WELCOME TO THE PLEASUREDOME

In 1985, Frankie Goes To Hollywood was perhaps the most dangerous band on the planet and shook up music in a way that the country had not seen since The Sex Pistols. They were outspoken, banned by the BBC, almost fell afoul of the Official Secrets Act, had videos that TV could only show post-watershed, made one of the most audacious debut albums of all time, a double no less, and of course, pop fans loved it.

Their first three singles, 'Relax, 'Two Tribes' and 'The Power Of Love' all reached #1 in the UK, a feat which had only happened once before back in the '60s by fellow Liverpudlians Gerry And The Pacemakers. Frankie was also only the second-ever band in the pre-streaming era to have concurrent #1 and #2 singles; that other band was The Beatles. 'Relax' and 'Two Tribes' remain the 6th and 22nd best-selling singles in UK history and are regarded as classics.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood was formed in 1980 in Liverpool when the city was the country's cultural epicentre. The scene that produced the band also gave the world Echo & The Bunnymen, Dead Or Alive, The Mighty Wah!, The Teardrop Explodes, OMD, and future leading lights of The KLF, The Lightning Seeds.

However, Frankie was different to all of their peers, they put the funk into punk and even the make-up of the band, the openly gay frontmen, lead vocalist Holly Johnson, Paul Rutherford on backing vocals and the resolutely heterosexual Mark O'Toole on bass, guitarist Brian Nash and Peter 'Ped' Gill on drums, was groundbreaking & revolutionary. The band were at the forefront of openly gay pop acts. They made gay rights and an open attitude to sexuality a theme of their music and performances at a time when the UK government banned gay men from donating blood due to fear over the aids epidemic.

Contrary to the narrative that the band were purely a studio creation, this seven-disc box set includes unheard demos, live tracks and unreleased BBC Sessions, including two for John Peel where future #1 singles, 'Two Tribes' and 'The Power Of Love' were debuted, which prove without any doubt that the band were always destined for greatness.

The band's debut album 'Welcome To The Pleasuredome', released in October 1984, reached #1 on the UK charts and had over one million advance sales. The album was a top-10 seller internationally in countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand.

DISC ONE: Welcome To the Pleasuredome

DISC TWO: Welcome To the Pleasuredome – The Highlights

DISC ONE: Welcome To the Pleasuredome (Steven Wilson Mix)

Well                                                                                        

The World Is My Oyster                                              

Snatch Of Fury (Stay)                      

Welcome To the Pleasuredome                                             

Relax  (Come Fighting)                                                              

War  (...and Hide)                                                                  

Two Tribes (For The Victims Of Ravishment)                                                               

Tag

Ferry (Go)                                                                                                                                  

Born To Run                                                                           

San Jose (The Way)                                                                

Wish (The Lads Were Here)                                              

Including The Ballad Of 32                                                    

Krisco Kisses                                                                          

Black Night White Light                                                          

The Only Star in Heaven                                                        

The Power of Love                                                                 

Bang

DISC TWO                                                                                          

Relax (In Heaven) - (Arista Demo) 11-13 September 1982

Love Has Got a Gun 2 - (Phonogram Demo) 15 October 1982

Krisco Kisses - BBC Radio 1 John Peel Session, 24 November 1982

Welcome To the Pleasuredome - BBC Radio 1 Kid Jensen Session, 24 February 1983

Two Tribes - Newsnight Version

The Power of Love - Strings Only

The World Is My Oyster - 12" Version

Black Night White Light - Extended

War - Europe A Go-Go Rehearsal

Born To Run - Europe A Go-Go Rehearsal

Welcome To the Pleasuredome (The World Is My Oyster) - Early 12" Version

Welcome To the Pleasuredome - Ad Lib at End

The Only Star in Heaven - Starfix

Disneyland   - ZTT Sampled

Relax - Arrival (Early Version) 

Two Tribes - Video Destructo Mix