Following the abrupt creative and popular burnout of
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
,
Holly Johnson
chased a solo career, playing up his old band's floodlight camp for a more direct, commercial sound. Well received for an offshoot,
Blast
had all the trappings of a self-possessed number one, and for good reason -- there were few crass
ballads
to speak of other than the sullen glam of
"Feel Good,"
while
Johnson
continued to have a field day with
disco
synth rock
bubblegum
new wave
, and carnival
pop
. Like it or not, if longtime fans felt that
's personality lost a bit of its color, especially its rudeness,
demonstrated his skills for larger-than-life hooks and insatiable brass-buffered
electro
cabaret
had hardly diminished. ~ Dean Carlson