Reviews (page 2 of 8)
Not bad, very punk. I think they had a unique sound and some songs were pretty good.
Achei uma merda, não faz meu tipo de múscia.
Lots of musical variety to be punk. Singer starts to wear on you after a while, though.
No está mal. Totalmente desconocidos para mí. Punk femenino??
Uninventive guitar "riffs", shouted non-melodies, every song sounds the same... I guess that's punk? Unfortunately not my cup of tea. 1.5/5 - weak
Somehow this bounces between straight-up shouty punk and almost bubblegum pop, but then they chuck in lashings of saxophone for good measure. It's bitesize and good fun, an interesting discovery but not something I can see myself coming back to regularly.
More English punk from the late 70s. Woooo. At least the female vocalist breaks up the inter-album monotony a little bit. The opener, Art-I-Ficial, actually gives us a lot of interesting stuff to work with. There's the slow build-up of an intro, a pretty great bassline, solid drumming, and a couple of sax interludes to boot. Unfortunately, though the singing is pretty different to contemporaries, it's very... piercing. And I can tell it'll get old very quickly unless she moves into a more listenable register. Even her talking voice has to be more bearable than this. It's also pretty hard to make out the lyrics – not that I mind, but could be a problem for some lyrical listeners. All of these problems are present in Obsessed With You, but the song has just enough infectious energy to be admiration-worthy. Warrior in Woolworths fulfils my wishes immediately. Vocally, much easier on the ears. The singing could even be describes as a bit childish, but personally I love it. It works very well with the bluesy key and call-and-response instrument parts. I Can't Do Anything is best lauded for its strong melody, which is just a better version of the melody in the preceding song, Let's Submerge. Both songs have great energy, though. The sax contribution until now is "good but not essential", but Identity pushes it into overdrive. Great harmonised wind section, great (mildly cliché) chord progression... really the only thing that would improve the song is removal of the vocals, which stick almost entirely to a single, very annoying, note. Genetic Engineering. Hell yeah. Sing about those GMOs, girl. The little rhythm guitar interludes with those four chords in quick succession do wonders. I Live With You is just another generically good X-Ray Spex track, with emphasis placed on a ton of saxes. Cool. The band's biggest song, I Am a Poseur, is next. It's solid. Very memorable and earwormy, using a childish mocking sound for the main melody. I do wish we got something a little more... listenable, I guess? Once again X-Ray Spex somewhat grants my wish with the lower-tempo, synth dance piece Germfree Adolescence. "Cleanliness is her obsession / He's a germ-free adolescent" is such an odd pair of lines, but somehow it kind of works. I'm also partial to "I eat kleenex for breakfast" in the following song, Plastic Bag. The song itself would once again be substantially better without the singer, but what do I know? Same goes for the final song. Somewhere between a 3 and a 4. It has the "hell-yeah" factor of a female lead, the sax part, and the strong musicianship (vocals aside). But then the vocals, and the general monotone energy of most of the songs (and melodies within each song), bring it down quite a lot. 3/5 Key tracks: Warrior in Woolworths, Genetic Engineering, Germfree Adolescence
A pretty decent Punk album. 4 stars or B-.
I must admit I don't like punk 99% of the time, but this is great. Incredible energy.
Tons of energy, and somehow the Sax actually works.
That was good. High energy, but it was a bit one dimensional, I started getting a tired of the vocals, but I think repeat listens would help with that. 3.5/5
Clash-style punk is the best kind of punk. When I saw this pop up, I was not looking forward to it...but I'm liking it so far. Warrior in Woolworths is catchy. I like the lead singer.
Back in the '80s, that was definitely very innovative. I hadn't heard of the band back then. Some of the songs still work well and are a lot of fun. The whole thing sounds pretty punk. I also like the saxophone. But I don't like the singer's voice. It always sounds a bit strained and tortured. So I probably won't listen to the album again. 3/5
Best punk album of all time imo
El punk logró su cometido Me incomodó Buen álbum
Fun, but not really my thing, either at the time or now. Poly Styrene is a cool name.
This gives me a bit of a B-52’s vibe :-) So it’s not too bad. Two stars...
Very good record. This was a great influence on what later becomes the riot grrrl scene.
Pretty good and has a few bops. Had no clue what to expect going in, can't say I was disappointed. File this one in with the rest of the hidden gems.
obnoxious broad
As important a punk record as there ever was. More to the point, it still sounds fresh.
A righteous scream! We are so lucky that we got Poly Styrene on record forever before her passing. What a voice! The songs are funny, catchy, angry. Political with actual points of views. And she was like, in her late teens! Soooo influential. Obviously this is maybe the birth of the riot grrrl sound, but just the structure of songs, and there’s hooks, is so reminiscent of of 90s pop punk - there’s songs where I hear Green Day and Blink 182. And of course their inclusion of brass instruments is foretelling of ska. Just a great album, real punk. A bunch of angry, talented kids putting it all out there. Yelling and playing as hard as they can about shit that pisses them off.
A less harsh Bikini Kill with horns. I seriously thought I was listening to Kathleen Hanna on the opening track. It's crazy good. Play it loud! 4
eh
Wasn’t sold in the US - the largest English speaking market in the world, which means I had to go hunt this UK trash down on YouTube, and it definitely wasn’t worth the effort. Second best Punk Album of all time of some such nonsense, that’s basically like saying it was the second best poke in the eye. Pure trash.
More punk, but not a special one
1042 - "Here's your juice box and orange slice. Thanks for coming."
That whiney out of tune front girl with a lame moniker coupled with the early-80s sax is not alchemy, it's agony. There’s a reason never heard of them in the 1970s or anytime between then and now. Hard pass.
ok ifw ts
She was just yelling the whole time
It's like a female UK version of the Ramones. Fairly fast, angsty punk music. I'm not sure I need to hear a lot of this, but it's different.
Proto riot grrl! I thought I had heard Poly Styrene in other bands but apparently not. The Sex Pistols really got some better acts from their fans huh.
Bien estas locas
Never heard of this before. Reading how this influenced riot grrl and I can hear that. Generally I really don’t like saxophone in songs but it’s actually not bad here, more subdued I guess? Or maybe just as a part of punk as an instrument in the mix instead of a big sax solo.
2/5
This has so much youthful exuberance, as well as enough ska touches and a cool feminism angle that makes me really enjoy it. Again this isn't really a genre I listen to much anymore but I think I would've been a big fan in my youth.
Punk rock! Another great day lol. I don't know this band at all, although I recognize the name. The saxophone constantly showing up is really cool. I dig the hell out of this album. Let's Submerge immediately stood out as something that could have been written by a contemporary pop-punk or ska band. Minus the constant saxophone, it's like someone heard the Sex Pistols and said "we can do that but better". Not sure if I'd qualify it that way (regardless of how fake SP might have actually been, that album is a classic) but that's what this comes off as. Really good shit regardless.
I don't know if this really deserves the 4 but this album was a lot of fun so I'm feeling generous
I am absolutely bumping this up to a three because it's charming
Good clean fun, with a side order of progressive politics
Cool punk with a dash of crazy sax and creative lyrics.
vibrant, fast-paced, 70's punk
This is just so not for me. I don't even hate any of the songs, and I can see other artists I love in this. It's just not resonating whatsoever on its own.
A thorough blast! Sounds fantastic and buzzy, great saxophone, great songwriting!
Pretty fun album, but not one that I'll return to. This was probably more of a standout in its day.
Oh man, wasn't expecting proto-riot grrrl circa 1978. A lot of this sounds straight out of the Bikini Kill/Sleater-Kinney playbook to the point where a couple of the songs could slot into an SK album, and you wouldn't notice except for the saxophone and lack of vibrato. Really good stuff though. I do prefer Sleater-Kinney for their more modern sound, but yeah.
Crackling, bristling precursor to riot grrl punk.
Surprising amount of albums that sound like this on the list. They start to lose their “fun vibe” after 4 or 5 of them
Lidt skeptisk i begyndelsen men anden halvdel, super fed
Energien er punk, instrumentationen er ikke -- altid en winner combo for mig
Great energy! Laughed when sang "My pet rrrrrrat"
3,5
Punk + saxophone does not sound like a winning combination. And it probably isn’t most of the time. But this album was alright. And for me “alright” is high praise for punk. Not surprisingly my 2 favorite songs on the album are the non-punk ones: the psych Germfree Adolescents and the 50’s diner soundtrack I can’t Do Anything. Fun, unserious, alright.
Not very good
What a fantastic find! Brimming with anti-consumerist energy, these songs are melodic and fun. Clearly an influence on sounds that would emerge in the 90s.
Need more punk saxophone
Pretty fun punk album? Singer was great. Whole band is VERY sex pistols like they're stealing so much directly from them. But adding sax was really good and new. Very cool to have a punk band who's specifically anti-hygiene. Prob would not listen again though.
I do like this album, it’s raw, it’s fun, early punk at its best
So good. I've had so much Brit Pop on here that I rated rather low recently so my expectations were very low and they were absolutely blown out of the water. The singer was raw and cool and unexpectedly female. Also is from the 70s? Talk about a riot girl pioneer!!
Great riot grrrl album. 4.5?
Tempted to give a 5. Reminds me a lot of bcnr
Instrumentally I like this, catchy punk tunes sometimes given an extra layer of interest by the inclusion on sax…. But my god does the singing hurt my ears, get its punk but it’s not so much that it’s bad singing it’s the tone of voice that really pulls this down for me, I could only listen to 1 or 2 tracks at a time 2.3
The sax gives it something a bit different but they are a bit of a one trick pony. The singing is pretty shit too and some of the songs sound like a high school band that have just started to learn how to write their own music.
If this album was only Identity repeated six times on either side it would still be a five star record.
Went into the listen rather apprehensively as the artwork, titles and genre didn't exactly inspire me. How wrong I was. Really enjoyed this a lot
Surprising album, not sure about the lead singer but the level sax and the occasional heavy instrumentals made this enjoyable.
Good energy (but needed in small bursts)
Enjoyed alot. Great Sax. Another example of why UK punk so much better than US punk. Short punchy songs with plenty to say. Not fully onboard with the vocals at times hence not a 5.
Germ Free Adolescents I don’t think I’ve listened to this before, even though I’m well aware of Poly Styrene and Oi Bondage Up Yours. Apart from the very early US punk bands, I do think UK punk is a much more interesting, and listenable, proposition. The punk vibe suits the squalid nihilistic New York of the 70s, but I think it just fits better with the era of the late 70s in the UK, the post war crumbling of empire and the loss of faith in the establishment, the economic transition away from industry and manufacturing feels reflected in the music. Even if a lot of punk tends towards 3 chord distortion the cross over between punk and reggae gives a edge of eclecticism and outwards lookingness, that contrasts with a lot of punk in the US, which for me tends more towards musical insularity, chasing down the cul de sac of harshness and heaviness. This has some great guitar, reminding me of Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols, and obviously SP were a huge influence, but the sax also shows a willingness to look outside the standard guitar-bass-drums set up. Not every song is great, but there is a strong base level of listenability, the sax and guitars keep things interesting and they sometimes hit on some great melodies, but there are some very good tracks; Art-I-Ficial, the Ramones-ey Obsessed with You, the sweetly melodic Warrior in Woolworths, the Submission by the Sex Pistols sounding Let’s Submerge, Germfree Adolescents, the jazz-punky Plastic Bag, The Day the World Turned Day-Glo. I really enjoyed this, it may not be the strongest album, but for the sax, guitars, Poly Styrene and songs about Woolworths it's a superior punk album, enough to just nudge it to a 4. 🦠🦠🦠🦠 Playlist submission: Warrior in Woolworths
Far from a homemade punk feel this opens with a riff worthy of AC DC on 'Art-I-Ficial'. The John Lydon vocal-style is thenceforth evident, but this far from a Sex Pistols rip-off, with doubled up sax and Ramones style, soul-derived basslines. It has a definite new-wave, rather than simply punk, character. The whole aesthetic, right down to the cover art, feels retro-modern. Like the best punk-era albums, it overlaps with the Pistols without being indebted to them, adds its own stamp and plenty o' melody. The lyrics have purpose and foresight to boot.
This is like a combination of the Shags and Hole along with someone who knows how to play the saxophone. Don't totally hate it, but just a quirky aside IMO.
One more very brief review due to holidays: the X-Ray Specs are another early New Wave / Post Punk group. Their debut album ""Germfree Adolescents" is not as annoying as the B-52's but still far from good. Do we really need more of this? I don't think so.
Not sure how it ended up on this list. Interesting but not remarkable.
Heel erg leuk
Great punk album
Δεν. Θυμάμαι. Αλλά ενοχλιομουν κάπως.
Album 261. Germfree Adolescents (https://open.spotify.com/album/6O0hDvYYCjEoOzJdXkiaXa?si=tKvroqsxRcmzzSTSNlnO2w) — X-Ray Spex (1978) One more punk rock album. This one is more energetic, fun and has sax. Kinda boring, but really good 3/5 Liked: — Germfree Adolescence
Little more than shouty, off-key and distorted Stock Aitken Waterman
4* for being a punk album I could hear all the way through
This whips ass! Had no idea about this.
1. artificial - 0 2. obezzezed - 1 3. uuarrior - 0 4. zubmerge - 1 5. anything - 1 6. identity - 1 7. genetic - 0 8. live - 1 9. pozeur - 1 10. germ - 1 11. plaztic - 1 12. uuorld - 1 13. Age - 1 14. Inflammable - 1
There is no such thing(especially the males).
Killer punk rock album, has some variety which keeps it fresh throughout. I thought after the first few notes it was just gonna be another reggae inspired 70's Brit punk album but this is more than that, it rocks. Killer horn driven punk tunes, with some pop-50s inspired tunes mixed in. I had heard of X-Ray Spex but never listened to them, I was blown away by this album, cool early punk almost hard 80's rock.
😐
Not bad. A little Go-Gos, but in a punk fashion.
No soporto a la vocalista tbh
This was cool. Good riffs, good attitude, interesting lyrics, Never heard of the band before but glad I listened to it, definitely one of the best punk albums i've heard on this list
Aaaah i‘m so excited to get this album. Ever since i first heard Oh Bondage, Up Yours! i was intrigued with X-Ray Spex. I love this album. Poly Styrene and her crew are absolutely ruthless on here - in terms of lyrics, vocals and instrumentation. The frustration about living in a messed up world as a woman just drips out of every second of the album. It‘s full if energy, which is the albums biggest asset but at times can get a tad overwhelming. And i‘m sorry, the saxophone annoys me so much in one or two songs. But overall, we all need more X-Ray Spex in our lives.
I love the energy of this. The music is good and who hates random saxophone?! I wish I could understand her singing more. Some tracks it's great and I can hear the lyrics other tracks it's here yelling with an accent. Not being English I'm sure has something to do with it. Still though fun album I enjoyed it more than I expected to.
I don’t love it, but it makes sense to be on here. The song Identity is a highlight.
Pretty alright.
Damn, this album really caught me off gaurd. The title and cover and everything feel like they are eluding towards a Blondie style new wave album, but wow this is so much punkier than I ever could have imagined. I almost found it exhausting, I don't think I've ever heard an album with quite this much energy, honestly if I listened to it in a different setting I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more. But I'm still glad to have experience such a key album in punk history, I'll definitely be returning to this and I'm sure I'll like it more with time.
Proto riot grrl, but with horns!
I didn't get a good chance to listen to these guys as I wanted to. I'm going to revisit then when I can, as I enjoyed a lot of what I heard
++: Art-I-Ficial, Obsessed with You, Warrior in Woolworths, Let's Submerge, Genetic Engineering, I Am a Poseur, Plastic Bag +: Identity, I Live Off You +-: I Can't Do Anything, The Day the World Turned Day-Glo -: Germ Free Adolescents 7,7/10
This is quite an old album, but it wasn't too bad leaving it in the background while I was doing other stuff. At some point, it got a bit repetitive and yes, I agree that all songs are pretty similar because it's the same band singing them and it's also in the same album but yes, a bit repetitive overall, I think.
probs one of my favourite classic punk albums
5/10… punk / Punkrock/ *1978
It was okay. Kind of weird at times. Favourite Track(s): Obsessed with You, Warrior in Woolworths, Genetic Engineering Least Favourite Track(s): Age, Highly Flammable, The Day the World Turned - Glo
3.5
I enjoyed hearing some riot grrl on this list. Not my favorite thing ever but a nice change
Exuberant and rocking with some cool saxophone skronk to jazz up some pretty standard punk chord progressions. An antecedent to SK and bikini kill.
A voice like eating glass. Heard track one? Then you’ve heard all there is to offer on this abomination.
6/10
Oh yea, this is great. Inject that right into my veins. 5/5
some people think little girls should be seen and not heard , but i think ...OH BONDAGE UP YOURS ! ONE TWO THREE FOUR !! 🎷🎷🎷🎷🎷🎷
Super surprised by this album. It wasn't overly complicated but that added to its appeal. Great basic punk album. Faves were I Live Off You and Art-I-Ficial
Not good /5 Someone tell the author I didn’t need whiny Brit punk in my life. DNF
It was equally hard to determine why this was included on the list as it was to finish the album. Wasn't able to do either
If this was all you heard of Punk in 1977, we would all probably be in the same place today. It was this guitar sound that was the cornerstone of what defined punk rock. The guitar tones on this record, like The Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, The Slits, Stiff Little Fingers and the Adverts all have the same basic overdriven and slightly distorted tone resembling a buss saw that defined 77 punk rock. What made all these bands different were the fabulous vocalists who looked and sounded nothing like any one before them. Obviously, there are numerous bands from that era who went on to big careers, but X Ray Spex were a singles band and this album, like Buzzcocks Singles going steady was really a collection of the bands singles with a couple of new tracks to round things out. Poly Styrene’s unique vocals set the band apart from the Slits and Adverts, and the songs were catchy melodic and covered a huge range of mostly political topics. The singles had made their way to Vancouver BC where I was attending college in 1978-81 and when this record came out as an expensive import - I still bought it hoping to hear the songs I had missed. Crazy to thing almost 48 years have passed. Still a fun record. 4/5
Панк рок
Well, it certainly is punk. I want to like this more, but I can't bring myself to enjoy the vocals. It's pretty rare for me to ding a female vocalist, but hey: if men can be shitty vocalists then WOMEN CAN TOO. #notallwomen #thisiswhatafeministlookslike
Best Track - "Germfree Adolescence"
Had no idea what to expect from a band with this name or the era. Was not disappointed and will go back to jam out.
Yeah, you think I’m not giving this a five? Cmon.
Based on the sound, this has gotta be the most influential band/album for the Riot Grrl movement. Unfortunately, I’m a Little Rascal and a member of the He-Man Women Hater Club so I’m not allowed to like this
Just ok. I was expecting more.
Hadn’t heard of them, but it’s really good!
I’d never heard of this band and their fucking fantastic
This was actually ok for a punk album. It was better than I expected it to be. Perhaps because the band was woman-fronted, it gave me a different perspective to the predominantly male-fronted stuff that's been fed to us for the majority of the project. It's still not a genre I enjoy, but I did take some more appreciation from this than normal.
For this album I liked everything but the vocals. They just weren't very pleasing to my ear, and it's sung more in that style of the era which I don't like.
In my mind, the female equivalent of Johnny Rotten. The sound is unique but not enough to make me stop and question anything
⭐⭐⭐ Punkrock. Mycket energi ochb bra kvinnlig röst på sång och lite extra krydda och pluspoäng med saxofon som får det att sticka ut. Helt ok album som framförallt börjar bra, dock tappar jag lite intresse under albumets gång och tycker kanske inte att det häller hela vägen så det blir en 3a. Bäst är Art-I-ficial, Obsessed wirh you, I cant do anything, I am a poser
Punk
Early soft punk
Meh
Skere
4.4
Sheena is a punk rocker, and I am Sheena. Yet again this project reminds me of my love of punk music even if this doesn’t quite get a 4 from me
it was fun
Decent late 70s pre 80s punk vibes
*Ramones with a saxophone? Yes please *Also like that some of the songs have some variety to them...this rocks.
I actually kind of love it. Reminds me of Siouxsie but somehow more cuddly.
Definitely an album that would only be in this list. Obscure British punk. Still, glad to have heard it. Some interesting guitar riffs.
An absolute party from start to finish. Super ahead of its time with several bangers within different sounds and moods. My favorites were the sublimely catchy "Warrior in Woolworths," "Identity" with its earworm riff, and the proto-thrash metal "I Am a Poseur." Sax punk is a cool sound that should have been bigger than it was.
7 - GOOD
Was ready for another 2⭐️day when I saw an unknown UK punk album, but I enjoyed this one way more than expected! It was energetic, with driving guitars and sax blended in throughout. Felt like proto-New Wave, ska. 3.5⭐️
Classic and iconic. Loads of killer tracks. Nostalgic as hell.
Dripping with all the irony you’d expect from decent punk.
The saxophones are the best part of this female led punk album.
Otra basura de album
Shouty shouty
#30 A noisy and repetitive punk album, with unintelligible shout-singing throughout. The saxophone is an interesting choice for this style of music, and is the only memorable part of the whole album. It didn't make it any better though. Glad it's over.
8/10 That's the perfect example why I choose to start this challenge - to discover albums like this one Will i add this album to my library: yes
High energy punky new wave / new wavy punk? I like the braying crazed monologic sax and the catchy sing song. Loud, bright, fired up.
I had no expectations going in, but this was pretty awesome. Catchy songs, edgy, political lyrics, great singing. Poly Styrene is something else. It feels like it would fit right in 2026.
Exciting album, good vibes.
The singer made me think of “Punk Rock Girl” by The Dead Milkmen.
A near perfect punk offering that carries attitude and melody in parts. The whole album blends together leaving no individual memorable track but that isn’t atypical for punk. This is a classic for a reason.
Really well done, supercharged punk effort. Favorite track: Let's Submerge
Women in punk kind of beat men in punk easily
Completely overlooked this album. The first entry of this list I didn't know the band and the record. Nice surprise and I will look further in their discography.
1978 issued, never heard of them …early high energy punk except for slow ballad Getm-free adolescence (!)
Great title. Germ Free Adolescents. Music for that age group me thinks.
Pretty pleasant. Obviously the biggest general problem with an album such as this one is that it 1. Doesn’t really resonate too much, and 2. Is redundant as hell. I really like the inclusion of the saxophone, and I really enjoy the vocals. The disposition of anti-consumerism and establishment is nice, and there are some great songs here, too. I enjoyed this. 8.0/10
I was not previously with the artist or album. This is a punk album with female vocals. The use of saxophone added some variety to the mix. The songs were fine for me, albeit not particularly noteworthy for me. I wouldn't mind hearing it again, but probably wouldn't seek it out either.
I actually really liked the title song. The rest of the album, not so much.
Hard to say "cookie cutter punk", when it's one of the first punk albums, but, that is what this sounds like
Alright, a female-led 70s British punk band. Never heard of these guys(and two gals), but then I'm not very well versed in 70s punk. This is sadly not as much of an uncorked punk fury-fest as I was expecting, but maybe I just wanted some hardcore punk. It still has a lot of punk elements, such as political lyrics condemning consumerism and the artificial world(they are somehow more relevant today than they likely were in 1978) and simplistic guitar. However, there are some key sonic differences(namely the saxophone and surprising variance of tempos). The vocals are ass, but they sound punk and that's probably more important than their technical quality. There are some legitimate bangers here, but also plenty of fairly mediocre songs, making for a somewhat uneven album. In the end, I wanted to like this more than I actually did. This album is ranked #19 of 33 albums for 1978 by global rating. Other 1978 albums rated by me: Darkness on the Edge of Town(6/33)-5 Stardust(8/33)-4 Live and Dangerous(11/33)-4 This Year's Model(13/33)-3 All Mod Cons(14/33)-4 Duck Stab/Buster & Glen(32/33)-3
No jarring
Decently fun punk, but didn't hear anything I wanted to save for later.
I love Poly Styrene so much Solid 9/10
I must admit, at first I was a bit annoyed about drafting another punk album, but man, this energy! It hooked me right from the first song! I also love how catchy the tracks sound and that it is woman-led. This might become my favorite punk album!
Punk with attitude, female singer, saxophone and very good songs. Simple and I like it like this.
Razor sharp guitars and feisty vocals. Very little else from that era sounds like. Day-Glo is a classic album closer.
Without any context or pre-reading, this feel like one of those pioneer albums that a lot of albums look up to. It's very raw, very authentic - especially the lyrics. I dug the saxophone throughout - hadn't really heard that on a punk album before. Highlights: Let's Submerge, Plastic Bag, Germfree Adolescence
I generally enjoy punk but halfway thru disc 2 they did start pissing me off
really good! i already like the chaotic vibes of punk, but with saxophones aswell? hell yea! i saw a buncha reviews complaining abt how its 2 loud, like.. yea? kinda the point, isnt it. absolutely luvd it!!
This is a fun album. Love the mix of punk and sax.
it was an interesting album, punk with sax.had high energy. might be a grower.
not very good
I am liking more and more the female led punk bands. I admit it was not something I really listened to before despite listening to a fair amount of punk. I liked the dichotomy of the voice with the music and wondered if there was not some influence on bands like hole.
I’m floored by this.
So fun and invigorating. The title song is a masterpiece.
Rad 3.5/5
Punky with some ska overtones. This was a vibe and the album falls right into the sweet spot. Love the title.
I really enjoyed this, when it comes to punk it’s some of the best and most diverse I’ve come across. Interesting use of instruments and the vocals are just sublime. I’ll revisit this one from time to time.
Now this is alot easier to talk about than fuckin green days Broadway bullshit. This is just some kick ass British girls doing it up. Just simple solid punk rock. With some interesting horn stuff that isnt really ska stuff. Not a ton to say. Its just good all around from front to back. I like punk. And I like ladies. Nothing else im looking for
A good punk album with some musicality. I enjoyed this thoroughly
That was pretty not bad. The recording was mushy, but there was enough punk attitude to get past my completely unfounded gatekeeping about who gets to call themselves “punk.” Additional points for the female-fronted band, the jaunty saxophone solo over the darkest themes on “I Live Off You,” and the very obvious hat tip to the Pistols. Someone is definitely exploiting someone here, I just can’t tell who’s exploiting who. A killer line from GPT while trying to make my grammar here more readable: "Poly Styrene especially feels oddly predictive now. Half the album sounds like she foresaw influencer culture, microplastics, branding as identity, and the psychological effects of fluorescent supermarkets." Now piss off
Listened Before? N Neat album. Great vocals. I love the variety of instruments and the variety of subjects. At his heart it's still punk, but it has a lot of variety for a punk album. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist; I Am a Poseur
this album is fun! I love listening to music like this. the album cover is really funny close up
I knew X-Ray Spex was cool...I have a couple of their songs on my punk playlist...but I was not expecting such a great album. Front to back...great punk rock...and saxophone!! 5
This was excellent
This album really grew on me as I listened through. There’s so much youthful verve! It’s funny, I’d never describe myself as a punk fan but I truly do enjoy it every time I listen to it. It’s such a distinct genre and I feel like it executes on the brief every time. I’m looking forward to revisiting this album and connecting with the lyrics; I feel like it’d really bring the whole thing to life.
amazing! exactly the kind of energy and fun new discovery I am always hoping for with these albums. Screaming was great (less than expected), so many cool horns, killer melodies and I can only assume great lyrics and content (not what I really listen for). Art - I - Ficial, Getmfree Adolescence and The Day The World Turned Day-Glo were my picks
*Germ Free Adolescents* Proof you don't need to be a music mastermind to create a great album... You just have to be funner'n fuck! Props who brought in the sax on this. It gives the cool 50s feel into to punk format. (9.33) ★★★★½
I find rhe vocals a bit annoying, but it is okay. 3 stars
I think this is a cool album. I like the sax usage, which is really unique for punk. Also, I think this was influential on the riot grrl scene and modern bands like Amyl and the Sniffers. My favorite tracks are "Let's Submerge" and "Identity". 4 stars.
3.5
Need X-Ray Specs and Beer Googles for this to look good. The mute button helps as well. You have Roxy Music sax smeared all across this along with gnawing Kath & Kim vocals which means every song sounds much the terrible same. I’d just leave Roxy Music and Sex Pistols on the list and add Amyl & The Sniffers as a more modern better version of this.
Now we’re talking. Power punk. That sax player has one move but it’s a corker. Just missing Oi Bondage but still slaps.
If there's anything the world could use more of in the year 2026, it's girl punk with some sax. How has this never floated across my radar?
What a complete blast this is!
I liked this one. Insanely energetic weirdo punk record. Very fun, too. Great unhinged vocal performances from Poly Styrene (funny. sounds like a drag name), although she does tend to shout the title of the song at the beginning a bit too many times. Initially the cover was kitsch but then I remembered that really was how the 'cool' kids dressed back then. Key tracks: Art-I-Ficial Germfree Adolescents The Day the World Turned Dayglo
Interesting
Catchy punk vibe.
It's not terrible but it sounds like a worse version of Blondie, especially the vocals. The saxophone work adds a nice element, but 70's punk is always a bit underwhelming. A good listen but far from great.
Weird, hat was von DDR Punk. Ein bisschen viel schrei-singen, aber eher so DDR mäßiges hingeroze als screamo oder sowas.
This is just a good time, man. It doesn't really feel very nineties, the punk inspiration is clearly present, and you can tell they had fun making it.
Solid early UK punk. Can hear some ska in here as well with the horns. Like it. 4/5
This is yet another one that was only popular in England. No one here has ever heard of the Germ Free Adolescents. It's punk, a precursor to 80's new wave. I don't hear anything groundbreaking, maybe it's on here cuz there's a woman (the famous Poly Styrene) on lead vocals? It's punky and messy as it should be but has fun horns, very late 70's Brit punk - sound like early Clash or Sex Pistols (listen to "Identity") but not as angry or full of testosterone. I don't recognize a single song from the radio, ads or TV but I kinda liked "Let's Submerge". The reissue with a 2nd disc includes their signature track, "Oh Bondage (Up Yours)" but apparently that's not available on Spotify. I definitely could have lived my life without hearing this album but now I can say I have. 2.5-3 stars.
it was probably what people of the 70s thought future music would sound like
Was this necessary?
No real issues or complaints here. Can definitely here the influence in 90s Riotgirrrl music especially in Le Tigre
quality punk. dig the saxophones. good energy here, even if there aren't any really standout tracks
Not my favorite, but I’m glad it’s on the list.
Don't care for punk
New Wave meets punk - really good stuff
80s before the 80s
Chunky yet predictable.
Frábært pönk. Poly var geggjuð týpa og einstök. Helvítis neysluhyggjan og lífsgæðakapphlaupið.
Pönkið er einfaldlega besta tónlistin og hvar ætli tónlist væri í dag ef það hefði ekki komið fram. Beitiir textar, Poly töff og saxinn kremið á kökunni.
Pink. Not my thing
Glorious. Combines the beautiful aggression of the Pistols with some genuine musicality - sax harmonies, extra beats and time changes, and genuine meaning behind snotty brattishness. Maybe a little short of a strong 5, but the variety and day-glo energy is enough to put it up there. Maybe i'm just happy to have something different. Follow a lumpen dad rock album with this and you'll see why punk was so important.
Not my cup of tea. Like the energy but wouldn't go back to it
non proprio il mio genere ma ho fatto uno sforzo, e non è male
Bella sorpresa, molto punk. Apprezzato
Excellent.
Vocals were wild on this. Fast riffs and fast vocals. Pretty fun but nothing spectacular.
...
Good punk album lifted up by the saxophone section
It's a fun punk album. Nothing that would change the face of the world but still pleasant to listen to. Favorite Songs: I Can't Do Anything
Fun punk album
Another classic punk record! This record stands out for me because of the saxophone, and of course Poly Styrene's vocals and lyrics are great. Wonderful album. 10 stars
A decent 70s all female punk album. Obviously, the sax is what stands out the most here and it is nice to branch out to some lesser known punk acts. Nothing higher than a 3 stars for me though.
Awesome punk, with lots of extra variety.
Had some cool ear-worms, but all in all...yeesh. Liked Warrior in Woolworths and Germfree Adolescents best
I really like the style and attitude. The saxophone fits right in with the vibe of the album.
Some songs are good but there is just better punk music out there
Phenomenal record! The raw punk energy is immediately felt, Polly Styrene's voice is felt in the echoes of groups like Bikini Kill and Sleater-Kinney, and the band follows behind with loud as fuck guitars and above all else a freakin' SAXOPHONE. It fits in extremely well and adds to roaring cacophany of loud punk music. Sounding incredibly ahead of it's time, I can easily see why this is considered one of the best punk records of all time and how insanely influential it was to artists and bands down the line.
This was very blah.
meeeh
Didnt get onboard with this one. Maybe i wasn’t in the mood, not sure. Low 3
Fun album with a lot of energy. Not my type of music for the most part, but I can appreciate it. Rating: 5/10 Favorite Song: Identity
this is for kids 1/5
Loud, shouty, lots of repeated vocals and simple but effective riffs. Love the color that the saxophone brings. A fresh and unique take on the sort of music I like.
Really fun punk music. Maybe not as catchy or gettin-me-goin as others in the genre, but I loved the energy and overall cheekiness.
4.5 Stars
신날락말락
Great guitars, and particularly enjoy the mix of punk with saxophone - something you don’t hear every day. The vocals fit perfectly with the music, but I’m not sure I could listen to this kind of delivery much longer than the album run time.
A Kick in the pants!
Unlike a lot of punk bands of the time X-Ray Spex manage to pack a ton of variety into this quite short album. Every track is different, and great in its own way. There's melody and nuance, humour and drama, hard rocking out and lots of fun. This band should have been far more commercially successful than they ever were.
ouyeh wiedermol chli öppis punkigs ouyeh. ah punk aber sie cha actually singe und sie hend blöser und s isch no geil?? obsessed with you isch au sehr fun. es isch uuuuhuere arsch gmixt hahah. aso s tönt halt nöd so guet. es isch feelgood feministische punk what the hellyhell ich find so cool?? aso musikalisch ischs nüt speziells aber afoch au fun. dees isch guter punk. ich habe gern. es tönt wie mit ein blechdos aufgenimmt aber sie fittzed ane. moll git e vieri. wirds worschinli nüm viel lose aber s het huere spass gmacht.
waaas e alti punkband? art-i-ficial macht na easy spass d riffs sind na heavy fürd ziit ok warrior findi chli zu chinderlied mit e-gitarre sie het aber megaaa e cooli stimm s sax isch am ahfang mega cool gsi aber es müsst nöd ih jedem aong vorcho PLASTIC BAG GAHT AB und isch jz am schluss auno schön mite blöser jaa es isch nüt megaa speziells aber ich han offesichtlich chli en softspot für ältere quirky punk
Was not too bad. Female-fronted punk is always cool. Also, there were a few metal riffs on this record, which was interesting. Deserves a 3.5. Since I gave my last album a 4 this is going down to 3.
2.5
Certainly one of the much better UK punk albums that litter this list 4*
This is a fun one!
I can't deduct marks for saxophone when it's played this poorly; it's just so punk
6/10 There's something quite cool about Sax Punk. I didn't expect to enjoy this one as much as I did. It's underproduced, the vocals are simple, the music is repetitive, but there's charm and fun all around which makes for an overall enjoyable listen. Not revolutionary or overly interesting, but solid overall. Best track: Germfree Adolescence Will I revisit?: Probably not
According to Apple Music, this is one of the most original bands of 70s British new wave. That may well be, and the sax is an unexpected touch. But it just didn’t really excite any of my neurons, so my rating is forced to reflect that.
Positively surprising
They definitely had a unique style and sound, but I don't know if I loved it so much. I would say that they were ahead of their time, but no, I think at 1978 they were perfectly on time.
I've always thought of this one as possibly my favorite punk album of the first wave. This listen didn't change that, even though it did make me realize how much they kinda drop off in quality after 'Identity". But still, Poly's screaming and that dizzy saxophone are enough to make even the lackluster songs exciting to listen to.
Emmm, ok I guess
Pretty good songs with terrible vocals averages out to a middling experience.
Innofensive, but unremarkable
I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected, given its age and genre. Strong musically, vocally, and lyrically - I'd definitely give it another listen.
Pretty standard 70s Britpunk album. Poly's voice takes a few songs to get used to. Better instrumentalists than the Sex Pistols. I can appreciate it for what it is.
I have this rated between fun and annoying. I liked the energy of the music but I hate the singer.
Classic punk. Why would anyone listen to the Sex Pistols when you could listen to this?
V dobe vydania albumu to muselo byť silné. Určite by zo mňa bol fanúšik, ak by to bolo v mojom teenagerskom veku...
*1978 *This sounds just like the B52s. *Didn't care for this much, but it wasn't horrible either. Just not my thing. RATING - 5.5/10
Well .. a female punk band with a saxophone. Hmmm, her voice shrieking is a bit too much for me, sounds the same all the way through - except for the Germfree song, which is different enough to like, but the lyrics ... geez. I won't be coming back to this. it's a no for me.
3.5
2.5
3.0
Pretty cool. I know the most popular rating on this site for this record pokes fun at people saying it all sounds the same, but I think that’s a valid critique. X-Ray Spex was doing cool things on these songs, but I’m welcoming the end as I feel I’ve heard enough.
Some OK moments especially when the sax fires up. Not a big fan of the vocals. Drumming and bass pretty solid.
🤘🏾🫶🏾😎🤏🏾🙂❤️❤️❤️
I kind of liked this at first but then it got a bit on my nerves
An album for me that was of its time. It's still quirky and OK, but no more than that.
Debated between 2 and 3. There are some ok songs and the sax is fun, but there aren’t any tracks that really grabbed me. I want a catchy hook from punk songs and this didn’t have any. I can see the influence this has had though; Amyl and the sniffers have a similar sound now (but better hooks).
Another British punk band I never heard of. It’s very punk except with some added significant saxophone. They’re all short rockers that rock out. Her voice is suited for punk rock. I’m very in the middle on this but am definitely enjoying it. Seems like good early punk that influenced later New Wave 80s bands. Like a lot of punk, it gets repetitive at times. But I’m still liking it. I think the title track is my favorite song with the slowed down style. Stands out from a lot of the rest of the heavier punk sound. This is all pretty solid. Didn’t really wow me, but a good 3 for me here. Some songs are super fun.
Fun
Solid punk album. A lot of the tracks sound the same, of course you get that with a lot of punk music. Some good songs, the lead singer has a good presentation/delivery. Inclusion of saxophone is unique.
Yeellliiing the naaaaaammmeee of the soooonnnggg!
As I have said many times, Punk is not really my thing, but i must admit I found this album much more melodic than most Punk albums!
I didn't mind this, but it didn't really capture my punk heart like I wanted it to.
Yeah, this IS good.
yeah its ok but because of the ideology here's the usual half star deduction 3.5/5
Who knew saxophone was missing from riot grrl punk? This worked better than I would have thought. It was fun and brash and short
Punk with sax - now that rocks!
Good punk music, not my favorite though. Felt like they were outta ideas and if I didn't focus on the music each song was kinda indistinguishable from the next.
Really fun
Not for me
What a load of crap. The only good thing about this band is the singers name.
She could have tried to sing properly at least once
Idk dude it's not my flavor of music exactly but its also fascinating as fuck and messy and beautiful and meanigful exactly like punk rock music should be and im fascinated and grateful to have been exposed to the album. 1978
"I hit him back...with my pet rat!". What a great lyric. I really liked Disc 1, but Disc 2 was just fantastic. A great punk album, with the added brass backing, I'm super happy to have listened to this. Favourites: I Can't Do Anything Genetic Engineering Germfree Adolescence The Day The World Turned Day-Glo
I was 14 when this came out, just at the time I could only listen to music on the radio. I remember the singles and how much I liked them then. So 48 yrs later I get around to listening to the album. Wow, what have I missed out on? Great album and still relevant today
I loved the sound of this, except for the vocals, where I'm torn. I can absolutely see how the screechy, ugly feel is a deliberate artistic choice that gives this its unique identity. But it's a bit much for me. I think I could handle it better in a live performance than listening to it at leisure. Which is quite fitting for a punk record, I guess.
Blondie en moins bien
Germfree Adolescents is the opposite of my ex-wife
Gritty and real, but enough weirdness to give some variety across the tracklist. Couple songs the vocals get a bit nasally (for my lack of a better adjective) kinda like Cyndi Lauper, but very strong on others.. overall 3.75/5 liked it and easy to play though several times
meh
This was ok. Not really a fan of the vocals, but I liked the punk vibe. 3/5
I could just barely listen to one song on this album.
Once I got past the banshee one note squeal it was ok. The lyrics were fun.