Welcome to the Pleasuredome

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. It actually sold around a quarter of a million copies in its first week. The album was also a top-10 seller internationally in countries such as Switzerland, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand.

Welcome to the Pleasuredome
Illustration by Lo Cole
Studio album by
Released29 October 1984 (1984-10-29)
RecordedJuly 1983–1984
Studio
GenrePop
Length64:06
LabelZTT
ProducerTrevor Horn
Frankie Goes to Hollywood chronology
Welcome to the Pleasuredome
(1984)
Bang!
(1985)
Alternative cover
The original CD cover, which was taken from one of the vinyl record's dust jackets.
Cover photography by Peter Ashworth
Singles from Welcome to the Pleasuredome
  1. "Relax"
    Released: 24 October 1983
  2. "Two Tribes"
    Released: 4 June 1984
  3. "The Power of Love"
    Released: 19 November 1984
  4. "Welcome to the Pleasuredome"
    Released: 18 March 1985
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
Los Angeles Times
Mojo
Record Collector
Record Mirror
Rolling Stone
Smash Hits7/10
Sounds
Spin Alternative Record Guide7/10
The Village VoiceC

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.

To celebrate the album's 30th anniversary, in October 2014, ZTT through Union Square Music released a limited edition (2,000 copies only) box set entitled Inside the Pleasuredome, available exclusively from the website pledgemusic.com. The box set contains rarities on 10" vinyl, as well as a book, a DVD, a cassette (featuring 13 mixes of "Relax" and its B-side "One September Monday") as well as a new 2014 remastered version of Welcome to the Pleasuredome on 180g vinyl.

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