Reviews (page 7 of 8)
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
Corny 80s pop. Didn't finish it
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.
While Europeans were listening to Depeche mode, England were listening to this crap
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.
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
Relax is a classic but some weird stuff overall
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,
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.
I only liked the songs that were covers
This album could use a producer to edit and keep their theatrical whims at bay. Big hits on here.
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.
This started out OK, but this is way too long and the songs are much less interesting in the last third of the album.
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.
2+
Not my kind of pop music
Weird.
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.
Really enjoyed the first few songs, absolutely tanked after the cover of Born to Run
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.
This was weird and not my favorite (but Relax will always remind me of Zoolander, so that’s a plus!)
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).
Quantity over quality. Production wise it is great, but there are too many songs
Really not great. Anyone thinks otherwise?
Boring, self-indulgent, tedious.
Weird album with some good songs but a bunch of covers too
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 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.
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.
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!
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 mean It's fineeee
Too long and weird for me. This also might be the worst combination of artist name and album title I’ve come across.
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...
One good song...
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.
**An ok album
This is really corny
This stinks of the 80s pop.... I had better things to do than listen to this filth. A lot of filler, not enough killer.
As someone who generally likes synthy 80s music and new wave, I expected to enjoy this, but I found it irritating and overlong. Although it had moments that showed promise, I’m going with my initial impression in the rating.
This album is a dated, teased hair, shoulder pad wearing synthesizer playing 80's movie loving period of time that is rarely mimicked for a reason.
All of the negative traits ascribed to 80s synth-pop on this site, this album has basically all of them. Insipid, completely pretentious double-album. Fun fact: almost every single vinyl copy you come across has the inner sleeves falling apart from a bad glue run. A good metaphor for this album - superficially ambitious but lacking the basics. The subversive homo-eroticism of bands like Soft Cell is here replaced by Holly Johnson’s completely ham-fisted vulgarity. One or two of the covers (and there are a few of these to pad out this double album with derivative guff) are decent (Born to Run in particular). But this is a snooze fest and even the singles haven’t aged well. Skippable.
More brit pop with one famous song, just what this list needed. This album is below average and boring.
Relax is a fun song but the rest of the album is ass. Synthpop twaddle, not in a good way.
An album that was made for the 80's and probably should stay there. Also the Born to Run cover came out of nowhere.
2.4 listened once, didn't really love the 80s, but a few bangers
So 80s it hurts, not my thing at all. The power of love is good, the cover versions are all very odd and feel like filler, much of the rest is pretty rubbish.
It’s amazing that the 60s and 70s produced some of the most timeless and memorable music ever, and then there’s the 80s. This sounds so dated. His vocal tone, the Casio synth, drum machine, everything.
It’s not really doing anything for me. First two tracks were promising but I got bored of the sound fast. Not for me.
This album had a serious case of identity crisis. Feel like they didn’t know what sound they were going for from one song to the next which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Altogether not something I feel compelled to go back to though
No thanks
Zwei Killer Tracks. Der Rest langweilig.
Better than I expected, but still not very good and way too long. 2/5
this album is fire- dumpster fire I mean
Ok
not really got into it
This album makes sense for club music, but would make for possibly the most boring live show I can imagine. I've never heard Relax in its full form, and I don't think it needs one; the hook is really all there is, even if it makes you want to kill the prime minister of Malaysia. Definitely wouldn't choose to listen to this again.
Started out good then fizzled. Then the covers began. Yeesh. No
I really don't like 80s music..... This is crap
I had a difficult time getting through this album. I'm not a fan of synth-pop from the 80's, and Frankie Goes To Hollywood has done nothing to change that.
weird album and not really in the experimental way. i mean the original tracks are fairly experimental and proggy synthpop/80s rock but they aren't much weirder than the average 80s album. i guess it's the covers in the albums middle that destroy Welcome to the Pleasuredome's sound and coherence. dunno, this is more of a mixtape than an album. or maybe its a mixtape plus an EP? if i loved the 80s more it'd be fine but i came away from it remembering the cover of Born to Run the most, yet id much rather just go listen to that song than the cover here. apparently i bought a vinyl of this like 6 years ago? like i said, weird album.
Didn't grab me as much as I hoped it would. As a kid I remember the controversary around Relax being banned, not that I understood at all what the issue was, what's the problem with people wanting to chill??
hahahahaha
Ok, so hearing Relax was ok. But I counted at least three covers that were not all that unique. To me, no need to have this on the list. Not denying there may be reasons. Just disagreeing with its inclusion.
boring
Yikes more 80s. Wow there is a lot of courts and filler on an album with 3 number 1s. Half baked. Massive input by Trevor Horn
It's fine, but I don't see how it could hold your attention for that long. I found it uninteresting.
So it’s two hits, a bunch of electronic dance music and then some weird synth pop covers that make no sense? It seems as if Frankie Goes to Hollywood was more of a fad to sell T-shirts than an actual band. “Two Tribes” is pretty decent but this album is a mess.
# 253 : Relax : I don't love it. I don't hate it, it is ok but it's not particularly exciting and doesn't have anything catchy enough to make me want to give it a second listen. I feel like sometimes this list mistakes "you must listen to this ALBUM before you die" with "Hey this was popular during 20xx, or had a couple hits on it" with importance.
Theatrical ….. Unfortunately, I’m not a big theater fan…
The album cover makes me uncomfortable. If my mom knew what the lyrics to Relax were saying, she'd never let me watch that music video, and I wouldn't blame her - they are disgusting. The album as a whole is generally annoying. They were a one-hit wonder in America, so I never heard anything but Relax. The other singles were noth0ing to write home about. The covers don't seem to fit with the rest of the album, but I kinda liked Born to Run. The album is too long too. Frankie say "no more" and frankly I have to agree with Frankie.
Welcome to the Pleasuredome is the debut studio album by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, originally released in 1984. I'm already not a synth-pop fan, so seeing that this was a synth-pop double album made me want to cry. It wasn't as bad as I thought, but it still wasn't good. It was kinda diverse sonically. The band makes cool use of synths to create atmosphere in many of the songs. There was also an interesting Born To Run cover on here, along with some skits that were surprising. Not something I'd really listen to again, English synth-pop just doesn't hit for me.
Welcome to the Pleasuredome is actually better than I expected, it’s fun, mostly but it’s a lot of covers. There is a lot of weird shit too and it’s way too long. Born To Run is such a great song but I think Bruce deserves that credit over Frankie. 4.8/10
Giving this a two just out of respect for how chaotic it was. Definitely didn't land for me but I can't say it was boring. First two tracks I felt like I was being indoctrinated into a cult. The singles are there, not a fan of "Relax" though. Not sure when I would listen to any of this again, but good for them for just putting out something very original
Relax
Meh
Relax is a great song otherwise this album did nothing for me.
This album screams 80s and bad covers....not my style
But why make models? Well apparently because of the pleasuredome. This was definitely an album that would fit some coke filled 80s club. If it wasn’t for I would’ve never heard any of this band before. And relax is really only good because of Zoolander. The born to run cover was pretty brutal too. This album is only slightly palatable but at least understandable why it’s on the list. 5.4/10
Most of this record is just trying to recapture the magic of Relax, with mostly middling results. There were a few tracks that turned out alright, but this project is nothing without Relax frankly.
'Relax' is a true classic, that's for sure a good song, but the others are just not up to par for me, not a fan of the album overall
It's an
Really straight cover. April fools.
Least homoerotic album cover
Необязательный диско синти поп, есть альбомы гораздо более интересные
Quite enjoyed revisiting this album after many years of not hearing it. I don’t feel the need to rush back to it, though.
A reasonably pleasant trip down memory lane, but the production and publicity that made it stand out at the time have faded badly.
I just felt ehh. It’s not bad. But I wouldn’t say it’s good…
No thanks
not exactly what I was expecting from a eurovision band. i recognized "relax", but the rest were either covers or meh
2 - Some of the earlier songs annoyed me, like Relax, but some other songs were alright, so I feel that it balances out to a 2 star rating. At the end of the day, it's just not a very memorable listen for me. I was admittedly a bit distracted listening to it at points, so maybe it'll need a relisten at some point.
The ambition is impressive. It’s almost like prog synth pop. But I don’t know… I find it kind of grating and pretentious. Wow, the cover of “Born to Run” is a surprise. But I don’t like it. The mostly instrumental “The Ballad of 32” is pretty good. It’s like a Pink Floyd song but with sex noises. I’ve never heard an album quite like this before, so points for that. But I mostly found it annoying.
Not a fan of cheesy synth sounds - not then and not now. Also slightly strange how it just randomly turns into an album full of covers
So dramatic. I am pretty sure this could have been cut in the first edit of the book. They really should not have covered the Boss. Too many covers to be influential.
A ton of British pop on this list. Not my bag, Relax was my favorite....
Mid
the "Born To Run" cover was good, but there were too many covers overall. covers belong on b-sides, not albums.
"The power of love" is one of the best power ballads from the eighties, and the only song on this record i wouldnt mind hearing again.
Awfully full with Pathos à la carte. Extra points for both Singles. Except for those there‘s of course a certain penchant for making „real“ music, but it’s Not „real“ly good. Sorry
This was a random album. Maybe too long for an album and idk???
yikes, grew up in the 80's, "Relax" a bit overdone.
Very odd
Relax is still a fun song! …the rest is not very fun.
I tried to get through it but it was too long and bombastic. Relax was fun but I think it's nostalgia more than anything else.
Ok.
I did not enjoy this album. Heavy 80's style synthesizers are still not my jam, 40+ years later. I didn't enjoy either of the covers. Maybe this is considered a great album because it was somehow new for the time?
That was an interesting album. A bit too far out there for me, but there were a few moments that felt nice.
favourite song: relax not for me
"Relax" and "The Power of Love" are two amazing songs and masterpieces of 80s pop. But this album is not. Whether Trevor Horn really dabbled with everything the band created or not (these at least are the rumours), the album feels really inconsistent. Why is the big title track on number 2? Why do they needed to make a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run"? Why is the track order so incoherent? Why do some songs need to make references to other music in that very on the nose way? This is an example of a collection of songs that don't really feel like a proper album. I therefore can just rate it 2 out of 5 stars.
These guys were real horny in a creepier-than-usual way. And the music was just okay.
I didn't mind it, didn't like it much tho
I really wanted to like this because the big three singles are so good, but the rest of the album was an absolute shitshow. A directionless 13 minute title track, three covers that added nothing to the record, and a load of really cheesy 80s nonsense. Would be an instant one star if it wasn’t for those three absolute bangers
An album so weak the band members themselves weren’t happy with it, yet someone thought “no, everyone must hear this.” Well, whoever you are, you’re very wrong. No one benefits from hearing this.
A few nostalgic tracks...a few fond memories ...but I wouldn't go out of my way to play them. A 2.
There is a fine line between the New Wave 80's synth sound that I really found that I enjoy and then this 'Braodway-Bastardized" 80's schmaltzy synth sound which I despise. The Born to Run cover followed by the San Jose were some of the two worst covers I've ever heard back to back. 1.5/5
Bad. Makes 1 hour feel like 5. Really didn’t like its preachy lyrics. It somehow manages to be repetitive and really all over the place.
It's fine, but not too memorable for me. Favorite(s): Relax, San Jose, The Ballad of 32
Favorite Tracks: Relax, Born To Run, Black Night White Light, The Power Of Love
2.5/5 - An enjoyable album for the most part
Enjoyable in parts, inexplicable in others. I think they should perhaps have cut out 50% of the songs starting with the covers.
I do not understand what is going on during this album. There is a mix of original songs and covers?
Talk about unexpected. Dionne Warwick and Bruce covers, a 16 minute intro track...this was interesting. But not good.
Meh
This record was diving headfirst with great speed into the one-star toilet bowl until they pulled off a really great cover of “Born to Run”. I have no clue what the fuck that song is doing on this album or what the fuck this album even is, but for that cover, it gets two stars.
What a weird album. Relax was the only song I recognized. The Bruce Springsteen parody was interesting. Entirely way too long and no need to visit again.
------- frankie says r e L a x ------- well at least two of the songs are good this album promised a lot - a grand prophetic vision, mystic annoations for each side of this double lp, songs of 10 minute disco kaleidoscopic gay euphoria etc. - but it was all just a bit of silly marketing, and the album is really no good. it did however help define the eighties. why is there a side of just bizzare cover after cover, one of which being born to run? old sausage fingers talking about coming was fun though ------- sean i'd say the best one came from tupelo mississippi i'll tell you now that grown men cry and irish girls are prettyyyyyy -------
Pretty good listen. I liked the energy to open the album and the War cover particularly. This band is clearly sure of themselves.
Relax.
Highlights: "Relax," "Krisco Kisses," "Black Night White Light," "The Only Star in Heaven" The main thing this band has going for it is the vocalist and some cool bass parts. It warms up near the end but there are samey stretches, lyrics that manage to be both really pretentious and really dumb, and a couple covers that have no reason to exist. As strong as the vocals are, they do not meet Springsteen on "Born to Run" or Dionne Warwick on "San Jose" per Bacharach. It's hard to say how much this band adds to what Duran Duran or ABCs had put down a few years ago. The good ideas don't hold up their respective songs all the way.
Woof
I usually like things with a strong 80s sound, but this is where I draw the line I guess. There is an intriguing character to some of the performances, but ultimately it seems insincere. This could have been far more palatable if they had edited the tracks and album length down to a more standard 40-45 minutes, but as is, it's just exhausting. Sounds like a latter day deluxe edition reissue full of outtakes, even though it's not. I guess it was hard to show restraint when you were coked out of your mind in the 80s.
Is a album full of music too much to ask for? I don’t need all the talking, laughing and sex noises.
Actually some fun 80’s dance music . .Some cool synths and basslines and 80’s guitar tones- but not really a good album and didn’t really like any of the songs Trevor Horn production is cool. Scratching my head at the Born to Run cover. It’s not that different from original, would’ve been cool if they did it in a whole other direction. Now really scratching my head at San Jose. Too many covers on this album.
Sinkut oli tuttuja! Omituinen syhthpop-eepos joka ei nouse sille tasolle kun pitäisi. 2/5
Jaa-a, oikein hyviä palasia etenkin alussa, mutta aika vaikea saada otetta ja tuntui kovin pitkältä.
Olipa taas kiimainen levy :D Tokan raidan jamittelut toimi ja Relax on huippuunsa viritetty synahitti mut levyn loppupuolella alkaa tökkiä. Tän ei olis tarvinnu ollan tunnin pituinen. 2/5
If you want to create the ‘club scene’ of the 80’s this is your album Otherwise, forget it
Not my favourite, though Relax is a definite classic. Prob not something I will return to.
meh 2 stars
Very self-indulgent. At first I thought, “I could get into this” but then they stuffed absolutely every single ‘80s musical trope in and it became too much. Personally, I was not a fan.
Nice to hear the hits again, but this album was all over the place. Takes too long to get started, and once it has, it quickly breaks the flow by songs that seem out of place (the Born to Run cover for example). The Power of Love still sounded great, though.
Crappy album, too long, redundant covers, etc. although with a couple of super classic fragments.
Así para empezar, qué poco me apetece este disco pero nunca se sabe. Hay canciones buenas de los 80, el Relax y el The power of love, versiones interesantes como el War o Born to run. Le daré 2 estrellas y bueno creo que se merece una escucha pero poco más.
As far as synth-pop classics go, these guys are nowhere near Pet Shop Boys. It wasn't so bad that I couldn't finish the album, but I really can't see myself listening to this album of my own volition. The songs I recognized I've probably heard in sappy movies - the only place I can see this music belonging.
once again, one hit doesn't mean the whole album is good
Two good songs and a lot of filler. Strange one. Not really an album, more an extended EP.
The title track is ridiculous...like holy shit 14 minutes!? Could've condensed that a little bit don't you think? Had to skip Power of Love, I just couldn't do it. I'm giving this 2 stars, but the most generous 2 stars I've given so far.
The song "Welcome to Pleasuredom" was very nice, we rarely encounter a 13 minutes conceptual song in the new wave/synthpop aesthetic. And after this song? Nothing. It was long, boring and annoying.
Oh boy, more 80s music. Haha. I recognize some of this stuff, and its catchy, but seriously, did this entire decade sound the same?
So eighties, so pulled long
Ik kan hier echt geen patat van bakken. Een soort jaren tachtig-conceptalbum? Doet een beetje denken aan 'The Who sell out' qua gekkigheid (een cover van Bruce Springsteen, en dan weer zo'n Burt Bacharach-niemendalletje erachteraan?). Het klinkt wel aardig hoor, maar de malloterie overstemt het luisterplezier.
Did little for me.
Frankie should rather go to the "Learn When To End An Album Academy", because this shit refuses to wrap up. You could cut out 90% of this album and it would improve as an experience. The first four or so tracks were great, then it kept going and going and I just couldn't make myself care.
2.75
Welcome To The Pleasuredome isn't good despite a couple of terrifically overplayed hits, of which only Two Tribes is really good. Covering Born To Run should be a criminal act, there's so much poor filler here it can't get more than a low 2/5.
What a disappointment. After the first two tracks (which are a big old bombastic prog rocky style intro) followed by Relax, I was expecting a proper concept album. What you end up with is a couple of their songs mixed in with a lot of really underwhelming covers. It's overproduced to the point it sounds like it's done on purpose - might've worked quite well had they properly leant into the Pleasuredome theme, but it's just a bit of a mess. 2/5, credit for The Power Of Love completely cancelled out by the painful cover of Born To Run.
Very dated 80s music. Not sure why this is on here as it was a one-hit wonder (at least in North America). I keep getting albums with unnecessary covers- this time it's Springsteen and the 1960s song San Jose.
An incredible singles band with a self indulgent unfocused album
I feel enriched for the listen, but there is an astounding amount of bloat and lack of focus here. And for an eighties record in this style, that is not a positive type of achievement.
This album felt like it was 4 hours long.
Weird...
I was obviously aware of Relax going into this, but didnt realize this album was kinda all over the place. This will be a one time listen, but I didn't necessarily hate it. Another review called it Broadway like and I tend to agree. Songs to Add to Library: None
Wasn't a fan today
Probably iconic considering the calibre of hits on the album but just not my bag. Very repetitive and dated with seemingly meaningless lyrics. Feels like the dumb mainstream cousin of New Order.
1984. Relax, The Power of Love
You got Relax which is more of a vibe than a song. The rest of this is barely an album
I do not dig it
UK electro-synth-pop. Some solid tunes amidst the chaff and I'm sure important for the genre, but didn't hit it for me. The cover this website pulls up is way better than what spotify has.
Of course I am familiar with "Relax" and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. The whole album seemed felt like what I would expect from Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Several of the tracks sound like a second or third movement of "Relax". "Krisco Kisses" is a solid example of what I did not like about this album. I did not like their cover of "Born to Run". I'm not the person that would appreciate this album. Add to it that the album is a double album (twice as long), firmly places this experience in the "nope" category.
Not quite get it...
It’s another one that’s not for me. Again, must have been groundbreaking at the time - great production, weird covers, an odd success story.
Ei oikein ollut omaan makuun tämä. Se on aina huono merkki, jos levyn parasta antia on cover-biisit ja nekään ei sitten loppupeleissä ole kovin hyviä.
Huh, had no idea they covered Born to Run!
Overblown pomp
Never have I heard an album where all the songs are stuck in first gear, right on the verge of breaking through to some big musical moment but stuck instead wearing down the same melodic line and tired lyrics. Not a great sign when the most exciting song on the LP is a Springsteen cover.
Really loved a lot of the bass but thought that was the most redeeming quality. Actually liked San Jose quite a bit.
2.1 - not a ton to speak of. Uninspiring covers that seemed like filler. Will likely not be returning to this anytime soon.
Hi: The Ballad of 32, Black Night White Light, The Only Star In Heaven, The Power of Love Lo: Welcome to the Pleasuredome, Relax, Tag, Born to Run, San Jose The 13-minute title track is very repetitive, alternating "Shooting stars never stop" (they disintegrate) and "There goes a supernova, what a pushover" without much progression until, I guess the performers got bored, which to their credit, they outlasted me. Everyone has heard "Relax", and it's no better sandwiched between Welcome... and War. Tag just seems to be an unnecessary segue that talks about ejaculation...Fury starts out pretty good, but it's only a minute-long segue, and it's a callback to Gerry & The Pacemakers, so it isn't even original...then it kicks off some karaoke-like covers of Born to Run and San Jose which just don't seem to fit. The Ballad of 32 is a rather pleasant instrumental track, I wish there were more of these, because the following Krisco Kisses is frankly obnoxious and annoying, but the next few tracks (Black Night White Light, The Only Star In Heaven, The Power of Love) take a turn for the better, but the best tracks being at the end of the B-side doesn't really save this album from being mostly rubbish.
They covered The Boss. Not realy good.
Anthems cool but rest of songs not great
Did not enjoy it.
A very basic 80's synth-pop album. The album sounds very much the same all over. It's either the band trying to get emotional with some slowpaced love ballad or It's a faster paced synth track. Not enough variety.
relax, it's just not my thing
oe a oe a...
Deze LP bevat voorbeelden waarom de jaren 80 in veel op opzichte verschrikkelijk was ... en een paar hitjes die best tof zijn.
De hits zijn cool, maar voor de rest vind ik de plaat veel te langdradig. En de covers voegen ook te weinig toe.
De paar hits zijn geweldige nummers, maar ik vond de rest van het album nogal een bevalling.
Too 80's
Behoorlijk alternatief eigenlijk te voor mij
This album was a strange one. Mostly synth pop, but with a good deal of pop rock and prog rock and even a little disco for good measure. But outside of the title track, it never really came together for me. It is something that feels like it needed a little more refinement of identity.
i just didn’t click with this album, i thought it was strange but to each their own
Possibilitou eu descobrir de onde vem alguns hits dos anos 80 que aparecia nas rádios.
not for me
Very strange. One of the songs is literally just sex noises, wtf. Didn't like it.
An okay album with a couple of songs I knew
First two tracks are really good. Two Tribes is a standout also. That War cover is atrocious. Along with Born to Run. Then followed by a bunch of really boring tracks -- almost unlistenable towards the end.
This album is very odd. I am not really a fan of it.
Some decent songs, lot of covers.
Eh, this album was fine I guess. Relax is a bop!
Iets te 80s en overgeproduceerd, wel wat grappige interludes ertussen
Overly long. Too many covers, and not good ones.
Nicht so schrecklich, wie ich vermutet hatte. Die Synthie-Sounds nerven stellenweise. Gute 2 Sterne.
Meh, 2 pesme poznate
weird shit . other than 2 songs that were ok , wont listen again
Too many covers
Kovin sekava kokonaisuus ja ei toiminut levynä
Positiivisesti yllätti ja pari ok coveriakin levyllä. Ei lähellekään kuitenkaan tajunnanräjäyttävää
Crap...? Or maybe it's just me.
As much as it pains me to say this, Welcome to the Pleasuredome is by far one of the biggest let downs I have experienced on the entirety of the 1001 albums to hear before you die list. I was only ever familiar with Relax for the longest time but have held onto a vinyl copy of this album for years in anticipation to hear it in full and now that I finally have, I am left feeling very bittersweet. Don't get me wrong there are some bangers here but there are also a lot of missing on this very inconsistent and lost project that make it feel so much more hollow than I had built it up to be. This project has no consistent style and is jumping around from a lot of half assed New Wave songs, iconic covers, and weird progressive bits with no rhyme or reason. I struggled to find favorites from this album because everything felt watered down by how messy this project was. I wish I could enjoy Frankie Goes to Hollywood's iconic 1984 album but unfortunately it just doesn't seem to stick to me whatsoever.
The sensation this album give me is like I've accidentally bitten into some deeply disgusting food but I'm in polite company so I can't spit it out and I don't want to swallow it either.
There's one original that was the mega-hit from this album, and I recognize a couple cover songs by name, but otherwise, I've never listened to this album start-to-finish. This was mostly what I expected given what I knew of the mega-hit "Relax." In general, I'm not a huge fan of 80s stuff, and this is pretty heavily steeped in the 80s. I didn't really enjoy this. I'm a big fan of the original version of "Born to Run" and this group should not have attempted to cover it. I'm deducting points for it. I am leaving the Pleasuredome and will never come back.
first 4 tracks sounded all the same. Hate his awful camp voice. rest of album was dreary and hope he got a black eye of Springsteen.
An hour-long album that is so boring is quite an achievement. The title track was sort of promising, but in the end, it fails to offer anything special and lacks an idea of what it should lead to. Surprisingly, the group uses a lot of sounds and effects that are primitive. That retrofuturistic sounds that appear to be meant to invoke the images of cosmos sound fake and unconvincing. The vocals are mediocre. The album quickly starts to annoy you, eventually making you wait for it to end. It is only in the last few tracks that you start noticing some real music worth spending your time. The war and sex commentary, though, are of no depth as far as I can tell based on the parts I paid attention to. So, The Only Star in Heaven and The Power of Love are not bad (but I'd rather listen to an instrumental version of the latter). But, sadly, at this point I was already way too disappointed. A bad record, you could skip everything apart from what I've mentioned. The sound is eclectic, there is barely any musical achievement, no idea of why this is so long and what was the idea of putting it like this.
I hated this.
This album eats farts The sexual innuendo is slimey, the Reagan(?) impression is stupid, the songs where they’re trying to say something political just come off like they don’t know what they’re saying. One of the worst albums on this list
No es mi estilo
There’s not enough Molly in all of the clubs of West London to get me through listening to this foolishness. If The Pet Shop Boys had a love child with Right Said Fred and let the band from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome give them music lessons, you’d get this pretentious bullshit. It was riding at a 2 before I hit those covers, which are just unacceptably bad.
Nope.
An album that really struggles to justify inclusion in a list like this. Aside from the hits, there’s a lot of padding.
The long intros to these songs are unnecessary, especially for music that sounds like the soundtrack to Mannequin. Sorry for being so hurtful.
Maybe I would've liked The Power Of Love if it was the only song that I heard, but the rest was so aggressively bad
Never was a fan the first time round, not a fan now.
לא משהו
Not my style
Hated this from the get go. The talking, the chanting, the general bizarre-ness of it all. Nah
Suffered through it. Either sleazy uninspired excess or cover songs.
This album was a pain in the ass when it came out and remains so to this day.
Long.
Apart from the hits on this album, the rest is just filler with pretty lame covers. Wedding reception DJ type hits though.
Not my cup of tea
Not going to sugarcoat this one. I thought it was pretty bad. The over-the-top gimmicky-ness and 80s synth pop did nothing for me, and the covers felt like a waste of time given how inferior they were to the original versions. The other major problem was how long it went on. The runtime was 64 minutes. That's probably twice what it should have been. To me, the best part of the album was the title track. That ran close to 14 minutes on its own, but still managed to be fairly decent. Maybe it's early placement on the album helped since my patience was still intact at that point. They followed it with Relax, the only song I knew from this band. Listening to it here made me dislike it, when before I hadn't really thought much about it. Then the album just kept going, either actually getting worse or just seeming worse as I grew more and more tired of it. I found the music annoying, the lyrics inane, and the production off-putting. Most of it felt like they were trying too hard, but couldn't pick a lane between sexy and quirky so ended up failing at both. I guess the vocals themselves were fine, in that way the 80s voices usually seem to be done fairly well. I didn't think they really did much to elevate the rest, though. This was probably intended to be more of a vibes album given the dance-y nature of the songs, the "concept" of the album, and the overall presentation. I can accept that well enough, and I'm sure this plays a lot better if you listen to it in the appropriate headspace. But even if so, I think 64 minutes would be too much time to spend on it. As it is, there's not much about it I can say even reaches the "fine" level. I'll give it some points for the title track and a few other bright spots. I won't be listening to it again, though. Overall: 1.5/5
An album so committed to excess it feels like it should come with a warning label and a mirror ball. Bold? Yes. Necessary? No.
Crap, absolutely shite
1/5
Blah.
no. also don’t have sex to this album
The only positive thing I can find to say about this album is that the production value is excellent. Otherwise, this is an overly long, camp, pretentious, 80s hodgepodge an I found it a tough mission to get through. Surely nobody who didn't live through this era listens to this by choice? Its the sort of music that will quickly be relegated to soundtracks in documentaries about the 80's and kitsch 80's nights in dreary British bars.
Listen; the 14 year old me wore this t-shirt with pride. But even then I couldn't listen to the album. The hit version of Relax (and the painting on the cover) was and is amazing. The rest of this is pure torture to have to sit and listen to.
- Yeah, this is not for me. It feels really dated, and the synths are so forward, thin, and tinny. - The singer's voice doesn’t do it for me, either - it’s almost good, but it just feels a little too closed off/roof of the mouth/back of the throat, and I’m not into all the talking. - Some nice lead guitar work, and the bass sound has a nice, rich tone. - Welcome to the Pleasuredome is a chore (and soooo long) - I can’t with vocals like “hoo ha”. It’s too experimental to really pull me in, especially with the dated sounds. If I accidentally walked into that Pleasuredome, I would turn and walk right out, feeling violated. This whole album feels like walking in on someone masturbating. - There are moments that are nice (e.g., there are some interesting instrumental parts in Two Tribes, which was a super long version on the album I listened to), but they’re so short and then go back to the unrelenting drumming and annoying vocals. The shorter version is a lot better, and the video is great. - Relax is still a banger.
Dated and cheesy. Not for me. As it progressed it became more and more objectionable to my ears.
++: Relax (Come Fighting), The Only Star in Heaven +: Welcome to the Pleasuredome, Wish (The Lads Were Here), Krisco Kisses +-: War (...and Hide), Two Tribes (For the Victims of Ravishment), Born to Run, San Jose (The Way), ...Bang -: The World Is My Oyster (Including Well, Snatch of Fury), Ferry (Go), Including The Ballad of 32, Black Night White Light --: (Tag), The Power of Love 2,4/10
Relax. . . don’t do it. (Listen to this drivel that is)
Welcome to the Pleasuredome by Frankie Goes To Hollywood [1001 albums]: 2/10, One of the most perplexing albums I've ever heard. Starting with a weird sound collage and then a 14 minute song that can't decide what it is, I had no idea what the point of any of it was. At times very very funny, mostly boring, and frequently uncomfortably sexual, I have no clue what they were thinking when they made this and the fact that anyone enjoys this confuses me the most of all.
Pénible.
After the intro, I was expecting something truly awful. Instead it was merely very boring. I’ll admit there’s some creative ideas, it’s not *shockingly* bad... but there’s also much better synth-pop / new wave music out there. The album as a whole is a mishmash of songs that somewhat seem randomly put together. « Relax » has a catchy tune, but it’s basically just one sentence repeated over and over and over again until you want to puke. Some of the songs were probably good for clubbing at some point, but the rest is too corny, with too much synth, too much filler... And I truly hate the singer’s voice (yes, I know, it’s entirely subjective). It was honestly painful to listen to for me, and I had to skip a few songs towards the end to preserve my sanity. It’s exactly the kind of stuff that made me hate 80s music when I was growing up.
1. oyzter - 0 2. dome - 1 3. relaz - 1.5 4. War - 0 5. Tribes - 0 6. Tag - 0 7. Fury - 0 8. Run - 1.5 9. Jose - 1.5 10. Wish - 0 11. ballad - 1 12. Krisco - 0 13. night - 1 14. Heaven - 0 15. love - 1.5 16. bang - 0
This was horrifically bad. I wanted to cry and cut out my ears while listening to this.
This album (or at least the song Relax) was so wildly popular in the states in 1984. You could go into huge dept. stores and see giant Frankie Says Relax t-shirts for sale. I was 8 so I didn't understand what a fad was. I didn't think they could possibly have anything to do with a song. Now im older and hearing this album for the first time. And I still don't get it. Maybe Relax is a OK song, but what is this album? It's a disjointed collection if songs squarely of a time with a few covers (more than should be on a debut album after 1969) and their one hit (in the States). Pass
Didn't make it very far into the album. It's funny how often my bandwidth for something new relies on the vocals. I'm starting to get the feeling that the footing that this project takes, that I HAVE to listen and appreciate these albums is making me a little more resistant to getting through them than I might otherwise be. Also all of the albums have been insanely long
First thoughts as this album gets rolling: this might require the kind of patience that I don’t have. By Relax, I’m still not into it. Not gonna finish. Life is too short, and there’s 1000 records here.
odiei
Aivan megatylsä. Alun yli kymmenminuuttinen introilu koettaa tiputtaa heikoimmat matkasta heti alkuun, ja todellakin olis kannattanut liittyä siihen joukkoon. Kai tässäkin jotain rockoopperaa tavoitellaan.
vaikeaa kuunneltavaa mutta aikansa tuotos varmasti. Relax dont do it
Not my thing at all. I didn't enjoy it.
No.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Putain mais la décennie MAUDITE
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.
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
Sheer crap. Over hyped at the tome. Overrated since. Frankie says relax. I say reject.
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?
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.
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.
Dumb British music
No va
Never did like them much and listening again after 40 years, I haven't changed my mind.
Terrible, I tried
pass. basically a cover band album from the 80s? I don't get it.
How can it be I only recognized half of the chorus of Relax? Can a band be a half-hit wonder?
This is just the absolute worst of 80s schlock. Garbage all the way through with a literal handful of half-decent moments. Do not listen to this, ever.
idc
Boo no
Terribly disappointing. True one hit wonders. Relax…don’t listen….
Rating: 3/10 Hell no.
I never liked FGtH and this didn’t change my mind. Grandiose, repetitive, and a bit fixated, no? Also, the worst covers of Born to Run and San Jose I’ve heard.
I neither enjoyed nor respected this album. It's satirically self-absorbed at best. Disturbingly self-pleasuring at worst. I found nothing redeeming in the entire hour-plus experience.
Much like my landlord and ex lovers, this record takes forever to change keys. After three "songs" and more than 20 minutes, it mercifully ventures away from the key of B. This feels like a concept album. And the concept is an 80's synth pop opera that sucks.
I don't like this at all. like at all, damn. I enjoy a lot of 80s music, it's one of my favorite decades for music, but this is too 80s somehow. I can't take it seriously at all.
My car has this irritating trait where it plays something random on my phone the minute I start the car. I’ve googled it and I can’t stop it. Sometimes it’s what I was listening to on Spotify, sometimes it’s my white noise app, and sometimes it’s something completely random from my Apple library. Yesterday a tune came on and before I could snap it off, I said, “well I don’t know this one but at least the intro isn’t bad.” It was Black Night White Light from this album. Whadya know. I was set to give this a “did not listen - 1”, and now this. But it’s still no good. It’s not just the heavy handed reverb, so characteristic of this decade. For me it’s the blatant sexuality of Relax in a post-Me Too world. Sometimes it seems to me like a large percentage of 70s and 80s songs were written by young men singing about what they loved most — trying to get a woman in bed. There are some female artists from this era that did that too (Donna Summer and Sheena Easton come to mind), but mostly heterosexual men. So first and foremost, I wonder if that percentage has fallen with Me Too awareness. I hope so. But second, it just seems so unimaginative. There’s so much else in this world to sing about. Maybe that’s where the money was and always has been. After all, Relax is the only hit on this album. Give the people what they want. Hopefully what they want is changing. Or rather, hopefully there’s a recognition that what half the people want is something else.
I'm certainly not an 80s fan. This album just is not appealing to me at all.