Reviews (page 2 of 7)
Mediocre.
3 - Michael Jackson is that you? Thought it had some great beats. Very repetitive though, so glad i managed to get through it in one sitting.
So Top of the Pops. Can vividly imagine Steve Wright or Simon Mayo introducing them.
This must be where Bill Wurtz found inspiration.
I really enjoyed the Politti but the Scritti was a little much for me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENdnlBdvM-4
Wanted to like it because it is fun, but not a lot of substance
One of the most 80’s records of all time
Cool that they have DIY leftist roots, wish there was any sign of that in this album
"Absolute" came close to working for me, but not quite. Just the most milquetoast '80s pop I've ever heard. It almost sounds like stock music or low-budget movie music that tries but fails to emulate '80s pop. Doesn't do it for me.
-yeah this one was,,, a little grating? more very generic English 80s synth pop, but ohh my god i just cannot stand the vocals tbh -i couldn’t really tell what direction they were trying to go in. there were some good songs on here but overall it was kinda hard to remember and appreciate -Favorites are Don’t Work That Hard and Hypnotize
nah this ain’t it
At first I thought...this is just a poppy fun album. Then I read the lyrics and thought okay, depth and more then just the typical pop lyrics. But then reading between the lines, he just seems pretentious and is rather belittling to women
I can certainly see why this makes its appearance on the Lowest Rated Albums list. My goodness, it's terrible. It wasn't to a level that made me angry though, possibly because it's not painfully long. Even one more song might've sent me over the edge to a 1, but it eked out a 2 for me.
The only reason this is on the list is because the singer sounds similar to Michael Jackson
Sounds like fake music specifically made for after school specials and corporate training videos
Got a bit annoyed by their voice and instrumental. And it's bit cringy, not objectively terrible though.
No. 301/1001 The World Girl 3/5 Small Talk 2/5 Absolute 3/5 A Little Knowledge 2/5 Don’t Work That Hard 2/5 Perfect Way 3/5 Lover To Fall 2/5 Wood Beez 2/5 Hypnotize 2/5 Average: 2,33 Just plain boring.
#175/1001 🇬🇧 Picture this. Its 1985 and you are sitting on a bus next to somebody listening to their walkman, you know the one with the orange foam headphones. Well the music that you can't quite decipher bar for some twangy bass, synths and tinny vocals sounds exactly like this played normally. Maybe it is that music.
Gag me with a spoon
Sometimes this list throws up some really surprising entries.... Is this something I must hear before I die? I don't think so, but maybe I'm wrong. Anyway, it was awful 1
Remember those others 80's albums that I didn't shit on despite the younger version of myself generally hating "that 80's" sound. This album pretty much defines that sound and it turns out I do still hate it. The ultra-produced pop that has no genuine feeling at all... It just feels like it's trying WAY too hard. Occasionally the bass line stands out as interesting but that might just be me trying too hard to find something consumable in this ultra-processed wasteland.
This is absolutely dreadful. Saccharine and goopy
Patrick Bateman would love this album.
Like eating an unbelievably big bag of Skittles then throwing up. I liked it for a second, but it’s way too saccharine and soured my stomach 🤮
Truly one of the worst albums I've ever heard. It left a bad taste in my mouth that will take some time to go away. So sickly saccharin and bland, so commercial at the expense of any artistry, just a pop vehicle for someone with negative talent. I read the Wikipedia article, and it seems this guy had a post punk band with a vision, but his vision changed so that he wanted to make safe pop-pap music for the masses and that's exactly what he did. It felt like this chap sold his soul for limited and short-term success. The one song I remembered was the "Aretha Franklin" track, and that was just awful, exactly as bad as it was when I first heard it. That was also the high point of the album, which speaks volumes. I actually dug out an early Scritti Politti session from the late 70s and it wasn't at all bad, far more interesting than this dogshit. One star.
Haven't heard of them and the band name already pissed me off. What sort of shit 80s pop is this, I think this is something NOBODY should hear before they die. I could've been listening to Duran Duran instead 1/5
nicht meins
Nope
Not for me
Sounds like an advertisement for Service Merchandise.
I’m not convinced this isn’t a Guantanamo level torture test
Ugh. I couldn’t
Not for me, too many 80s sounds that didn’t age well
This is trash. TRASH! At first I said, "Oh, UB40's closest competitor." But, then, it turned into rejected songs for 80s films closing credits. I half expected to hear 'Who's Johnny?' from Short Circuit. No reason to hear this ever. For any reason, at any time. Alive or dead.
it's so mediocre i don't even think i can finish it. 1/5
In the field of 80s synth pop, Depeche Mode, Tears For Fears, OMD, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, The Human League, Heaven 17 or Eurythmics had the melodic hooks, the surprising or effective chord changes, some killer choruses, the sometimes-dark or sometimes-elated tones... The hits were great but so where some of the deeper cuts. Heck, even Wham! had some memorable moments going for them. In comparison, Scritti Polliti had... nothing, or close. A couple of nice arrangements here and there (mostly in "Absolute"), unfortunately drowned in an ocean of cheesiness that lacked clear lines, stakes or memorability. The vocal performance is shy and demure in ways that totally go against the supposedly triumphant textures of the music. And if this thing is competently executed for sure, it ultimately has the emotional range of a desk lamp. How this band ended up being "successful" is an 80s pop mystery I don't care to solve forty years after the fact. Maybe because large swaths of the target audience were tone-deaf or drawn to surface effects instead of truly powerful music. This is a very judgmental take here for sure, but look at the global score of this record! With unpopular picks such as Einsturzende Neubatten or Robert Wyatt (which I both love), I can understand that the music is too "out there" for general tastes, at least. But for that sort of 80s mainstream drivel, you can bet your boots that the opposite phenomenon occurs and that most people can see through that sort of glossy stuff to understand how void it ultimately is. And I'm glad that they do. 1/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums. 6/10 for more general purposes (5 + 1) Number of albums left to review: around forty, as I've gone over the 1000 line and this generator is including albums from all editions of the book Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 455 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 271 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 331 (including this one)
Twinkly schlock-pop. ————————— …but since it’s Halloween, and you’re here looking for a treat, let me offer you an alternate record you should hear before you die that isn’t on this list: Goblin’s soundtrack to the film “Suspiria”
why the fuck is this list making us listen to scritty fucking politti. why? did we warp into the 1001 albums you must play to prisoners in guantanamo bay list by accident? this is an album of fake songs they play in the background of 80s pornos. you expect an offshoot of a weird marxist artistic/musical collective to sound like, i dunno, laibach or something, not like wham if you kicked george michael in the balls first. everything bad about 80s pop is here: gated reverb, digital chorus and nasally pseudo-italo disco vocals without any of the alien charm of it. i'm sure gramsci is down there doing some solid RPMs after hearing this glowing tribute from a band so dedicated to his ideas that they created a perfect example of what capitulation to cultural bourgeois hegemony sounds like
there are certain points in your life where your behavior goes to far that you actually see yourself from the outside, as others see you. as a fan of 80s music listening to Scritti Politti, this is one of those moments. is this what it sounds like when i'm getting deep into Prince and Cyndi Lauper?
Sounds like a camp Michael Jackson, without the noncing...probably...maybe not.
Aw hell nah miss me with that 80s bullshit.
At first glance Cupid & Psyche is a moderately successful pop album, but if you look deeper there's so much more to it. Scritti Politti's blend of intelligent wordplay, saccharine sweet pop hooks, and blue-eyed soul elevate this record to the top shelf. As if that wasn't enough to convince you, the band brought in jazz legend Arif Mardin and his production is flawless. Don't be fooled by the conventional trappings, this is anything but throwaway pop trash.
Fun and upbeat
SCRITTERS MENTIONED!?!?!?!?!?!
great album
So good to hear them. I had forgotten all about them
Underappreciated
Surprised by how much I liked this album. Listened to it three times. Sick synth pop.
Whitest of white-boy ’80s pop-funk, complete with Green Gartside’s breathy, androgynous falsetto. ‘Cupid & Psyche 85’ is super smart, melodic pop-funk with a sleek, pristine sheen, meticulously constructed. It’s almost absurdly polished, but never cold. The songs are deceptively intricate, with seriously clever songwriting lurking beneath the gloss. One of the great, underrated pop records of the ’80s.
Faves: Absolute Don't Work That Hard Perfect Way
I had this album in high school, and I still love it.
Whoa! Loved this! Never heard of them.
Glossy, hyper-smart pop that smiles while quietly melting your brain. Rating: 4.6/5 Short Review: This album is sugar-coated theory. Bright, sleek, and absurdly polished, with hooks that feel effortless and ideas that are anything but. Favorite Track: Perfect Way. Pure pop geometry, still sounds futuristic.
i like it but in sometime i feel i was in the 80´s and thats good because i really enjoy this decade but i dont think its my style of music
Am I so out of touch? No, it is the people on this website who are wrong. Really gets my goat when reviewers call this a discount store Wham! when Wham! themselves who have put out songs like Wham Rap! and Battleships sound like a discount store Wham! most of the time. This sounds like Wham! if they were worth a trillion bucks. This album has its detractors on account of most of the people listening to it being misguided and thinking it is shit but it does have a fair few fervent superfans as well. Such as myself. Also Elton John who once called it the greatest electronic album of the 80s. That he would have been recording the cocaine blanched and near-career worst Leather Jackets around the time that this record came out is neither here nor there. He has always been more of a junkie for record-collecting and on his various visits to record shops he would actually have a habit of clearing out the stores of copies of Cupid & Pscyhe 85 and then gifting them to friends NOT enemies. Steven Wilson aka Mr Porcupine Tree and remixer of countless 40th anniversary prog reissues is also a noted admirer and he knows maybe one or two things about good production which means he’s onto something. Hot Chip and Manic Street Preachers are also fans although for someone actually more modern and less past it Charli XCX producer A.G. Cook did recently nominate this as his Pitchfork Perfect 10. So what makes this album great? 1. Serious heavy bangers - The first point in emphasising this record’s greatness is how banging some of the serious heavy dancefloor bangers are on this thing. The first two singles Wood Beez and Absolute were actually released in the first half of 1984, were seriously banging, had lengthy chart runs and were produced by none other than legendary super producer Arif Mardin. The fact that he worked on Aretha Franklin’s Say A Little Prayer and then completed the circle by working on a song subtitled Pray Like Aretha Franklin is pretty cool. Arif Mardin went on to score Number One later in 1984 with Chaka Khan and her Prince cover I Feel For You which is basically cut from the same feverish banging phosphorescent future-funk cloth as Absolute and Wood Beez. Because of these songs, the rising sophistipop trend and Prince reigning supreme with Purple Rain and the rerelease of 1999 there is an easy case to be made for this being the greatest era in all of music. Scritti keyboard and co-writer and arranger David Gamson soon assimilated the mad skills of Arif Mardin and went on to produce his own serious heavy banger and smash US breakthrough Perfect Way which was so serious, heavy and banging it was as if to end all serious heavy bangers. 2. Meticulously crafted - The more times I listen to this record, the more it seems like gold-plated proof that David Gamson is an absolute genius. There is so much garish and glorious sonic detail within the pinging pinball synth work. Drummer Fred Maher does a grand job as well with beats so gated and gargantuan they would make Phil Collins proud. And singer Green Gartside really nails it as well with the vocal melodies - so glossy and sweet and with some beautiful turns and inflections such as on the shivery vocal outro to The Word Girl. To sum it up the album is total perfection. It’s also total confection and with its intricacy is like a Swiss Watch cathedral constructed purely out of candy floss. The production time for Cupid & Psyche was quite painstaking and David Gamson called it ‘the most digital sounding analogue record of all time’. MIDI tracking was only just becoming a thing halfway during the making of the record which meant many of the keyboards were actually recorded to tape at half speed then sped up so they had a brighter, pingier, glassier sound but also so they much sharper timing which further lends the album its hyperreal feel. As well as a loaded personnel of players on this thing, the list of hardware used is pretty long and essentially a synth nerd‘s dream. 3. Dapper frontman - Even though you could say lots of things about Green Gartside’s lead vocals (please don’t just in case they might be nasty) the one thing can’t be denied is that he has an absolutely swish fashion sense at this point with awesome floppy hair, great pin up looks for a 30 year old and isn’t dressed like a frickin Dexy’s Midnight Runner. Also his fey cartoon-like head voice is really great actually and suits the songs. 4. Dapper lyrics - The lyrics to this album are very dapper as well. Green Gartside is as much a lyrical genius as Dave Gamson is a synth genius. Green is some kind of crazy-skilled philosophy giant and all the lyrics on the album are lofty, academic and clever clever which is the best kind of clever. Green is also something of a fragile lyric genius - he suffered from a massive stage fright in 1980 which stopped him performing live for 25 years. He felt insecure during the making of this album because of the sheer amount of talented producers and session players surrounding him and he suffered a lot from imposter syndrome and by the end of the 80s he was running on fumes because of all the forced worldwide promotion for this record and its follow up Provision that he had a big mental breakdown and withdrew from the recording industry for a decade. One overriding lyrical trait for the album is how words and phrases are spun together so sweet and tastily like cotton candy and with a proper romantic veneer and yet contradict themselves so well and so carefully as to not have any practical real world meaning or connection, just theoretically impossible ones. It’s almost as if the words were designed to be as pleasurable sounding and wooing as possible whilst avoiding any kind of committment to another person whatsoever. The only commitment it attains to is achieving glossy glosstastic perfection in the art of synthpop. Opener The Word Girl deconstructs the very use of the word ‘girl’ in pop songs to highlight how artificial and shallow it is despite the remaining 8 songs on the album tending to blast it with abundance. Small Talk alludes to the wartime propaganda phrase of Careless Talk Costs Lives but inverts as if to celebrate that kind of small talk and to nullify serious real talk - key lyric “in seventh heaven if a thing’s worth doing then it’s worth doing badly baby”. Absolute repurposes Immanuel Kant’s concepts of absolutism for the sake of serious banging dancefloor pop. A Little Knowledge is the one woozy token slowie ballad but talks of how when to love someone it’s better to not know them at all and is the main song to allude to the Cupid & Psyche legend that album title namechecks. On Perfect Way it’s clear that he’s happily got a Perfect Way to make girls to crazy but there’s no hint that he wants to do anything with it. On Wood Beez he desperately says that he is prepared to do anything to get together with the girl of his dreams even if that anything includes doing absolutely nothing. Album deep cut Lover To Fall is perhaps the most glossy and rinky dink musically at least for the verses before the shimmering synths for the chorus swoop in but lyrically it is the most unhinged with the singer’s sensing of reality slipping all over the place with lines like “love and be glad to get it over oh it’s over baby for you” and then in the middle of the song he just has a random go at rich people “I’m telling you baby because baby who cares, there’s gonna be a day when the rich get their’s”. It is like he himself knows he is a trap and is cosplaying as Patrick Bateman a few years before the character was even written. Best line that really summarises the record is Hypnotize’s “how could your nothings be so sweet?”. All in all there’s not really a misjudged word or vocalising across the album and they tie in and juxtapose so well with the purposefully enhanced artificialness of the backing music. 5. The apotheosis of all synthpop - This record is well and truly the apotheosis of all synthpop. It is actually such brilliant heightened example of 80s synthpop that it does almost come across as parody. None more 80s. Gated drums turned up to 11. So happy to date itself that it even has 85 stamped on its title. It is so great that there was not much elsewhere for Scritti Politti go after this and it was hard for imitators to copy the sound as well. As mentioned before it has the kind of gargantuan gated drums that make Phil Collins proud and Fairlight pharps that would titillate Trevor Horn but moreso than synthpop it has an incredible grounding in RnB, funk, jazz and hip hop and the unique hyper-busy funk rhythms, luxuriant synth timbres and overlays and otherworldly harmonic stylings did attract the attention and collaborations from figures such as Miles Davis and Chaka Khan. Add in reggae, avant garde and new wave and you do get yourself a true melting pot that is fit for purpose perhaps as the apotheosis of all music. In conclusion, probably the best album of all time along with Purple Rain.
Poppig
Hi I
Knallgod og overraskende intrikat pop. Bill Wurtz må ha hørt en del på dette
Love this album, gonna throw it on constant rotation. Best vibes favorite type of music
I don't think I have ever come across Scritti Politti before and if I had I likely would have immediately written it off as some weird 80's boy band of sorts. And maybe that was my initial feeling but then I found comfort in how it both sounded like it was from the 80s and modern at the same time, how it sounded like it was a boy band but also a band emulating and subverting the sounds of a boy band. At times I found it to be a little funny because it sounded so corny. But that is exactly why I also enjoyed the entire album. It's so cheesy at times it feels like an SNL skit. And there is a weird discordance in the music too. Like something is off. Like it wants to be catchy so bad, but it can't, but the lack of catchiness in itself becomes catchy? I both liked this and laughed at this, but in laughing at it I liked it more.
Ok I’m alittle biased cause I LOVE 80s new wave, like there’s just something about it that scratches an itch for me. My biggest problem with this album is I don’t LOVE the singers voice, it’s perfectly fine, but not like memorable or remarkable. This album is ALL about the instruments! I would buy a record of this with just instrumentals and I would probably enjoy that better. But regardless of the singer, the music is awesome! Super funky and of it’s time, I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this band before. (Just looked it up, they were huge in the UK, that explains that). But seriously if you like new wave, this album is for you.
An album that might only work if you were a teenager getting into pop in the mid 1980s with a copy of this that you listened to constantly. Luckily, I'm in that very narrow demographic and have a long affection for this. As 80s as a production can get, with Fairlight and big drum sound and that clean clean production that I kind of miss. I'm not able to give an objective reveiw of this I'm afraid. It's as familiar to me as an album gets and I think, personally, incredibly strong and consistent set of songs.
Green Gartside really does need to release new material! Very much missed.
Gorgeous, a classic
Easy album to rate: 10/10. Band started off making typical 78-82 post-punk music and then at first sight became a mainstream pop-band, but it is just a format. All their work is great in every aspect.
This album is one of the symbols of the 80's
Groovy pop
When I read the name I thought I would enjoy it a lot less than I did. After reading who they'd worked with I thought I'd enjoy it a lot more than I did. Overall pretty good lol
Favourite songs: Absolute, The Word Girl, Hypnotize, Perfect Way, Small Talk, Wood Beez, Don't Work That Hard, Lover to Fall Least favourite songs: A Little Knowledge 5/5
cool
Like many others I am baffled as to why this is rated so low. It is very 80s but there are some nice wee songs on here. Green’s affected baby voice does staff to grate after a while. 3.5 but rounding up because it d serves better than its dismal ranking
"After witnessing a show by The Sex Pistols. The Clash & The Damned while at university in Leeds in 1976. Green Gartside formed Scritti Politti. A clutch of singles and EPs followed before culminating in the band's debut album and the peginning of their relationship with Rough Trade Records." Imagine my surprise to find Scritti Politti is nothing like the aforementioned bands...
Like some sophisto-pop, could have been more eclectic.
Wow, this is so 80's. I love it. So poppy. The beginning of Absolute sounds a lot like Michael Jackson. This is very much poppy 80s synth vibes, but not in a cheesy “mall montage” way. It’s more precise and glossy — like someone took funk, synth-pop, R&B, reggae-pop, and new wave, then polished every edge until it sparkled. The whole album has that bright digital 80s studio sound: tight programmed drums, clean bass pops, shiny synth accents, and vocals that feel almost weightless.
Soooo this band clearly likes Prince. Definitely seemed right in his style. Should they be called Prince-lite? Duke, maybe?? Ahh I crack myself up. Still, a pretty good listen overall. Nice surprise too, had never heard of them before and this is catchy 80's funk that I think would've been more popular. Good listen!
неплохо.
I loved it.
Filosófico. O disco é interessante, pois enquanto escutava sentia uma satisfação enorme na forma que parecia claro os instrumentos, voz e ritmo, como se tudo estivesse em seu devido lugar. Achei que morreria de tédio escutando mas olha que não? Vi que era uma banda pós punk e que feio pra um pop moderno com esse álbum é acho que acertaram! O perfeccionismo do grupo realmente valeu a pena. Houve tecnologia de ponta para fazer, o que explica o som límpido e satisfatório de ouvir. Achei uma voz bonita! Gostei da forma que é cantada, me lembrou Michael Jackson por algum motivo, mas além disso, a voz dança muito bem com os instrumentos o que é LINDO. Minhas favoritas foram “Wood Beez”, “Lover to Fall”, “A Little Knowledge” e “Absolute”. Cupid & Psyche 85 me lembra aquelas músicas de rádio que são o ponto alto da escuta, que vc vai correndo pesquisar de quem é.
If you don’t like records that are improved by reading about them, this is not the record for you.
Good
going to say something incredibly sacrilegious here and say I liked this more than most George Michael songs I've heard.
Possibly the most 80’s sounding album I’ve heard. More going on than the glossy veneer suggests.
Very nice album! Would listen to this again
Catchy
Was honestly expecting to hate this, but it ended up scratching a mid-eighties drums itch I didn't know I had. Also enjoyed the Mario theme sound-alike piano bit in "Perfect Way." I liked this a lot more than I expected, and will probably listen to more Scritti Politti in the future.
A highly ambitious work that hits the mark more often than not, Cupid & Psyche 85's precise and crystalline production is the perfect match for Green Gartside's maximalist songs. Tracks like "Absolute" and "Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)" are knockouts, pairing Gartside's keen melodic sense with inventive, daring arrangements that bring out the nuances in his songs.
J'ai vraiment kiffé la vibe
Is this the most 80s album of all time? Even Phil Collins would say ‘this is a bit broad’. Probably a 3.5 for me but 10 year old me would have eaten this up, so will round up. Also it was a grey day today and this was a nice tonic so can’t be that bad
I have never heard of this group but listening to it got shades of Dirty Projectors, Solange, and The 1975 so I really enjoyed it and need to dig a little deeper.
Mahtavaa kasaritykittelyä, tarvii tallentaa jos joskus on kasarivibe.
I like how “Flesh and Blood” stood out with its Reggae style. Fun albim
When I had looked at the band’s bio before listening to the album, I found out this is a Welsh band with influence from joy division and Gang of Four. I figured, okay, so this will be kind of gothic politically driven oddball type music. Imagine my surprise when I click on the first song and REGGAE starts playing? Honestly I’ll give them points for the creativity and surprise lol!! The second song and pretty much rest of the album flows more into your stereotypical 80s sound, it was groovy for sure! I was pleasantly impressed with the sound.
At first, I thought my review would be something along the lines of “Bit boring. Generic pop for the time; inoffensive but lacking the oompf of their contemporaries”. However the second half hit and that side of the album was fun and I really liked it.
This one's pretty fun! I have a soft spot for 80's synth music, so this one appealed to me right away. It seems that this album is a bit of a deep cut, but it really feels like this album helped set the stage for music that is being made even today. Favorite track: "Absolute"
This was fun and chock-full of some of the best 80s pop sounds. It's perhaps not deep or insightful or complex, but does it all have to be? But, to be entirely fair, I'm not sure why this is on the list: it seems to be the most formulaic and generic an 80s pop album could be—almost like it was assembled after the 1980s as a collection built as a challenge to pack as much nostalgia into it as possible. You could drop in Human League, Janet Jackson, Cindy Lauper, etc. on vocals and it would all sound like it was perfectly natural.
Solidan album, pevač ima glas 14-ogodišnjaka, super je. Ocena je 4
Proper 80s stuff, loved it
Smooooth, in between Prince and MJ. Well-crafted, I really like this! Wish I'd heard it in 1985... 4
Something interesting and unexpected! This was extremely 80s Pop but also a bit ska?? Or, what's the progenitor of ska, maybe tu-tone....reggae? I had a nice time
tremendamente de su época y adelantado a su época. suena a duran duran pero también a toda la banda que quiere sonar a duran duran con nostalgia postirónica. protovapor? traía ganas de oirlo desde que vi que lo puso a.g. cook como su pitchfork perfect 10, y luego de ver que era de los peor calificados de toda esta lista pensé que iba a ser algo más raro, y sí está raro pero no el tipo de raro que esperaba, así que entiendo el rechazo (y a la vez no? me intriga mucho que a la fecha cause una reacción tan fuerte, algo tiene). pa mí está bien chido
Honestly, I had no idea what to expect from a band with this name. Something political, weird? Not really, funky, beautiful music and perhaps something that sounded amazing from my new headphones. I am not sure about replay value, but this is great music.
Not really my thing, but great for super 80s vibes
Buena vibra, divertido
It was pleasant enough playing in the background and I’m kind of partial to 80’s pop. It gets a weak 4.
Surprisingly inventive. Minimalist arrangements that do a lot. Lots of chords.
Good album
glaub eis vode verhasstischte albe vode lüt uf dere siite. aso has scho soo viel bi profil bi lowest rated gseh. ich lieb scritti politti. s isch so insane weird. the word girl isch halt de reggae type track. aber immerno weeeirdi melodie, synth cheese, modulation usem nüt. super seltsam seehr geil. small talk isch denn de erst wos de scritti shit mached woni huere geil find. jede 16tel usfülle und 2000 verschiedeni synth hits usprobiere. ich lieb die tuble. ah stimmt absolut isch do druff. s intro komplette cheese. denn de weeeirdisti funk. aso huuuere funky. AH STIMMT DE GSCHISSNI MIDI-GSANG hahahaha so aaaaasss ich liebs. a little knowledge isch scho seeehr cheesy. don't work that hard gad au. fuuck. defür: perfect way rieeese banger. soo weirdi synth sounds. sini stimm isch sooo weird. de gitarrestab fuuuuuck. hahahah d bridge mit de chindermelodie. soo selstam. lover to fall gad au soo weird cheesy 5tuusig sounds ich liebs. ha mol en moment vo manie gha woni da album bim staubsuuge glost han vor par johr und GLIEBT ha. glaub ich wür jetz nüm sooo krass schwärme aber s isch scho sehr min shit und ich find die art kitsch muemer embrace. wood beez sehr geil. hypnotize aaaauu. ich mach etz en seltene am tag id global reviews luege. well vlt gibi es füfi afoch wells alli hassed. susch wärs es vieri. yep reviews sind huuuere hässig git e füfi. ich lieb scritti politti. sehr fest.
I dont know how this makes this list, but God damn im glad it did. Perfect pop Absolutely delicious Fun, good, funky, poppy, great
Fun and light pop album that was very consistent throughout.
8/10
Fun and totallllly 80's
I looked at the reviews before and apparently it was one of the lowest rated albums. I kind of really like it lol. Maybe my tolerance for 80s cheese is too high but i like the little production details they add to make the songs feel more dynamic i guess and just scratch that itch for my ADHD brain. There are so many random additions as well like a guitar solo out of a synth heavy track in "Lover to Fall". And there are some semi-unexpected turns as well I think that I guess makes me intrigued, like in "Perfect Way" and "Wood Beez" have contrasting down tempo and then sweeter/glitzier sections side by side to each other. I guess if it's easy to please me by having a bunch of random sounds just mash up together lol. 4 out of 5 stars
Quite enjoyable, Beatles meets hard rock
I quite enjoyed this
I own this album on vinyl and played it a LOT in the 80s. I thought it was going to be an easy five star, because I loved it so much when I was in high school. But when I listened to the album today, I went ‘hmmm’. I want to give it four stars for nostalgic reasons, but also three stars because I wouldn’t listen to it again any time soon.
2 good tracks on there. Part of the 80's brit pop collection on this web site.
I'd forgotten how good this was. Except for Wood Beez, it hasn't really had the lasting influence or staying power one might have expected.
Tänkte knappt att jag lyssnade på ett album. Ett gäng bra låtar. Tror jag tyckte att någon enstaka var dålig annars hade den nog fått en femma. Låg fint i bakgrunden av mitt liv. Bra musik.
An okay album and an interesting music style. I liked The Word Girl th most.
Fun 80s nostalgia. Not sure why all of the hate. This music is what it is and I like it. As a teen of the 80s, I am a bit biased. That aside, I have always loved the song Perfect Way. Such an eclectic different song even for its time.
Finding out Green Gartside is friends with Jacques Derrida is like finding out Countess Bathory and Caravaggio were friends.
Honestly shocked by this being one of the lowest rated albums on the site. I kept waiting for something terrible or offensive, but it was all just 80s bops? You could have told me this was Culture Club and I would have believed you. I mean, is it the best thing? No. Did I need to hear this before I die? Probably not. But is this fun? Hell yeah! There's way worse on this list, and at least I can hear how it influenced other artists. I wish I could give this a 3.5, but I'm going to round up because I had a lot of fun listening, and some of these songs are going to be stuck in my head for weeks.
opinion controversé: ça slap ☀︎j’aime le fait que c’est un parfait stéréotype de la musique synthpop des années 80 ☀︎j’aime vraiment The Word Girl ☀︎j’aime moins: honnêtement j’ai tellement écouté The Word Girl que je me rappelle de rien d’autre de cet album ☀︎c’est pas un album que je considère parfait, donc je ne lui donne pas le 5☆ si convoité. est-ce qu’un album l’atteindra un jour? peut-être pas. on verra
I really dug this. Great synth sounds and pop production.
super nice pop
actually, hell yeah
Great fun!
Obviously not a patch on MJ/Luther Vandross etc but pretty spot on sound for a band formed in Leeds. Really dated sound now but an enjoyable listen
banger 80s sound.
a lot of the production techniques are just dreamy ad infinitum, listening to this i feel as if im being played a very generic 80s album through a massive, ethereally glowing orb
Love a bit of 80’s nostalgia. Baseline is funky and vocals are sweet. My favourite scritti politti song was a few years before this but enjoyed the album.
Very short (under 40 minutes), but pretty decent. Clearly the work of a very tight band, or a single artist with a solid vision and a band happy to follow.
I liked this! Felt fairly upbeat and playful. Had a pretty poppy sound but that's fine by me. Nice to have some variety on this list, and from a UK source to boot. Wood Beez was my favourite track.
Unique sound, very enjoyable - nice background music but has a driving beat that gives you a bit of energy.
4 or 5 stars for me. Good album
Me encanta max tundra y ahora por fin entiendo de donde puede haber venido gran parte de su inspiración. Hablando un poco mas del disco me parece increible la calidad de las colaboraciones, tener a marcus miller tocando bajo y a miles davis en un single es otra cosa, aunque el single no este en el disco.
Weird attempt at being commercial
This was fine. Low 4. I think that it didn’t do anything crazy but all of it sounded good. 6.5/10 maybe.
Nice
Easy to listen to. Never heard of them.
The lighter side of new wave. A little silly, but always bouncy, tuneful, and fun.
This isn't something I typically seek out, but I'm two listens back to back on this one already and really enjoying the vibe. There is some 80s cheese, for sure (A Little Knowledge), but there are a lot of great upbeat synth-pop jams (Wood Beez, Absolute, Don't Work That Hard). Some of this feels similar to Prince in character, but less overtly sexual and generally cleaner. Plenty of lovely 80s bass, synth tones, and sex-guitar throughout with super clean production. Makes for some glittery music that feels perfectly suited to soundtrack montages of consumer culture. This one surprised and wooed me -- high 4 / 5.
я кайфанул
I think the Scritti Politti needs a dash of the snappy peppy to please my palate. I reckon it was fine, but didn't please me much...except Perfect Way, and maybe kind of one other track, but I don't remember which and don't want to bother to go back to it. I feel like I am also a bit difficult to please of late. So, I will give it a bit of a bump, assuming that it is me...not SP.
A fun trip to the 80s. I've always loved Perfect Way.
Hated Scritti Politti back in the day. However, saw them recently, and glad to see their live show has moved on.
half Seinfeld: The Original Soundtrack and half a demo disc for a 1985 syndrum kit
Pleasant surprise....easy listening
I liked this album. It’s a bit samey, but the songs are catchy and bright. I’ve had Wood Beez stuck in my head all damn day and night!
Really enjoyed the two listens. Nothing ground breaking, but I enjoyed the straight ahead pop and funky bass lines. 4/5!
Scritti Politti a name I haven't heard (or thought about) for a long time. I can't recall any emotions associated with this band and listening to this album confirmed that. It's alright, not bad but also not great or original. Most of the tracks are pleasant to listen to and a sizable part of the purpose of music is that it is pleasant to listen to. I have added this to my favorites so it deserves 4 stars. I must be getting soft in my old age, no that's not it still absolutely loath Johnny Rotten so this album has probably always been alright. That's all I am going to say about music today now get off my lawn.
Pretty nice album, enjoyed it
Tipo reggae-pop. Muy ochentero. En momentos me recuerda vagamente a Michael Jackson y/o Rick Astley
3.75
Really wasn’t expecting to really like this album. So ridiculously 80s it’s near on perfect. Well produced and sounds sonically good. Synth pop at its best. Another way to look at this is if Savage Garden were in the 80s.
Very interesting. 4+/5
"Cupid & Pysche 85" is the second album by British pop band Scritti Politti. Lead singer and musician Green Gartside took the music in a commercial pop direction with more state-of-the-art production. Because of this, he was only member from their first album to remain. Other newer members included David Gamson (keyboards) and Fred Maher (drums and electric drums). Gartside added both of these guys as the album began recording in New York. The lyrical themes address issues of language and politics. Commercially, the album did very well in the UK hitting #5 with three singles reaching the UK top 20. It also received generally positive reviews. "The World Girl" opens the album with a reggae beat. Wow, Gartside does have a high-pitched voice. The melody is keyboard-driven and very much pop. Easy, soft and light in a good way. "Absolute" gets a dance beat going..very 80's. A prevalent bass sound. Cascading keyboard. The keyboards keep driving the melody in their big one "Perfect Way." It struck me during that Gartside is trying to capture a 80's pop R&B sound in a Prince sort of way. And, he doing a pretty good job. A pop dance beat, catchy chorus, horn sounds and we get a keyboard jam. " He has the perfect way to make the girls go crazy." "Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)" starts a little harder with a deep bass and heavy electronic drums. R&B guitar slashes. The album closer "Hypnotize" keeps the horns going. Weird beats and bass noises. This has a groove. Great backing vocals by B.J. Nelson I guarantee in 1985 at 17, I would not have given this album the time of day. It is very pop and maybe besides one song not an edge to anything. Fast-forward 38 years later and I actually appreciated the pop they were trying to make and they did it at a high level being very well produced. The music absolutely captures the 80's pop sound. This a very good album to go back to and hear some well-made pop-dance songs.
They have a pretty cool, quintessential 80’s sound. The songs started to sound the same after a while.
Was surprised by this one - had strong Off the Wall/Thriller vibes to the beats. Could see myself putting this on again.
Has a catchy synth-y 80's vibe. Voice reminds me of a young Michael Jackson. Spunky.
This is a group whose name I have always had a laugh at but whose tunes I've never knowingly heard. I didn't even know they were British. These vibes were immaculate - halfway through I found myself thinking of "I Feel For You" by Chaka Kahn and then wiki tells me this dude worked with her eventually. DIY post punk guy gets sick of indie pretentiousness and admits that he loves pop music, reggae, and American dance music. The drums are snappy, the synths are going off, the singing is 80s boy falsetto - it's sweet and glittery like a bowl full of gumdrops. I feel like I can hear a lot of Scritti Politti influence in some modern alternative bands (Tame Impala, mostly)
Mental
Upon the first seconds of Cupid & Psyche '85, one can imagine the sense of dread that's bound to await them. A canned goods sounding reggae beat punctuating its first impression upon the senses is not a good way to start things. Eventually though, that changes and Scritti Politti mark their ascent from Marxist inspired punks to admirable poachers of the Paisley Park aesthetic. Cupid & Psyche '85 is the sounds of a band arriving at the right place at the right time in regards to how they want to approach things and they make you want more by the time it ends. At least that's how I felt when Hypnotize ended near the frozen section at Whole Foods. Favorites: Small Talk, Absolute, A Little Knowledge, Don't Work to Hard, Perfect Way, Wood Beez, Hypnotize.
A vibrant and industrial-heavy bubblegum synth-pop band, with a very clean 80s sound that has synths overpowering everything else. It's a very busy atmospheric album with a lovely bright mood, hearing contemporary influences like Human League, MJ, and UB40. Seriously, the sound is so busy, there are at least half a dozen different synths at play all working together. Good stuff, enjoyed it all with several stand-outs.
Cool
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: The world girl, Absolute, Small talk, Don’t work that hard
new-to-me and I like it (4)
This is about as 80's bubblegum pop as I can imagine, which makes it simultaneously disgusting and irresistable.
Catchy tunes. Nice new find. I went on to listen to their entire catalog.
Koffor har eg aldri hørt på detta, da va jo jævlig cheesy og bra. Nesten på høyde med Modern Talking
I only know Scritti Politti from Rhodri Marsden on twitter, and he wasn't in the band when this album was written and recorded. If he was, I'm sure the lyrics would have included many witty observations of Christmas sleeping arrangements and tips on fatherhood. I only knew Green Gartside from 'Between the Clock and the Bed', and I like his voice here as much as I do on that record. It is GG's voice and the high quality production that is most striking about this art pop album. It really elevates the fairly average song writing, creating a instantly recognisable, unique and luxurious sound. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Perfect Way Date listened: 01/07/23
Enjoyed it more than I thought I would. 80s synth-pop at its finest
What a strange brew. Equal parts synth-pop and rock leaning. This is one of those albums that I had no idea what it was going to be. What I walked away with was an utter surprise. I really enjoyed this weird ass music.
Sounds like Michael Jackson. Not so bad, always nice to hear such a music at home.
Oddly enough I actually enjoyed this one. Very typical 80s sound by the book. Interesting mix of sounds on this one.
Almost painfully 80's. I liked it.
4/5 the weeknd com michael jackson e notas de depeche mode
Ces gars-là enchaînent les michaeljacksonneries sans aucun complexe et qui peut leur en vouloir ? Eltrapeze ?
Ich kann mir das definitiv geben, aber ich finde den Sound von anderen Bands in der selben Zeit und in einer ähnlichen musikalischen Nische ein wenig ausgeklügelter. Es ist trotzdem ein fun album tho.
Yes, I enjoyed this. I think I should have been more into them at the time.
I’m laughing because if someone were to ask, “What is 80s music?” I’d say this album. This is literally the sound of the 80s in a nutshell.
There are three distinct Scritti Politti periods... Late 70's and Early 80's Post Punk living in a squat in Notting Hill. Mid 80's Major label sophisto-pop stars. 2000's Dalston bedroom producer chamber pop superstars. The post punk stuff is collected on a fantastic compilation called Early - you should check it out. The 2000's saw a brilliant album called White Bread Black Beer. Somehow they moved from hip west London in the seventies to hip east London in the 00's by touring the world. The successful period, from which Cupid and Psyche comes from is their worst and the 80's production and electronic crashes from the drums don't help when the singer is as understated as Green. But look at what their contempories made around this time - the wretched George Michael solo albums, True by Spandau Ballet, 7 and the Ragged Tiger! This is clearly better.
Smooth 80’s synth pop.
Yeah, it does feel a bit derivative of acts like Prince or WHAM!, but it's got that clean 80's sound I enjoy. 2.5 bumped up to 3.
It feels like a high-school movie songs and surprising they were English and the time they made it feels like 2000s begging 5.8/10
Kind of a mixed bag on this one. I thought this was going to be more new wave-y, going on the name and knowing the approximate time frame of when the band existed. There is no mistaking the 80s era on here due to the production choices, but the blue-eyed soul vocals and composition were an interesting surprise. That said, not all the songs hit the same. At best, this dude tapped into Hall and Oates and George Michael-levels of songwriting richness, and at worst, the songs sounded like rejects from A Goofy Movie. Not terrible by any means, but probably not something I'll return to. I'd give this a 2.5 if that was possible, but I'm feeling generous today.
Yeah this was cool
interesting of these british guys to make a prince album
6/10 - this is like the soundtrack to a cheesy 80s action film, i like it
Pretty good pop vut def bot the most memorable album ever, has some cool synths though
A well produced and creative new wave project with fun energy and a lot of charm. Wears out its welcome near the end, and while the ideas are good they don't always feel like a complete product. A few songs feel like they're missing something, like they sort of just peter out at the end. Really something you gotta be in the right mood for, especially with the lead singer's over the top presentation. Still there's a lot to like. The album doesn't take itself too seriously, and the instrumentals are danceable and earwormy. A fine record, if not a bit unremarkable. 3/5
Never heard of this album before and never heard of this band either. I was expecting based on the name some sort of Italian music. Instead I got some very catchy 80's euro-pop. Not my usual thing but I was nodding along eventually.
“All the gear, some of the ideas” - So naff like a fishhook it bends around into being pretty good
Cerramos semana corta con otra banda desconocida. Me recuerda de a momentos a Prince, sobre todo en canciones como "Absolute" y "Don't Work That Hard". Disco ideal para poner de fondo y amenizar una mañana. Muchas gracias y hasta el lunes, esta vez sí con semana de cinco escuchas.
Fur burger
So 80s. Like so 80s.
Yeah, sort of nondescript…
It’s very 80’s. Synth pop with reggae influences to make white boy R&B. I didn’t dislike it but would never listen to this album otherwise.
Very.....peculiar album. So shmaltzy, it reminds me of bad boy bands in the 90s and 2000s. But then again some of it is good despite that. The writing is kind of off putting, like this dude is looking down on the listener. There's something about the production that sets off alarms in my ears. I can hardly describe how I really feel about this. Because it's got some good songs, but I feel like if I heard them in any other context I'd have a visceral reaction to it
It sounds like any pop song from the 80s. A weaker version of something Michael Jackson did. Some of the songs even sound like porn soundtracks, the kind you only find on VHS. It's not bad, but there's no reason for it to be on this list. 3 stars
This Scritti has a ditty! --Vibes-- This album has a mix of "bring back boy yearning" and commercial pop thing going on. I can see some of these songs going triple platinum at H&M and JCPenney in the 80s, if those stores were around back then. The mood is bright, and the rhythms are groovy enough that I can see myself catching one of these tracks while browsing a Forever 21 and making a mental note to look up the song and the artist later. However, would I download any of these and keep them on repeat? Probably not. This album's pleasantly easy digestibility is its very own double-edged sword. Nothing sticks. Nothing strikes me as memorable. In fact, I have to go back and give it a second listen to try to discern which song stands out to me. These will probably make good movie tracks. I can see some snippets being played over a high-school-themed movie shopping or back-to-school montage sequence. In fact, I can picture this being a Powerline song in the Goofy movies. --Melodies/Instrumentals-- The instrumental composition is ok and well-combined to build the sort of catchy, clearly structured flow that mainstream pop music thrives on. I dig the synthy disco elements. But again, everything feels very safe and surface-level, which, ironically, mimics the underlying themes of love/lust and the murky waters of learning someone's depths and seeing whether those hidden layers will make or break the relationship. Maybe it is intentional, and I am just being overly critical? Maybe. --Vocals-- Green Gartside's vocals somewhat remind me of a UK version of MJ with their androgynous, light, airy, smooth pop quality. I will give him kudos for being consistent in his performance because staying in that higher head voice part of your register is generally difficult for male vocalists. I do wonder if this choice is made for comfort or style, since Green did not utilize his lower register much on any of the tracks. I would have loved to see him show more diversity in his singing. And emotions! I adore emotive vocalists who make their audience feel things, and Green did not do that for me. --Final Rating-- Overall, I give this album a 3/5. It is a decent compilation of tracks with a cohesive theme of love, yearning, and disillusionment. Musically, nothing is outstanding to me. As I said above, I wouldn't personally download any of these songs, but I wouldn't advise anyone against listening to them either. --Stand-out Tracks-- The Word Girl (surprise reggae??). Perfect Way
Pre Listen: Haven't heard of these guys before, but the band's name goes kind of hard. "Scritti Politti" just kind of roles off the tongue. I think they were ahead of their time with a name like that, especially the "Scritti" part. Inspiring. Notable Tracks: Small Talk - Favorite track on the album. It's fairly catchy, the bass is thumping, the electric guitar sounds great. I'd argue this song is where all musicians playing synergize the most, creating the best harmonies and melody. A Little Knowledge - Least favorite song on the album by a wide margin. Almost skipped it. Why is he whispering in my ear, why is his voice poorly layered with a female singer, why are both of their voices vaguely distorted? This song is one pitch-shift down or slight distortion away from feeling demonic. Perfect Way - I could've sworn I've heard this song before. Maybe it sounds really similar to Michael Jackson, or maybe it's the keyboard part that sounds like a Mario song, idk. Feels very familiar. Post Listen: Overall it was alright. The highlight through all the tracks was the electric bass for me, absolutely groovy. The synth work was fairly solid, but had some random shifts in quality, both good and bad. The sound effect additions in several songs were more distracting than complimentary. The lowest point was the vocalist, his breathy-singing and high-pitched voice just made him feel like a Michael Jackson cover singer to me. This album overall feels like foundational 80's Girl Pop. Regrettably I'm not a girl, nor was I growing up in the 80's, so I don't think I was the target audience here. It's decent enough quality I can see some women in their 60's grooving to this in the modern day. Scritti Musik, 3/5.
So reading about these guys, I guess they were like, communist Wham? I'm not big on the 80s pop trappings or the overly saccharine vocals, which feel put on, but none of this is straight up bad by any measure. Lyrically, it's more interesting than a lot of similar stuff I've heard from the era. Would like to hear arguments for why it's essential listening though
I really do not know how to feel about this album.
This is a band I know by name only. At least I think I’ve never heard them. The first track does not sound like anything I’d have listened to in 1985. 1st track is ok so far. This opening track makes me think of UB40. So it’s possible I heard this band and thought they were UB40. 🤣 Apparently track two is forgettable as I’m now on track three. Track three is really good. Track 6 is pretty good. So the album ended and went into other songs. The songs piqued my interest more. This album is a three at best for me. But I didn’t hate it.
484 /1089 - Sounds kinda like Prince. Some of the synths are quite unique but overall I think this is too clean and delicate sounding. I think adding grit would make it more interesting (distorted drums, raspy vocals, big sawtooths, etc.) although that's probably not what they were going for.
The Good: There’s a Cupid involved! The Bad: The arrows were left at home… The Ugly: Shitti Pitti… I recall having a “best of something” album, way back in the mid ‘80s which included a Scritti Politti song… but I can’t recall the damn song… and I don’t know if I want to. Back in 1985 I was enjoying my teenage years, making out for hours with my girlfriend, and just generally sucking at school. I was listening to Prince, I was listening to Top 40 music. I don’t really recall this album on heavy play with my friends… or even play. The radio played Madonna and Phil Collins, or Dire Straits. Anyway, this is indeed ‘80s synth pop, and truth be told, if you’re gonna listen to that shit, then it might as well be this album. I will give it 3* for the memories, however, off to cleans my pallet with some of the greater albums from 1985...
Gostosinho de ouvir.
Solid bit of synthy sophisti-pop, but nothing especially special to my ear, certainly after getting Pet Shop Boys recently. About a 6/10 or so.
This wasn’t bad! But it’s another case of a random ass 80s British artist that probably doesn’t need to be on the 1001 albums I must hear before I die
This album is straight candy. It sounds super dated, it's not as technically impressive as their notable contemporaries... and yet, I can't help but find it really charming. It's like some British City Pop. Standouts: The Word Girl • Absolute • Don't Work That Hard • Lover To Fall • Wood Beez
Fun album personifying the 80s.
Nice little bit of synthy 80’s ballads, bit of a soft spot of mine but i think it’ll take me a few more listens to really appreciate, it’s fine as is though. Standout is Absolute, far and away the best track here imo.
A band whose sound truly mimics their name: lightweight, and sort of meaningless. The music wasn’t bad, but each track sounded the same.
Some songs were cool, but most of it sounded like a very washed out Michael Jackson cover. I felt I heard some influences to Jamiroquai though, so I digged that :)
He was inspired by the Sex Pistols?? To make THIS????
Quite enjoyed this. An obvious 80's production, quite snappy drums and clean top end. A couple of great songs, the rest a bit lost.
Is it reggae or is it Huey Lewis? Either way, I liked it
Pretty cool easy listening mash up of 80s sounds. No songs that massively stood out, but solid.
lowkey cooked
meh
Didn't love it. Didn't hate it. Got a bit samey but the same was a cool sound.
This is like 80s pop with all the excess wringed out of it, until all that's left is the bare essentials. Bright staccato synths make simple melodies, occasionally highlighted by shimmering accents. The songs are catchy if not extremely so, with "Absolute" and "Wood Beez" having the strongest hooks. The vocals are high-pitched, maybe artificially so, and while I don't love them they fit with the kitschy vibe the music gives off. There's a lot of similarities to Michael Jackson or Prince here, not to mention turn-of-the-millennium boy bands, but also a lot of simple bedroom pop that feels like it has to have been inspired by this. This isn't all great - the slow "A Little Knowledge" is a drag - and that plus the lack of true highlights keeps it at a 3. But it's certainly a fascinating, unique album..
80s corny cheese. Nothing wrong with that!
Classic music for an 80’s movie where our lovable loser hero is riding a bike
Plinky pop sung by a Welsh Michael Jackson.
Some reggae-inspired nonsense with MJ-wannabe vocals. But at times, it's undeniably fun to listen to. The Word Girl introduces us to this unwieldy mash-up of genres, and maybe it takes a minute or two to get used to... but dang it, at least it doesn't continue to contribute to the hypersaturated synth-pop or Britpop genres of the era. Scritti Politti hail from the UK, too. It must've been so tough for them, explaining why they regress back into synthslop in the next song, Small Talk. Maybe I'm being a little harsh – after all, Small Talk manages to be pretty catchy while still decent for background listening. And of course there will always be plenty of artists who pander to the masses. But for them to make the list of 1001 most important albums of all time, you'd expect something that somebody has heard of. (Side note: a quick squizz on Wikipedia reveals that they started as a punk band in – you guessed it – the year 1977.) A fat bass synth makes for a fun listen in just about any context, and the tracks Absolute and Wood Beez are no exception. The actual twangy (non-synth) bass in Don't Work That Hard, however, excels far less in my opinion. It feels like a relic of the disco genre, which is not only far out of fashion in 2026 but was past its expiry as far back as the early 80s. Perfect Way also heavily features that bass sound, but embellishes it with orchestra hits and octave harmony and other positive distractors. The singing is objectively poor in all tracks, but don't let that stop you from enjoying it. At least it isn't obtrusively poor. Most post-punk vocals can't boast the same thing. 3/5 Key tracks: Absolute, Wood Beez
3 stars - very 80s
a bit repetitive but I like it
Its not as awful as its global rating suggests, it just hasnt aged very well - sounds super dated and not in a nostalgic way, a bit too 80s cheese.
Didn't hate this but it was very 80s and the vocals were giving Milli Vanilli, ironically
3 out of 5. Never heard of them before, ok for 80's pop.
3/5 dicertido pop ochentero, basic igual
Ok I actually enjoyed this. Very very 80s, very shploinky. Other than that no other notes. Just something a bit different to what I usually listen to
Pop avec vibe Michael Jackson, c'était sympa
Sympa
Starts okay but becomes quite boring. 3 stars or C-.
Definitely 80s
Kevyttä kasaria, levy meni autoillessa ihan huomaamatta. Eli oivaa taustamusaa, ei häiritse eikä mietitytä.
For me this was a case of amazing bookends, but "good" rest of the album. I thought The Word Girl was a very interesting song and really enjoyed it, and thought Hypnotize was the catchiest song on the album. While this group pales in comparison to Michael, Prince, etc, the production was pretty impressive. I could only imagine "Powerline" performing these hits. 3.4/5 -> 3/5
Kind of generic likely won’t return to it
It was good generic 80s pop. Reminded me of madonna a bit.
Very nostalgic and dated. Like you’d expect to hear in the background of a John Hughes movie.
Temu Michael Jackson. Very of the era, good quality for what it was trying to achieve but I’d just do MJ if I wanted this vibe.
This sounds a lot softer than i would've expected from a group called Scritti Politti.
lol I kinda loved this, especially The Word Girl? extremely strange but fun stuff happening, but sometimes I tuned it out bc it was a little much
i had a pretty good time with this one. idk how often i’ll be listening to it again, but it was pretty fun. definitely not what i was expecting it to be.
Low 3? Started a little higher but musically just didn't go many places for me
Typical 80s Replay. Sure
Maybe the most average record so far
Interesting stuff that I'd never heard before. The style is not for me though - it felt too precise and controlled, over-produced and kind of tinny. It was a huge relief when some proper bass and drums kicked in on one of the later tracks.
perfect way so nice!
Delightful 80s synth pop. I suspect spending time with it I'd find a whole lot more going on lyrically.
6/10… new wave / synthpop / *1985
Yeah, it's okay.
Not really anything mindblowing, but some well crafted songs in here! "Perfect Way" got a verse melody that's sticking in my head!
Way fuckin better than the most of the fuckin average britrock shit.
*1985. Synth-pop. *This is so quintessentially mid-80s synth pop... it's so on the nose that it almost feels like a spoof. *Dave walked in while I was playing this, and he immediately knew who the band was... I've never heard of Scritti Politti, but I guess they were a thing? *It was a fun-ish listen, but I'll never revisit. RATING - 6/10
If Powerline were a real band ... this would be their album
So much 80’s cheese on here! But I didn’t mind it. Most of it didn’t age well, but when it hits, it hits! Wood Beez is the best song in here for sure! I’d give this more of a 2.75. But we’ll round it up to a 3.
Jazzy 80's muzak. Gotta love it!
Great vibes overall. Really got into a jam listening to this one.
what is this all yt huh small talk is better its not bad but its been done better by other people
Feel like it took me a little while to warm to the vocal performance on this one. It's maybe a little too quiet and whispery, but it does mean the production gets a chance to shine. On it's face it feels like standard 80s pop fare, but there's a certain weirdness to the choices that feels a bit more considered. Not sure how much I actually like this, but it's pretty fun in places.
2/3
inoffensive, but 80s music. eeh.
Probably my baseline for a 3 star album
And here we have another one of the 20 lowest rated albums on the 1001 Albums website. It's always... interesting to see what these sorts of albums are like. Sometimes you get albums that really are that terrible. The only issues that I have with Kid Rock being in the bottom 20 is that his album isn't rated lower. But other times, you get albums that aren't nearly as bad as the populous of this website would lead you to believe. Fortunately, this Scritti Politti album here is the latter. No way in hell is this one of the bottom 20 worst albums on this list. You all are overreacting. Is the album good? I don't think I could really call it that, but I'm not particularly comfortable calling it bad either. It's just a generic and occasionally kinda annoying 80s pop album. That's it. There's nothing abysmal here, but also nothing special. It exists and that's about it. The production is pretty dated, but some parts have a good bass line or something. The vocals are kinda annoying, but they could be much worse. That's really how I feel about the album. It could be so much worse. Like, as far as the whole "aging poorly" thing, you could really only argue that in a musical sense. The writing is just fine. There's nothing wrong with a song like "Absolute" or "Perfect Way" from a lyrical perspective. Hell, there isn't really anything particularly wrong with them from a musical perspective either. Those are two of the better songs on the album. This album doesn't really make me feel much in general, but the good thing about that is that it didn't make me feel anything bad. I definitely can't call Cupid & Psyche 85 a bad album. It had some groovin' moments, dare I say. However, it's also not special in any way. It's pretty average. Low 3/5.
like if michael jackson and WHAM! went on a tropical vacation together and played upbeat video games the whole time instead of focusing on the album 3/5
An odd little album. I really did not enjoy the vocals but the music was kind of fun.
This album sounds like a Mega Drive game and that makes it feel extremely nostalgic, despite me never actually hearing it before. Musically it's really nothing interesting but I'll give it 3/5 just for the reason stated above.
very sappy, very 80’s. not bad but nothing special,,
The singing is a choice - sounds like the voice I use to repeat back something stupid someone has said in order to mock them. Lyrics save it, pray like Aretha, rich get what's coming to them in a love song I think I heard? No war but class war, son.
3.5/5
I’m not a fan of 80s synth pop and this didn’t convert me
Kinda sleepy but I enjoyed
Fun album, 80’s pop. I thought I would have loved it more.
I found this to be pretty enjoyable in comparison to some of their contemporaries. Probably a 3.5
Catchy, but very bubblegummy pop. I found his voice so high that it was a bit annoying. Every song kind of felt like “Cheerleader”. Not bad, but not really my thing.
I really enjoyed this. It’s fun 80s pop that, to me, isn’t that deep but is enjoyable. Probably wouldn’t go back to it, but I did have a good time listening to it.
I was a fan of Scritti Politti in the 80s. They didn’t really fit a mould.; they weren’t pop or New Romantic all that dreadful phase of jazz pop that was so prevalent in the mid 80s. I’m not sure how often I’m gonna listen to them again but it was a pleasant nostalgic trip. And their lyrics were always a little bit kooky which was fun.
For the life of me, I always assumed this was a punk band, just judging by their name—a name I always hated, btw. There is a ton of interesting stuff going on here, but boy that '80s production keeps me at arm’s length. And I’m not sure about that singer. Still some very cool chords and sounds. I’m intrigued if not swayed.
Reminded me a lot of The Jackson Five and MJ
3.5
Fine enough pop, but dated.
Fun nostalgia but definitely of a time.
Not what I expected for the third time in four albums. Expected spikry post punk. Got Michael Jackson lite. Perfectly nice for an 80s fan like me but nothing I found particularly memorable.
Not bad. Something kinda relaxed to listen to while getting through chores. Probably would listen to this again.
Started off didn’t like it. By the end I felt I needed to give the first half another shot. Surprising myself and giving this a 3 because something’s pulling me back to give it another chance.
Generic mid 80's pop, not my favourite but I appreciate the tight base work, 2.5 so will give a 3
Very "of the time" pop, which didn't make it bad, but it certainly wasn't great.
Classic 80's pop. And the name too! If that's what you want this is good
Ducky remembered this from the '80s but I didn't. . It was fine
Don’t mind it. Simpsons: No
I bopped to it but I probably wouldn't listen again
This is cool in so many ways and often reminds me of a less funky version of Prince. Some annoying bits, but I can tell why they’re highly regarded.
3.5
Some bits of this weren’t bad, particularly the opening track but sadly it went downhill from there. It all sounded very 80’s and dated possibly because of the over reliance of technology to make the music
I hadn't heard of this band before this suggestion and I was very impressed with how clearly this anonymous (to me) artist was so influential to the subsequent 5 years / rest of the '80's. Not something I'll spin again, but maybe the hits.