Rip It Up

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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?

Rip It Up I’m pretty sure I’ve given this a go in the past, probably after watching a BBC4 documentary about Postcard Records, and aside from the obviously well known title track and I Can’t Help Myself I can’t recall much about it. Listening now though I find it strange that I don’t remember much of it as it’s a pretty great little album. I can understand how the clear notes of feyness and tweeness might be off putting, but I really enjoyed their slightly quirky vibe, a kind of pale Scottish guitar band who clearly listen to a lot of Talking Heads, Disco and Afrobeat, but aren’t quite able to nail the funk element, resulting and something that is neither quite jangly guitar pop nor disco-funk, sitting attractively somewhere between the two. Rip it Up is a great example of that, I love how they wanted to do a Chic/Disco influenced track, and while you can hear that, it comes out as a far less muscular and more delightful bit of Scottish indie, with some great bits of squelchy synth whimsy and it really is a superb song, a brilliant bit of pop music. A Million Pleading Faces is excellent too, toe tappingly good with some great little guitar runs and a great Afro-groove. Mud in Your Eye's first two drum beats sound a lot like Tusk, before it goes into a very nice New Wave Soul hybrid, kind of like Elvis Costello but with less wired abrasion. Turn Away has more of the New Wave, Talking Heads vibe, and Breakfast Time has a nice amount of reggae edge to it, kind of Specials-y but less sure footed, in a good way. I Can’t Help Myself is another great bit of disco-jangle pop, again the feeling Chic gets fed in one end and something pleasingly odd and catchy comes out the other end. There is a bit of a sense of drift towards the conclusion after the excellent first 6 tracks, but I do like the horn embellishments of Flesh of My Flesh, and Louise Louise has some great harmonies and Hokoyo is another great Afrobeat bop. This is a solid 4, a great little album, not perfect, but a very enjoyable listen with plenty of charm and idiosyncrasy and enough going on musically to make me want to come back to it. 🧃🧃🧃🧃 Playlist submission: Rip it Up

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

Drunk Scotsmen who can sort of carry a tune doesn’t exactly qualify among the 1001 most essential albums ever, even if we’re including weird genre stuff here.

Title track OK, the rest of the album is an also ran, a bit boring

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

Far from freshly squeezed ...

Prefer apple juice

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

Another album from the British isles whose biggest offense is just being inexplicably included on this list. Sort of answers the question: What if the Talking Heads recorded an album of their B-sides, but David Byrne sang it in the style of a vampire from a 1950s Dracula film

After the first few songs the rest of this became fairly forgettable. Hard to pinpoint what it is about this one that makes it essential, though I do like the proto-Talking Heads pieces sprinkled throughout.

Frag nicht was für Saft

Yikes these guys are awful

Holy fuck, I can't believe I am just now discovering this slinky loveliness. Reminds me a little of the English Beat. Going into my regular rotation.

Great 80s album with good and funky instrumentals

Great! Album! Thought a little about Bowie

Love this era of music

The Good: Who doesn’t like a nice glass of orange juice? The Bad: That they could have added some gin… The Ugly: Guess naming your band Screwdriver wasn’t an option… What was in the water in Scotland in the late ‘70s to early ‘80s? I’ve had two Scottish bands, from that era, presented to me on this list, whom I’d never heard of before, and in both cases make me wish I could travel back in time and become a massive fan-boy! The other band being The Associates with their album Sulk! The production quality on this album is great, the sounds they generate are wonderful and something that would be hard to find today as there is a lack of heavy bass. And some of the invited musicians are just incredible—I can’t get enough of the saxophone solo at the end of I Can’t Help Myself! People write that they hear Talking Heads in the music, and I have to agree that there is definitely a similarity at times, and not to mention the fact that the opening track sounds like Chic more than anything… or the afro-beat on several of the tracks. I don’t know, I guess I am getting sentimental at an advanced age, yearning back to a time when the future, though gloom with nuclear threats from commie bastards, still looked bright enough to have one too many bands create great music… unlike the repetitive, uninspired crap that is generated on a conveyor belt and spat out at us via tik-tok or whatever them youngsters use today to get their fix in... Post Punk… what a treat!!! 5*

wowie

Call me ignorant, but not even a little what I had in mind when I read “post-punk Scottish Band.” It was delightful! Fun and bouncy and the whole album made me happy to listen to. Reminds me a lot of early ska bands in the 90’s/00’s.

DAMN it was good. It felt modern while being from some time ago. It was excellent

Echt heel leuk album, ik ben fan

Brilliant

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

I listened to it on repeat when it came up.

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

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

I liked it never heard of them

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

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

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.

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

Fannnnntastic! Weird yet accessible. Very cool.

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

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

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

Fantastic!

Awesome album!! A great mix of jazzy pop!

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! 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.

Freshly Squeezed

Breakfast time is a weird song. Otherwise really enjoyed!

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

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.

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

Funkyyy

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

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!

Excellent melding of the Buzzcovk edge and the Velvets

baita sonzao, curti o rockzao 80tista

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

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.

A surprising connection having never heard of the band until today

What a great surprise.

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

Chulo. Me recuerda a Bowie oscuro.

Y

Add to wantlist

Chulo. Me recuerda a Bowie oscuro.

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

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

loved it

Quite lovely in its way

Obviously I know the title track- it was even on a TOTP episode that we watched last Friday. It’s great, although the rest of the album doesn’t quite live up to its promise. Still pretty decent though, especially as it’s totally my era. Probably a little too over produced at times, but an important album when you look at the development of the indie scene in Glasgow that so many marvellous things have come out of. I appreciated this. It’s a welcome break from a diet of frat boy rock and shouty hip hop that this list seems to have been giving me. And I might just go listen to some more Orange Juice. There’s probably a “man from Del Monte” joke in here somewhere, but I will restrain myself. Worth a listen anyway.

The second half was much more enjoyable than the first.

I was surprised that I knew two of these songs, though not surprisingly these two songs are the most listened to songs on this album. That's Rip It Up and I Can't Help Myself. This does not feel like post-punk to me. Maybe it is post-punk but there are also a lot of soul sounds on here as well. The Temptations are even referenced on I Can't Help Myself. Breakfast Time is a bit of a silly song but the band is called "Orange Juice," so perhaps that should be expected. Enjoyed this one and will have to revisit.

An interesting blend of genres. Influence of The Cure can certainly be heard, along with something that would be heard on The Smiths' first album two years later.

Listened to it while walking in the snow and it kinda made me wanna dance, but I didn't. It was good, but not good enough for me to dance in the snow. Might listen to again in the summer!

Really enjoyed listening to this - such an individual sound. Some great tracks. Edwyn's voice is superb. Breakfast Time is a cool, avant garde kind of track and really highlights the band's quirkiness. A bit Bowieesque, in my opinion. I was surprised how fresh (orange juice haha) this sounded. Great!

'Rip It Up' is the track everyone knows, how can something that catchy still sound great after 43 years? As an album it's full of gems. I love Edwyn with his distinctive lyrics, look, voice and guitar, Orange Juice and their quirky, uplifting brand of indie, jangly, lilting, rhythmic, soulful, funky pop! I only ever bought a 'best of' tape so enjoyed exploring this and will keep playing x Oh, one last thing! After a couple of listens it struck me just how many tracks sound like Talking Heads! And another thing! For a 10 minute emotional journey read about his health and watch the videos for Rip It Up, A Girl Like You and the new single Knowledge x

Holy moly, this is great. A very tight, dance type groove that reminds of Talking Heads in the faster songs. This sounds really ahead of its time - it could easily be an indie rock album released this year. Hard to believe it came out in the early 80s. It almost starts off too strong. The first four tracks are brilliant, then it tails off a bit with Breakfast Time. It picks up a bit again towards the end with Hokoyo.

I love indie I love Talking Heads I loved this (Rip it Up especially)

Wasn't familiar with Orange Juice, but the lead singer's voice jogged something. Turns out it's Edwyn Collins of "A Girl Like You" ... fame? I like it.

I normally ding a record that hops around subgenres as much as this one does (303 beats? Disco punk? Jangly guitar indie? 2 Tone? Afrobeat?!). But I quite enjoy almost all the songs on this, and there's not one dud to my ear. I still wish there was a whole record that sounded like the title track (the only song I'd previously heard from this album), but what we got is just as good. Gonna keep it in rotation and keep my eye out for the LP.

i was pleasantly surprised by this one! i focused too hard on the "punk" in the "post punk" (which apparently is the world's broadest genre??) and actually quite liked what i found here. fun and funky. the best songs were saxy!

pretty cool sound overall. love how wildly different post-punk bands can be in terms of their approach to making music. i'd probably come back to this one every now and then. favorites: rip it up, a million pleading faces, turn away, i can't help myself

Really wasn't expecting much but this one is really cool! Super sunny and fun and even has a few songs with like an African influence. Really looking forward to coming back to it. 8/10

Great 80's post-punk, enjoyed the variety of styles and instruments used on different tracks; guitar, synth, horns, bongos & more. Favourite tracks: A Million Pleading Faces, I Can't Help Myself & Hokoyo. Will definitely be revisiting. 4/5

Holy cow! I never heard of Orange Juice. I was expecting tepid pop. Surprise! This was borderline great pop music. Kinda like Style Council. I added to my faves file.

4/5

This is #day182 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... I guess orange juice must be my favorite. Sicilian red orange juice or grapefruit come close too—I like it when it has a hint of bitterness. I’ve known Orange Juice since the days when I ran an indie music blog with a friend who's now serving in the Ukrainian Marine Corps. We’d write short reviews and share links to artists and albums. I think we featured this one—maybe a compilation? I can’t quite remember. Either way, the name’s familiar, and it fits with the post-punk/new wave we covered a lot, alongside synthpop. There’s something about the sax, like in “I Can’t Help Myself”, that I enjoy—when it bursts through the song and floats around like a caught bee. It’s a pleasurable listen all in all. I'd rate this album a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day183.

This album goes hard! “I can’t help myself” could drop today and do well. It’s like the Smiths and Talking heads with a twist of Graceland. Some tracks have parts that drag, but there are very few misses here.