Welcome to the Pleasuredome is the debut studio album by English synth-pop band Frankie Goes to Hollywood, first released on 29 October 1984 by ZTT Records. Originally issued as a vinyl double album, it was assured of a UK chart entry at number one due to reported advance sales of over one million. It actually sold around a quarter of a million copies in its first week. The album was also a top-10 seller internationally in countries such as Switzerland, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand. While commercially successful, the album also drew criticism for containing new versions of all of the songs from the group's (already much-remixed) singles from the same year ("Relax" and "Two Tribes", plus B-side "War"), as well as a surfeit of cover versions in lieu of much new original material. It was later revealed that Trevor Horn's production dominated the record so thoroughly that the band's own instrumental performances were often replaced by session musicians or Horn himself. Frankie's second album, Liverpool, actively featured the full band. However, the album's evergreen ballad "The Power of Love" subsequently provided the group with their third consecutive UK number one single. To celebrate the album's 30th anniversary, in October 2014, ZTT through Union Square Music released a limited edition (2,000 copies only) box set entitled Inside the Pleasuredome, available exclusively from the website pledgemusic.com. The box set contains rarities on 10" vinyl, as well as a book, a DVD, a cassette (featuring 13 mixes of "Relax" and its B-side "One September Monday") as well as a new 2014 remastered version of Welcome to the Pleasuredome on 180g vinyl.
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.
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.
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
OMG, I bought this LP when it came out. I wore this album out, there is nothing like it.
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.
Full album changed power of love for me
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.
Could’ve done without the Springsteen cover
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”
- strong musicianship - kinda out there but also poppy - wildly explicit lyrics, truly shocking
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
Genius.. Well mainly
Thank you for welcoming me to the Pleasuredome
Fantastic, varied synth-pop album.
Pretty much perfect for me
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!
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
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
Peak 80s
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.
Relax un clásico. War pues otro clásico.
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"...
Surprisingly good. Loved the cinematic feel, changes in pace and level of drama.
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.
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
Relax is a classic but the album really drops off in the second half
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
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.
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.
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.
basic 80s with a load of covers weaker than the originals
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.
Lots of good ideas that are horribly executed. Comes out as an overly long and honestly kind of mediocre album.
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.
Pretty dated average 80s fair. Relax harms my soul but Born to Run still slaps but.
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
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!
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.
I would say my tolerance for corny '80s synth-oriented music is pretty high, but this still exceeded that threshold by a ridiculous amount
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.
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
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
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.
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
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.
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.
This album is just a shitty cover band. What a waste of and hour.
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.
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.
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.
Relax, don't listen to this.
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.
This is why people hate 80s music.
i will never get this sixty four minutes of my life back. wtf…
This was a strange one
Quite a bit stranger than I expected, but just so unpleasant to my ears.
1.5
Fun and eclectic, lots of classic rock singalongs with interludes of weird narration or groovy instrumentals.
I'm biased
Just the perfect pop album. Doesn’t sound in the slightest bit dated it was so ahead of its time! Classic!!
great!!!
So 80s, I love it.
Their cover of Ferry Across the Mersey is the hidden gem.
relax goes so hard i love this album
Love it
OK, so this is out-and-out one of the greatest albums ever made. As I notice that I'd somehow missed this on the day of review, I find myself getting out of bed at 23:30, going downstairs and retrieving my B&W headphones. Because I want my earballs to be both assaulted and stroked by Holly Johnson, and cranking up the stereo on a Wednesday night is a bit rude to the neighbourhood. Frankie is early 80s through-and-through, but a shaper, not shaped. Johnson (and almost more importantly, Trevor Born) created a sound that was and still is utterly unique to Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Every time I listen to this album I get something more from it. The tonal, rhythmic and tempo changes throughout, hells bells, even within the tracks keep you absolutely glued to it. Trevor Horn is an indisputable genius. The production of this album is superb. Horn layers in sounds across the whole range, with bass as deep as the great lakes, trebles as high as the stars and mids that can't help but satisfy. The changes up for the covers actually improve on the originals. But the hits are where it's at. If you skip half this album - I often do - it isn't because the covers aren't good. They're great. But the hits hit the target so well that you're left wondering how music can be this good. Amazing stuff.
Two duelling raindrops dancing a romantic rhumba as they race towards the bubbling orgy of their peers waiting to welcome them at the bottom of the weathered window pane.
Start to finish this is classic. 5/5
When I saw that this album was on the list, I laughed. I hate "Relax." It's the most generic eighties pop song ever, and its sole purpose is to be used in film and television to establish that it's the eighties; just pure drivel. Well, now it's time for me to eat my words. I absolutely loved this. Lyrically, this album was political and fierce, taking shot after shot at Thatcher's England, extolling the fears of nuclear war, and criticizing the oil industry. Musically, it was rich and diverse in sound. From pulsing keyboards, to string arrangements, I was delighted by every song. I absolutely loved their guitar heavy version of "Born To Run" (which I was assigned yesterday), and I have a newfound appreciation for "Relax." The dark and brooding "Two Tribes" was fantastic as well; the guitar, string arrangements, and crashing percussion were a perfect mix. This is an album that I'll definitely recommend and revisit often. I wish I had known how awesome this album was before today.
Absolutely top notch. Defining sound of the mid-80s.
9/10 cool maximalist gay 80s synthpop. a little uneven and tiring
Really good album! I really like "Relax" from my entrance into new wave. The entire album's vibe really resonated today. I enjoyed the covers as well. Solid 4 stars!
Wish I could give it a 3.5. At times unique, at times an 80s kid’s wet dream.
Definitely one of the better pop-funk-disco albums of the 80s.
this was actually very great, very very 80s, very cheesy, very talented and very varied
didn't realise the title track was sooooo long...
Some pretty darn good tunes.
Groooooovy. RELAX
4/5 That album was mostly good!
Loved this album....great memories Relax & Enjoy!!
A pretty good album with disco-style calm songs.
It's definitely a more advanced pop album when compared to the rest of the 80's
Love this album
Crazy album. A 13-minute epic right at the beginning, a couple of covers I wasn't expecting ("War" and "Born To Run"). End of the album was a bit weak, but otherwise a fun album.
Kinda sick actually. Very sexual, but some bangers in there nevertheless
Brilliant, singles like relax and the power of love are enough to make this thing timeless
Pleasantly surprised by the musicality in the album. Another deep dive from what i thought was a one-hit wonder reveals another solid artist.
Spooky vibe Jungle sounds lets goo Baby we were born too run - wat een schijf also is het deze waar Michel Wuyts aan dacht bij de finish van Van Aert bij de Amstel Gold Race?
3,8 Waar is die pleasuredome en hoe geraak ik daar?! (ik wil gaan met men lads, where they@?) Album is een vibe, nummer van 13 minuten stoorde mij niet omdat het leuke sounds had. na het einde had ik wel het gevoel dat er paar nummers een beetje filler waren. Niet persé een album dat ik ooit nog volledig ga luisteren, maar ik ga wel zeker nog vaak een paar nummers luisteren! Relax en The power of love fatte bops!
Welcome to the pleasuredome is echt een bop. RELAX ook . Eerste helft was echt goed. Album in totaal was wel iets te lang waardoor tweede helft minder boeide..
bastante chulo la verdad aunque es larguísimo además tiene la canción esa de Relax que es muy famosa está guapa
Uhhhh has relax on it Do be pretty groovy idk I liked
6
Aesthetic
No sabía que "Relax" era de acá y me parece muy buen hit. Un disco con altibajos, aunque quizá rescate más lo bueno, porque no suena mal y de pronto se antoja como una chispa experimental, de repente parece entre Tears for Fears y Duran Duran. Creo que tiene es todo ese dramatismo, que yo he aducido como representativo de Queen. Otras canciones que me gustaron fueron "Two Tribes", "San Jose" y la cursi "The Power of Love". 7.5/10
Muy chistoso, se ve que hubo buena producción, un sonido muy de su época. Pues me gustó en general, tiene variedad, aunque si tuve que dar un skip por ahi, mis favs fueron sobre todo las primeras canciones hasta Relax, don't do it,. Tararararartara, relax...