Frankie Goes to Hollywood Album: “Welcome to the Pleasuredome”

This is an interesting album, full of energy and style. Anyone who grew up in the 80's will remember the hit, "Relax," but this album has much more to offer than a little 80's nostalgia. The music presentation is experimental and diverse, an attempt to mix pop music of the era with new styles and techniques.

There are remakes of older songs in "Ferry," "War," and Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run," as well as original compositions ranging from the 80's pop style "Relax" and "Two Tribes" to the melodic epic "Welcome to the Pleasure Dome."

The recording quality is excellent as is the production. And speaking of the production, that is where this album truly excells. There is a spacial depth to the melodies and instruments that was not common to the minimalist production of most 80's pop music. The credit here lies with the album's producer, Trevor Horn.

Horn was responsible for the recording's depth and structure, giving it his signature spatiality. His other credits include: Performing/composing/producing with Yes on "Drama," forming his own band, The Buggles, with Geoff Downes with the hit "Video Killed the Radio Star," Producing the Yes album "90125," and more recently producing two hit albums with the artist, Seal.

Overall, this is an excellent album, one that can be listened to over and again, offering the listener something new every time.

This edition SHOULD contain the nine minute long version of "Two Tribes" along with a track entitled "The Last Voice."

However, when US production of this CD started, the CD booklet and even the silk screen printing on the disc remained the same, but the actual CONTENT of the disc was replaced by the US version of the album, which instead has a 3:27 version of "Two Tribes" and which replaces the song "Happy Hi" with "San Jose" as track 10.

There is literally NO WAY that I know of to tell if the disc is the correct one without putting the disc in a player and playing track 10 to see if it is "San Jose" or not.

I have purchased and have had to return more than one copy of this disc for this reason; sellers CANNOT TELL if their copy is the correct one solely by looking at the CD packaging and disc itself.

This 25th Anniversary Edition reissue contains a remastered version of the original album plus a bonus CD containing rare and previously unreleased material/remixes. The bonus CD is nice, but the real gem here is the remastered album. For owners of the original (vinyl) release of this record, this has the exact track listing and identical versions of the songs contained on that LP release. They don't have the altered track line-ups or alternate mixes as was the case on previous CD releases of Welcome To The Pleasuredome. This IS the CD you are looking for!

The audio on this remastered edition is simply amazing, especially compared to the flat sound of the original CD release(s). You really get to appreciate the amazing production on this album now, with higher highs and lower lows. The audio has really been cleaned-up and is now crisp and clear. Play it loud, or pop on a good pair of headphones and enjoy!

As for the album itself, what can be said? It has much more to offer than just its well-known single releases (Relax, Two Tribes, The Power Of Love). It's a true 80's classic, and an enduring tribute to the talents of the band and their producer, Trevor Horn. For audiophiles, this a true masterpiece (and master class) of recording and production from the pre-digital era. Glad to see it finally get the CD release/remaster treatment it deserves.

This CD is and always will be absolutely brilliant! "Welcome..." is the ultimate art/concept rock album of the 80s. The first two tracks on this CD, "The World Is My Oyster-snatch of fury(stay)" and "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" is beyond music; it is art! These two songs send chills down your spine EVERYTIME YOU LISTEN!!! Almost 16 minutes of pure bliss! The third track is called "Relax (come fighting)" and this is the signature song of the 1980s! It rocks my world (sidenote: if anyone out there has an official XL or XXL shirt that says "Frankie Say RELAX Don't Do It", I want to buy it in a big bad way and my email address is above!!!). Tracks 4, 5 and 6 are Frankie's answer to the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. "War (and hide), "Two Tribes (for the victims of ravishment)" and "The Last Voice" are intense antiwar tunes. As a matter of fact, "War (and hide)" is a cover of Edwin Starr's classic track while tracks 5 and 6 is their brilliant statement on the possible result of The Cold War turning hot. Track 7 is their cover of Springsteens's "Born To Run" and the lads more than do it justice. Tracks 8 and 9, "Happy Hi" and "Wish (The Lads Were Here)" are just great pop tunes while track 10, "The Ballad Of 32", is a soft, intense, erotic instrumental. Tracks 11, 12 and 13, "Krisco Kisses", "Black Night White Light" and "The Only Star In Heaven" are perfect enough for a Bowie album. Track 14, "The Power Of Love", is a beautiful and moving ballad while track 15, "Bang", perfectly sums up the whole recording. I highly recommend this CD to anyone and everyone!... thank you.

1) The World Is My Oyster-snatch of fury(stay)

2) Welcome To The Pleasuredome

3) Relax (come fighting)

4) War (and hide)

5) Two Tribes (for the victims of ravishment)

6) Including The Last Voice

7) Born To Run

8) Happy Hi

9) Wish (The Lads Were Here)

10) The Ballad Of 32

11) Krisco Kisses

12) Black Night White Light

13) The Only Star In Heaven

14) The Power Of Love

15) Bang

The year 1985 marked the middle of my mid-life crisis. It was the time I tuned out Reaganomics, starwars and the dawn of downsizing and turned on to MTV's 24/7 wall-to-wall music videos without a drop of reality TV or rap.

Frankie and Welcome To The Pleasuredome were a couple of my discoveries from this period. Ok, I admit the music was a mixture of overproduced techno-pop as well as every other musical style from the previous twenty years. But the sound caught my attention then, and it still does. I never did figure out what the whole "Frankie Say" mystique was all about; I guess I was too old. But what the heck, the band didn't last that long anyway.

Amazingly, the recording holds up 18-years later. Guess that makes it a classic -- at least the originals like PLEASUREDOME, RELAX and TWO TRIBES. The covers on the albums were all better done by the people who created them.

So, if you've never experienced Frankie, RELAX and give Welcome To The Pleasuredome a try. It has my recommendation.