Welcome To The Pleasuredome

Aika erikoinen levy, kun on vähän sellaiset musikaali fiilikset, mutta enemmän perinteisen leffan soundtrackin fiilistä. Tosi vahva kasari soundi ja monta coveria. Parhaat: Relax (Come Fighting), Black Night White Light, The Only Star In Heaven

Good

It's a little disconcerting to get yet another early(ish) 80s album in a row, but I'm glad to have a chance to hear something by Frankie Goes to Hollywood aside from their mega-hits "Relax" and "Two tribes". I'm not sure I needed a double album's worth of Frankie, but it's an interesting album despite the too-long runtime. It almost seems like the 13-minute-plus title track is a bit of a capsule/showcase of the other songs, and almost begs to be the soundtrack for some 80s movie (a la one of the Beverly Hills Cop or Lethal Weapon movies) (but definitely *not* to Mad Max III...). I'd never seen the video for "Relax" before now, but I'll admit it didn't really shed all that much light on what the song is about (but remarkably suggestive for the 80s given the S&M themed gay nightclub setting). And fun to have a pretty creative cover of "War" as the following track; the "Born to Run" and "San Jose" covers aren't as distinctive, however. It's a mystery to me why the video for "The power of love" is basically the Christmas Three Kings story.... It's kind of a bummer that it sounds like Trevor Horn's production of the album pretty much dominated the band's sound on the album (to the point that most of the band members didn't even play most of the instrument pieces on the album). It's hard to know how different the album might have been without Trevor Horn at the helm, but hopefully Frankie doesn't regret the choice too much. And kudos to them for being insistent on being open about their sexuality.

fun one, funky, very 80s

155/1089 - Name a better combo than music hipsters and gay loads of cum! I liked the New Wave parts and disliked the Synth Pop parts.

The album feels very much a cultural flashpoint - riding the brown wave of the burgeoning gay-culture in the 80s, but also shrouded in a slightly menacing and defiant tone - a seeming response to Thatcherite Britain, and even Reagan makes an appearance on 'War' (or a Spitting Image impression at least (yes! It's Chris Barrie!)). Trevor Horn needs credit for the great production, which combines power synth and disco bass, with loops and samples subtly included to create a wall of sound that's dense but atmospheric. 'Welcome to the Pleasuredome' is one of the best examples - epic in fact. So much going on in that track. Sides 3 and 4 are much more questionable, primarily comprising covers and naff 80s vibes ('Wish').

Mental good and bad. What are the covers all about? Singles are incredible.

not bad

increible. Que buen viaje. Gran disco :D

Really fun album that I have never heard before. I had only heard their hit song about not coming from this but the other songs are really good too. Good variety of music and lyrical content. I would probably listen to this again although it didn't change my life or anything like that.

This might be the only version of a Springsteen song that I actually like. Relax is iconic and despite the long run time of the album, it's not boring and presents a real time capsule of the mid 80s.

Couple bops I don’t mind it

Singles! Uneven, overlong

As throb-pop goes think the pet shop boys have a better sound and this album is a lot of covers

All over the place. Didn’t hate it. Didn’t love it. 3, I guess.

Not what was expecting! Lots of 80s classics but lots of good, fun tracks and some deep cuts too!

Quintessential 80's decadence with a couple of recognizable covers thrown in. Not bad at all

Disco - not for me.

Hit band from the 80’s. Different songs, different sound and style. Good songs.

Better than I expected. Weird dance music with even a touch of Pink Floyd in there

Rating: 3.5 Notable songs: Two Tribes, Power of Love, Relax, Born to Run Some absolute bangers on this album, but also lots of what feels filler. Also takes a sort of oddly weird yet satisfying turn in the middle where cover songs start happening. Not sure what thats about lol. Overall pretty decent.

Was not expecting a 15min song to start things off. There was clearly a whole theme, but was again thrown off by the cover of “Born to Run,” which was great, but stuck out in a weird, non thematic way.

If it was only 8 of the best songs this would be a 4 but I’m going with a 3.

1984. Relax! Don't do it! Very mid 80's sound that I enjoyed listening to the build up and breakdown from its central hit.

Ahh this really could’ve been better. Terrible first 15 mins. Some alright stuff, and Relax and Power of Love just about elevate it to a three. Relax, one of the all time great songs about jizzing. Simpsons: Yes

Started off enjoying it more than expected, but it dropped off and got quite boring, and too long. Shout out to Tommy Two Tribes.

Too many covers I think that didn’t really add much to the original. Started off strong but waned.

This was one of the strangest experiences I've ever had listening to an album. Full disclosure, Relax was not one of my favorite 80's tunes, and this is my first listen to the rest of the album. Some of it was what I expected, and some of it wasn't what I expected at all, but all of it was pretty cool. Crazy covers. Springsteen?!? Totally unexpected. And that San Jose song was just bizarre. Good stuff. 3.75

3 - some cool 80s that overstayed it welcome

Hmm… I like this one, it starts off strong with a long epic, has a very nice cover of war, two tribes is a strong single, San Jose is a very random divergence but a good one, then my other favourite two songs come near the end of the album with black night white light and the only star in heaven. Those were the highlights of the album for me but the entire thing is still enjoyable, my main complaint is the length of the power of love which overstays its welcome as a kind of generic love ballad. Overall, a very strong 3 (6.5/10).

"Welcome to the Pleasuredome" is kind of a rock opera, and unfortunately, like countless rock operas, its lack of focus is what holds it back from greatness. yeah, there's a lot of good cuts like the title track, "Relax", and "Two Tribes", but a good chunk of this beautiful dumb drama club hunk is spent momentarily shifting into a jukebox musical instead of developing the ideas spent on the first disc, then dropping that and struggling to regain momentum until "The Power of Love" comes in as the big show stopper. if they'd just spent a bit more time on the second disc, they'd have something really special on their hands. what i'm saying is that there should be a Welcome to the Pleasuredome musical on Broadway -- but they gotta fix that desert in the second half. otherwise i'm just gonna catch Les Miz.

Tough to review as an album: four or five great era-and-genre-defining pop singles, then a fair amount of sub-par cover fillers. 3.5☆

2.5

Some great prog moments in between not so good prog moments.

Gefällt mir. Paar Nummern sind richtig gut. z.B. Power of Love. Aber als ganzes Album ist es kein rundes Ding

shitty new wave covers, low 3 for effort

Meh overall with some 80's nostalgia baked in

Catchy, out-there, and scandalous.

The 1984 SNL version of them doing Born to Run is peak SNL music.

A gay dance 80s brit explosion that is overshadowed by a huge decade defining single. The production on this is slick, it features a 13 min intro song welcoming you to the pleasure dome? Dare I say, this is brat?

Some great songs on this album. Personal favourite is Welcome To The Pleasuredome 3/5

my father, being named frank, was given a t-shirt in the 80s that said "Frankie Says Relax". It was probably another decade later before I realized this shirt related to the song on this album. the first half of this album sounds like a reprise of their hit Relax. I do like the few covers I recognized. also I bet this was very provocative when it came out. Does make you wonder about the Parental Advisory sticker, which only came about a decade latter when rappers were talking about sex. racism really is everywhere.

What a wild ride this was. Incredibly varied and bombastic. Some bits better than others.

Pretty decent ambient 80s high production

I was all set to really ravage this one, because these guys were not much more than a joke to me back in the day. But unbelievably, I found it much more entertaining than I thought I would. Never underestimate the power of nostalgia!!

This is weird. Sort of a concept album about the ills of modern society or whatever. We get big orchestral keyboards and a crazy sermon over it chanting mantras, then we got the abbreviated cover “fury”, then a Springsteen cover, wtf? Then we’re going on a stretch of post punk bass and beats. Then some echo laden solo and we’re back to the sermons but about Crisco kisses. What’s going on? I mean it’s more comical than anything but I think it probably didn’t seem as ridiculous at the time? Definitely didn’t age well, but I’m willing to give it three stars for historical significance. I’m lacking context but I’m sure it’s there.

Liked this. Double is a bit long - with some work, a single LP may have been much more memorable. Nonetheless, this is very solid 80s New Wave.

Bit of a weird one I knew quite a lot of these songs. The covers weren't great though and felt a bit random thrown in here? 3 ⭐️

okay but not for me

Je ne m'attendais pas à quelque chose d'aussi foisonnant et éclectique. Il fait feu de tout bois et de tout genre. Je n'ai pas détesté, mais ça m'a justement paru un peu éparpillé.

The fact that I didn’t completely hate it considering it’s 80’s sound is surprising. Born to Run was quite good. 5.5/10

Welcome to the Pleasuredome is like an extravagant dinner party thrown by a host with an unlimited budget and a flair for the theatrical. The appetizers are exquisite—“Relax” and “Two Tribes” arrive like perfectly crafted amuse-bouches, bold and unforgettable. The main course, however, is an overindulgent affair—some flavors clash, a few dishes overstay their welcome, and just when you think you’re full, an unexpected cover of Born to Run is plopped onto your plate. Holly Johnson is the ever-charming maître d’, and Trevor Horn ensures everything is plated with Michelin-star presentation, but in the end, the excess is just that—excess. I’ll be sneaking out before dessert, making a beeline back to the dance floor to hear the two big singles again.

A really interesting and great pop record

This is a fun album. It would still sound great in a club today. The arrangements are also very creative. Each song goes through an arc, which you don't see much in modern pop production. Cool album

2.5

λίγο φλύαρο και κάτι αχρείαστες διασκευές αλλά και κάποια πολύ ωραία κομμάτια

un bluff, moda pasajera

Что-то вроде круто

The original songs are very of their time, but the covers (and there are a lot of covers -- "Born to Run," "Do You Know the Way to San Jose," etc.) are a lot of fun.

Sounded a bit weird but I love it

Interesting, and far better than i expected

Futuristic and ancient sounding at the same time. Fun stuff.

Why is an instrumental song a ballad? So much cocaine. Well done

50/50, I didn't finish

Another album I thought I would like more than I did. It's okay, no strong opinions about it.

Relax is a classic but the album really drops off in the second half… 3.5⭐️

Three absolute 5-star songs on here: Relax, Two Tribes and Power of Love. Otherwise, lots of songs that are decent but not stand out. We enjoyed this album, but beyond the three classics it didn't thrill us.

Anti war songs always sounds great. Combined with great production, a fun rendering with a political message. The (un) explicit lyrics need to be explored. I’m not familiar with Frankie goes to Hollywood and even tho it was kind of hard to “get” it, to really dive into the album, I am eager to listen to more of their music. It is very “rock-y” for a “pop” group, a bit too much I’d say but as they might say, nothing succeeds like excess. (3.5/5 for me). I like it, would try listening to it again.

Couple of great moments on this but a bit too synthy 80's cheese for me

I was going to give this album 1 star, but Frankie said RELAX, DON'T DO IT... All joking aside, its fine. It seems like it was a "You had to be there" album, but it was a fine listen. Not too many compelling reasons to revisit the full album, although I found several tracks near the end pretty solid ("The Power of Love", "The Only Star in Heaven")

Fun music. I like it.

3.25

Honestly, there are too many random covers on here. Born to run? San Jose? It's a bloated album and these versions of these songs aren't interesting enough to justify their inclusion on a record that could have been a solid 40 minutes of original material.

lots of covers of random old songs

öll hent á vegginn, sumt festist. allar mögulega stefnur teknar á fyrstu plötu, reyndist lítið eftir. er frekar ánægður, set aðra umferð. 3,5.

This is probably worthy of its place on the list simply due to the marketing. Quite a feat to have a debut album as a double containing a smattering of covers. The running order is well put together. The title track established the path well and probably represents a signature for the band. The monster singles are in their shortened form when almost everywhere you went at the time you heard one of the many extended mixes. Marketing again. The covers are faithful but work within the concept. Immense fun at the time. Now merely a time capsule.

good 80s

High-energy, bombastic, fun. I was going to say that all their big hits (Relax, Two Tribes, The Power of Love) are all on this album, but actually they never really had another. Still, a creative tour de force. Welcome To The Pleasuredome - really enjoyed this, even listening to the full 13-minute version, lots going on and variation over the whole length. Love the spoken word samples on War.

Great album with some known classics, easy to listen to and good for walks. 6.6/10

Soooo many people know "Relax". It's a great song and pure 80s new wave goodness. I wasn't too familiar with other Frankie Goes To Hollywood, though, so I was eager to check this out. But after having listened to this album, I couldn't quite escape this idea that about half this album just sounded pretty similar to "Relax". The second half was a bit different, though. And the deviations from that sound weren't anything too impressive, either. I actually had never heard, nor did I know, that Frankies Goes To Hollywood covered (does it really count as a cover? maybe more of a "sample") the song "War" by Edwin Starr. It was really odd to hear this song in this new wave adjacent style. I think it could have worked, if not for the aforementioned issue about everything sounding mostly the same. Hearing them cover "Born to Run" was even stranger yet. It was the first deviation on the album into another sound, but here it sounds like they're just trying to emulate Bruce Springsteen. All that critiquing aside, bonus points for just how unapologetically gay this album was in 1984. Rounding up to a 3, I guess!

5/10

The 12 minute opener really lowered my expectations for the rest of the album, so when Relax came on, I was pleasantly surprised.

The first half is where the meat is. The rest feels like padding. Interesting fact: Trevor Horn signed them as the first act for his new label and worked his ass of to make it succesful.

A slog of an album, not bad but not memorable. Tempted to give em a like for the homoerotic album art, but I'm good.

Thoughts before listening: I know the song "Relax" is a one hit wonder. Surprised the album made this list. Review: Okay, I knew a couple songs on here...and "Two Tribes" is the better of the hit songs. This album is very 80s sounding but with more of a rock edge than I was expecting. For some reason they cover "Born to Run" in the middle of this album and it's probably my favorite track. There are a few covers on this album, and in general the sound is all over the place. This is also too long of an album, and I got bored by the end. 3-stars

I remember queuing up to buy this album on CD when it first came out, standing outside HMV, anticipating the "once in a lifetime" hype. It was a bit of a surprise to find half of the album was full of pretty wretched cover versions. It's basically a vehicle for the band (Holly Johnson and Trevor Horn) to showcase a number of musical styles, from show songs to synth pop. I think a few hangers on turned up to dance, vibe, or add backing vocals; they certainly don't feature on the album in any significant way. I always get a Christmas feel from this album, probably because it came out just in time for Christmas 1984, and the Power of Love was a Christmas hit. I'm going with three stars, as the good parts are very good, and the rest isn't truly awful, just a bit boring.

Some certified bangers, some surprising covers and quite a lot of padding.

Pretty weird, think they might have taken themselves a bit too seriously, albums is pretty camp. Fun though.

A more self-indulgent than I guessed, but the covers aren’t bad. Relax has such a history (Zoolander flashbacks), and when you step away from that, it’s a pretty good listen. Not quite four stars though.

Not as much here as I was expecting based only on knowing "Relax" - which makes sense, I guess, given the time and the presumed intent to be club music - just wasn't enough there for me.

ок

Fav: Two Tribes Least Fav: Including The Ballad Of 32 Bit too 80s for my liking, and also wtf were those interludes? Drags on but pulls you back in for The Power Of Love

Ganz gut

Some fun covers — Born to Run, Fury (Ferry Cross the Mersey), War, Do You Know the Way to San Jose — but they were generally pretty straightforward covers. A number of the original songs seemed like they could easily turn into Relax, so that struck me as odd. Too long, but would like it less if, say, the covers were eliminated.

Classic 80's, OK album

Has some really really high points. A lot of Pink Floyd feel. But the concept and the covers coupled with the length dragged it down. I'm sure if I was a 80's Brit wanting to overthrow the government but not be a punk, I would have loved it

I liked this more than I thought, lots of really fun grooves and great moments. Does go on maybe just a bit too long though.

It really sounds like they're having a good time recording this album, so that's fun. Aside from the classic club banger "Relax", there's not much here to write home about. It's a fairly straightforward, by the numbers, 80's synth pop record. If anything is noteworthy it's how ridiculously long this record is. A lot of this squeaky clean 80s stuff just isn't my bag. I love synth and electronic music in general, I just want more edge.

I don’t think I could listen to this on regular rotation. However it was fun and I enjoyed this because it suited my mood.

I thought this thing was quite enjoyable. It is a little unfocused, but that doesn't detract from the music. Favourite tracks -- "Relax", "War", and "The Only Star in Heaven".

Fun Album, surprising that an album with several covers makes it onto the top 1001

Liked the overall sound of this album, but it is a bit bloated and self-indulgent.

a decent enough album that was weighed down by a slew of bizarre covers. there's some decent stuff here otherwise, especially the big song 'relax' but nothing that takes it completely out of the very middling albums zone

An album of two halves. I was loving this, to the point where it was maybe getting a 5, up until San Jose then it went downhill from there. Power of love pulled it back but an album that definitely could’ve done with being a good 20 minutes shorter.

This album started out so strong and then just fell off a cliff.

Loved this in 1984/5. Do you remember the Walkman ???? Remove the cover versions and make it a single album.

Definitely too long. Parts were pretty fun though! Has that very 80s sound that I don't love. Bonus points for Relax

High threes. A very strong album. Actually surprised

Really enjoyed this album which surprised me. Found the songs really catchy and fun to listen to.

While there are some great moments — none better than the ageless "Relax" — there weren't enough ideas to sustain the album. I wouldn't have guessed it, but the cover of "Born to Run" bested "War" by a long shot, and even "San Jose" was good in that it was a departure from the bombastic synth drums that got tired by the album's end. Classic, but not spectacular.

What is up with that Born to Run cover? The first few songs were OK. even kind of enjoyed them. But that Boss cover took me right out of it.

Having never listened to this album, I did not realize how similar the hits sound: Relax, War, Two Tribes all sound like one giant song.

Mam problem z tym albumem. Jest dla mnie trudny do oceny. Bardzo długo wahałem się pomiędzy 3 i 4. Jest bardzo ambitny, to mu trzeba oddać. Ludzie, którzy przy nim pracowali chcieli stworzyć coś wyjątkowego i nietuzinkowego. Wydaje mi się jednak, że trochę się w tym wszystkim zapętlili i nie potrafili pójść zdecydowanie w jednym kierunku. Utwory są mocno zróżnicowane, raz mają muzykę o orgazmach, a raz o wojnie. Raz szybkie i wysokooktanowe Born To Run, zaraz jakaś rzewna melodia ze smutnym tekstem. Niektóre z tych utworów jako stand-alone są naprawdę ciekawe i zapadające w pamięć (dobrze znane \"Relax\" i \"War\"), ale jako całość jest to mega chaotyczne. Plus nie wiem, kto wpadł na pomysł 13-minutowego utworu na otwarcie albumu synth-rockowego, ale to był moim zdaniem bardzo zły pomysł. Wydaje mi się, że ten utwór zamyka w sobie wszystkie cechy (zwłaszcza problematyczne) tego krążka - jest za długi, niespójny i chaotyczny. Myślałem jednak przez długi czas nad czwórką, bo jednak części pojedynczych utworów słucha się całkiem przyjemnie. Ale w mojej głowie różnica między 3 i 4 jest następująca: czy jest to album, który włączę sobie samodzielnie w przyszłości w jakiekolwiek sytuacji, bo będę go chciał posłuchać dla samej przyjemności słuchania? W przypadku \"Welcome to the Pleasuredome\" nie sądzę, żeby tak było. Mógłbym wrócić do niego z intelektualnej ciekawości lub dla poszerzenia kontekstu i zrozumienia, ale na pewno nie po to, żeby go posłuchać dla samej muzyki. Stąd jednak 3. 3,3 przy dobrym wietrze, ale jednak 3. Myślę, że kontekst jest historycznie ciekawy i to, że był to album wykreowany przez spin-doktorów i zamierzoną kontrowersję jest znaczący dla branży muzycznej. Taki prekursor idei promocji zespołów typu T.A.T.U. (kontrowersja, subwersja, udawany homoseksualizm) lub K-Popu (więcej w tym sztucznie napędzanego popytu i hodowania gwiazd, niż indywidualności i muzycznego talentu).

"pretentious rubbish for which we're rewarded with almost illicit ecstasy ... Frankie makes gullibility fashionable." --- ten cytat z recenzji Carole Linfield chyba najlepiej dla mnie podsumowuje ten album XD Momentami zabawny, odważny, dość różnorodny w swej prostocie. Baaaardzo pretensjonalny (w kilku tekstach nie rzuca się to aż tak w oczy, za to niektóre są szczerze zabawne w swej ordynarności, tu im się udało XD ). Nie jest to w żadnej mierze górnolotna sztuka, ale miałem fun ze słuchania, a mega cheesy tekst "Power of love" leci mi ciągle w głowie i nie jest to póki co męczące (idealna piosenka na wolny taniec w podstawówce). Good effort boys, I think I'm ready to relax ^^

It's foooooin. Parę bangerów, dobre muzycznie i fajny mix. Ale album jest dla mnie trochę nudny, raczej nie wrócę. Słabe 3

First side of album 1 is fire. Goes a bit downhill from there. But the nostalgia points make this one an easy 3 for me.

I was expecting an hour of pounding club music but was pleasantly surprised by how broad a spectrum this record covers. When "War" came I thought that was a cover that kind of fit, but then when I Born to Run (a pretty good version), I was pretty shocked. Probably won't listen again but really not bad at all.

More musically diverse than I expected, that's for sure. The "Born to Run" cover was shocking. Pretty 80s in its sound even during the covers.

Any double album is a hard sell for me. But it’s an even harder sell when it’s from an artist I am not even remotely familiar with. I have no idea what to expect in terms of quality. And generally speaking, double albums aren’t perfect. Far from it actually. Even artists I have a serious appreciated for like Led Zeppelin and Bob Dylan couldn’t put together a double LP that didn’t contain any unnecessary feeling songs. I’m looking at you Boogie with Stu. It’s not that I wasn’t looking forward to this first listen. But I also wasn’t jumping for joy at the opportunity to hear it. In hindsight, it’s not as bad as some might make it out to be. I think it’s definitely a bold move to open with a short interlude track and then launch into a 13 minute long progressive pop epic. And it’s potentially one of the best I’ve heard from the genre. It maybe starts things too strong, because nothing really reaches that same height after. I’m actually mostly a fan of this album’s decidedly quirky style of writing. And I think there is enough variety from song to song to keep things interesting. I’m not sure if this is supposed to be a concept album, because these tracks feel like they have a semblance of inter-connectivity, especially with the parts of people talking. But if so, it feels mostly sidelined in favor of the music. And the music, while cool, isn’t always the most consistent thing. I think the more energetic songs, like their cover of Born to Run, are worthwhile. But everything else in between the occasional highlight feels like filler to me. Which I’ve grown to learn is what should be expected from these mid-80s synth pop groups most of the time. Rating: 6/10

Okay the thumbnail of this album here and on the Apple Music site are different.... but similarly .... interesting. Kicking it off with "THE WORLD IS MY OYSTER" is a fun move, but like....what on Earth is this? ....shooting stars never stop, even when they reach the top, y'all. WOAH - you have to listen to 13+ min of "welcome to the pleasuredome" before you get to have the realization that this is the RELAX...DON'T DO IT... band. hahaha. turning it around.

Good variety of song types however I wasn’t a fan of the covers

This was fine. Good pop tunes, but the album is way too long

the 80s cheese and general sameness of this album is saved by the fact that it is so so soooooo fucking gay

'Relax' is awesome, but man this punkish synth-pop debut is way too long and focused.

November 7, 2024 HL: “Two Tribes”, “Relax”, “The Only Star in Heaven, “The Power of Love” A monument to 80’s plastic If “Relax” is what was shocking 40 years ago, the more potent surprise today would be the über-faithful covers of “Born to Run” and “San Jose”. I fail to see the point but they’re fun versions. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard an edit of the title track but 14 minutes of it did nothing for me

A little bit long. Gay.

It's a bit long but there was some interesting stuff here!

For someone who hates 80s synth pop with a passion, I actually quite enjoyed this. The album flowed really well. Loved the little throwbacks to Gerry and the Pacemakers; Relax made me giggle thinking of Zoolander; and the 13 minute "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" was a brilliant intro to the album. 3.5

Interesting album. Not totally my style, but the covers were fun and “Relax” is well known. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again

Very lush and campy. Fun for a while but then starts to all sound the same.

This was way better than I expected it to. Sure, it's still corny 80s dance pop and would in no way make the cut for this list if both weren't UK based. Driving beats, infectious energy, soft crooning ballads, the interesting decision to include 2 seemingly random but well executed covers back to back (Born To Run by Springsteen and San Jose by Burt Bacharach). The title track goes pretty hard too. Much more exciting of a record than just the big hit single.

this album was so mid. it had a strong start with the world is my oyster and the title track and i thought "wow this might be a great listen". then, relax hit. bro this song might be the most overrated shit i've ever heard. when i found out it has over 300 million listens and is considered an essential track of the 80s, my jaw dropped. i hate this song and it has absolutely zero replay value. at this point, i thought maybe it gets better from here...then war played. this might be one of the most garbage songs ever. bro was yapping during the music like shut the fuck up and sing man i don't wanna hear your damn monologue. there were many highlights to this album. as mentioned, the intro and title track were both strong, two tribes was an excellent song, and born to run and san jose might be two of my favorites on the album, and two of my favorites i've heard in this generator. overall, never gonna listen to the majority of these songs again but there were some highlights. favorite song --> San Jose - it is so relaxing and a great song to have on in the background

3/5. This is mostly my kind of weird. Electronic, dance, progressive rock, classical. They are trying stuff out and I love the experimentation that sometimes lands but the effort is there and each song is different enough to stand out on its own. When I listened to the 13 minute opener, it kind of felt like a more poppy Rush song and even the later songs feel like they could fit on an album like that. Either way, this band makes some hype and maybe pretentious stuff but they make it work enough to be fun. The unfortunate thing is that as the album goes on, the quality drops a lot. The second half of the album is honestly not good. If it was just the first like 5 songs, plus one or two later on, it would be perfect. A double album that needed to be edited. Best Song: Relax, Welcome To The Pleasuredome, War

Yes!! Love it!! (Is this related to the Kenneth Anger?)

I’ve surprised myself at how surprised I am that this isn’t a particularly great album. I’m not a fan of 80s pop, but I’ve always rather liked Frankie’s singles, they always felt a bit darker and more subversive than other 80s toss. My hope there might be more depth to explore here was tragically misplaced. A couple of songs nearer the end were OK, but most of it just felt like a bit of a panic so they just ended up pointlessly extending songs with dull synth noodling so they lost their pop focus and adding some crap covers. Ahh the 80s, you never fail to disappoint. Still, I’ll give it a 3 for a couple of great singles and probably more so culturally for just being openly gay. Getting the BBC to renege on banning their biggest hit because it was ‘a bit gay’, was quite the FU.

This band gets an extra point for having the best licensed game on the ZX Spectrum.

exactly what i expected, except the Bruce Springsteen cover.

pretty good 80's synth pop, but bored me here and there

GAY! No offense, I think it was their objective. Not bad at all, pretty catchy, not really my style of music though, but definitely gay as fuck.

Not really a work album haha. I can see how important it must have been to the queer movement but didnt do it for me

Hier heb ik de dubbel LP van. Gekregen uiteraard. Dus kan ik 'm mooi op die manier luisteren. Side 1 (track 1 + 2 op Spotify) is een ontiegelijk lang intro. Theatraal, bombastisch. Side 2 (track 3 t/m 6) bevat de hit en hier lijkt het album pas echt te beginnen. Het zijn wat meer liedjes dan side 1. Het blijft allemaal vrij theatraal. De tracks worden wat korter, dat is wel prettig. Een scheutje songfestival en derhalve vanzelfsprekend tamelijk gay, met de halfnaakte mannen voor op de hoes en de gigantische penis als je het album open slaat. Side 3 (track 7 t/m 12) begint weer met een soort intro en daarna komt opeens The Boss om de hoek kijken, wat ik niet helemaal had verwacht. Verder ook op deze side weer genoeg theater: Die galm, die zang, dramatische effecten. Anderhalve keer iets wat doet denken aan een skit. Stukje Michael Jackson, Wham, Prince en helemaal aan het einde een instrumentale Pink Floyd. Side 4 (track 13 t/m 16) begint aardig druk met die wardrums en een dikke laag synth. Track 14 (die begint met een soort hele slechte rap) is een klein dieptepuntje. Ook "The Power of Love" (de 2e grote hit van dit album) kan me niet echt bekoren. Omdat het zo gigantisch over the top is, is het wel een leuk luisterproject, maar dat is het dan ook wel. Deze gaat niet meer veel vaker aangezet worden. Dit had een 2 kunnen worden, maar omdat het wel echt een album-album is maak ik er 3 van.

Oh shit, for real? I’m genuinely puzzled why this record made the cut. It’s not bad. It’s fine. But I don’t understand what’s great here. Must be another of the UK/US cultural differences. The hits are still good. San Jose is cute. But it’s not essential listening. It’s just fine.

80s synth punk. Sleazy and manic. The album leans so heavily into irony that it crosses into parody at some points. The Born to Run cover feels part wonder and part mockery. Punk is cool, albeit a bit exhausting.

There is one good album in here and one very mediocre album. Born to Run is an unlikely excellent cover.

Frankie-mania is difficult to overstate. I was barely old enough to be conscious of their brief impact on the culture but it was still extremely evident years later. Enough for me to be fully aware. There was a bloody computer game made of this on the ZX Spectrum. A computer game, about a band! The 80s is absolutely the most crazed decade to have ever existed. I had no idea anal sex involved laser beams. Must try it sometime. Also Holly sounds uncannily like Seth Rollins doing his daft laugh at the end of the title track. The covers here are certainly random. Apart from War, they should all have been dropped. Overall an enjoyable listen, but really only those massive and deserved hits stand out. So it's an average score for me.

All three of these stars are for The Power Of Love, which is a five star song, but the rest of the album just pales in comparison.

69/100

One or two decent songs, the rest were very dated.

It's supposed to be synth-pop. I think it's a odd mix of 80's genres. But in some unfathomable way, it somehow works. 3.5/5.

Ok

Goes on a bit but a couple of great tunes.

The covers keeping this afloat

Seemed like a good 80s band, but lots of songs on this album felt like filler or not interesting to me. Born To Run (not sure why that needed a cover here), Krisco Kisses, Wish The Lands Were Here, The Ballad of 32, The Only Star In Heaven is my short list of songs that should have been cut. There were more I'm sure. Probably a 2.5.

3.75

Had a few tracks I quite like

Got some bounce but every song sounds the same

Kind of a mixed bag. By making this an unnecesarry double album, it gets a point less. It could do without the covers. The title track and the singles are the highlights in my opinion.

Frankie Goes to Hollywood were unapologetically gay chart-toppers in the mid-80s from Liverpool. And pointing out the inherent queerness in this album is kind of important, contextually. The song Relax was actually pulled from mainstream radio stations such as the BBC after a DJ played the single, calling it "disgusting" after stopping the song halfway through. Despite this, it remained at the top of the charts for 5 weeks. Even Top of the Pops refusing to show it didn't stop it. This is music that people clearly wanted to hear, further evidenced by Relax also hitting Number 10 on the USA's Billboard charts. I mention this because the controversy surrounding this album is juxtaposed with a Springsteen cover, particularly Born to Run. What a statement to make, honestly. As much as I do want to praise a genuinely queer cover of Born to Run, I do actually think this album is bloated, and the covers are a big part of that. There's a fair bit of filler here past the excellent A and B sides, and I do want to also mention that the full versions of Two Tribes and Relax are superior to the versions here on the album, taking a form similar to the excellent title track. Effectively, it's like the difference between the single version of Pet Shop Boys' version of Always On My Mind compared to the full 8 or so minute version. The difference is night and day, and the extra time for those songs to develop a bit helps them out a ton. I wish that's what happened on this album, cutting some of the covers and lesser cuts like the Krisco Kisses and Black Night White Light and giving the remaining time to better versions of already great singles. Though, I suppose that's difficult to do when you want your album to be a commercial success. This would've proven moot in hindsight, however, as they would break up following their second album, Liverpool. Overall, a great slice of 80s new wave that removes a good amount of the cheese associated with the genre, but quite bloated with cuts that really don't help the album all that much. I'd give this a 7/10 if I could, but regrettably, due to the 5-point system on this site, it'll have to be a bit lower.

Frankie walked so Sparks could run so HMLTD and Last Dinner Party and the flamboyant theatrical pop rock trend of today could dance the night away.

There are some legitimate jams on this album, but it’s 2 or 3 tracks too long - trim the fat. It’s not a 4 but it’s not a 3. I guess that makes it a 3.5. Some songs have not aged well.

Do you know what? Just a weird album from some weird guys. I'm not against that at all, and loads of this - the big hits obviously, plus quite a few others, are really cracking pop music that is basically undeniable. But still, very odd. The Boss cover is probably the most apparent case in point there.

Not bad at all

80’s

I mean this in the nicest way possible, but this might be one of the gayest albums I've ever listened to. This band was actually one of the first openly gay pop acts ever, at least according to Wikipedia. I guess that's an argument for inclusion on a list like this. As for the album itself, it's alright. I wouldn't call it bad, but it's not my favorite. Somehow this album manages to be both pretty ahead of its time and incredibly dated simultaneously. It's ahead of its time for being a pretty explicit album by 1984's standards (the year, not the book). As for the datedness of the album, that mainly boils down to the sound. It's very 80s. Some might love that, others may hate that, and I'm fine with it. The singing is pretty good. The writing is decent. Though, a large reason for that is because of the decent amount of covers on this album. The album's also pretty long. Overall, while this is far from my favorite album and I wouldn't be too upset if this was cut from the list entirely, I can still see some value in this, as it's a decent, albeit flawed album all things considered. 3/5.

not as good as I was expecting, had higher hopes. Covered a few prior songs.

Interesting album. I thought it was a bit overlong, and it's brave to start with a 14 minute song (after an intro song). I looked up the album and the background is really interesting. I don't think I would have known there's like 4 covers on there. The songs that hit hit pretty good, but I'm not sure I'd revisit. I do think the production is neat though. Lots going on. 3.25/5

Not too bad.

What a strange audacious and surprising album. One in which I'm really not sure what to make of. I did enjoy this more than I expected, never quite thinking it wasn't for me. Could stand to be shorter and maybe more cohesive.

Good

nice and relaxing while elden ring hurt my feelings

This is a weird fucken album. A bit long but I did actually enjoy it a bit. Good synth-work and some hits I can't hate it. Fav songs: - Relax - War - Born to Run - The Power of Love

i liked this

Quite samey but a pleasant trip down memory lane for me.

Covers were weird but overall decent

Favorites: Relax, War I definitely enjoyed the album overall, but feel they could have tightened it up a bit by dropping Fury, The Ballad of 32 and San Jose, which though a great song, didn't add much to the album. I'm surprised they didn't get an explicit content warning just for Krisco Kisses. The Born to Run cover is great, it seems out of place on the album, but is a great cover.

It's hard to rate when the album is mostly covers.

So I knew the hit Frankie songs, but never listened to the entire album before, and I will say that it’s actually pretty interesting… Not sure what “The World Is My Oyster” song was that opened the album, but “Pleasuredome” was pretty well done – perhaps a bit bloated, but intriguing… Obviously “Relax” & “Two Tribes” are the best songs on the album, and the covers in the middle of the album were unexpected, but again – very interesting… Hadn’t heard “Ferry” in over 40 years, so that was pretty cool, and the version of “Born To Run” – while not top -shelf, was still ambitious for sure… Also enjoyed the “San Jose” cover – but really, all 3 of those tracks – along with “War” – just really seemed out of place compared to the rest of the album – but they were definitely fun… Not sure it needed to be a double album – but hey, I thought it was pretty well done all-the-way around… Would probably give this a 2.50 if I could, but I’ll bump it up to a 3, as I enjoyed it more than I thought I would…

Un himno, buenas vibras, agradable sujeto.

A bit of a groovy thing. Pretty generally enjoyable to listen to without any real kick to it. 3.5

Relax is fun, but the rest wasn’t really my thing.

Second song is a vibe. The rest is okay.

Super over the top, needed to cut like 20 minutes off this album

A classic, but not really my thing.

It’s okay, eighties synth pop.

Groovy but not a replay for me.

Yeah, not bad.

I think I only know Relax (and who doesn't know Relax?) by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. This should be interesting. And it was... There's some stuff here that is just kind of weird (the covers) but I think that was kind of the point. We're here, we're queer, and we're weird and we don't give a fuck. Highlights of course include Relax, which has been featured heavily in pop culture despite its raunchiness. Krisco Kisses also gave me a bit of a chuckle. Black Night White Light is musically maybe one of my favorites. Great synth sounds and funky 80's bass grooves. There were a couple others that grew on me but it was a bit hit or miss. Relax hit it big for them, but it's obvious why the rest don't seem to be as well revered.

Son los de Relax y The Power Of Love. Normales.

Some very good tracks but a bit iffy on the middle especially some of the covers.

Started strong but a bit hit & miss overall

Ein Klassiker der 80er. Vor allem Power of Love ist bis heute in der Weihnachtsschleife, obwohl es gar kein Weihnachtslied ist. Beeindruckt hat mich das 12 minütige "Welcome to the pleasurdome". Insgesamt hat das Album einige starke Momente, überwiegend ist es etwas eintönig. Einige Hits, passt schon.

Wasn't sure what to expect going into this album, the only song I knew from this band was "Relax". It's definitely the height of 80s new wave, but it included a cover of "War" as well as a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run". Born to run was close to the original, while they definitely put their own spin on War. Overall it wasn't a bad album

Strange album. A few fun 80s jams on here. The only song I knew was Relax, famous for being played when Derek Zoolander tried to kill the prime minister of Malaysia.

Good album with some classics on it and some cool ad libs 6/10

Þetta er fjölbreytt og sæmilega skemmtilegt, productionin er níundatugartöff en mér finnst hún samt ekki eldast sérlega vel. Verst er samt að coverlögin eru andlaus og lögin sjálf eru bara of löng, þessa plötu hefði mátt stytta um 45%. Ágætt, en ekki æði.

Interesting, energetic, just not my thing. "Relax" is an all time classic though.

Liked the start but it really dragged on near the end. Some of the covers were pretty meh. Todd in the Shadows did an interesting video about this band which helped put them into context. Still feels like you had be there to understand as nowadays it's just overly long 80s stuff.

At one point during this album I was unable to turn left. It was pretty good, style seemed to hop around a bit. I liked the more chill sounding songs

Pretty standard fare 80s brit pop.

A very enjoyable concept album with lots of familair sounds and even a fake Ronald Reagan cameo. In the end though the 80s production and repetitiveness just did me in a bit.

Much more interesting and variable than I was expecting. Probably not something I go back to, but worth listening to.

Tracks released as singles are great, & cover of Born to Run is good, rest of album is ok

This is a goofy, very 80s album. A lot of variety here, all over the place. 3* because not fave album territory. Highlights: relax (zoolander!), born to run (sounds like something out of a musical), bang

More controversy than substance. Iconic and a band of an album. Too much Horn for me.

Remove all the covers and the instrumentals and you'd have a great single album, instead of this bloated double album.

Not at all what I expected but really enjoyed it, walked a good like between experimental and earworm

So… we start with a 13-minute concept track that could’ve easily been a very good 3- to 5-minute song. Understandable if there is a stage performance to accompany it, but leave the extended version for the live show please. Next we have the banger “Relax”, then back to experimental stuff for a while, then a Bruce Springsteen cover?!? A very odd and wild collection, indeed! As an album, not great. But highlights will definitely bring me back to several tracks. Low 3

Frankie goes to Coverland!

3.4 reminds me of the wedding singer. 80’s covers.

Fun

this album sounds like the 80's in sonic fom

Relax // Born To Run // The Power Of Love //

Flashes of genius synthpop mixed with what occasionally sounds like terrible cruise muzak. I generally think that double albums should be left as they are warts and all, this one however is a perfect example on one that would have been so much better as a single album. Best Tracks: Relax; Two Tribes; Wish The Lads Were Here

I listened to this album 3 times, and I can’t figure out what to rate it, so I guess it’s getting a 3. I knew a lot of songs on this album! And I do tend to have some bias in favor of albums I’m more familiar with. But all in all, this album was too long and not cohesive. The songs didn’t sound like they all belonged on the same album.

kinda cool and weird

In my strongest Barnsley accent: “Welcome to the Metrodome” I don’t think this was great, but lucky for them it came just after watching All of Us Strangers, which ends up moving it up to a 3.

"1984 English synth-pop band" does not create a whole lot of excitement from me. Honestly this was perfectly fine, it's not my favorite but I had low expectations and I liked it a bit more than anticipated. It's super' 80s sounding, heavy synth use throughout. The pace is pretty high though, they keep it interesting enough, and there's a couple of strong songs and decent covers to keep me invested. My biggest issue is that this is way too long (64 minutes), there's a ton of filler in here. It actually starts reasonably ok (though the second song doesn't need to be 14 minutes long). But then "Relax" is solid, and there's two anti-war songs that are both interesting enough (including a cover of "War"). The Springsteen "Born To Run" cover in the middle is nice, I liked "San Jose", and then it's mostly very uninspiring synth-pop until "The Power Of Love" near the end. It's perfectly ok with a few good moments, and that's praise enough for this genre. Favorite song: Relax Other: War, Two Tribes, Born To Run, San Jose, The Power Of Love 3/9/24

Enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Every song had something different. Standout songs: Welcom to the Pleasuredome War The Ballad of 32

Trevor Horn wrote an entertaining, fascinating, and (I suspect) rather partial memoir a little while ago. Worth having a look at what he has to say about Holly, the rest of FGTH, and *that* court case (the big one before George Michael V Epic Records) (Someone should write a book about the Law/Entertainment interface. Anyway, it's amazing what studio wizardry and commercial nous can do with a fundamentally sound starting point. Horn (and Paul Morley, and Anne Dudley, and everyone else who was hands-on at ZTT) did not create WttP; but they did fill in a lot of gaps in what, ultimately, became the album of 1984. (ps: 'Album of the Year' does not mean best album of the year. Just to be clear.)

Son los de Relax y The Power Of Love. Normales.

On appréciera l'optimisme du chanteur qui s'essaiera à une reprise de The Power of Love sans disposer d'un début de bagage technique pour réussir son entreprise. Les pieds dans le tapis.

En plus d'etre un gros crado, Bruce Springsteen était aussi un gros copieur.

Wasn't familiar with Frankie Goes to Hollywood at all but recognized 2 or 3 songs. Overall enjoyed it!

My wife enjoyed this far more than I. She gave it a second listen, which forced me to consider my options; suffer another round or clean the gutters. I chose the ladder.

Would revisit. Didn’t have a great deal of time with it.

This album is way bigger and epic than I thought it would be. I've heard parts of "Relax" hundreds of times throughout my life- in commercials, in 1980's era callback videogames (like Grand Theft Auto: Vice city), and in movies too, I think. But I had only heard parts of the song, and never really paid attention to the whole thing. It's got so much more going on and so many exciting elements that I never would have guessed were present after only knowing the super catchy chorus. Unfortunately, beyond that there's not so much I like. "Born to Run" was really a shock, and I didn't even process it as possibly being a cover after reading the title. It only took about two chords to realize what was going on, and I'm not really impressed by it. It's way too close to the original, without anything added, and notably less energy (specifically in the vocals). I just think it doesn't really fit. I like the album cover. It's like a flamboyant 1980's Guernica that's easier to read. This is also a downside though, as I can stare at Guernica for a while and try to decipher it and this is one big interesting part of the experience, and looking at this album cover is devoid of that idea of being interesting beyond a first or second glance. I don't love the record, but I don't hate it. It's like a 2.8 and I'm feeling generous so I'm rounding up.

The '80s were a strange time. Frankie was huge for about 1 year. Relax, War, and Two Tribes are great and represent the genre, mid '80s dance music, pretty well.

J'ai trouvé que l'album partait vraiment en forcee, je m'attendais à découvrir un album qui allait m'épatter outre le fameux single Relax. Malheureusement plus l'album avançait et plus je le trouvais ininspiré. Loin d'être un mauvais album, mais pas tellement consistant. 6/10

Highs and lows on this one. Overall a solid album and somewhere between a 3 and a 4.

I really dig the unique sound of this record while also sounding like classic 80s. Good covers here but I don’t really connect with the skit tracks. Surprised at how well everything flowed together though.

Should have been billed as a synth-pop opera about a sex club. Despite that oversight, it was actually pretty good overall. Well, better than expected anyway.

All right, very 80s. Surprisingly many cover songs

Creative. Wish I could like it more, but only “Relax” works for me.

irgendwann geht dem Doppelalbum die Luft aus

Very synthy. Gets better after the long second song. Don’t think I’ll play these guys again

It was weird

Some of it was great. It lacked coherence and cohesion. The cover versions were great, especially the Springsteen one, but seemed out of place Love the Trevor Horn production.

This seems vaguely familiar. I'm not sure if I've heard anything from this artist, but we'll see. Why the hell is track 2 thirteen minutes long?? I'll admit, it sounds good. But it doesn't require 13 minutes for one song. Sorry. The creepy laughing at the end is ridiculous. I've heard track 3 before. Track 4 is giving me secular Carmen vibes. 3/5 Not for me. I like the 80's pop sound, so that's the only reason this is getting 3 stars and not 2.

Well I guess it was worth listening to this once but it really is cruel to make people listen to an hour long album that starts with a 13 minute long song and includes a Bruce Springsteen cover when all anyone has ever cared about is relax. There were a couple of other interesting points but overall its just another 80s synth pop album that tries a bunch of stuff and it mostly sucks except for the one lasting hit.

I was so ready to be welcomed into this particular Pleasuredome. That opening track is so awesome. And then they talk a bit about war... OK. And then the craziest surprise... a Bruce Springsteen cover? Um... what? Nothing against the covers -- they're good -- but the opening track promised some kind of bacchanal of lusty dance songs or way out-there, outer space ambiance. Not covers of already popular songs?

Was a bit of fun.

Kind of hot and cold on this one. On the one hand, I like the sound of it a lot. On the other hand, it's almost all covers? Like all the best tracks are just covers of other bands, and if I'm being honest I don't think they do any track BETTER than the original artist. I like the variety, and it does kind of transcend the whole 80s sound of it all. I was never bored, but I can also never see myself revisiting

Heard of the artist but never really listened. Dance album from 1984. Quite enjoying this one - not too dancey but good vibes and definitely 80s. Grating after a while. 3/5.

RELAX! DRINK STELLA! YOU KNOW IT’LL MAKE YA FEEL BETTA!

Son los de Relax y The Power Of Love. Normales.

The sound marks a distinctive point in music. I remember the incomplete edges of these songs on my cassette player.

A real mixed bag. The big singles are all here and are far and away the best things on this album. The remainder are a mixture of so-so songs and fillers and a couple of poorly judged covers - Born to Run in particular is very poor.

Good songs on here but too long and too excessive

En megahit, massa bs men bra vibes

Fun album with a lot of variety! Some hits, some misses, a lot of stuff I was neutral-positive about.

relax, the power of love nice

way too long and pretentious rating: 6.7/10

Some really great tunes, some very plain. Really fun listen

Interesting

Much better than expected but something I'll never go back to.

It's very 80s. That one single was everywhere and I still hear in movies. More covers then I was expecting. Kind of mixed on this very disjointed album.

This was fine

Tolerable.

Meh. As mid-80’s UK synth-pop goes, it’s pretty decent. That said, it doesn’t really hold up for a double album length (64 minutes +). They could’ve scrapped the uninspiring covers, and a couple of other songs and had a tight, concise album that would’ve been better. And covering an iconic song like Springsteen’s “Born to Run” is almost as bad as Madonna covering “American Pie”, which I was subjected to just 3 days ago. Still, a few good songs, and a testament to a time period. 3/5

Frankie says Relax! 3,5/5

Some fun songs here, however I wish I could unknow the meaning of the song Krisco Kisses. Ick

This album both excited and disappointed me. The production was fantastic and there were some unique and original bits in here, but then you have some pieces that don’t fit or let you down in some way. The covers, namely, are some of the most confusing choices on this project. They could have had a more focused, and therefore more concise, album had they done away with those fruitless endeavors which add nothing to the album or the original. I enjoyed some of the songs, but not enough to want to listen to this again. It was alright. 3/5

Þetta er frekar geggjað synthapopp. Ég gat vel unnið við þetta. Kannski ekki alveg það sem ég set á undir öðrum kringumstæðum, en þetta er töff tónlist, það fer ekki á milli mála. Titillagið reif mig strax með og svo var hellað climax með relax. Aftur á móti fannst mér skemmtilegasta lagið Two Tribes og svo var skemmtilegur ode til Gerry and the pacemakers í Fury og helvíti gott BOSS cover í kjölfarið.

Relax er eitt besta lag eitísins, frábært lag. Tvö önnur fín lög, fjögur cover lög, eitt reyndar langbest, og restin rusl. Ef þeir hefðu haldið sig við einfalda plötu en ekki tvöfalda hefði þetta verið fínt. En stór plús fyrir Relax.

Got a weird urge to off the prime minister of Micronesia after listening to this

Relax and give it a 2.5

So this is where Public Enemy got their album name "welcome to the terrordome" from. Bold to start the album with a 13 minute song excluding the intro. It then goes to the banger "Relax" which I've heard before. The rest isn't that impressive but still enjoyable. There's some weird covers as well.

mira, los covers no me vuelven loco, pero me sorprendió la calidad de la primera mitad del disco. Indulgencia es algo que se repite en otras reseñas y coincido.

"Relax" has aged very well. I remember what a huge hit it was when it first came out. It took me longer than it should have to realize what the song was about. I've always loved the title track along with "Two Tribes", although I don't like the remix that I heard here. And I didn't care much for the cover songs. "Ballad of 32" was good, but too porn-like towards the end. The rest just was... Still, I liked that they didn't try and make everything a catchy Relax knock-off.

Fun 80s vibes to listen again in a particular mood

"Ambitious" is the word that most comes to mind with this. I'm not sure why the band thought we needed a mostly-straight cover of "Born to Run", as well as a few others, but they really bring the record down. The originals on here are solid, maybe drenched in a little 80s excess, but once they dig really into the covers, the record never really recovers. I like the production though, it's very big and "futuristic". Favorite tracks: "Welcome To the Pleasuredome", "Relax"

Very eclectic collection of songs.

Relax still catchy. Good 80s bass on Two Tribes (and throughout). First half not doing it for me often enough but second half picks up with Black Night White Light, emphasizing the funky bassline and a couple great keyboard riffs, plus The Only Star in Heaven with good driving bass. The Power of Love is an epic closer. Could have been **** with less filler.

Relax, Two Tribes and Power of Love are pretty much the greatest first 3 singles ever The rest is a bit bloated Did enjoy the Springsteen cover though

2.5 stars. A little too overdone for me. Catchy at times but not really my thing. Still better than most pop. Very 80's and some covers that weren't my favorite. Standout was "Relax".

Frankie says Relax. You should do so because this is an album that’s going to put you through the ‘80s gauntlet. At parts frustrating to listen to and in other absolutely brilliant. There’s so much to like but also some much that comes unhinged mid song. It’s over produced and to that the producers hand was apparently VERY heavy. That obvious and it hurts.

Well, this is a funny musical lasagna. Many things happening one after the other; I think it definitely encapsulates the zeitgeist of the eighties. Might listen to it again, but I guess that only selected tracks.

Peak 80’s fun.

Good quality pop with all the obvious hits, suprised how many covers and how intresting they are.

14 year old me loved this. Forty years on and I'm not so sure, but nostalgia is a powerful thing

Frankie says funny things over music. Frankie says sex noises and David Gilmour style guitar wailing. Frankie says cover versions are a great tribute. Frankie says, "Poppers?"

Enjoyed it. The title track is excessive, but then this whole album is about excess and indulgence. Kinda like Mad Max 3, with less sand, and more lube.

Wow, I can see how controversial and groundbreaking this album would have been

Disappointed. Some of the greatest tracks from the 80's mixed with some filler and poor cover versions.

I enjoyed this but it's half brilliant and half really average filler. Welcome to the pleasure dome is excellent although too long to put on a playlist.

Should be the definition of hit and miss

Some really good tunes right in the middle there... then a cover or Springsteen's "Born to Run" and then some whale song?

An interesting experiment. Though there are a few clear standouts, the variety of other choices: covers of San Jose and Born to Run, downtempo pieces like Ballad of 32, and some fine electronic pop, offset other quirky uninteresting contributions. Overall a positive energy record that works.

A few okay songs, but mostly forgettable and generic 80s music

It’s alright,relax and the power of love is good but there’s no need for a 12 minute song.Too many songs about sex,just gets annoying I don’t need to hear a 2 minute song of people moaning.

This has some excellent singles on it, and starts off really strong with "Welcome to the Pleasuredome". Great bass and production. However, I could have done without about 30 mins of it. Why are there so many mediocre cover versions on here?

This was sitting at a 4 because I was having fun… and then they had to add sex noises. So that brought it down a bit.

опять поняла что не различаю группы 70х-80х... стыдно... Фрэнки норм

Well, at least they sound more interesting than most of their '80s synth-pop peers.

So gay

alkaa 5/5 biisillä, 13minuuttinen albumimnimikköbiisi, peukut pystyssä heh. sitten lähtee alamäki.. loiva mäki, ei merenpintaa kosketa. vielä ollaan korkealla. mutta ei koskaan tasangoitu. muutama hittibiisi, hyvä biisi, siellä seassa. helppo midari. welcome to the pleasuredome

Pretty enjoyable synth pop album. Very 80s.

See everydaytunez

Highs were high but the lows were uninteresting. Extremely well produced and the best songs had interesting playback. I get the popularity but much too long

Likely groundbreaking at the time. The album is powerful and dynamic. Great singing and a fun mix of instruments. I wish I could Relax and just give it a 4, but it’s not exactly something I have to listen to again.