Rip It Up

This nonsense is so damn early 80s it makes my soul hurt. Bloopy synths, saxophone solos, and overly-stylized, Devo vocals are utterly cringeworthy. The lyrics are also mostly vapid. The second track is a bit of an outlier in that regard. I can hear shades of Sex Pistols here but like, if Sex Pistols had an older brother who thought he was super cool, had Flock of Seagul hair, and wore giant shades and lots of cheap cologne. The album is a mess, honestly. It can't decide what genre it is which, in many ways, embodies music in the early 80s. I gotta say, I'm not a fan at all.

Scottish indie is separated from both other British indie and other Scottish art by its whimsy, its gentility and its poppiness. Whereas indie from the rest of the British Isles dabbles with sweetness and light, it doesn't supress its tendencies to morosity and rock for long. And if Scottish literature has one distinctive theme, it's guilt, be it personal, communal or ancestral: from Macbeth quaking before the visage of a dagger (even though Shakespeare was English) through various justified sinners and Jekylls and Hydes, to Renton and his pals' quest for oblivion, the Scottish protagonist never ceases to loathe themselves for the crime of simply being alive and Scottish. Scottish indie, however, has embraced both warmth and humour, and frequently sought pointers from straight-up pop. Look at The Jesus and Mary Chain incorporating girl-group melodies within their wall of noise, the enshrining of jangly guitars with the Scottish C86 bands, Teenage Fanclub's championing of Big Star and the Beach Boys, Belle & Sebastian dismissing grunge with an effete handwave, and Franz Ferdinand declaring that they wanted to make music for girls to dance to. If you're looking for a group that established this Scottish lighthearted, openhearted ethos, the one that makes most sense is Orange Juice. Orange Juice were your standard art-school band formed in the wake of punk. However, they reacted against the perceived dourness and melancholy of many post-punk bands (making them post-post-punk?) whilst retaining the movement's heterogenity and intelligence. The provocative wannabe impresario Alan Horne founded Postcard Records as a vehicle for Orange Juice and (the much more angst-ridden) Josef K; the tagline for Postcard Records was "The Sound of Young Scotland", an affectionate distortion of Motown's "The Sound of Young America", and as clear an indicator as any of Orange Juice's embrace of effervescence. Also note that Orange Juice were one of the most clean-cut, well-behaved bands of the time, eschewing alcohol (hence the bandname) and most drugs (though sometimes partaking in the mod/punk staple of amphetamine, funnily enough). With this, their second album, the line-up had changed substantially, after leader Edwyn Collins left the original drummer and guitarist. (the next drummer, Zeke Manila, was Zimbabwean, and two of the songs are sung in Shona). With this new line-up, Orange Juice hurtled in an even poppier direction, overtly referencing the Four Tops and, in the common post-punk ambition, marrying the Buzzcocks with Chic. And I like it a lot. The title song not only gave us the definitive post-punk slogan, but also provided one of the wryest takes on unrequited desire in the indie canon. Edwyn Collins proves himself one of the great articulators of adolescent hesitancy, turning wimpiness into, if not quite an admirable trait, then a charming, completely human feature of the everyteen (it's only a shuffle from Edwyn's croon to Morrissey's yodelling). Wonderful moments stud the album, such as the innocent piano motif on Flesh of My Flesh, which is then taken up by the saxophone (yes, saxophone). That said, the album warrants those two dread phrases, "rewards repeated listenings" and "the whole is greater thann the sum of its parts". Initially, you may well find the deliberate smoothness ungripping, and certain songs may seem disposable. But if you find the aesthetic intriguing and perhaps a little racy in its own way, then some Orange Juice should slip down satisfyingly. Orange Juice, like so many Scottish indie bands, provide Scotland with its much-needed sunlight and vitamin C.

There's not a single Tool album on this list and yet I have to continuously listen to this garbage and garbage like it.

Like a nice walk in a nice city with familiar traffic noises and the murmur of outdoor cafes. In the middle of all this is the band and sometimes I think that they listened a lot to Talking Heads.

love the sonic cohesiveness of this record. makes me feel like i am in a different time. or having a calm, slow sunday.

All right, who gave the Carnival Cruises house band a Talking Heads record?

Its like Boney-M and Depeche Mode fucked and had an unwanted child that was raised by it's grandparents. Not bad, but unloved.

Another so-called post-punk album I had high hopes for that started off strong but quickly devolved into bland and repetitive guitar work. A few tracks with interesting melodic lines, but not nearly enough meat and potatoes to hold together an entire LP

They call themselves Orange Juice, but this aged like milk.

Fresh squeezed juice right here. This was super cool, I absolutely loved it. Feels like it was the start of something new.

What an interesting intersection of punk and pop

At first it was okay for me but this thing fucking bops. Been listening nonstop to it

Makes me happy, great to listen to on a rainy day

Loved this. It does sag a little in the middle, but I adore the sonics of the album, the wonderful singing, the incorporation of funk into some of the tracks. Post-punk in general is hitting the sweet spot for me as it strikes me that so many of its participants were striving to make a pop sound that didn't patronise its listeners. You can be experimental, sophisticated and still catchy as hell. File this alongside bands like Monochrome Set.

Post-punk seems to be a blanket term for most rock-ish pop-ish bands of the early 80s but I don’t think it’s a just term. There are so many meanderings away from the genre here. I do love them, however they’re described. Edwyn Collins’ voice is an acquired taste but I was always a fan and Gorgeous George was his definitive solo album. Rip it up was an anthem for its time. You should have seen us run onto that dance floor on hearing those first three notes. I also loved I can’t help myself. Those songs were massive for about 10 years. The whole album had a couple of dips and was a bit ho-hum at times so can’t quite get up to a 5. But young, gifted and Scottish they most certainly were.

This album started out really good, but it feels a bit samey by the end. Overall I think that it's worth a listen, hence 4 stars, but it's definitely on the low end of 4 stars for me. There are a lot of hidden gems in the postpunk genre, and I think this is one of them

its ok; fun but ok. poor man’s talking heads at times if i gotta be honest, but i still enjoyed those parts. the rest i felt pretty indifferent to though. the enjoyment in side a dwindled as it went further down, and i thought side b was better in terms of enjoyment. i dont like the lead vocals voice though and i felt it ruined some songs. overall, i liked it more than i expected to coming into this. 3 personal favs: a million pleading faces, flesh of my flesh

Scottish New Wave Funk from the 80s is an unholy combination on paper, so I was surprised to find several tracks on this album that were not just listenable, but enjoyable. I never would have picked this album up in a million years. Best track: Louise Louise

Prefer apple juice

Far from freshly squeezed ...

Music mostly allright, with hints of Talking Heads and Style Council. But the vocals are terrible....

Utter shit. Why is garbage like this on the list?

It's albums like these that are worth doing this generator for. An album I would have never ever found on my own, and I love it. Love the sounds and aura of the record, along with great variety of instruments used. Just an all around incredible album, and that's really all that needed to be said

Fannnnntastic! Weird yet accessible. Very cool.

I can't get enough of the 80's vibe lately. This was so good, front to back.

I listened to it on repeat when it came up.

Chulo. Me recuerda a Bowie oscuro.

Well, I wasn't expecting that!! This album is an absolute joy.

Add to wantlist

Not as well known as they should be but wow, I didn't realise how much of a template Orange Juice's sound was for the Smiths and a those C86 bands I love so much

Brilliant

This is brilliant. Edwyn Collins in fine voice, lots of different styles which all work well and some cracking songs. Rip it Up is genius, obviously, with I Can't Help myself edging it out as best song.

Le doy su merecido 5 a este album lo quiero mucho esos solos jijooomano

Lost 80s new wave classic! The drums are fantastic, the horns are beautifully understated, and the eclectic African/Caribbean vibe has something for everyone.

baita sonzao, curti o rockzao 80tista

Excellent melding of the Buzzcovk edge and the Velvets

Echt heel leuk album, ik ben fan

I liked it never heard of them

More art school kids! I still remember the first time I heard "Rip It Up" and it absolutely blew me away, like it was made just for me. I can't describe how much I love this album. In this album you got world disco, new romanticism, post-punk, new wave, funk, dub, and more. It's all channeled through funky effects, wah pedals, and danceable beats. At the vox you have Edwin Collins, who would later be on the "Empire Records" soundtrack with banger solo track "Never Met a Girl Like You Before" and has maintained an excellent, if not underrated, track record his whole career in songwriting and production alike. He's gone through some surprising turns and shown remarkable fortitude, making him well worth the deep dive. That said, this album has all the tight grooves and snark you'd want of this scene. Unlike, say the Smiths, Orange Juice never stops being fun, even when heavy. They take themselves seriously enough to get you off your ass while giving you enough to ponder without being pretentious.

Banger after banger

Very 80s and strong talking head vibes. Some late Clash sounds on there with almost a reggae feel

Ooo I like this a lot! Never heard of Orange Juice before but the immediate similarity to Talking Heads has piqued my interest. It’s just got a cool and groovy vibe all its own and I’m obsessed. I love this album cover too! They look like a hip crew and I’d love to see them live in their heyday. Quality new discovery!

Ein überraschend tolles Album! Die Stimme des Sängers spricht mich sehr an und durch die verschiedenen musikalischen Einflüsse sind die Songs angenehm abwechslungsreich.

A surprising connection having never heard of the band until today

Y

What a great surprise.

One of my favorite New Wave albums and a seminal indie pop piece of the period. Orange Juice started out signed to the Scottish indie label Postcard (before switching to Polydor for this release), which looked to advance post-punk and New Wave with 60s jangle pop and 70s power pop. Their artists would go on to influence the C86 scene which shaped twee pop, power pop, and jangle pop from the 90s onwards, such as Belle and Sebastian and Teenage Fanclub. In this record, Orange Juice takes a versatile approach, largely influenced by the Talking Heads in the vocal style, basslines, weird and wild personality, and heavy use of funk and Afrobeat in many songs. Bop after bop, this record is full of provocative hits and deep cuts that never feel like filling up the time. Distinguishable deep vocals that fit both the dance tracks and the slow songs (reminiscent of 50s trad pop). Appropriate use of synths, horns, and studio effects create lush environments that's not too forceful. The lyrics and melodies are bright, energetic, and happy, a total contrast and innovation from contemporaries. Looking at the track listing: "Rip It Up" is a perfect opener, groovy and insanely catchy. "A Million Pleading Faces" is the hardest and funkiest track as a followup. The next 3 tracks highlight their innovation and insane production skills. "I Can't Help Myself" and "Flesh of My Flesh" are 2 more infectiously catchy pop hits. The next 2 are slow and tame but nice deep cuts, probably the weakest. And fittingly is our slow and beautiful "Tenterhook" which an immensely satisfying conclusion. Favorites: Rip It Up, Breakfast Time, I Can't Help Myself

Another random gem of a band. I liked it so much I listened to their debut album after and think that one is even better. I’d rate their debut like a 4.9 and this slightly lower. This one did grow on me on the second listen. Rating: 4.6

Fantastic!

Absolutely loved this. Listened to the last song multiple times after the album finished.

Awesome album!! A great mix of jazzy pop!

Seamless transitions Reminds me of Sing Street (it has a certain kind of umph to it) It has great instrumentation and vocals

I love this album so much, and that was without even paying much attention to the lyrics. I feel like this is gonna end up in my library and on constant rotation like Prefab Sprout.

jesus christ this is a new favorite for me it has all the upbeat melancholy of a Smiths album with all of the relentlessly creative, post-punk/new-wave charm of a Talking Heads album seriously, this is so unbelievably good I just can’t even emphasize enough just how much I love this I’ve already relistened to this 3 times — 10/10

loved it

Breakfast time is a weird song. Otherwise really enjoyed!

Freshly Squeezed

Glasgow's answer to Franco & OK Jazz. The bass and drums are the root of the funkiest sound on the Clyde while the two intertwined clean jangly guitars' rhythmic and melodic interplay bring a bright and breezy indie sound. Jazzy sax and keyboards are scattered across the album for a smooth easy going vibe. There's a distinct West African flavour in the harmonies and guitar parts, with the high-life style sweet major-3rd sounds, densley textured Rumba grooves, bongo fills, and cheesy keyboard/synth parts. This is most clear on 'Million Pleading Faces' and 'Hokoyo', which have an 80s Southern African pop meets Fela Kuti feel, but carries through the entire album. I imagine these are marmite vocals - but I like the off-kilter delivery and one-off style. Incredibly fun album. Favorites: Rip it Up, Louise Louise, Breakfast Time, Tenterhook

never heard of them before really enjoyed this one

really shockingly funky for a scottish band. has poppy lyrics, punky drums, and thundercat-esque bass. fundamentally strange, and yet every element feels necessary

Great album but not quite as great as the first one.

Loved it! Was ready to write it off when I saw the album art (figured it was another shitty punk album) but as soon as those synths hit in the first song I knew this was something special. So many different genres represented here. I base my ranking on whether the album would join my record collection and this one definitely would.

Very 80s and yet very modern. Really interesting percussion and guitars that don’t fit together at all, but it works. Deliciously collegiate and wholly unique.

Funkyyy

Chulo. Me recuerda a Bowie oscuro.

Really groovy 80's tunes. Sounds like Bowie.

early British indie rock actually pretty decent

Really good

New to me. Mix of Talking Heads and European pop of the 80's. Solid songs.

I enjoy the genre and the idea of making punk rock less angry

My relationship with post-punk is usually quite linear - the further removed it is from simple, traditional, angry punk, the higher the probability of me enjoying it. This album is pretty far removed from typical punk and I quite enjoyed it - some songs more than others, however. There were also just a few tracks that were pretty difficult to listen to such as the reggae-inspired Hokoy, which I had to skip after a minute.

Such a strange amalgam of genres but this really worked for me

SO MUCH 80s

Really like how the title track starts off! Funky surf rock. Really digging this. Getting major Talking Heads vibes. Picking just one genre to label this band as is hard. Especially with Breakfast Time having a reggae vibe to it. and then the sax in I Can't Help Myself! Xylophone goin nuts on Hokoyo. Overall very enjoyable listen and will be going back/exploring more OJ

Pretty fun, nothing groundbreaking but I enjoyed it quite a lot

singer sounds like he's doing a bad bowie impression

Love it. Jangly, weird, inconsistent!

This album was good. It has the type of ‘80s sound I like (not the synthy type, although this album has good synths). I liked it.

It was cool

Fun funky album, liked it more than I expected

Sehr Abwechslungsreich. Easy listening in manchen Teilen und rockig in anderen.

Real cool

I have never heard of this band or any of the songs on this album. That being said enjoyed the smooth vocals and interesting lyrics.

Pretty fucking cool

Orange juice ft. Sunday mornings, the stuff of dreams.

Delicious!

This is a very interesting album. It feels very experimental, and I definitely like their science. A Million Pleading Faces is a bop. Breakfast Time feels like it needs to be made into a terrible short horror movie. I bet Orange Juice had a lot of fun making this album. Feels like yet another 3.5 album, but I'm going to bump it up to 4 because it felt so unique. We are on a streak of good albums.

Rip It Up - reminds me of Sixth Form and exploring these, Talking Heads, The Smiths, Haircut 100, The Cure etc all the first time. Never heard the entire album before and found nearly all of the songs had something going for them. Some more so than others. Very close to being 5 for me, but will stick with 4.

Groovy

Muy parecido a Talking Heads

This was fun. I had never heard of this one, but I really like the opening track and there are a few other good songs on this album. Interesting Scottish post punk synthy 80s pop. A lot to like there! I don't think this will be going on my repeat list but I'd be happy to hear it again. 3.5 rounded up to 4/5.

Of course it is correct to describe this as post punk. But it feels almost like the antithesis of punk, with melodic pegging, considered (if not necessarily complex) lyrics, and clear investment in post-prod. Which is to say, it doesn't feel like it has the cynicism that sometimes overwhelmed new wave and Brit-Synth of the same period. But doesn't cleave *that* closely to punk either.

What a fascinating area of Post Punk that I have never heard before, or is it Art Rock, or is it New Wave, does it matter? I loved this album despite not really being the kind of 80's production that sometimes puts me off a little bit there's something very talking heads about it but also very Franz Ferdinand about it, if you told me blind it was an album by either of those two I'd probably have believed it. I'll definitely be revisiting this one many times, absolutely great stuff.

Its really funky, a magnum opus of Synthezisers. Great Rhythm Guitar work. Sounds really nostalgic. Also prepare for spontaneous Sax breaks. The voice of the singer reminds me of Bowies Diamond Dogs Album.

Don’t know how I’ve never heard of this but all kinds of mashup of early 80s…New Romantic, Devo, etc

Second time listening to this album, and I still really like it a lot. Still have A Million Pleading Faces and I Can't Help Myself as my favorite tracks

Right up one's alley. Not as good as Style Council, better than Haircut 100, way better than the Blow Monkeys and way, way better than A-ha and other weak-ass soundalike rip-off artists that would come later. This feels both fresh and highly evocative of a time and place. Dynamic and vibrant indeed and subtle, resepectul homages (absolutely the best kinds) to various other genres all over the place. Quite good and quite good to know.

I don't think I've ever listened to them before but this really checks the boxes on 80s post-punk for me. Cool angular guitars, laconic vocals and tight rhythm. It's a bit funky too!

pretty cool, like british new wave but a couple of songs that sounded african-ish? i liked

The Clash meets Talking Heads.