Question: Which album is considered one of the most influential and extravagant pop albums of the 1980s?
Welcome to the Pleasuredome is the debut studio album by English synth-pop band Frankie Goes to Hollywood, released in 1984 by ZTT Records. The album was produced by Trevor Horn, who wanted to create a big launch for his new label. The album contains four singles, including the controversial and international smash hit “Relax”, which was banned by the BBC for its suggestive lyrics and imagery.
The album also features a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” and a medley of Edwin Starr’s “War” and the Beatles’ “Ferry Cross the Mersey”. The album’s title track is a 13-minute epic that samples various literary and musical references, such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan” and Elvis Presley’s “All Shook Up”. The album’s cover art was designed by Paul Morley and Lo Cole, and features illustrations of the band members, an animal orgy, and a phallic procession. The album was a commercial success, reaching number one in the UK and selling over one million copies. It also received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Horn’s production but criticized the lack of original material and the band’s involvement.
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