Welcome To The Pleasuredome

Singles! Uneven, overlong

"Relax" was my first exposure to this group. I imagine that's true of most Americans, and I literally thought that was their only song, as no other singles made it big here in the States. As I got older and developed a taste for New Wave and 80's music in particular, I found this album to be incredibly good. The intro takes a bit to get going but 8 minutes into the almost 14 minute intro and you're fully invested. The follow it up with "Relax" and boom, you're fully in the Pleasuredome. But, this version is different than the one released on MTV and the radio here in the States. Hmmm... Suprising they did so many covers on this album, but they're all pretty well done and definitely have their own flair put on them. San Jose is a particularly well done. Just overall a great debut album and should definitely be heard from start to finish before you die. Make sure you check out the original "Relax" 7 inch single as that's the one you heard in America. Must hear songs: Relax (Come Fighting) War (...and Hide) Two Tribes Wish (The Lads Were Here) 3.53/5 stars = 4 on this scale.

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

When my grandad passed away it was around the same time as my birthday and my Auntie got me this as a present that year because he loved the album. So for that it has special memories and I can’t not give it a 5/5. I don’t find the album itself perfect, I think it peaks from relax to two tribes. I think the title track goes on too long. Then the only star in heaven and the power of love bring the album up when they fill it with covers. But It’s too sentimental to me 5/5

Хорошо начинается, но уходит в эти ужасно мной нелюбимые клише 80-ых. Лучшая песня - Relax (Come Fighting).

Shiny and campy and unserious like a disco-ball wearing a piano key necktie. The covers aren't bad, but the originals are such gargantuan hits, it would be difficult to match up.

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

Relax was a big hit at parties back then. I'd heard the whole album once before. I wasn't particularly impressed. Now I've listened to it again. You can recognize the typical New Wave sound of the 80s. It's a bit dusty. But it's still a blast at parties. It was a lot of fun. 4/5

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

Wow! This blew me away. Sure it's dates but so is the Rat Pack if we're honest and we don't hold that against those cats. I did not expect so much depth and angst from the Relax band. I listened to this three times in one day and loved every moment of it.

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

Disco - not for me.

I never cared for the too-clever band name, but I have to give credit where it's due. Holly Johnson's vocals on the singles from this record are, in many ways, the quintessential '80s British pop performance. For a short time, Wham!, Duran Duran, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood dominated MTV — both looking and sounding like the future. Welcome to the Pleasuredome makes a bold choice with its track length and position in the overall sequence, but back then, listeners had more patience. Of course, now it's much easier to just skip to the hits or listen to only tracks 2-5 & 15 (which let's be honest the songs from Tag to The Only Star in Heaven are a bit of a wasteland). I understand that Trevor Horn reworked much of the album material in production, and that slickness is as fascinating as it is soulless. Ultimately, I lose patience with albums like this. Yes, it's an interesting time capsule, but no I do not want to listen to the whole thing again any time soon.

Alright! I get it! I’m welcome to the Pleasure Dome! Now can we please get on with it?

The world is your oyster, but there's no R in the month

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.

odiei

Relax, Two Tribes, and The Power of Love are good, and the cover of Born to Run is ok, but the rest of the album would have best left on the editor’s floor.

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.

I liked this album, got some absolute bangers in here like relax and two tribes. And I also love the power of love. The covers were good as well, especially born to run.  However it's probably a little too long especially the title song.  This would could have been 5 stars however I think it just misses out for me 

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

I did not expect to hear a cover of Born to Run from Frankie Goes to Hollywood. I also did not expect the cover to be pretty good. I like this album and wanted to add this to the list of albums I listen to frequently. There are opening and closing instrumental tracks and "War" is a good song, but it has a spoken word part that tends to grate on me a bit. Overall though, I knew "Relax" and didn't know anything else on here. I always thought Frankie Say Relax was a one-hit wonder. Turns out they put at least one entire album of good music. It was interesting to follow "War" with Born to Run, considering Bruce Springsteen would cover "War" on his 1975-1985 live collection a year after this album was released. Even the 13 minute song was very listenable. Good album and even more varied than I would have thought.

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

Giving this album a skeptical squint or sideye.

Aivan megatylsä. Alun yli kymmenminuuttinen introilu koettaa tiputtaa heikoimmat matkasta heti alkuun, ja todellakin olis kannattanut liittyä siihen joukkoon. Kai tässäkin jotain rockoopperaa tavoitellaan.

Kolme kuunnelluinta biisiä ovat yhdessä suunnilleen yhden huippuraidan veroisia - ja lasken tähän mukaan "rakkauden voimaa" ylistävän balladin. Muuten LP sallii huomion siirtymisen kaikkeen muuhun kuin sen sisältämään musiikkiin. Myönnän tosin, että Born to Runin kuuleminen herätti.

Didn't know they covered the Boss

3 - some cool 80s that overstayed it welcome

5 stjerner

Originally, I had some preconceptions about this style of music—and to be honest, about the post-disco scene in general—but now that I’m actually listening to it, I can appreciate the effort and musical skill involved, especially knowing that the band uses real instruments alongside synthesizers. The title track, Welcome to the Pleasuredome, which runs over 13 minutes, is surprisingly engaging and makes for far better background music than Prince’s 1999. It genuinely creates an atmosphere, not unlike the experimental work Talking Heads were doing in the late ’70s and early ’80s. On the other hand, “Relax” leans into a more hardcore, somewhat monotonous disco vibe. Still, the bass work across the album is excellent—particularly on “Two Tribes.” Tracks like “San Jose” and “The Ballad of 32” serve as well-placed, more subdued moments that provide the record with dynamic balance, and I mean that in a positive way. All things considered, this is a solid party album—and that seems to have been the band’s intention. From that standpoint, it earns a 4 out of 5, though I must admit I’m still a bit surprised to be giving it that score.

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).

Suprisingly coherent album with good originals and interesting covers. Certainly has an 80s sound but could be worse!

WOW this one is a banger. Saved in my library.

"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.

Good album with some great songs on it. Power of Love has to be a universal top 10 on people's lists, there's just no way around it. Self titled song and Relax are also great, but the rest of the album sounds too much like generic 80s record, which we should avoid at all cost. But overall great, but slightly forgotten band.

vaikeaa kuunneltavaa mutta aikansa tuotos varmasti. Relax dont do it

Fun but had to pause and had a headache during the last half sad

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☆

No me imagino lo que este disco significó en su momento. Más allá de Relax, el hitazo por excelencia de Frankie Goes to Hollywood, las canciones parecen gritar "este soy yo, esto me gusta y a ti no tiene por qué importarte un carajo". Liberador, divertido, pegajoso. Una hora divertida y bastante, bastante reveladora de lo que había detrás del glitter de los ochenta.

2.5

Cool

Like everyone else, I knew of Relax. But I couldn't have told you who it was by even if I tried. But now I'll never forget. That was such a banger of a fuckin album. The Bruce cover is immaculate, Relax is great, San Jose is a real fun. But the crem de crem - All 13+ minutes of welcome to the pleasuredome. I think i listened to it 3 times yesterday? So so so good - really revved me up. Killer stuff

A fun, sonic journey full of surprises such as: A 14 minute track that's a banger throughout, finding out who sings the song "Relax" and that it's been banned by BBC in the 80s, a surprisingly good cover of Born to Run, and more.

Nice one.

Love this and have it on vinyl. Great album 4 Stars

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

A truly strange album. Full of ambition, and bolstered by some genuine chart hits - including a worthy perennial Christmas ballad - but for all the production sheen and immaculate attention to detail (to the point that Trevor Horn all but erased FGTH's own musical contributions in most cases) it really all serves as a distraction from the obvious: Singles aside, this is mostly sloganeering masquerading as meaningful lyrics, interrupted by a bizarre string of cover versions, which are competent but completely incongruous, and punctuated by skits that fail to add anything to proceedings. All with a kind of "we're going to mention 'sex' because it's naughty and it will upset the powers that be" attitude that - granted - was probably what cast them into the spotlight in the first place, but hasn't really aged well in hindsight. It's all just a bit juvenile. It has it's moments, and the singles hold an extra dose of nostalgic charm for anyone who was around at the time, which I was, but as a complete package, Welcome To The Pleasuredome fails to deliver on the musical manifesto those singles set out. Horn's studio wizardry makes the most of some simplistic ideas, but probably at the expense of some personality.

Not my bag.

what can i say, i love 80s pop 3.5

Love it.

Catchy, out-there, and scandalous.

Not my thing at all. I didn't enjoy it.

The World Is My Oyster - 3/5 Welcome To The Pleasuredome - 4/5 (way too long for my liking but at least it's kinda good) Relax - 5/5 War - 4/5 Two Tribes - 5/5 Tag - no rating Fury - 3/5 (short but sweet) Born To Run - 4/5 San Jose - 4/5 Wish The Lads Were Here - 3/5 The Ballad of 32 - 3/5 Krisco Kisses - 4/5 Black Night White Light - 3/5 The Only Star In Heaven - 3/5 The Power Of Love - 5/5 Bang - no rating (too short) Average score: 3.8/5 (rounding up) this shit is fucking gay. i love it

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

No.

Y'a vraiment des bangers là dedans, mais même en l'écoutant 2 fois, je me vois pas lui donner un 5. My bad, Frank EDIT DU FUTUR: OK FRANK, ÇA KICK VRAIMENT À LA TROISIÈME ÉCOUTE

wtf was “tag”. also the opener did NOT need to be 13 minutes (the first 7 alone felt like eons). the instrumentals made me hopeful for MANY of the songs and nearly ALL disappointed me. mid but respectable. 2/5.

Very 80s, but enjoyable. Went on a little too long.

I really enjoy this album, I love 80s english pop, the songs black night white light and the power of love are my favorite tracks, I have nothing negative to say about it 🤷‍♂️.

Relaxed

An album that pays tribute to a lot of great music of the past but is also able to present a cohesive theme of its own.

This is such a fucking mess lmao what's with the covers? the bossanova? "Relax" honestly kind of overrated too tbh like "Sweet Dreams" is a real ass song, feel like it's notorious (and like quasi-important) more than it is good music

Wow this one was a surprise. Didn't think it would be any good but turned out I was very wrong.

Its a little too dramatic for me, but mostly fun!

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?

This was slightly better than I expected and I’m still giving it one star. Just a slog of uninspired electro rock. It seemed like it would never end.

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

Pretty interesting, I have to admit. I absolutely knew the song Relax. Very diverse record overall, it uses elements from many genres.

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.

imagino que senhorinhas conservadoras tenham ficado boladas quando esse saiu massssss: é chato

synthpop do SEXO doideira esse hein. parece importante pela epoca e mensagem libertina. mas meio chato, viu....

An absolute powerhouse of an album seems to lose its steam at the end.

Pretty decent ambient 80s high production

This is mostly 80s slop, though I acknowledge there is more effort and vision here than most 80s slop. An interesting album if not one I liked. Best song: The Power of Love

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.

I saw this and honestly didn't think I knew who they were. And then I heard Relax and remembered. How about all these covers that are actually pretty good?? And then Ballad of 32 was...porn?

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

Absolutely incredible. Some extremely great stuff here! I already knew a couple songs, even though I didn't know it at the time (San Jose, Born to Run, Relax) but I don't think it's one I'd listen to all of again. Best in small doses 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.

Corny 80s pop. Didn't finish it

There is just something I will always love about this LP. Is what it is.

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

Quite interesting pop record from the mid-1980s. My main problem with the album is that it doesn't flow well, it sounds as if the songs are thrown together. The self titled track is almost 14 minutes long and it doesn't fit into the formula of the album. And the album is just way too long. I like double albums if they flow well but this wasn't it. There are some individual songs that are good pop song but as an album it doesn't work well.

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

Surprised by this album. Very well produced a lot of covers that really were good and well produced. Kind of loved it. Had never heard the whole album before

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

While Europeans were listening to Depeche mode, England were listening to this crap

It's fun, it's got a message 'war = bad', can't complain on a sunny day.

By the end of Born To Run: "Fucking hell, this album is incredible. Why have I never bothered listening to it before." By the end of The Only Star In Heaven: "Fucking hell, I've never known an album to drop off in quality so much. This is like Robert De Niro's career." By the end of Power of Love: "fucking hell, now I'm a weeping mess, picturing Andrew Sott and Paul Mescal tangled up together but each deeply alone in some dark, eternal sorrow." The highs are Everest peaks. Trevor Horn is a proper genius: the master of clear, fun, ecstatic power pop. Too much filler though. Condense this to 40 mins and it'd probably be the best album of the 80s.

Trevor Horn at his very best. Ok, you could say that a lot of the tracks shouldn't have made it on the album and become "unheard" but the album titled track Welcome to the Pleasure Dome has got the lot...a fine piece of music! I wasn't a big singles buyer as a kid but when the BBC banned Relax I just had to have it...it was an edgy sound and a proper banger in the day, 2 Tribes was a very explosive haunting track - to me, & at the time a very new unheard style of synth I really liked, listening again it reminded me of the real fear flying about in the 80's of the risks a full on threat of a Nuclear war. Some serious bass guitar sounds contributing towards a type of Pop Music that you just couldn't copy- that was the talent and skill of Trevor Horn. The Power of Love always reminds me of an 80's Christmas but frankly the covers of Ferry cross the Mersey and Born to Run can get in the bin which knock the score down a bit as an album in it's entirety. * FYI I did have one of the famous Frankie white t shirts back in the day...the one I had said "Frankie says Arm the Unemployed"

A tale of two halves First half, 6 stars Second half 2 stars Average:

2.5

I only knew the one big guy. This was a bit different than I thought it would be. Liked it. 3.5

I bought this double album when it came out and it was a killer. Horn's production was astonishing, although it was abysmal of him to rerecord most of the tracks with his studio musicians, as the band was not up to his expectations. Nevertheless, I love every single track of it. Back then, I didn't recognize all the direct and indirect gay insinuations (well, besides Relax, where there was not much not to be understood).

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.

Dans la période New wave, tellement de groupes surclassent celui-ci pour moi. A commencer par Simple Minds.

Nothing moving at the exception of the hit Relax.

Really not my cup of tea.

When creativity meets melody and music ! Sounds so classic but also so innovative !

Sounded a bit weird but I love it

Interesting, and far better than i expected

The first of only two albums, a band that barely plays on its own recordings, lyrics about gay sex which I hardly relate to. The hits are, however, fun to revisit, and there is an iconic voice, but beyond that, it’s not exactly groundbreaking except in the fact it came out in a conservative British era with outrageous lyrics. The whole thing is a well-packaged marketing product - a symbol of its time, but ultimately, a very artificial one. One of the worst overproduced excess of the 80s with “The power of love” sounding very delicate comparing to any other songs.

Original source material for Andy Samberg's SNL videos.

Frankie say unexpected. “Welcome to the Pleasuredome” brought one surprise after another. Not necessarily good or bad surprises, just nothing you’d see coming. The 13 minute opener after the intro? The “War” cover? The political messaging of “Two Tribes?” Going back to covers for “Born to Run” and “San Jose?” The brief moans in “Ballad of 32?” The fact that there’s nothing weird on the last five tracks? That somehow “Relax” still slaps?

I hate the super dated synthy sounds. I don't care if George Carlin comes back from 2688 to save 80s music so that a future utopian society can form, this music can die. The only reason this isn't 1 star is because it doesn't physically hurt my ears. But it is far from pleasurable.

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

First half = greatness, everything I remember and more. Second half, not so much.

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

How bad does an album have to be to weigh down a classic 80s song I still (inexplicably) like? This bad. This was ridiculous. Bad cover songs. Discursive flights of fancy. A lyrical mess. Hard to understand how this made the cut.

Was only familiar with their hit single “Relax”. Album slightly exceeded my low expectations and progressively devolved into cheesy and sappy

Starts strongly, but quickly trails off as it hits a run of quite baffling covers. Ferry Cross the Mersey?! Born to Run?! An absolute pace killer

50/50, I didn't finish

A great snapshot of the early 80s, does feel like they ran out of ideas by the end.

Relax is a classic but some weird stuff overall

Is there a parallel universe where Bill Drummond realised wee Holly playing bass next to him in Big In Japan was such a talent and masterminded his rise rather than Echo & the Bunnymen and Teardrop Explodes? The four singles carry this but I also love their cover of Born To Turn. There is a touch more joy in their desperation than Bruce. A couple of things I am learning from this process. 1. People are a bit loose with their genre terms. Synth pop, really? This sounds like Soft Cell and The Human League to you? 2. I dutifully read all the Wikipedia entries and have developed a healthy enmity for Robert Christgau and his joyless, nebby and in this case nonsensically homophobic views on music. Who is deciding every Wikipedia album entry needs this twerp's input?

Quite weird , can’t say I’d listen again

Massive pop classic, amazing energy! Front-loaded with hits but interesting throughout with engaging production and a great band - bit long, though... Does it need to have so many covers and transition tracks? Favourite tracks: Welcome to the Pleasuredome, Relax, Two Tribes,

Incredible title track and relax is a certified slap, but the rest is extremely uneven synth pop, including a bunch of random covers. Fun enough, some cool bass parts and synth tones, but too long and gets a bit tedious.

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

I never really entered the pleasure dome…. High energy, but poor execution overall in general for me. Covers were ambitious but probably their best work on the album?

Frankie says yawn. The energy is great. The singing is not. I admire them covering Born To Run but the execution was lacking.

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

I only liked the songs that were covers

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.

Loved it and recognized a few songs from my youth.

the world is my oyster-6 welcome to the pleasuredome- 8 relax- 7 war- 6 or 7 two tribes- 6 tag- 6 fury- 6 born to run- 7 san jose- 7 or 8 wish the lads were here- 7 or 8 the ballad of 32- 7 krisco kisses- 7 or 8 black night white lights- 5 the only star in heaven- 7 or 8 the power of love- 5 bang- 6

'Snatch of fury' is a fantastic name for a song Best songs are War, welcome to pleasuredome, power of love Good album overall some really great tracks and some I felt tacky. Not my usual flex but really enjoyed

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

A strong showing.

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")

This album is fun! New wave sound done right.

I expected a one hit wonder and got a very solid album. Little over an hour a bit long but far better than I expected.

This album could use a producer to edit and keep their theatrical whims at bay. Big hits on here.

Fun music. I like it.

This is terrible and I hated every second of it. In fact, the one song I’ve heard previously and thought was okay I now hate. This album blows

3.25

Putain mais la décennie MAUDITE

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.

I never liked it in the 80s...mostly just loud synthy club music. Still don't care for it. But props for the openness in sexuality.

Going in, with a name like welcome to the pleasuredome, i just really wanted this album to not be one of those creepy ones but I was pleasantly surprised when it was just all the fun meme songs of the 80s - pure fun.

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.

I enjoyed this. There’s a couple decent covers, but Relax steals the show. Great synth pop with several different styles.

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.

This album is a lot of fun, so I'm giving it five stars and adding it to my Tidal library.

This started out OK, but this is way too long and the songs are much less interesting in the last third of the album.

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

You know what, I unabashedly love this album. It's camp, it's silly, it's cheesy, it's cringe (as the youths say). But it's pure fun. There isn't a song here that isn't enjoyable. Some songs were epic, like they were made for classic Hollywood dramas, which certainly lends credence to the band name. And like scores for classic movies, there are motifs and themes! A 13-minute epic title song is a daring choice and glues the whole album together. Frankie Goes to Hollywood wants to be taken seriously; otherwise, how do you explain their cover of a classic protest song, "War"? They added their own personality to it too, updating it to the year 1984. I know this album and band and "Relax" is considered a joke today, but like "Friday" by Rebecca Black, you cannot make a song a sensation if it isn't genuinely good. I listened to this album multiple days as I wrote my review, and I grew to love every song of this synth pop album. It brought many a smile to my face! 4.5

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

Ah, I see you not-so-randomizer randomizer. You see give me Frank Sinatra yesterday and a band named after the young Old Blues Eyes today. That's cute. "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" is the debut album by English synth-pop band Frankie Goes to Hollywood and a double album at that. The eventual producer Trevor Horn saw the band performed on the tv show "The Tube" and knew he had to have them. Besides producing, Horn brought in other musicians and used his new Fairlight CMI work station to enhance the sound. The album was released after the successful singles "Relax" and "Two Tribes" which helped the album hit #1 in the UK and #33 in the US. The core bandmembers included Holly Johnson (lead vocals), Paul Rutherford (backing vocals), Brian Nash (guitar), Mark O'Toole (bass) and Peter Gill (drums). There were mostly favorable critic reviews. The album really gets going on the second song, the 13-minute "Welcome to the Pleasuredome." A long period of animal sounds gives way to synth keys, a pumping beat, a high-pitched guitar and chanting. Johnson's echoing vocals come in and also a deep bass. The song was inspired by the Samuel Taylor Coolidge's poem "Kabla Khan" and is about the dangers of mindless indulgence. A synth drone, Johnson yelling "Ma ha hiyarn" and a bouncy bass intros us into "Relax." It's about sex and gay sex, if you didn't know. It was banned by British and immediately shot up to #1. Explicit lyrics, laser sounds, liquid sounds, glossy synths and guitar. Ah, so 80's. The other big song "Two Tribes" is nearly as lyrically direct: it being an anti-war song. I liked the video with Reagan and Gorbachev in the boxing ring. A quick beat to this song: very disco. Very highly produced but a good song. The band covers three songs on the third album side. They slow down Gerry and the Pacemaker's "Ferry." They put a synth in but keep it rockin' in Springsteen's "Born to Run." They add chamber pop and a bossa nova beat to Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick's "San José." The third and final single is the ballad "The Power of Love." Known as a Christmas song, it's slow and romantic. Piano. Strings. A nice song. This sounds very 80's with their three classic singles. Trevor Horn's production is great and the sound quality is very high. I appreciated that they took the cover songs in their own direction. I was going to comment that beyond the hit singles and cover songs, the remainder is filler. But actually, I started to really like them the second time through. The instrumental "The Ballad of 32" sounds like a modern-day Cure song. So, overall it's a solid album

Really fun. Nothing super crazy stood out though

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.

Didn’t really love this. Some catchy tracks and ok covers. Going to be a little tough and put this on the 2 side of a 2.5.

A veces, el sesgo británico ochentero del editor de este libro me harta. Este es un ejemplo del tipo de álbum que aparece por doquier en esta lista sin motivo. No es que sea un mal disco, pero aparte de los temas "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" y "Relax" (un clásico), el resto de los temas son versiones o canciones súper aburridas. La temática hipersexual está bien para un par de canciones, pero más de una hora de lo mismo se hace insoportable. Demasiado largo, demasiado kitsch y poca sustancia.

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.

2+

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.

Okay, I laughed pretty hard when I pulled this album. Kinda like “this is on the list??” But after listening to it once, and listening to it a second time, I’m here to tell you that this is a really fun listen. This album is packed with so much creativity, and it’s got such a huge, over the top sound. Excellent musician ship throughout the album, awesome production, and some excellent covers as well. One of the most surprising picks yet.

Not my kind of pop music

Smashing intro, solid album

Weird.

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.

Too long and too 80s. I appreciate the covers but I don't love them, especially when removing them would have made the album shorter without really ruining the vibe at all. This felt like it was just missing a central idea entirely. Favorite was Relax

This is so very 80’s. I think I need to assassinate the prime minister of Malaysia now. It’s too long and I’m not sure any of the covers are better than the original versions. Favorite songs were Relax, Two Tribes, and The Power Of Love.

More like "Welcome to the Sleepydome"!

With so many covers on this album, I assumed The Power of Love would also be a cover and was confounded when it wasnt. Odd album for inclusion on this list, I feel like there's better synth pop out there.

everything on here besides relax sounds like relax outtakes this might be the new most "this is only on the list for the single" album we've had. yawn.

Really enjoyed the first few songs, absolutely tanked after the cover of Born to Run

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

Relax is an icon of the 80s, but a whole album of this, let alone a double album, is way too much. Favorite song: Born to run. Not a even a very good version.

Very dramatic, loved it!

Ganz gut

Well, that lives up to the name

This was weird and not my favorite (but Relax will always remind me of Zoolander, so that’s a plus!)

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.

L'intro non è male, ma un po' lunghetta. Però poi parte Relax! Figa anche la loro versione di 'Born to Run'. Molto bello.

this is where relax comes from??? & it's actually a gay as fuck song??? so many pieces clicking into place for me here, instant 4 stars, get it frankie!!!

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.

Bass-driven dancy synth pop with plenty of energy and attitude, though it still manages to get a bit boring. The bass parts are my main source of enjoyment with this album. A few strong original songs and a few that feel like toss aways. The covers are okay but mostly add unnecessary length to the album (though the little bass solo in Born to Run is pretty cool). San Jose sticks out like a sore thumb. Overall this was ok at best for me, and might be more impactful if they used the best songs onto a single LP. I appreciate what they were going for and there were some strong moments, but the quality is not consistent and it lost my attention at several points (particularly most of the back half).

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.

You must kill the Malaysian prime minister!!!! Way more sonically and conceptually than I expected from Frankie Goes to Hollywood and that's always exciting. It's like listening to someone making a musical about making music in the 80's, especially notable since Trevor Horn dominated the album

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.

Outstanding!

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

Quantity over quality. Production wise it is great, but there are too many songs

Wild album. Relax was a smash hit and you couldn't get away from it. They sound like they're having a good time making this album. Extra stars for the nostalgia trip.

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

Really not great. Anyone thinks otherwise?

Boring, self-indulgent, tedious.

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

fun enough

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.

Weird album with some good songs but a bunch of covers too

Very nice album!

Pleasant album to listen to, with some okay covers. Do what the man says, and just relax.

weird and not necessarily in the best way could i write poetry to this? n

I'm not sure that this is a "must-listen." Aside from their ode to edging, "Relax", and the obligatory anti-Cold War tension song, "Two Tribes" there isn't much here but a bunch of cover songs and typical 80's synth-dance tracks. The song "Krisco Kisses" could have been a throwaway selection from any Adam Ant album. Trevor Horn's production does give the bass lines the necessary "pop" to keep the dance floor moving. I'll give it an extra half-star because they did sell an awful lot of those oversized, white with black lettering "Frankie Say..." t-shirts. Solid marketing, indeed.

2.5 This was a weird trip! There was definitely some good basslines, but mostly it's just generic pop. The covers are not great and there's I think three of them, so I'm rounding down.

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

Title track is a masterpiece Singles are classics Covers are weird sing choices and take it down a grade But still brilliant

Falls off a little in the second half, but the first half is strong enough to carry it to five stars (meaning good enough to download for regular listening, not perfect).

I can't believe I've never heard a bit of this album before. It is BIG and powerful and broad. So amazing. It contains so much and gives me new ideas and visions. 5.5

This might be one of the most 80s thing I ever listened to

5/10 Bardzo nierówne, wypchane watą słabych coverów, które dłużą się w nieskończoność. Ten album ma w sobie pewien urok lat 80., kilka dobrych hitów, ale jako jeden krążek męczy. Brakuje mu spoiwa, jakiegoś lejtmotywu, który skleiłby to w koherentną całość.

had no idea what to expect, came into this only knowing relax loved it, most 80s thing i've ever heard some great basslines so that's me sold best song: san jose worst song: n/a

one of my favs from back in the day. (although I enjoy the EP better). A tremendous loud Flash in the pan, but left an indelible mark on our culture in the mid-late 80's

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

I admire how weird and varied this is but ultimately for me it doesn't coalesce into an album that I find particularly enjoyable to listen through. It definitely feels its age, and I think the good stuff is surrounded by a bit too much fluff and meandering.

I thought a full hour of this might be a bit too much, but it actually kept my attention throughout easily. Helped by sprinkling excellent songs across the tracklist, like having the gorgeous 'Power of Love' right at the end to leave it on a great note. High tier synthpop.

A controversial band at the time due to their sexuality and some would say sexually explicit lyrics. A controversial album due to its use of session musicians to replace the band's own performance. But it is a well produced album and I like it.

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

"Relax" and "The Power of Love" is on the same album? I was singing the refrain from "War" some time in the past and I didn't know it was from Frankie. Really good album.

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.

Funky

The singles were epic, the album less so. Into the gap by Thompson twins came on after, now there's a classic pop record from the eighties, that better be on the list if this is!

Διαφορετικα μεταξυ τους κομματια, ωραιες παραγωγες και vocals, ωραιοι στιχοι. Alnum γεματο banger. Ημουν αναμεσα σε 4 κ 5 Rating: A

While I appreciate the effort to normalize gay bands, the English style doesn't work for me. The lyrics seem trivial, the music only slightly less so. Synth-pop too synthetic. Bleh.

I had forgotten that there were quite so many covers on here. The fact that they were so subversive and revolutionary and groundbreaking makes me forgive them. The covers are okay but not what this album is about. To be in the UK at this time when Frankie Goes to Hollywood we’re the zeitgeist and rebels and brought the underground into the light. The fact that Relax was number one in the charts but all the mainstream media refused to play it just made us want it more. Two Tribes, Relax and The Power of Love WERE the early 80s - powerful, provocative and danceable to boot! And my RELAX t-shirt dress was a summer staple. For all the filler and cover missteps - I just don’t care. I’m gonna say what I exclaimed when I saw that these boys were the album of the day! Fuck, yeah!

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).

I mean It's fineeee

"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.

Entering the pleasuredome. Pleasure suit, engage. Activate intro. Initializing. 64 minute album detected. Inject pacifying drug. Flushing memories of “Relax” from system. Process complete. Let’s get slay folks. Let’s start off with a 13 minute romp through the jungle. Oh sweet Jesus no. The vocals. Well as this keeps going, it’s at least varied. The bass breakdown section with the shouted background vocals was really sick. That was fine overall. Some terrible portions. The big hit. Hey Frankie. Don’t tell me what to do pal. I’ve never been able to relax in my whole life buddy. Also, don’t say “come” and make that noise. I’ve called HR. The bass was pretty good but overall this isn’t for me. More fun synth bass in music that I don’t care for. Vocals too close to the mic. Wait it’s a sample of a Reagan… impersonator? I can’t imagine big Ron saying something positive about Che Guevara or Malcom X or even knowing the word endeavour. This is a multi-layered, interesting song. Two Tribes is mid to me. 80’s new wave bleh. Doesn’t really move the needle. Ehh dumb. I am repressed and that’s the way I likes it. Ooh scouse accent. That’ll save anything. Still bad. I never want to hear Bruce Springsteen do anything. I can’t imagine a worse singer. I destroyed the Killers. They’re truly awful. I demolished U2 as they are bloated rich twats who think they’re revolutionaries. Bruce Springsteen is blue collar cosplay who is the musical equivalent of a Bryan Adams impersonator who has a half full punchcard at Jersey Mike’s. This SUCKS. Oh boy we’re really going downhill here. San Jose sounds awful. Won’t visit anytime soon. I think we all wish the lads were here. Nothing beats hanging out with the lads. Now it feels like every thing I say is also a gay euphemism. When in Rome I suppose. Not a great review or even a great song. Moaning nosies over the intro to wanted dead or alive by Bon Jovi. Surprisingly, not great. Krisco Kisses is apparently ANOTHER euphemism. I learned this one from the good people of RYM. Most of the people of RYM are not good people actually. Most are extremely angry and pretentious dweebs with a high degree of self-importance. Doesn’t sound like anybody I know. Anyway, this song is like if Devo was hyper sexual and also not good. Wake me up when this song ends. Zzzz risjh doitnr huh im awake. Unfortunately. Awful ballad. Plodding, listless. Boring outro. Initializing pleasuredome exit procedure. Generating scathing remarks nobody will read. Increasing musical ignorance. Enhance. Engage. An album that I hated with moments of vibrancy. Can’t say it’s bad, but this isn’t about objectivity is it? Will never listen to again, and after 64 minutes, I limp out of the pleasuredome with a new appreciation for the sweet sweet silence all around us. 1.5 HIGHLIGHTS: War

The covers were cool….and I enjoyed their music too. This is not what I was expecting from a one hit wonder. I got a lot more than I expected.

Too long and weird for me. This also might be the worst combination of artist name and album title I’ve come across.

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.

Just did not hear anything really special in this recording. There was the hit (Relax) and some brave covers, but not much else that made this a must listen...

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

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

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.

Banger!

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

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

Sheer crap. Over hyped at the tome. Overrated since. Frankie says relax. I say reject.

One good song...

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

I literally love the 80s Two tribes is SO GOOD

4.5/5 sensational Standout tracks all 5/5: - welcome to the pleasuredome - relax (come fighting) - two tribes

Wow, I had no idea that Trevor Horn produced this and Steve Howe plays on one song. It's practically a Yes album...if Yes was a sucky cheesy 80s synth-pop band. By the way, which one's Frankie?

I did not enjoy my stay at the Pleasuredome. If you like synths and cocaine, or this reminds you of a time when you did like synths and cocaine, then this album might be for you. I really want to be sparse with my 1s and I hate giving one so early in my journey but this was an awful experience and I would have happily gone to the grave having never heard it. It ruined my Sunday and I work hard all week. I’m a nice lady and I didn’t deserve this.

The album structure is good, very coherent, I like when songs in an album are connected in a certain way, whether musically or conceptually. Lyrics are well thought of but not my favorite (a euphemism for I find it cliche and corny). Instrumentation is fabulous, some of the vocals? Or should I call it harmonies or effects, however, are sometimes cringe...? Overall it's probably 3.5-4，close to 4.

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

I've heard the first few songs here multiple times, but what comes after shocked me. I mean it sounds the way you expect, but I did not expect a synth poppy Springsteen or Bacharach. The album as a whole is also fascinating. I love almost every song, but as a coherent listening experience it is a bit tiresome. Once again I believe that this could have been better structured and shorter. Side 1 and 4 is amazing, while the two in the middle have ups and downs. All in all I am officially a fan, but I'll be selective in my revisits with this album.

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

Surprisingly pleasurable debut. It's too long and touches on more genres and ideas than Frankie Goes To Hollywood can handle ... At the same time, that is exactly what makes this feel more like a play than an actual album to me. There's a clear narrative in the order of the songs and I just have a really hard time not enjoying this.

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!

Rough run of albums here. These guys suck. The Born to Run cover was so random. Nearly as good as the original because Bruce Springsteen also sucks but that's his best song.

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

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

Some amazing stuff on here, but it's basically just the "Trevor Horn pushes forward the idea of the producer being the artist" album. They got carried away with the singles and felt obliged to make more tracks so that the commercial release of the album would feel like a better value prospect, but I think history has proven this idea wrong. A more impactful shorter runtime with less covers would have cemented the album in peoples minds, rather than just a few great singles.

Not my bag, but hugely influential and obviously well crafted

Mostly self indulgent crap. I never realized how redundant Relax is, maybe because this time it followed 15 or 20 minutes of the same sound in the previous songs. I was happy to hear their version of Born to Run, not because it was good (because it wasn’t), but because at least it didn’t sound like a continuation of Relax. Everything after that was just bad.

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

Epicly 80s

Dumb British music

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

Relax is one of the songs of the 80s. I grew up to this song. The rest of this album blows. Ugh. Frankie, go home.

Många hits och schyssta covers. Kanske något lång.

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

**An ok album

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