months ago by Jeff
Martika
Martika
Reply to  Jeff
June 11, 2024 11:41 am

lol, Jeff!!! You’re definitely not wrong! That was definitely part of their original style!

Jeff
Jeff
Reply to  Martika
June 11, 2024 1:27 pm

Thanks, Martika. I appreciate you taking the comment with a sense of humor. It isn’t my intention to offend anyone here!!

Have a great day and week!!

Jeff

Martika
Martika
Reply to  Jeff
June 11, 2024 2:33 pm

I don’t think FGTH fans are easily offended!
😀

RtrHG
RtrHG
Reply to  Jeff
June 11, 2024 1:53 pm

That’s exactly what I thought, too, back in the day… Considering the band’s style and Holly’s lifestyle it’s the most NATURAL thought that could emerge from a man’s mind (LOL!) Bless you, Jeff, you made my day! 🙂 🙂

Jeff
Jeff
Reply to  RtrHG
June 11, 2024 3:45 pm

Thanks, RtrHG, you made my day as well!! I like the way we both think!!

Jeff

RtrHG
RtrHG
Reply to  DjPaulT
June 11, 2024 3:02 pm

True!