Welcome to the Pleasuredome by Frankie Goes To Hollywood

Welcome to the Pleasuredome

by Frankie Goes To Hollywood

Released: October 29, 1984

Pop

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Why This Album Matters

This album matters because its strongest editorial story is: Chart Success.

01

The Album

The production, overseen by Trevor Horn, was so dominant that many of the band's own instrumental performances were replaced by session musicians or Horn himself. "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" is the debut studio album by the English synth-pop band Frankie Goes to Hollywood, released on October 29, 1984, by ZTT Records. In celebration of the album's 30th anniversary in October 2014, ZTT, in collaboration with Union Square Music, released a limited edition box set titled Inside the Pleasuredome.

Stories and details

Interesting Facts

The album also achieved top-10 status internationally in…

The album also achieved top-10 status internationally in countries like Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand.

In contrast, the band's second album, Liverpool, featured…

In contrast, the band's second album, Liverpool, featured more of the band's actual performances.

The ballad "The Power of Love" from the…

The ballad "The Power of Love" from the album became the group's third consecutive UK number-one single.

This exclusive set contained rarities on 10" vinyl…

This exclusive set contained rarities on 10" vinyl, a book, a DVD, a cassette with 13 mixes of "Relax" and its B-side "One September Monday," and a remastered version of Welcome to the Pleasuredome on 180g vinyl.

The cover art, conceived by ZTT owner Paul…

The cover art, conceived by ZTT owner Paul Morley and illustrated by graphic artist Lo Cole, featured illustrations of the band members on the front and a controversial depiction of an animal orgy on the back.

Start listening here

Essential Tracks

01

Welcome To The Pleasuredome

"Welcome to the Pleasuredome" is the debut studio album by the English synth-pop band Frankie Goes to Hollywood, released on October 29, 1984, by ZTT Records.

02

War

Commercially successful, the album included updated versions of the band's singles released that year, such as "Relax" and "Two Tribes," along with the B-side "War" and several cover tracks.

03

Two Tribes

Commercially successful, the album included updated versions of the band's singles released that year, such as "Relax" and "Two Tribes," along with the B-side "War" and several cover tracks.

04

The Power Of Love

The ballad "The Power of Love" from the album became the group's third consecutive UK number-one single.

Then

Reception

Initially issued as a double vinyl album, it quickly secured a number one spot on the UK charts due to reported advance sales exceeding one million copies, though actual first-week sales were around a quarter of a million. Commercially successful, the album included updated versions of the band's singles released that year, such as "Relax" and "Two Tribes," along with the B-side "War" and several cover tracks.

Full background

The Complete Album Story

"Welcome to the Pleasuredome" is the debut studio album by the English synth-pop band Frankie Goes to Hollywood, released on October 29, 1984, by ZTT Records. Initially issued as a double vinyl album, it quickly secured a number one spot on the UK charts due to reported advance sales exceeding one million copies, though actual first-week sales were around a quarter of a million. The album also achieved top-10 status internationally in countries like Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand.

Commercially successful, the album included updated versions of the band's singles released that year, such as "Relax" and "Two Tribes," along with the B-side "War" and several cover tracks. The production, overseen by Trevor Horn, was so dominant that many of the band's own instrumental performances were replaced by session musicians or Horn himself. In contrast, the band's second album, Liverpool, featured more of the band's actual performances.

The ballad "The Power of Love" from the album became the group's third consecutive UK number-one single.

In celebration of the album's 30th anniversary in October 2014, ZTT, in collaboration with Union Square Music, released a limited edition box set titled Inside the Pleasuredome. This exclusive set contained rarities on 10" vinyl, a book, a DVD, a cassette with 13 mixes of "Relax" and its B-side "One September Monday," and a remastered version of Welcome to the Pleasuredome on 180g vinyl.

The cover art, conceived by ZTT owner Paul Morley and illustrated by graphic artist Lo Cole, featured illustrations of the band members on the front and a controversial depiction of an animal orgy on the back. The inner gatefold showed a procession of animals entering a large phallus. This sleeve art caused controversy, leading the printing company to refuse to print the covers. Cole had to modify the orgy image by adding green fig leaves to obscure the animal genitalia.

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