Reviews (page 4 of 8)
9/10 cool maximalist gay 80s synthpop. a little uneven and tiring
It’s over the top in every way but because that includes length, it struggles to hold out.
I think i would've enjoyed this more if it was a little shorter, I like my heavy 80s synth in small doses
Fun listen
Really unique, and a lot of fun. Enjoyed it.
Need a show of hands, who expected the title track to be a thirteen minute prog-esque synthpop experiment??? I didn’t. I like it. A shame the covers that take over the midsection of the album bring things screeching to a halt.
Franklie gets the anthem/synth/pop/techno vide perfectly and the whole band is in top form for the first third of the album. After that, Frankie leaves Hollywood and appears to renew his license in a musical DMV somewhere in rural Nevada, and he never really makes it back.
Oh, yay, another new wave album with one song that anybody remembers! Interestingly, for an 80s pop album, this attempts a lot of things. A large part of the album consists of covers of popular songs of the era rather than original songs. The covers sound wildly different from the original songs, which are mostly standard new wave. The attempts at different musical styles are commendable but ultimately undermine the album's cohesion. The original songs are mediocre, as they're not particularly memorable. The lyrics are not that great, and neither are the vocals. Hooks are not very strong at all. The album is an interesting but ultimately mediocre effort that is incoherent and bloated, as the covers ultimately don't work within the album and hurt it significantly. It's also slightly too long, being a double album that runs for an hour. The list can do better than this. This album is ranked #10 of 16 albums for 1984. Other 1984 albums rated by me: Purple Rain(1/16)-4 1984(3/16)-4 Diamond Life(4/16)-3 Ocean Rain(7/16)-4 A Walk Across The Rooftops(16/16)-3
Hey, this album. I quite like the album cover, though I'm stumped as to what this music could be. I'm thinking some funky electronic dance music like Tom Tom Club, if only because their self-titled album released around the same time and has a similar illustrative style on the cover. Here goes. Well, those bass guitars are certainly funky. New wave was actually the second genre prediction I had in line for this album. Anyways, this was fine. A little long-winded and fatiguing, but I had a decent time kicking back and letting this music wash over me. This album is very difficult to put in a box. It changes its tune with just about every song and features some very unlikely covers. Speaking as broadly as I can, I appreciated the vocals for how English they were and thought the songwriting was generally competent for what this album was trying to be, though something about the vocal performances made me feel like something was missing. Perhaps they just aren't my style. As far as the instrumentals go, they're generally solid. I favoured the songs with a mist-like ambience the most, though the heavy, brooding tracks were decent as well. The aforementioned bold, funky guitars give this album an impressive level of scope and scale, too. On the whole, this album is quite impressive for how busy and full it sounds despite being made up of relatively minimal compositions. It definitely wins big on the atmosphere front, though I do find the hour runtime to be a bit of a tall order. Still, for what this album was, it's competent. Book time. The band are remembered mostly for their two big singles (Relax and Two Tribes), though this album proved their mettle as a band. Incredibly varied, but works as a complete package. The producer for this album "...inspired an entire generation of precision-engineered, super-crisp albums in the 1980s." Quite ugly and filthy in its lyrical content. Wikipedia says this album debuted at No. 1 on the UK charts and topped the charts with three of its four singles. The album was well-received by critics and made the top ten in eleven of the twelve countries where it charted (it peaked at No. 33 in the US). It was notably the tenth best-selling album of 1984 in the UK and the 33rd of 1985. In 1985, it was the 11th best-selling album in New Zealand, the 17th best-selling album in Austria, the 18th best-selling album in Germany and the 33rd best-selling album in the US (among other, more modest year-end chart performances). Yeah. This seems like a solid pick. I cosign this inclusion.
I wasn't expecting this to be some bizarro cover album. Not bad, but not quite hitting either.
Much better than just the singles which are all excellent. Power of love making a claim to the be the best Christmas song of all time. Could give this another listen happily. Single version of the title track would do though.
Not bad! A pretty fun experience the whole way. The Born to Run cover was okay but unnecessary. Sort of loses steam near the end.
Why'd he start talking to me about orgasms half way through High 3
Rariiisimo electro synth pop medio psicodélico y flashero. La era al servicio del album. Increíble como respira 80s y su noche todo el concepto del album, los excesos, todo. 6/10
An extravagant and over-indulgent explosion of new wave, for better and worse. Woe to me for criticizing an important piece of gay history for being too much, but this album is extremely bloated. At its best, this is amongst the best of 80s synth-pop, but it is far too long and there is far too much filler for me to listen to it regularly
A very peculiar album in that it kinda just does whatever it wants with its exploration of genres. Most of it revolves around pop, but there’s some covers in here, some very dramatic 80’s ballads, and even some more intimate/mellow songs like “San Jose” which is just bossa nova outta no where. The “War” cover is the best of the bunch, a very updated take on the classic that still retains the heart of its original. The “Born To Run” cover didn’t do as much for me, I kinda just wanted to listen to the original afterwards. Some tight compositions and solid musicianship thats all just missing an X factor imo. Respectful 3/5
Say Gex
I quite like this. The jungle drums adds something to 80s synthplop. I've never liked The Power of Love but I sang along anyway from enjoying the vibe.
HAPPY PRIDE 🏳️🌈
Powerful, pleasingly OTT, but way too long, would have packed much more of a punch as a single album and without the unnecessary covers.
What on earth to say about this. I think there is some cultural and political context I am missing here due to my youthful age which perhaps means I do not appreciate this as much as I should??? Relax, great, two tribes great, cover of War, horrible, weird mumbly and talky interludes, rubbish. Truly a mixed bag, almost leading me to DNF before Power of Love. Which would have been a shame. So, 3 due to a last minute redemption.
How much more 80s could this be? None. None more 80s.
My favorite album to feature both Bruce Springsteen and softcore porn
There were a couple of standout tracks on here but others had me lost and uninterested. 6/10
relax goes hard
Idk
This was ok. Some of the songs had good melodies. Relax is a better song than I thought it was. I like the cover of Born to Run, but outside of that nothing stuck out.
Overall: 6/10 This album is stylistically diverse, and that's something that I really appreciate about it cause the styles mostly work together. I'd like it a lot more but it starts to lost a bit of steam about halfway through, and there's an admittedly decent cover of Born to Run, but I absolutely hate that song with a passion. Fav Song: Relax
Not what I thought it would be. Interesting history and mix. Also I'm sure some stories on the production and band that would make quite the movie... 3.
Ok 3/5
Is this what cocaine sounds like?
A bizarre concoction of an album, half brilliant and half...not very good. At over an hour long it would be a better listen if 25 minutes were shaved off the second half, lose the cover versions apart from War, which is great, and the fourth quarter is also pretty superfluous apart from the strong finish on The Power Of Love.
Some good tracks- "Relax" is still a banger after all these years! I was pleasantly surprised with the cover songs, also, especially "Born to Run."
Alright, but nothing special.
Incredibly weird retro sleaze that managed to bust out a slutty baseline every time I was about to turn it off for being annoying.
soooo camp
I don’t like it but I respect it.
A bit all over the place, a couple of bangers. A nice change from some the lads with jangly guitars.
Pretty much the definition of a guilty pleasure. Full of empty calories, nothing substantial, but that doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable.
Fun but a bit too long
Some good songs on here. 3/5
6 - kinda a bananas album. Wasn’t expecting it. A few good songs.
One of the perverse flaws of this system is that sometimes you write a full review of a record and it disappears as the page reloads. Alas, such is the case here. So, here is my abbreviated version. I never listened to this record all the way through prior today. Relax and Two Tribes were ubiquitous new wave disco hits and admittedly catchy, is not my groove. I didn’t enjoy the original disco era and the new wave disco era coming hard on the heels of the New Romantics was even more cringe. And to be fair, while most of this is cringey, there are a few nuggets. The cover of War was an effort to be interesting and for the most part succeeds. The other covers and specifically, Born To Run, fall in the cringe abyss. The real gem however is buried near the end. The Power of Love is a good synth pop ballad. Perhaps a little overwrought and the whole vampire thing hokey, but the vocal performance carries the day. So, does it belong on this list - absolutely fucking not. But that’s not the point. If this is your vibe, then you’ll love this record. If not, then like me you’ll turn off the radio when Relax or Two Tribes comes on because they overplayed the shit out of this two songs when the came out originally. You’ll keep listening when the Power of Love is played, enjoy it, and then switch to something that is actually good. 3/5
This was fun to listen to but ultimately hollow
recognised a few songs, not too bad like, enjoyed it as an album
3.0 - Ok
6/10 La verdad no le preste mucha atencion, pero tampoco me llamo a eso, no es aburrido pero no destaca nada, esta bueno y pasa bien como fondo
5.5/10
I had this album on vinyl in the 80's. My 16 year-old self didn't know what to make of it. I loved the songs "Relax" and the title track...but it's length and it's oddness meant I never listened to it. I still don't know what to make of it. There are some great covers and some interesting musical ideas that don't really coalesce into a whole. They were an interesting band who took a big swing on this and, when it works, such as on the cover of "War" followed by "Two Tribes" it's fantastic. And the closing ballad "The Power of Love" is quite good. Maybe this could have been a really good single album if they had tightened it up and done some editing.
Went in expecting some standard 80s synthpop, but this is a real hot mess. All over the place, has some great moments, some fine moments, some that are best forgotten. Love the cover of War, and love the audacity to do that cover of Born to Run (execution not as much). Power of love is a good ballad too. Solid, but a little too roller coastery quality-wise
Not bad. Huh. Who would've thought.
This album was everywhere in ‘84. And I mean everywhere. I was never a fan of them, but have to admit that I might’ve danced a time or two to Relax or Two Tribes in hopes of wooing the ladies. It didn’t work. Plus, those damn Frankie Say Relax shirts were also everywhere. Which only prompted me to make a 180 in the mall and head to Chess King to buy me a Def Leppard Union Jack shirt instead. This album probably rates higher for me if the filler covers were not included. Overall a good nostalgia listen.
This was quite the listen. A little repetitive and some of the theatrics aren’t my thing, but I will respect the production and the layers upon layers. Bass player carried it the whole way. Ballad of 32 had me jamming…then blushing. If you know you know.
It's a factual statement that Zoolander would have been less awesome without Relax, and for that I am rounding up. And props for the album title...an all-timer. 3/5
This album is so fucking cool man I kinda want to give it a 4… I wont tho
Interesting, different, strange, fun. I like their odd songs and they do a good job covering songs, too.
listenable
I quite enjoyed this. The title track was awesome and the Springsteen cover was unexpected but fun! Still nothing earth shattering though
Relax really makes you feel like a brainwashed male model sent to assassinate the Prime Minister of Malaysia
The opening track was so interesting that I was preparing for this to be an under-the-radar masterpiece of pop combined with cool songcraft, social commentary, and unabashed queerness - Relax is clearly also a banger, but agree with the critique of it bogging down in the middle with unnecessary covers. That said I did not know these guys were from Liverpool and quite enjoyed the Gerry and the Pacemakers cover. No issues whatsoever with the maximalist 80s production but not enough interesting musical moments to hold my interest for over an hour. So outside of the epic title track and the certified hit, didn't find as much here as I was hoping for.
I came into this thinking I would hate it a lot more than I did, at least for the first eight tracks or so. Very unique sounding, and doesn't have too much of the annoying new wave type sounds of this era. At least until Wish the Lads were Here--that's full on obnoxious 80s. But I guess I didn't think I'd get through this so cleanly. Krisco Kisses is excessively wacky as well, but not terrible. Most of the rest of the album kind of hovers above and below the tolerable threshold. Based on strength of first part of album, I'll give this a 3, even though it pains me to give this kind of 80s pop any love.
Bons clássicos, esteve quase para o 4
Não sabia que a relax era desta banda. Cover giro da born to run
tem seus bons momentos, mas é mediano na maior parte do tempo. 3/5.
It was alright. War cover pretty interesting.
Another debut album, from Frankie Goes to Hollywood (named after a Frank Sinatra ad). They made a big splash went they hit the scene in 1984, then quickly faded away (although they reunited a few times since then. This is a double album, with several covers, including “Born to Run”. The musical style is distinctive, and overall it’s a decent effort.
Hmm, okay. I only knew 'Relax' before, and I saw it as a kind of novelty song (akin to 'Mambo No 5' or 'The Thong Song', maybe). But wiki is telling me they were Controversial & Gay, so my attention is piqued. Why are they covering 'Born to Run'?? This is very weird. Not as good as the OG, but I do like 'Born to Run'. Lots of covers on here actually. To their detriment, because I don't think they add anything, but I am a cover-hater. There sure are a lot of songs called 'The Power of Love'. Kinda wish that one was a cover. I dunno, they lost me by the end of this album. The pleasuredome is closed. But it's still a 3! Highlight: 'Wish (The Lads Were Here)' Language ideology: there's a wiki quote that says: <<Richard Harris from NME wrote, "'The Power of Love' is too straight-laced (sic)>> -- what's that "sic" doing there? Some wiki editor thinking "my spelling is the only correct variant even though this one is common and in the dictionary" is annoying me today. There's more than one way to build a legacy!!
This album was a pleasant surprise. I wasn't really expecting anything even moderately entertaining from it, but I was proven wrong quickly. I didn't realize that I knew any songs by this band, and I actually recognized a good 3 or 4 of the tracks while listening through. I think this was solid. It wasn't necessarily an album that stuck with me, but I had fun during the listen.
6/10 Favorite: The Power Of Love
Not what I was expecting, knowing just the smash hit - and seminal (hee hee) track for Gen X’ers of my vintage - “Relax.” I expected glorious synth dance pop but instead, live instruments predominate, including the ska- and reggae-adjacent stylings popular at the time. There are surprising covers - Bruce Springsteen?! - and a reach for depth with tracks on war and human nature. While enjoyable overall, it’s a mishmash. I’ll take “Relax” and leave most of the rest.
Better than I thought. I’d give this 3.5 easy. Born to run cover is better than Bruce’s. Bass player fucking jams on that song. Ok maybe not better but it was good.
First time listen Starts on a pretty bad note for me with the title track which just strikes me as overly long and indulgent. I don't mind long or even repetitive songs but I felt like in tandem with the repetitive lyrics it just ended up aggravating me. After that it fell into a more listenable experience. I could do without a couple of the covers but overall this is a fine synthpop album. Fav tracks: Two Tribes, Power of Love Least Fav: Born to Run, Welcome to the Pleasuredome 3/5
This was better than I thought it would be. Needed fewer covers and fewer tracks. But more interesting as an album than just the single would imply
I wouldn’t have thought I knew any songs by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, but working my way through Welcome To The Pleasuredome I felt familiar with large chunks of the tracklist. Granted, some of these are originals and other covers, but it all culminates in a very listenable, peppy, and finely curated 1980s mixtape. It is all very of the time, but the epic pop drama of the decade is still appealing.
A high 3 for me, reduced from 4 due to the covers but this is a polished, interesting, and pretty cool record for me, have always liked it but never loved it
Solid first half then falls off
Odd
I get why the hits on this album are the hits: I don't love the tracks that aren't "Relax" or "War", they lean too hard into the 80's cheesiness for me. But I do think it's an interesting album, and I don't hate any of the songs.
Probably one of the better synth-pop albums I've heard. This album and some particular songs was pretty controversial for referencing an un-shamed gay-focused lifestyle. Nowadays it doesn't seem too bad, perhaps maybe hip-hop lyrics have desensitised me, or the lyrics were never bad and just newspaper editors and readers have always been easy to offend. The styles as I mentioned earlier are quite synth-poppy, there isn't a crazy variety, but that's sometimes just fine. Definitely the first ever synth pop double album I've heard, and as an afterthought it could've been shortened, shaving portions off of the third and fourth side would suffice. Highlight Song/s: "Relax", "Two Tribes", "Born to Run" "Including the Ballad of 32" and "The Power of Love"
Good memories
Es un álbum raro por los covers que eligieron e inclusive por los instrumentales. Me gustó pero tampoco me fascinó.
3.4 Lots going on for better or worse
The 13min title track is a banger, outstanding. The hits hold up really well, great era synching slabs of pop goodness. The album trails of badly, had some inconsistent flow and poor covers. A mixed bag, marked up one for the strength and longevity of the big hitters
This album gets better when it's placed in society & what was going on, definitely recommend reading a bit about it.
Album 1077 of 1089 Welcome To The Pleasuredome - Frankie Goes To Hollywood (1984) Rating : 3 / 5 This one feels like a strong snapshot of the era it came from. The production, the energy, and the overall style all carry that unmistakable mid-1980s sound. Big synths, big production, and a lot of attitude behind it. Listening to the whole album this time around, I think I actually enjoyed the full record more than I remember enjoying the singles back when they were on the radio. When songs get played over and over as hits, they can start to feel a little worn out, but hearing everything together as a complete album gave it a different feel. The record keeps a high level of energy moving through most of its runtime. It’s colorful, dramatic, and clearly designed to grab attention. There’s a bit of spectacle to the whole thing, which was very much part of that time period in pop music. One thing I really enjoyed was their take on Born to Run. It’s always interesting to hear a well-known song interpreted through a completely different musical lens, and they brought plenty of energy to it. Overall, this turned out to be a fun listen. It captures the spirit of its time, keeps the energy up, and works well when taken in as a full album rather than just the big radio moments.
Better than expected, a lot of variety. I don’t envision ever listening to it again, but it was a fine experience.
did not like girl moaning in one of the songs. i did like krisco kisses
what a record! i’d only ever heard the singles, but this is DEEP. Wtf the Springsteen cover?? Trevor Horn remains undefeated.
Aside from the singles not familiar with any of this album, was not my thing in 1984. It's a little all over the place and sounds a little same-y at the same time. Up through Two Tribes is very danceable electronic pop. A very random Born to Run cover comes from out of nowhere, and then some more electro pop, then some moodiness near the end. Almost plays like the soundtrack to a musical film.
Pretty much as expected based on my knowledge of “Relax”.
3,5
Great eighties funk classic from the Liverpool band
Blind album and artist. I was impressed in the first half, and then it dragged. Shame.
Certainly something different!
Interesting education on Frankie Goes to Hollywood and their brief massive popularity in the UK despite being kind of a one hit wonder. I admire the audacity of a double debut album and having a nearly 14-minute pop song. And I can't hate on any band that does a solid cover of Born to Run - by the way look up their version of it on SNL which I remember seeing in high school and hadn't thought about again until now. Fascinating seeing a leather bar dude dancing and rocking the shit out of a tambourine to the Boss.
Dude. The first 4 minutes is just background noise and birds chirping and shit. Are we going to actually do music, or is this album solely here to annoy the shit out of me? This album is too long. I respect that it doesn't sound like typical 80s pop, but some trimming would have been useful.
Full weird, the covers are interesting
It's pretty uneven, but the synths are really good
Very 80s. Fun and lively. not my style too repetitive.
I didnt know what to expect but it was cool and I liked the different sounds.
High 2? Could have been worse but I will never understand how Relax became a hit
Kinda freaky pretty gay. Despite that, it didn’t do much for me.
Ok album. Överraskande med en Bruce Springsteen cover måste jag säga. Catchy låtar och flera jag hört tidigare. Kul att ha lyssnat i sin helhet.
This was an unexpected joy.
most of the songs were really good (especially those first few?? like omg that opener is insane) and relax is a classic obv but like. it did not need to be this long of an album. it drags like CRAZY tbh
Toi pleasuredomehan oli vitun kova biisi, harmi et tää muu on aika generistä kasaria. Pannaan kolmonen, pleasuredomelle vitonen!
Joo ihan viehkoo ja taiteellista tavaraa. Selkeesti on ollut visioo tunnelmasta, joka levyskälle halutaan. Kertarysäyksellä taas vähän liikaa vaadittu, että tästä nyt sais jonkun otteen. Riskinä on kuitenkin se, että todellisuudessa biisien värittelyt muodostuukin rasittaviks ja tunnelmointi onkin matcha-latteeta kun kuuntelee enempi. Annetaan nyt kuitenkin näkemykselle vahva kolkki ja arvostetaan fiilistelyjä. Ohan tässä pari radiohittiäkin. Pauvö öv lääv on muuten joulubiisi. Tai niin ainakin heardle christmas joskus väitti.
Yllätyksekseni tämähän oli ihan hyvä, ja tuttuja veisuja oli useampikin! Todella kasarit soundit, mutta ihan hyvällä tavalla. Springsteen-coverin olisi ehkä voinut jättää piippuun.. Ei nyt ihan nelosen arvoista, mutta vahva kolmonen!
Yea, this should be on there. But I still don't have to like it.
The World Is My Oyster (Including Well, Snatch of Fury) 2.7 Welocme to the Pleasuredome 3.1 Relax (Come Fighting) 3.3 War Child (…and Hide) 3.2 Two Tribes (For the Victims of Ravishment) 3 (Tag) (Unlisted track) n/a Ferry (Go) 2.8 Born to Run 3.3 San Jose (The Way) 3.2 Wish (The Lads Were Here) 3 The Ballad of 32 3.2 Krisco Kisses 3.3 Black Night White Light 3.3 The Only Star in Heaven 3.2 The Power of Love 3 …Bang 3 Score: 3.106666667
De zweiti song isch mega geil alli ander find ich aber ndso guet
I was surprised when I revisited this. I kinda remembered it as like "kick ass" sort of epic rock, big stadium vibes and almost punk edges. In a way it is but in much more of a way it is much quieter, much more nuanced and not as over the top. It is wholly unique. It has a definite queer vibe that I readily hear now but never picked up on when I was a kid. That is not meant as a good or bad thing, it is just simply something that is present. Now one would need to be unapologetic to dare be so bold, which makes me wish they were a contemporary band and played against this fascism we face. Personally they were different, the epic bits were there and they were more experimental and kind of distinct than I remember. Too bad the whole sort of epic stadium rock anthem band thing is not my scene.
Remarkably listenable. Its really just Relax and several covers that are good, but Born to Run and War are both solid. And that's the most I've thought about Frankie in 40 years.
Love the singles, but as a whole album it's not really that interesting. Great cover, great band--looks like the came on strong with this as a first album. The Boss cover is kinda fun, but the others don't really make sense to me. Great 80s sound, plenty of bombast...but it left me feeling empty.
Haven’t listened to this in a minute… good album
Mostly okay for me! Enjoyed "Relax (Come Fighting)" and "Two Tribes" and the covers of "War" and "San Jose (The Way)" were interesting, but the rest didn't grab me too much
Some hits, the rest was hit-or-miss for me. Nice to listen to once
Relax é icônica e a faixa titulo é fascinante, mas o álbum realmente precisava de um segundo disco?
I was only familiar was Two Tribes and Relax before listening to this album. I quite liked it for the first half of the album. Then there were several cover songs that I just felt messed with the flow of the album. I also felt that was too many covers to make this a stand out album for me. The Power of Love is of course a great song, but by that point I was wanting what felt like an overbloated album to be over. 3/5 Great when it hits hard, but too many covers to be lauded and way too long.
How intriguing! It really makes me want to do something nefarious the Prime Minister of Malaysia... But really, it's a pretty decent album, besides the one song I recognize. First parts of the album sound similar, but other parts are quite different. It's pretty good. While being almost wholly '80s, it's not so dated that it's played out. It still seems fresh in spite of familiar sound styles.
Suprisingly good Springsteen cover
Me gusto el disco. Creo que tiene un gran estilo, aunque no creo que nada nuevo, para la época. Aunque si tiene algunas cosas muy interesantes, juega mucho con un estilo progre que funciona muy bien con lo funkadelic y pop del disco. Creo que es un disco sumamente conceptual y artístico, lo cual me gusta bastante, aunque muy cansado, me costó acabarlo. La producción es muy buena también. Creo que es el gran acierto del disco. Muy experimental, conceptual, artístico, lo que quieras, pero muy aterrizado y bien hecho. Lo que si es que un poco pretencioso y over the top en algunas canciones. Llega a ser cansado tanto punch y tanto hype, las letras luego si dices 'ya okey, entendimos, luego que?' En general, buen disco. Pero cansado de escuchar.
Buena sorpresa, no todo el disco es perfecto pero esa épica “Welcome to the pleasure Dome” lleva el synthpop mas allá de lo que uno piensa de él. Buenas rolas pop ochenteras en los lows y épicas espaciales en los ups 7/10
The power of love is great! Relax is also a good song.The rest is kinda too trippy for me. The two i mentioned before do help tho, so 3/5
big 3
I listend to this while mowing the lawn, and it was so inconsequential and uninspiring to me I completely forgot about it and forgot to write a review, so here you go.
Mange varianter af Relax, men unden at blive en gentagelse. Det er nok bare sådan deres signatur lyd er...
Det var både som forventer og meget anderledes. Jeg havde nok regnet med 17 variationer af Relax, men det stak i alle mulige retninger.
= the Beatles This was much better than I expected
Interesting album. Forgot how funky and bass lead Frankie were. Even though they were huge in the day I never got around to listening to the whole album.
Was only familiar with Relax before listening to this album, and never really cared for it. Surprisingly the album was better than I thought but kind of all over the place and definitely a few songs too long. Was anticipating a 1 or 2 for the album but it was more like a 3 for me.
Very fun didn’t know there were so many hits in this album
It had some bangers, it had some mid tracks, it was incredibly cheesy 80s I enjoyed it.
3/5 I mean it's alright... but nothing earth-shattering. It feels very basic 80s, and I just wish there was more... oomph to it.
Some obvious bangers, but the album itself felt a bit all over the place
I think this should have been more fun
6/10 What an oddly frustrating album. I don't understand the mentality of filling this with average covers and filler tacks. As a 42mins single album, with Relax, 2 Tribes & Power of Love the impact would have been huge, but it's all diluted and looses it's punch from Ferry across the bloody Mersey.
Really struggled rating this, I didn't particularly like or dislike it in general, some very famous/infamous songs, some weird moments and more covers than I would have expected
Relax Two Tribes The Power of Love
This album was definitely a pleasant surprise. I didn’t expect anything other that the relax song, which is a great iconic pop song and super defining album for the 80s. But I supposed I thought the whole album would be carried by that one song. And yes that song does A LOT of heavy lifting, there’s enough variety here to keep you engaged. It wasn’t my favorite album I had heard in a while and I found a good portion of it to be forgettable. But it doesn’t waste your time and it really tries its best to win you over, and to the albums credit, it DID win me over it just didn’t wow me. Solid pop album.
Much better than I expected, I even knew two songs, Relax is obvious but Two Tribes is much heard and very sick as well! Interesting structure and cool sounds, probably at least 3 stars here
Dirty slap base! A bit crazy
The highs on this album are fabtastic - the title track is an absolute barnstormer and their cover of Born to Run rips. Unfortunately however the lows really make the album sag.
This was truly wild. I don’t usually like synth-y 80’s stuff but this was fun, meandering, covered a lot of ground
Definitely weirder than I had expected, though the little parade of covers was a bit crap. Really enjoyed the big 13 minute epic track 2.
NGL this album was way better than I thought it was gonna be. Born To Run cover totally shocked me (in a good way). I'll never listen to this again but it was fun while it lasted.
Very interesting, although the lyrics are not for me
Totally fine. I enjoyed it at first but got bored pretty quickly.
Not as gay as expected.
Queer
Incredibly cheesy but fun! Liked it overall, but there were definitely some odd covers thrown in there.
special music, greatest first album from fgth, tipp: san jose, the power of love, ...
Favourites: 1. Welcome To The Pleasuredome 2. Including The Ballad Of 32 3. The Power Of Love Least Favourite: Fury
For some reason, there was a brief time in my teenage years when I was quite into this album. It was nostalgic to listen to it again. Some great songs here; including a somewhat incongruous cover of Born To Run.
Covers and remixes.
Starting a pop album in the 1980s with a 13-minute track is quite a bold move, but the dizzying title track from Frankie Goes to Hollywood's debut, 'Welcome to the Pleasuredome', perfectly sets the scene for what is easily one of the more ambitious releases of the 1980s. 'Welcome to the Pleasuredome' leans heavily into the pop genre, but to call it a straightforward pop album would be simplifying the record greatly. There's elements of new wave, synth, rock and it even points toward the rave culture that would take off in the 90s. There's a few choice covers here, such as rousing renditions of Bruce Springsteen's 'Born To Run' and The Temptations' 'War', but the strength is in its original music. The best known songs on this album are 'Relax' and 'Two Tribes', which were both released as standalone singles prior to the album's release. 'Relax' has since become an iconic LGBTQIA+ anthem and 'Two Tribes' a prominent anti-war statement, which highlight the breakaway success of Frankie Goes to Hollywood and their ability to tap into multiple camps. 'Two Tribes' and 'Relax' sat at number 1 and 2 respectively on the UK charts for a time in 1984, the only act other than The Beatles and John Lennon to do so at the time. The rest of 'Welcome to the Pleasuredome' isn't too bad either, however it does lack focus at times. There's impressive vocals throughout by Holly Johnson, and the driving bass lines of Mark O'Toole are also a standout, but it feels like Frankie Goes to Hollywood put this record out to capitalise further on the success of 'Relax' and 'Two Tribes' rather than create a cohesive album, because much of the remaining songs sound more like ideas than fully realised songs. Mind you, if it had just been an EP with the title track, 'Relax', 'Two Tribes' and 'The Power of Love', 'Welcome to the Pleasuredome' would've been a near-perfect collection of music. Best songs: Welcome to the Pleasuredome, Relax, Two Tribes, The Power of Love
Some bops but the covers really threw me off
80’s pop. Notable tracks include Relax, Two Tribes, Wish, The Only Star in Heaven, The Power of Love.
There's a couple of anti-war songs on the album but it doesn't stop me from feeling like this band wants to hurt me Feels like a decent album to experience as a whole, most of the songs weren't too individually interesting as it went on Maybe the first half of the album was interesting and had a certain intimidating energy and that wore off later, dunno exactly why there's a cover of Born to Run or how that fits into everything but it's there
6/10 Favourite: Relax (Come Fighting) Least Favourite: Krisco Kisses
Relax and listen to this album. It’s Fury will make you Wish the Lads Were Here with you. Bang.
Not a bad listen but it wasn’t great either. I liked the start of it
The quintessential 80s sound to relive your MTV era days.
Was pretty good towards the end. Didn't know they were from Liverpool. Born To Run pretty, pretty, pretty good
I knew coming in that the god awful 80s synth sounds would be coming fast & furious with this one. And I was not disappointed (in that prediction. I very much WAS disappointed to have to listen to all that horrible garbage.) Apart from that synth pop silliness there's some really good shit in here. Honestly, there's some bangers that could earn their way into my regular rotation. If I had the time and patience to acclimate to the neon plastic sheen of 80's production sounds that is. Buuuuuuut I don't. Maybe it'll happen organically. So many covers for a non-covers album! How bout that Springsteen, huh? That was fun. +3 stars for a solidly better-than-average effort.
Well, RELAX is so worn I couldn't give it a fresh listen after the bowling alley juke box played it to death. The cover of WAR is interesting - and then there's the karaoke version of BORN TO RUN. Not forgiveable.
Good album. So unique and clever. Their music just makes me want to move.
Struggle to rate this as it's a combination of popular, theatre and oddities. It has quite a lot going for it but wrapped up in this eccentric indulgent veil does that make it better really hard to say. OK it was quite fun and energetic for what it was and perfectly reasonable pop album. Probably left of field genre for me, but it did its job of not losing me so will give it that. I think better Pop albums out there however.
War, was is it good for? I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, especially after the dragged out second song. I was buckled up for a doozy after that, but the rest of the material was pretty good.
Fun album with quite a few high points, but falls off on the second disc. Basically every Frankie goes to Hollywood hit is on here, so you don't need much more than this album. Even then, this album had a number of uninteresting tracks that made the runtime felt longer than it really was. Side one and two are great, Two Tribes, Welcome To The Pleasuredome and Relax are all great 80's anthems. There's a lot of variety here too, having originals, covers, uptempo tracks and gentle ballads. I like quite a bit here but as an album it's kind of a daunting task to listen.
Although I'm not a big fan of this style of 80's music, the album wasn't bad. I would say I liked the second half of the album a lot better, it just had songs that I liked more.
3.75
Liked it, then didn't, then liked it again.
OK
Not impressive
Interesting songs in addition to the hits but not necessarily good.
Frankie says relax
Favorite Track: Born To Run
Interesting and unique album, I won't be listening to any of these again very likely, but I did enjoy the ride.
It's the relax band! Oh man that damn song had legs didn't it. Showed up a decade later too. It's a fun album, not really my cup of tea but not a bad listen.
Its very 80s and very goofy, but the title track is actually pretty fun and spacious. An open-ended ~14 minute jam with tight bass, some shimmering synths, and crisp guitar that kept me engaged the entire runtime. I don't care what anyone says, Relax is and always has been a jam. A bit surprising that it got as much radio play as it did given the open interpretation of the lyrics. Interesting yet inferior take on War. Also an interesting choice to cover Born to Run Felt like this one had some really solid highs but mostly fell in a middle space. For me this is a memorable 3.
Oh man the band that did Relax. I could see this being insanely bad. Actually kinda digging Welcome to the Pleasuredome. I don't think I've ever actually listened to the whole song Relax ever, but it's pretty solid. Weird War cover. Thought I had an advertisement coming on with Tag. Also weird. Lots of filler in the middle that wasn't great. Upsetting that I had to listen to The Power of Love. That ended on a poor note. I did enjoy some parts though.
ELAINE: Although one wonders if "War and Peace" would have been as highly acclaimed as it was if it was published under its original name "War: What Is It Good For?" LIPPMAN: What? ELAINE: Yes, Mr. Lippman. It was his mistress who insisted he call it "War and Peace". "War: What Is It Good For?". [singing] Absolutely nothin'! Huh! Say it again!
This was ok, but the original artists did it better
What a frustrating album this is. On first glance it's pretty ridiculous that the same band made 3 of the best pop songs of the 80s, let alone all on one album, and their debut too! You could throw in 5 synth pop filler tracks and it would be a great album, right? Right? At the first "Ooh hah" of the title track I was already drafting my 5 star review in my head. Then it keeps going. And going. And ends...nope. Ends again...nope. FFS, are you frickin' trolling me?! It's like they knew listeners would be waiting for Relax, so they deliberately stressed them out. War isn't a terrible cover version, but Born to Run is a cover absolutely no one requested, and the Burt Bacharach cover sounds completely out of place. Sure The Power of Love is a classic, and normally I love it when an artist is confident enough to leave one of their best songs to near the end of the album, but I was pretty fed up with it by the time I got there. So all in all it's a pretty terrible album with 3 stellar songs. 3/5 feels a bit too straight down the middle for an album that gave me strong feelings, but I don't know how else to rate it.
Relax…an album for its time.
Þarna voru góðir smellir og skeþþtilega útfærðar ábreiður en mikið hrikalega var spjallið tilgerðarlegt og leiðinlegt. Það togar þessa plötu niður
Good record! I would even give it 3.5 out of 5.
3.4 some good classics and unique upbeat vibe. What else they got.
Producto prefabricado (aunque ellos cantaban y componían), éxito descomunal con Relax, a todos los niveles: imagen, marketing y musical. El resto, a años luz de esto, salvo la balada The power of love y Two Tribes. Es un disco creado por Trevor Horn, que aquí se hizo (nuevamente) de oro. Sonido bombástico, exagerado, potente, escandaloso, pretencioso al que la voz de Holly le va como anillo al dedo: Welcome to the Pleasure dome es el mejor ejemplo. Ahórrate el resto (versiones como War, San Jose o Born to run!!) ... o no. Legiones de seguidores, influencia en todo el sonido ochentero (Duran Duran como más obvia, pero hasta el Chimo Bayo les cogió lo suyo). Arrasaron, hasta que se les descubrió de qué hablaban realmente en sus letras, entonces simplemente arrasaron aún más. Jugada maestra, doblemente.
Relax, Two Tribes, Power of Love and even Born to Run The 1984 memories are flooding back Nice to hear again, but I dont live here anymore . . .
на любителя. понравилась только одна песня, и то Брюса Спрингстина.
Just another Brit bias pick on the list in the end. It’s sad too, because this album kicks off really strong. Sadly it eventually goes into very mediocre covers, and the entire 2nd half of the album is dull as fuck. 2.5 / 5
Good energy. I was a bit surprised by the covers on here. They were kinda cute though. I think Relax, Two Tribes and the title track are the biggest bangers.
3.1
Very 80s, but has some bangers
For me the definition of a 'good' album. It is overall good, has some highlights but not really that many. Some weaker points but they are easily ignored. Some massive hits on there as well. And an interesting concept behind it. It just doesn't really do anything exceptionally well in my opinion. Therefore I can't give it any higher than what I do here, compared to the 1000 other albums on this list. 3/5
This was a lot more fun than I thought. I was close on giving it a 4
Kinda boring but ultimately decently fun record
This album was a monster back in the day, and was released around about the time I was really getting interested in all things pop culture. The massive problem with it is that it tries to shock more than it tries to be good. This is FGTH trying to sound like Depeche Mode, but actually sounding like Heaven 17. There is no way that this needs to be a double album because it is just the four singles, and some other half-arsed rubbish. Side three is redundant, and if you substituted The Power of Love with the War cover, you have a really strong single album. It’s also a greatest hits.
Legendary one-hit wonder, so it was interesting to listen to a full album. The first half got kind of a slow start, but the second half starting with their cover of "Born to Run" was pretty good!
There are a lot of bangers on this one, real classics. That doesn't hide the fact that there are some crappy ones too, including some not so great covers. "San Jose (The Way)" for instance, is terrible. As others have mentioned, the 2nd part of the album drops off at bit. Those classics hold it up a bit, but not enough for me to give it a 4. High 3 perhaps.
Ton of absolutely fabulous gay anthems, and some unexpected covers that were unique enough to pull it off. Enjoyed this more than I remembered. Prob a 3.5.
Fun stuff…didn’t set the world on fire and was pretty repetitive but i enjoyed and that’s enough.
later
Some good songs. Some filler.
Meh. Some good tracks but pretty arty.
I liked this one quite a bit more than I thought I would. Probably not a frequent listen, but interesting and well put together.
A witty antidote to yyThatcherism and 80s hyper consunerism..And yet on the other hand, here's four good songs and 35 minutes of filler, give me £6 please!
Didn’t think I was going to like this but it surprised me. Had good flow as an album but the covers threw a curve ball. Born To Run was decent to be fair. Wouldn’t listen again but thought it was decent. The 3 big tracks of theirs that I knew are all on this album
Àlbum del Relax. Interessant. No l'he pogut escoltar sencer (cap de setmana). L'altre single Two Tribes està bé, peròem queda pendent el videoclip.
Some very recognisable songs Relax don't do it War huh Born to run cover Power of love etc Solid album but didn't add any songs to liked playlist
Unsure what to do with this one.
artig men helt ok
Has some bangers. Better than I thought it was going to be
Cool 80's electronica. High energy good time record, if I was a DJ I would have this in my collection
Fun guilty pleasure
Vibes bizzares, mais sans être si mauvais. 2.5 Round up
Ça commence vraiment cool et original mais ça fini par drag à un moment
Have to say the surrounding songs don't let the singles down, it's a solid album.
Fun, but not everything is great
Side 3 kinda ruins it for me.
Due tre pezzi belli, il resto dimenticabile. Tre stelle sulla simpatia
Frankie says the first few songs are pretty good, the rest is a mixed bag
3 stars if I'm just listening at home. It's interesting, fun & a little too long. 4 stars if I'm dancing after a couple martinis. Location, location, location.
Softboi mad max concept album. Two tribes now makes more sense but is less enjoyable
Pretty good 80s sound
Pretty good. It's always fun to hear classic songs re-worked and included in new music. just using small samples of songs from the past and update them, I can't imagine how that all works ... but it does! # stars because this does go on a bit long, and some should have been left off.
Fun but inconsequential album most notable for Trevor Horn's maximalist production. Contains the hits that initially propelled FGTH to stardom, also a bunch of unnecessary cover versions ("Born To Run", anyone?) and nearly an LP's worth of stuff that's sounds like Kajagoogoo b-sides. Worth a spin to hear Horn's gleaming synths at work, but no one will blame you if you bail out after the end of LP #1 of this double album set.
No denying this deserves to be here as they were everywhere for a short time, and the ‘Frankie Says t shirts are iconic. The hits are fantastic, the rest not so much, and what is with all the random covers? The whole thing is a testament to Trevor Horn’s production skills and Paul Morley’s pseudo intellectual PR campaign
Frankie goes to Hollywood... and Malcolm in the Middle is born. Interesting album... a real variety of sounds and interesting moments, multiple queered Springsteen covers?? Weird!! I do feel welcome in the pleasuredome though so thank you for that
i do like that genre of really gay british music (I guess its called "new pop" ... anyhow this was just ok for me but I suppose i will automatically like anything that is fun, gay and british
The energy on this is kind of crazy, mostly in a good way, but it feels like it goes on forever. One to play in the background and dance to, but nothing I'd play on it's own or because I really wanted to listen to it in particular
own
It’s a collection of singles. I didn’t mind born to run actually. But is this must listen? Hmmmm. Maybe it is. But it’s more the singles that are important than the album. The singles are ridiculously fun though. 3 stars.
I had heard 3-4 songs in the past without knowing it was them. Kinda surprised.
Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe bad.
Sehr durchwachsen, jedes Lied klingt anders. Mag das Relax Lied nicht besonders. The Power of Love ist hingegen ne geile Ballade, die mir gut gefällt.
Weird but somewhat enjoyable
Hard to believe this dropped over 40 years ago. A weak debut from Frankie, two lead-off originals and a bunch of covers. But not a bad listen. They musta been short lived as they were not heard from again after Relax. L = (2.8*s) Lots of drama but I liked it. J = (2.7*s) Some interesting song choices for a debutt; Do You Know The Way To San Jose, Born To Run…
enjoyable but nothing special, weird at times
There was one song that was way too long and I even thought that I had Repeat on, but it was almost 14 minutes long (Welcome to the Pleasuredome). The band sounded quite familiar, and then I heard Relax and The Power Of Love, so those were songs that I knew. Overall, pretty chill having this album in the background, nothing too exciting but it's not too bad.
That was a long welcome to the Pleasuredome. High-energy and fun but kind of exhausting. This has no business being over an hour long. It’s an artifact of its time that I can understand the popularity of but will most likely not revisit. I didn’t really review the tracklist before listening so the covers kept jumpscaring me. The “War” cover mystified and surprised me. The “Born to Run” cover also had me say “What the fuck?” out loud when it got started. The covers overall are fine, I guess, just startling.
A good album from my youth. 3/5
Definitely an 80s milestone
This album is good. It's length is the worst part because there's a time in which it loses interest and becomes the same thing over and over. I'm not saying it's a long album, this one is not, but it has many songs that sound the same. But it's a nice album. I enjoyed a lot the begging. And I thought I would have liked it more, but it becomes the same thing, more or less, when you've listened to half of it. So, it's good (and enjoyable) but not a highlight for me.
Preferred the second half over the first half. Wasn’t what I was expecting but it was pretty enjoyable overall, rlly like the singer’s voice.
Better than I thought this would be.
Some classic records on here but overall this was an ok album. The classics are definitely doing the heavy lifting
It’s good that the first ⅓ or so of this is so enjoyable, as if the last section was what opened the album then I’d be much faster to write it off completely. But before descending into a mid-eighties synthy sludge, Welcome to the Pleasuredome opens with an incredibly surprising and honestly quite prog-like title track (complete with Steve Howe on acoustic guitar, come on) and the undoubtable classic of Relax. It can hold up without the context of its BBC radio play controversy, but adding that just builds on the carefree ‘we don’t give a fuck’ nature of its lyrical content, heavy production and subsequent immenseness of its popularity, much to the BBC’s dismay. I’ve even got the 7” in the house, courtesy of my mother. Unfortunately for this, an album is the whole contents, and the whole contents of everything really past track 7 (the pure genius lyrics of “a point is all that you can score” notwithstanding) is a conglomeration of 80s sloppy synthy sludge, the sort of stuff you’d find in the £1 bin today. It really didn’t need to be a double album, but this was the age of endless 12” single mixes, just after the height of the ‘album era’ and just before the CD made eighty minutes of uninterrupted listening accessible. So whilst nowhere near ‘timeless’, that title isn’t needed. Being a product of its time is just fine.
When this came out I thought it was great. It's big, almost orchestral. I don't think it aged well.
Ok. Some classics
I like the sound, good debut album. Lyrics a bit too much on the nose.
Quintessentially 80s. Energetic, catchy and irreverent.
The cover art did not lead me astray. This is a flamboyant and fun 80s listen.
I was bored most of the time. Not for me. I liked couple of songs tho. It is 2.5 for me.
An hour+ long album from the mid-80s is definitely not a strong start for me, but I haven't hit play yet so we'll see where it goes. "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" was extremely long but pretty fun the entire time. I was absolutely not expecting a Bruce cover. It's a great song, but they're not really doing much more than the boss himself. This is a nice album. Nothing blew me away and it went on forever. The really big hits weren't that much better than the other music. 6/10
Good, but not great. 7 out of 10, rounding down.
Great singles, but so much filler.
It's got some bops; huge, and those would elevate it to a perfect album. But in the midst of that, there's a Born to Run cover, some really needless filler....what is going on? How can an album with Two Tribes, Relax, the Power of Love be....boring?
For a moment, I thought this was going to be an 80s rock opera, based on the title track. Then, it kept shifting and became more of what I expected. It was fine. It was a lot.
There's a crazy amount of covers and this is too long. Relax is a definite 80s vibe. Sure. Put it on the list. Not a masterpiece.
This had it's moments of fun energy. Super 1980s sound. The covers don't add anything. Ultimately there are a few too many tracks. Just doesn't intrest me enough.
Definitely an 80s album. Usually, I’m a sucker for heavy 80s stuff, but this was just alright. I feel like there were a couple of standout moments, though I was hoping for me. The parts in between couldn’t hold my attention.
Enjoyed this more than I expected.
Yes.
Ummmm, this was weird in a way that's on the other side of the multi-dimensional weirdness hypersphere that I usually appreciate. So although it's not exactly my favorite, I really do appreciate it for what it is ❤️
I don't understand how you can have War and San Jose on the same album.
Props to Frankie for making this sprawling synth-pop odyssey sound as if it was one continuous sonic journey, but could we have maybe relaxed just a little more and cut this puppy down from 64 minutes?
Not that bad, some songs were ok
i thought I hadn't heard this artist before, but my mom has Relax in her playlist! I've heard Born to Run as well. Reminded me a lot of David Bowie. Glad to hear shootouts to Malcolm X and Che. It was a fun listen but I would only listen to Relax again. 6/10
First few songs are actually really interesting. Even the first seven songs are good. The first three sound like the song equivalent of 80s brutalist architecture: dated, angular, not very soothing but kind of beautiful and interesting. But the two covers of Born to Run and San Jose really take you out of it and don’t add anything to the originals.
A little bloated for me. I cannot see why this needed to be a double album that includes two covers. Neither of which are very compelling.
3/5
Making your debut album a double album and then having the first real song on that album be almost 14 minute long is kind of pretentious right? It is a good song, I don't think the extended solo section really adds much and could have been trimmed, but it is a good song. I think I would have really liked the song if they condensed it to 4-5 minutes, there just isn't enough ideas to make it that long, it also ruins the pacing of the album. I like Relax, but I just can't listen to it, because it is too obvious and kind of gross. He really didn't need to call it a laser beam. Man, every song so far, is just so close to being something I dig, but then they mess it up. I like their cover of War, I think it is funky and they put a cool spin on it, but the spoken word is just WAY TOOOOO LOUD. I was digging Fury too, and then it just ended... And this Springsteen cover is just weird. And now the album is 1/2 over and IDK and I really don't have any strong feelings. There is a good album in here somewhere, but it needs a LOT of editing. Mid 3.
This is ridiculous. Obviously it has a big hit on it, but the rest of it is uneven and inexplicably contains cover songs. It's not bad by any means, just very much not essential.
Really enjoyed the flow early with a strong driving beats and had high hopes for the rest, but it faded into insignificant covers, and felt like it lost it's way. Overall enjoyed the listen and reading more about them and the album, definitely belongs on the list.
Chill
p516. 1984. 3 stars. Oh dear. This has not aged well. Point immediately deducted for it being a double album. Far too much filler - redundant covers, and multiple 5+ minute tracks, including a monstrous 13+ minute abomination. It does feel like Trevor Horn saying "hey! Look how clever I am!". Set against that we have Holly Johnson's wonderfully sinister voice, fabulous production and some classic 80s singles. If this had been a single album, it would have been an easy 5 stars.
The only star in heaven was shockingly fun and I was surprised by how much of a ride this album is
Title track is brilliant. Bloated and fun
The random Bruce cover was interesting
So dramatic 😂 and so overtly and predictably sexual. Couple of interesting covers: War and Born to Run. Not bad. Love the 80s dance vibe.
Kinda just okay. 5/10
Altså, klart, det er lidt for meget, men det er også en plade der hedder Welcome to the Pleasuredome, så no shit. Jeg synes ikke der var behov for covers, men ellers virker det sgu for mig!
Pretty horny. A few bangers. Kinda enjoyed it.
Weird. The guitar was really nice at points, reminded me of pink floyd. e.g. in "including the ballad of 32" but not particularly fan of the moaning in the background?? obviously with this album name its not unexpected however that doesn't make it a pleasurable listening experience. Overall quite a well put together album though regardless of it being all over the place, definitely works, just not my style. Definitely enjoyed the second half more. Strange in the shift, The Power of Love, massive hit etc, such a change from a lot of the album. very sporadic. Actually enjoyed listening to this more and more, found it a slog at first and then it picked up, my ears seemed to find it more interesting.
Other than a couple of songs, this album is a bit dated. However it was certainly ahead of its time and still resounds in the mind.
3/4 synth pop anni 80 carino, ma alla lunga stanca
I always knew Frankie Goes To Hollywood as a perennial one-hit wonder (Relax), but this was a surprisingly enjoyable album. Their cover of 'Born to Run' really impressed me.
I like the first half of the album enough to give it a 4, and am so ambivalent to the second half it still ends up getting a 3.
calkiem przyjemny ale nie porwal. zas czy nuta tytulowa byla warta trzynastu minut.. obawiam sie ze nie
The most 80s album. Not bad but nothing amazing.
Theatrical, strange adventure
Sometimes this album sounds like a showcase of what New Wave can be. Other times they cover Born to Run for no good reason
Not a fan of this kind of 80s production specifically.
Surprisingly listenable and quintessentially 80's.
What a ride. A very gay ride. It’s so menacing in the funnest possible way. If you’re not careful they’re gonna party! And there’s nothing you can do about it! Welcome to the Pleasuredome baby. Feels like a 2 for my personal taste but adding a star for the very bizarre style/MO. May grow to a 4.
Haven’t heard this album in decades. T
Epitome of the 80s, it’s alright though