Reviews (page 6 of 7)
Naked a sin An army towel, covering my belly Some of us weep, some of us howl Knees turn to jelly, but Next! Next! I was just a child A hundred like me I followed a naked body A naked body followed me, Next! Next! I was just a child when my innocence was lost In a mobile army whorehouse A gift of the army, free of cost. Next! Next! Next! I didnt think I would like it, but holy shit this is actually a good album! 4/5
Sounds a bit like a rock-n-roll album from the 50s but with a modern touch.
Bonkers, some songs sound like musicals
I'll gladly stick two used tampons from two Vegas hookers in my ears and hope the subsequent infection renders me deaf, if it means I can avoid listening to anymore of this talentless 'sensation'.
So much cringe on this list!!!
Once again, proof that putting superlatives in your band name is a dumb move. Also, two-color horses are not that strange.
Unremarkable glam.
Rock on!
pretty fun listen, would like to give it a "3/5 with charm"
hvað skal segja. hér ægir hinu og þessu saman. útgáfan af brel ber af. gef þessu annan snúning. 3,5
What the hell was that? I mean, it wasn't bad, just kinda weird and I have no idea why I needed to listen to it. But yeah, sometimes you just need a gang bang to blow the blues away.
There were two songs I thought were okay, the one where he kept saying next and the last song. Partly because they were so different than the other generic crap on the album and partly because the last song was the end of a not great album. 3/10
I get it, it's 70s glam rock and part of what comes with it is a showman on the mic. But this was the most gratingly obnoxious frontman I've ever come across.
Well this is incredibly dumb but a surprisingly large amount of fun
Didn’t know what to expect, but it was okay
Um I genuinely don't know what this is or why it's here, but it's kinda cool. Unfortunately there's also tracks like "Gang Bang" and "Giddy Up a Ding Dong" to counteract the better tracks. Still kinda liked it more than dislikes it though. 2.5/5
pretty fucking awesome
A troubled soul. You’d have to see them live to appreciate all the theatricality that went with it.
Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
No me gusta
Quite enjoyed, not much to say
Lots of fun with raw and unique delivery. Next was the one that made me look up and pay attention the most. Definitely something to sink your teeth into
Didn’t really do much. Generic swamp rock
Inspiring for everyone with no singing talent watsoever—don't let anyone tell you you can't make music!
glam rock gone wrong??? you think it's gonna be good then it's just not
First listen to this, heard about them from a friend but never took the chance. Will definitely have to check out more of their stuff.
Occasional good song, but had to skip some of these
Sounds a bit like Black Sabbath but not as good
Very meh
Intro to the first sing I thought “oh cool I might like this!” By sing three I really didn’t want to hear them anymore. Grating singing voice, nothing all that creative musically.
I definitely could've died without hearing this.
More theatrical than I like, but a few tracks got my attention
Exactly what I expected based on cover art, and band name. Not sure I love his vocals, but the music is killer. I love me some blues inspired 70s rock. Definitely heavy on the sex part of the sex, drugs and rock and roll. I was surprised to find out this band was Scottish, and not based out of the southern US. That is, if I hadn't listened to Next. All told, a solid 2/5 effort. Don't get me wrong, I love this genre, but I don't love this album.
One song in particular made me feel uncomfortable.. You can probably guess which one. I don't think this album is for me. Musicianship was cool, but nothing special in my opinion. There's nothing really that memorable about this album. Honestly sounds like something you'd hear at a diner on the jukebox. Next was a cool song. Very different then the rest of the tracks on this album. Sounds like it could be part of a musical. I don't think this album is something I'll think about ever again. To be honest, I'm glad it was short. Really just, not enjoyable for me. 1/5
Very, very strange
I fell asleep at one point, and my brain thought I was listening to the Muppets and I was happy. But alas, this album has no Muppets. 2/5
4/5
It's an album devoted to TMI.
Guess it was fairly influential, but didn't really enjoy it that much, was silly but not really in a funny way, more just seemed over the top but not in an appealing way like a Poundland version of Alice Cooper
Congratulations to the late Alex Harvey for making the horniest album thus far.
The 70s were really fucking weird
This was awful. Sensational my ass.
5 out of 5. This was a fun, energetic album and not what I was expecting with songs like Gang Bang. When Robert Smith said this band was a forerunner to punk it's clear why. I'm interested to know what their other albums sound like.
This could be a 4, it's a very interesting album. I really appreciate uniqueness and shorter albums and this hits both of those qualities. There's a lot of different elements going on that are cool some bluesy sounds and other songs that sounded like a musical, but at the end of the day none of the songs really stuck with me so I have to keep it at a 3.
Well that was a terrible album, some of these I really question if they stay true to the topic of 1001 albums you ‘need’ to see before you die.
Pretty bad
Interesting, varied, and hints of classic songs.
"Next" is super weird, and "Gang bang" is just them singing those words over and over again - I did not enjoy this album.
Vivant, brut, avec un certain je-m’en-foutisme
8/29/24. Really enjoyed Alex Harvey's vocals here, very Zeppelin or Billy Squier like, very 70s. Some good arrangements here too, overall a fun one!
Sensational doesn't even begin to describe it.
Wow, what a ride. Mostly juvenile and silly nonsense, but pretty fun to just hear something completely different and out of the box sometimes. Hard to take it that seriously though.
Uhm is this just rowdy rock blues songs? I guess props for getting songs like "Gang Bang" (it is exactly what you think) and "Swampsnake" (also exactly what you think) on this list. The music is actually quite catchy, bit of a rocky horror vibe to it. Not bad at all.
Disliked just about everything about this.
A classic. I remember them doing "The Faith Healer" on TOGWT and I was hooked. For em another stand-out track from the album is the title track "Next".
There ain’t nothing like a what now?
Eh, it was ok.
If this was your protopunk I guess that's how you end up sounding like Nick Cave or Robert Smith. Glad others had Iggy Pop instead. music: hated. (⌐■_■)
I thought this would speak to me, it didn’t. Wikipedia references it as being influential in a proto-punk way. Thank god it wasn’t THAT influential.
Interestingly I understand the praise from Nick Cave. I hear some inspiration for Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and lots of psychedelic music influence. I came out of listening to this better than I expected. 3.5/5
This fucking sucks. Yeah, I said it. Not that anyone cares since I don't think anyone even gives a shit about this album in the first place. Why is this even on the list? Well apparently, this guy was a big inspiration on Nick Cave, a musician that Robert Dimery seems to have a gigantic boner for since he has 6 ALBUMS on the list. If any of those 6 albums is anything like this, I might just quit the project entirely. I don't know if I can handle 6 more albums like this. I'll start with the one decent thing about this album. The instrumental sound is not bad. I don't particularly care for it, but I can respect it for what it is. However, everything else about this album is so bad that that barely even matters at all. The singing? Atrocious. Absolutely horrendous. It's Pere Ubu levels of bad. And I literally said that the vocals in Dub Housing were the worst I had ever heard! And somehow the writing is even worse! It's awful! "Gang Bang" has some of the worst writing I've ever heard in a song before. But all of this begs the question... the ultimate question to determine if this is among the worst of the worst. Am I upset that I listened to this album? Well, despite the admittedly okay instrumental aspects of this album, my answer to that question would have to be a resounding YES. 1/5. The only sensation that Alex Harvey makes me feel is pain.
Bit all over the place, the glammier stuff is good though
Según vi en las reviews de esta misma página (o aplicación), las personas no entienden la tremenda relevancia e influencia que este LP tuve sobre el panorama de la música pop y alternativa. Nick Cave roba bastante de la imposición y forma de componer de Alex Harvey, quien tiene una propuesta glam más cercana al punk, siendo satírica, cruda y de mal gusto. Sumamente recomendable. Si no puedes reconocer la influencia que este trabajo tuvo sobre otras piezas musicales, o no estás tan profundo en esta lista o no escuchas tanta música en general.
No thank you. Go away and never come back. You are not welcome here.
Какая-то хренатень
I did a very quick google before listening to this album as his name felt familiar. He’s apparently considered to be one of the original punks. However, this didn’t really seem punky at all to me, instead being pretty much straight up rock and roll. This is no bad thing, as Alex Harvey plays rock and roll very well. I’m not sure why I seem to vaguely recognise Gang Bang, but I do. The highlight for me though is the final track - The Last Of The Teenage Idols - which feels more like an amalgamation of many shorter tracks.
The title track is horrendous while the 2nd track is abhorrent. While there are a couple of decent tracks I'm not going to listen to this again.
Southern saloon music. Some of these songs couldve been used for Roadhouse or some dive bar in New Orleans. Lots of storytelling but it gets all disjointed. Giddy Up a Ding Dong is probably the most coherent but it also plays by Rock/Blues traditions.
Like a worse T Rex album. Thumbs down
I like how big and bold and varied this is. There's lots of layers of instruments, different styles being thrown around, theatrical elements, lots of pomp and sass. I like that something like this exists. It's quite confidently out there without being obnoxious, which (after listening to a lot of other albums in this list) I know can be a tricky thing to pull off. 3.5 rounded down.
Sensational might be a bit much, but pretty good. It was funky and bluesy and weird. I liked it.
I listened to this while watching Skateboarding at the Olympics, and that was as close to liking it as I was going to get.
Weirdest album ever. Will not listen again. Did not enjoy.
Probably paved the way for glam metal and were the basis for Spinal Tap, so 3 stars alone for that
Really enjoyed this one, maybe more than I should, yeah the lyrics are a bit cheesy and crass but it’s really just a good fun album, clearly influenced a lot of punk, and even some hair metal.
Honestly thought I was gonna hate this when it was described as British proto punk but it actually took me by surprise. I can see some of the punk origins with the goofy and crass lyrics and stuff but that just made it a fun 70s comedy rock type thing to me instead. Gang bang was my fav.
Lyrics are quite bad, tunes are quite generic.
- Einige witzige Parts insgesamt aber leider gar nicht meins. - Faith Healer noch der originellste Song. - Hat mich größtenteils gelangweilt 2,5/5
This was abysmally bad.
Ok, Next (the song) was awful but the rest was pretty decent. I need to read up more on this guy.
After 11 straight days of 0 to 1 star albums this was a change. I've never heard of Alex Harvey before but I like a couple songs. Those were the ones that sounded as if Ween and Randy Newman made a record. The rest of the album was OK. But enough to make 2 stars.
Knew and loved 'Faith Healer' already, definitely the highlight of an entertaining but inconsistent album. Also heard the ribald 'Next!' but not the even more ribald 'Gangbang'. You can certainly hear the influence on pub rock and AC/DC, and there's flecks of greatness, but a lot of this is silly and frankly irksome. Another one to file in the 'weren't the 70s random' bin.
I found this pretty repugnant. Lowest common denominator, puerile and lacking in any kind of heart. Gang bang sounds like it was written by a 14 year old boy in the first flush of teenage hormones and is the shallowest point of this very shallow puddle
What a fun presentation of an ecclectic mix of music. Rock hard
Never heard of this band before. And i wish that remained the same to this day. The opening song started off promising but once it got into gang bang it went down hill from there. By "Next" it felt like i was listening to some kind of play. Whoever put this on the list should be bitch slapped.
Lots of fun music laced with immature lyrics/content. (At least three of the song-titles - and their lyrics - refer to penises and sex, but I guess that kind of puerile joke is someone’s idea of fun.) The Faith Healer is quite good. His rendintion of Scott Walker’s Next, not so much.
Lively & fun but meh.
There are elements and songs here I like (“Swampsnake”) in particular, but it’s not coming together all the way for me. Interested to see how I feel if I ever revisit it. 3/5
What a high-energy opening banger, and I can hear the theatricality dripping through and rest of this heavy rock / psychedelic / classic rock'n'roll fusion. I enjoyed the album and can only imagine how fun a live concert would have been.
Uhh, those vocals were sleazy af, not in a fun way. I enjoyed the guitars though
A new discovery for me with straight forward glam rock. In your face and proud of it.
Cool
Uninterested
I see how Harvey’s bizarro delivery was a big influence on Nick Cave but the style here didn’t excite me and none of the songs were very memorable.
Nothing against Glam Rock (even though I'm not a fan), but this one is just pretentious and lacks the songs to back it up. 2/5
Dunno about sensational, but they were handy with their instruments
Quite ok - nothing "new", but solid blues rock
I'd never heard of this band or album before, but I quite enjoyed it Didn't like "next" but there were some songs I really liked and added to my playlist! "Gang bang" and "swampsnake" were highlights 4 ⭐️
4.5/10
very bad, it's like children's music except the lyrics are about fucking. embarrassing to listen to.
I must admit this is a very enjoyable glamrock album. "Faith Healer“ and “Swampsnake” are great songs. The rest of the album is not sensational.
Deeply horny lyrics paired with the two least horny sounds: trombones and handclaps.
Hard rock sententero. Me ha gustado. Un 4.
Rock escocés, parecido a Rolling.
Not great. Never heard of them before.
A top five song about gangbangs all time fer sure.
This record was surprisingly good. Great distorted guitar riffs and catchy hooks. Side 2 falls off in quality a little bit but still an enjoyable record.
Also July 6th, 2024 HL: “Faith Healer”, title track, “Last of the Teenage Idols” I could be imagining things, but I recall seeing this album cover in a bar in my hometown, which is pretty far from Glasgow. Respectable hard rock, a good album for being downtown at rush hour The book really only gives “Next” and “Faith Healer” as reasons why this is on the list, although “Swampsnake” (catchy) & “Vambo” (kinda annoying) are also highlighted on the tracklist. Oh, also they were apparently great live, which I GUESS you get a sense of through the rollicking, fun performances. The last song sounds like a prototype for how Jim Steinman/Meat Loaf would sell a jillion records 4 years later 3.5
Great surprise, fun album to listen.
Enjoyed this one. Nice full rock sound, wild lyrics
kräftiger blues, rockige töne und (fast schon chanson): Next von Jacques Brel gefällt mir sehr, der rest ist mittelklassiger rock.
Es gab auch in den 70er schon gute Musik, dieses Album gehört definitiv dazu.
Definitely better than expected. Might even have improved without some of the vocals. Nevertheless 3*
Yeah was quite fun.
Enjoyed it more than I expected I would. Imagine, is a strong song though I find it hard to take seriously. I just don’t think it’s genuine. Jealous Guy is an excellent track with a great whistling section, Lennon admitting he’s insecure is kinda surprising. I’m not a Beatles stan so I absolutely found How do You Sleep to be hilariously entertaining, referring to Paul’s solo work as Muzak must’ve cut deep. Inconsistent overall but entertaining nonetheless. 3 stars
2.5/5. This is fine, nothing that sticks out to me. I don't think it's bad, but I don't see the appeal of this.
I just can't do glam rock. This one is admittedly better than most. I don't outright hate it but it also isn't something I'd really ever listen to.
It'll do for 4. I wouldn't say it's a terrible album. 4/5
bom. só uma música aperto de mente
70s glam rock with the cheesiness of Eurovision, but none of it's charm. Not all that sensational, really. Rating: 2/5 Playlist track: The Faith Healer Date listened: 28/06/24
Naja.
Bad glam rock, it adds nothing except the idea where ac/DC got their sound
Quirky but not too interesting for me (2.5/5)
Made it to the gangbang, then I thought the party was not to my liking so I left.
This album was stupid, but fun and entertaining. Sounds like a cross between pub rock and cabaret. This was released 2 years before TNT by ACDC and you can really hear the influence this had.
3.75
Found this one to be quite boring and uninspired. Not very good. 2/5 Won’t listen again
Pretty good stuff
Really left me wanting more and honestly. This is comparable to the house band a town hires for their annual summer event at the park, except no one knows the songs and mostly just serves as background music while everyone does their thing. 4/10.
Honestly I was surprisingly into this album. Was a lot more rock rifts and jamming than I expected. Definitely seems like some elements were taken by 80s rock and fully ran with. Surprise 5 star
Never heard of this guy before. You’d think since I’m such a fan of Zappa and Ian Dury I’d really dig this but… I just don’t really. Some was fine but there seemed to be too much Frampton mixed in.
I honestly don't know what's wrong with you all. At this stage whenever I see an album with an average score less than 3, I know I'm in for a good time. I was skeptical at first with Swampsnake, but Gang Bang is BRILLIANT. Come on! Have a sense of humour everyone. This is swagger and stupidity at its finest. And then you get Next. Wow. I've never heard anything like this, but I adore it. Apparently from Jacques Brel, translated, but given so much feeling and spite. An absolute masterpiece. And finally Last of the Teenage Idols? It's just good, clean. bizarre fun. But even for all of its weirdness, it maintains a sense of musicality and charisma. I love it. This is precisely the kind of curveball I like to see in this project.
Not really a fan of this. The music wasn't bad, but I wasn't a fan of the vocals sometimes and the song writing--mainly the lyrics--was stupid. Vambo Marble Eye was pretty good, but the rest could be forgotten in my opinion. 2/5
odd, interesting, need another listen
Good stuff! Enjoyed the sense of humor throughout.
Great sound but the vocals were underwhelming to me at first, for both their range and mixing. This impression would reduce along the tracks. Extra point for Giddy Up. E.M.R.: 4
M'ha encantat, ni m'he adonat que l'estava escoltant. ELR: 3/5
Well I'll be darned, that was actually a rollicking good time. Debauched and in-yer-face and playful. I found the middle section a bit weaker but this still had enough to set it apart from standard 70s rock fare. 3.5
Never heard of them.
It's alright
очень панк и вызывающе, но мелодически норм
Listening to some of the albums from the 70s has really changed my mind of the decade generally. But this one has set it back considerably. I hate glam rock. There’s very little redeeming here.
Never heard of this band. I would say the album was better than expected! I thought Next was the highlight.
Reminded me of nick cave and rod stewart. I probably won’t listen again. Just ok
This was great fun. It's gotta get a 4.
Um... I'm confused... This album is an overblown mix of CCR, GNR, and Elton John/Queen with rockabilly... I don't like it—utterly stupid record imo.
🎧Not really my kind of glam
Alice Cooper can go to hell (actually, I think he's meant to have a good time there). I have read the name "The Sensational Alex Harvey Band" quite a few times before, but from their description, I always dismissed it as the one of yet another British shock-rock / glam-rock act like the early seventies produced dozens of them. Turns out that this band is indeed yet another shock-rock act, but that *this one* ticks all my boxes and pushes all the right buttons. It's not only Alex Harvey's *outré*, theatrical vocal performance, or the mindless (and probably dated) hedonism at the heart of his lyrics, you see. What seals the deal is the sheer *musicality* of the stellar roster of musicians playing with him. Because the music is often inventive, harmonically rich, and always expertly performed and recorded. The tracklist (and album) is short, and that's what makes the whole thing slap even harder. "Swampsnake" starts with low stakes belying the richness about to follow as it foretells hard rock guitar tones AC/DC would hone later on. But from that starting point, this record builds up into a dirty masterpiece (love it when "essential albums" do that). "Gang Bang" is an efficient meat-and-potatoes cut, and its lyrics are in poor taste, but somehow, I can't help but admire the result here. And then comes the absolute gem "Faith Healer"--ominous, deranged, with all sorts of disturbing harmonies and moods and textures, Harvey's crazy performance supported by the obsessive coupling of synth bass and palm-muted quavers on the guitar. No wonder another young Aussie, Nick Cave, fell in love with this band... "Giddy Up A Ding Dong" is admittedly a rockabilly cover that brings nothing important on the table (except its synth solo during the middle-eight, and its bluesy outro section with all the background vocals). But then "Next" offers a great English version of the Jacques Brel staple song. Once again, Nick Cave must have taken notes here, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear that the young ruffians from black midi had done so as well when I hear those histrionic vocals and the lively and unpredictable instrumentation supporting it... Following the title-track, "Vambo Marble Eyes" returns to hard rock territories, and boy oh boy, it's a riot. What a great chorus, and what a striking performance--so striking that I wonder why the band had the idea to record a lesser version of that song for their next LP. Yeah, the one after *Next*--are you following this? Actually, they recorded the song two more times, for two different versions of their third album. Now I'm pretty sure you are lost indeed. But anyway, guess that's a story for another moment, kiddies... Because, hell yeah, after listening to *Next*, I have listened to five other LPs from Alex Harvey and his wonderful band of misfits (the one before *Next*, their debut album *Framed*, plus the three that follow). And now I can say they're my new favorite band from the early seventies, a moment of music history that was ripe with so many good records it can make your head spin. A golden age of rock'n'roll for sure. And I wasn't even born then. Speaking of the "golden age of rock'n'roll", there's also an iconic feel to the three-part extravaganza that *Next*'s closer "The Last Of The Teenage Idols" is. The only thing I can reproach this very *harveyesque* song with is that its "legato" first section could have been twice as long, so good it is. And here I am using the word "harveyesque" about an act I had never listened to this morning. But sometimes, music appreciation is a no-brainer. When you know, you know. 4.5/5 for the purposes of this app, rounded up to 5 (that 0.5 substraction is the only compromise I will make with any idea of caution here. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band's music doesn't elicit such sorts of compromise anyway--I'd rather have listeners with different tastes finding it distasteful instead of feeling "neutral" about it). 9.5/10 for more general purposes. Number of albums left to review: 180 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 357 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 205 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 260
If glam and AC/DC had a baby.
Highlights: The Faith Healer
Forceful yet playful music that could even work with less glam but more prog. And that's what I find very fascinating: Each of these songs seem straightforward enough but each of them could develop into something completely different.
He over-promised.
Never heard of it. Doubt I will hear it again
So not for me.
Gangbang. Jesus.
Trash, garbage even. Really no fucking idea what this was going for or why it's on this list, it blows
Thanks for gangbanging my ears
It gets better as it goes on. Eg I never want to hear Gang Bang again, but Next and Teenage Superstar are ace. A mixed bag of an album, but not without it's highs
This is so much fun lol. It's not an essential album and I'm not sure what it's doing in the 1001 book, but they do what they've set out to do. And they do it well while having infectious energy. Most of the time, that's enough. Faith Healer is an exquisite 70s rock jam.
Rock escocés, parecido a Rolling.
Ok sounds but geez ive really been wanting softer music lately
Eh. :shrug:
Reminds me a lot of Bowie's Aladdin Sane album. Similar atmosphere, with heavy, plodding, bright instrumentation. Piano, electric guitar, brass, and voice are all bombastic and in-your-face. Though, I think I prefer the Bowie rendition of glam rock. The songs here sound a little undercooked. The catchiest track, Gang Bang, also bears the burden of having horrific lyrics. And the lyrics of Next (the title track) are also not great. But the overall sound and mood is consistently fun, glamorous, and overall kinda nifty. Definitely captures the 1973 vibe. This is groovy enough, but the 70s had better offerings. Give me more of those! Next! 3/5 Key tracks: The Faith Healer, Next
There's moments that almost save from a 1, but pls I don't wanna hear this dude anymore. Will I listen to 0%
stopped listening after the second track
Mmm...pub rock....you can see where Bon Scott got his shtick from.....minis on point for the tasteless "gangbang" 2
Nope, not for me
I was initially not at all into this, but there was a big turn around after the first song. By the end I was really digging it. The song Next was on the Scott Walker album we listened to on this list. I didn't like Walker's version, but Alex Harvey's was campy AF and it worked for me. Vambo Marble Eye was just a straight up banger. I would for sure listen to this again.
Thought this was alright. Gangbang was a hoot. I mostly didn't care for his vocal delivery, but sometimes it really worked. 3/5
I’ve always rejected The Sensational Alex Harvey Band because of their name. What, is this Stan Lee’s band? But I’ll admit it, this is solid glam rock. Not on Roxy Music’s level, but there’s def some good stuff here. Catchy with solid performances. B-
I went into this album expecting to hate it after reading the reviews. After listening to the first few songs I realized I must have a problem. This album is so much better then I thought it was going to be! Music was good with the goofiest vocals on top of them. Although not incredible, it is an underrated gem.
The album is short but the individual songs themselves each feel a little long. I feel like Alex wanted to turn it up to 11 but actually got to 12.
"Just because it can be made doesn't mean it should be" -Fiancee. I agree.
I like the style of music, but the lyrics sound like a bunch of 19 year olds who find themselves funnier than they actually are.
Swampsnake - really vibrant opening track. Reminded me of Alice Cooper 🤣 Gang Bang - weird but good. AC/DC type lyrics Faith Healer - shite lyrics, great music. Giddy Up - Reminded me of Slade and The Sweet. Crap album filler Next - mad song. Thought I was listening to fiddler on the roof 😄 Vambo - 5/5 Teenage Idols - 1/5 It's a genre bending album. Deserves it's 4 star
2.5
4.0
Surprisingly nuts - wasn't 100% focused on what was going on, and thought that Spotify was on shuffle. Probably need to listen again, but well behind track on this project...
Pas un album qui m'a jeté par terre, mais c'était vraiment le fun à écouter. Certaines paroles étaient un peu ridicule mais c'était plus drôle que gênant. Certains passages un peu plus mou, mais globalement le genre d'albums que je réécouterais dans une soirée entre amis. 7.5/10
Für den Faith Healer gibts einen Extrapunkt, ansonsten ist der Rest zu Recht unbekannt.
8 / 10 Rock, Punk, Baladas, un poco inclasificable. Por momentos me ha recordado a unos posteriores ACDC. Muy interesante.
The first two songs on the album are just fast paced class rock and roll similar to other bands of that era, the third song of tha album has a slow and long build up and doesn’t really amount to much, the fourth song goes into funky heavy bluesy territory, the fifth song isn’t an enjoyable song it’s a slow song but if just feels like he is just mindlessly shouting and not singing, the 6th song goes back to funky blues style with a great guitar solo, the the final song of the album is a slow ballad that slowly builds into high energy song but I didn’t his voice suits singing slow songs overall it was an ok album it had a few good songs but nothing amazing 5/10
Нормально старина зажарил, даже и добавить нечего
A genious album !!!!!
Kind of fun but generally feels like a knockoff of an early 70’s Alice Cooper album, but with none of the lyrical charm of Alice Cooper. One exception - The Faith Healer is a really cool song and stands out significantly from the rest of the album. Bumping it up a star for that song alone.
I really liked the sound and the lyrics were quirky. Never heard them before so I'll probably give them another listen.
Love it. Theatrical Glaswegian prog punk. A true one off
Is this satire?
One of "your favorite band's favorite band". Loud, chaotic, and messy relative to contemporary glam artists at the time, they emphasized the blues in a hard busy style that would influence Aussie artists AC/DC and Nick Cave. I can certainly see why what they did was so innovative and provocative, as part of the transition phase as proto-punk before this style would find its voice that works. But I can't see too much value beyond that. The songs are too long and all over the place. For how simple of blues songs they are, they add this all fluff that just ends up being messy sensory overload in an attempt to compensate for how shallow the music is otherwise. I feel like I've heard these melodies stolen from other rockabilly and blues songs, just painted in glam hues. Not only are the songs inconsistent within themselves, but they don't even sound good side-by-side. "Vambo Marble Eye" sounds like an outtake sandwiched between the overproduced "Next" (which sounds like a cabaret) and "The Last of The Teenage Idols" (sounds like a rock musical). I feel like every song is modeled after other songs with no consistent themes. Sure, their energy and personality makes up for some of it, and I'm sure it'd be a killer show live, and I'm also sure any kid would feel lucky to have something so wild on his turntable in the 70s, but its novelty didn't age well past 5 years.
This album was fairly basic glam rock. There was nothing special about it musically though the musicianship was fine. The production wasn’t great either. There were some strange decisions made on panning which were not smooth at all. The lyrics were incredibly juvenile and most sounded like they were there just to rhyme. There was a whole song about a gang bang which was completely unnecessary.
有点朋克味，喜剧风味
I hate to admit it, I was ready to dislike this album. It couldn’t get released today with those lyrics…but the further the album went on, the more catchy it became. I’m a big fan….a closet fan maybe.
What the hell.
The depravity ambushed me. I see Next described as precedent to AC/DC, The Birthday Party, even punk itself, but I’m reminded most of Jerry Sadowitz, another Glaswegian, and his theatre of hatred and debasement. SAHB dialled up the leer, and I don’t like it, which is likely a deliberate effect: there’s a seed of Marquis De Sade goes to Blackpool here. The music is often great. The motorik pulse of The Faith Healer stood out for me. I have to tip my hat to them for finding what must surely be the most horrific Brel song to cover too. This is a nasty listen, and I think I see the purpose behind it, which I can admire while edging back from the content. A note to those who decry the smuttiness as some sort of appalling failure of taste: it’s not, it’s deliberate, and you’re meant to feel uneasy.
I've been aware of SAHB forever but have never sat down and listened to an actual album. This is quite an event, some good sleazy glam rock (The Faith Healer, The Last of the Teenage Idols) and some godawful sleazy glam rock (Gang Bang, Giddy Up A Ding Dong, Playground Bang-A-Round; may have misremembered that one). Serious talent, clearly pioneering, but not necessarily something I want to hear often
Pretty unremarkable. Nothing bad here, but nothing to revisit.
"The Faith Healer" is an absolute chore - so glad it has finished. There's sure some cringingly juvenile lyrics in this. Bet it's great if you're 14 and don't understand anything yet.
Pretty great sound. Lyrics were terrible. But good sound.
Oh God, maybe I take things too seriously, but I could not enjoy this. A couple songs were alright, so it's definitely not *bad*, but I don't think it's for me.
The list continues of incredibly boring albums that somehow find their way on this list. The first three songs were all just sexual innuendos. That’s what deserved to make this list huh. Well a wasted spot an assume. Silver lining is that it’s still music and outside of the lyrics not completely terrible. 4.3/10
The music is pretty good and folky/rock. The lyrics are very 60s/70s hippie era.
The music was great, the vocals not so much. If he just shut up and let the band play I'd like it more. Sounded kinda like Guns N' Roses from lidl. Stand-out: Vambo Marble Eye
this does not deserve a spot on the list imo. very strange but not in an interesting way. the title track gives panto dame vibes. i did kind of enjoy it in a weird way.
I think it's funny that this is the third time we've heard the title song in this project; the previous times being from Scott Walker and the author Jacques Brel. I had such a weird sense of déjà vu listening today until I figured it out. I didn't love this, but I think if I'd had more time for it to grow on me it could well have.
The sound of the music had me quite entertained. The vocals not so much so...they kind of turned me off...
I'll be honest --- I skipped to the next track after half of Gang Bang. Didn't really need that. But I kind of loved the rest of the album. It was an interesting mix of styles and I really enjoyed it and will want to hear much of it again. Good stuff!
A blend of blues and hard rock with cabaret elements?! This is one of those times I’ve read about the group on Wikipedia before listening to them - consider my interest piqued… Opening an album with a song called “Swampsnake” is certainly an interesting choice. Promising indeed… After the second song (“Ain’t nothin’ like a gang bang” -which certainly attracted my attention) I wasn’t sure how this was going to go down. Then the interesting repetitiveness of the opening of “The Faith Healer”, building up with bings and bangs and guitar, started to draw me back in. Turns out a song called “Giddy Up a Ding Dong” was missing from my life, cabaret-style key change and all. I think I would have enjoyed seeing what Alex Harvey did with the staging of “Next”. As I listened I suddenly realized that… hey - I know this song. I loved Scott Walker’s cover of it earlier in this project! Am I supposed to understand what “Vambo Marble Eye” is about? I hope not, but I liked the sound. And that closing number (this is a band whose songs have definitely earned the moniker “number”) “The Last of the Teenage Idols Pt. 1-3” was quite an interesting piece of work - I loved the contrasting parts! This album mostly won me over with its exuberance and dramatic flair. It gave off a pretty good Rocky Horror Picture Show vibe. I was drawn back to listen to it a second time, and my appreciation grew. Next… is clearly of an age, but it’s an age I enjoyed revisiting.
I did not enjoy this album. It was a hodge podge of different sounds. Most albums have some sort of cohesive sound - not this one! Gang Bang does not stand the test of time. The objectification gets exhausting and we certainly shouldn’t celebrate it by including it on a list you must hear. Vambo Marble Eye was probably my favorite track. Had a bit of a funk feel. I enjoyed it but not enough it to save it to my play list. This is a 2 for me. I’ve heard worse on this list which is why it’s not a 1.
It was good, kinda short.
Very early rock but it was pretty good, he’s got a weird voice and weird lyrics but it melts together Favorite: SwampSnake, gangbang Least favorite: Next 3.3/5
Kinda good, kinda not. He seems to have influenced some better artists so hats off to you Alex.
Really dislike this album. I know it has a cult following of some kind, but it rubs me entirely the wrong way. I don’t like 70s hard rock at all.
Another artist I didn't know. It was surprisingly fun with a weird variety of genres.
pretty weird and interesting
Cheeky party music
I really loved it don’t know why so many people are so salty about this album - 10/10
Muy bien el blues.
This was weird but not necessarily in a good way
Less sensational than I was led to expect.
What a confusing album this is. there are some great rock and roll songs on this album and then some real dross and there are only 7 songs on the album. I was really not a fan of next. The opening 3 tracks are great. I love Faith healer and gang bang. Then the album goes a little downhill. I will be downloading this and listening to it again. Favourite song: Gang bang Least favourite song: Next Album artwork: Love the cover
This was not at all what I was expecting and I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Each song felt like it was about to touch something and then just didn't. I can't explain it but whether it was a vocal choice or musical choice or something I just found myself enjoying the song and then wanting to skip.
Quintessential mixed bag. Some really solid rock stuff, mixed in with some very strange stuff, like a song that sounded like if Tom Waits played the two little demon guys in Hercules. Not quite sure why this is here (aside from British bias), and I don't love it but it's decent. Favorite tracks: Swampsnake, The Faith Healer, The Last of the Teenage Idols. Album art: Guy in striped shirt in front of striped background. Logo and picture are cool. Is it supposed to look this weathered, or is that just a bad picture? 3/5
I can hear the influence on Nick Cave. It was alright there were a couple tracks I liked a lot. It might grow on me as I get some distance and understand how it fits into its time period. Rating: 2.8
It was hard to get through. Not a fan
who taught this man to sing
next was cool and the rest was bleh
Rating: 5/10
53/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
Musically amazing, lyrically weird.
New to me. And roving all over the place stylistically, prog, glam, musical etc, loads of things thrown at the wall, mostly with energy, sometimes sounding like pastiche. Interesting, but I don't love it. 2.5 🌟?
“ain’t nothing like a gang bang,” indeed
Very pleasantly surprised, great theatrical energy
Fun and wacky, nice as an upbeat background if you aren't as distracted by lyrics like I am. This guy clearly had fun in the studio.
Meh
It has some fun tracks and I enjoyed the Jaques Brel cover, and the overall experimentation and energy
Meh.
Ok. Not bad.
Does not age that well
For many years I thought that Faith Healer was a Recoil song. Solid glamrock album, lots of highlights but also contains a few songs that are a little irritating.
Entertaining though by no means sensational as the band name promises.
Annoying-ass-dated-boomer-bullshit rock. Fuck off.
Ah yes, the album with such stone classics as "Gang Bang" and "Giddy Up A Ding Dong". Listening to this made me stupider. This is easily the worst album on the list so far (about halfway through now).
The SAHB always sound like they'd have been better live than on record. This album is OK, though I think some of the lyrics (Gang Bang is particularly vile) sound a bit poor to modern ears. The Jacques Brel cover is very good.
This was pretty good, didn't grab my attention massively (apart from Gang Bang - amazing!). I liked the overall sound and tempo though
Big ego to describe yourself as sensational, sadly this album is far from that. Mediocre at best. Not much to enjoy.
Started strong, got a little generic and weird towards the end.
Kinda boring classic rock
I enjoyed this - genuinely reminded me of spinal tap.
Lots of potential, great moments, and lots of nonsense too
This was a good producer. Reminds me of George Martin. He was glam rock and heavily influenced by late beatles. Really good and surprising. Actually loved this so
Crazy rock adventure, some songs drag, some feel just right
Side A of this album is the most Divorced music I've heard in a while. The lead singer completely ruins anything going on instrumentally. He sounds like a restraint order became sentient and started braying into a mic at his local honky tonk. Side B is better, and I suspect it's because it's half cover songs.
I feel like ppl who hate glam rock think all glam rock sounds like this. This would probably work for me if the lyrics didn’t suck and there was less “honky tonk”. Like T.Rex and New York Dolls both do a better version of this vibe.
a silly jam album full of blues and yelling with some alright instrumentation. Nothing will stick with me because this particular niche isnt for me but i appreciated it.
Yall I decided to start this thing and this was the FIRST album i listened to i got three tracks in it was literally un fucking listenable
Hard to take seriously, even back then, with songs like Gang Bang and Giddy Up A Ding Dong - rocking music, awful lyrics. The Faith Healer, Vambo Marble Eye and Teenage Idols save this from getting 2 stars.
(...)
I can see where Bon Scott got his influence. Decent album with a lot of flair.
Decent 70s rock but not standing out 5/10
Genre: Glam rock, hard rock 1973 Such an odd album. Don't know him or any of the songs except (NEXT). His version of Next is amazing and it makes the album worth listening to. The rest of the album is not that great for me. Standout: Next Next best songs: Gang Bang, Faith Healer Worst song: Giddy Up a Ding Dong. 3.5
Ain't nothin' like a gang bang To blow away the blues
While it does feel a bit thin, dated and glammy in places, there are also some genuine high points, and (annoyingly) catchy songs.
Glammy, theatrical and way over the top, and certainly not one's thing. No doubt the cool kids (like, teens) woulda dug this decades ago but are likely embarrassed by it now, as it reads mostly cartoonish now. Like a caricature of what would scare parents about rock and roll. "Last of Teenage Idols" is funny, making explicit the links to doo-wop era that have been implicit throughout. "Faith Healer" may be top cut. “Nothing like a gang bang to blow away the blues” — can’t argue with that, now can we? Better than Alice Cooper. Not as good Mott the Hoople.
This albums is nuts. It starts off all swagger and style with killer piano hooks and thumping energy, Harvey's unabashed libido in charge of the entire enterprise; but then the wheels fall over as he attempts Brel's 'Next' (or really rather Scott Walker's version), entirely missing the point of the track and unable to muster the requisite emotion in lieu of shouting his head off. The rest just falls away to sub par schlock and glam.
???????
Couldn't get through this one. Just too rough around the edges to get into. Something about the presence of this whole album just turns me off.
Wer das Album hört die Geburt des Hard-Rock in den frühen 70ern. entstanden nach einem „Gangbang“. Wie jede Geburt läuft selten alles nach Plan. So spielt die Band mal Rock, mal Punk, mal Glam und auch mal einen „Next“ Tango Hard Rock. Am Ende zeigt sie den harten cut von der Naivität der 60er in die Realität der 70er .. und verabschiedet sich mit dem Geheimtipp „The Last of The Teenage Idol“
I'm kind of amazed. This album feels very much like a parody, but they take it super seriously. I laughed out loud at some of the lyrics, but that said, the musicianship is actually pretty great. Sort of Zappa meets Beefheart meets Spinal Tap.
For a band I've never heard of before I enjoyed this record. Stylistically it's quite varied and kept me interested throughout - no two songs sounded the same. It's on the risqué side; I thought a tune like Gang Bang had the perfect classic rock FM radio sound but the blatant lyrical content would have prevented it from reaching a wide audience. Giddy Up A Ding Dong had a similar catchy vibe. The Faith Healer is their most popular song but to me it was one of the weaker tunes on the album. I considered giving it a 4 but ultimately I wouldn't listen to it again, so I've settled with a strong 3.
This is a band I was familiar with without realizing I was familiar with them. I instantly recognized Alex Harvey's unique vocals. Almost fun and rather throwback, but some long tracks and some tracks that feel a bit long and overall a more showy and ridiculous than good. Probably too much Sensational and not enough Band. Highlights - Umm...yup...the one that wasn't about his wiener?
This immediately made me think of Ben Folds. The album massively swings between 50's rock, to waltzes, to 70's guitar wails. The whole album felt both younger and older than it is. Super high energy that was just fine.
Well that was bad.
Alex Harvey is definately at the forefront of the punk movement. This was a weird record. There's a song about gang bangs, and another about a horse named Ding Dong, but it's actually a metaphor for his cock. A third song documents how the military paid for soldiers to use a brothel, and he ended up catching gonorrhea. Apparently Nick Cave started his music career in an Alex Harvey cover band. It's like blues rock and hard rock mixed. Favourite songs: Giddy Up A Ding Dong, Gang Bang, Vambo Marble Eye Least favourite songs: The Faith Healer, Next 3/5
This is not at all sensational. It’s just some 70’s junk I’ve never heard before. Send it back to the $1 record bins and call it a day, don’t waste your time trying to find merit here.
Tons of fun. There is a great, sleazy vibe to this mixed with a campy cabaret vibe.
This is canny mad. Sounds like it would be an incredible soundtrack to a musical. If this was the music, I’d definitely go to see the play. Lyrics are mad; and I quite like his delivery. It’s got the over the top rock aspects to it, without getting old for me. I think it’s because it’s so frantic. Probably wont be back, it aint my thing, but it flew by and it was an experience. Gangbangers. Ya gotta love ‘em!
Completely over the top and musically all over the place, proper tonic to the blandness of U2. Sounded like glam rock, classic rock, gypsy punk, and (slightly reggae) soul at various points, bit mad but very interesting. Definitely want to hear more. Wouldn't give it a five as I wasn't completely sold on any particular part of it but very glad it came up.
This is an insane record. Gang Bang is an earworm. The theatricality of Next is brilliant. The guy's voice is good. It sounds decades ahead of its time. Pretty exhausting, and I'm not sure that I'd like to re-listen, but goodness me this is good.
Hmm, not sure about this. In parts I thought it was quite good, but in others it was a bit strange. I like his accent. It's a bit showy in parts too, like it belonged in a musical. He's fond of a gang bang it would seem Won't be back but it isn't bad. 2.5
This one was a little too performativ with the razzle dazzle for my tastes. Not well understood by me and hard to contextualize. Lyrics pretty blech and the instrumentation was banal.
I don't much care for the Family Feud or Steve Harvey's comedy. More importantly, superlatives are red flags. Anyone calling themselves "Specials" or "Thrills" rarely live up to their names so I wasn't expecting anything 'sensational' from this band that I'd never heard of. But I gotta say, this one surprised me. It was distinct in ways many albums have not bee lately. It sounded like an AC/DC inspired precursor to Louis XIV. It's dirty and terribly oversexualized lyrics intended to impress or disgust audiences, and easily split listeners down the middle. "Sensational," no. Provocative, yes.
What the heck was going on in Glasgow in the early 1970s? And even before that. It seems the experiences that had a lasting impact on Alex Harvey and informed his later behavior and songwriting started young. He was “just a child” in the story told in “Next?” Well, how old of a child?? And they played that song on the radio in Cleveland in 1974?? But Harvey got no tenderness, instead only a case of gonorrhea, and it’s no wonder that some years later he wrote and sang about the experience paired with another song about a 27-guy “Gang Bang.” Sometimes I don’t really pay attention to the lyrics. Should’ve gone that route here. The group’s over-the-top theatricality may have made a big impact on many musicians in the late-70s, but I’m not sure that is enough to justify this otherwise obscure entry on the list.
At times, I hear AC/DC. Other times, not so much. The two songs about a gang bang and a military wh*re house really threw me off. They were different times but still, not appealing lyrics.
above average rock and roll. sounds inspired though
Didn't grab me. In no way bad and I get why this would be influential.
Very forgettable. Ain't nothing like a guy who wants to put his dick everywhere. 2/5.
Batshit crazy, with a few moments of brilliance. Would have loved to have seen these dudes live. But a track like gang bang can gtfo quite frankly. Tell you what though; the first couple of tracks start with 4/4 glam/blues stomp drums and piano stabs... were SAHB tantalisingly close stumbling onto the Chicago House sound about 10 years early? 😅
This is pretty bad
Meh. Very forgettable album mainly focused on his dick. At least it's short.
very good, i'm a fan of classic rock so this is right up my street
meh
Decent, fun album. Had never heard of this band before nor any of the songs. Enjoyed it but not to the point that I’ll seek it out. 3 stars
Too stylistically schizophrenic for my tastes really. All sorts of things going on and, as someone else says, it is like it’s the soundtrack to a musical like Rocky Horror. I quite liked some of it and could hear why it may have influenced tonnes of people, but not an album I’d listen to again. Especially not the Glam bits
1.2 - Christ. Well ‘next’ was at least a bit more interesting.
Not for me...
This is fun. What’s a swampsnake? In some ways I love this and in some ways I find it deeply offensive. It’s garish, but its still oddly compelling to me. Fave Traxks: Swampsnake, Gang Bang, Vambo Marble Eye 3.4/5
I really hated the first two tracks. Of the rest, some of the music sounded okay to me, but I wasn't a fan of the vocals at all.
Stopped after track one.
Man this one seems obscure. Yet they really didn’t do anything interesting on this album. Which leads me to think, why is it included on this list? Oh wait, Nick Cave mentioned he liked this album and basically everything Nick Cave ever thought about is included on this list. The music itself isn’t that bad, but the lyrics are so juvenile and shit.
pleasantly surprised by this. A hidden gem.