Reviews (page 6 of 7)
Honestly fire, need more women led punk. Wish it was on Spotify
Mittelgut. Geht teilweise ab. Stimme nervt manchmal bisschen, genauso wie das Sax.
This punk rock album is OK, but apart from the fact that some of the songs feature saxophone, it's nothing special. 3/5.
I really like Poly Styrene's voice; the punk energy and sound are definitely enjoyable. The main knock is that it does sound very samey across 40 minutes of music. A good listen.
I don’t think it's possible to have germ-free adolescents. They may not be as gross and germy as elementary schoolers, but they’re pretty nasty in their own right. I doubt that Poly Styrene and the X-Ray Spex were germ-free either, despite no longer being adolescents. It wasn’t the germs that did them in, but the X-Ray Spex didn’t last after this album, and then Poly Styrene joined the Hare Krishnas.
This is the second album not on AppleMusic, but I did find in on YouTube. I’m stuck on the saxophone is this punk band. It is so unusual and still unexpected even on the last few tracks. It’s a refreshing addition to the Spex punk sound. I would listen to this again, but I probably won’t because I won’t think to search YouTube.
45 years late on this one; yet another revelation to me. I wish I knew more cool kids who could have made a mention. Listening to this for the first time, going in cold, literally, I didn't know if this was Cyndi Lauper's pre-Cyndi Lauper band, Kathleen Hanna's pre-Bikini Kill band, or even early Romeo Void. Who knew there was an early new-wave/punk, with saxophone, full throttle ironic siren that pre-dated all of that. Can anyone just give me a list of bands and records that I really should encounter before my end of days to catch me up on all I missed? You're saying there is a list of hundreds of such records right here? Very well then.
Ca dememage,du bon punk 3.5
Today I learned about Poly Styrene!
Very energetic but not really my style I guess.
I didn't hate this, but boy did it get old quickly. Best track: Obsessed with You
This was a fine listen old punk album. Not crazy good but not bad. 6/10.
Punchy, energetic, squonky fun. Fave Songs: Warrior in Woolworths, I Can't Do Anything, Identity, Let's Submerge, Germ Free Adolescents, The Day the World Turned Day-Glo
Album cover cracks me up. Overall, I thought it was fun. It just oozes character. worth the listen.
All in all great punk album! I also have a serious soft spot for punk female singers. Great stuff
3.5 | De ver la portada esperaba algo medio pop finales 70s llegando al new wave, quiza algo hacia los B52s que acaban de tocar... Resulta que no, son punk... Ok pensé, un disco más de punk que supongo será decente. Afortunadamente supera las expectativas y es más que eso, se siente fresco y de hecho bastante de avanzada para ser del 78. Termina siendo un punk inglés bastante bastante sólido y con un saxofón que se cuela una y otra vez y que afortunadamente no se empieza a llevar hacia el ska sino que da toques bastante frescos a la música. En cierto modo dieron el ciclo completo y terminaron con un dejo de esas bandas pop rock sesenteras pero con un sentido del humor un poco más oscuro. Los aspectos más destacados para mí aquí son fácilmente "Warrior in Woolworths", "I Can't Do Anything" y "Plastic Bag", que muestran cómo habría sonado Blondie si hubieran sido digamos menos cosmopolitas y más crudos (sin queja alguna hacia Blondie, solo como una comparación) . Sobra mencionar que todo esto aplica para la versión original del disco, en Spotify hay una versión que dura casi dos horas y en ese caso si llega el punto en que comienza a sonar ya cansado y sin duda sobrepasa la buena impresión de entrada.
Qué rara cosa me pusieron a oír. Siento que mezcla ondas de Sleeter Kinney (que de hecho me gustó mucho) con jaladas como de Las Ultrasónicas o algo así como más de bromita. No es malo, tiene momentos de buena música y de letras que me hacen prestar atención… pero no es un disco que DEBES de oír antes de morir. Luego con tiempo leo un poco la historia a ver si hay algo ahí que me explique qué razón hay.
2.5
I feel like I need to make a disclaimer that I honestly don't dislike all punk. But I sure didn't like this. I'll give it points for the inventive (but scattershot competence) use of horns and for sheer earnestness. But I found the singing - near monotone yelling too far out of their effective register to be anything but dissonant - just intolerable. Delivering lyrics not half as clever as they're making themselves out to be.
-I liked the instrumentals, but not the singer -"Let's Submerge" was probably my favorite song
It started off a little weird but ended up being good background music
I generally really like punk rock but this one didn’t really do it for me
This album begs the question: Is Poly Steve Jones' or Johnny Rotten's sister? lol It is kinda neat to see a female fronted band banging out this genre with conviction. While the Sex Pistols' LP will get top marks, it will not be because of Steve's guitar playing or Johnny's vocal range. So how do we rate the influencee as opposed to the influencer?
A few great songs and I like their sound, but in the end not enough variety - by the end the songs just sound the same.
Not bad, does everything a punk album is supposed to do, probably won’t come back tho
Love Poly Styrene’s voice and I can appreciate that she paved the way for riot grrls in the 90s. Some of the songs I love and others were just okay.
A nice surprise. Couldn’t believe it was 2009.
Quirky punk album. It was fun, not my favorite.
Shit rocks!
Exactly like I expected it to sound. Not really to my taste, but got through to the end
Punk rock from across the pond! I enjoyed this album while working.
foundation for punk rock
Interesting album… Reminded me of punk bands like Devo …..was OK Boy that Polly Styrene can scream!!
Fun album
was cool
Jäklar va kul ändå, riktigt punkigt. Lite väl skrikigt för min smak tho... men vi får se. Riktigt bra när man ska typ tagga eller när man är arg men inte annars...
Punk with sax. BT: Art-I-Ficial, Warrior in Woolworth, Identity
Didn’t mind this half as much as I thought I would and actually knew a couple of the tracks.
I quite liked this, reminded me of a lot of bands like Snuff, early AFI, NOFX, etc, although there wasn't much info on Wiki about their influence or legacy to know if there was a direct influence. Also, too many versions/formats with different running orders and different bonus tracks. That was annoying. 6/10
Enjoyed it more than I expected. 2.5 rounded up.
OK. But shouty
Good fun energetic punk album. Probably better in smaller doses but some excellent songs on there.
Pretty good. Liked the punk with sax
Empieza muy bien, pero enseguida se vuelve repetitivo
Great punk with a definitive edge. Like the sound, but as an album a little exhausting
Ni idea de quién era este grupo. No está mal, sonido punk de los que sabían tocar instrumentos. Me gusta la voz de la cantante. Los volveré a escuchar.
Nice
Fine
decent
Good stuff! I had only heard a couple of these songs before. Good, listenable alternative/punk. 3 stars.
fun early punk
Bijzonder alternatief album
Enjoyable riot grrl LP with some unexpectedly deep songwriting and arrangements along the way. Need to give this another listen to fully appreciate it.
Quite enjoyed this album
Has it's moments of good, moments of odd. More like 3.5 to me.
Cool, really love the title track
Love the punk and jazzy mix. And I like the female singer. It's a little frenetic for me to listen to while I'm working or driving but I could see it being good during a workout or something like that.
It was ok! Early punk rock
i wouldnt say great but its listenable and decent
A voice like eating glass. Heard track one? Then you’ve heard all there is to offer on this abomination.
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
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
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
Skere
Shouty shouty
The singer made me think of “Punk Rock Girl” by The Dead Milkmen.
Great title. Germ Free Adolescents. Music for that age group me thinks.
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.
Was this necessary?
Don't care for punk
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.
Had some cool ear-worms, but all in all...yeesh. Liked Warrior in Woolworths and Germfree Adolescents best
Some songs are good but there is just better punk music out there
This was very blah.
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.
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.
*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
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).
Not for me
I could just barely listen to one song on this album.
The creator of this list really likes punk.
It reminds me of the B-52s if the B-52s were a punk band. Not for me, but I can appreciate why others love it.
eh bit bored
meh
Not available
There were some bright spots, and I think the saxophone is a fun choice for a 70s punk album. But overall I thought it was a little boring and didn't really stand out from other older British punk.
Probably influential to countless punk rock bands over the next 40 years, but this album specifically was very annoying. The vocals were annoying, and the weird sax horn stuff was somehow even more annoying 3.5/10
Punk-delen var fin og catchy nok, men puh, der var meget saxofon.
Really doesn't do anything for me
Noisy (duh its punk) and bad vocals. Did not enjoy. 2/5
✅✅ Identity – horns!! Lil' yelly on the whole
This is a new to me band and album. I love a good punk album, and this one is pretty solid. I like that they used some different sounds, including the saxophone. But, the lead singer's - Poly Styrene - voice could definitely be a little grinding at times. On a couple of the songs, it was just too much for me. Solid album, but not one I'd add to my regular listening rotation.
That became tiresome quickly
2.2 Rough. It's as though someone went to see the Sex Pistols live and thought "I could probably do that?". Bonus points for deciding to add horns to make it even more fucking annoying.
I get it but wouldn’t listen again
The songs are polluted by the piercing voice of an adolescent version Blondie. Plastic bag as the most painful song
I will drink heavily and shout at you album samo što se ovo ne bi svidjelo ni Bernardu Blacku imam osjećaj.
Yell-y vocals that sound like the singer is going to lose her voice? Check. Energetic electric guitars? Check. Another British punk/alternative album (how many of these have I had in the first 10% of the 1001 albums?). Good energy and semi-listenable, but I would turn it off if I could.
Ananas en pizza is ok, punk en sax nooit een goeie combi. Text, boodschap en energie ok. maar die tering sax...
When you’re in your late 20s but you still watch cartoons for kids aged between 5-10.
I imagine this album is what Helena Bonham Carter playing Bellatrix Lestrange playing Helena Bonham Carter as a lead singer of a punk rock band would sound like.
Annoying punky singing shouting screaming whatever it is ruins everything
I can appreciate it but I just don’t like punk. 2
This is not my favorite genre of punk
I appreciate why its on the list. Just not my jive man.
Just hooting and hollering, buncha noise for no reason. Only reason why this isn’t a 1/5 is bc #girlpower
I don’t like how they announce the name of the song at the start of each song
I usually like when women yell but I didn’t like this one very much. Cool cover art. Favorite- I can’t do anything (I love when she says “I hit him back with my pet rrrrat”)
If I was to record a studio album I would simply tune my saxophone 2/5
I do like the characteristic brass of the late 70's. The album cover is fun too. It's just so much shouting. It might just be that I'm not a huge fan of punk. From the lyrics I caught, I enjoy their message, but unfortunately with bad hearing to begin with, I had no idea what she was on about for the majority of the album. Nice short album though, I'll give them that.
Not a massive fan of punk, wouldn’t listen again
I like the angry energy of punk. But as with HipHop I don’t empathise. Not really into the Spex but like the use of sax. A change from most punk. Hence the rating.
Like the music but the voice is very off putting :(
Didn't like as the vocals ruined it for me.
Punk.
The namesake stood out but the sound overall isn’t for me. Fun hearing some trumpet in this kind of music, though!
I can’t do girl punk. I sincerely apologize.
Without knowing anything about the band or album, I’m gonna guess it’s influential because it was punk fronted by a woman. If I liked punk, I suppose I’d like this. But I don’t and I don’t. It’s not that it’s bad at all, just not my taste. And it didn’t grow on me as I listened. I just wanted it to be over with.
pop-rock de los 70, grupo de mujeres adolescentes, nada que volver a visitar, toques de hard rock o punk
If nothing else, it's not a boring album; just an annoying, whiny mess that overstays its welcome. Favorite Track" "Germ Free Adolescents".
Ihan kivaa uuden aallon räminää, mutta biisit itsessään oli kyllä tosi mitäänsanomattomia. Ei tästä oikeastaan jäänyt mitään käteen, vaikka kuuntelin kahteen kertaan.
Punk, 1978 -> 2
No standouts
Did not like the lead singer
Many songs are quite annoying
Es un albúm que al principio me recordaba a mecano si haber esuchado nada, pero al escucharlo es un punk asi que me recuerdo MUCHO todas las canciones a deceptacon de le tigre creo, la cantante canta como el que imita a hugh jackman de GIVE ME A LOAF OF BREEAAAAAAD y me hace mucha gracia, tiene la voz muy aguda y las canciones suelen repetir el título mucho, incluso prefije como iba a empezar una. Las que son más tranquilas y sin menls griterío me gustan más pero tampoco tanto, mucho saxofón sorprendentemente también. Le doy un 4 sinceramente, si no me hubiera roto los tímpanos la voz de la vocalista hubiera tenido un 6.
Not bad but nothing distinguished this album for me and I don't anticipate revisiting any of it. 2/5.
I want to like this. There are a few catchy noises but overall I couldn't get into it. 2.5/5
Hated this, sounded like nails on a chalkboard
Sounds like some teenage girls doing karaoke in their rooms. Adding the sax in gave the tunes a little more depth but I wasn't really into it. This is some early girl punk so I guess that gets them on the list. Not terrible, just mediocre and pretty skippable in my opinion. I won't be exploring any more from the Spex or revisiting this one. 2.04 stars.
Nice to be exposed to some alternate punk with a female vocalists. She brings a lot of enthusiasm to the affair which is otherwise pretty basic. I was enjoying this for a bit but I didn't expect the novelty to wear off so quickly though. Within 20 minutes I had consumed pretty much all the X-Ray Spex I think I need. It's not bad, but the formula is so consistent that it almost feels like you listened to the same song for 10 of the 12 tracks. Glad to be exposed to them, but not anything I'll spend more time with. 1.98 stars
This might be the least bad punk album I've heard. It actually sounded good until the singing started. I liked the youthful energy, the refreshingly (for punk) un-amateurish instrument playing, and the use of saxophone. It's also not overly long. But even a short album with shrieky singing becomes hard to bear pretty quickly
Schwierig. Ich schwanke zwischen Kunst und Abfall. Die negativen Aspekte überwiegen.
STOP YELLING AT ME
Not my style
Did not enjoy
too rowdy for me
Two stars for a quirky album from a group I’ve never heard of. Gotta laugh at the sax mixed with heavy guitars.
Listening to Siouxsie not long ago emphasizes what makes that so interesting and limits this to novelty. The songwriting and melodies were repetitive, the performances... what's the point of specifics. I didn't much like anything about this.
loved the saxophone and the lyrics were cool! the lead singers voice was not my cup of tea
This was one of the original Punk movement's better efforts, not quite up there with the Damned or The Clash, but certainly not down n the bottom of the barrel with The Lurkers (thank goodness). I've not listened to this lot for decades, as the simplistic style of Punk just does not have enough to keep be interested for too long, but when one is in the mood for a bit of energy the genre is a good place to go. That said, sorry Polly but this hasn't been, but that could change as I did enjoy it more than I thought i would - caught me on the right day!
I enjoyed the piledriving rock, especially the use of the sax, but the vocals are awful and the pace and sound are relentlessly consistent.
I prefer punk this way, but it still isn't my preferred vibe! Enjoyed it all the same.
There's nothing special about this album. However, I get why people like "Germfree Adolescents". It just isn't for me, a guy who doesn't like 70s British Punk. "Plastic Bag" is a really good song. If only the rest of the album were like that. 2 stars for "Germfree Adolescents".
Helt okej, men blev ärligt talat lite trött på saxofonen och repetitionen? Vissa låtar är A+B i typ 100 repetitioner och jag orkar inte hahah
Late 70s English punk comprises far too much of this list.
Late 70s Brit punk. Rebellious and rude without being cynical or nihilistic. Like most early punk it’s specific qualities are the attraction more than the quality of it’s presentation or technique, and that is clearly evident in this low fi recording with monotonous vocals. You have to work to get anything from it.
Relatively boring album that leaves me empty of words. No good things and in the same time nothing really bad to say, except the boredom.
Well, this sounded like 70's punkrock. Not very good, but not very bad either.
Trying to find some redeeming qualities, but this is so grating. Some of the sax instrumentation is nice. Guitar too. The vocalist though, ugh…
This was ok. A couple songs were good, one wasn't my jam at all. It gave off the vibe of "background YouTube" album
not a big fan of the vocals and the quirky saxophone(s).
A bit harsh for more than a couple of tracks at a time.
Just like its name, wtf
Brutal to listen to. Some hints of good listens, but rare and few between.
Not a huge punk fan, but will always give an extra star for saxophones.
Just okay
UK punk has always been a tough sell for me. Once they learned to play their instruments and - if they hadn’t already broken up - write slightly different songs, that keeps my attention. But the appeal of Spex, the Pistols, Sham, etc...just not my deal.
Nah, the British invasion isn't really for me.
Bloody crap this
Not a fan. Found this kinda annoying and was just ready for it to be over by the end. Not my thing
4/10
Not that impressive. Lead singer yells all the lyrics but the sax was good. 2/5
Sax = 4/5 Everything else = -2/5 So 2/5 I guess
Not digging the vocals, the instruments are good, very Sex-Pistols type vibes
I like the energy and the sax was a pleasant surprise. The shout-y vocals and general vocal style are quickly fatiguing if not outright annoying. It doesn't take very long before the songs start sounding the same. Maybe OK in very small doses.
no
Fun and enjoyable, until it felt repetitive. A little X-Ray Spex goes a long way. 2 5 stars
Much punk.
Cannot believe this is from 1978. Sounds like it could have come out this week. Not really my jam but great nonetheless.
Huh. I could usually see myself liking something like this but for some reason it just didn’t land with me. After a few songs the vocals did not sound nice to my ears…very screechy. I didn’t much enjoy the saxamaphone. 2.25
Ganske nice punk. gøy
fun rhythm and beats but scritchy scratchy vocals kill the buzz
I just can’t get past that punk vocal style, at lest there was some cool horns on this one. 2 stars
This album is like a visit to an overseas whiskey bar where English isn’t the first language. The bar is catered to foreigners, including a band that performs in English. The bar is on a main road and the lighting is too bright in an effort to lure in passers by.
Pretty crazy album. Feel like this album could be fun with anyone else singing, but the album is way too long, and I was waiting for it to end at some point
A fun album that is kinda dumb with one of the single most annoying singers I've ever heard.
The saxophone and some of the guitar work make this more interesting than other punk bands, especially older ones. You can hear how this influenced later groups like Sleater-Kinney, and it's cool that this created the Riot Grrrl movement and genre but I don't love the style of music and many songs grated.
Nothing very memorable
Not my style
Music quite nice but vocals were difficult to listen to
I've never heard of these guys. Right off the bat I really liked the guitar, but strongly, strongly disliked the vocalist and sax. There are some catchy riffs in places, like "Warrior in Woolworths" (which might be one of the dumbest song names I've heard) but all of it mostly sounds like a bunch of kids' first punk album, which I suppose it was. I'm not against what they're about, by the way, I just think it all sounds kind of cringy. Standouts were "Warrior in Woolworths," and "I Live Off You" - I guess had some better parts. Overall, this wasn't doing a whole lot for me. The lyrics were almost indecipherable and hard to listen to. Like physically painful. "Germfree Adolescence," the song, was alllmost good melodically but damn, the lyrics and breaking vocals just hurt. The guitarist is the only redeemable aspect of this record for me, and for him it gets 2 stars.
Not quite as good as its reputation makes it out to be, unfortunately.
Ehh, very British British rock
I did not expect this to be the first album in this list I'd heard before. I listened to this one a couple years ago, and have no memory of it but hey, here's to second chances. So this is loud and has a bad mix, welcome back punk. Is this riot grrrl before riot grrrl? I feel like I would like these songs if they... sounded better? I think the songs are good and catchy, but the mixing is awful, every second is killing my ears. This album is really just going by. Again, in theory I like a lot of what's happening, but the sound quality is keeping me from actually enjoying it. Yeah, I just finished the album and my mind didn't change. This was tough to get through. Not bad, so I won't give it an awful rating, but yeah, can't say I enjoyed this experience... bye
When my kids misbehave I’m making them listen to this
2 - fun rock
Rating: 5/10 Meh.
Liked the drums.
This is fine. Some tracks pop a bit more than others - title track is probably the best one. But doesn't feel like something i'd want to spin again
Didn't exactly like any song, but some parts of songs. This type of punk is not my thing, the subject matter or the delivery weren't to my liking.
They had some good parts here and there, but honestly, the music gets pretty annoying. This is one of those bands that makes music that I think is bad, but they're still praised a lot because of what they represent and who they are.
If Jenny Slate made a countercultural noise fest in the 70s. Not for moi.
Enjoyed few, wont listen again. Too high pitch for me :/
Punk + Saxophone is not a combination I appreciate.
Not really worth even the short time it took to listen to this. The music was average and the singer was just whining into the mic the entire time.
Yeah, I don’t love punk. It was fine as punk goes, I guess. I had to listen on YouTube because it’s not available on Apple Music, and that’s annoying because I hate commercials. Anyway, 2 stars is about right. I could be convinced to go to 2.5 is this thing had half stars.
This is not music for me. This might be music for someone, but for me it was just noise (and not in a good way).
just another brit punk band
I didn't much like punk in period, and I don't much like it now. 2/5.
If I’ve heard one punk rock song, I’ve heard them all. Are we seriously singing about rats?
I really enjoyed the music on this, especially the saxophone-forward songs like "Genetic Engineering." But I didn't enjoy the vocals or really understand what she was singing. So not a record I will be returning to, but I didn't hate it.
Holy hell the screaming and you know what f**k the saxophone too 2.3
Le punk, c'est fun 10 minutes. Le punk avec un saxophone, c'est fun 5 minutes.
Not for me
2.5 Poly Styrene sure is a great rock name. Her voice sure cuts through for better or worse. The bass playing stood out as excessively busy. Liked a few tunes, but honestly didn't really do it for me
Fantastic punk sound, loved the sax. Her voice killed it
I’ve realized that punk is something I appreciate but tend to avoid. My base level of anxiety is quite high. Punk makes me wanna break stuff, all stuff… but like in a crazy fun way.
I did not use a private session for Spotify. I was nervous about signing up for a double album, but then I realized this was punk, so the songs aren't long. Yes, it's punk, but with a saxophone, which is different. Different but not compelling.
Didn’t love it
Sax so shitty it was almost enjoyable
Not really my thing...
these people love yelling about the underground
Whatever
Overall this has the potential to br a really fun punk album. I love the addition of the saxophone. The vocals were just way too much at certain points and detracted from the overall sound.
Ze hadden duidelijk nog geen auto-tune vroeger
Musically, this was pretty good......except for the damn saxophone. They tried too hard to sound like a cross between The Sex Pistols and Blondie, but ended up sounding like Cyndi Lauper after a long night of doing speed.
decent instrumentation ruined by screaming singer. Nothing special about any of the songs anyway...
Känner mig kluven. Grymt med tjej och punk men saxofon. Inte lika grymt. Drar ner betyget en del.
Nja jag vetefasen. Saxpunk är uppenbarligen inte min grej (och då gillar jag ändå sax) och jag tycker inte hennes sång imponerar. Helt okej i övrigt. Stark tvåa.
Not for me, the sound was on the fence between punk and a more classic rock sound and a little far to the puck side for my ears.
Really enjoyed the music, fun punk with a sax!!! Would have ranked higher if they were instrumentals… her voice was rough 😬
Wow, that was annoying
Messy, punky, noisy. An acquired taste. 5/10
“I Can’t Do Anything” really summed it up.
It was OK. 2.5
Ihan swengaavaa punkkia saxofonin kanssa, mutta en oikein ymmärrä miksi tämä levy on tällä listalla. Tää on tullut 2001 niin ei tää oo ollut mitenkään merkittäväkään. Tykkää ken tykkää. Parhaat: Age, Obsessed With You
Classic punk rock album. Rare to hear a woman in a punk band in the 70's. Not a bad album.
Low-fi, but not in a good way. I'm sorry, I did not like the lead singer's voice, the music was mediocre and I have to take away a star for the absolutely terrible and often out of tune sax playing which was just mind grating.
Doesn’t really do anything for me but i do like it a little but won’t be returning to it
Didn't listen real close but seemed unremarkable
Not great
Talking and yelling and rocking. late 70's
This is what I imagine my parents would listen to in high school if they did a ton of cocaine
I hated the 1st track, but it gets better. Some cool punk songs on here, but overall didn't think the album fits in the 1001 albums to listen to before you die...
I like punk, but I don't get this one. Maybe it's the vocal, maybe it's too positive of a melody for me and my image of punk rock. 2.5/5.
The music wasn't bad, but I couldn't get behind the rest. Eh, win some, lose some.
Zu wild können nicht singen
I didn’t like punk n the 70s but I’m more tolerant of it now. Maybe it’s the nostalgia. This was alright but not something I’d seek out so a harsh 2*
I had a tough time getting behind this. The album feels chaotic and raw. The energy is relentless. Lyrics are sharp, and tackle social issues. The production is rough, which suits the punk vibe. It has moments of brilliance, but they are scattered.
Dear Poly, STOP YELLING ....OK!!!!!!!
Started really fun and fresh but Jesus it got annoying after a while. 15-20 mins of this would be perfect and 3.
So the vocals were all over the place. First song just horrible, next song ok...then back to hard to listen to. This is a great sounding band for the time this was released. Very cool and interesting album cover.
01) Germ Free Adolescents - 5,5 02) Identity - 5,5 03) The Day the World Turned Day-Glo - 5,5 04) Genetic Engineering - 5,0 05) Art-I-Ficial - 5,0 06) Plastic Bag - 5,5 07) I Am a Poseur - 5,0 08) I Live off You - 5,0 09) Let's Submerge - 5,0 10) Obsessed With You - 4,5 11) Warrior In Woolworths - 5,5 12) I Can Do Anything - 5,0 13) Age - 5,0 14) Highly Inflammable - 5,5 TOTAL: 5,18 (52/100) Current ranking: 204/220 Spotify and Wikipedia have different track listings, but I won't bother with that, Spotify it is. Let's see who X-Ray Spex are, I've never heard of them. Hmmm, English punk rock band, it doesn't sound promising. Once again, it turns out that I'm really not a fan of punk. Her voice is annoying to me, the songs are all the same, guitars, drums, noise and that's it. Oh, there's a saxophone, but it doesn't help much. Not for me. Next!
Music is ok…. Vocals not so much
Love the title track but the rest of it wasn’t really for me.
I hate to continually be so critical of punk bands, but gosh I couldn't get past the lead singer's vocals, even when I'm aware that is the point of punk music. I do recognize that their sound is different, especially for 1978. X-Ray Spex were punk with just enough of a presence in pop to be on the cutting edge of new wave. And with American music always dominated by men, to have a female lead vocalist and frontman is still great! But I just couldn't wait until the album finished.
Punk is not for me but it’s not a terrible album, I suppose
Definitely have never heard of this artist before. Maybe I have heard a track of theirs but so far doesn't sound like anything I've heard before. Not my style.
1.7 - Was a quite annoying and I think I'de find it annoying in the 70's as well. Lot's of "oh look at me being so random!"
Horrendous vocals. The instrumentals are the only thing slightly saving this.
I really enjoyed the music but cannot separate from how much the vocals just did not land well for me. Even if there had been just a little more variation to the vocals, I think I would have enjoyed them vastly more. But there was almost a monotone scream singing that I couldn’t even make out most of the lyrics due to. And then randomly at the end of the album, the last few tracks had a different singer which, I thought hey, I can focus on the music, but then I focused on the vocals not sounding matched to punk music. Giving a 2 only because the music is really good.
I'd prefer adolescent germ over this
wtf is that voice
Side 1 was rough was close to turning it off. Side 2 was better as the lead singer wasn't screeching so much and it was almost like a cross between Blondie and The Clash or something
The music is straight foreward but the vocals are annoying. 1,5
Tykkäsin ekasta biisistä ja levyn edetessä fiilis lerpahti. Levystä fiilistely oli kuin kuolevan ihmisen sydänkäyrä, joka ei sitten hyvin päättynyt - levy jäi kesken.
Tommonen punkkipamautus, joka paikoin ihan mukaansatempaavaa, mut ei vieläkään ole lähellä sydäntä
Punk music either really clicks with me or it really doesn't. There's not a lot of middle ground and I find myself either loving a band or really disliking a band. This band however has made me question that a little bit. I found myself being kind of annoyed with the sound; the vocals are jarring, clashy, and oddly very monotone, the music is inoffensive (I want offensive) and forgettable. But all together it kind of worked, but not enough for me to love it? I liked how there were random saxophones and kazoos and vibraslaps. I did like the music on "Identity", it sounded like a a 70's cop drama mixed with some Iron Maiden-esque lead guitar moments. Fun album cover.
I think if I had heard this in college, I would have been obsessed with it. As it is, it feels like I missed its moment for myself.
Less shouting pls
Why does the saxophone sound so out of tune? Almost gave this a 1, but found parts of this catchy, so upped to a 2.
Classic punk. This girl hits a high note pretty frequently, like every song and it makes it all run together. Some may like that. Too much for me
this woman's voice is unbearable
No comment
One in many proto punk albums that I am sure was far more groundbreaking at the time, but just falls a bit flat today. 2/5
Too loud voice
man this style of vocals just doesn't work for me
Kind of cool punk rock, vocals wore me out by the end. Silver lining to this album is that it has some dynamite sax in it.
Not my cup of tea. Music kinda sounds all the same. I get punk was trying to do something different. But while listening to a musical revolution in progress, before it matures into whatever it’s gonna be, may be riveting to some, and that’s fine. But for me it’s too difficult. It’s like watching kids grow up - some people love children, but I’d a lot rather interact with the adult the child will grow into. Made it through 6 of the 37 songs on this ‘collectors edition’ Spotify gave me.
Not my kind of music.
I wanted to like this. The music is solid, but man, the singers voice is just grating.
Disappointing really. I was quite looking forward to this, as a punky, female-fronted band should at least have been a bit of fun. Sadly, it was too musically one note, and the vocals were quite annoying. It reminded me a lot of Daphne and Celeste, which I'm guessing isn't what they were hoping for.
Berike ikkje livet mitt
I'm good for a couple songs, but an entire album is a bit much for my taste.
Not a great album.
I almost like this. I would enjoy the album a lot more with a different vocalist/lyricist. I didn't like their voice from the first song and some of the lyrics were really bad. Will I listen to again: 0%
The saxophones or whatever woodwinds got in the way too much. I think it’s an interesting concept but just wasn’t working well with punk yelling for me.
The spotify version doesn't have oh bondage up yours on it, so what's the point?
okay so… this album started off and I was like “I kinda dig this”. And then the yelling began. I don’t really know how to explain my reaction to this. I listened to the whole thing through because I was in such a state of bewildered confusion. How could they make such good music, and then just… yell over it? Constantly? And the Saxophone! What a delight! But then also… the yelling! Not A delight! two stars.
The music was very fun, I did not like her voice
As an old punk I feel obliged to love this. But I don't. The lyrics are fun, unique and ahead of the curve, but I find the backing a bit lumpen / obvious, and it's generally too ploddy for me. The heart is clearly in the right place, but I do feel like I want more light and shade in the music than this provides. Maybe I have just heard the ''hits' too many times (I Can't Do Anything was the standout for me this time), but this is not a classic, for me.
The saxophone makes this album. It gives a new dimension to the punk sound. There's elements of a glam hangover - no bad thing either. It was fun in places, but then got a little repetitive towards the end. I like the Stockwell tube station namecheck.
kusista punkkia engelsnännistä taas.. niin kovaäänistä mutta ei mitään tunnetta..emootiota musiikissa.. ääntä äänen takia...soundwave inflation... saxoföönistä yksi piste. ei tälläsiä voi kotona kuunnella. CHEEEWESDAEY INNIT!!!! hanki parempi akksentti esim latvia... pois tämä tieltä the day the wrold turjned dayglo
Hmm.. a lot of energy, but musically not really offering much
Do people that like punk typically like metal? My guess would be no, since its so simple vs complex. Punk just doesnt do it for me 9/10 and this is one of the 9.
3.5/10, why sing good when you can sing off tune? The infuriating part for me is that Poly Styrene can sing well but just decides not to???
Meh
Muzikaal niet slecht, maar de zangeres heeft een vreselijke stem.
2.4/5
Interesting in its use of brass, kinda adds a slight ska element to what is mostly a very raw pop-punk.
Loud, frenzied riffs. The lead singer sounds like she is a female version of John “Johnny Rotten” Lydon. Interesting use of horns and sax though out.
Wasn't a fan of the vocals. The instrumentals sounded very bland and boring.
I think I get why this is on here as it was probably a landmark for its time. It hasn’t aged well though and I was mostly bored, which I don’t think is what punk was aiming for
music was good but vocals were just annoying
I found the lead singer’s voice annoying.
I was starting to warm to this, it does have an infectious energy I guess. But when I listen a little more closely to the individual elements, is just so simple. At least one track has all of the instruments and the vocals just the same 6 note riff over and over. These people are not talented song writers.
I goofed. Sam Cooke was supposed to be 4 stars and this one a 2 blah. Doesn’t seem to be any way to edit.
Vocals could only sound more British if she were gargling tea. A bit grating, tbh :/