Holly Johnson

Holly Johnson was one of the most distinctive pop stars of the 1980s, leading Frankie Goes To Hollywood to super stardom during a crazy six months in 1984. Like Icarus though, FGTH flew too high too soon - and broke up after only two albums, leaving Johnson to try and forge a solo career. For that to happen he needed to break free from a contract with ZTT and eventually did so in 1988. A year later Blast arrived, going straight to number one in the UK charts.

Gifted with a stylish scouse croon, Johnson's voice had been underrated while surrounded by the mass production of Trevor Horn on Frankie's records, but Blast found him showcasing his vocal impressively. The album produced two big hits in Americanos and Love Train, the latter featuring some guitar work from Brian May. The shackles of FGTH prove hard to shake off on the opener Atomic City, which could have easily come from Welcome To The Pleasure Dome. But the surprises on this album come with the lesser-known tracks Love Will Come and Feel Good, both sporting a sumptuous groove. They point to what might have come later - had bad choices and HIV not intervened.

Blast was co-written and produced by the late Dan Hartman, and sleeve notes from Johnson underline how important he was to the record. There are various remixes and extras over the two CDs, while there's a third disc including the videos. A blast from the late 80s that's well worth a revisit.