Pleasure One

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."[4]

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"."[5]

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".[6] 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."[7]

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."[8] 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."[9]

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."[3]

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

Side one

1. "Contenders" – 5:24
2. "Trouble" – 4:14
3. "Somebody" – 4:30
4. "If I Were You" – 3:34
5. "Low Society" – 3:40

Side two

6. "Red" – 3:56
7. "Look at Me" – 5:14
8. "Move Out" – 3:18
9. "Free" – 6:25

Heaven 17

• Glenn Gregory – lead and backing vocals
• Martyn Ware – E-mu Emulator II, Mellotron, E-mu SP-12 programming, backing vocals
• Ian Craig Marsh – Fairlight CMI programming

Additional musicians

• Nick Plytas – acoustic piano (9)
• Tim Cansfield – guitars (1-5, 7-9)
• John McGeoch – guitars (6)
• Ray Russell – guitars (6)
• Phil Spalding – bass guitar (1-3, 5-7, 9)
• Camelle Hinds – bass guitar (4)
• John Wilson – bass guitar (8)
• Preston Heyman – drums, percussion (5-8)
• Mel Gaynor – congas (6)
• Don Myrick – alto saxophone (3, 5)
• Louis Satterfield – trombone (3, 5)
• Rahmlee Michael Davis – trumpet (3, 5), flugelhorn (3, 5)
• Nolan Smith – trumpet (3, 5), flugelhorn (3, 5)
• Carol Kenyon – backing vocals (1, 3, 4, 7, 8)
• Gina Foster – backing vocals (5, 9)
• Janice Hoyst – backing vocals (5, 9)
• Beverley Skeete – backing vocals (5, 9)
• Guida De Palma – backing vocals (6)

• Heaven 17 – producers, arrangements, mixing, engineers, design concept
• Brian Tench – mixing, mix engineer
• Jeromy Allom – engineer (1, 6)
• Graham Bonnet – engineer
• Tim Hunt – engineer (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9)
• Ben Knape – engineer (1, 6)
• Nick Davis – engineer (3)
• Jon Jacobs – engineer (3, 5)
• Ian Craig Marsh – technical consultant
• Kevin Mallett – photography
• Assorted Images – sleeve design

Studios

• Recorded at H17 HQ Studio, Townhouse 3, Red Bus Studios, Marcus Recording Studios, The Barge, AIR Studios and Roundhouse Studios (London, UK); Studio Marcadet and Studio Davout (Paris, France).
• Mixed at The Townhouse (London, UK).

• Pleasure One at Discogs (list of releases)