Cupid & Psyche 85

Mid band from the 80’s

Fucking lame, boneless Peter Gabriel Highlights: Absolute

Pleasant pop album but very ordinary.

Holy hell, this was bad. It was like a parody of a parody of 1980s pop music. So vanilla and lifeless, I literally respect this author so much less because he put this on here. This “band” listened to a lot of Hall & Oates and Michael Jackson and said, “Hey, that stuff is too hardcore. Let’s tone it down a bit.” This album is just spamming the synth and easy listening beat and doing fuck else. Scritti Politti (god, what a shit band name) will be joining the Hall of Shame as my seventh 1/5

156/1001 Scritti Politti - Cupid & Psyche 85 Heard before? ❎️ Revisit? ❎ This whole album feels like a turned down Michael Jackson tribute album without the vocal talent or anything remotely resembling a decent tune. Too polished, too cheesy. If I thought the Steve Winwood album earlier in the week represented everything I disliked, this takes it down to a whole new low. This is truly abysmal stuff.

British pop, especially 80's can be so dang good. this was fun from start to finish, it wore a little thin by the end, but man I love the instrument usage. The synth is great, not overbearing, loud percussion, I kept thinking I was hearing different artists at points, Dont Work That Hard gave me shades of Sussudio or maybe something by Huey Lewis and the News and even a bit of P.Y.T. This was a great listening experience.

Based on the name I was ready to write this off as some forgettable British garbage… and I only got some of that right. It’s British but it hit just right today. The Brits just knew how to make 80s pop what can I say? I loved it! It doesn’t deserve a spot on this list but I’m damn glad to have heard it

It was pleasant enough playing in the background and I’m kind of partial to 80’s pop. It gets a weak 4.

Unmemorable Fave track: forgor already

Dreadful. Praying that this the worst inclusion in the list. 0.5/5

Boring and forgetful

Nice

Sounds like an advertisement for Service Merchandise.

I only know one Scritti Politti song, “Perfect Way,” but I know a little bit about their history as a band, especially about their Marxist origins. I know that this is one of the lowest rated albums, but I really love eighties pop, so I might be deviating from the crowd a bit on this one. I’ll be deviating from the crowd on Cupid & Psyche, but not by much. This album was a pure pop donut, frosted in synths and keyboards and blasted with overly sweet vocals. I enjoyed SP’s approach to crafting their arrangements, because their sound was so light but also incredibly dense. Each song really brought something new to the table, and I never knew what to expect from song to song. Even though I enjoyed SP’s approach to their arrangements, most of these songs had parts that were better than the sum of those parts. There were plenty of keyboard riffs that were really good, and several great bass lines, but sometimes, those things just didn’t sound that great together. The only element that I consistently didn’t care for was the vocals. I get that the vocals were supposed to be as saccharine as the synths and keyboards, but the way they were sung felt like they were sanded down to nothing, polished so much that the meaning of the lyrics just slid away. I found myself tuning out the vocals a fair amount on this album, and I think that’s why I was able to somewhat enjoy it. As far as the individual songs go, a few stood out to me: I really loved the keyboards on “The Word Girl,” and the bass groove was really good too. The vocals were off putting, and I just didn’t care for how gentle they were. But thankfully, the keyboards really carried this song, and the chorus had several fun little riffs. “Small Talk” was good too. It was a bit wilder and looser than “The Word Girl,” but it kept that same vibe and sound, but with a touch of funk. Once the drums and guitars kicked in, I started to enjoy “Absolute.” There were so many melodies and riffs layered throughout this song. The bridge was great, and the guitars were fun too. “Perfect Way” was excellent, and I thought it was easily the most complete song on the album. The bass was awesome, the synths and keyboards were great, and the vocals matched the sound and energy of the instruments really well. If Scritti Politti could have made all of their songs as cohesive as this, the whole album would have been much better. Cupid & Psyche was a really interesting album to listen to, and while it wasn’t completely my cup of tea, I enjoyed experiencing something a bit different than the eighties pop music that I usually listen to.

I instantly hate this.

Fairly boring 1980s Synth-Pop.

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.

Doof

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

Bargain bin 80's.

Sanitized 80's bubblegum pop. Can't say it's bad, structured songs that can get your head bouncing. They aren't poorly written songs or anything. But I can definitely say that it's not for me. Probably not for anyone who didn't subscribe to Teen Beat or Tiger Beat.

The album feels like mundane synthpop. In a way, it sort of encapsulates my general dislike of 80s pop - monotonous chord progressions, repetitive melodies, the same beat on everything. On top of it, the singing sounds like a parody of MJ and Prince.

This album feels like floating on a cloud eating candy floss surrounded by pink. The lead singer trying his best MJ impression throughout. Some of the most basic lyrics, but it kind of works. Easy to listen to, inoffensive, a short 38 minutes. Cheesy 80s synth-pop gets a 2.5/5 from me.

The reggae rhythm that we drop into immediately here is like a bullet to the head, and these vocals on top of it is like feeling the bullet come out the other side. And no, I don't know exactly what I mean by that. I don't even feel comfortable saying it's bad, I feel better claiming that this feels like staring at the sun. Despite being, theoretically, easy listening, something about the presentation of this just stupefies me. This sounds like the members of Wham were put into a trash compactor and polished into a single, perfect cube. This band's spotify biography reads like a combination of an essay on Scott Walker and a eulogy for a controversial politician. This band was founded by a leftist thinker, linguist, and underground artist who became progressively more interested int absurdly polished pop music. The lyrics here maintain the interest in linguistics and politics, but also try to be sexy with it. Like this sounds like a joke. Although after sitting on it a little, I think it’s kind of good? The tone and writing here has something stylized and ultra angular going on, that actually kind of makes the absurdly clean presentation make a little sense. Sometimes it’s cool, but sometimes it just sounds like the most “pop” music anyone has ever made. It gets a low three for being weirdly compelling, and for just existing in such a fascinating way. This was unexpectedly interesting, and maybe, just maybe there’s a post-modern masterpiece somewhere in here, but if so, I also must say that it probably isn’t for me to find.

as many reviews noted, this is generic 80s music. like if you ask someone to make a 80s album but with only filler tracks.

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.

It's mostly stuff I like in music, but something went wrong

This sounds like someone tried to make a Michael Jackson album but cheap and plastic. Even the lead singer’s voice sounds thin. I could see myself enjoying some of these songs if they were produced differently. They sound like solid pop songs. But the cheesy, pristine sheen on every track is off-putting.

Wow this is a very 80's sound. I don't really love it though, it feels like the stereotypical 80's tones but with none of the charm that made the decade so special. The compositions are pretty bland and lack any of the big over the top moments. Oddly it sounds a bit like some B versions of Michael Jackson's worst songs.. I really didn't like this... hate to do it but it's a 1 for me and I really don't think it should be on the list.

Not bad 80’s synth

Enjoyable, but not transcendent. Very good mid 80's jangle-pop, and GG has a great voice .... but not an outstanding album

Day 103 Not terrible by any means but not sure there’s anything on here that I’d find myself really wanting to revisit in future 5/10 Highlights The Word Girl Hypnotise

I don't know how to Politti-ly say this but Scritti Politti sucks. More like Shitti Politti

Monotonous wimpy 80’s sounds, while not unpleasant it is not compelling or interesting listening. Maybe there’s some good Marxist or anarchism messages hidden beneath the milquetoast vocals.

I have to admit I'm taking a perverse pleasure in how much the 80s choices on this list baffle so many of the reviewers. This album was really popular when it came out and defined that 80s pop sound as much as any other. It wasn't a follower. If you read the UK music press at the time you wouldn't be surprised to see this on the list. The book is very obviously the product of that UK music journo culture and that culture loved this album. It's archly intellectual while being pop enough for Radio 1. That was catnip for UK music journalists. Green was guaranteed to say a lot more in interviews than "we're only doing it for the music". The press loved his progression from post punk Avant spikiness to indie pop to New York produced chart pop. They felt like they'd smuggled one of their own into the mainstream.

3.6 almost great. but fine to good.

Sometimes I have to wonder why an album made it on this list.

This music is very dated. The music is a little busy and it seems to overpower his kind of whispery singing. And that falsetto!

VERY 80s, and a bit bland. Nice enough pop songs but nothing remarkable.

no thank you 1/5

I can understand the appeal, but I find the dancing parts a bit clunky, and it's so, SO much rooted in the 80's it's almost painful to listen at times.

Bit naff. Bit cringe. Not particularly sonically interesting. Tracks were well produced, very polished and smooth. Some songs were alright but I suppose this just isn't the genre for me. Ive not read any other reviews but im 99% sure they will make reference to a Michael Jackson tribute act. Just sort of bang average 80s dance pop. No one favourite track. 5/10

It stinks!

A good example of the cheesy-synth-and-vocal sound from the early to mid eighties, which holds up for a song or two but gets repetitive and boring pretty quickly as an entire album. All you need is "Perfect Way" on your eighties compilation.

Pretty meh. The was some interesting characteristics of stereo sounds on headphones but overall found it cheesy. 2 star

AI slop didn't exist in 1985. Which leaves us with two options. 1) This was recently generated by AI and subsequently inserted into music history by also generating Wiki articles, reviews, and so on. 2) Scritti Politti were way ahead of their time because they managed to foresee and emulate AI slop at a time when people still thought of Salvador Dalí when you were talking about images with weirdly shaped and numbered hands and fingers.

Spent all of the 80’s avoiding this stuff and just when I thought it was safe to come out again some despot puts it on this list forcing me to grab Tales From Topgraphic Oceans to cleanse my soul. 1/5 16/11/25

Unfortunately, this pop music didn't work for me.

The only thing this album inspired me to do was look up a thesaurus for words similar to awful. Some examples included horrendous, dreadful, ghastly, atrocious, hideous, abhorrent, repugnant, wretched, abysmal, loathsome, woeful and pitiful. Any of those words would be apt descriptions for this putrid album.

Surprisingly inventive. Minimalist arrangements that do a lot. Lots of chords.

Good album

Some of these songs are straight out of Flashback FM in gta vice city. Love the “robo-funk” aesthetic of some of these songs I’m especially a fan of the more upbeat ones I think it wasn’t the most cohesive as an album and some of the songs were just kinda okay, without really distinguishing themselves from a lot of the dance music at the time. But overall it was a really fun listen! Standouts: Small Talk, Don’t Work that hard, Perfect Way

Somehow needed this reminder today. Kinda reggae influence. Cool! THREE!!

It's giving Goofy Movie - and not in a good way.

This feels like so much of the 80's distilled. There's some moments on here I liked but overall I don't think this is one I'll come back to. 2.75/5

Decent album with interesting background. I liked this but didn't love it. 3.25/5

This has to be the *most* eighties album here, and I'm nearing 1,000 albums. It's pop but there's so much synth it's definitely new wave. Scritti Politti included notes of reggae, funk, and soul, which resulted in a varied and catchy album. Sometimes I'm reminded of Prince in Cupid & Psyche 85, but that's also because Prince was everywhere in the eighties. I wasn't bored in the slightest to boot.

Wow, this was EXTREMELY 80s. Like a super concentrated dose of 80s. And within that 80s bubble, there's a lot going on here...synth, funk, pop, soul, R&B. I could hear touches of a lot of the vocal and instrumental stylings of various 80s stars too, like Michael Jackson, Prince, and George Michael. I love 80s music, and in fact, I will be the last person to be put off by an 80s sound, but there was something about this album that didn't quite click with me. While absolutely nailing the 80s and succeeding at sounding a lot like other things being made in the 80s, it didn't have a lot of heart. It was missing a spark that brought the styles to life...almost like something that is a mass-manufactured imitation and is posing as a handmade, intimate object. It's hard to put into words. In any case, it was an okay listen! I wasn't unhappy with it, and I certainly wasn't bored, but I couldn't help but feel like this album could be...more.

Very 80s. Upbeat but not particularly life-changing

Pretty bland 80s pop, I think many artists did it better like wham/George Michael or Madonna. Not much to talk about imo

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.

omg gar nöd ready HAHAHAHA fantastische ahfang schier s gsicht ihgschlafe ok funny synthi aber ganz komischi entscheidig, the word girl als opener vomene album z wähle? weiss nöd bin nöd würkli debii wie gseit loses iwie nöd ganz aktiv, aber gfühlt jedes lied het iwenn de synthi DÖDÖ DÖDÖ ok d klavierbridge bi perfect way isch fun ja ehm bö 2 ALSO GUET LUCA ICH LOSES NOMAL aber ohni the word girl, det hani scho e gfestigti meinig joooo ok ich glaub ich bin am morge chli harsh gsi aber es isch für mich trz chli nervtötendi musig (und das mitem dödö staht immerno) perfect way und lover to fall mached na spass! aber ja, glaub es git es 3 will ich e slut für harmonie bin

In 3 words: 80's movie montage.

Cute music, but will not rememer this after today.

Vaguely remember this band from back in the day. I had forgotten them for years and if this album is any indication they are still pretty forgettable.

No le tenía nada de fe a este álbum pero me gusto mucho!! Encapsula muy bien el sonido de la época, me recordó en ciertos momentos a MJ. Capaz me gustó por las expectativas bajas que tenía lol Un lindo 3.5 Favs: Absolute, A Little Knowledge, Don't Work That Hard

Me he quedado loca leyendo la bio de esta gente. El cantante fue amigo de Jacques Derrida y miembro de las juventudes comunistas. ¿Se nota esto en el disco? en absoluto, más bien todo lo contrario, pero estuvo divertido de escuchar. Las que le gustarían a Derrida: Small Talk, A little knowledge, Don't Work That Hard

Review express, que voy muy atrás. Me gustó bastante más de lo esperado. Seguramente tenga que ver el hecho de que ultimamente estoy escuchando art pop de los 80 y esta banda sea medio pionera. Favs: Absolute, Perfect Way, Lover to Fall

Not at all what I expected from the album cover. It’s an album I enjoyed but not one I would revisit.

SP are a group that piqued my interest in 1999 when they released an Ali Shaheed Muhammad (Tribe, Lucy Pearl) remix to their single “Tinseltown to the Boogie Down” featuring a then-rising star Mos Def on the vocals. The single also feature Psycho Les and Pete Rock variations and is worth checking out on its own merits. As for the original (and the band itself), I filed under “further investigation” but never followed up. So I was pleased to see them appear on my album of the day, especially an album from their more active period (1982-88). Off the rip, this was not quite what I expected. There were some synths and sun elements that fit my narrow understanding of their sound, but overall much more of a standard 80s pop sound (well, leftfield 80s pop). After some quick research, and a surprising amount of Gramsci and Marx in the backstory, I better understood their sound as a pivot from the punk 70s to the synth pop 80s, which was also steeped in the hip-hop and souk stylings they were encountering from the US (not too far off from blondie TBH, with strong DIY ties). As for the album itself, the vocals are a bit Wham-my, but the sounds are an interesting amalgamation of the sounds of the time. Again, not sure that it’s one I’ll be spinning in the reg, but appreciate closing the loop back from Mos Def to Small Talk.

#175/1001. Let's see if these count as valid 80s band and album: - band was formed after seeing Sex Pistols on their debut tour - art school background -started with punk, turned in to something else - heavyly diy in the beginning - formed their own label -moved to London and lived in a squat - members changed frequently after musical styles changed - stage fright - bad habits - long breaks and getaways - intellectual lyrics - marxist leanings - inspired by French deconstrucionist and linguistic philosophers - turned to more commercial pop - reggae influence - soul, funk and hip-hop influence - collaborations with key musicians - new york period - heavy use of synths, e.g. horns, chords with echo and reverb - heavy use of drum machines, samplers, sequencers - syncopated percussion - top notch production - weird name ...yeah, that just about cuts it.

Too 80s (in a bad way) This is totally unremarkable and I can’t fathom why anyone would consider it a must-listen.

This starts out awful, but don't worry, it eventually gets even worse. The score from the Police Academy movies are more interesting than this.

Instrumentals are fine but the production is flat as a fart and the vocals are baby pee weak - I'm fuming now I know this was included over any album by Wham! - but it has at least three fine pop songs

80’s pop rubbish Not for me

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

Couldn’t even get thru 2 songs. New wave British pop crap

Just awful

I can appreciate the craft with really vibing with the end result. Even though it's not my favorite, I did a bit of a deep dive on Scritti Politti, and it seems I enjoyed their earlier post-punkish stuff a bit more.

I dont know how this makes this list, but God damn im glad it did. Perfect pop Absolutely delicious Fun, good, funky, poppy, great

decent pop album, but they need to figure out outros.

Based on their name I was expecting something a little more aggressive sounding. They should consider changing their name… and their sound.

Better than I expected, but I cannot abide that 80s production.

I'm not really sure I've ever heard of Scritti Politti before, but from the opening track (and video) I felt like this was some watered down Brit version of a generic 80s pop/R&B band (I also thought of Milli Vanilli, mainly because of the name similarity, since they clearly were hoping to have more of a Michael Jackson vibe going on, although those painful videos kind of ruined that intention). Sadly, nothing on the remainder of the album disabused me of the generic and outright boring sound; in fact, the most interesting (and perplexing) aspect of this album was reading that the lead singer Green Gartside was heavy into French literary theory and Italian Marxism, and the band in earlier incarnations was an anarchist collective, the name apparently a riff on Gramsci's "Political Writings". How far poor Scritti and Politti fell....

ugh this is not at all what I thought it would be given the name. It's singing dolphins with some synth.

First impressions: Higher pitched male lead voice leaning heavily onto the 80's soft pop/rock with experimental "electronic" components. After finishing the album I think it is just-- meh. Not terrible per say but not one particular song stood out to me. Felt like background music.

The most 80's thing I've never heard haha. If you want to get smashed in the face with new to you 80's this is it. Also best band name ever.

Fun and light pop album that was very consistent throughout.

No

Synth new wave art pop with a singer that sound like a Temu version of Michael Jackson & music that occasionally amuses but mostly just bores. Some interesting stuff going on here but not enough to raise it above a 2/5. One of the most dated albums on the 1001 list.

Sounds like a bad Michael Jackson rip off.

Boy band vibes. Very '85 synth pop sound and N-Sync/Backstreet Boys vocal style. Wouldn't be surprised if those bands pulled inspiration from Scritti Politti. Personally this is my least liked genre/style so my rating will be bias. 3/10, wouldn't listen to again, and none of the songs made it on my playlist.

Almost incredible how inoffensive this album sounds. Like they must have put some real work into keeping it this neutral

ultra sophisticated, ultra smooth, state of the art sounds and grooves for 1985

okay pbs kids

Extremely 80s. Not really a fan of the "baby" voice. It all kind of blended one song into the other for me.

I’m not convinced this isn’t a Guantanamo level torture test

Soooo, not sure why this band is here they weren’t even a major mover and shaker in 80s British pop, they are certainly no Duran Duran, or even Wham. Jeez I cant stand this, the synths just hurt my head. I have now started screaming in a high-pitched voice MAKE IT STOP and this is from someone who feels pop is a perfectly acceptable musical genre. How much did Scritti or Politti pay to have their album here. That is the question. Yet this album did get great reviews across the board and so I am flummoxed, for me this is meaningless pap. I rest my case.

Not for me. 2/ 5

This is not what I thought this band was for some reason. I really did not care for this. The upbeat songs were listenable but the show ones were quite insipid.

God, I just hate the 80s drum sounds. I'm interested, furthermore, in what makes an album worthy of being listened to before the listener's eventual, inevitable death. Is ¨And Out Come the Wolves,¨ ¨Illmatic,¨ or ¨Nervous Breakdown¨ on this list? Why is this? So I can imagine a fucking redhead in a John Hughes movie walking down a high school hall? I remembered correctly that Scritti Politti began as a leftist punk band and slowly evolved into the dated 80s mess I'm currently listening to. I'm happy musicians can make money, but what about making timeless records? ¨Never Mind the Bollocks?¨ Timeless. ¨London Calling?¨ Timeless. The first five Ramones albums? Timeless. ¨Cupid & Psyche 85?¨ Like a mosquito trapped in amber used to regenerate dinosaurs, it sounds fossilized. Best songs: ¨Hypnotize¨ because it's the last one

Lo que escuché fue gracioso

Love a lot of 80’s synth music, but this is just bad.

nahhh

Wow that’s bland

8/10

This may be the most 80s album I have ever heard.

2.5

2.5

1.5

*Cupid Psych 85* To the gripes I had about the Bonnie Raitt album yesterday also apply for today. One of them is the glassy keyboards, which ruled the late 80s, and I can't stand that sound. The other is wheggea... "The Word Girl" gave me nightmares (daymares?) of UB40. Quite honestly most the songs were a bit too light breezy poppy for me (I prefer my synthpop darker like DM) and the glassy keyboards didn't help. There were a couple of songs that I liked most notably "Absolute" and "Perfect Way" and I love opening bass of "A Little Knowledge", I just wish the rest of the song back that up. I'm not absolutely crazy about his voice but if I was more in tune with the music I probably would give it a slide.. I do have to remark about how 86/87 this sounds for 85 which I'll give them props for being slightly ahead of the curve. Overall I have to give it a slight thumbs down, but definitely not the garbage liner some people have claimed this was today. (5.3) ★★½

Overly 80s production, which I don't like, but mostly I am quite indifferent to this album. 2.5 stars

I thought the first song on this was alright. Not good exactly, but it kind of had a bit of that 80s pop reggae flair. After that though, it went down hill really quickly. This is almost like a parody of 80s pop music -- it takes all the elements that make 80s pop cheesy and beats them to death throughout the album. It's hard to believe there's actual instruments on this album (including the great Robert Quine), because everything sounds processed to within an inch of its life. 1.5 stars.

3.5

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.

This guy wants to be Corey Fieldman wanting to be Michael Jackson so bad. 4/10

I heard 30 seconds of this and went straight to r/EveryoneKnowsThat to see if Scritti Politti were ever a suspicion. Indeed they were. Far too synthy pop for my liking.

Some good melodies in here, but this is mainly vapid, meaningless, syrupy, commercial pop with god-awful 80s production. 2.0/5.0: Disappointing

this was a rollercoaster. like many others i saw the negative reviews and wondered how a pop album was so negatively received. immediately upon starting the album i was in full agreement with the reviews. everything just felt like a vapid ripoff of stuff better artists were doing. then around the middle of the album there was a few songs that felt like they actually put effort into. then the last few songs they decided to go back to making soulless garbage.

Eh

Very cool

Pleasantly surprised. Definitely found some humor in the vocals, but I'm not going to beat up the rating for that reason. I kind of found myself vibing to it. And to be honest, if I can enjoy Prince's voice, I can use that rationale to appreciate Green Gartside (a name I had 0 familiarity with until today). Some subtle, but tasty guitar licks hidden in here too. Probs would be like a 2.7 ~ rounding up.

A little too poppy and recycled

The production sounds great. Definitely sounds like the 80's pop music era. Although the lyrics maintain the theme throughout the album, it could use some variety in my opinion. Perhaps, listening to this album when constantly thinking of someone will pave a better journey.

No. This is not the album I am looking for.

Pleasant and enjoyable, but quite dated and not all that memorable.

Decently fun sound, but nothing that I can see as particularly ground-breaking from my place of unfamiliarity

I’m not at all keen on 80s synth pop so this ticks all the wrong boxes as far as I’m concerned. But it’s not a challenging listen, it’s got some catchy lines and for being everything I usually hate, I didn’t mind it all that much.

Not my thing. Very '80s but not in the good way.

I like 80s music but this is just corny. I had the urge to skip every song, not one thing I liked on this album

This was an odd one, it sounded like a parody of the 80s and the first few songs that singer’s voice had me thinking wtf is this. I thought “Lover to Fall” was the best song. But that’s because something about it reminded me of NEPO and The O, so at least it put me in the right direction to listen to those guys all day. I didn’t like this, but I didn’t find it offensive or unlistenable, that warrants 2 stars, right? But I don’t think this should be on the list, so 1 star.

Unoriginal lousy new wave. The 80’s were a blast and filled with guilty pleasure pop, this album fails to compare.

One decent song - Perfect Way - that sounds like it was written for Wham! but they passed. Everything else might as well be the noodling of a fifteen year old whose balls haven’t dropped yet, and just got his first Casio keyboard for Christmas. 1.5⭐️

This sounds like "diet Prince"... All the dated sounds but not enough funk and guitar heroics. If "85" wasn't stamped on the cover one would be able to guess when this was produced. It's okay, don't think I'd ever go back to this however.

Ugh. I couldn’t

That first song, The World Girl, doing the faux reggae just killed me. Honestly, I thought there was nothing redeeming about this. I'm not even sure this was good for the time.

The first song really put me off but the rest isn't bad. I'm kinda down with a Wang Chung or Level 42 vibe.

One of my favorite tunes of the early eighties was "The Word Girl". It took me years to find the song, not knowing the artist nor the lyrics, since I was only ten when it came out. Apart from the other two hits that came from this album "Perfect Way" and "Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)" this album is pretty forgettable. While it was actually quite innovative at the time, Green Gartside's obsession with pristine production and working with top session musicians (including Miles Davis on one track) created this hyper-polished sound that became the standard for much of the over polished '80s pop. But hey, they did a toasting version of the "Word Girl" ("Flesh & Blood") which was pretty groundbreaking at that time, a star for that! Apart from that, most of the songs are mediocre pop songs that didn't stand the test of time. 3/5

I don’t like the sound of 80’s pop production. The album was mostly tough to get through, up until the last three songs. Fucking bangers. Though I would not listen to as a whole ever again

Baselines were great but otherwise was ready for this album to be over.

This one was a super fun listen, I enjoyed the fact that there were a lot of influences from other genres in the album. This is really SO 80's, from the vocals to the instrumentals, but it all fit together in a way I liked a lot.

Generic but enjoyable 80s disco-esque album. Not a lot that stood out in either a positive or negative way. Serviceable.

The fadeouts to end every song felt so abrupt. A lot of cool bell tones throughout. Started disliking more as it went on with how repetitive it all felt. Would have rated higher if I were roller skating

I'm amazed I never heard this band before, but I have heard of them. I certainly listened to Haircut 100, the Pet Shop Boys, Culture Club, Depeche Mode, ABC, and others floating around the same scene. I bet I would like it in a club, but I think memories of a club experience listening to them or their recordings might be necessary for me to regard these tunes as anything more than peripheral.

Rien que j'ai adoré mais un bon point pour la variété des morceaux

Fun and totallllly 80's

So very 80's. Not sure what sets this one apart from myriad albums from the era, other than the anemic vocals. Sounds like what I'd expect from an AI prompted album. Makes me wonder if the generation that pushed this music onto the planet had any option OTHER than to bleed the planet's future dry in a coke-induced euphoric haze.

This album is what happens when the weird lonely kid creates a YouTube channel but instead of being a hidden gem, it’s every bit as bad as you might imagine.

This is too 80’s for me.

Synth pop, but not on the same level as Tears for Fears

this album is so 80s it hurts.

Shite

A caricature of 80s music. The sounds are good but the content wasn't.

Len Houmous was shocked to meet Scritti Politti! He’d spent his whole life thinking they were a 1950s jazz artist! Fats Domino vibes! He thought they were pulling his leg! 2.4 3/9 Absolute

Not a fan. The influence from Prince, Beach Boys, Michael Jackson is palpable. I should like this, production sounds great, it's fun but it just doesn't do it for me.

it was ok

Excruciatingly awful. Could not finish.

Listened to this on my way to the hairdresser, I sat down in the chair and was surprised to see I already had a perm.

2 stars. I saw they influenced groups like CHVRCHES which I can see. It's fine. Prediction rating: 2.4

Album 911 of 1089 Scritti Politti - Cupid & Psyche 85 (1985) Rating : 2 / 5 I saw a review that suggested if Wham! is a little too hardcore for you, this album might be right down your lane. I’m paraphrasing, but it’s an apt summation in my opinion. Very low-key and gentle throughout. I didn’t feel the need to turn it off, but I also won’t be seeking it out again. Pleasant enough in its way, but not much that stuck with me.

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

Uses a lot of similar sound effects and riffs popular in Michael Jackson's music. The lead singer has a similar sound too. Pretty upbeat and easy to listen to, but nothing super special or memorable. 6/10

Grandland, HDH - Göppingen, Deutschland. Langweilig.

Shitti politti

This was pretty terrible with no redeemable qualities at all.

I would expect better from Gramsci fans.

If you ever wanted to know what the mid 80s sounded like, have I got an album for you!

Not as interesting as I remember. I recall that one of the things that made this album popular at the time was the clever samples throughout the record. Perhaps, time and experience have dulled the impression that this album made, because now it comes off as kind of dull and as much as I try to figure out what was appealing about this record, I can't find it. Sure, Perfect Way sounds like the Michael Jackson track you remember, with Green Garside's vocals up front and clear in the mix. But the other hit from this record, Wood Beez is just uninteresting. Perhaps it's the fact that the songs all suffer from the period sheen of slightly disco pop leaning with the ubiquitous 80s drum sound that make this anachronistic. I just can't imagine vcoming back to this record and finding joy in the listening experience. Absolute is just a slog of a song with it's robotic 80's drum sound - sterile and uninteresting, it renders an otherwise okay tune - lifeless. Nothing against Garside whose vocals are serviceable. It's just this sort of disco pop was meant to die. As I try to find positive things to say about the record, there was only one song that I thought - Hey, this has possibilities today. I think if Lover To Fall was remixed and played live - it might be a hit today. Overall, I get why this might appear on this list of records - there is nothing quite like it in terms of sound, and in that way it is creative. It just doesn't resonate any more.

80s synth pop hell, this was so bad it made me feel nauseous.

Repetitive at times, but the 80s synth pop was fine.

This made my skin crawl from start to finish. The worst vocals. Crappy mid-80s pop in all the wrong ways. This is everything wrong with music distilled into 38 minutes of pure hell. Crappy synths, early vocoder vocals, soul free. My one bit of enjoyment was mis-hearing one of the verses in "Don't Work That Hard" where he repeated "I got to pee".

I’ve always felt the gap between the highest highs and lowest lows is larger in the 80’s than in any other decade. And this album feels like an embodiment of that. Tracks like Perfect Way are the 80’s at their best, but the album forces you to wade through too much mediocrity to save it from being anything other than just ok. 3/5 Highlights: Absolute Perfect Way

One of the many examples of boring 80s New Wave Synth Pop. Reminds me of Michael Jackson, the way powdered milk reminds me of real pasture milk.

Yeah this is pretty much the epitome of 80s pop. Not the good kind either. The generic, synthy stuff with no hooks. The kinda stuff that would be playing nonstop at a mall, or in the background during a tutorial video. It's cringe. But who am I to say, I was born in the 90's.

Nope.

A nice bit of 80s synth. Very easy listening. Feels like it could have been (and it probably was) part of a film soundtrack or workout video soundtrack.

That sounded a lot like Powerline from A Goofy Movie.

Sounds kinda like Temu Michael Jackson. This wasn't memorable for me at all, nor did I enjoy this record too much. Favourite Track(s): The Word Girl Least Favourite Track(s): Absolute

si el cliché ochentoso fuese una persona, sería este disco (?) aún asi, pasa bien

Man I really did not like this album at all. It was hard to get through. Why is this on the list? Why is there so much 80s brit pop on the list? Why should anyone have to listen to this before they die? It sounds like they're trying to be Michael Jackson but just really not nailing it at all.

Not the vibe! I really don’t like Brit-pop. I’m tired of it. One redeeming quality was the reggae inspiration in some songs.

boring af lyrics make me want to throw up

Quite enjoyable, Beatles meets hard rock

Not bad but all the songs sound very similar.

80's pop music was such a strange scene in retrospect. Out of all the era's this is definitely the most jarring. It sounds so dated now, almost kind of alien. In terms of this album, it's very gentle. Shades of Prince, with other 80's trappings. It's kind of faintly ridiculous, so... why am I kind of into it? I seem to have found a sense of equilibrium while listening to this one. It's not unpleasant.

Exactly what I thought it would be like, I was not a fan.

Ooft. Painful and boring

Looked up the band out of curiosity and basically everything the Wiki said on them pointed to Punk/Post-Punk roots. This album is 100% not that

Great background listening, nothing offensive. I can see how this influenced a lot of artists, even some of my favourites such as The 1975. Nothing particularly caught my ear but would listen to other music by them.

This might be an 4/5 if his voice wasn't so annoying

aardig, jaren 80 sound

Felt like Disposable pop music

Perfect Way sounds so so much like the much better song Who's Johnny (she said, you know I love you)

Cool that they have DIY leftist roots, wish there was any sign of that in this album

If you think Wham! was rocking just too darn hard this is probably the album for you. Nothing really great here, but it makes up for it by being powerfully average. Perfect Way is a decent song though.

This list never ceases to amaze me with how many forgettable Brit Pop albums it's able to include. There is not one person in the world that would say this album is their favorite of all time. Maybe it's to teach a lesson about what albums you shouldn't listen to? The list also included some pointless ones so it makes the good ones look even better.

"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.

Straight off the bat I found the hyper-sweet, daggy 80s-ness of this album offputting, but as it settled itself in, it revealed some incredibly clever and almost subversive songwriting. The pop sensibilities of Green Gartside can't be overstated, he's pushed every single pop trope to its logical conclusion so cynically that it's past cliche and actually quite novel. The pop-tropeyness of it is dialled up so high that if it came out today I'd assume it was written by AI, but I don't necessarily mean that in the derogatory sense. I appreciated the intelligence of it as an art form and allowed myself to have some fun with it, but by 5-6 songs in started to find it cloying and kinda banal. I'm really not sure if this is gonna be something I'll later decide I have a taste for and come back to or never come back to again, like the first time you try Dr Pepper. Highlight was Wood Beez. "Each night I go to bed I pray like Aretha Franklin"

A few guilty pleasure bops running on very slick sequencing. 'Absolute' is an absolute banger. 'Wood Beez' being another highlight and I think 'A Little Knowledge' has a bit of depth. The rest is decent to ok.

This one’s all sorts of fun—shiny, polished, and pure mid-80s synth-pop energy. Listening to it brought me right back to clubbing in 1985 with my fake ID, sweaty dance floors, and neon everywhere. But beyond the nostalgic vibes, it doesn’t leave much of a mark. Fun in the moment, forgettable afterwards.

I quite enjoyed this

80s pop

-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

The most 80s pop thing I have heard. Almost a parody of itself...

Studio production personified.

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.

The fact that this album had any traction at all is a testament to how popular Michael Jackson was in the 80s. The only explanation I can think of for anyone listening to this is that people were so desperate to anything close to MJ that even this F-minus high school talent show impression was somewhat popular.

1.5 I did find a few positives in the over the top production (maybe an influence to the hyper-pop we see today). Apparently, the lyrics are a bit deeper than they initially appear. But that was a very very tough listen

Did not like this, normally 80s pop can can fun but this was a slog despite it not being very long. Didn’t care for the singing voice and didn’t find anything memorable about the songwriting.

More like Pcritti Solitti, am I right?

Very unconditional melodies, but with typical 80s instrumentation. Pop-y with a lot of moving parts. Not my thing, but really interesting.

WTH is this crap

More British pop…

Look, at my age, life is too short to listen to this.

I just can't remember a thing about this generic shit I've just listened. Absolutely no edge to it. Cringe vocals. Extremely decaffeinated. Hard pass.

-Liked the classic 80s vibe -Wasnt really my style, usually I like that type but I wasn't really feeling it here -Not really something I think I would realistically listen to fully again -Would play for my mom though

It’s like they took all the fun away from Wham! and made this. Definitely didn’t need to hear this

This album is silly, but I didn’t hate it. I know myself well enough that I can freely admit that had I been a teenager in the 80s I would have had this cassette. It’s basically the 80s version of Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Hanson, One Direction. A teenage girl’s dream. I did feel a little guilty listening to it without my hair in a side pony with teased bangs. Finished off with spandex, leg warmers and an acid washed jean jacket. Like the album deserves.

electro Pop, 1985 -> 2

Jammin

Wikipedia calls this an embrace of commercial pop, but all of this sounds like it was engineered in a lab not to actually top charts, but specifically to be on the original motion picture soundtracks of action comedies starring Robert Carradine. The lyrics of "WOOD BEEZ" are cutely playful/surreal, though.

pretty good but nothing special! enjoyed every song a little bit

I mean, it's inoffensive but... seriously? listworthy? I don't think so.

Apple Music says this is post punk??

What if not good, not unique, and not influential? (You make it into a must-listen-before-you-die list, apparently.) Brother what are we doing here lol.

En kuunnellut kasarilla, en nytkään. Ei paljoa soundimaailma voi kasarimmaksi mennä

Tausta musaa, ei herätä mitään

I wonder why this album is here on the list. This is so 80s. And not in a positive way. It's not one of these albums, which are still "famous" today or were in some way special. No, this is the very, very average 80s. It is simply the sound of the 80s. But does that it make important to listen to. No! Not even if this was the 11234 albums you have to listen to before you die.

Typical 80s instrumentation with mediocre vocals.

File this under music I would've never listened to back then but find really enjoyable now. The 80's synth sound let's you know exactly when this came out. Solid pop music. Perfect Way brings some nostalgia and reminds me of high school.

Cute, smart and 80s as hell ❤️

4 stars because I loved it when released. Reminded me of love blooming with my boyfriend who then became my husband then ex-husband now dead. Oh well. Fond memories of this.

Nice to see that yuppies also get some representation on the list

vauvvan ensimmäinen albumi onneksi olkoon sanoin ensin! sitten kammottava totuus paljastui: miesmäinen henkilö tehnyt tämän albumin. sitten luin että wales, from wales and welsh. sitten ymmärsin paremmin. siellähänpäin kaikilta miehiltä leikataan testikaalit poikuudessa. ulkomailta tuodaan miehiä siittämään naiset että eivät sukupuuttoon jää. outo paikka tuo WALES. joka ikinen ''mies'' siis ilman testikaaleja siellä vähän itseäni ihmetyttää että mikä historiallinen ja kulttuurillinen konventio tuottanut tämän että ei haluta partaa kasvattaa... röökiä polttaa... salilla käyä... noh albumista tota paskahan se on. dont work that hard

A really bad way to start the album challenge; genuinely did not know if I could get past the second song. Same formula over and over again!

2 good tracks on there. Part of the 80's brit pop collection on this web site.

This is like a super terrible wannabe Michael Jackson and it being British is the only reason I can think of for it being on this list. Absolute dog shit. Listening to this just made me mad and now I have to go scrub my ears out

Ok

I think I thought they were going to be better than this, which is to say, this was pretty poor and I had allowed their quite fun name to make me think I'd be getting a sort of Temu Ah-Ha or something. It was actually offensively bland pop, of the kind that would be hugely disappointing if you'd turned on Top Of The Pops 2 on a Friday night on BBC4, hoping for either a bit of early Smiths or weird-era McCartney, or at the very least some totally insane Bad Manners. But no, you get this. Poor.

It sounded like underproduced Jesus Jones. Light, punchy bass. Lots of 80's synth. Like, I could have dropped any of these songs into an 80's teen movie and it would have felt in place. Nothing stuck, nothing hooked me. I seem to remember "Perfect Way" playing on the radio, or maybe in a movie I saw, but it was just the faintest of memory. The whole thing felt a little like "We wanna be classy jazz players, but we got into a record contract and we have to produce this pop crap." It's all very formulaic, like it's meant to be played on the radio, but //not quite good enough// to hook the kids. My Rating: 2/5. It's listenable, but I'm not coming back voluntarily.

2-3 - very 80’s

Lacks a decent political submessage.

Poppig

Very 80'S, Very Good.

I am clearly completely missing the point on this one but a pop album without one solitary bop, not a fan

It sounds like the second song that features on a 90s Disney film credits.

nah this ain’t it

If Wham! isn't bubblegum enough for you give this a try. It sounds extremely 80s and Green's vocals are so extremely sweet and sugary it is almost nauseating. Despite everything though I did actually enjoy this album, its really well produced and matches Green. This creates something very light and sweet that is basically cotton candy pop music. Despite the extremely 80s sound, this album has gone on to have influence into the present with producer AG Cook and the PC music movement being influenced by this album. David Gamson has even gone on to work with more current artists like Charli XCX and Kesha. This album obviously isn't for everyone (currently the 16th lowest rated album) but I came out enjoying for what it is.

Reminds me a bit like a mix of Michael Jackson and New Edition with a New Wave touch. 2/5

dad music

Started by hating it, by the end I was kind of into it

Very 80s meh

Bouncy, bright, fun, clean straight up dance pop. Singing style has Michael Jackson influence. No surprises, all tracks have similar arrangements and 80/90s vibe.

Sometimes I pop across an album on this list that I truly don't understand what it's doing here. This is one of them. I feel like someone heard Wham! and thought, fuck, I could do that even though my voice is annoying and I have no musical talent. And here we are.

Good synth pop album. A few bangers on it. Was this essential to hear before I die? No, not in my opinion, but I'm not going to say no to synth pop. 3.35/5 = 3 on this scale.

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

This album feels like DeBarge and Prince had a mid 80’s baby, but it’s all done by British white guys. The breathy, higher register vocals also remind me of Color Me Badd. This shines when those 80’s synths kick it up to 10. The ballads kind of drudge along. Perfect Way is a great song! 3.5 stars.

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.

Yeah, not a fan of this. This is my first 1 star rating. It just sounds so dated and not innovative. I'm sure it was at the time, but it's like all kind of awful 80s synths and the Brit-boy singing. Not my cup of tea at all.

EN: Imagine if Tears for Fears were 85% less interesting. This is what this album is. PT-BR: Imagine se Tears for Fears fosse 85% menos interessante. É isso que esse álbum é. 4,75/10

The opening track is a little fun. The rest is anything but

Utter turd

Awful even by 1980s standards

There's nothing but stereotypical 80s music, just not the good stuff. The kind of stuff that frequently pops up on generic radio stations. "Cupid & Psyche 85" is a nice-sounding record, but that doesn't save it from being derivative. Scritti Politti should be ashamed of themselves. I'll stick to more daring and better albums. 2 stars for "Cupid & Psyche 85".

3.6

it's like shiddy michael jackson Will I listen to again: 0%

Man, I did NOT enjoy this album! Vocals were an annoying, savage gardenesque falsetto, music was mostly forgettable, 80s soulless drum machine-fueled electronica that sounded like Phil Collins on ambien. Some decent lyrics harkening back to the band's punk roots are the album's only saving grace.

Too 80's for me. DNF. 1/5

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.

Sugar-coated, gleaming, peak-80s pop. There are some interesting moments and turns of melody, but a lot of the songs and performances felt like name-brand Michael Jackson or something. Not to use a cop-out adjective, but it’s all a bit cheesy. Apparently there’s a narrative on this album too, but I couldn’t hear it over the drum machine.

I physically felt sick, like when you eat too much candy. So repetitive it seemed like torture at some point. And I can't tell which one is torturing my ears the most, the male vocalist or the synthetizer+drums combo. By far the only redeeming factor are the feminine vocals. Fav. Track: Flesh and Blood.

Not bad

Kinda boring 80's synthpop. Nothing special, but it made tolerable background music.

this was fun! a lot better when it’s trying to be White Prince instead of White Michael Jackson

Went by quick for me as I did work. Knew nothing about the album going in. Was super disappointed, just not my type.

First song - what are these crackers doing Second song - I bet this is Brett Kavanaugh’s favorite band Third song on - (offensive TikTok speech impediment voice) I think I’m starting to like Scritti Politti

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.

Solid pop music but voice of group is annoying. 6/10

This is #day329 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… another new name to me. The sheer variety of genres packed into this album is overwhelming: reggae, funk, new wave, and just about every kind of pop: synth-pop, bubblegum-pop, sophisti-pop, you name it. All wrapped in a sleek, polished production that makes for a seemingly musical record… but ultimately, not for me. Though the '80s have been my favorite decade on this journey so far, this one's overly sugary for my liking. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day330.

Good

Hi I

Why? WHY is this a must-listen album???!!!! What a mediocre waste of time.

This is white nonsense and the singer's voice gives me the ick. Hated almost every minute of this.

I'm sure the experts can explain why this album is listed. I hated bunk pop in the kid 80s and hate it now.

An okay album and an interesting music style. I liked The Word Girl th most.

Had a bit of a funk sound to it, but wasn't cohesive enough for my tastes, wanted to like it because of the miasma of average albums I find myself trapped in on this list, another 3 stars...

Yuck. All the cheesy nonsense of the 80's with nothing fun to offering a bit of saving grace. I can't think of single reason I would ever listen to this again.

< the Beatles I'm not rewarding this British boring completely unnecessary bullshit with kind ratings anymore. Albums like this prove that the people who put this list together worked decently hard for about 30 minutes coming up with albums from around the world that are unique and worth listening to and then for the rest of the 786 albums put their favorite British band albums that they remember from their childhood.

what the actual fuck.

So 80s…

"Perfect Way" has always been a good track for any cheesy 80s playlist, but even by cheesy 80s standards, this album as a whole is bottom-of-the-barrel generic junk. I get the feeling some music exec walked up to a random musician and said "I'll give you a big bag of money if you write and record an entire album over the weekend . . . And don't you dare take any singing lessons before you do it!" After hearing the entire album, I'm not sure I can even enjoy "Perfect Way" anymore.

I can easily think of 1,001 albums from the 80s that are way better than Scritti Politti!

The just felt really soulless and bland, its very happy...maybe overly so but I bounced off this very quickly

No va

What a surprise a British band that almost no one has heard of and has no right to be on this list and it is one of the blandest, most boring albums I've listened to. I used to think I liked British music more than American, but this list is showing me I dread anytime I see a British band that I don't already know. This guy has terribly weak voice, and they thought they could just get away with writing the same melody over and over again. High 2.

Boring, like if MJ had no energy.

Noooope.

Meh, not my thing... Very synth heavy pop without much im interested in...

Scarily enough, i was debating chatGPT about the merits of this record and it brought it up from a 1 to a 2... but still... it's like 1/4 cup of The 1975 in a barrel of water.