I heard ‘Relax’ today, and it started me on a journey of great Trevor Horn productions, so I decided to make a playlist: Jones, Frankie, Propaganda, Pet Shop Boys. Any suggestion of what should be on there? No suggestion too obvious, I either might not have known it was by Horn or I might have forgotten. Oh, and as it’s Horn I’d appreciate which mix you’re recommending.
I’m looking forward to this – thanks in advance.

No Dollar.

Yes, Thomas Dolby (?), Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club, Buggles, Malcolm McLaren, ABC, Seal..

https://www.discogs.com/Art-Of-Noise-The-Seduction-Of-Claude-Debussy/release/154391

Just look at what the competition between Horn at ZZT and Martin Hannet at Factory produced? They didn’t so much push the boundaries of music production as totally reinvent them

For Trevor Horn at his best, the full 12” Fruitness Mix of Welcome to the Pleasuredome

EDIT: ooops… you said Jones already

Haha, no problem. I meant Grace, but I have a feeling Horn might have worked with Tom as well.

This is great stuff already.

He says at the end that this was the first time it was performed live. 30 years later and the original backing singers still sound the same

The Yes album 90125 is one of my favourites

This’ll do it for anyone of a certain age.

Spandau ballet

This’ll do it for anyone of a certain age.

Not a Trevor Horn joint – Dudley and Jeczalik went their own way for a while.

As an aside for people of that certain age – Anne Dudley’s recordings of early Art of Noise on piano are worth checking out.

The lexicon of love – ABC

Edit: ah dammit p7eaven had that one covered. There’s one in particular that I hadn’t realised was horn, but makes perfect sense – seal’s 1994 album. The production on that, right from the opening bar, is outstanding.

Playlist already had an official release, a few surprises in there: Shane MacGowan 😊
https://www.discogs.com/Trevor-Horn-Trevor-Horn-Compilation/master/1777559

Here’s a long forgotten* one, that I bought on 7”

*with good reason 😂

Belle and Sebastian’s Dear Catastrophe Waitress was produced by Trevor Horn.

The remix of Dollar’s Give Me Back My Heart is sublime.

He turns up on so much stuff – this is perfect pop production:

He says at the end that this was the first time it was performed live. 30 years later and the original backing singers still sound the same

Yep, that’s a great live performance, the whole concert is a ready to go Trevor Horn playlist.

Grace Jones Slave to the Rhythm and Pet shop boys Left to my Own Devices are two of my favourites. But the ABC and Frankie stuff is brilliant too.

All good stuff, thanks. I’d forgotten all about Seal.

Now, which mix of Slave to the Rhythm? What are the best versions of Relax and Two Tribes? Is it possible to listen to Dollar without getting a flashback to those horrific hairstyles?

Not a Slave to the Rhythm remix recommendation but there is a video on YouTube of Grace Jones performing for the Queen’s birthday maybe 2013 I think

Intro starts, she walks up hula-hoop in hand then at age 70+ hula-hoops throughout the whole song while singing the lead vocal, that’s some talent,you’re Grace Jones, you can’t be dropping that hula-hoop mid song!

I may make this one of my life goals.

There’s an NTS radio mix that Boards of Canada did a while ago, they use the intro from Slave to the rhythm within the mix, it’s a great price of music