Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Relax

"Relax" was Frankie Goes To Hollywood's first single. The song was made available in several different mixes, all created by the original production team.

"Relax" was originally released in October 1983 and managed to dominate the upper chart positions across Europe and elsewhere in early 1984. In the US, it had two waves of popularity, first becoming a regional hit and peaking at #67 after its release there in early 1984, then getting widespread radio play and Hot 100 chart action a year later, when it peaked at #10.

The UK and German 12" editions were repressed multiple times in the 1980s, sometimes with variations in the sleeves, mastering speeds, and A-side content, but not always with corresponding changes to the track titles printed on the labels. Careful attention to matrix numbers and every other detail of the records, no matter how small, is crucial to distinguishing between the different editions, some of which probably have yet to be submitted to Discogs.

The 1980s 12" A-side content is usually one of three versions:
1) Trevor Horn's original 16:24 "Sex Mix" - which has many samples and ad-lib vocals by Holly Johnson, but never transforms into the actual song;
2) The 8:20 "Sex Mix Edit" (often listed with a longer duration);
3) The "U.S. Mix" or "New York Mix", which is an extended version running 7:25 but sometimes fades out a few seconds early. The U.S. Mix is called New York Mix on compilations.

The mix titles are frequently listed on releases incorrectly; it's common to see both of the shorter versions labelled "Sex Mix" or, less commonly, "New York Mix". ZTT's own stance on the proper titles has been inconsistent, although a 1994 magazine interview with Horn agrees with original-era print ads on the longest version being the actual "Sex Mix".

All U.K. released versions appeared in a number of different sleeves:
12ZTAS1 A-1-U: Two Bodies sleeve.
12ZTAS1 A-2-U: Two Bodies sleeve.
12ZTAS1 A-4-U: Two Bodies sleeve, Who Chance Blink ZTT sleeve, black die cut clipped sleeve, U.S. checkerboard sleeve.
12ZTAS1 A-5-U "GRAEME": Two Bodies sleeve, Who Chance Blink ZTT sleeve, black die cut clipped sleeve, U.S. checkerboard sleeve.
12ZTAS1 A-5-U A⁵ GRAEME DAMONT: Who Chance Blink ZTT sleeve.
12 ZTAS-1-A1: Black disco bag.

The different versions of the UK 12" with catalogue number 12 ZTAS 1 are particularly hard to spot since many have identical labels. Here are some hints:
1) The 1st press. Has "12 ZTAS 1 A - 1U" stamped and "F.F ANYTIME WATER SPORTS" hand etched in the run-out area of side A. Plays the 16 minute Sex Mix at 33 ⅓ RPM despite the labels stating 45 r.p.m.
2) The 2nd press. Has "12 ZTAS 1 A -2U" stamped in the run-out area of side A. Plays the 8 minute Sex Mix Edit (Sex Mix (Edition 2)). Some sleeves carry a "Special U.S. Remix" sticker.
3) The 3rd press. Has "12 ZTAS 1 A - 4U" stamped in the run-out area of side A. Plays the 7 minute U.S. Mix / New York Mix. Some sleeves carry a "Special U.S. Remix" sticker.
4) The 4th press. Has "12 ZTAS 1 A-5U" stamped and "GRAEME" hand etched in the run-out area of side A. Plays the 7 minute U.S. Mix / New York Mix.
5) "Original Mix" on label. Has "12 ZTAS 1 A⁵ GRAEME DAMONT" hand etched in the run-out area of side A. Plays the 16 minute Sex Mix at 45 RPM. "Original Mix" written in CAPS on the A-side label.
6) Mastered at The Exchange. Has "12 ZTAS-1-A1--1-1 MIKE'S" in the run-out area of side A. Plays the 7 minute U.S. Mix / New York Mix.
7) Mastered at The Exchange. Has "12 ZTAS-1-A1-1-1 MT MIKE'S" in the run-out area of side A. Plays the 7 minute U.S. Mix / New York Mix.

Out of these, the third pressing is by far the most common.

The Sonopress pressings of the European 12" all came with the same sleeve, cat#, and tracklist printed on them. Most have incorrect labels though. The editions can be distinguished by the actual A-side track and by the matrix codes in the runouts:
1. The original 1983 edition, correctly labeled for the 8:20 Sex Mix Edit. "83" in both runouts.
2. A 1984 repress, correctly labeled for the 8:20 Sex Mix Edit. "83" and "84" in the runouts.
3. A 1984 reissue, incorrectly labelling the Sex Mix but playing the U.S. Mix. "84" in both runouts.
4. A 1985 repress of the 1984 reissue, incorrectly labelling the Sex Mix but playing the U.S. Mix. "85" and "84" in the runouts.
5. A 1989 repress of the 1984 reissue, incorrectly labelling the Sex Mix but playing the U.S. Mix. "89" in the A-side runout.
6. A 1990s reissue of the 1984 reissue, incorrectly labelling the Sex Mix but actually playing the U.S. Mix. With dark blue labels and light blue text, and the PolyGram-era Island logo.

In 1993 and 2001 the single was rereleased, featuring new remixes by several known producers.

A lost 8:09 remix was given the title "Sex Mix Edit" or "Sex Mix (Edition 3)" when finally released in 2009 and beyond, including the 2014 release The Art Of The 12", Volume Two (A Promotion Of A Way Of Life) clarify that it was created by Luis Jardim with engineer Bob Painter on 13 December 1984—presumably well after 4U and 5U were already out.

There are a number of very slightly different short versions as well, none of which have official, consistent mix titles:
• 3:53 ("3:56") original 7" version, often subtitled by fans "suck it" or "move" based on Paul Morley's playful text in records and in dealer ads.
• 4:34 instrumental version, often subtitled "from soft to hard", prefaced with "daily " skit.
• 3:55 album version, often subtitled "come fighting", has slightly different effects & mixing vs. the 7" version.
• 2:59 ("3:02") 1st US retail 7" & promo 7"/cassette edit, actually just the last 2:59 of the 4U 12" mix.
• 3:31 version variously stamped on white-label releases as The Last Seven Inches!, Warp Mix, or DJ Mix; prefaced with an acapella chorus.
• 3:55 untitled version, first released in 1993 but probably made in '83/'84, fans call it the "classic 1993 version", seems to be an alternate album mix.
These are the most common ones. There were more released on video or acetate only, and/or as part of Inside The Pleasuredome and related releases. Naturally, phonographic copyrights tend to say 1983 even if they debuted in 1984 or 1993.

The iconic "two bodies" sleeve art by lead singer/songwriter Holly Johnson's friend Yvonne Gilbert was considered "pornographic" by some. It had originally been commissioned for a magazine article, and although intended to show the woman dominant, when presented on the sleeves it caused some confusion—even at record companies—as to its proper orientation. (In the end, on most releases, the man should be facing left or down, whichever results in the text remaining somewhat upright.)