The Libertines

Amazed and disappointed by all the negative reviews. What others have labeled as "barely being able to play" and "bad production" I would consider "raw and engaging." There's an urgency, energy and deep personal connection to the poetry of the album, none of which would be present if it was overproduced and overpolished. But if it sounds like a chaotic mess with two people barely holding together as they struggle with the disillusionment of addiction and fallen dreams, that means it worked. The production here is Mick Jones asking them to play a song a few times, then picking a take. It's a band in a room playing music together. So yes, it sounds quite different to say - the top US charting single of 2004, "Yeah," which credits zero instruments but seven writers and somehow required three studios to record two people saying "yeah" a few dozen times. That's manufactured pop. Not to say its not a banger in its own right, but in contrast this is real people playing real instruments and singing real songs about things real to them. Apologies if it doesn't sound fake enough.

Criminally underrated, the precursor band to an entire movement

Straight up classic. Imperfect, messy, gritty, sincere and incredibly joyful. Yes, they can be pompous and are not immune to the odd catastrophe, but they get up again, dust themselves and play on. Respect.

Love them ❤️

Have I been living under a rock? How have I never heard of these people. I saved half the album on the first listen. 2/3 of it by the second listen. Loved it.

The boat times

I’ve seen the libertines live brighton on the beach 2024, it was a great gig, Doherty and Barat weren’t arguing. Though there was some crack addled party mum bumping in our way, many, many times. But it was worth it, really it was. On this album itself, I prefer up the bracket for it’s consistency but wow this has the peaks! Can’t stand me now perfectly sums up the notoriously destructive relationship of Doherty and Barat. Music when the lights go out just has incredible dynamics. What Katie did should’ve been a single, it’s perfect pop and the ‘shoop de lang de lang’s’ is just so catchy. Then what became of the likely lads is also an absolute banger! Those 4 are really the absolute highlights but I’d definitely say that theres some tracks that go very under-appreciated… Last post of the bugle, one that I forget until I play it then I’m like oh I love that one! Don’t be shy because it’s just infectious. Narcissist, the ‘Dor-Ian gray just-for-the-day’ hook is just very infectious. Then Road to ruin too because I like the jungle book reference ‘trust in me’. Least favourite is the ha ha wall, it works well in the album context but it’s just eh It’s probably worse than this (like a 3,4) but I’m giving it a 5, a low 5 more like a 4.5 but this has peaks it really does!

Delightfully Indy! And anti fascist? Hell yeah.

Aviso: Mi reseña es larga, pero para nada profesional, pues no me considero ni cerca de ser un crítico musical. La siguiente me ha tardado 4 horas en redactar y le he invertido este tiempo y amor porque justamente amo tanto a The Libertines y sus proyectos derivados. Si bien amo a otros artistas por igual (mi mount rushmore son los Libs, Beatles, Bob Dylan y... creo que Arcitc Monkeys. Ese último puesto está más en disputa) de estos ya se ha hablado mucho, y The Libs, si bien no son lo más underground del mundo, no tienen el mismo estatus que los otros. Conozco mucho del lore y la historia de los Libs y este disco y busco compartir mi opinión, conocimiento, y amor sobre éllos. Espero que, si te animas a leerme, puedas descubrirlos, escucharlos, reapreciarlos o hasta amarlos como yo. Si no te gustan, no los escuchas, o no me lees, igual está bien. Salu2 :) Para quien no me conoce tan bien, The Libertines son una de mis bandas favoritas de todos los tiempos. El disco debut (espero que también salga en esta lista) "Up The Bracket" es el post-punk más romantico y poco pulido de la historia, como si The Strokes y Sex Pistols tuvieran un bebe y ese bebe leyera Oscar Wilde y William Blake y luego hiciera un album, y a veces no sé si prefiero el debut o este album. Son una banda que canta y sueña con mitología, asegurando que ellos son la tripulación de Albion (un barco imaginario que lleva el nombre legendario-romano de Gran Bretaña) navegando hacia el paraiso utópico de Arcadia. También recomiendo el tercer y cuarto album (nunca tendrán el estatus legendario de los primeros dos, pero mantienen el romaticismo de la banda mientras exploran nuevos sonidos). Otros proyectos de Peter Doherty (uno de mis cantuatores favoritos de la historia), Carl Barat (guitarrista infravalorado dentro del género) como solistas, o sus bandas Babyshambles, Dirty Pretty Things, Carl Barat and The Jackals, Peter Doherty and The Puta Madres, también valen la pena (muchas de sus canciones fueron compuestas durante los años de The Libs). Con respecto a este disco, basta una pregunta ¿te gusta el concepto de Rumors de Fleetwood Mac? Ya sabes, ¿parejas en conflicto resolviendo sus conflictos a traves de la canción, con letras que muy directamente se refieren el uno al otro, o a veces incluso sobre si mismxs? Si es así, te prometo que amarás este disco tanto como yo. El año era 2004, y Doherty era el protagonista regular de los tabloides británicos: drogas, Kate Moss, encarcelamiento, y robo al departamento de su amigo Barat. Sin embargo, The Libs lo recibieron con brazos "abiertos" (tuvieron que pasar años para resolver diferencias y sanar heridas), y así nació esta obra epónima. Se vuelve más intrigante por el hecho de que, aunque Carl Barat y Doherty compusieron juntos, no se sabe a ciencia cierta quien compuso que líneas o versos, y entonces tampoco se sabe cuando cantan el uno para el otro, sobre si mismos, o líneas sobre si mismos que el otro compuso para su compañero. Algunas canciones se desvían brevemente de "la terapia de pareja" entre Doherty y Barat. "Narcissist" es una divertida joya sobre, oh sorpresa, el narcisismo "Wouldn't it be great to be Dorian Gray?". "Arbeit Macht Frei" en un estrenduoso minuto critíca a las viejas generaciones por hipocresía "That old man, he don't like blacks or queers, but he's proud we beat the Nazis? how queer". "Campaign of Hate", "Don't Be Shy", y "Tomblands" son rolas sobre jerarquías escolares, fantasás piratas y, francamente, un poco de nonsense. La gran canción dentro de esta categoría es "What Katie Did": Dulce, melancólica, y el coro de "shoop-shoop-shoop -delang-delang" junto el refrán "since you said goodbye, polka-dots fill my eyes, and I don't know why" y ese encantador riff de guitarra lo convierten en un fan favorite desde el gig arena más grande hasta las sesiones acústicas de Doherty. Fun Fact: Doherty le permitió a Barat cantar esta canción como agradecimiento por aceptarlo de vuelta en la banda. Pero a lo que venimos en este disco: Doherty y Barat sacando sus trapitos sucios a lavar en público. Se trata de una colección de canciones que manifiestan la ruptura de la amistad en diferentes formas. "Music When The Light Go Out" es una vieja canción que Doherty canta en los demos tempraneros de los Libs con la imitación más cagada de la voz de Bowie que te puedas imaginar. Se supone que es sobre el dolor de una chica que empieza a dejar de quererlo "music when the lights come on, the girl I thought I knew is gone", pero el timing de incluir esto en el disco cuando él y Barat estaban publicamente en conflicto es sospechoso "All the memories of the clubs, and the pubs, and the tubs, and the drugs we shared together, They'll stay with me forever". Sostenido por un ritmo marchante, "The Last Post on the Bugle" mira ominosamente hacia el futuro "If I have to go, I will be thinking of your love". "The Ha-Ha Wall" implora bajo otra metáfora militar y un riff suave pero siniestro "I'm hungry, lost and alone, won't you head my call?". Hay un par de canciones menos románticas y más acusadoras. "The Man Who Would Be King" confronta a dos amigos que piensan que pueden sobrevivir sin el otro "what about you over there? do you think I care? Well, you know I don't" escupe Doherty, aunque parece lamentar todo "I hear the words you say, but my heart has gone astray, I watched friendship slip away, but it wasn't supposed to be that way", mientras que Barat afirma "I lived my dreams today, yesterday, and i'll be living yours tomorrow". "The Saga" es lo más punk que hacen The Libs en este disco, no solo por el ritmo o la brevedad de la canción, sino también por la actitud "I don't give a fuck". Pareciera que Doherty se mira al espejo y hace la más cruda autocrítica sobre como daña a sus seres queridos, "A problem becomes a problem when you lie to your friends, when you lie to the people, and when you lie to yourself. And when the truth is too hard to comprehend, you just pretend there isn't a problem"., pero oh, sorpresa, Doherty se muere por la suya y le sabe muy bien y de todas formas es culpa de los demás "I am a pimp and a slave. I make my own bed, I dig my own grave. I don't have a problem, it's YOU with the problem" dice antes de un desolador y catartico aullido. "Road To Ruin" cantada por Barat, es una imploración hacia su amigo de recomponer su camino, no tirar su talento y esfuerzo por la borda, y mantener la unidad "How can we make you understand all you can be is in your hands? you won't need money. Trust in me, take me by the hand". La descripción de arquetipos Dylanescos de la gente que los rodea resulta curiosa, si no poética "All the bent-backed peddlars, jugglers and fools are driving me crazy and climbing my wall". Aunque son parte de la misma categoría de canciones terapeúticas, concuerdo con Eme en que "Can't Stand Me Now" Y "What Became of the Likely Lads?" son las mejores, díficil de escoger entre ambas (me inclino muy ligeramente por Likely Lads), y pienso pues que ambas merecen su propio espacio. "Can't Stand Me Now" abre el disco con un Fade-In repentino pero que va sumando hermosamente parte por parte batería, bajo, y dos guitarras que parecen jugar y rebotar entre si con sus acordes y riffs. La verdad es que tiene todos los elementos instrumentales para ser un indie-rock anthem. Sin embargo, otra vez lo que atrapa aquí es el dialogo entre Barat y Doherty. "It was an ending fitting for the start, you twist and tore our love apart" afirma Barat, y un verso después Doherty contesta "No, you've got it the wrong way round, you shut me up and blamed it on the brown". No sé si sea cobarde, o ingenioso, o hasta ambos, pero me fascina el concepto de esta canción: El que la cagó fuiste tú, pero yo quiero arreglarlo "If you wanna try, there's no worse you could do", tu me dañas a mi "I know you lie, all you do is make me cry", a pesar de todo, aún te quiero y quiero seguir "I'm still in love with you... You can't take me anywhere, but I'll take you anywhere you wanna go", yo no te odio, tu me odias a mi (imaginense que ambos se responden esto el uno al otro repetidamente durante el coro), "You can't stand me now". A la vez, no saben si su relación es rescatable, "Have we enough to keep it together? or do we just keep on pretending and hope our luck is never ending?" Fun fact que hace más romántica todavía la canción: Doherty toca un bonito pero descompuesto fragmento de armónica sobre el final (no es un instrumento que domine) en alusión a una costumbre que tenían el y Barat de regalarse estas mismas en navidad. Hasta la fecha, cada presentación en vivo donde Doherty saca la armónica para declarar el amor hacia su amigo se sigue llevando las palmas del público conocedor del lore. "Likely Lads" es el cierre del disco (hay una pista escondida, la balada acústica "France", que vale la pena por sí misma en esta versión, así como el demo con la banda entera tocandola en sus años de inicios que circula en Youtube). Es una rola que hace referencia a una viejo sitcom (Doherty y Barat aman y romantizan todo lo que es old british culture) con una trama bien sabida: dos jovenes muchachos de clase obrera con poca suerte tratando de idear algún ingenioso plan de armarla en grande, así como Doherty y Barat desde jovenes planearon juntos armarla en el mundo de la música . El sitcom "Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? recurría fuertemente hacia la nostalgia (de hecho, es una secuela setentera a una sitcom sesentera con los mismos personajes pero más jovenes sencillamente titulada "The Likely Lads", donde cada episodio se lamentan y preguntan "¿que nos pasó?" en el pub), y esta rola tiene la misma intención. La canción es sobre si misma "I'll forgive you in a song we'll call The Likely Lads" y nuevamente no soy yo, eres tú "I know exactly what you would do with all the dreams we had [...] I tried to make you see, but you don't wanna know". Incluso es autobiográfica cuando Doherty relata rencorosa y melancolicamente como lo echaron de la banda y solo lo aceptaron, según él aquí, por necesidad, "You sold the rights to all my wrongs and when you needed new songs it's ´welcome back´, how sad". A pesar de todo, el lazo entre amigos es fuerte, si es que te importa, le dicen el uno al otro, afirmando que si, "Blood runs thicker, we're thick as thieves... if that's important to you ("it's important to me"). Y al final, todo se remite al refran sobre que será de la amistad, los sueños y el pacto de unidad "What became of the likely lads [...] of the dreams we had [...] of forever? we'll never know". Spoiler alert: si bien parecía que nunca lo sabríamos, vale la pena escuchar a unos Babyshambles muy crudos en su debut "Down in Albion" un año después en 2005 con su hit "Fuck Forever" donde claramente Doherty, resentido, mandaba muy lejos este pacto, solo por el momento "Fuck Forever, if you don't mind, I don't mind". Años después, se puede apreciar a los Libs en sus nuevos proyectos y discos hablar de esta etapa maduramente (escuchese en "Glasgow Coma Scale Blues" de su tercer disco a Doherty y Barat todavía echarse la culpa el uno al otro de una forma retroespectiva, menos drámatica, y más adulta e incluso divertida). Como un extra, no puedo dejar de recomendar el sencillo de los Libs "Don't Look Back Into The Sun", que probablemente debió de haber sido incluido en este disco. O tal vez no. La instrumentación y producción es pristina, con un intro que le hace competencia a"Can't Stand Me Now" por como va sumando cada instrumento y como las guitarras se enlazan y juegan entre sí. Si bien es igual de romántica, quizas es demasiado optimista para este disco. Doherty La compuso mientras cumplía una condena en la carcel por posesión de drogas (para más información de esta etapa y de su carrera desde su niñez hasta la fecha, recomiendo su autobiografía "A Likely Lad"), y parece contemplar el futuro con optimismo (¿o estará siendo irónco como su amado Oscar Wilde?) "Now you know that you're time has come, and they said it would never come for you", y pareciera querer olvidarse de la nostalgia y sus amigos "Oh my friends you're haven't changed, you're looking fine but living strange [acting deranged en demos]" y sentirse atrapado más alla de la prisión, por el momento y la gente "They'll/She'll never forgive you but They/She won't let you go... LET ME GO!". Aquí no se sumerge totalmente en su tristeza como en "The Libertines", sino que externa un deseo profundo de escapar, y lo logró en cierta forma, pues fue la última canción que grabaron los Libs juntos en esta primera etapa, e incluso ya no estuvo presente en las últimas sesiones en el estudio. Si llegaste hasta aquí, gracias por leer mi reseña de lo que es un disco muy importante para mí. Recurdo que lo descubrí en una etapa de mi vida donde yo también perdí momentaneamente a quien era entonces mi mejor amigo (nunca entendí bien por qué. Tal vez sea mejor así, o tal vez no era importante, o nada en particula,r y afortunadamente ya no me obsesiona ese misterio). Escuchaba a Doherty Y Barat adular, romantizar y escupirse entre sí y no podía evitar sentir que eramos mi amigo y yo. Me da gusto que, al final, así como ellos nosotros también nos reconciliamos. La vida es corta, y hoy que ya descansa en paz, me siento tranquilo sobre nuestra relación. Que bueno que Doherty y Barat (Billy Bilo y Biggles para los cuates) puedan seguir componiendo y navegando el buen Albion hacia Arcadia. Gracias a ambos por ayudarme a procesar mis emociones adolescentes por medio del arte y enseñarme que es válido llorar y lamentarte (hasta cierto punto, los veo como un buen ejemplo de masculinidad por ello). Gracias por recordarme en no perder la fe, porque como dicen en "The Good Old Days" del primer disco "If you lose your faith in love and music, the end won't be long". Gracias por inspirarme a tratar de hacer mis propias canciones algún día, porque si Doherty con limitantes tecnicas puede ¿por qué yo no? (ojalá algún dia pronto tenga algo presentable que enseñarles). Como dicen los graffitis en Up The Bracket Alley, un callejón londinense inundado de mensajes de los fans a la banda: Viva The Libertines! Bilo and Biggles 4 ever <3

dos clásicos del 2004, el año que entré a la primaria™️, seguidos. pta qué buenos eran los libertines. uno más para la lista de que mis canciones favoritas son la primera y la última (sobre todo la última), pero x menos margen de lo que recordaba, banger tras banger tras banger

I actually enjoyed it. Similar vibes to Arctic Monkeys and Ramones in my opinion.

I'm genuinely bemused by some of the negative reviews. To my ears this is anything but generic 2000s indie rock. The Libertines have such a unique sound as a result of having two vocalists, Doherty and Barat's distinctly different songwriting, and their ability to sound slightly shambolic and tight at the same time. Add to that the unique relationship between the songwriters at the time the album was written and recorded, and this becomes a modern classic for me.

Naughty noughties!!

Shaped me. Still as raw and beautiful as the day of release.

How have I never heard this before?!?

Emmm mha encantat.

I always feel like I'm going mad when I read all the middling reviews of this album and lukewarm enthusiasm for The Libertines in general. To me they're so obviously set apart from the other indie bands of the same era - the music is so intricate and urgent, and the content is so compelling in how it explores themes of youth and celebrity and companionship and shame, and well, the list goes on... Seeing them do a tepid mid afternoon slot at Glastonbury this year just broke my heart. Forever waiting for the day they get reclaimed by the music commentariat.

I'm so sad I missed this music when it was new - the London garage rock sound is so fun. The music is upbeat and a little chaotic, but just great to listen to.

I've put off listening to them for a while and what a mistake. This was great as was their debut, tough to decide which is better after listening to them both only once. Rating: 4.6

No son The Strokes, no son Franz Ferdinand. Estos es 100% R´n´R por actitud y calidad. A pesar del pose punk y actitud nihilista, la calidad de sus composiciones solo es comparable a lo que luego recogerían Artic Monkeys. Grandes, tanto como breve fue su carrera. Imprescindibles!!

The best mainstream rap album ever.

Great album

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.

And so, the final album. I saved this for last deliberately. There was so much I wanted to say. A month after I started this project, the sticky tape holding my marriage together finally gave way. It took another two and a half years for us to figure out how to uncouple, consciously or otherwise (IYKYK – do they have any albums here, actually?) and some days this project and the anticipation of listening to something I hadn't properly listened to before was the only reason to get of bed in the morning. This is not an exaggeration . I wanted to write something about discovering, properly discovering, musicians who will have a special place in my heart for the rest of my life thanks to this project. (Gillian Welch and Natalie Merchant are two. There are others.) I wanted to say something about how, on occasion, the selections and the commentary made me want to question the actual existence of sentient rational life on this planet. (No names.) Why The Libertines, though? They were, I think, the first big band of the 00s that I knew nothing about. I knew of them, of course. It was impossible to not know about Pete Doherty et al in those fun innocent years at the start of the millennium. But I didn't know their music, had no option about them as musicians, and had no real desire to find out anything about them. I met my ex wife in mid 2001. Very gradually thereafter, music stopped being the central element of my life. It was me not her, mind. I thought it was a natural aspect of the growing up thing. And. of course, other things came along with the onset of a Serious Relationship. Think Trainspotting and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Funny that, it actually seemed like a fair deal with the devil at the time. (As it happens – and I only found this out today – "The Libertines" was released same the week I got married, in the summer of 2004.) I had so much that I wanted to say. But this album is shite. I would have hated it in 2004, and I hate it in 2026, and I refuse to let it be the anchor any deeper insight into anything. So that's that. But. I won't hold its essential whiteness against it, or against against any other album that I've listened to and hated with a passion over the last four-and-a-half years (sometimes life did get a bit too heavy, and the occasional break was forced upon me). I won't hold anything against it because 1001 Albums has reminded me what it feels like to feel passionate about anything, and why passion is the cornerstone of my very being. It's been a fun journey. Thank you (The rating is for sentiment value alone.)

¡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.

It wasss a greaaattt album its so exciting and not boring at all but i dont really like the first two songs but the rest is amazing

Very good

The songs often have strong melodies and scrappy punk energy, but the performances feel like they might fall apart at any second. That fragility is the appeal. It’s romantic in a very British, dirty-jacket, cigarette-burn, pub-floor kind of way. The band were obsessed with old England, poetry, street life, punk, The Clash, The Smiths, and this fantasy world they called “Albion,” which gives the album more character than just “garage rock dudes with guitars.” The Libertines is beautiful shambles rock — catchy, scruffy, unstable, and full of doomed friendship energy. If you can get into the mess, it has a lot of charm. If not, it may just sound like a bunch of British guys who needed sleep, therapy, and probably some water. Yeah this album was great! I enjoyed it and GPTs description of the album the lyrics the band, were spot on. I am going to give it 4 stars.

This was a fun one!

Pretty good, could definitely see myself listening to this album again

4.3/5 great second album first one more rock but good tunes

Interesting, and rocking. Wasn’t familiar to me at all.

I can't believe I've never heard this before, it felt like a great sister album to 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not.'

Mixed ramblings disguised as a coherent review. I love these guys. I rank The Libertines above every band in the garage rock revival era not called The Strokes or The White Stripes. They've got that same edge but with a lil post-Britpop twist. I listened to Up the Bracket a lot in high school and it was one of those things where I was like "yes, I am cool and cultured because I know about this." One of the things I enjoy most in art is the intersection of highbrow and lowbrow and The Libertines are sort of the platonic ideal of that concept. There's this remarkable level of intellectualism mixed with hedonism and debauchery. Like if Morrissey was writing songs for the Rolling Stones or something. I get the sense that Pete Doherty is much smarter than me while also being a disgusting wreck of a person. They're also one of those bands where my appreciation of the music is greatly enhanced by reading up on the background and band dynamics. Carl and Pete are like the world's most toxic platonic(????????)* couple. Even the context of this album art adds to the story, taken just hours after Pete got out of jail for looting Carl's flat. Here, watch this video from Trash Theory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdUWRR5cxxI Anyway, I do prefer Up the Bracket but Can't Stand Me Now, Music When The Lights Go Out, What Katie Did, and What Became of the Likely Lads are all great. Also Mick Jones from The Clash produced this <<<<<<<3333333 *They are just like blatantly and openly in love with each other and the first track on this album is about them breaking up, while using very explicitly romantic language. Pete also said that he "got turned on by the idea of putting the words in his mouth, making them so personal, so he's singing them back to me." This is good shit. I hope others enjoy it.

Enjoyed this much more than when I first listened to it

I’ve always enjoyed this album. I wonder if I would rate it this high if we didn’t have a past…

fun

Not as good as their first one, but still a great record

I quite enjoyed The Libertines. When i saw that cover art, i was expecting this to either be a punk album or an indie rock album and both ended up being correct. The album certainly had a very fun vibe throughout with each song fully playing into the garage rock vibe which i am very often a fan of. I also thought that the vocals fit these songs very well by having that British garage rock flair which fit the songs very well. I was very mixed on whether i should give this album a 3 or a 4 because it had it's mix of good tracks and meh tracks but i felt that it had enough fun tracks for me to fully decide on a 4 so it is still a win for this album. Best Song: The Saga Worst Song: Last Post on the Bugle

Great album. Sound much more like a 60s or 70s band. Sort of a Beatles sound to them.

i love this band. they are such fun and engaging musicians. And the lyrics are also wonderful. I don't know if it's all that about Pete Doherty being a poet, or how easy going but pretty concrete and exact with the language they use. I also find the way they play and the songs are composed, to be pretty interesting. As an example, their guitars in some songs are more focused on leading the rhythm and energy of the song through repetitive but creative riffs. It's pretty interesting to me how unique this sound is to them and how different feels when playing. I must also say, i don't think this thing i'm going to say is healthy or rational, but I find the heroin chic vibe of the is cover so iconic and powerful. Besides the story behind, there is some nearness, some love that you can feel depicted there, and it's unconventional between men. It speaks volumes the way this pic reflects the profound relationship between Doherty and Barat. and how it's in its own way, rebellious and unconventional, as the music of the album

I’ve always loved this album but can’t really pinpoint why. There is a roughness to it that makes me think of it more from the lineage of punk than alternative. And it definitely finds that connection on certain tracks. But everything is handled with an intricacy and a deftness that escapes most offerings in this style, layered with a lush musical r

Much lighter than I expected - great stuff

This wasn't particularly amazing music but I really do value things that are unique and this was really interesting in that regard!

I'll search for detailed information about The Libertines' self-titled album to provide you with a comprehensive review. **The Libertines** (2004) — *The Libertines* --- ### Overview Released in August 2004, *The Libertines* is the self-titled second album by the British rock band The Libertines. Produced by Mick Jones of The Clash, it arrived at the height of the band's internal chaos and became their final studio album before their initial breakup. It debuted at #1 on the UK Albums Chart and was voted the second-best album of 2004 by *NME* magazine, yet its legacy is inseparable from the fractured relationship between frontmen Pete Doherty and Carl Barât. --- ### Lyrics & Themes The album's lyrics are brutally autobiographical, functioning as a real-time chronicle of Doherty and Barât's disintegrating friendship. The record is essentially bookended by two confessional duets: **"Can't Stand Me Now"** and **"What Became of the Likely Lads."** **"Can't Stand Me Now"** (the opening track and lead single) is a "Samuel Beckett-like dialogue" between Doherty and Barât, trading barbs about their mutual failings. Lines like *"Can't take me anywhere / I'll strip the carpet off the floor"* and *"Have we enough to keep it together?"* directly address Doherty's addiction, Barât's frustration, and their co-dependent bond. The harmonica outro alludes to harmonicas Barât would buy the band as Christmas gifts. **"What Became of the Likely Lads"** closes the album on a note of heartbreaking resignation. As the BBC noted, "Carl gently chides Pete one more time, they reflect on their shared dreams and wonder how it all went wrong." Other tracks continue this raw self-examination: - **"Last Post on the Bugle"** features Doherty's plea *"I got carried away"* over pounding drums and chiming riffs - **"The Saga"** finds Doherty lashing out at the media vultures feeding on his addiction - **"Don't Be Shy"** captures Doherty's loose, incoherent vocal delivery, sounding like "a man who knows something's wrong but is struggling to put it right" The band's recurring mythology of "Albion" and "Arcadia"—Doherty's imagined utopia without rules—appears throughout, grounding their personal drama in a romanticized British literary tradition. --- ### Music & Songwriting Musically, the album sits at the intersection of British punk, garage rock revival, and music hall tradition. The sound is characterized by: - Raw, scratchy, bare-bones guitar work - A hyperactive rhythm section (Gary Powell's drumming is particularly underrated) - Vocals that range from punk snarls to near-drunken slurs - Classic British Invasion harmonies alongside chaotic energy **"Music When the Lights Go Out"** stands out for its incredible dynamics and vulnerability. **"What Katy Did"** (with its infectious *"shoop de lang de lang"* hook) showcases the band's pop instincts. **"Campaign of Hate"** and **"Arbeit Macht Frei"** demonstrate their capacity for astute social observation and exhilarating thrash-punk. The songwriting partnership of Doherty and Barât remains the album's central strength. Their contrasting styles—Doherty's wounded romanticism and Barât's blasé bohemian vanity—create a tension that fuels the music even as it destroys the band. --- ### Production Mick Jones (The Clash) returned to produce after aborted sessions with Bernard Butler. Jones's approach was deliberately hands-off: he would have the band play a song several times and simply choose the best take, performing minimal mixing and dubbing. This method captures the band's live energy but also their frayed edges. As one reviewer noted, the album "plays almost like a live album, songs bleeding into one another seamlessly." The production is warm, not-too-rough, and not-too-polished—emphasizing both the pedigree of their sound and its originality. However, the same rawness means some tracks feel unfinished. "Don't Be Shy" and several others "ramble and grind to a halt, as though they haven't been finished properly." Doherty's vocal on these tracks is loose to the point of incoherence. The recording sessions themselves were fraught with tension. Security guards were hired to prevent Doherty and Barât from physically assaulting each other. Doherty eventually left the mixing and dubbing to the others and did not return to a Libertines recording session for another ten years. --- ### Influence & Legacy *The Libertines* became a defining document of mid-2000s British indie culture. It arrived at the peak of "indie sleaze" before the era of social media hashtags, capturing a specific moment of laddish, chemically-fueled romanticism. The album's influence extends through: - **The Arctic Monkeys** and subsequent British guitar bands who adopted their gritty, lyrical realism - **The "indie sleaze" aesthetic** that would later be romanticized online - **The model of the doomed rock band**—where internal chaos becomes part of the art However, as one retrospective assessment noted, the album's "success has become more a document of contemporary narrative than inherent quality." The mythology of Doherty and Barât's relationship often overshadows the music itself. The album also served as the precursor to an entire movement. As one listener observed, it is "criminally underrated, the precursor band to an entire movement." --- ### Pros | Strength | Details | |----------|---------| | **Unprecedented lyrical honesty** | The autobiographical songs about Doherty and Barât's relationship are unlike anything else in rock—raw, wounded, and real-time confessional | | **Peak songwriting** | Tracks like "Can't Stand Me Now," "Music When the Lights Go Out," "What Katy Did," and "What Became of the Likely Lads" represent the duo at their melodic and emotional best | | **Authentic production** | Mick Jones's live-take approach captures the band's genuine chemistry and chaos; it sounds like "real people playing real instruments and singing real songs about things real to them" | | **Cultural significance** | It defined a moment in British music and indie culture, influencing bands like Arctic Monkeys and embodying the romanticized chaos of the era | | **Vocal contrast** | Doherty and Barât's contrasting voices and personas create a dynamic, theatrical listening experience | --- ### Cons | Weakness | Details | |----------|---------| | **Inconsistent quality** | Several tracks feel unfinished or ramble to a halt; "Don't Be Shy" and others lack the tightness of the debut | | **Doherty's deteriorating condition** | His vocals are sometimes incoherent; his personal struggles visibly compromise the music's execution | | **Voyeuristic discomfort** | The album can feel like "listening to two people you love arguing in the next room"—compelling but emotionally draining | | **Less consistent than debut** | Many fans and critics prefer *Up the Bracket* for its coherence; this album's peaks are higher but its valleys are lower | | **Mythology over music** | The narrative of the band's collapse sometimes overshadows the album's actual musical merits | --- ### Verdict *The Libertines* is an album that exists at the intersection of art and autobiography, brilliance and breakdown. It is "almost a classic album" but also "a terrible waste of a great band." The very qualities that make it compelling—the unvarnished honesty, the captured chaos, the sense of a band falling apart in real time—also limit its accessibility and polish. For listeners willing to engage with its discomfort, it offers some of the most emotionally raw and culturally significant British rock of the 2000s. For others, it remains a fascinating but flawed document of a band that burned too bright, too fast.

I was in my mid-20s when this came out, and was broadening out to listen to more varied genres of music when this came out, so I was fairly ambivalent to this lot despite the music press hype. This was second only to the first Franz Ferdinand debut in the NME albums of the year 2004, but I enjoyed this more than that one. It's loose, direct and quite whimsical in places. I don't quite see Barat-Doherty as the Morrissey-Marr of the 2000s and the destructiveness of the relationship seems sad more than anything else, but they got closer to that level than most.

Honestly, I did not expect to like this at all. 00s indie rock with one of the ugliest album covers I've ever seen both go a long way towards lowering my expectations. However, perhaps in part because of those lowered expectations, I found myself really enjoying this one! They're clearly really talented songwriters, and the typical 90s garage rock guitar noise is broken up nicely by some skilled deployment of other instruments here and there. That's not to say the guitar work is bad, though: it's really skillful, and manages to stay fresh throughout. Ultimately what makes this work so well for me, I think, is the clear inspiration taken from 60s psych rock. Feels very Stooges- or Beatles-esque at points.

I like what Katie did. 4/5

Muy buen disco, solo conocía Dont be shy, pero me gustó

Okay this was a fun one to revisit, and it was better than I remember. It’s an album that on occasion threatens to be too Stokesy, but it does enough to sound uniquely theirs by the end of the album. Can’t Stand Me Now is probably the highlight and a uniquely written and performed back-and-forth song. It’s a rare intentionally meta song that works great. The whole album is solid after it, and reminds me of a very British version of early Kings of Leon with a huge dash of Strokes.

Really fun album. Great energy, fantastic hooks, is stripped down and still very intricate. Yes plz

For a split second I thought that was Cillian Murphy on the cover. Enjoyed this one quite a bit!! I had no prior knowledge of this group before this so it makes it even more fun that I liked this so much!

louis i lestat

I’ve always been aware of the libertines but surprisingly never listened to them despite this being from a genre and period that I was very into. Not surprisingly I enjoyed this a lot

Slightly messy but surprisingly fun.

pretty good, 4

A great early 2000s masterpiece

Rv

Sharp, fresh lyrics, great tunes

A wonderfully chaotic collection of songs from a band falling apart at the seams. It balances jagged guitars with tender, poetic lyricis, the influence of Mick Jones being very apparent. Can't Stand Me Now is a painful duet which documents the fallout of Pete Doherty and Carl Barât, and a song I managed to squeeze into the Fielding Primary School PTA Quiz during my 11-year stint as co-quizmaster.

They wrote this about each other, props to create something so beautiful and tortured and to do it together.

This is pretty cool. I especially like the guitar work. It's pretty interesting guitaring and worth more listens. I'd like to hear more from this band. They remind me a little of Arctic Monkeys.

I really enjoyed this...it had a nice blend of rock, emo and catchiness in a down and dirty kind of way. You can really feel the love and respect they share for each other too, despite what sounds like a pretty tortured relationship.

I like it, just some good ol indie slop. Do yall know the vr drunken bar fight game? This album reminds me of the music that plays in that game. 7/10

I haven’t listened to this album in quite sometime and going doing so again I get why the Libertines had a loyal fan base. The songs get to the point and there are lots of ear worms throughout. 3.8

No es tan bueni técnicamente o novedoso pero me gustó

Löst bei mir Nostalgie ohne Ende aus, weil ich die mit Freunden in der Schulzeit rauf und runter gehört habe. Hat sich gut gehalten, gefällt mir immer noch.

A mixture of the usual Libertines chaos and some great softer moments. A real masterpiece of early 2000s indie.

Reminds me of the Clash in terms of proficiency and the Arctic Monkeys in vibes.

01) Can't Stand Me Now - 10,0 02) Last Post on the Bugle - 8,5 03) Don't Be Shy - 7,5 04) The Man Who Would Be King - 8,5 05) Music When the Lights Go Out - 8,5 06) Narcissist - 7,5 07) The Ha Ha Wall - 8,0 08) Arbeit Macht Frei - 7,0 09) Campaign of Hate - 7,5 10) What Katie Did - 8,0 11) Tomblands - 7,0 12) The Saga - 7,0 13) Road to Ruin - 7,5 14) What Became of the Likely Lads - 8,5 TOTAL: 7,93 (79/100) Current ranking: 262/867

Quite enjoyed it! Kinda giving a more melodious and sentimental Strokes. Fully thought after the first song the two guys on the cover were gay for each other but I guess 2004 was too early for that. The Brits do the best garage rock because they get a little deeper. The Strokes rule but they’re a little too cool for school for me, a softy at heart, to fully connect. Anyway, this album has multiple standouts, and my favorite lines (that I actually hear while listening to them lol) are, “But since you said goodbye / the polka dots fill the skies / and I don’t know why.” Amen brother!

this was pretty good im ngl better than expected very fun

Me moló y llega al 4 de milagro

I think this gets a lot more hate than it should be. I think that they have been unfairly lumped into the Britpop genre. I never really listened to them growing up, but having given this a first go, I'm pretty impressed?

Some fun UK stuff. Liked some of the songs and would probably listen to more of. Surprised this was a bit more popular than I would have thought from a group and album.

A lot more chill than I remember

People are hating on this but I quite liked it

Interesting listen. I like the overall structure of the album, how one song flows to the next. It almost feels like listening to a live set. I love the heavy blues and early rock influence that lays out the overall tone. "Road to Ruin" ended up being the favorite this time.

Only heard Up The Bracket previously so this was brand new to me. Overall feels like it's a more balanced album than UTB. Enjoyed this a lot. Brightened up my morning walk. 4

Better than it probably has any right to be.

not bad

You can hear the tension in the band on this album, it’s palatable. A burst of energy. Raw. Everything I want a rock record to be.

I’ll definitely listen again

Obviously I'm aware of the band, but had never knowingly listened to anything by them. They're a bit too modern for me, and I imagine I was put off by Doherty's antics which seems to be regular tabloid fodder. The album's not bad at all actually. In fact, I quite enjoyed it. It's pretty basic, but so am I, so that's fine. Listenable to certainly.

18# really like this, it scratches my itch for alternative rock. This is playfull and fun, always doing something different, not repeting too much of the same structure, the songs evolve. Before hearing i read a lot of reviews saying this looked and is a mid album. I cant agree, maybe its because my roots are alt rock indie rock and this bangs on it

Familiar fun indie hell yeah

A fun album. The guitar parts are especially great. There are a few tracks that land poorly, which is holding the score down just a smidge, but overall I really enjoyed the album. Favorite track: "Can't Stand Me Now"

Kalmbum

Med tanke på att deras överlägset bästa låt, "Don't Look Back into the Sun", intressant nog inte är del av något album så är det här så bra som ett album med The Libertines blir, och det är mycket bra.

Pretty good very nostalgic

I'm starting to think that alt-rock is more my jam than traditional rock. I like that this is softer than traditional rock. I like that is sounds kind of eerie, for lack of a better word. It's sort of grimy and dismal. Favorite song: Road to Ruin.

Album #51 The Libertines: The Libertines The Libertines are a band which somehow skirted past my radar, despite me being a fan of the garage-rock revival of the 2000s and most British indie music. The first time I heard of them was when reading the NME top 100 albums list, on which they had two albums, which was strange for me, considering I had never heard of them. I know that NME is pretty controversial in their blatant English bias, but truthfully, I have the music taste of a 50-year-old British man, so I found myself agreeing with a lot of the list. So I have been meaning to check out the Libertines for a while, but I just never got around to it. What I will say is that I do think that NME overrated the band, but I also think the backlash that they have received from that is pretty umwarramted, this is a damn good 2000s indie record. It reminds me of the Arctic Monkeys in the instrumentals and singing style, but instead of being on cocaine like the Monkeys were for their debut, The Libertines are on quaaludes on this album. They lack the raw energy that Arctic Monkeys had, but that doesn’t necessarily make this worse, just a lot more mellow. I think if you like this sound and scene in general, you are going to like this album, pretty much non-stop bangers and fun songs; however, if you were alive during this time, I can see how you might have become inundated with the genre and felt that this album was simply more of the same. For me, this is an album which I will almost certainly return to, though it wouldn’t be my first choice from this era. Best Songs: What Became of the Likely Lads, Music When The Lights Go Out, Can’t Stand Me Now Worst Song: Don’t Be Shy Score out of 10: 8.5

Did not think I would like this but was very pleasantly surprised. Definitely feels like it should have been released in 1984, instead of 2004, but really enjoyed the blending of genres and post-punk sound. Surprisingly good find.

Album carino, garage rock britannico dei primi anni 2000. Percepisco influenze britpop, non mi è dispiaciuto e lo vorrei riascoltare

gouda

I am pretty convinced Pete Doherty is a genius. I haven't thought about this band or album in a long time - but it was on regular rotation during a semester in London. I like the Arctic Monkeys, but think Pete's projects are just a little more interesting. The lyrics, melodies, guitar parts are all just a little better. Can't Stand Me Now stands out - my 15 month old song was pretty fired up for that one. It's such a good song.

No idea who this is, but love the sounds so far and this first song is off to a great start. I’m digging the second song now. I like the vibe of this record. I really love this record. “What Katie did” is such a good song.

i quite liked

Good old garage punk/rock stuff played with a whole lot of heart and soul. They meant it, man! Some interesting facts: 1.) The front cover features Carl Barât and Pete Doherty (band mates in The Libertines) before playing a gig (Freedom Gif 2003) just hours after Doherty was released from prison for burgling Barât's flat. 2.) Pete Doherty was once engaged to Kate Moss! 3.) Pete Doherty was really handsome at one time but now looks like a bloated hedghog with gray hair. 4.) Carl Barât (co lead singer of The Libertines w/ Doherty) once played Gene Vincent in the film Telstar. 5.) I wanted to look like Kate Moss growing up. My dad had a coffee table book I would look at everyday with my Barbies- she looked like a Barbie doll come to life. I have a bit of a tummy ache, so I don't feel like finding out what became of the likely lads. I don't look like Kate Moss.

Enjoyable

idk but I guess I actually like it. like, garage rock revival might be one of my favourite genre by now. 4/5

I enjoyed it more then I thought I would

7/10 Feels like a night out I used to have. Starts strong, but as it wears on everything feels a bit forced and everyone's a bit tired. You get the occasional reminder why your doing it, but looking back on it you wonder if it was as good as you thought it was. I like looseness, but this has a bit too much of it - that'll be the large Clash influence hanging over it, I guess.

And for the man who would be king I will say only one thing

Very surprised by this. I was not expecting to like it, but this is solid indie rock.

pretty difficult to rate this without the massive emotional attachment I have to it

Great album from the 2000s! Lots of good songs and prob one of their more recognized albums

I don't know what I thought this was, but I have it forever and never listened. I am really glad to say that I was wrong. Incredibly listenable and catchy and all the things I love about Jangle Pop from Britain. Really, really good album.

Альбом, к которому хочется вернуться.

Enjoyed this one! They have a good style.

Strokin it to Arctic Monkeys. 8/10

Pretty catchy

oh brit pop i could never hate you

You may call it landfill indie, but The Libertines are the absolute best of that genre for me. Very good album, but Up the Bracket might be slightly better. Can't Stand Me Now and Music When the Lights Go Out are both absolute classics.

This is one of those lightning-in-a-bottle records that happens when a band is in a state of turmoil. The songs are strong, the lyrics are often poignant or sharp barbs. It is a good listen and the brit-pop and Beatles influences are pretty obvious.

Raw talent, before taking it too far.

I have never heard of this band in my entire life…. but wow. Talk about them capturing the early 2000’s with their album cover! The album had a strong start and remained pretty consistent, with a few songs here and there that I could do without. I loved the surf-rock elements throughout, but they did garage rock/indie rock justice.

Early pop-punk I’d say, love the incorporation of horns

Ein musikalisch kurzweiliges Album voller britischem Indie-Chaos und Charme. Mit witzigen Texten und roher Energie erzählen Pete Doherty und Carl Barât von Freundschaft, Streit und Sehnsucht. Unperfekt, aber genau deshalb so fesselnd.

Fun album! I enjoyed it way more than I expected!

very good yes. I liked it. 4.00/5

Awesome, but couldnt find the full album.

Fratellis with other influences lkke Sto e Roses

Libertines are one of those bands that I’ve always heard were good, but their away from the music antics always made them seem like a bit of a joke to me. Consequently I’ve never really listened to them, bar Don’t Look Back Into The Sun. Perhaps they deserve more of my attention. Simpsons: No

I liked it I guess? Low 4 but a 4

Well this turned out to a hell of a lot better than I had expected! I took no notice of this band because I thought Doherty was a bellend. He is, but his music is pretty damn good!

I liked this a lot. This is some of my favorite kind of music - very British. I love when singers have thick British accents when they sing. I already knew 3 songs from this, but I liked them all. This is very similar to some of my favorite bands at the time - The View, The Fratellis, Arctic Monkeys.

This was another pleasant surprise. Some really good songs

I think for a spell I really did believe the Libs were the most important band of a generation. Worryingly, I sort of stand by it. And this is definitely their signature record, with most of the greats on here. They're at their best, for me, when they're a bit more spiteful and harsh than on the ones (What Katy Did) where they lean a little into Chas and Dave for my tastes. But still, a really cultural touchstone that has a lot more musical chops than they get credit for. Viva Barat and Our Pete.

Post Punk Indy Rock. 4 stars.

A complete surprise. I enjoyed this Brit rock-was like the Clash. For the record, I’m not a big fan of Brit rock-except for the Clash and now the Libertines.

I enjoyed this, some great songs not sure why I haven’t listened to the album before now

Specifičan slučaj gdje mi se nijedna pjesma ne sviđa spektakularno, a nijedna mi se ne ne sviđa? Odličan album sveukupno, pogotovo za ljude koji više vole ovakvu muziku.

You can hear why the Libertines were a cut better than the rest of the landfill era bands. It might not have aged as well as it could, but the story telling shines through. Brings back a lot of memories but by no means a seminal release. Low 4 out of 5

There is a ramshackle, off kilter charm to the Libertines, whether they are delivering an adrenaline fuelled anthem or a more nostalgic, sweet song. I love the harmonies, I think both Karl and Pete have very interesting voices that sound unique together. It’s rare to have two vocalists share equal billing. I do wonder why they received such an extreme backlash from beard stroking music fans at the time. The fact that they were unlikeable tabloid fodder can’t have helped, with their celebrity getting in the way of their music. Listening back, this is a very well turned out record, lots of fun, with plenty of exciting detail that pops (brilliant little asides) and huge, amped up melodies. They know how to write a song! Perhaps I should take the fact that the kids were loving it and grown ups were groaning as proof that they were doing something interesting and different. If I was to find one flaw in this beautiful collection of songs it would be the sequencing of the back half of the record. The album keeps feeling like it’s about to end with too many tracks feeling very “final.”

16/09/2025 I've never given the Libertines a go because I just didn't think it would be my thing. It isn't really, but i thought this was alright.

Never heard of them. So to me they are underrated

This is a great snotty rock record, rife with swagger and longing. The rare UK tabloid fodder rock that actually delivered on the hype.

didn’t know this band. enjoyed it!

catchy, not too bad

I was definitely in the ‘overhyped’ group back in the day. I had this album and liked it. Then now I go back and compare it to a lot of the list and think it stands up well for all its slightly shambolic feel it’s lyrically and musically good. Maybe there was something about the hype.

actually liked this a lot even though i didn't know the band or songs before!!

The Libertines by The Libertines has to have the most early 2000's trying to be different looking cover I've ever seen. The music though was surprisingly good. It is not merely a product of it's time but holds up very well. The sound just works

Very interesting, I think its quite unique, I would compare it to the early Arctic Monkeys, but this came before, so maybe they were inspired by these guys. I really like the simple guitar lines, which are catchy, which this has a lot of, especially in the second half for some reason. The vocals are aright, great in places, but quite repetitive and annoying in some others. It also has some punk elements and inspirations, I think guitar wise. There's also that straight punk song, which is good. Favourite songs: can't stand me now, music when the lights go out, the ha ha wall, Arbeit Macht Frei, campaign of hate, what Katie did, tomblands, the saga. Overall around 7/10

This reminds me of something I can't place. As far as turn of the century pop rock goes, this isn't bad. This could have gone on one of those early 2000s teen comedy soundtracks. It's like The Strokes lite. I like it so far. The political songs, Arbeit Mach Frei and Campaign of Hate, have some of the most ham-fisted lyrics I've ever heard...they make Tracy Chapman seem subtle.

Really good tunes, love the emo rock vibes on here. Will listen to again.

I'm slightly embarrassed I enjoyed this as much as I did, because it sounds like any other early 00's alt rock. Personal enjoyment: 4/5 Relevance to this list: 1/5

Absolute banger of a 2000's album. Has those soft rock vibes that are synonymous with this era of music. That said it didn't REALLY stand out to me.

The Libertines slipped under the radar - never heard of them until this listen. They’re impressive! This album is solid from start to finish; especially The Man Who Would Be King and Music When The Lights Go Out. They remind me of Artic Monks. Great selection for the 1001 Must Hear List.. (4.4*s) Will be checking out more of their albums.

53/1001 :: The Libertines - The Libertines Heard before? :white_check_mark: Would I revisit? :white_check_mark: Rating: 7 Fav Tracks: Can’t Stand Me Now, Music When The Lights Go Out, What Katie Did Listen before you die: Yes I haven’t listened to this album in a long time. I remember being really excited for this album when it dropped and all the madness swirling around the band at the time. I think people should listen to this before they die because there’s a chance this could be their favorite album of all time. It’s not mine but if you told me it was yours I get it. It’s messy but it’s fun, edgy, heartfelt, tender and fucking cool. Listening to it today I realized how Clash it was then looked at Wikipedia and discovered Mick Jones produced it. Which is pretty rad. Should be noted the Arctic Monkeys owe these boys a pint or two. They filled the a hole when the Libertines left but IMO I’m not sure they ever made an album this good…

Definitely a throwback feeling. Partial to these guys. Not their strongest, but you can't argue with What Katie Did and What Became of The Likely Lads...

Solid, strokes-y britpop. Very enjoyable.

Alkuun hiukan epäileväinen, mutta epäilyt osottautui nopeasti vääriksi. Hyvällä tavalla monipuolinen ja erikoinenkin rock levy joka ottaa inspiraatiota monesta eri genrestä. On punkkia, humppaa ja kaiken maailman polkkaa. Ei siltikään ehkä suosikkeja, mutta tosi hyvä kuunneltava. Road To Ruin on kanssa varmasti ottanut inspiraatiota Miserlousta. Parhaat: What Katie Did, The Man Who Would Be King, Campaign Of Hate, The Ha Ha Wall

**** It‘s good. Not all songs but enough.

Great

Strong 4. I listened to this a couple times through on Friday and thoroughly enjoyed it, especially Music When the Lights Go Out.

Had just vaguely heard of this band and quite liked it — listened to it twice over the weekend. A nice surprise.

Начало раздражало из-за манеры пения, но где-то с середины начинаются интересные композиции. 6,5 из 10.

Knapp 20 Jahre alt, und schon ein Klassiker ;-) Wild, derb, ungehobelt, nicht zu bändigen - aber mit tollem Songwriting, das macht den Unterschied. Schön, dass Doherty die Kurze zu kriegen scheint.

73/100.Doesn’t push the boundaries of its genre. It’s a solid dose of mid-2000s indie punk, effective in its way, but not overflowing with fresh ideas or sonic growth. The Libertines captures a moment. It's ragged, heartfelt, and unfiltered.

Actually really fun; vibrant and distinct from their contemporary peers. This one's going to stick in my library.

For me, best album so far. Some great songs, at times out of tune and rough around the edges but I guess that's the point.

Such a good album - 4.5

Kind of British indie punk rock. Good

I know you Can’t Stand Me Now, but Don’t Be Shy and listen to this album.

This has grown. It's so sensual and pleading and warm. And fun and jangly. And the party keeps going on! Glad to see these guys are still out there playing.

The Libertines' second album is good but not great. Doherty and Barât writes some catchy tunes, but there's some imagination missing when comparing to their contemporaries in Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, Editors, The Killers and so on.

The Libertines are not quite as good as some of their British contemporaries, but they’re still a joy. They just miss that one key component that really makes them stand out.

The drums sound like they’re in another room and the vocals are both strained and lazy. Only works bc they’re British. Overall great punk adjacent alternative 2000s rock. Just angsty enough

A garage band rock type of feel with a little a very English vibe.

Veel Britsere garage rock ga je niet krijgen. Heerlijk hoe ontzettend punk die Pete Doherty is. Die plaat is het ook. Alleen al omdat Mick Jones deze heeft geproduceerd. Het klinkt ook erg als the Clash. Vind the Libertines altijd wel chill. Door de samenzang van de twee zangers en het feit het punk is, maar niet door lomp te vlammen. Over de songs is goed nagedacht, zijn echt liedjes. Heb dan ook genoten van deze plaat en even in de bijzondere broederschap van Barat en Doherty te duiken. 7,5/10 Highlights Can't Stand Me Now Road to Ruin What Became of the Likely Lads

beetje sloppy punk zonder echt punk te zijn... waardoor het misschien net weer wel punk wordt... plaatje om blij van te worden

Still not sure how i completely missed The Libertines as a british kid back then, guess i just wasn't that into the indie scene. Really fun album though, full of energy, and a little sloppiness that i like in my rock.

Esch zwar au weder so Britische Pop/Rock was eigentlech dezue tendiert langwiilig z si, das fätzt aber jetzt eigentlech noch no rächt ond esch halt so chli Feelgood-Musig woni allgemein guet fende. Esch mer jetzt au nie wörk langwiilig worde. Vorallem "The Man Who Would Be King" fendi geil. Trozdem esch s meischte doch au es bez random ond ech has jetzt ned e so fescht gfühlt dases 5 Stärne wördig wär.

Really bloody good

Messy, catchy, high energy. Don't know how I missed this one in 2004, I would've been obsessed! 3.5

Liked this a lot!

Heard of them, familiar with at least one of the songs, maybe more. My kind of thing, I enjoyed - predictable with indie rock it seems.

These guys walked so Arctic Monkeys could run. My god is this similar. The album was a fun listen even if the guitar tone got a little monotonous by the end.

Det hørtes ut omtrent akkurat som æ har trodd at det skulle høres ut i de tyve åran æ ikke har hørt på det. Æ likte bonussporet etter sistesporet best, så det sier sæsjøl at det va ensom mann med gitar.

New album for me. Great sound and range. Looking forward to listening to this more.

Better than I expected it to be! I expected more Blur, not so much The Smiths. The band has chops and there were lots of lovely guitar and songwriting bits.

recht es typischs 3 stern album: es gfallt mer recht guet, ich finds eig biz wenig komplex für es vieri, aber ich finds es guets album, teilwiis passiered sehr kuuli sache (z.b. d gitarre und basslinie in tomblands, ganz andere chiller-vibe in what katie did, echo-prinzip und orgle in road to ruin), drum rundi jetz mal ufes vieri uf.

'Oh, I won't take you anywhere / I'll take you anywhere you wanna go.' Carl and Pete, the frontmen of The Libertines, may not be 'shy,' and they're all about - how should I put it? - 'liberty,' w/ a punky answer to life's problems, but they're also melodic as hell. They opine w/ 'arbeit macht frei,' German for 'work makes you free,' but that does not mean they can't at the same time revel in the vocal greenness of: 'Shoop shoop, shoop de-lang-a-lang.' Where that effective naiveté comes from - 'You won't need money / (You won't need money)' - I don't know, but I'm fully on board. Points off for lack of variety, but unlike the Arctic Monkeys, who never actually sing, The Libertines attack things w/ strength and obliquely, since melody matters.

I’m a big fan of the Libertines, though I think as I age and so does the music I see much less appeal in it. Still a lot of good tracks here, though only a couple that are peak Libertines for me, which is a little disappointing on a 14 track album. Fave Tracks: Can’t Stand Me Now, The Man Who Would Be King, Music When the Lights Go Out, The Ha Ha Wall, What Katie Did, What Became of the Likely Lads? 3.7/5

Another seminal album from my adolescent years. Many hours listening to this album on repeat while playing one of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater games or hanging out with friends.

Rien qui renverse l'histoire de la musique, mais rien qui donne non plus envie de se percer un tympan. Bon petit rock alternatif.

kind of like a much sloppier, slightly more eccentric, more br*tish outgrowth of the strokes. one of the great things about is this it is that its not only a masterpiece but it makes the Creation of a masterpiece feel Attainable..dont need great production value, dont need super flashy techy skill, just need sincerely felt catchy songs channeling your eunni of choice. ofc its easier to identify the parts than actually making something more than the sum of them, and ultimately this is the kind of thing where the all-time great acclaim feels like a strange fleeting blip on the radar of music history. but i cant pretend i didnt have a great time tbh lol...still v catchy, full of little individual ideas to distinguish each song (not the most memorable with just one listen but the level of effort is clear), and the barely-hung-together slapdash nature of it Is a distinguishing factor...it feels rushed, but not necessarily Lazy to my ears, theres identifiable emotion at the heart of every slurred delivery and raggedy instrumental line. ultimately the kind of album that makes it easy to make fun of the 1001 books but i calls em like i sees em if i enjoy the music!

A low 4. Most of the tracks are a bit too short to get into, but it's solid. Standout tracks are Can't Stand Me Now, Campaign of Hate, and What Became of the Likely Lads.

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.

Not as good as Up the Bracket, but still really good.

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

Nice, The Man Who Would be a King is the best

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.

Never heard of these guys, but I really liked it. I can't even quite put my finger on why - it's just good.

Skemmtilegt skítugt rokk. Best þegar maður heyrir Mick Jones áhrifin í gíturunum. Kom mér líka á óvart hvað margt minnti á Pulp, sérstaklega Music when the lights go out, sem er mjög gott lag.

I have a very soft spot in my heart for 2000s Brit rock and this album definitely secured its lasso on that soft spot. Very nostalgic feeling to it even though I've only ever listened to "Can't Stand Me Now." That being said, it definitely isn't the best of that genre, but I enjoyed what I was listening to.

There is a rawness that is either genuine or contrived, but it works. Retro 60s vibe to the rock.

I didn't know what to expect with this one and actually quite liked it. While I found their sound reminiscent of the late 60s, I thought they did it well.

Nice!

Three straight days with a 4 star album gotta be a record for me. Anyway, really liked this one, what Katie did is a masterpiece & Can’t stand me now is amazing too. I liked most of the songs.

Solid punk rock album, felt raw and chaotic at times which gave it a unique style vs similar bands. Favorite songs were: 7. Music when the lights go out 10. Ha ha wall 14. What became of the likely lads 7/10

This was a rock solid rock album. I really only knew of the Libertines as the band that Amy Winehouse's bad influence boyfriend was in. From that I kinda didnt expect to like them, but this was a great example of the bit-pop energy. Album cover: (B) Not a great visual, but it really does capture that Skins-esque feeling of all the illicit fun I associate with that era.

This album has the classic 2000s british rock sound for sure. The song "Narcissist" reminds me a lot of the Fratellis. The sound is a little played out for me personally, but I do like it a lot. This sound is such a big part of my youth that I can't help but view it positively. It feels a little like the backing track to a full decade of my life. This era of music is made to be listened to it in sweaty underground British basements. I was too young to be in basements. They started right after I left and I'm sure everyone was having a lot of fun. Without me. The album is good and definitely a fun listen. I listened to it in a setting where it was hard to track individual songs, so I've got to give a general review of the album. 7/10

Really liked it! 4/5

Enjoyable

Melodic, unpolished music, just lovely.

some interesting music but sort of lost me halfway through

An ending fitting for the start Every part of me wants to give this a 5, one of my favourite albums oat but probably a strong 4 is fair 86/100

The Libertines are a British alt-rock band who had a short, tumultuous career. Their self-titled album was their second release, and the band's best work. Carl Barat and Pete Doherty were the songwriting pair that made the band. Doherty had recurring issue with narcotics that eventually broke up the band. The Libertines were part of a "garage rock" resurgence of the aughts. They made guitar-driven rock songs, with interesting melodies. This is a collection of good songs from a band with great potential and an unfortunately short career.

Never heard of these guys 'til getting this album, but I really dig the Garage Rock Revival sound, so this is super up my alley. 4.5 bumped down to 4 for having each guitar part being on different audio channels, though.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump down to a 4. There’s a big chance this album will hit way less on any subsequent relistens, and I’m fully prepared for that to be the case – for a first go-around though, I’m just a sucker for this style, and I think this is 42 minutes of it being done really, really well. The big thing this album has going for it on its Wikipedia page is that it was “voted the third-most overrated album ever made in a 2005 BBC public poll,” and… that might be kind of fair. I don’t think this is an album that should’ve changed the world or anything, and if it did light the UK on fire, then that’s sort of odd. I don’t think it does anything so special that it should be near a “top 100 albums of all time” list or something similar. Within its own genre and style, I’m sure there are better albums than this, and I’m sure we’ll get to some of them. With that said, I’m just a sucker for this style – this is a great Arctic Monkeys album, even if this came a year and a half before the Arctic Monkeys dropped their first proper studio album. There’s some serious standouts here; I think “Can’t Stand Me Now” is a hell of an opener, I think “Music When the Lights Go Out” has a really nice sort of local bar feel before the instrumentation kicks in (without distracting from the atmosphere, mind you), and the obvious 60s throwback that is “What Katie Did” just appealed right to my cheesy little musical sensibilities. I’ll give the album extra credit; I think this is one of the few times an album has actually gotten me on a hidden track, even in the streaming era. The acoustic piece that ends the album is really, really nicely recorded, and I think it’s just a very quaint finish to a rather fun album. The energy never really lets up, and I don’t think there’s a bad track here. It’s not perfect; a lot of this style is stuck in the early 2000s, and it does have that sort of “this fits right on a Tony Hawk soundtrack” smell that sometimes works in its favor and sometimes doesn’t… but I think it works more often than not. I just really, really enjoyed this, but not enough to bump it up to a 5. Very fun album; very good 4.

With a couple of tracks trimmed, this would've been a 5.

At first I really didn’t like this because it sounded like generic irritating Brit rock the album looped on accident and I found myself enjoying it a lot more for some reason. I’m not even sure what really changed but songs like music when the lights go out were a lot more fun.

At first I was thinking this was nothing more than a Pulp rip off band, but the first half of the album is pretty solid. Definitely one of my favorites from the seemly endless UK indie bands on this list.

I did like the singles back in the day although not a fan of the band or personnel. This caught me by surprise though- sometimes you just need some breezy tunes on a grey day. There wasn’t one song I didn’t sing or jiggle along to.

Did you know that The Libertines released an album this year? No, me neither. I’ve not heard anything of them since they reformed and released that third album that I didn’t listen to, and that was about 10 years ago. What Became Of The Likely Lads indeed. The Libertines really should be considered the British Strokes, the genuine original scene leaders showing the way for how Rock could exist in the 21st century. Instead that title goes to the Arctic Monkeys, who were not exactly proteges but certainly followers of the initial Libertines playbook. I do think The Libertines should be remembered, but I think what is likely to be best remembered is their first album, and relistening to their self-titled, I can see why. The Libertines is not a bad album at all, and in fact I think it has their best song in Can’t Stand Me Now, but it isn’t as cohesive a whole as Up The Bracket. That’s the problem. And, for a band as intentionally ramshackle and scrappy as The Libertines were (are?) it feels a bit silly to complain that it isn’t as good as their other album, because it’s still fine, it’s pretty good. But when The Libertines legacy becomes inevitably stories of their infighting and the relationship between Doherty and Barât, I won’t be surprised if The Libertines the album gets overlooked somewhat

Music when the lights go out on its own is a clear 5

I tried to make myself like this album a few years ago. I am a big fan of indie rock and I do enjoy some garage rock revival, but this is one album I couldn’t get into. I admire the musicianship and I liked two or three of the songs (‘Narcissist’ is good) but overall there’s just something (that I can’t quite pinpoint) that I don’t like about it.

The Libertines has everything I love raucous raw energy and clanging guitars. An album only a British band could create. There is someone about their poetry of crushing women. Not to mention the drugs. 8.2/10

легко и весело

Very good!

some days i love it, some days i skip it. Shes got a beautiful voice but just not a never skip

Well, that was a surprise. I didn't expect that kind of music from the knobs on the album cover. I was prepared for some depressing, self-indulgent Radiohead sounding crap. This was upbeat and fun, with sort of a throwback sound. I heard John Lennon, The Clash, The Cure, and other likely influences here. I will listen to this again at some point.

Being 22 when this record came out what I remember is just all the crap that went with Pete Dockerty which is a shame as this was really fresh at the time. Soild album. Stand out tracks: - Music when the lights go out - Narccist - The ha ha wall - Campaign of hate - The Saga - What became of the likely lads

All these years later, I'm still loving this album. Some cracking songs on it. All round great work.

My views on this album and this band have changed over time. I initially disliked the whole thing and thought they were overrated but now I've softened. They are very similar in vibe to a lot of other (good) bands at this time and now I'm a bit more nostalgic. Energetic, brash, disjointed and fun. Good indie rock....

Never listened to The Libertines until they came on the list. I rather enjoyed it. Not as life shattering as some of the other raters felt. Solid album.

I had this album on repeat when it first came out. Not quite sure why. It’s a good album in that it’s not too polished; you hear what they would sound like live without having to leave your house.

A nice surprise! I liked the grungy, dive bar, British punk/ska vibe of this album.

Good album with some good songs

Better than I expected, fun to listen to.

I cant believe this album is now 20 years old. I have a love hate relationship with the Libertines. Their are some great songs but they are just so poor live!! This is good and middle of the road Indie! Some great pop tunes, some hidden gems and some filler. Favourite song: cant stand me now and what katie did next Least favourite: Dont be shy Album artwork: Iconic cover

Ok, jolly, easy to listen to

Very representative of early aughts indie punk rock.

Really liked this way more than I thought I would. Easy 4

I like The Libertines much more now than I did when this album came out twenty years ago. Then they were so notorious in the press for drugs and Kate Moss, it clouded the music a bit. But their new music appeals to me, particularly Run, Run, Run which was released last year, and listening back to this, I'm drawn to their clever lyrics and catchy silliness, backed by a very enthusiastic drum beat – all the good bits of British indie. Favourite track: Can't Stand Me Now is total vibes, and I love the guitar riff on Music When the Lights Go Out.

i fw this. might be a bit early to call but i think id take this brit-alt-punk is over Arctic Monkeys...

I'm torn between a high 3 or a low 4. I'll go 3 but ... fine a 4.

I saw the picture and immediately heard the opening cacophony in my head. Heroin chic in music form. Lazy, cool and dirty. I didn’t know this was actually their second album and they had done a couple of decent hits before this. I do love the first track but the rest of the album started to wear me down a little. Probably because it really makes me want to get totally shit faced but in reality I’ve got to do the washing up and make my kids packed lunch for tomorrow.

cute. nice. 4

Really good. I liked the vocals and the diversity of the album despite being in a genre not know for having a super diverse sound.

Never heard their music before, but had seen accounts of the various band members rather wild lifestyles. Music is good, liked it, pleasantly post-punk

Not as bad as I expected from the album covers. Big variety between chiller and more energetic songs as well

I actually love this really hard in regards to the music. Some really cool bass lines. The singer is very one trick pony though which makes me not want to listen to it all the time.

I thoroughly enjoyed this album!!!

- Den Namen The Libertines hatte ich schonmal gehört aber keinen einzigen Song und dass Pete Doherty Sänger in noch einer weiteren Band neben den Babyshambles ist, wusste ich auch nicht - Ich finde den Typen aber irgendwie schon immer auf seine sehr abgefuckte Weise sympathisch. Immer wieder Drogenexzesse, Überdosen, Selbstmordgedanken, Kinder mit etlichen Models. Dabei aber einen trockenen Humor, der sich auch oft in seinen Lyrics ausdrückt. Irgendwie ein trauriger Loser mit Humor. Irgendwie roote ich für ihn. - Warum so viel über Doherty reden? Weil der den Sound der Libertines für mich charakteristisch und von anderen Bands aus der Zeit unterscheidbar macht. Seine komische quirky Stimme, die relativ wenige Töne trifft, aber mich irgendwie schon immer fasziniert. - Die Mischung aus The Clash artigem Punk und Britpop gefällt mir super gut. Dazu einige bluesige Einflüsse. - Dass ich direkt an The Clash denken musste, könnte auch damit zusammenhängen, dass Mick Jones das Album produziert hat - Ich hatte mal wieder keine Erwartungen an das Album und bin positiv überrascht - Ich muss sagen, dass ich die Songs, bei denen Pete Doherty nicht gesungen hat, relativ langweilig fand - Werde ich sicher nochmal wieder drauf zurückkommen Rating: 3,5/5

Pretty fab