Reviews (page 6 of 8)
This one was all over the place. Some really catchy upbeat pop stuff early on, but really fell flat towards the end. Take out the last 30 minutes and maybe shorten up the title track a bit, and this one could have been a banger.
Help – one's been hit with the laser beams! Surprisingly more to this than expected (or remembered), with a title track setting an interesting and thoughtful tone (even if it’s a bit overwrought [as are “War” and several other tracks]). “Relax” still has its appeal (overcoming the pretty severe anachronism [not to mention hideous fashion flashbacks]). The covers are somewhat hard to credit (especially the Springsteen) but “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” is good (and odd) fun. The production is fittingly over the top, but everyone sounds like they’re having a pretty good time of it (and not nearly such naughty fun as one suspected or remembered. [Those laser beams must be bad for the memory.]) Begins tending to the ponderous the longer it goes on, but one sees the ambition (which took strange forms, it must be said) to be more than one-off club stars of the Right Said Fred ilk. Ultimately, it’s hard to know how to rate them. Are they the ‘80s version of, say, Happy Mondays? Adam Ant and the Sex Pistols are also good comps, more like Zeitgeisty phenomena than actual musical acts. Fun record, both to hear and consider in the broader cultural context.
Genres: New wave, synth-pop, Hi-NRG Formed: Liverpool, England in 1980 Run time: 16 songs, 1 hour, 4 min The debut studio album by English synth-pop band. They achieved fame in the mid-eighties and Johnson went on to have a solo career in ‘87. Spotify: Least popular song: 547k Most popular song: over 108M plays. Track 2, “Welcome To The Pleasuredome” refers to the poem Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The song is also an epic, at over 13 minutes long. In the 80’s each track that was released as a single was banned by the BBC and was driven up the charts as a consequence. Their material was overt and shocking and certainly caused a stir at the time. Track 4, “War” is a cover of the counterculture era soul song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for the Motown label in 1969. The song was an anti–Vietnam War statement. It became a number 1 hit for Edwin Starr in 1970. The FGTH version contains spoken words by the then President of the US, Ronald Regan. It was a very pertinent and clever cover/adaptation. It serves as a prequel to the next song on the album “Two Tribes", which is a dig at the Cold War between the U.S. and USSR. Track 6, “Tag” is 30 seconds of weird! Track 7, "Ferry (Go)" is an extract of the Gerry Marsden (Gerry and the Pacemakers) song “Ferry Cross the Mersey. It isn’t trying to be the original and is a fitting tribute by one Liverpudlian band to another. Track 8, “Born To Run” is a cover of the Springstein song. I alway feel that a cover should be better or significantly different to the original. It’s not a bad cover, but it is a straight cover, and very few artists could outperform Springstein. Track 9, “San Jose” is another cover, this time of a Burt Bacharach song originally performed by Dionne Warwick. Again, it’s not bad but it’s not different or better than the Warwick version. In the 80’s HIV/Aids was in the news alot and caused a lot of hate and fear of homosexuality. At the time many gay male artists didn’t push or hid their sexuality (e.g., George Michael). Due to lack of knowledge many contracted HIV and would die of AIDs in the 90’s (e.g., Freddy Mercury). FGTH didn’t seem to worry about it, and openly did their best to promote gay artists. Holy Johnson did catch HIV, but improved knowledge and medicine means he didn’t go on to contract AIDS. This album resulted in some epic singles. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***
Feels like a 1980s movie soundtrack.
Hard to appreciate since they screwed over Mugato so hard causing him to try and take over the world by mind controlling the Prime Minister of Malaysia
Lots of talent but why the random covers? Sounded like so many different bands and lots of classical influence. I liked most of it. Vocals and instrumental blends are excellent. Cheesy bits of dialog thrown in didn't help.
Ok
interesting that there are covers on it
Really liked the first bits of the album. Not so sure about the spate of covers in the middle and then it peetered out a little bit.... solid 3 for the first 5-6 songs though
ah, some UK 80s pop for a change. This is one of the more well known one hit wonders out there, at least outside the UK. I only knew Relax. The album is more of the same, to varying degrees of quality. Very sophisticated and ambitious, but for all the production and kazillion instrument tracks it never really took off. Everything left me wanting, nothing ever really pulled through. The whole album felt like one giant lead up to something that never came. An hour long tease- ironic given the title. Martini Ranch did this whole vibe better, plus that had Bill Paxton in it. 3/5.
It was a fun listen. I don’t think i’d go back though.
Peak 80’s with some massive hits on this album, including a few decent covers. Deserves its place on the list, doesn’t quiet make my regular rotation though.
I don’t know if I’ll ever listen to this again but this was a lot of fun. Good stuff and some cool covers.
Pink Floyd meets Steve Miller band, meets queen meets disco. Every song completely different and creative, some are really good
Mine is the last voice you will ever hear. Yes, FTFH were huge when I was in college. The singles were ubiquitous. Yet somehow the debut album was a real letdown, very much less than the sum of its parts. The cover choices defied understanding, and the material stretched too long. Would’ve made a fine single album.
Well, I enjoyed this much more than I expected. It definitely could have done with being half the length, though. The glut of, pretty rubbish, covers really killed the mood. I'd have been tempted to score it higher if it had ended before that.
The cover versions are unnecessary fillers. This is the only song titled The Power Of Love that matters
I enjoyed hearing "Relax" in its album context. Beyond that, the music mostly just made me feel anxious.
Mixed bag
Call me a prude, but this album is kind of gross. I feel like, while embracing this sort of stuff is important, and acting as though human-beings don't have urges is gross, but it being this on the nose with not a lick of nuance in sight makes me just roll my eyes when I hear some sort of allusion to sex for the billionth time an album, and don't even get me started on what the back of the album and the inner sleeve look like. If not all of that, then covers a plenty. Overall, the album is okay, but most of it is forgettable or dated. I imagine when people say they dislike new wave, this is what they're imagining. Very light three.
More interesting than I thought it would be but overall an average album
Frankie says Relax!
This aged much better than other albums of its time! Enjoyed the covers too, wtg Frankie
Relax is obviously a classic but quite played out for me after seen Zoolander 1 trillion times. I definitely was not expecting the Bruce Springsteen cover part of the way through. That was a nice treat. And it is ultimately what saved it from a two star review.
One of the things I had heard about this album was that Steve Howe was in it, so I was excited to hear his guitar work. Did not realize it was on a song that was over TEN MINUTES long. Let's talk about how hopelessly DATED this album is. Sampling RONALD REAGAN. Covering "War," "Born to Run" and "Do You Know The Way To San Jose?" and they still sound less fresh than the original songs sound. Also THREE covers? That's a bit much, don't you think? Really everyone's here for the one song we all know. But one song doesn't an album make. "Welcome to The Pleasuredome" was good, too. But there's quite a LOT of filler here. And again, putting all those covers in that "modern sound" just sound like it's still 1985 (I mean I guess that's better than 1955, but...) So this could have been EASILY trimmed down from an hour to maybe 40 minutes. Just saying.
Well, I learned something. Frankie Goes to Hollywood is not a one-hit wonder. Two Tribes isn't bad, and it's certainly deeper than Relax, but it's not nearly as good. I didn't really get their third big single The Power of Love at first. But maybe I was just tuned into the upbeat tempo of the rest of the album. In retrospect, it's quite a beautiful song. I did like a few of the uptempo tracks - Wish the Lads Were Here, Black Night White Light. The title track is unnecessarily long but has some okay parts to it. Most of their remakes weren't great (War, Ferry) though I didn't mind Born to Run. It didn't sound like the rest of the album though - less synth/electronica and more new wave 80's rock. Not quite sure what makes this album so unique - maybe it was their messaging at the time. All in all, I didn't mind it. Almost 3.5 but not quite.
Curate's egg. But production's good.
Mixed bag of kinds of songs. Good listen though. Once again, surprised by how many of their songs I already knew whether thru covers etc.
Peak guilty pleasure music. Where do we even begin with this one? At times it sounds like what would be played during the initiation rites of a fraternity, and other times it's the soundtrack to an '80s coming of age film. It's incredibly cheesy, but sometimes it has its moments. Particularly those songs with longer instrumentals, which make you think that they should not be as good as they are. But then they start talking about orgasms, which completely takes you out of the moment. Once the album is done, you begrudgingly admit to yourself that okay, that was actually enjoyable to listen to at times - before quickly switching to another record so your friends don't see that you've been listening to something called Welcome to the Pleasuredome. Standout tracks were War, The Ballad of 32, and Black Night White Light.
Quite the average album. Has a couple of good songs in it, but overall not my taste
I actually have this album :) The album starts great, i still like it. It´s a bit like a concept album where all songs fit together. After two tribes it goes downhill and then goes out with a nice big bang. Overall it was nice to hear the album again.
A difficult to rate album. In some sense it is great. A perfect sound. A perfect production. A perfect album title. Four 5* singles. But certainly half the album consists of boring covers and pretty weak songs. Hence, I usually go for some of their 12"s and hardly ever listen to one of their two albums (their Liverpool album has its moments too but is quite a bit weaker even). It has the looks of a classic, and it could have been a classic if they had cut it down to 35-40 minutes.
Good! The title track or San Jose would be my favourite.
How does someone name an album after the worst song
pretty alright
Enjoyable enough
I was looking forward to this as the only songs I really knew from it were "Relax" and "Two Tribes" which are both pretty great. Unfortunately, most of the rest of the album is just bland new wave and uninspired covers. Nothing terrible but nothing really great either. The title song had some cool moments but was probably just a little too long. 3.5 stars
Particular, but it makes you feel all its hour long
Mid level album, interesting for a single listen, a few well done covers and a few interesting originals that are 80's staples. Favourite tracks WELCOME TO THE PLEASUREDOME, Relax, Two Tribes.
3.5 - This album along with "Songs from the Big Chair" by Tears For Fears, released within 4 months of each other, both typify a certain peak-80's aesthetic for me - massive synth-driven soundscapes, somewhat Carribean-inflected rhythms and brass fills, pretentious ambient interludes. Besides "Relax", which remains a "best-of" mainstay for the era, the rest of this record shows a comically cocaine-driven hubris. Why put out a 66-minute record with THREE covers? Admittedly, the vocals on "Born to Run" provide a more refined counterpoint to Springsteen's guttural bellows. But the other covers - "War" and "San Jose" - are quite inconsequential. And why SO MUCH filler - from samples of political speeches, to extended instrumentals that trail off into nowhere? Worth the single confused listen but never again!
Relax and war are classics. 3/5
It was alright. I hated how long the 13 MINUTE TRACK at the beginning of the album dragged on. I have heard the track War before, but I couldn't tell you where. It was a nice sound it jam out to while I was in he car. Not really that much that stood out overall. Favorite tracks were Track 3: Relax, Track 4: War, and Track 9: San Jose.
This shit is a straight up fever dream. The backing tracks are sick and great to listen to, but the admittedly obvious underlying tone is sex. Pretty much every song is about sex and will make you feel uncomfortable if you don't want to listen to sex. Also, the lyrics are just way too out there, and listening to them will make you feel like you're on some kinda drug. These factors combined make you feel like you're at a rave sweating your ass off on ecstasy. After about 20 minutes, though, it turns into a samba album, which is such a whiplash because it turns back into a 80s rave album after a few songs. Overall, it's a good album if you listen specifically for what you want and ignore the other weird ass parts. Favorite: Relax
Op het moment dat je een album als dit voorgeschoteld krijgt, ga je pas de wikipedia pagina's induiken. Blijkt dus dat ze eigenlijk alleen dit album hebben gemaakt. Een uurtje muziek. Waarvan ook nog een gedeelte uit covers en een ellenlange intro/outro bestaat. En toch herinneren we ons allemaal de sound, die voor een groot deel de 80s samenvat. Bombastische bassen, synths, vol galm, tikje aangezet allemaal, powerballads. Soms iets teveel van het goede (en passant verkrachten ze Bruce nog even), maar soms ook briljant (Two Tribes en toch ook the Power of Love). Gemiddeld genomen 3 vd 5 sterren.
This was a fun listen, full of grandiose excess and catchy rhythms. Some parts got a bit redundant, but overall I enjoyed it. 3 Hollywood stars out of 5 ⭐⭐⭐
I put this album on and when I came to, I was slap fighting with the Prime Minister of Malaysia. This album was way too long. Best track: Relax
Geen uitschieter in het genre. Gewoon album met 2 leuke covers op
Interesting album, even though it’s something I won’t be coming back to. This goes in so many different directions. The Only Star in Heaven is an example. It starts like an early chili peppers song but morphs into Bowie on the chorus. Points for uniqueness of sound (even though many of the songs themselves are covers.)
Wasn't sure what I was getting into with this one only knowing of this group as peak 80s synth pop. Was pleasantly surprised to find a long weird album that wasn't just drenched in shitty synths and reverb although plenty of that.
relax is the famous song from them the same vibe as non-stop erotic cabaret but more vocal focused 3.5
Still listening, a little backed up on music. But good so far!
this is fucking nuts i am having an emotional journey while doing list work
A couple of highlights, but the rest didn't particularly stand out to me.
If you've heard 80s synth pop group you heard them all
Went in prepared to hate it as a symbol of the excessive indulgences of the 80s, but I actually got into it. Drums thankfully have a real weight to them which is often a problem with synthy music. Way too long with a lot of fluff in the back half. The Springsteen cover was basically pointless except to remind me that I probably prefer that kind of music to this. The big bombastic style is brought down by weird deviations in sound (San Jose) and the skits. I can understand why someone would love this, but for me, its just pretty decent.
I tecalkef this being an ace 80s album, but beside the platinum 4 gigantic singles there are 4 fairly straight forward covers and some other low level 80s mild funky pop. Even Krisco Kisses for lots weaker than I remember. A little disappointing, but certainly made up for by the colossal hit singles, Born To Run, which is always welcome and a good stab at War, Jose and Ferry across the Mersey. A high three then.
I have to admit, this wasn't as bad as I was expecting. The hit song from this album, Relax appears everywhere and even to this day it's one of those annoying ear-worms still ringing in my head. It ruined the film, Body Double, which wasn't a great movie to begin with, but why did it take so much screen time? That being said, I didn't hate this album, but it reminds me too much (yet again) why synth-pop is near the bottom of my list for music genres in the 80's!
Pretty decent album. I didn't love every track, but I was already familiar with "Relax" and "The Only Star In Heaven" was a fun listen.
Better than I expected it to be. Maybe a little too experimental at times, but nothing ever really turned me off
Hits and misses
Pop con sintetizadores. Unas cuantas versiones. Un megahit. Ni fu ni fa.
Some pretty good stuff and some pretty crappy stuff. I was gonna go 7/10 and then I listened to the 2nd half of the album. 6/10
Surprisingly enjoyable
very recognizable 80s synth album, has a few hits and the rest is alright
Spacey 80s pop Miami vice type vibe. Not as gay as I thought it would be lots of anti war stuff and singer could be a backup viagra boy
first listen interesting, weird, sexual, and a bit too long
Best Song: Relax. It feels like the distillation of all the best parts of the rest of the album in a single, normal-length track. Silly, almost like video game music. And something about the way he cries out "hit me with those laser beams" just gets to me. Worst Song: San Jose. Silly little smooth jazz number that feels at odds with the rest of the album. Overall: Such a weird album. The tone is all over the place, and there are random, just alright covers interspersed throughout? Some individual songs are okay, but the whiplash from all the tonal changes means you can't really just throw the album on in the background and enjoy. Also, as in the song "The Ballad of 32", I think I'm done with artists putting moaning and other sexual vocalizations into a song as if that instantly makes the song edgy and sexy. It doesn't. It makes it awkward.
Really good Brit pop sounds
Krisco Kisses? Nasty. Music's not that bad, though.
Had it's time and place but it has passed for me.
There were a few songs on this album that were a little catchy, but most of them were just so-so.
The hype to quality ratio is still too high but there’s much more to this than one remembered. The record is pretty fun and listenable, with some thoughtful songs that cool things out. Still, this is much a better record than one would have suspected. The covers are mostly dumb but the record isn’t nearly as naughty or silly as one might have suspected. The hype was of unsuitable “The-Beatles-Are-Coming!” pitch and the one mega hit plus one big one (“Two Tribes”) seeming like maybe it could last, which of course it didn’t any more than a minute.
Plenty of fun 80s synthy tracks, but it goes on a bit too long with a good chunk of filler. Favourites: "Welcome To The Pleasuredome", "Relax", "The Power Of Love"
Better than expected. Thought it would be political from a gay rights point of view but it had more expansive political themes. Might have been better off if a few tracks were culled. Overall, we liked it more than we expected to. Hilarious name also. Shannah - 2.5 Conor - 3 Bill - 3.5 (3/5)
This is a pretty remarkable debut album, not because I necessarily think it's so great, but because the structure of the thing is so nutso. Here we have a debut album, a double album mind you, the first side of which contains a short intro and a 13+ minute rambling odyssey of a title song. It turns out "Pleasuredome" really is one of the best songs on the album, so I get it. The album as a whole though is kind of all over the place. I have to wonder what the thinking was behind all of it. It's like they knew they wanted to do the whole "Pleasuredome" thing and they had just a handful of singles and other ideas they wanted to use, which necessitated a whole 2nd disk that was mostly made of filler. It's very odd and I find the gleeful lack of flow or coherent musical point of view more than a little annoying. I’m annoyed because this has all the pieces of a great album, and they don’t quite get there. This is such a weird mix of the clubby, the political, the mildly obscene and the musically grandiose, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Chris Barrie's little monologues pinpoint a moment in time, but ultimately are just weird. The covers are pretty random and generally not great. That said, the beats and the bass lines are solid fun. When this album hits the right notes, it's terrific. I will add that I give Frankie credit for being incredibly brave in 1984. I still can't believe they made an album like this and it wasn't just a niche recording. It was a massive hit record. Fave Songs: The Power of Love, Relax, Welcome to the Pleasuredome, The Only Star in Heaven, Bang, Black Night White Light
Always knew they were controversial from Relax; coulnt remember why so Im glad to listen to the whole album now. Great sound with the bass and synths. Reminds me of U2 a little bit. Enjoyed some of the tracks but a lot of them sound quite similar and I was glad to finish the album.
Relax, don’t do it! Whoever has made this list is really into this British synth pop stuff from the early 80s. I got to say not my favorite genre
Not bad just not for me.
A new disco classic
5 for the album name, 2 for the music, so... 3 overall.
Swiat dlugi i szeroki, tyle muzyki, a lista potrafi zarzucic kolejnym wyspiarskim krazkiem, zeby bylo smieszniej z podobnego okresu, bo wydanym w 84, dopelniajac kwintesencji zartu znowu nowo falowe synthowe granie, ale tym razem jeszcze bardziej eksperymentalnie, co swietnie widac gdy wejdzie sie na ilosc odtworzen poszczegolnych kawalkow na spotifaju, wuec Welcome To The Pleasuredome jest epicka przygoda w brzmienie swiata synthu, debiutancki material grupy Frankie Goes to Hollywood pochodzacej z liverpoolu, z tego co widze sporo tam szuflowania bylo pomimo tego ze zespol gral ledwie 7 lat nie liczac kombeka w latach 2k, ale ten album nagrywany byl piecioosobowym skladem z czego dwoch panow wspieralo jedynie wokalnie zespol, co ciekawsze nie ma wsrod glownego skladu zadnego klawiszowca, a przeciez synthy maja byc grane, no i sa ale w dosc nietypowy sposob, bo sporo brzmienia pochodzi od muzykow sesyjnych w sklad ktorych wchodzi nawet producent plyty pan Trevor Horn, ktory moze byc jedna z wazniejszych postaci tego krazka, bo moze sie komus nie podobac elektronika, liryka, czy wokale, ale calosc brzmi po prostu dobrze i to nie w ten sposob dobrze, ze latwy odsluch i ciach come come chameleonie, ale na 64 minutach i czterech stronach zespol pokazuje cztery rozne sposoby jak mozna grac nowa fale, przez openingowa strone ktorej wieksza czesc zajmuje epicka ballada tytulowa, przez bardziej popowe i energetyczne brzmienie z realx, ktory jest wlasnie tym utworem ktory gdzies mogl mi sie obic o uszy w radio wczesniej, czy two tribes, nastepnie strona coverow, ktora przechodzi w zamykajaca strone z wolniejsza elektronika czesto podana prawie calokowicie instrumentalnie lub z giberyszowmi wokalami, faktycznie jak teraz bardziej sie rozczytalem na temat tej plyty, to doszlo tutaj mozna powiedziec do wrogiego przejecia, gdzie pan Horn objal dowodzenie nad kierunkiem muzycznym w jakim podazyl album, co zaowocowalo tak szerokim wykorzystaniem sesyjnych muzykow, wiec frankie idzie do holiwudow, ale to pan horn ja prowadzi, tak czy inaczej sluchalo sie tego ciekawie, bo odsluch to prawdziwy rolercoster brzmieniowy, a nowym gatunkiem ktory dzisiaj wchodzi w sklad najprzedziwniejszych okreslen muzycznych bedzie oipisujacy te plyte Hi-NRG, jak sama nazwa wskazuje chodzi tutaj o druga strone przepakowana zwawszymi kawalkami, na plejke dodam wspomniany 13 minutowy tytulowy epik i kasowy przeboj grupy, czyli relax, nietypowa plyta sama ciekawie sie slucha, ale jej czlonkowie sie w niej chowaja, a moze raczej sa ukrywami przez poteznego pana Horna
Surprisingly nett. Ólíkt að hún fari í mjög reglulega spilun, en ég mun hlusta aftur.
Pop con sintetizadores. Unas cuantas versiones. Un megahit. Ni fu ni fa.
Son los de Relax y The Power Of Love. Normales.
One mega hit, three average covers and some so-so filler. I liked the bass intro to “War”.
good new wave album, Relax is an incredible track. Album was kinda too long so it gets 3 stars instead of 3,5
fine
Liked this more than I expected to. I was ready to turn it off after the title track, but it grew on me after that. 2.5/5
Nice to hear a whole album
Singles and title track are excellent but the rest of the album brings this down to a 3.
Britisk poprock, teatralsk, stort lydunivers, dyster lyrik, svingende
I was a little disappointed with how much this sags in the middle, the covers don’t work for me
65 Welcome to the Pleasuredome - Frankie Goes to Holywood 16 tracks. You just think this will be their 2 big hits and then you remember the 3rd one and then the 4th and actually it's decent. It is however really dated & hasn't stood the test of time. 3/5
3rd November 2021 Actually listened on the 4th, I was in the office yesterday with loads to do and then we went to watch Neil's environment play. Podcasts etc catching up! I really liked half of this (including a lovely, punky version of born to run!) but felt a bit long. Good though.
Ik hoorde simple minds en allerlei covers. Best goed.
Юмор. странно
Well this is a weird album. Dance music...politically themed...bizarre covers of Springsteen and Dionne Warwick classics. One big time hit. Too long and indulgent to rate more than 3 🌟
i can see how this might've been good in 1984 but i found it pretty corny and just not that interesting. 5/10
Hmm. Started really strong and then really dropped off. 6
5/10. Not bad, but not good. Welcome to the Pleasuredome itself was fun, a lot of stuff was okay, the Born to Run cover just felt like a worse version of the original, and I really don't understand why The Ballad of 32 needed to have sex noises in the background, like do some people enjoy that in their music? Because I just don't get it. Enjoyed San Jose and The Power of Love. Also rather long.
It’s so damn 80s. 5/10
I was not expecting this one. When I read the "synth-pop" style on the Wikipedia page I imagined something so different than what I got. It's not anything genial or like but it's like some good parts of that "New Order"'s style that are enough good for an album and a good discover.
Tecno pop
Estamos ante una banda de singles. No está mal, pero el cover ese a Bruce Springsteen qué pedo, jajaja.
Pretty good 80s synth pop with a few exploratory tracks, also a few well kno-I MUST KILL THE PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIAAAAAAAA
This album is has a cool sound, and the openness through which it deals with gay male sexuality in the brutality of the 1980s is interesting from a historical standpoint. However, there is no reason for this album to be a double album and contain this many covers. They did some fun things with the covers, but it feels like a waste to make this album so long and include so little original material (especially since Relax was already a huge single prior to the release of this album) 3/5
Jee jee, pimpeli pom, geneeristä kasaria, haistakaa vittu 2/5 aa täs on relax, se on iha 4/5, mut muuten 3/5
Meh
I knew "Relax" was the second real track. What I didn't know was that the title track was over 13 minutes. They kept teasing me. Everytime I thought "Relax" was going to pop up, the title track wasn't done it, and it kept sounding like they were going to transition at any second. The main highlight is "Relax", but there are some decent covers here. Some tracks like "San Jose" or the guitar solo in "The Ballad of 32" stand up as an entirely different genre to keep the experience fresh. There's humor thrown in between the tracks. That being said, the main appeal to a lot of tracks is the production synth which gives it a distinct 80s identity, but I felt a bit underwhelmed. I honestly can't see how "The Power of Love" topped the UK charts. But then again, so did The Lady in Red around the same year so maybe people were losing good taste... Anyway I wish the album ended with something more hi-nrg.
From when albums were stories front to back still. 80s groovy trippy cinema? Was running when Born to Run cover came on so that was cool. Probably won’t listen again. The 13 minute song was a bit much.
3/5
2nd track is a long journey. seems they are copying some of their songs from other people? 3/5 album. 40% of the album was good.
Interesting album. High production value with some good covers.
I really liked some songs, but overall the album seemed a needlessly too long.
In conclusione: Sono partito un po' prevenuto perché comunque mi aspettavo una cosa molto kitsch. Da una parte lo è ma l'evidente autoironia mi ha fatto stare simpatici la maggior parte dei pezzi. Diciamo che il rapporto quantità di riferimenti al sesso omoerotico/canzone è chiaramente molto alto ma l'ho trovato molto meno irritante di notorious big perché appunto fatto con uno spirito giocoso e anche un po' sixties make love not war. L'album è lunghetto ma non mi è pesato troppo perché devo dire che i pezzi sono molto vari e li ho trovati molto ben arrangiati, a tratti certi pezzi avevano un po' dei vibe Toto. Anche la produzione nonostante l'influenza ottantina che comunque è forte l'ho trovata non troppo fastidiosa. Non è un album che risentirei probabilmente e non credo di essere il target, però secondo me è un album migliore di come si presenta.
Musicalmente ci sono delle parti interessanti e alcuni brani sono divertenti ma altri sono veramente brutti, anche a causa del sound. Per me sarebbe un 2,5 ma do un 3 per la simpatia.
Definitive 80's glam - huge production, great bass lines and tone, FM synth goodness everywhere. First half of the album is absolutely incredible, but the back half of the album loses steam. Favorite Song: Relax
Funky as hell!
I was a teen in the 80s and this album, especially the song 'Relax,' are about as much an integral part of the 80s soundtrack as I can remember. At the time, I was mostly a hard-rock devotee but I do remember enjoying this music, synth-heavy as it can be. It's catchy, fun, and even interesting at times. I had forgotten it was also political at points, which adds something to it, as did some of the controversy they stirred up; e.g., unabashedly gay, which was still somewhat rare in the 80s, and doing covers of songs that ticked off some people, which I think is healthy in many ways. Good stuff.
Nice 80s vibes idk
eh, it's okay I guess. All the sex sounds are pretty cringe
Actually pretty fun, some good tracks: relax is a classic. Some of the lyrics are a bit much, but I suppose the album title warns of that
all right; kind of medium New Wave sound. probably a 3. Pretty decent! Quite a few covers, but I like their versions!
Apologies for the hiatus. I'm back in business! This was a strange one for me to review. I remember having Frank Goes to Hollywood on vinyl but the cover of this one wasn't at all familiar and I can't imagine buying any records after this one. It turns out I had an EP (is that an anachronism or did EPs tag along with the vinyl resurgence?) The EP had four tracks and all four were cover versions. Just kidding - only cover was WAR. On the vinyl EP, the artwork that surrounds the spindle hole had a head shot of Ronald Regan and the spindle hole went right through his forehead. Execution style! The EP was the right amount of Franky. I really don't get why they felt it necessary to make a double album. The title track is over 13 minutes and is nothing other than a far too long introduction to the next song, Relax. It's like having half a dozen burgers as an appetizer before a dover sole main course. I also think there are a few too many cover versions on this bad boy. This led me to think about when cover versions are OK and not OK. Allow me to get distracted; think of it as giving my ADHD some love. Johnny's musings on cover versions: 1. In the 60s multiple cover versions were done frequently so covers were OK then. No limits. 2. Cover versions are also OK when it's jazz because, well, they don't call them covers - they're standards. (I never bought into to that "rose is a rose . . ." nonsense.) 3. A cover is good when it uses a completely different genre than the original. I'm thinking of Syd Vicious' version of My Way. Ditto for Paul Anka's cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit. It does exist! If you haven't you should give it a listen. It's particularly funny given what Syd did to Paul's song. Perhaps Paul groups grunge and punk in the same tent so was satisfied with this touché. 4. You can cover a song that isn't a hit or top of mind. I'm thinking Nina Simone's and later Bowie's covers of WIld is the Wind and Jason & the Scorchers cover of Absolutely Sweet Marie although Jason also meets Rule 3. 5. One cover version per album is also allowed cause wtf let's not be too rule orientated - he says on Rule #5 of 9 lol 6. No limit on covers on live albums. It might be the only chance to hear them. 7. I would give a 5 star rating to John Lennon's Rock and Roll album from the mid seventies which was entirely covers. But this album is exempt since its cover versions were the music that influenced the most influential musician in our lifetime. (Wow that's a fucking statement and a half! But I still don't like Fame.) 8. Other than that, fuck off with the cover versions! 9. I reserve the right to exempt other cover versions I like. I'll say the cover of War is OK. The song itself isn't played particularly well but the Reagan voices make it OK. (Rule 9) But why would they cover Springsteen? Born to Run was a smash hit less than a decade earlier. What exactly did they do with the song that made them think: "Yeah Baby, let's slap that brother on our first album"? Ditto for Fury, San Jose and Ferry. I was going to say ditto Power of Love but this a an original! I was sure it was a cover. Now I need to find whose version of the song I like. I really liked the hits (Relax, Two Tribes) when the dance floors found them back in the day so I can't rate this too low but there are some seriously low points.
Weird, mad, powerful, bombastic and epic. Some very interesting covers too.
Pionero. Pop-dance sin estridencias
Gotta admit that Relax is a pretty iconic 80s dance tune that I played about a kazillion times back in the day. Also Despite the goofy narration over War, the bass line has chops and there are some good covers of Born to run and San Jose. But overall this is like watching the original Lethal Weapon or Diehard movies, it’s pretty dated and doesn’t hold up well today
The was the last ‘double’ album on vinyl that I bought. Like most double albums it would have been terrific if they combined the 10 best tracks onto one album. The remaining 10 tracks were a bit self indulgent. 😄 Love the Born to Run cover, completely random.
Classic 80's type music. "relax" by far the most popular song on the album and didn't know it was by them - thought it was Duran Duran. Lots of electronica and a few covers. 6/10.
Nicely structured album with interesting songs, but I can't get over the strongly 80s sound. 5/10, cool that they had an impostor band for 2 years
Eh, it's alright. Too slow of rock for my liking, but it wasn't bad.
Bien aime, j’ai reconnu plusieurs tounes classique. Ca m’a surprit. 3.75 tres eclate
Relax is pretty much the only reason this is on here I thought
There were a couple standout tracks, however it was very average overall.
I thought the album was interesting, but "Relax" was the only song that I could see myself wanting to listen to again.
some surprising covers, not terrible
Enjoyed more than I expected. Surprised by the cover of Born to Run. Strangely hearing shades of Pink Floyd in the ballad of 32.
Weird covers. Lots of fun.
Really a very weird album from a pretty weird band. The wild misinterpretation of the breakout hit is funnier in the context of the whole thing.
I had high exceptions. But, outside of a couple of memorable hits, was not thrilled, especially the lame covers.
Pretty fun and interesting. Big, epic sounds.
Did not listen all the way but still a classic typical album
Bit self indulgent at 1 hour long. Seemed to run out of ideas and resort to odd cover versions in the second half
Started off funky then once we got to the Bruce cover downhill from there
Sometimes enjoyable, sometimes tedious.
Spotify. Ok listen. Fave song “Relax” is a classic but also enjoyed the “Born to Run” cover
That 80’s ass bass, fun, and the Pleasuredome track was my favorite. Also never knew the band behind Relax
Wtf
Know the singles but definitely haven't heard anything else. It's aggressively 80s and thus takes itself far too seriously, the big tracks are very catchy but id be pushed to say I enjoy them. Don't think I knew they were Scouse, always glad to see a Liverpudlian band do well (even if it was one albums worth of fame), but won't be listening again.
As I've said repeatedly, the whole synth pop sound doesn't do much for me, but I probably found this better than I thought I would. The ferry across the Mersey confused me.... Didn't realise they were from Liverpool! Didn't enjoy that one though. Begrudgingly, the born to run cover wasn't awful but I don't think covers should be on studio albums. San Jose too.... do your own songs! Anyway, aside from those covers and the weird interludes, there are 3 pretty iconic tracks on here. Unfortunately they don't redeem it for me. Better then I was expecting, but not for me. 2
Fine as far as 80s synth pop goes.
I appreciate that they tried to have a few different genres on this, but the middle was full of weak covers and the rest had too much 80s synths and drum machines.
Not much to say really.
When does this shit get good? WOAHHH i feel like I’m marching into war I truly feel like I’m inside the pleasure dome Frankie say…
Maximalist synth-pop and dance-rock built from booming drums, glossy synthesizers, cinematic production, and theatrical vocals feels like wandering through a gaudy theme park that cost a fortune to build but forgot to include enough rides—spectacular, excessive, and ultimately less exciting than it wants to be. The album throws endless sounds, ideas, and production tricks at the listener, yet much of it struggles to justify its enormous length. Its ambition is impressive, but the experience mostly feels bloated rather than exhilarating.
Keep getting 80s albums lately and well if it isn’t one of the best shorthand Now That’s What I Call The 80s! records of all time... I loved Relax as a melodramatic kid, not having the slightest idea what they were singing about. I also thought The Reflex was by the same band (because the song titles and sound are similar, see) so for a while there I was a big 8 year-old Duran Duran/Frankie fan. I admire what Horn accomplished here but it’s...a lot.
One good song.
From The Commitments: Cos you know everything about music, Jimmy. You had Frankie Goes To Hollywood's album before anyone heard of them. And you were first to realize they were shite.
all over the place
3/10
the world is my oyster!!! HAHAHAHAHA! this ace attorney ass beat.. some great synth stuff going on but some of these tracks feel like im being held hostage as a bruce springsteen disliker i like this cover of born to run a lot overall not really my thing but i get it
what a weird album. of course i knew the singles, but the rest? so disjointed, but i didn't hate it. one and one with this though.
Started out theater-cord and went into 80's New Wave cheesiness. Far far from my thing. 3/10
I didn't really enjoy this one at all, a usual flat 80s sound
Meh
Mmmm
Welcome to the Suck.
the hell meh
This seems like it wanted to stand out, but just could not to me. Nifty splash blam bonk bazoom older rock, but it never bounced itself out of the box where I tend to put this genre of music.
didn't really care for this although this might not have been the original version since a couple of the song said remix
"Frankie say, 'no more'". I couldn't have said it better.
Highlights: Relax, Born To Run 2.7
This was ok, but the 80s production weighs it down for me. Also the weird sexual lyrics don’t land well.
Hard to deny the significance and impact of the hits to the decade of the 80’s. That said, I think I find the full dose of the album more off putting now than I did what made airplay back then. 2.5/5
Weird and not in a way I’m into…
..
power of love is such a peak song already had it but the rest of the album ahhh
Not horrible but it not grwat
its okay
Oh look, more terrible Britpop. Complete with a awful cover of Born to Run
This album should be half as long. Some big hits, but too much filler. 2.5
Realmente música dos anos 80 não é para mim
it was like fine but not particularly fun for me to listen to
For the record, I don’t give two sh*ts where Frankie goes. I went to the bank and then to the grocery store. No one cared. Every track on this album, including the covers, sounds exactly the same with different lyrics to be able to tell them apart. At times, the music itself was enjoyable, but I did not care for the vocals. Left me wanting more after an hours listen.
10 minute song isn’t my normal thing, but I imagine people who go clubbing would love it. Cranked it up on “Relax.” Rather enjoyed some of it and hated some of it. Born to Run rework didn’t do it for me. The Power of Love lyrics were very odd.
Fine. There was one "oh I know *that* song" moment. Extremely forgettable music -- to me.
I am only familiar with Relax. I could listen to the album, I guess I always figured they were a one hit wonder. 2.5 stars
So everyone knows Relax, it's been used in so many movies at this point. The covers were wild tho, War and then Born to Run were totally unexpected, not great, but not terrible. I was hoping The Power of Love would turn out to be a curious thing of a cover as well, but it was instead the most wretched song on the album, retch.
Apart from the singles it lacked punch for me. Covers didn't add anything.
The singles still sound strong. Very much a producer led album. Runs out of steam so has plenty of filler including pointless covers.
Are we being so serious rn? Relax and war are cultural mainstays but the rest is just… ugh. Welcome to the pleasuredome is 12 minutes of nonsense and the covers are offensive. Absolutely not
Oh, good, more 80’s electro-synth-pop-dance music. Next album, please.
Very odd spoken portions/audio clips. Has a couple well-known songs, but a weird selection of covers. Not really a fan.
Dance music is not my genre, but of course this album was unavoidable in the 1980s and it does have some very catchy tunes that I would have to admit I enjoyed. I am a little interested to see if my somewhat broader musical appetite makes me more open to this in my old age... This is OK. I never knew they covered "Born to Run" (and pretty faithfully!) It is increasingly difficult for me to rate these albums on a 5-point scale. I save the extreme ends for garbage/masterpieces (or albums I truly hate/love,) essentially leaving me with a 3-point scale for nearly everything else. I gave the Cult's Electric 2 stars yesterday, when it felt like it belonged fairly close to 3, and I think I am going to do the same with this one. I liked the hits off this album but the rest did very little for me.
Two banging tunes - the singles, and then just a lot of filler, not great and without the singles it would rate a 1
Music is all over the place. Relax is a good song, but this album has some odd covers and is not cohesive from front to back.
Finally an album that agrees subjects close to my heart, pacifism and premature ejaculation.
2/5
Weird techno type to begin with, then just off the walls random covers and weirdness the rest of the album. Not sure if I enjoyed it or if the randomness just kept me engaged
I would have preferred shorter songs. This type of music does not benefit from being dragged through the theater type of genre
This album is... something else, man. I think it gave me some kind of mental illness just trying to piece together the array of sounds, words, and random covers sprinkled throughout. I was laughing out loud many times, but I still can't tell if it's all tongue in cheek, or if they really thought this was a serious project. It's all subjective, of course, but this was a each for me. Obviously the iconic tracks stand out, but the rest felt like them trying to stretch an EP with of material into a double LP. Manic stuff. 2.5/5 from me.
This went on and on. While I appreciate that Frankie Goes to Hollywood was always more artistically ambitious and eccentric than the '80s nostalgia gives them credit for, I'm not terribly interested in listening to 64 minutes of them. The "Born to Run" cover is surprisingly solid, if inessential, though "San Jose (The Way)" just feels inessential. They could've lost some of the fat here & had a more svelte album, but that wasn't the point, apparently.
Relax and Two Tribes are great, however I found quite a lot of this album to be self-indulgent twaddle, and I'm not a fan of his vocal style either. Not for me.
Didn't like it then, don't like it now.
It was ok.
Felt long
Ok. Algumas músicas eu já conhecia
Strong start but went downhill fast. Especially hated the covers.
Personally dont see the point in music like this
Not great. Loads of half assed covers. Couple of good tracks but feels dated
This may be the most 80s record I’ve ever heard and not really in a good way.
#844. This one started out pretty mediocre and only got worse from there. 2/5: yawn.
Relax is good. The title track has potential if it wasn't so long. (synth prog pop? Really?) Overall, it's too long, too full of mediocre songs that shouldn't have made the album. Why are there so many covers on here when it's already too long? It feels like they threw together everything they had and hoped something worked. The problem is that there is some good stuff here, it's just presented badly. 2.5
Some good ones but none that stuck out too much
Well, the 14 min song was pretty solid, but none of the rest caught my attention much.
The first few songs just sound like one giant intro to Relax, especially the Welcome To The Pleasuredome song...12 minutes of buildup to the song they're most known for. It's a bit much. These songs just don't go anywhere for the most part...they seem like they're building and trying to take off but never make it off the runway. Two Tribes slaps pretty hard, actually. I like it better than Relax. Overall, just really self indulgent music, a little too pretentious.
I didn’t think the album was the worst thing I’ve ever heard. But I also kept checking every 3 minutes to see how may songs I still had to get through. The songs are too long, and pretty uninteresting. Did not really enjoy.
Too 80s. Did this decade give us anything that lasted?
This shit was actually crazy. I didn’t save any songs from here, it was certainly much more if an adventure/experience than i was expecting. Experimentation in the vibe of Pink Floyds Dark Side of The Moon the way they create a scenery more than a song,. Very different bands in almost every other aspect though. Not my favorite, but very well executed.
# Playlist Track - Relax (Come Fighting) # Notes - A few good track scattered around a giant mess of interruptions and boring tracks. This could have been a cool 80's thing if it was half as long. - There are TWO intros, with a combined 15 minutes running time. - Also, tail end of the album doesn't really fit together and it is kind of a bummer. - Not recommended.
not for me
Three classic singles but the rest is pretty meh.
This definitely deserves a spot on the list but I’ve just never been a fan of Trevor Horn the producer. From a book I read, it sounds like he had more input and was more of the creative force than even the band themselves. This is his grand achievement and is definitely his most sprawling work. I appreciate the effort to go for it all here and this is probably my favorite of his stuff. It’s hard not to get sucked into the Pleasuredome as the track builds into a crescendo. Nothing against those that like it, his vision is just not my thing. This is weird enough where I’m holding out hope it’ll randomly click one day. Rating: 2.3
- 0 nummers toegevoegd aan MMMM - 0 nummers al toegevoegd aan MMMM
ganz nett
A couple of real classics and a load of poor quality filler.
I don’t really know what the point of this album was? A load of covers from a mix of genres, poorly lumped in with 80s pop - even if there’s a couple of well known hits in there. I just don’t know why it exists. This could have just been an LP of the songs that were actually their own. That’s my grumpy take on it anyway - maybe if it wasn’t so bloated I’d take to it better.
Apparently Frankie Goes To Hollywood are really just their one big song Relax. I know they had a few other hits in the UK off this album, but outside of the covers it was the only song I really enjoyed.
Surprising. Didn’t know what to expect. Not bad but the album felt way too long by 2-3 songs.
I had absolutely no idea that they were this gay. I don't mean this as a bad thing but their mainstream presentation was more neutral (or I lack gaydar). It is a dance album that they tried to package as a pop album.
well, this is delightfully odd ohhh the relax song
Decent 2,5
did not like this album like i wish i had. given i've grown up in the commonwealth, there's always a dirty joy in hearing british lads just say shit while a digital instrument goes crazy; but i found this ill-focused, unfascinating, and noisy.
It's neat and catchy in parts, but feels dated especially on the cover tracks Fav: Welcome to the Pleasuredome
1.6
I found it sorta plain. I liked the intrumental side of the closing track
I don’t know what to make of this album. It’s all over the place. Not necessarily in a bad way, it just seems like a lot of odd choices were made and they couldn’t really decided what they wanted to do. The few tracks are very concept/prog. Then it moves to the hit, which is a straight 80’s sounding banger. But then they also do some weird covers, some slower ballad-y type songs, and a song that seems like it’s supposed to be the musical equivalent of a sex session. Overall it’s fine, but weird. Maybe that’s the point?
oui
WHY THEY GOTTA RUIN BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN LIKE THAT MAKE YOUR OWN BAD MUSIC MOTHERFUCKERS DON'T STEAL SOMEONE ELSE'S AND MAKE IT BAD
Too avantgarde
Uf. Na prvi pogled vsaj dva komada znana? Ok, začetek je res dramatičen, z nekimi ženskimi vokali. Fak, po pa drugi komad, istoimenski k album, 13 minut 40?! Kr eni ptičji zvoki v ozadju? So far je ta album predvsem wtf. A, ok, muska. Very 80s. Kr nekajkrat se ponovi fraza 'the world is my oyster" (že v uvodnem komadu je blo to) pa kinda obnoxious smeh. Iiiin, ta znan komad, "Relax (Come Fighting)". It's fine. "War (...and Hide)" je funky, spoken word je čez in v bistvu priredba znanega "War" komada ('War, ugh, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing. ') O, fuck me, nasledn je fakin intense ("Two Tribes (For the Victims of Ravishment)"). Mogoč nism največji fan 80s popa. Ful je... A lot at once. (Po razmisleku, mm mogoč specifično sam ne maram tega banda. Ker je en kup 80s muske, k bi bla loh classified as pop, k jo mam ful rada.) Pol nek debatiranje o orgazmih? Cover od Springsteenovega "Born To Run". K zveni totalno stilsko drugač k album do zdaj. Naslednja je isto cover, kar se po kojem mnenju sliš, ker spet, čist drug vajb - lounge-y, k fakin elevator music. ...več komadov kasneje... Hm, sm mislila, da bo "The Power Of Love" čist en drug komad. Je pa baladast. Oo, prišla sm do konca.
It's actually a pretty bold move to essentially open the album with a 13-minute, genre-spanning Opus like "Welcome to the Pleasuredome," and I think they mostly pulled it off with that song. I was then surprised to hear a number of familiar tracks on the record such as "Relax" and "War." Unfortunately, the remainder of the album threw away the good will it had earned as it slowly descended into mediocrity. Songs like "San Jose" sounded lackluster and out-of-place, and I found the random Springsteen cover completely pointless and inferior to the original. The rest of the tracks were completely forgettable as well. After the first quarter of the album I wanted to like it, but unfortunately the remainder fell flat. 2.5->2/5.
Relax is the best song on this album. Everything else feels rather bloated and more complex than it needed to be.
This album makes me want to assassinate the prime minister of Malaysia
Not for me
This is definitely the definition of a one hit wonder and while I do love to Relax, the rest of the album is not worth checking out and not very interesting. There is no reason Welcome To The Pleasuredome should be 13 minutes long. Relax is the only reason this doesn't get a 1 star, but it should still not be on the list.
Felt like they kept getting in their own way, every time there’d be some flow, they did something weird to kill any momentum
Shhhh
If Ross Gellar got a record deal for “the sound” this would be the result.
I don't know why I thought this band was a late 90's thing, but I guess they are an 80's band. They're alright. This album has "Relax" which is an all time great. It's got a pretty decent version of Born to Run on it too, but I don't rate covers unless it's more iconic than the original. Slightly below average record.
This album is kind of a hot mess. It starts with a 13 minute "Welcome" song that's actually not half bad, but it goes downhill from there. Born to Run was a terrible choice for a cover song, and they didn't even do anything interesting with it. Krisco Kisses is just plain terrible. Relax is a different version than their previously released single. Like, what were they thinking on this album?
Relax. It’s better than you might guess.
Weird
What have I done to get so many mediocre brit pop albums on a row?
Not as good as I had hoped but I guess I really didn't have that high of hopes. "Relax" and the title track are decent (later being a bit too long but changed styles enough). Some pretty lame covers added that did not benefit the record. What is going on with "Including the Ballad of 32?" I feel like I may have walked into the wrong room at the Pleasuredome...that door should be locked. Not the most impressive debut album...2.08 stars.
What an entry. I guess I should have expected something a little out there from the gang that hit the map with Relax. I can't say I've ever heard anything else by Frankie Goes To Hollywood and I guess I can see why as Pleasuredome seems like it would have had limited commercial appeal beyond its initial launch and reaction. Seems like a perfect amalgamation of a new fad that Frankie managed to encapsulate by being at the right place at the right time. A little hard to believe this album actually features (3) British #1 hits but kinda cool that they managed to strike a chord at one point. I'll always give credit to an act that manages to do something completely different and make it work. It's a fun album for a single listen but the lasting appeal is pretty limited. The weirdness is just enough to keep it approachable for the masses, though I expect the novelty wore off pretty quickly. It's got some solid production and some varied subject matter, but all in all I'm not sure the album holds up over time. Not sure we need a cover version of War, Born to Run, Burt Bacharach, or Huey Lewis from the likes of Frankie but I guess they shot their shot. Even if I don't think I'll come back to this I did enjoy the listen as a time capsule to a strange project and unique point in time. Welcome To The Pleasuredome is a little tiresome (both single and the overall album) but still a cool example of a long-form electro-pop track / concept album from the time. I am truly glad that I heard this before I died which is about all you can ask when reviewing this list. Great entry for 1001 even if it isn't anywhere near the top of my list. 2.18 stars
Didn't really like this one, 2 stars.
Okay. Zoolander gets it an extra star.
Meh, was expecting more 2.1
This has gotta be one of the most 80's albums ever made. Had never listened to it in full before now, but it is...certainly something. For starters, I didn't care for all the cover songs. I think "Relax" sounds dated and was mostly a product of the time.
A couple classics and a bunch of meh
Only know FGTH from the three big singles - Relax/ Two Tribes and Power of Love. Whilst the first two are clear classic 80's bangers - they don't really do it for me - partly because I have no particular childhood memories linked to them so fail to trigger any hit of nostalgia. By contrast I really like the sentimentality and Christmas vibes of Power of Love. As for the rest of the album thought it was particularly disappointing with a number of weak covers (fury apart) that did not really bring anything to the party. The rest of the songs were paler rehashes of Two Tribes.
Interesting but not sure when I’d be in the mood to listen to krisco kisses again. Frankie says relax.
I appreciate the over the top theatricality. It’s just that outside a couple of songs there isn’t a whole lot memorable or essential here. 2.5/5
Have this album in my vinyl record collection. A few good songs, lots of cover songs. Well produced by Trever Horn
A classic production, using a host of un-credited guest musicians (including Ian Dury's Blockheads) and leading the way in the use of the studio, with ground-breaking use of the Fairlight CMI to make brand new sounds. Trevor Horne and his team put all of this together, assembling it like sleek sonic Meccano, with many layers of sparkly samples to brighten it all up. However, the album is vainglorious, has many tracks that are filler - Born To Run is a pointless, aimless cover - and is far too long.
Some good/great songs. (Relax/ Two Tribes/ The Power of Love) Lots of filler. Who needs 13:40 of cut and paste crap (welcome to the pleasure dome) even if it's extremely well produced crap. some decent-ish cover versions, some dismal (San Jose) and all in all not enough to make this a great album.
Relax is an 80's classic that's been so overplayed it's hard to get excited about it. The War cover was awful. The Born to Run cover was okay but didn't really do anything different original with it. Might as well just bust into Do You Know the Way to San Jose. A ridiculous mix of covers. The originals sound shlocky.
just too long... wouldve been a 4.if it was just extended versions of the 4 big singles
You might receive some pleasure here, but you're not going to relax. This album almost feels like a fever dream. And boy howdy I've never seen so many cover songs on a non-cover album.
Ok. I was born in the 80's so this band is brand new name for me, although I do remember "Relax (Don't do it), might have hearrd in a TV show or something. The album is eclectic but not in a good way, it does bring all the cheesy sounds of the 80's, that electronic sound with rock and pop that is especific of that time, again not in a good way. Apart from that the album is bloated. It looks like a 1 hit wonder entered this list, and once again I ask myself if this is really an album to listen before I die. . . If it is 1 hit wonder, I prefer the New Radicals.
It’s quite erotic.
incredibly unmemorable
I just learned that when I picture a gay bar in the 80s I picture it playing Frankie Goes to Hollywood. First half is stronger than the second.
The first half is quite all-right, not my genre but not annoying to listen to... the second half though, I don't get the random weird noises like the ??birth?? part? So a 1,5/5
Another album that's too long for its own good. 2/5
Some great, classic tunes but also a fair amount of filler. Power of Love was a milestone for me.
Is it a 2? Is it a 3? It’s got “Relax”… Cmon, it’s a 2.
Very interesting coincidence that this came directly after The Associates album. I also don't really like this, but it's light years ahead of what I listened to before, so it gets a little bump. Plus, Relax is a pretty good song.
When I saw "Genre: Dance" and "Published: 1984", I knew exactly what kind of experience this was going to be Man, I just don't get the sounds of 80s pop. Its a decade of sound that I find hilariously overdone most of the time. The sound effects that are thrown about on this album are CORNY. Occasionally, I like the percussion creativity, but it can also amplify the 80sness of it all. Sigh... Sorry to folks who really dig that (certainly memorable) funky weirdness Relax is an interesting song. Popular enough that i've heard it before. The album saves itself from 1 stardom with the somewhat interesting covers of War, Born to Run and San Jose. They're funny and punky enough to keep me listening.
Very confident that you could die without having ever heard this and still get into heaven first try. Its inclusion on this list says more about the list's editors than anything else.
What is the point of this album and why is it on this list. Because Trevor Horn is talented? No consistency here, and just a lot of 80s programming and garbage writing. A few decent tracks. Admittedly. I like welcome to the pleasuredome and relax. You can keep the rest. 2 stars because it’s not completely worthless
cheez
Only know FGTH from the three big singles - Relax/ Two Tribes and Power of Love. Whilst the first two are clear classic 80's bangers - they don't really do it for me - partly because I have no particular childhood memories linked to them so fail to trigger any hit of nostalgia. By contrast I really like the sentimentality and Christmas vibes of Power of Love. As for the rest of the album thought it was particularly disappointing with a number of weak covers (fury apart) that did not really bring anything to the party. The rest of the songs were paler rehashes of Two Tribes.
Ist einfach nicht meins, macht mir irgendwie schlechte Laune
Some alright tracks bit annoying at times.
Eh. Very 80’s. There were some spots which were fun, and others that felt like peak 80’s soundscape. But it’s not really my cup of tea, I’m finding. At least not this authentic. I’d give it a three, but I definitely don’t see myself listening to the whole album again. **A little hippie-ish as well, minus 0.2 points
The bass and music was often good but the music didn’t go anywhere, no good melodies, lyrics were dumb.
Хорошо начинается, но уходит в эти ужасно мной нелюбимые клише 80-ых. Лучшая песня - Relax (Come Fighting).
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.
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.
Giving this album a skeptical squint or sideye.
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
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.
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.
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....