Welcome to the Pleasuredome is the debut studio album by English synth-pop band Frankie Goes to Hollywood, first released on 29 October 1984 by ZTT Records. Originally issued as a vinyl double album, it was assured of a UK chart entry at number one due to reported advance sales of over one million.
While commercially successful, the album also drew criticism for containing new versions of all of the songs from the group’s (already much-remixed) singles from the same year (“Relax” and “Two Tribes“, plus B-side “War“), as well as a surfeit of cover versions in lieu of much new original material. It was later revealed that Trevor Horn‘s production dominated the record so thoroughly that the band’s own instrumental performances were often replaced by session musicians or Horn himself. Frankie’s second album, Liverpool, actively featured the full band.
However, the album’s evergreen ballad “The Power of Love” subsequently provided the group with their third consecutive UK number one single.
Strip away all the hype, controversy, and attendant craziness surrounding Frankie — most of which never reached American shores, though the equally bombastic “Relax” and “Two Tribes” both charted well — and Welcome to the Pleasuredome holds up as an outrageously over-the-top, bizarre, but fun release. Less well known but worthwhile cuts include by-definition-camp “Krisco Kisses” and “The Only Star in Heaven,” while U.K. smash “The Power of Love” is a gloriously insincere but still great hyper-ballad with strings from Anne Dudley.
In truth, the album’s more a testament to Trevor Horn‘s production skills than anything else. To help out, he roped in a slew of Ian Dury‘s backing musicians to provide the music, along with a guest appearance from his fellow Yes veteran Steve Howe on acoustic guitar that probably had prog rock fanatics collapsing in apoplexy. The end result was catchy, consciously modern — almost to a fault — arena-level synth rock of the early ’80s that holds up just fine today, as much an endlessly listenable product of its times as the Chinn/Chapman string of glam rock hits from the early ’70s.
Certainly the endless series of pronouncements from a Ronald Reagan impersonator throughout automatically date the album while lending it a giddy extra layer of appeal. Even the series of covers on the album at once make no sense and plenty of it all at once. While Edwin Starr‘s “War” didn’t need redoing, Bruce Springsteen‘s “Born to Run” becomes a ridiculously over-the-top explosion that even outrocks the Boss. As the only member of the band actually doing anything the whole time (Paul Rutherford pipes up on backing vocals here and there), Holly Johnson needs to make a mark and does so with appropriately leering passion. He didn’t quite turn out to be the new Freddie Mercury, but he makes a much better claim than most, combining a punk sneer with an ear for hyper-dramatic yelps.
- Well… (0:55)
- The World Is My Oyster (1:02)
- Snatch of Fury (Stay) (0:36)
- Welcome to the Pleasuredome (12:58)
- Relax (Come Fighting) (3:56)
- War (…and Hide) (6:12)
- Two Tribes (For the Victims of Ravishment) (3:23)
- The Last Voice (0:35)
- Ferry (Go) (1:49)
- Born to Run (3:56)
- San Jose (The Way) (3:09)
- Wish (The Lads Were Here) (2:48)
- The Ballad of 32 (4:47)
- Krisco Kisses (2:57)
- Black Night White Light (4:05)
- The Only Star in Heaven (4:16)
- The Power of Love (5:28)
- Bang (1:08)
- Frankie Goes to Hollywood
- Holly Johnson – lead vocals
- Paul Rutherford – backing vocals
- Brian Nash – guitar
- Mark O'Toole – bass guitar
- Peter Gill – drums
Additional personnel
- J. J. Jeczalik – keyboards, programming, software
- Andrew Richards – keyboards
- Luís Jardim – percussion
- Anne Dudley – keyboards, string arrangement on "The Power of Love"
- Stephen Lipson – guitar
- Steve Howe – acoustic guitar (on "Welcome to the Pleasuredome")
- Trevor Horn – backing vocals, bass guitar
Production
- Produced by Trevor Horn
- Engineers – Stuart Bruce, Steve Lipson
- Mastering – Ian Cooper
Technical
- Cover concept - Paul Morley
- Illustration by Lo Cole[1]
- Cover photography - Peter Ashworth
Notes
Release: 1984
Format: 2LP
Genre. Synth-pop
Label: ZTT Records
Catalog# 302417
Vinyl: Excellent
Cover: Excellent (Gatefold)
Prijs: €20,00
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