Liverpool

After the international chart-conquering success of FGTH’s debut album and its four singles, the band spent nine months in the studio writing and recording songs for their sophomore album Liverpool. Its first single “Rage Hard” reached the top 20 in nine European countries (peaking at #4 in the UK).

Liverpool came out in October 1986 and reached the top 10 in nine European countries. Two more singles from the album found moderate success in Europe as the band continued touring there.

However, the band had already begun falling apart well before Liverpool’s studio sessions. Rumors flew that Johnson’s manager/boyfriend Wolfgang Kuhle was pulling him away from the others. The success of their first album led to clashing egos and deteriorating friendships not only between band members but the record label staff also taking credit for the group’s success. Johnson felt the choice of Tony Pope as band manager contributed to its demise. The band was also disappointed that Stephen Lipson was producing Liverpool, not Trevor Horn who had produced Welcome To The Pleasuredome.

Johnson later explained he’d already quit in December of 1985, before writing sessions for Liverpool began, but a letter from the band threatening legal action against him if he didn’t finish the band’s second album and tour for it brought him back.

Despite the success of Liverpool, it was an intentional step away from hedonism to social issues that was ultimately called “disappointing” and “anticlimactic” with its three top 30 UK singles labelled “comparative flops” and making no impact in the US.

Johnson officially quit FGTH in July 1987. After a couple of false starts trying to press on without Johnson, the band eventually called it quits.