Pleasure One

Pleasure One is the fourth studio album by the English synthpop band Heaven 17. It was originally released in November 1986, on the label Virgin. It was the band's last studio album chart entry within the UK Top 100.

Pleasure One
Studio album by
Heaven 17
ReleasedNovember 1986
GenreSynthpop
LabelVirgin
ProducerHeaven 17
Heaven 17 chronology
How Men Are
(1984)		 Pleasure One
(1986)		 Teddy Bear, Duke & Psycho
(1988)
US cover
US cover
Singles from Pleasure One
  1. "Contenders"
    Released: October 1986
  2. "Trouble"
    Released: January 1987
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Speaking of the album, Martyn Ware told Simon Mayo in 1986: "I realised that while it was taking me two days to programme a machine to play a few bars, a good musician could do it in 30 minutes and probably with more feeling. The public won't stand for intellectual twaddle any more. They want instant satisfaction. I think we have come up with a very good intelligent pop LP."[2]

Critical reception

Upon its release, Music & Media picked Pleasure One as one of their "Albums of the Week" and wrote: "The overall style of the album is one that will set the feet moving to the fast R&B sounds and recommended tracks include "Contenders", "Trouble" and "Look at Me"."[3]

Paul Russell of the Sunday Independent wrote: "Yet another unmemorable LP from Heaven 17. As with How Men Are, Pleasure One has all the right ingredients and ideas. It's just that they're never given the proper mix. Technology takes over and the mood is left cold and distant." Russell picked "Contenders" as the album's only track to "capture you from the start".[4] Katherine Donnelly of the Irish Independent commented: "Unfortunately, Heaven 17 [have] gone gradually downhill after their glittering start and Pleasure One is their most abysmal effort to date. The tunes sound forced, Glenn Gregory may as well be singing extracts from a computer manual for all the emotion he puts into his delivery and the lyrics veer between utter banality and offensive stupidity."[5]

Billboard wrote: "Each side starts out with a bang in "Contenders" and "Red", ultrafunky dance numbers that are catchy and original. Though nothing else is quite as good, [the] album could catch a wide audience's ear."[6] Helen Metella of the Edmonton Journal stated: "[Heaven 17] continue to produce stylish, civilized pop-soul at a snappy gait. It's impeccably recorded, politely sung and full of happy sentiments. But if I really desired 40 minutes of superior, self-congratulatory bombast that neither convinces me nor matters much, there are several snotty acquaintances in just about every time zone whom I could phone."[7]

In a retrospective review, Aaron Badgley of AllMusic considered the album partially successful, but a disappointment compared to How Men Are: "Heaven 17 attempt to make a danceable political album, and on some levels they are successful. The groove and strong melodies are present, as is Gregory's usual stunning, deadpan vocals. Some of the songs are among their best, including "Trouble" and "Contenders". But other songs are overambitious and tedious. The ideas are there, but the songs are not executed to their fullest."[1]

Track listing

All tracks written and composed by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh, and Martyn Ware.

  1. "Contenders" – 5:24
  2. "Trouble" – 4:14
  3. "Somebody" – 4:30
  4. "If I Were You" – 3:34
  5. "Low Society" – 3:40
  6. "Red" – 3:56
  7. "Look at Me" – 5:14
  8. "Move Out" – 3:18
  9. "Free" – 6:25

Personnel

Chart performance
Chart (1986) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart[8] 78
U.S. Billboard Hot 200[9] 177
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References
  1. AllMusic Review by Aaron Badgley. "Pleasure One - Heaven 17 | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  2. Mayo, Simon (8 October 1986). "Cameo non-appearance". Reading Evening Post.
  3. "Euro tip page". Music & Media. 6 December 1986.
  4. Russell, Paul (30 November 1986). "Kate's best". Sunday Independent.
  5. Donnelly, Katherine (27 November 1986). "Heaven haven't a prayer...". Irish Independent.
  6. "Reviews: Albums". Billboard. 7 March 1987.
  7. Metella, Helen (19 February 1987). "Heaven 17 produces snottiness with style". Edmonton Journal.
  8. "UK Singles & Albums Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
  9. "Music News, Reviews, Articles, Information, News Online & Free Music". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
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