The Libertines

Was a fan of the libertines when I was a teenager, proably one of the best U.K. bands from the 00’s Indie scene until the Arctic Monkeys came along. So this is rating has a personal bias to it, a soild 4 star album in my eyes. As a side note I seen everyone is jumping on the Wikipedia sentence that in 2005 this was voted the 3rd most overrated album of all time. Thought it was worst sharing the results of that poll here of that poll for context: 1 Nirvana - Nevermind 2 Coldplay - X&Y 3 The Libertines - The Libertines 4 Oasis - Definitely Maybe 5 U2 - Joshua Tree 6 Radiohead - OK Computer 7 The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 8 The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds 9 Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks 10 The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead Apart from X&Y I’d say that list is full of great albums, overrated maybe, but still great none of the less.

It's not bad, it's the definition of "landfill indie" however, instantly forgettable but does make you feel good while listening so sneaks a 3

Many people consider this to be Pete Doherty’s greatest achievement. I disagree. Doherty’s greatest achievement is successfully completing a Margate cafe’s Mega Breakfast challenge: if you can eat four rashers of bacon, four eggs, four sausages, hash browns, onion rings, bubble and squeak, beans, two slices of thick bread well as a quarter pounder burger and chips in under 20 minutes the breakfast is free.

You already know an album is going to be a 3/5 at best when you see that the Wikipedia article for it is like 8 sentences long. One of those sentences being: "The Libertines was voted the third-most overrated album ever made in a 2005 BBC public poll." This sounds a bit like The Cla-oh, it was produced by Mick Jones. That makes sense. Yeah, it's exactly what I expected. More British punk - the most important genre in musical history according to this book. Kind of goofy. Yup, it's a 3/5.

"The Libertines was voted the third-most overrated album ever made in a 2005 BBC public poll."

Scrappy and lively, raffish and fun and very likably, if insistently, cheeky. But it does all seem a bit put-on. One gets that they were pipped to be like the Clash, but they simply ain’t all that, or didn’t work out to be. And the “Stones to Franz Ferdinand’s Beatles” is even more of a reach. Best cut: “Music When the Lights Go Out” and “What Katy Did.” Still, it’s well-made modern rock, with quality throughout, and a clear leader in the aughties division.

God awful. I just can't. Okay, the 'live' sounding production is kinda cool, but to me it just sounds like some pretty competent dads having a drunken jam in the garage.

Saw it was an English indie band and thought I knew what I was getting into, but they avoid all the pitfalls of their contemporaries. Rough around the edges but dialed in when it needs to be. I really enjoy their classic, clean sound. Best track: Road to Ruin

This album is a post punk/indie rock jam of an album. Definitely the best of the libertines. Ive been a libertines fan since high school and that goes for Pete Doherty's other projects like Babyshambles and this album introduced me and will be a forever punk rock love of mine. I personally rate these projects above their predecessors such as the Clash and The Modern Lovers or anything else similar. The song writing

Really likeable, catchy melodic punk - the gritty reality lyrical approach of the early Arctic Monkeys and the cockney tunesmith feel of Squeeze - but all on speed (unfortunately this isn't just a simile - it's the truth). I'm conflicted. The music is entertaining but Pete Doherty was such an arsehole, I struggle to separate the two

The hip sound of a pill-fueled bender. Hard for me to stomach in our current post-ironic hellscape.

Yet another album that seems to have been curated here because the author had a hard time coming up with the promised thousand albums.

Great and charming album that deserved all the hype. Maybe more. It has all: rhythm, harmonies -and hormones-, mysticism. It is a fun listen. Yes, it may be the British response to The Strokes, and in some points, I consider it superior. Maybe it's the poetry and dandy vibes, the influence of The Smiths and William Blake. Happy to listen to this, over and over again.

A beautifully chaotic jangly heartfelt piece of work. Five stars for being a pretty clear Arctic Monkeys precursor that I wasn't previously aware of.

Not bad. Entertaining lyrics and a fun, ramshackle style.

Better than I expected, given the track record of British indie records from the early aughts on this list, but inessential nonetheless.

Pete Doherty is an insult to my eardrums

A really decent album from the garage-rock revival era. I knew of The Libertines but only really knew of their most well-known tracks, but I enjoyed this a lot - they were a lot more varied than I expected. Their favourite track of mine isn't here, it was only ever a single (No points for guessing which...) but I thought this was great! Favourite: Can't Stand Me Now

Bepaalde nummers van dit album kende ik al wel, maar ik heb het geheel denk ik nog nooit gehoord. Ik heb Up The Bracket (2002) en Babyshambles - Shotter's Nation (2007) ooit als LP gekocht, dus als ik toe was aan dit soort muziek zette ik 1 van die 2 albums aan. The Libertines is een vreemde band. Eigenlijk klinkt het regelmatig vrij kut omdat Pete Doherty voor geen meter kan zingen, of hij laat het in ieder geval niet al te vaak merken. Andere albums in deze lijst heb ik daar wel eens op afgeschoten, maar dit vind ik dan weer steengoed. Het klinkt bijna als een hoge kwaliteit live-album, met een band die zin heeft om muziek te maken ondanks de vechtscheiding die vrij snel hierna volgde. De gitaren en ook de drums, met name de snaredrum, klinken perfect. Hoogtepunten o.a. The Man Who Would Be King, Arbeit Macht Frei, Campaign of Hate, Road to Ruin.

Another band I was not overly familar with but Can't Stand Me Now does ring some bells. I liked this album more than the Preachers album and found it to be a lot of fun. Faves: Can't Stand Me Now, Music When The Lights Go Out, What Became of the Likely Lads

Love this album

The libertines are to me the last true rock and roll band spillover from the 20th century - they’re dangerously falling apart musically and I guess truly at points in their short explosive burst of their original career - of which they barely survived but gave us two records of perfection - with a duo songwriting combo of Doherty and Barat - which echo the Lennon and McCartney phenomenon of being greater than the sun of their parts. This album is meticulously produced and performed - yet the struggles are evident even in the singing performances - the drums are comically overplayed but somehow just for the right amount and the guitars weave in and out dangerously with punk gusto. Doherty barks and mumbles away musically throughout while Barat keeps it grounded and Mick Jones captures it gleefully as it probably reminds him of the shambles the Clash were in their later years. An artful record - maybe maybe not totally perfect as their debut but only by a hair.

9/10 amazing stuff throughout fantastic album

I loved everything about this one. It's got just about everything I love about punk without actually being punk. The energy, the aesthetics, the devil-may-care attitude, even the little musical tropes of punk... it's all there. It feels like the spiritual successor or the evolution of The Clash. The songwriting is smart and self-aware, the musicianship is so good, the production is fantastic... There's a lot of garbage that seems to have made it onto the list just because it's British. This ain't that. THIS is legitimately great. What a fun surprise.

Wonderful. That kind of young feeling I like this kind of punk

Rating: 10/10

it's about 50% the strength of up the bracket and it was a let down from all the bootleg versions of most of these songs but it's still steeped in nostalgia and there's some cracking songs on there, even if the recordings of them feel a bit sanitised.

Obviously nowhere near as good as Up the Bracket, but I can't knock it.

Gave it two listens. Can hear a lot of Ramones, Clash, Smiths, and Cure influences. It’s ok, but it wasn’t for me. 3/5

2.4 I always thought Pete Doherty is bit of wanker. Maybe his charisma comes through at a live show, it doesn't really come out here.

Somehow managed to get through this album, even though it was pretty bad. Another one of those choices on the list that I could not figure out why it had a place on it. Just felt like another Brit bias pick.

They were insufferable 20 years ago and they’re insufferable now Can’t Stand Me Now is decent but that might be generous

Not sure the world needs another rock n roll party animal album. Sounds good but not really standing out just being reminded of Pete Doherty's tragic inability to get off heroin despite all the resources stardom has provided him really bums me out and makes me fear that I will never get my own shit together. So this is a lot more depressing for me to hear than I think its creators intended.

I was post indie when they peaked in the early 2000's - so did not catch them first time around. I was team Whitehouse and always thought Pete Doherty was a bell end which repelled me from them for a few years. In latter years I enjoyed Can't Stand me Now as a bit of a guilty pleasure. Rest of the album is pretty piss poor by comparison and feels especially ropey when I have spent most of the day listening to Elvis Costello/ REM.

Mediocre production of a mediocre album of a mediocre band.

'I no longer hear the music' good Singing is annoying Kinda annoying Just annoying really didn't like it

It's not bad, it's the definition of "landfill indie" however, instantly forgettable

I couldn't stop thinking about how much they're like a shittier version of the Kooks

This album completely baffled me. I quite the garage rock revival bands of the 00's like The Strokes, The White Stripes, etc., but this album is just so utterly bad I couldn't even fathom. The vocals are all over the place in the worst way, with the backing vocals clashing with the lead vocals as if these songs were recorded in just one take with very shitty equipment. The instrumental are not too bad, but they're so painfully generic. And I couldn't remember I single note of what I had just heard, only that I didn't like it. The kind of garage rock that should never have left the garage.

I am not a big fan of the Garage Rock Revival scene of the late 90's and 2000's. I find bands like the Strokes, The White Stripes or Arctic Monkeys to be extremely boring and average. It merely feels like a bland shadow of what once was the loudest and most Punk music before Punk was even a thing. And trying to replicate something like The Sonics is not really a good idea especially when the sound already is more sonically accepted. Additionally, The Libertines haven't really had a big influence or big importance other than one of their songs being in a movie. I think the album is terrible... Just straight up terrible! How has anybody given them the platform that they had? The albums first track, 'Can't Stand Me Now' is one of the albums "better tracks". While the vocals are already pretty bad, the songwriting is only alright as is the sound and chorus of the song. It's a bad song, it feels like if Morriseys had a twin who couldn't sing was to approach Indie Rock. Vocally, absolute trash. The rest is slightly better. Overall, not good nearly bad. 'Last Post on the Bugle' comes with a more Punk inspired sound and somehow the vocals sound even worse. And if that wasn't enough, the delivery is genuinely terrible. Nothing about this in terms of vocals is pleasent at any point. It's just terrible. And the music behind all that is definitely not enough to help the track out of the missery. Next song 'Don't Be Shy' is the same thing again just that the even the instruments sound bad now. The vocals are at points slightly better but at others just even worse, however that was possible. It is genuinely off-putting and terrible. It gives me physical pain and discomfort to listen to this garbage. 'The Man Who Would Be King' sounds like terrible Britpop which is interesting because Britpop is often times bad to begin with. The vocals are bad, as established, the lyrics try to be poetic? I guess? Because they are just terrible. And finally the instrument switch between basic and annoying. The entire project would've been better if everyone just started playing at random in Free Jazz style because that concoction would at least sound more interesting. Another terrible track. 'Music When the Lights Go Out' changes the style to a more Indie Rock style and it does make it slightly better at some points. It's still really bad but it is much less terrible than other tracks so far. A slight The Who and general Mod influence is really present on 'Narcissist' which is only slightly more entertaining because of it. It's bad but less bad. 'The Ha Ha Wall' is another terrible song. Bad delivery, terrible vocals, bad songwriting, terrible instrumentation. It's just unpleasant. I am German and I am very aware of the history and seeing the title 'Arbeit macht frei' is not something I want. For those who don't know, this was written above the entrence of Auschwitz. It is a sentence that should only be a part of history and not art and definitely not art in this way. I don't even care about the music, the title is enough for me to skip the song because I do not want to hear it. I might be ignorant but I don't care. This is not an album where I want to hear this used. 'Campaign of Hate' fittingly plays next and continues the annoying and bad vocals, the annoying and bad songwriting, oh my god I am just repeating myself. Terrible! More Indie again on 'What Katie Did' which starts more promising but it gets as terrible quickly with the god awful "Shoop shoop, shoop de-lang-a-lang" vocals. It's corny, annoying and performed worse than a theatre made by 5 year olds. Before I repeat myself again, 'Tomblands', 'The Saga', 'Road to Ruin', 'Road to Ruin' and 'What Became of the Likely Lads' are all just terrible in every single thing that they or try. I cannot write more because listening to this is worse than the Salt and Goat torture where your feet are covered in salt and goats lick it off until they reach your bones. This album with nothing else around you is worse. favourites: none least favourites: the entire atrocity of an "album" Rating: strong 0 to light 1 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

Tosh. Pete Doherty killed a man and got away with it to make mediocre jangle pop like this.

Could have died without listening to this shit

I’m surprised to see no reference here to the greatest review this album received. (I may be misreading - the reviews only go back to March 2023 in my browser). Nigel Blackwell of Half Man Half Biscuit was so appalled by this record that he wrote the scathing “Shit Arm Bad Tattoo”. It is deliciously scathing, but the second verse always fills me with joy. ‘If you're going to quote from the Book of Revelation Don't keep calling it the Book of Revelations There's no "s", it's the Book of Revelation As revealed to St John the Divine See also Mary Hopkin She must despair.’ To me this album sounds like the tape was left running during a beery rehearsal. How it became one of the 1001 albums I must hear before expiring, I don’t understand. And I’ll be especially miffed if Achtung Bono isn’t on the list.

Fuck it, I've still got three tracks to go (will listen in my way back from work tomorrow morning), but I'm calling it now. Let's face it, these blokes can barely play their instruments, and the amount of effort they were willing to put into changing that was apparently very close to non-existent, but they're getting a 5 from me now purely for attitude. I was in my early 20s when this was first released, so of course I was familiar with the bigger songs on here (Can't Stand Me Now, Music When the Lights Go Out, etc.). However, I don't think I'd ever listened to any of their albums beginning to end before today. And what can I say, the whole way to work in the car, song after song, all I kept thinking was "Shit, I wish there was still bands out there today making music (and being able to sell it) with that same kind of I-don't-really-give-a-fuck attitude." They sound like a lazy, punkish, seriously untalented version of a combined Kinks-Beatles-Clash-Sex Pistols cover band on this record and apparently I love everything about it.

Despite all the drama around this band, they did produce an album which shines with good songwriting. Definitely it had that british no-good (chav) misfit vibe.

OK, OK I admit it... I'm a sucker for mid 2000's garage/post punk rock revival. Like so much so. Sue me. 9/10

Most excellent

The sound of a band breaking up but creating fragile, fractured and songs of shared love and dreams. Despite all of the darkness surrounding the record, it has a self belief and beauty to it. On every listen a new favourite emerges. Last Post was this one Love it and I feel lucky to have been right in the middle of it all

Stood the test of time. a great album but also I was there, at the secret gigs, at the clubs, the pubs. it was a great scene, a great time to be young.

Kedvenc/Favourite: Music When The Lights Go Out Nem tudtam igazán elképzelni mire számítsak, de nagyon nagyon tetszett ez az album. Változatos is volt, a szövegek is nagyon jók voltak, és a hangulatában is pont eltalálták az arany középutat az ilyen énekelhető/táncolható számok és a borongósabbak között. Érezhető volt sok olyan együttes hatása, akiket szeretek. Biztos vagyok benne, hogy fogom még őket hallgatni. I didn't have much idea what to expect, but I really liked this album. It had variety, the lyrics were very good, and the mood was right in the middle between singable/danceable songs and more sombre ones. I could feel the influence of a lot of bands I like. I will definitely be listening to them again.

¡Me ha encantado!

I think this album is objectively awesome, but The Libertines get 5's all around for being one of the coolest bands ever anyway. So 5.

Killer album

Havde givet 6 hvis jeg kunne. BANGER BANGER BANGER

"It's a must-listen for fans of early 2000s rock and those intrigued by the turbulent history of the band. The Libertines, released in 2004, offers a gritty snapshot of the British indie rock scene of that era. The album is a raw, chaotic mix of punk energy and poetic lyricism, with standout tracks like 'Can't Stand Me Now' and 'Music When the Lights Go Out.' Its unpolished production perfectly mirrors the volatile relationship between Pete Doherty and Carl Barat, adding emotional depth to their performances. While often compared to their debut Up the Bracket, this record stands apart, embodying a reckless musical spirit that has since become iconic."

I no longer ear the muuuusicccc...

Probably a better album than the band's debut *Up The Brackets*, thanks to more memorable songwriting, more dynamic instrumentation, and crispier production, *The Libertines* is the textbook early-noughts retro-rock album, which makes it kind of essential. Pete Doherty's sense of pace as a vocalist is still as rambling as ever, but provided he doesn't sing total duds (looking at you, "Don't Be Shy"), his performance is fully endearing here. And "Can't Stand Me Now", "The Man Who Would Be King", "The Ha Ha Wall", "Tomblands", "Road To Ruins", and "What Became Of The Likely Lads" are absolute garage rock gems. 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list of "essential" albums, rounded up to 5. 9.5/10 for more general purposes (5+4.5). Number of albums left to review: 75 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 398 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 231 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 297

Highly enjoyable. Love how shambolic it is. Sure, Pete Doherty doesn't have a strong voice, but it sounds just right for this material. Feels like a five to me today.

Hugely nostalgic album. Takes me back to first year of uni, had a sticker of this album cover on a folder. Pete Doherty used to fascinate me, still does to be fair.... Recently watched the Louis Theroux documentary about him. Unfortunately missed them live the first time round, but got to see them at Prenton park with the whole Jeremy Corbyn chants a while back. Was great. Anyway, this album is fantastic, I love it. Not as good as up the bracket, which hopefully will be on the list too. Highlights: Can't stand me now Last post on the bugle Music when the lights go out Narcissist What became of the likely lads 4.5, allows room for up the bracket

cool

¡Me ha encantado!

One of the bands that began a long lasting love for this genre, indie sleaze. Perfect in every way, Can’t Stand Me Now is one of my favourite songs of all time.

I guess these two Herberts are the pinnacle of “indie sleaze” which I think means they were stinky skag heads in skinny jeans. I used to listen to them a lot when I was a teenager, and I definitely preferred their first album but revisiting this for the first time in ages I think it stands up well. I always thought it would fall apart if they didn’t have such a solid rhythm section, and the sound of scrappy guitars and sloppy vocals over that solid foundation still sounds really good. I think the song writing is high quality and it’s a shame the many imitators that came afterwards dragged them into the indie landfill category. The album actually gets a lot better as it goes on, I’d forgotten how good ‘the haha wall’ and ‘campaign of hate’ are. It ends strongly on a bittersweet note which is pure nostalgia for me. I can imagine our American friends struggling with this one but I think it’s eclectic and enjoyable the whole way through.

Brilliant

I really enjoyed this album all the way through. My favourite from the list so far, so much so i listened thrice!

I was first introduced to this album in Australia in 2005. "The Libertines" (along with Razorlight's "Up All Night" and "The Complete Stone Roses") was new to me and heavily featured in the soundtrack to my backpacking adventure down under. This was one of the few albums that genuinely changed my music-loving brain. It was a new(ish) sound. The imperfect duelling guitars that mesh perfectly together. The raw yet melodic vocals. The fucking lyrics. I instantly loved it. This is a complete album. Every song hits. "Music When the Lights Go Out", in particular, is a pure magic; songwriting genius. I still love everything about this record. These boys are exceptionally talented degenerate junkies. 👍👍

Ahhh, what a fantastic album. A tour de force. I bloody love this album and it holds up so well. It really takes me back to be being a teenager. The album has such a feel to it. I love the things like random whistles, guitar sounds, shouting etc, it sounds chaotic but all together. Pete Doherty's lyrics are so good, really poetic and beautiful but then put amongst this chaotic sound and the whole world he was living in make such a juxtaposition, it's great. Stay off the drugs Pete.

It takes a pair of friends to fight and split up their band to come up with such a raw, beautiful song as 'Can't Stand me Now'. I totally get why people think this record is overrated. But, c'mon. Depressive, kind of catchy mix between 70s punk and 90s britpop? This is totally my kind of music.

¡Me ha encantado!

The songs are not as good as they are on Up The Bracket (a six-star album in my opinion) but everything you love about The Libertines is here on the S/T record.

Never really bothered with The Libertines and as I’m not a fan of Arctic Monkeys I didn’t think I’d like this one, but I do. The tracks are all interesting and have individuality in every aspect. I really liked “Music When The Light Goes Out”, “What Katie Did” and of course “Can’t Stand Me Now” which is the only one I already knew from this album. I think I’ll listen to it again and maybe have a listen to their other albums.

This was a surprise. I really liked several songs on here and the rest of it was quite tolerable.

great album, which i ocasionally listened to before this.

Honestly kinda overrated. I've been listening to the two singles for years and always liked them so I was expecting better but the rest of the album is quite forgettable. Would probably give it a 3.5 if I could.

Classic noughties indie rock, very solid if not slightly derivative. Enjoyed this.

Listened to this as a teenager. Still a great album. Has a certain unpolishednes which makes it stand out from the Indie landfill

Kreativ. Rotzig Rockig.Pop.Rock.Melodisch.

One of my favorite albums. Bummer I never got to see them live.

I really wasn't sure what to expect from this album. I have no real idea about Pete Doherty beyond his early 2000's shenanigans - which were, admittedly, fairly interesting to watch in a perverse way. I have the debut Dirty Pretty Things album because I liked the Bang Bang You're Dead track - and to be fair, the rest of the album is pretty good. Anyway, enough rambling, this album was very good. There were more good tracks than bad tracks, and there were no tracks bad enough I had to question whether to continue listening.

Yeah

So much energy and sparkiness

Very Arctic Monkeys-esque. I dig it.

This album rules. I don't know The Libertines at all; kind of reminded me a bit of the Buzzcocks at times. Looks like they came and went in the early 2000's with that era's "rock revival". I wasn't dialed into bands from that era until much later, so I'm glad I was able to finally hear them as I think I enjoy this more than some of those more polished acts like the Strokes and the Vines.

jó volt, picit egyben uncsi de a számok külön külön megállják a helyüket:)

If this was my kind of music, this would be one of best albums.

When I was in sixth form, my media studies teacher (The Danks) was obsessed with anything Pete Doherty adjacent, always telling us about what a music genius he is. At the time, I remember taking this onboard and going away to listen to The Libertines and thinking they sounded awful. Listening today, I do genuinely really enjoy Can’t Stand Me Now. The rest of the album isn’t as bad as I remember, but the highlight is most definitely that opening track. I’d go as far as to say this is a good album. Not amazing, but yeah, it’s good. Teenage me would hate me for saying that.

enjoyed it, will listen to them more

It's better than I remembered it. Add some nostalgia and I'm between 3 and 4 stars. After some generic albums, I'm leaning towards 4. Pete Doherty is the Christiane F. of music for me and I found him really cool as a kid. Maybe because he was dating Kate Moss? Nevertheless, raw and unique sound.

This was fun! It’s got that scrappy, honest vibe. The way it paints small, gritty moments feels like a looser version of Pulp. It’s raw, kind of chaotic, but you can tell they mean every word.

Solid record

Really enjoyed this mellow punk pop garage sort of sound. The album tripped along and I think I'll give it another listen.

Couple of the songs rocked.

I liked this more than I expected.

Great album nice sound

Great listen! Punk sensibility with some Morrissey influence. Just let it go on repeat for a while. Highlights: Can't Stand Me Now, The Ha Ha Wall, The Saga

Nice eclectic UK indie rock. Was surprised by the range

Overall strong, if quite performative and showy, like all these bands were. Their attitudinal strengths and style points don't extend all that well over the years. “Music When the Lights Go Out” and “What Katy Did" are top tracks. Decent quality and maybe not quite so tiresomely full of themselves as FF and Strokes.

A BBC public poll named this album as 3rd most overrated album ever made. Oh no... This was definately a rear loaded album. The first like 5 songs were shitty British indie, then the rest of the album was punk/garage rock akin to The Clash, The Jam, or The Kinks... Not bad. This album was produced by Mick Jones of The Clash apparently. Favourite songs: Narcissist, The Saga, Arbeit Macht Frei, The Ha Ha Wall, Tomblands, Campaign of Hate, Road to Ruin Least favourite songs: Don't Be Shy 4/5

I enjoyed this record. 4 stars, why the fuck not.

Music When The Lights Go Out, Campaign Of Hate, and The Ha Ha Wall gotta be my favourite tracks on the album.