Welcome to the Pleasuredome is the title of the debut album recorded and released by British group Frankie Goes To Hollywood. It was released in October 1984 on ZTT following up the year's controversial no.1 hit singles Relax! and Two Tribes. The album went straight to no.1 in the UK on its release, as did a third single The Power of Love, released shortly after. All tracks were produced by Trevor Horn.
The title of the album comes from the Coleridge poem 'Kubla Khan', originally published in 1816. The title track was also released as a single in 1985 in edited and remixed versions[1], reaching no.2 in the UK singles chart.
Typically Welcome to the Pleasuredome went against many conventions of the time. It was released as a double LP, its eighteen tracks lasting over for over an hour. The title track lasts almost 14 mins while the ballad and album closer The Power of Love was also five-and-a-half minutes long and was not edited down for the single version. The album also features some unexpected cover versions, such as Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run and Burt Bacharach's Do You Know the Way to San José.
The album had a contemporaneous release on CD, although featured a different version of Two Tribes and the San José cover was replaced by a new track Happy Hi!
Welcome to the Pleasuredomehas been re-released several times, including a 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition in 2010 and more recently a 'The Art of The Album' edition released on CD and vinyl on 27 October 2017.
Release and reception[]
Record Mirror, November 1984
Tracklisting[]
- original 2x12" LP version
F - Pray Frankie Pray
- Well...
- The World Is My Oyster
- Snatch of Fury (Stay)
- Welcome to the Pleasuredome
G - Say Frankie Say
- Relax (Come Fighting)
- War (...And Hide)
- Two Tribes (For The Victims Of Ravishment)
T - Stay Frankie Stay
- Ferry (Go)
- Born to Run
- San Jose (The Way)
- Wish (The Lads Were Here) Including The Ballad Of 32
H - Play Frankie Play
- Krisco Kisses
- Black Night White Light
- The Only Star in Heaven
- The Power of Love
- Bang...
- MC release ZTT ZCIQ 1
- CD release - ZTT CID 101
- The World Is My Oyster / Snatch of Fury (Stay) (1:58)
- Welcome to the Pleasuredome (13:39)
- Relax (Come Fighting) (3:56)
- War (and Hide) (6:14)
- Two Tribes (For the Victims of Ravishment) (9:08)
- The Last Voice (1:14)
- Born to Run (4:05)
- Happy Hi (4:12)
- Wish (the Lads Were Here) (2:48)
- The Ballad of 32 (4:49)
- Krisco Kisses (2:59)
- Black Night White Light (4:09)
- The Only Star in Heaven (4:16)
- The Power of Love (5:32)
- Bang (1:07)
Singles[]
UK only
Formats and tracks (mostly remixes) vary. Check links to discogs next to each title for details
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UK rel. date 24 October 1983, UK chart peak 01 |
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UK rel. date 28 May 1984 , UK chart peak 01 |
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UK rel. date 19 November 1984 , UK chart peak 01 |
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UK rel. date 18 March 1985, UK chart peak 02 |
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External links[]
- discogs.com
- 25 Years On: Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s Welcome To The Pleasuredome in thequietus.com