Welcome To The Pleasuredome

I'm shocked at how good this album is, it covers a lot of territory and is a satisfying journey. I had no idea; the only song I'd heard before was "Relax" which, by the way, mashes up really well with Rammstein's "Du Hast". If you're the kind of person who likes every song on the album to be similar then skip this, you won't like it. Also, you're lame. Go back to the safe playlist bubbles of Spotify or whatever.

FGTH were MASSIVE. Relax and Two Tribes sound like a huge outburst of rage against the system. Great Britain in 1984 - Thatcher’s sweeping social reforms, massive unemployment, miners’ strike, troubled in Northern Ireland, deepening North/South divide and genuine fear of nuclear obliteration - an absolutely awful time to be anything other than obscenely wealthy. And here were a band from Liverpool, making loud, raucous, frenetic music, as maximalist as the excesses of the Tory government but this belonged to them - we’ll sing about sex, we’ll sing about war, we’re blatantly queer and we’re going to be huge. And they were. Radio 1 banned Relax from the airwaves - it made no difference - the song hit number one, followed by Two Tribes (with Relax now occupying number two in the charts - practically unheard of) and Power of Love. Three hit singles. And for a short while, these Lads from Liverpool ran the country - not the fascist regime in Westminster. Anything was possible. Perhaps that explosion of energy explains the shortcomings of this album. The hits and a few other tracks aside, synth pop cover versions do not an album make and perhaps the interference of Trevor Horn meant the creative spark was diminished somewhat when the band tried to make more music. Not a classic album, then, but an important one. Never forget what this band meant. Frankie Says Relax, yeah?

All of the 80's collective cheesiness rolled into one album. I hate this corny shit.

My wife says she feel like I was cheating on her with Spotify while listening to this.

This was very different to what i expected. It starts out like quite a decent dance record. Inexplicably throws in a few covers which add very little. Then the latter part of the record goes nowhere until the massive hit "power of love" comes on. Not sure how much of a coherent album it is but its fucking mental and mostly enjoyable if only in parts. 3/5

I was undecided for so long whether to go 4 or 5 with this album, but you know what? It's a classic. So many legendary tunes. Flows well. Powerful album

You know, I really liked this a lot. More than I thought I would. There’s a very cinematic feel to it, maybe kind of a broadway show feel. You’ve got kinda synthy stuff like Relax, you’ve got bossanova on the San Jose cover, there’s a Born To Run cover, there’s a skit or two. I’ve listened to it like 3 times in a day because it flows together so well even though it might not be the BEST.

I would say my tolerance for corny '80s synth-oriented music is pretty high, but this still exceeded that threshold by a ridiculous amount

OMG, I bought this LP when it came out. I wore this album out, there is nothing like it.

Woof this is all over the place. Horrid title track, great songs that would probably sound better covered, very dated, and interesting album experience touches. Too confusing for anything but a 3.

This is why people hate 80s music.

Fun. Didn't realize they did covers as well. Enjoyed the album.

Full album changed power of love for me

I really enjoyed this. It was weird, trippy, indulgent, all the things that can be annoying and make an album less enjoyable potentially, but this one hits the mark. A really unique and cool experience.

Very nice sounds.

shite sandwich of an album started off like it was going to be a secret banger of an album, but then for that tasty tasty shite filling. no idea what the point of the cover versions in the middle were all about and how it fit into this heavily dance orientated album.

Relax is a classic but the album really drops off in the second half

i will never get this sixty four minutes of my life back. wtf…

Relax, don't listen to this.

This album is just a shitty cover band. What a waste of and hour.

basic 80s with a load of covers weaker than the originals

This album wasn’t good bang for the buck. Pleasuredome has a great start but runs about 6 minutes too long. Then you get the 2 hits on LP 1 with a cover of War. LP 2 starts with covers of Born to Run & San Jose!!! I was sure the album had finished and Spotify had started playing something else, but that couldn’t be right, because Spotify always plays something similar to what was playing, and a hard rock version of Born to Run was definitely not similar. Of the remaining tracks, I find the uptempo ones annoying and the ballads a bit more listenable.

I'm ten percent gayer whenever I listen to this synth-pop masterpiece. That's how good it is! All jokes aside, this is an album that should probably be taken far more seriously than its current "critical reputation" lets on. First, this is producer Trevor Horn's Sistine Chapel: the 13-minute+ cinematic extravaganza of the title track is here to prove it. Secondly, fillers are pretty rare here, which is a feat given that *Welcome To The Pleasure Dome* is a double-album: that string of covers in the middle of the record (standards once sung by Bruce Springsteen, Edwin Starr, Gerry Marsden or Dionne Warwick) are always fresh and interesting, and the vast majority of the FGTH compositions stand out as well. There's the steamy hit "Relax", of course, and getting you ten percent gayer is the very minimum said hedonistic anthem can do. There are also "Two Tribes" and that touching-yet-fully-epic ballad "The Power of Love", aptly concluding the proceedings. Yet as good as those highlights are, they should not *fully* divert attention away from the lesser-known "Wish The Lads Were Here", "Krisco Kisses", and "Black Night White Light" towards the end of this record, along with the instrumental "The Ballad Of 32". Those tracks are pretty catchy as well. As a matter of fact, I find those deep cuts catchier and more satisfying in terms of melodies and hooks than 90% of the other synth-pop acts of the time. And I'm including the overrated Duran Duran here, or even Tears For Fears (ar least as far as their non-singles are concerned). So yep, Frankie Goes To Hollywood released an all-time classic in the synth-pop genre, period. And to be clear, punks, anyone who disagrees with me on this can get on his knees and suck my d... Well, only if said oral activity gives you pleasure, *of course*. And if you're nice and gentle enough, I may even return the favor at some point... Jeeze, did I say this album made me "ten percent gayer"? Maybe it's more like 25. 😎 One last thing, the topical overtones of this double-LP also make it an essential listen, and here I promise I'm not kidding you. Tackling the themes of gay liberation, the horrors of war, and the joy and love that communities must try to reach in times of hardship--all of this during the dreadful era of Thatcherism and the AIDS epidemic--is a pretty serious thing. And managing to tackle those themes while conveying the feeling you're having a blast at the same time is a rather admirable achievement, all things considered. 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 here. Number of albums left to review: 552 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 217 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 105 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 128

Un disc excessiu, pletòric, que aglutina i expandeix els '80. Hi ha de tot i no tot és perfecte, però la majoria és material molt robust. Estan els singles: 'Relax', 'The Power of Love', Two Tribes', que van marcar una época. Estan les versions, una 'Born to Run' efervescent o un 'Ferry Cross the Mersey' reverencial. Estan els growers que amb les escoltes guanyen pes, com 'Krisco Kisses' o 'War'... La producció de Trevor Horn i la imatge i actitud del grup, que va marcar aquells anys, acaben per reivindicar-lo com un dels grans discos de la década

Relax, Two Tribes, The Power of Love - these were all tracks I was well aware of and liked, but I had never ventured further into the Frankie Goes To Hollywood oeuvre. Well, I'm very pleased that I now have! I would have originally said Frankie... was decidely 80s pop rock but there are tonnes of different elements going on here, I hear tones of jazz, funk, dance and R&B. Fantastic record!

Pretty much perfect for me

Fantastic, varied synth-pop album.

Thank you for welcoming me to the Pleasuredome

Genius.. Well mainly

I had sort of decided this wasnt for me as I am not a massive pop fan, however this is an amazing album full of great records

- strong musicianship - kinda out there but also poppy - wildly explicit lyrics, truly shocking

Wow, I didn’t expect to like this nearly as much as I did… really solid listening experience. The originally songs were fun jams and even the covers were really original takes on those tracks. Overall thoroughly enjoyed this and I might check out more of their stuff. Favorite Tracks: “Welcome To The Pleasure Dome,” “Relax,” “War,” and “The Power of Love”

Could’ve done without the Springsteen cover

This is a really fun album with some pretty epic parts to it. The covers are entertaining, albeit not all too creative, takes on the originals. Favorite track: Welcome to the Pleasuredome

From the bawdy opening number to the cordial closer. Welcome to the Pleasuredome is a journey masquerading as a double album that leaves you breathless as it rockets through its track listing.

Surprisingly good. Loved the cinematic feel, changes in pace and level of drama.

Oh damn. Like this a lot more than I was expecting to. I had Frankie Goes to Hollywood mentally filed next to Soft Cell as being a more or less uninteresting pop act with a smash hit single or two. Really enjoyed the first sequence of three tracks - really did feel like entering a pleasuredome! I also dug many of the covers, especially "San Jose (The Way)"... Not quite a five as the second half has some lulls, but I'd definitely go 4.5 if that were an option. Fave track - "Relax" - that shiz is utterly iconic. The title track was great too, and "San Jose"...

Relax un clásico. War pues otro clásico.

Now this was unexpected! After the opener there was a 13 minute song and I got very nervous but the rest of them leveled out and I actually found a ton that I liked on here. Obviously Relax is a classic but I really enjoyed Two Tribes, Born to Run, and San Jose (which I think is a bit from who's line is it anyway). The album cover looks way better on Apple Music, this looks like Picasso went to the Queen Mary's and had his life changed.

Peak 80s

Relax, don't do it When you wanna suck, chew it Relax, don't do it When you wanna CUM

Didn’t realize they did relax. Had some other covers. Very 80s sounding with the new wave and all that.

FGTH lays the groundwork for an interesting take on the classic synth-pop sound of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but they don’t do enough with the elements that make it stand out to create an overall satisfying album. However, from the lengthy, nearly prog-synth tracks, to the bizarre spoken word interludes, the band’s debut is certainly charming and a commendable experiment, even if several of its tracks fall flat

I can see why people dislike this, it's far too bloated and has a lot of obvious filler (which as the consecutive covers midway through the album), however when it's good, it's really good. I feel like FGTH used all the material they had for this album, some of these songs definitely should have been b-sides.

Album: Welcome to the Pleasuredome Artist: Frankie Goes to Hollywood Year: 1984 Best Track: Welcome to the Pleasuredome Thoughts: This one started pretty strong - sounded like it was building to a synth-powered disco concept album. Deflated a bit later. Catchy though.

Back to the '80s baby! Of course, the only song I know from this group is "Relax," and thankfully that is on here. Somehow I never picked up on how sexual that song is until hearing it in the context of the album. There are also some covers, like "War" and "Born to Run," and I enjoyed those. Overall, I like their style and enjoyed a handful of songs, but this didn't strike me as anything special. Favorite tracks: Relax, Born to Run, War. Album art: Pretty cool art cover, though the picture framed on this site is different from the one I see on Apple music. I like the colors and art style of this one though. 3/5

Quite a bit stranger than I expected, but just so unpleasant to my ears.

This was a strange one

Sometimes it sounds like Devo if they only made bad decisions. They're trying to be quirky but they end up being irritating in a way that I've rarely felt before. More than one hour of this? F my life.

Sure, Relax is pretty good, classic 80s song about sucking dick that has a lot of nostalgic value. I enjoyed that. But the title track is a painfully long 13:40 and it's chock full of barely passable covers. I've been really into some of the stuff I got from this era but Frankie didn't really do it for me.

worse than i expected. i've been having a hard-on for the 80s recently - all things 80s music so i was looking forward to listening to this. but it was the definition of lower mid music - some ok songs, most are dull and skippable. i cannot understand how this is an essential album in the slightest.the only interesting song is relax.

To me, this album suffers from being too gimmicky. Plus being over an hour long seems self-indulgent especially since it contains so many covers. It's definitely fun but the over-the-top elements overshadowed everything else.

I have to admit sometimes I question my participation in this experiment. I consume and enjoy music, a lot of songs are heavily tied to specific memories and emotions, but I am pretty sure I’m tone deaf, I can’t stay on beat and I can’t hear the difference between a concertina and an accordion. A lot of this album just felt like proto-Disco Biscuits where someone with a music degree and a deeper appreciation could tell you how they build this transcends time or whatever, but it just sounds like noise to me. I was very pleasantly surprised to hear the Springsteen cover in the middle of the sex moans and toe stub cries.

There's very little pleasure in this dome. Nothing exciting, one overplayed and overrated hit that is admittedly a staple of the decade but not for me, some half baked covers and worst of all: an excessive run time. Why is the title track alone 13 minutes? Good God. It's meets all the criteria to be a 1 star album but it somehow isn't. It is decent enough to get a 2 from me but with little enthusiasm. Never again.

Relax!!!!! (I feel like it needs lots of exclamation marks) was such a big hit at the time. Album feels like it was chucked together quickly, a few hits and lots of low value covers and synth funk Trevor Horn found under a cushion on his couch

Are we really going to pretend that Frankie Goes To Hollywood is more than a one-hit wonder? I mean, COME ON! This is crap. One karaoke worthy song does not an incredible must-hear album make.

a weird theatrical 80s new-wave experience with noticeably wonky mixing, a few legendary songs, and a lot of filler. felt like this was recorded in a karaoke parlor. 2.5/5

i do not care for the kids bop style cover of born to run overall this is fine, title track kinda rocks and relax is a hit, but mostly i was bored

What a ridiculous mess of an album. While more interesting than the typical 80s one hit wonder, this still doesn't belong on any sort of essential listening list. Someone really needs to curate the contributors of this list better, they're including some really absurd, pointless crap. This is an evolutionary dead end. There are no bands out there talking about the influence Frankie Goes to Hollywood had on them. The entry for this album made mention of the producer and his clean production style, but that's barely a historical footnote. You can do better.

Frankie, this should be fun. I only know the hits, but those are fun, and the album cover is silly and colorful and cheerful so I'm optimistic. ...And that goodwill is entirely squandered by the end of the title track. Good lord. Relax is fine but hard to judge objectively because it was such a song of the moment, so mostly when I hear it I relive the moment. Two Tribes is also fine, I think because they keep it short. The rest of the album is pretty much an uneven mess. The instrumental is pleasant enough I guess. I like The Power of Love. Many of the rest are just annoying. The music is serviceable enough dance music, if a bit repetitive, but the lyrics, well -- probably the fact that I was just fed Public Enemy isn't helping here. Shooting stars never stop? What? Isn't the whole point of a shooting star that it is fleeting? Honestly listening to the whole album made the song Relax worse. I thought Frankie was just campy and fun. But in context the music come off as a bit more pretentious and overwrought than fun. I'm also reinterpreting the album cover as a bit much.

The portion of this album I enjoyed the most were the back to back covers of “Born to Run” and “San Jose” - but that isn’t a positive for Frankie Goes to Hollywood. I shouldn’t be thinking “Huh, I’d much rather be listening to Bruce Springsteen or Burt Bacharach than this pompous synth pop.” in the middle of your record!

I was surprised to see this pop up on the list - I of course remember the 2 big singles in the mid-80s and then nothing else about them so I'm essentially going in blind. It's a well-produced (slick) very 80s-representative album produced by Trevor Horn (who had his hand in a lot of big music of the era) and as such it plays more like a nice resume point for him rather than featuring the music or band itself. Even their two big hits in retrospect have excellent hooks but are not developed much further than that; they thankfully each wrap up in under 4 minutes. For a lot of these tracks, they *sound* good but if anything they show the shortcomings as songwriters the band had, peppered with some weird/unexpected covers ("Born To Run" "San Jose" "War" - ??). In fact the first true song on the album is about 14 minutes of decent enough music but it's not really a song, per se - it sounds more like a poorly constructed overture. Summing up - nothing at all unpleasant to listen to with some very cool instrumental passages but with a slew of those odd covers and decent-enough sounding poppy dance tunes I don't really see why it's on the "1001 list" - to me it's not much more than background music. 4/10 2 stars

Pretty dated average 80s fair. Relax harms my soul but Born to Run still slaps but.

This album is what would be the equivalent of an 80's electropop band doing covers and singing a couple originals at a Bar Mitzvah. The concept they were going for was alright, but the execution left something to be desired.

Lots of good ideas that are horribly executed. Comes out as an overly long and honestly kind of mediocre album.

Only knew their hit Relax. Lots going on in their music 🎶. Also liked Tribes, Born to Run and Fury which I think are all remakes of someone else’s work. Did not like Tag.

1.5

What an odd album. This was an amazing journey. I hit play without looking at the track list and kept getting lovely surprises along the way. Forget the originals (which are fantastic) but a cover of Born to Run? San Jose? I love The Boss and Burt Bacharach!

Banger!

By turns outrageous, raunchy, angry, tender, and all of it works spectacularly. Holly Johnson has a real gift for turning every emotion up to 10.

A mighty album of mad 80s pop, art and Trevor Horn. It still sprawls around and sounds like a moment in time.

Många hits och schyssta covers. Kanske något lång.

Really enjoyed it

... Long time ago.... Still nice to Heard. A Milestone

So cheesy, so poppy, so 80's but...... ...how to resist something so undeniably big in hits and swagger?

Always loved this album.

This is incredible. Not sure how I hadn't listened to it the whole way through before

Love it. Listened to the alum many times. Stellar from start to finish.

I actually really liked this!! I'm still making noises with my mouth and it's been 8 hours since I listened!!

I so heard of them, but somehow never listened to them the way I wanted to. I've read a lot of reviews and now I have hiiigh expectations. Genre-wise I'm all here for it too, synth-pop is generally catchy and now FGTH must have a unique sound that will hook me. I only had "power of love" added to my playlist, though I have no idea how it sounds like. Also the cover is very very gay and I love that, makes me feel like they're a comedy group and doesn't take stuff seriously, maybe they don't, but they also make too much of a quality music apparently. First song, opera? It's definitely an intro to the whole album, but because of such a long song title I thought it would be longer. It's eerie and the woman is already singing opera, love that tbh. Oh he talks and laughs. Guitar is joining with the woman alongside. Already hearing the synth. He vocalised a little and stopped, so did the song after it. Second song, 13 MINUTES? This better be worth it wtf. I do like the name tho. There are animal sounds in the background and he sang a little. It sounds like Gorillaz's interlude. The beat came on and now it sounds like real music. The vibes are good, it's not dancey nor happy or sad, just fine. Monkey sounds made by man, I think. He doesn't really sing, just talks. Just realised that Spotify's album cover is fully different from this one, but it's the same album and they do match in a way. He's talking fast now and there's a sonical and lyrical interaction. He has a good voice too. It's full and doesn't need anything else, but also I'm waiting for something massive to happen. The beat progressed. It got undervolumed now. He has good lyrical delivery I suppose, makes it less boring. Made it like the song is finished, but it's still going with some weird sounds. Ooh the beat drop was amazing. It's non lyrical and sounds like Pink Floyd getting ready for the next song. It's getting more and more uninteresting, I was gonna add this to the playlist, but I'm just gonna skip the half of it anyway. It's vibey and listenable just some parts are extended unnecessarily. Just realised that there are two types of voice here, either two guys sing or they just change their voice. Outro is quite good, it's progressing, getting faster and stuff. Talks like a villain at the end, deep voice he has I mean, also manically laughs. It's a grower for sure. Third song, this is the most listened song, so I should like it. Chorus really hit me, it's a catchy one. He has vocals and I love them. Production-wise it's different and full of sounds, perfect for my ears. Oooh the instrumental break is soooo good sonically, he sings a little, but it's a break for me. "When you wanna come...come" such a funny line to me, plus idk how to interpret it. 4th song, world music as a genre vibes already. Ohhh it's that song named "war" sample of that, maybe vice versa not sure. The beat is so dancey and exotic. 6 minutes is a lot, but if it stays this good I'm here for it. He is talking like Madonna does in some songs, but this one seems more informational vibed. There're long pauses in between and that's kinda annoying. The Spotify album cover is so artistic and stuff and this one's straight out gay, still don't know which one is better. Finally he sings. The last parts of the song are too good to ignore tbh, thought it would be worse and I am happily mistaken. 5th song, violin and dramatic vibesss loveee that. Ooooh nevermind beat is energetic and fast, the intro is sooo misleading. This one's more rock with synth. His voice is overshadowed by the instruments, which mostly I don't like, idk what to think about that here for now. It's fully rock now and it's kinda progressing. Oh everything stopped and than technotronic beat came on, then the previous loudness renewed, the chaos, people, album is extremely chaotic and that's the best part in it. 6th song, he's so British here, and the fuck is he talking about. It's veeery rare, but I extremely like this interlude lyrically and sonically, equally. Couldn't have made it any better. 7th song, it's giving funeral. Lyrical delivery is just sad, not "someone is dead" sad tho. This one is pop and less synth and rock. There are men background vocalising after he sings a little. There is a dialogue at the end at it perfectly transitions into the 8th song, he screams "ha" and the song is fast and full of energy. This one's more rock I think. It's catchy and doesn't sound unoriginal. He moan screamed more than one time at some point. Lana made "born to die" based on this, she took the negative turn tho(totally joking if it isn't clear). Every song is different and I love every of them differently. 9th song, is this bossa nova? This one's a soft one, his voice and the whole vibe calms me. It's kind of jazzy too, but very little of it is in here. Chorus is so catchy and the delivery of it is the best part. The versatility in this album is too much in a good way. 10th song, weird instrument I've heard before played at the start and then their classic beat came on. Chorus is not their best. The verse is catchy in a way that I want to learn it. It's chaotic now, they all sing together, that's what it sounds like. Didn't get the vibe of this one. 11th song, there's dialogue at the start. Oooh and then western beat appears. There's no lyrics here I suppose. It's getting better and better sonically. It's rocky overall, and very catchy, but there's something missing, it sounds like an intro to something. It got worse somehow. I think I hear moans, but they are not very loud and they don't make the song any richer. Song is fading away, but it's too early. Definitely smn is breathing here. Weirdest song on the album, in a bad way. 12th song, started with some talking, and now it sounds like a soldier war song, nevermind it's funky and dancey now. The chorus is very good, that's the one that made me think it was soldiery. Ohh they're saying "hunger hunger", makes sense now. I wanna add the song, but it's controversial not in the way you think tho. 13th song, the start and the first verse is quite boring, but then it builds up. The chorus is catchy especially the lyrical delivery. The beat was progressing and now it's back to the original one. It's fully rock now, and I think I hear an electric guitar. Last verse(I think) is quite different even sonically. Song is fading away. 14th song, the start is the best thing I've heard today. Same goodness is followed in the verses too. Oooh that guitar delivery is soo satisfying. This is giving Tim Curry with the way he sings. Chorus is so Arctic Monkeys, kinda erotic voice he has suddenly I mean. Then it gets childish in the best way possible and also clownish. There's a woman R/B voices joined. Idek if I'm listening to a verse or a chorus, because it's fully different, might be a bridge actually, and it's the best follow-up of what happened before. Everything stopped and he started singing like what I said Arctic Monkeys sounds like, again. One of the best songs in the album in my view. 15th song, I so don't remember this song at aaall. It's a sad one, expected from the title. This one's more pop than rock and synth, this happened for the second time, but these two songs are quite different. OOOH THE VIOLINS ARE THE BEST PART, really push the song to another level. Chorus is so strong. Celine Dion also has a song named "the power of love" and I don't remember if it's the same, must be tho, but who's the original singer, I can't fine anyone who sang this song before 1984. Unexpected mood change, but necessary tbh. 16th song, oooh this really does finish up the album. Sonically it's very something they haven't done before, he said "no more" and bang the album is finished already? I wanted more, sad thing is they don't have much albums out apparently, and I really want another one from them at some point in this list. One of the most fun and entertaining albums I've listened to tbh. My expectations are greatly met. They couldn't have done more to impress my picky ears. Some songs are growers and I'll get to know them at some point, before that happens it doesn't sound like a 5 star album, but it isn't any less either, technically it might be 4.5, which is basically 5 so I'm going with that and I'll have no regrets about it.

One of my all time favourites. No idea how a band puts this together for their first release. Brilliant.

One of the best albums ever published. Epic.

Loved it then, love it now.

This was tremendous. I’d never listened to it before. Loved how Welcome to the Pleasuredome was followed by Relax. 16 whole minutes of dance perfection. And ballads and covers and Liverpool. Brilliant.

Mega!!!!!

Soundtrack to a generation Still remember all of the words to all of the singles And the album tracks still hold up too Cover of Born to Run is fantastic Such a shame we only got two albums from them before internal conflict broke them But then, something this perfect was always destined to be fragile Ah, relax

A break-up album for the ages. Love to hear Sinatra’s voice changing to a deeper tone.

Veislan! Gjörningurinn! Stríðið, lífið og ástin! Vampírur við dyrnar! Þessi plata hefur það allt. Elska hana frá upphafi til enda. The world is my oyster muahahahaha!

Raucous gay synth fun. I saw a couple of documentaries recently referencing FGTH, and Soft Cell (of all bands) said that Frankie was too outrageous for the sake of being outrageous. That's a pretty bold statement from a band who's also known for their strong themes of sexual encounters and bondage. The second documentary noted that the lead singer, Holly Johnson, was outright gay in the 80s. This was bold & dangerous for the time, but Holly gave zero fucks. There are multiple video versions of Relax, but one shows guys in bondage gear getting doused with ejaculate - it's wild. Aside from the obvious homosexual theme in Relax, Two Tribes is a fantastic anti-war anthem and is accompanied by an equally stimulating music video. Welcome to the Pleasuredome is the perfect name for this album because it felt like physically entering a space where erotica & angst roam free. Side note, Holly Johnson was also in the band Big In Japan. This is wild & I'm "coming" back again. 5 stars.

Love it - from start to finish

Loved this. Very fun. Never thought I'd enjoy the song 'War'.

What an album. I already knew the classics on this album (though i didn't realise they were all from the same album) But the covers were amazing on this, and the whole album was pieced together extremely well. An absolute delight to listen to. A lot of fun with some hard hitting emotion thrown in at the end. One of my favourites so far on the list.

Love The Ballad of 32 Are many of these covers? some basslines remind me of Duran Duran Love The Power of Love

The man lived a lifetime of mess, but boy could he make music.

Damn this was the pleasuredome. 9/10

If you told me this was Genesis I would believe you without a doubt. A bit funkier than Genesis which I think does help differentiate it. Couple absolutely huge songs like “Relax” and “War” sprinkled with a bunch of perfectly serviceable songs. “San Jose” was completely random compared to the rest of the album and I loved it. Pretty great album. 9/10

Prince Charles just told me about orgasms. Perfect score, no notes. 5/5. Someone tell my parents that raising me on 80s music has broken my brain.

Great album, so many fanstastic tracks and some good covers Nothing bad at all on this album

Weird but fun 80s album. Relax. Dont do it.

This album slams hard! 5