Reviews (page 2 of 8)
Hmm, Girl was very unsettling. I dug some sounds and really felt grated by others.
Feeling rough and have fittingly had a rough 3 album trot. Saved a song: N RYM: N
Abrasive and aggressive nothing really to gain from this aside from that. Some sleazy melodies hidden in the mix but I think if you want to get an aggressive punk sound you can find it elsewhere. There is some progressive elements like the use of synths and electronic elements. I wish I had other kind things to say but this is how I'm feeling.
I was all in on the first track. The 2nd. track didn't lose me. After that everything went downhill. My problem isn't really the pounding and harsh synths, but the vocalist can absolutely go stuff himself. I have no idea what's rock inspired about the, uncalled for, amateur hour musical theater performance on "Frankie Teardrop", but the dude really needs to align the ambition with his ability.
Urgently boring.
Early edgelords.
Kind of a shame be cause most tracks have a good foundation, however never once is anything built upon or fortified. It's pretty bad
Not a big fan of these experimental punk albums but I appreciate their influence. Favorite Track: Relisten: No
Wesley Willis found a new demo setting on his keyboard and collaborated with Jamie Stewart from Xiu Xiu on vocals. Both are artists I enjoy on their own, but would never want to hear a collaboration.
I can't believe I'm sitting through 30 minutes of some guy's echo-y moaning over electronic music. I wish I could unhear this Ghost rider: lots of moaning Rocket USA: more moaning Cheree: my family is going to see this crap in my history and wonder what is wrong with me. aren't there cameras in studios? because I would think this man was jerking off while singing for maximum discomfort for the listener Johnny: "Johnny😫💅" Johnny please get Jimothy away from the synth I am suffering greatly Girl: Okay 30 seconds in and I need a knife to remove my ears, what IS this????? How does one not only decide to make this music, but also decide to put it out for the world to see? I want to give it a zero because I will never regain these 4 minutes I wasted Frankie Teardrop: I can't anymore where is the music? 10 minutes!??! Nuh uh, nope! Frankie get the gun please Che: 10 seconds in. The best part about this track is that it's the last one. Is this supposed to be spooky or?? I haven't heard any moaning YET. But it still sucks. I dunno what to call this album -- maybe just badly made erotic audios? This sounds like a 15 year old found a synth and forgot to stop recording while doing his private business. Definitely my least favorite by far and guess what?! Now my algorithm will be pushing similar music for the next three weeks!! I want to die after hearing this album so the name is very accurate.
Suicide is a fitting name because it’s exactly what I wanted to commit after listening to this steaming pile of horse shit
This is terrible! God awful shit. Not one part of this did I enjoy.
nothing burger ass album wtf is this
I can't believe this is on the list. The first song is a decent start, but every song after that is exponentially worse than the previous. I thought it couldn't get worse than Girl, but Frankie Teardrop proved me wrong.
This started out alright. Not great, but alright. Then the entire track of sex sounds followed by an entire track of awful noise. Nope, not for me.
Tidal started autoplaying Iggy Pop after this album, and I almost didn't notice. I think that says enough.
No
A man (probably on tons of drugs) makes shakey love to the first drum machine while chanting one liners and people’s names. This made me want to commit suicide. 1/10
Why does every song sound the same?
if a bad trip was an album, I assume. 3% interesting, 2% new, 95% Waste of time.
I can see the influence it had but I really found it hard to listen to.
Well this is… something
hated this
Pretty bad vibes for Christmas Eve
what in the fresh hell was that crap?
This was fucking terrible. I put this on while walking my dog, and at the point where the singer was jizzing in my ear, I happened to be picking up dog shit. I had a thought- this may be the worst non-medical emergency moment of my life. Why would any band want to cultivate that? Why would any listener-base wish to encourage it? Spotify should have a disclaimer before they allow you to put this on, saying that if you already have suicidal thoughts, call the hotline instead, because this shit will send you over the edge. Lou Reed did the feeling of heroin thing better, and those shouts in my ears? No, no, no, no. I got this album at Christmas time too. Everyone else is prancing around to Mariah Carey, feeling jolly and making cookies, and this is what the generator dishes to me? Big fail today. This ruined goddamned Christmas.
Groundbreaking I'm sure but a brutal listen.
Album 992 of 1089 Suicide - Suicide (1977) Rating : 1 / 5 I’ll be brief and honest: this one did absolutely nothing for me. The opening seconds gave a hint that something interesting might be coming, but that faded almost immediately. What followed felt like a long stretch of dark, minimal, repetitive noise that never developed into anything I could connect with. I understand that this album is often praised for its influence and its place in music history, but influence alone doesn’t make something enjoyable to listen to - at least not for me. There’s no denying that Suicide was doing something different for the time, and I can respect that on a conceptual level. But as a listening experience, I found it tedious, uncomfortable, and ultimately unrewarding. I stuck with it, hoping something would click, and it just never did. This is one where I understand why it’s on the list, even if I strongly disagree with it being there for my ears. Glad I heard it once. That’s enough.
Well, that was awful.
Had every intention of giving this a go, but it was terrible.
I started listening then just objected to the name
Digga hab noch nie so einen müll gehört
could never have guessed this would’ve sucked /s
It's like every song here was the intro/beginning of a song without any actual moment where it begins
Like listening to Sigue Sigue Sputnik if they were even more uncreative and retarded.
This was hot shit garbage. I don’t care who was inspired by this album. What a waste of my time.
if this came out in 2023 it’d be considered garbage and ignored. but it’s 1977 so everything slightly weird is extremely important. hypnotic, brooding minimal beats with probably off the cuff lyrics. sounds like something a couple of kids made in a garage while pulling an all nighter (realizing later that they were grown ass adults when making this) it’s the kind of thing that sounds so fuckin dumb you think you’re probably too dumb to realize that it’s actually genius. these songs are literally just half baked ideas. one drum loop with a dinky little synth riff and some shitty vocals. i will say though Frankie Teardrop….by far one of the eeriest things i have ever heard in my life. but ya if you were influenced by this good for you i guess.
Never heard of this band. Probably because I'm not into electro-punk. I can see how this influenced bands, but this reminds me of when Danny gets stoned and messes around with a keyboard. Danny's electro song is called "Cristal Ship" and I have it on my iTunes if anyone wants to listen. It's trash. Just like this album.
suicide's reputation precedes them, and even if it didnt, it's a band called suicide lmao. and it would be impossible to call a record with the infamous masterpiece frankie teardrop on it "light." still, maybe my brain is all broken, but while their approach is undeniably uncanny and macabre i find a lot of playfulness to it on this record, similar to the ramones, or maybe the velvet underground. maybe its just cuz i find this kind of hypnotic minimalist composition and this type of synth-focused arrangement really comfy, or the way the minimalism feels like its stripping down the intricate and poetic embellishments of pop songs down to some kind of primordial ooze. cheree might be kind of cold and strange in another context, but on the same album as frankie teardrop, it sounds downright warm and sweet in a relatively uncomplicated way. some fun little keyboard flourishes and solo parts throughout. its rly not a one trick pony, i appreciate it a lot as raw creativity!
What a treat to get this album right after Coldplay. I own this album and while I think the drum machines can be a bit repetitive and Frankie Teardrop can run a bit long this album is a classic 5 stars.
Not so good
Fuck yeah all time experimental early electro goth classic I love this shit big time wooooo! Harrowing! Raunchy! Spooky! Yeahhh!! The band Soft Cell should have been!
I love how menacing, sinister, and otherworldly this thing is. they found a new way to punk.
Uno de esos cuatros altos que subo a cinco
I love it. It's perfect.
Ну нарешті))) Я цих люблю)
One of the greatest, most influential intersections of punk and electronic music, and quite possibly the absolute pinnacle of guitar-free rock n roll
Holy shit some actual no wave on the list? That's awesome, I love the super rare occasion when you get something more niche. I've not heard this album before, but I'm very familiar with the scene it comes from, and wow this is actually a really interesting take on the genre. Many other of the main no wave artists like Swans, Sonic Youth, Glen Branca etc all are known for their super aggressive and abrasive style, which is typically one of the most notable features of the genre. But this is different, it still has that almost uncomfortable and unsettling vibe that the aforementioned artists have, but it does it in such a calm way. It almost feels like a style fusion that shouldn't ever work, and yet here they are showing how well no wave mixes with a softer and more atmospheric vibe. Listening to this was such a refreshing experience, not only because it's such an interesting and unique take on a genre that I'm reasonably familiar with, but mostly because this list is mostly full of really obvious picks (which to be fair many of them are 100% deserved), or just some random pointless crap that nobody needs to hear. But something unique and pretty niche that's actually good is so rare, but this album perfectly ticks all of those boxes.
Wow. First album on the list I've instantly wanted to play again. Feels like something a long, long way ahead of its time. The beats are hypnotic and the vocals are frenetic. Incredibly dark, but a beautiful record. A real gem
It’s a foggy morning in late February and you do what you always do - wake up about an hour before you’re supposed to log in for work, check your phone for any “important” overnight notifications, then see what your music homework is for the day. Suicide by Suicide, you've heard of them before but have you ever actually heard them? Is it gonna be hardcore punk? Let's find out. You hit play and listen while you start moving through your morning routine. It's definitely not hardcore punk. Bathroom, put on your robe to go downstairs for coffee, you glance at the pill-minder full of vitamins on the kitchen counter to see what day of the week it even is (it’s Thursday). While you drink your coffee you read a mix of the highest rated reviews for today's album and the Wikipedia article about it. Everyone seems to hate this record for reasons you don’t fully understand yet. Your main takeaway is to brace yourself for “Girl” and “Frankie Teardrop” - noted. You’re listing to “Johnny” now, you check the queue, those songs are next. And it's right about now that you realize something interesting: somehow, this album is perfectly auralizing the repetitive psychosis of living alone and working from home. You chew on this thought while you sip your coffee and start writing album notes. today you'll tell a story instead of just dryly pontificating about the grand meaning of the record you've been assigned. Buried way down the page on a niche website, nobody is going to read it anyway. Ok, so maybe this whole thing where Frankie Teardrop wants to kill his family doesn’t fully resonate (at least not as much as the album title), but the back half of the song, with all the whooping and screaming, seems to perfectly mimic the way your soul has been desperately trying to escape this isolated winter prison it’s been trapped in these last few months. You continue writing. Somehow "Johnny" is playing again. You need to go shower, you only have 13 minutes until you're supposed to start working. But be sure to make your daily Emergen-C before heading back upstairs; you don’t want to get sick. Remember that tickle in your throat over the weekend? That was a close one. You're really behind schedule now, you haven't even logged into the company wellness app to track your daily stats. You’ve really let this morning get away from you. How do you even rate an album that makes you feel all of this? I guess the whole purpose of art is to make you feel something, right? Do we rate solely on that metric today? How do you explain to someone that you don't really like it THAT much and you only gave it five stars because it came to you on the perfect morning to trigger an existential crisis? I guess we’ll find out.
So far ahead of its time and out of time. Just insanely creative and outstanding.
Punk and experimental minimalist electronica is an unlikely combination, even more so in 1977 when this was released. This was completely unlike anything else released at the time, except perhaps for some of the weird electronic stuff that Wild Willy Barrett was playing with. The songs are mostly short pieces, playing with repetitive beats, electronic effects and disturbing lyrics, with a prowling vocal style from lead singer Alan Vega that has been compared to Gene Vincent. So far, so weird, and then we get to Frankie Teardrop which is perhaps one of the most disturbing things ever committed to vinyl. It’s a ten minute concept piece apparently based on a true case of murder/suicide and improvised by Vega in the studio who appears to be channeling the spirit of a deeply disturbed individual. Yikes. Not surprisingly this album wasn’t a mainstream hit, but it has been highly influential. I can hear direct links from this to the UK electronica scene with artists like Cabaret Voltaire and Throbbing Gristle. The unexpected yelps and dark themes were also an inspiration for Bruce Springsteen on his track State Trooper on Nebraska. Not for everyone, but a phenomenal album nonetheless.
The 1001 list needs more albums like this. Albums which truly make you contemplate what the fuck you've just heard. This is somewhere between synth-punk, noise rock, krautrock and avant garde, and I love it all the more for it. It's equal parts fascinating, nauseating, claustrophobic and disorientating, owing to the throbbing, repetitious percussion, looped, distorted electronic garnishes, off-centre synth pieces, the cavernous effects on Alan Vega's disenfranchised, panicked vocals, and its stern refusal to occupy mainstream conventions. This is a perfect 10 in my world. It's clear to see how it influenced so much "weird music" that I enjoy.
Waded through a lot of whateve-salad to get to this. This was a treat. Cool vibe!
Really great!
Lyder som musik fra en sci-fi film fra slut-80erne, hvor man er i en farlig punk-klub i 2050erne (positivt!) men på en eller anden måde er det fra 70erne. Vanvittig plade.
This album fucking scares me every time. So claustrophobic. So paranoid. Think this was released 50 years ago
8/10 Favourite: Ghost Rider Least Favourite: Girl
Be less comfortable
foundational text for me ... just one of the best albums ever and some of the most harrowing and desperate music of all time
Wha the hell?? How have I never heard this before? I delayed loaning because I was expecting to hate this but it is awesome- so ahead of its time and foundations for what was to come. The low end is so rich.
# In-Depth Review: *Suicide* (1977) ## Album Overview *Suicide* is the self-titled debut by New York duo Alan Vega (vocals) and Martin Rev (electronics), recorded in 1977 and co-produced by Craig Leon and Marty Thau. Built on a single cheap drum machine, a battered Farfisa organ and Vega’s rockabilly-meets-Elvis croon, the LP is a 40-minute slab of “synth-punk” that feels simultaneously futuristic and primitive. It pre-dates house, techno, industrial and electro-clash, yet sounds like none of them. --- ## 1. Lyrics – Urban Noir & Minimal Horror - **Street-level realism** – “Frankie Teardrop”, “Johnny” and “Cheree” are all sung from the point of view of “street people” . Details are kept skeletal; Vega prefers mantra-like repetition (“Twenty-year-old Frankie / He’s married, he’s got a kid…”) that lets the listener fill in the grime. - **Comic & pop-culture ghosts** – “Ghost Rider” name-checks the Marvel anti-hero; “Rocket USA” is a jittery road song that updates Chuck Berry for the interstate age. These nods give the record a pulp-noir sheen. - **Gender & desire** – “Girl” and “Cheree” sound like ’50s prom songs until you notice the possessive, almost stalker-like tone (“Cheree, I can’t take it / I gotta see you”). The sweetness is bait; the hook is obsession. - **Existential punch-lines** – The famous closer “Frankie Teardrop” ends with Vega screaming “We’re all Frankies… we’re all lying in hell!”, turning a tabloid tragedy into universal condemnation . --- ## 2. Music – One-Chord Thrills & Loop Hypnosis - **Minimal hardware, maximal tension** – Rev programs a single cha-cha pulse (“Ghost Rider”) or a two-bar motorik throb (“Rocket USA”) and refuses to change it. Over this he layers Farfisa stabs that flicker between carnival and fun-house. - **Rockabilly DNA inside electronics** – Vega’s phrasing is pure Sun Records: hiccupped consonants, echo-slathered yelps, stray “baby-baby” ad-libs. The result is Elvis trapped inside Kraftwerk’s *Autobahn* tunnel . - **No verse/chorus safety** – Songs mutate by adding or subtracting frequency (filter sweeps, white-noise bursts) rather than by chord movement. “Frankie Teardrop” stays on one minor organ drone for 10½ minutes; tension is produced by slowly pushing Vega’s voice into the red. - **Dynamics through subtraction** – “Cheree” drops the drum machine entirely, leaving only ghost-reverb organ and a whispered vocal, proving how naked the formula can get. --- ## 3. Production – Leon’s Dub-Space & Thau’s Red-Star Rawness - **Craig Leon’s spaced-out dub approach** – Leon had worked with Lee “Scratch” Perry; he drowns Vega in spring-reverb and tape delay so every scream ricochets into infinity . - **Marty Thau’s punk economics** – Recorded cheaply at Ultima Sound, NYC; no click tracks, no overdubbed guitars. The slight wobble in the drum-machine tempo is preserved, giving the record its “human” glitch. - **Mono-ish mix** – Most elements sit dead-centre; the stereo field is used mainly for cavernous echo throws, heightening the claustrophobia. --- ## 4. Themes – America’s Underbelly as Horror Show - **Post-industrial despair** – Factory closures, welfare lines, domestic implosions. “Frankie Teardrop” is the audio equivalent of a 1970s New York *Daily News* murder headline. - **Car-culture death wish** – “Ghost Rider” and “Rocket USA” conflate the open road with self-immolation; the engine pulse is both libido and death-drive. - **Love as possession** – The doo-wop skeletons of “Cheree” and “Girl” reveal how romance mutates into surveillance when poverty and desperation enter the frame. - **Punk without guitars** – The album rejects punk’s power-chord orthodoxy but keeps its nihilism, proving attitude > instrumentation. --- ## 5. Influence – A Virus That Keeps Spreading - **Bruce Springsteen** – Cited *Suicide* as the blueprint for the stark storytelling and home-demo aesthetic of *Nebraska* (1982) . - **Synth-pop & industrial** – Depeche Mode, Soft Cell and Nine Inch Nails all borrowed the “cheap drum-machine + sinister croon” template. - **No Wave & electro-clash** – Suicide’s refusal of rock rhythm guitar directly inspired Lydia Lunch, James Chance, and later acts like The Faint and ADULT. - **Hip-hop & sampling** – M.I.A. looped “Ghost Rider” for “Born Free”; the *Ghost Rider* riff also appears in tracks by The Kills and Peaches. - **Techno origin story** – Detroit DJs (Derrick May, Carl Craig) have name-checked Rev’s hypnotic organ pulses as early examples of machine-based repetition that pre-date Chicago house. --- ## Pros & Cons | Pros | Cons | |------|------| | 1. Still sounds *future* almost 50 years later – nothing dated about the minimal palette. | 1. Extreme repetition; if you need chord changes or guitar solos, you’ll hate it. | | 2. Lyrics achieve maximum socio-political impact with minimum word count. | 2. “Frankie Teardrop” is genuinely disturbing; many listeners bail during the six-minute scream section . | | 3. Production turns cheap gear into cosmic dub-punk; proof you don’t need a big studio. | 3. Vega’s voice is an acquired taste – part Elvis, part alley-cat, often off-key. | | 4. Massively influential across punk, electronic, industrial, even hip-hop. | 4. Short running time (≈ 36 min) leaves some tracks feeling under-developed. | | 5. Creates its own genre slot – no other record feels exactly like it. | 5. Lo-fi mastering can be fatiguing on earbuds; mid-range is always cranked. | --- ## Verdict *Suicide* is not “pleasant” background music; it is a confrontation. The album weaponizes simplicity: one drum pattern, one organ chord, one story of urban collapse, looped until it becomes mantra or nightmare. When it clicks, the effect is revelatory – a blueprint for how less can indeed be more. When it doesn’t, it feels like being trapped inside a broken radio. Either way, the record remains **essential** for anyone tracing the DNA of electronic punk, industrial minimalism or just the art of turning poverty, comics and cheap machines into timeless noise.
One of my favourite albums. Such an outlier !
Can't understate the importance of this. Goes so hard. Especially from a couple of New York's nerdiest boys both very in and very ahead of their time. Bet most losers on this site hate it. Guess: 2.24. Near enough. "Ohh, I hate Dylan and Frankie Teardrop is scary". Music nerdery might not be for you, mates. Stick to your Steely Dans. Review of the reviews: 5 star characters tend to have taste and 1 star characters are basic bois.
Frankie Teardrop has some of the most sinister sounding screams in all of music history. This is such a lovely album to listen to. The final part can get a bit same-same but it's a great album nonetheless. Ghost Rider is one of the best songs of the entire scene. I really like the minimal pulsing synths that make for a very alien version of Rock & Roll. Really important album to boot.
listening to the first track, I thought.... oh, this is something new, something I've never heard of before, I like it, I wonder why there isn't more of this kind of sound? I wonder what the next track will sound like. Whispery guy, repeated synth... Whispery guy, repeated synth... Whispery guy, repeated synth... Whispery guy, repeated synth, SCREAMING, whispery guy, repeated synth. It feels like something that should be in a soundtrack for a surreal retro-inspired movie in Nevada where there's an undercurrent of anxiety.
Suicide starts off strongly with Ghost Rider, which immediately grabbed my attention, before quickly mellowing out. The later songs didn't have the immediacy of the first, but they grew on me with successive listens and I ended up enjoying this album a lot.
Stunning. Groundbreaking. Punk as f--k and wonderful. An all time fave album
Fuck "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", if I was on a quest to beat Satan at anything, this would be my soundtrack.
This thing takes huge swings. Not an easy listen, and I can't claim to find the entire album enjoyable, but it's easy to see why it's so influential. I do wonder if they were aware of Kraftwerk when they were developing their sound
hell yeah. Ghost Rider motorcycle hero
Yesss! Great album. I mean, don’t get me wrong. The end may lose you, but this album is on this list for a reason.
Alan Vega rock and rolls over throbbing synth fuckery. Brilliant.
Awesome
Oh wow! I really liked this. Started strong "Ghost rider", i hadn't heard it before and I really like MIA's "BORN FREE", so it was a plesant surprise since I had no idea this song is sampled there. I definitely will be listening to this album again.
It’s like a riptide off a quiet shore and I was glad to get out to sea by this one.
If an album ever had a vibe, it’s this one. Kind of simple and samey at times, but I ain’t complaining about the blood squeezed from this stone. This might be another album I learned about from reading Please Kill Me around 25 years ago.
I love it. It’s super DIY, full of raw, primitive, droning electronic synths. It’s punk, no wave, disco, and electronica, with elements of ’50s rockabilly and surf rock. Incredibly minimal and full of nihilistic societal horror, with the centerpiece being the sheer emotional brutality of ‘Frankie Teardrop’—a harrowing, visceral aural descent into madness and hopelessness. I think this is an incredibly special album. Absolutely brilliant and ahead of its time
Groundbreaking! A piece of art, through and through...
OG Punk with heavy synth work
2nd "holy shit this is 1977?" album in a row. I might like this one even more than yesterday (Pink Flag by Wire). This album is WILD and innovative. Shame these guys' influence, Silver Apples, didn't make the list. "Frankie Teardrop" is just nuts and has probably the loudest scream ever committed to tape. Love the droning "drums" in the background and the eerie sound the keyboard always had. Singer is absolutely crazy at all times. Love it
Awesome album!!
Two guys and one synth that are more punk than most of your safety pins nose wearing bands
i am the daughter of rising tension
Killer synth punk. This album was pivotal in popularizing the drum machine and its sound is still so timeless to this day. The cover is iconic too.
a love of dissonance, Neo-Beat vocals, and a ground shifting sound that birthed synth pop in the early 80s. A fun and repetitive/pseudo-psychedelica sound makes this a pretty fun listen. According to wikipedia, this album which was from a punk band that pioneered synth minimalism and proto-drum machines birthed the source of synth pop, post-punk, and industrial rock. The more i'm learning, teh cooler i think this album and this band is
To my delight, this is just Frankie Teardrop variarions for an entire album. Peak belligerence
GHOST RIDER MOTORCYCLE HERO HEY BABY BABY BABY HE'S A-LOOKIN SO CUTE this is another one where i had never heard of the band and had no idea to expect but fell in love immediately. this scratches a very particular itch. it's a weird and wonderful subversion of 70s rock that doesn't care what you think of the constant buzzing that serves as the backing for most of the album. i was having a bad day and it's possible that i only like it so much because i was already in an angsty place when i started it but this album slaps so hard it actually turned my mood around. yes, even Frankie Teardrop, (which deserves it's own paragraph for being so horrendous. it was awful to listen to for 10 minutes and that's why it's essential. this point in the album begs you to fuck off and listen to something else but you just can't. Frankie Teardrop is a challenge to anyone who liked all the experimental tracks before it that were by comparison far more accessible. the band is called Suicide, the album is called Suicide, and you thought you could just walk away from that? this epic noise punk thesis ends with the words "we are all frankies," and after the track finally ends you might feel like that's true, so checkmate snowflakes) because that's just where i am today. 5/5 what the fuck is synth punk
Lt. William Calley died last year -- a complete failure in school who joined the military after being unable to keep a job in anything, who then rose to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant and got to be in control of a platoon in Vietnam in 1969. he then entered the village of My Lai with his men, guns blazing, and told his boys to kill everyone. 347 people were killed, countless more were raped, wounded, and left for dead. a neighboring village was also attacked, and about 150 more died there according to the Vietnamese government. he went on trial, and was the only person ever charged with a crime in the killings. Nixon commuted his sentence to three years under house arrest. subsequent appeals chalked his punishment up to time served. he had no remorse. he was just following orders. Suicide released this record in what i can best describe as the first ever post-atrocity era. there were unfathomable atrocities sure, but burgeoning mass media and countercultural backlash made atrocities more popular than ever before. the band's use of rockabilly rhythms and comic book references -- even taking their name from an issue of Ghost Rider -- shows literacy in American pulp, the stereotypical degraded to nigh unrecognizability. Alan Vega shrieks and moans, Martin Rev attacks an organ, and the audience to this day is divided. it is Americana burning at the bottom of a shallow grave, smelling of sulfur. it is seven anthems of the homeless people on the New York street, living in misery and squalor in full view before the city could muster up the budget to brush them under the couch. so is the record good? i feel like that's asking the wrong question. Suicide's self-titled isn't meant to be "good"; it isn't enjoyable to listen to, it's mixed rather odd, it's corny at times when it doesn't mean to be, and "Frankie Teardrop" is unable to be sat through without literally bracing yourself. they were chased off the stage in Brussels and started a riot for just... being what they were. Suicide are not, by the flawed lens of objective critique, good. but they are effective, and i love them. they're something scarier than a fun house mirror -- they're a clean, straight, and silvery reflection in broad daylight, a diseased freak laid bare. we're all Frankies; we're all capable of evil. "There was considerable public support for Lt. Calley. In a Gallup poll taken the following month, 69 percent of the respondents said he was a scapegoat. Many of his defenders went farther, arguing that he was, in fact, a hero. Country music stations played 'Set Lt. Calley Free' and 'Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley,' the latter of which eventually sold some two million records. President Nixon declined to publicly celebrate the disgraced Army officer, but he told Henry Kissinger that 'most people don’t give a shit' whether he had actually killed the Vietnamese civilians." - James E. Wright, writing for Defense One.
In a parse 32 minutes, Suicide marries simple electronic rhythms and melodies with harsh tones, rock-and-roll affectations, and unnerving repetition. The lyricism is simple, often repeating, and deals mostly with rock & roll themes: motorcycles, love, girls, etc. As the record continues, the cold electronics continue to give a cool edge to these songs. The use of vocal affects is sparing, but used with extreme efficacy to haunting effect. Then there's "Frankie Teardrop" which goes down like a brick. Everything leading up to this track is extremely tame, and almost feels like they were sequenced with the intent of luring the listener into a false sense of security before the proverbial drop. The song follows the titular Frankie's downward spiral, in which he loses his job, gets evicted, goes hungry, and is driven to the point of murdering his wife and 6-month-old child, and then committing suicide. A guitar drones in the background and the drum machine keeps an mechanical beat as Alan Vega narrates Frankie's journey in a nervous whimper, before letting loose and screaming during the climax. It's not a fun song, but goddamn, Suicide gave it all on this song: the climax of the album. "Che" plays almost as a funeral dirge; the dour mood supported by electronic bass, the drum machine peppered in the mix like rain, repetitive guitar, and organ drones while Vega moans overtop like a spirit. Suicide's self-titled debut is an experience to say the least. Despite any negative thing I may have suggested, this is a great record. Suicide's approach to music is so different from their contemporaries in the NY "no-wave" scene, but just as powerful, inspiring what was possible with electronic instruments.
With an incessant rumble that could rival the likes of the underground subway, and the shrieks, screams and mumbles that could leave one frozen in its tracks in a cocktail of awe and fear, Suicide (album and band) is pure rock and roll that has been abandoned in the smoldering embers of a house fire and somehow lived to tell the tale, hovering over heads like a vengeful, albeit tragic ghost. These are the sounds that come forth from a moment in time when President Ford wanted New York to drop dead, a city of ruinous decay and neverending fear; a place where only the strong survive. Here is a prime example of such survival, whether it is depicted as that or not. Rock and roll has never been, and maybe never will be again, this intense.
Suicide's debut album artwork is a masterclass in provocative minimalism. The stark, unadorned design mirrors the band's stripped-down sonic approach, creating a visual manifesto that rejects musical and visual norms. At its core, the bold, unapologetic display of the word "SUICIDE" serves as a powerful statement against societal taboos. This daring choice confronts viewers with a term often whispered or avoided, forcing a dialogue about mental health issues typically shrouded in silence. The typography's raw intensity not only reflects the band's sound but also challenges the collective discomfort surrounding a critical social issue. This cover transcends mere album art; it's a cultural touchstone that dares to bring the unspoken into the spotlight, making it a timeless piece of punk graphic design that remains as relevant and impactful today as it was upon release. Album artworks rated: 29/1001 Music's pretty good.
This is freaking great. It’s like an 8bit sludge metal rock and roll White Stripes. I can’t believe it’s from 1977
A truly original piece of work
If you find this album too weird, I don’t know what to say. It's ahead of its time in that it manages to brilliantly negotiate languor and energy. ‘Cheree’ is gorgeous while ‘Frankie Teardrop’ predates mucho.
Gorgeous experimental record loved it 🥰
Hyperfocused minimalist darkness with bursts of manic energy. Perfect soundtrack for the pre-Christmas blues.
Ich bedanke mich herzlich für die malerisch Beschriebig vo dinere Erfahrig, @Basül, für die spannendi Lebensgschicht vom @Nedi, de Ehrlichkeit vom @Noah und Gratuliere de @Karin GANZ HERZLICH FÜR DIE ERST HÖCHSTBEWERTIG!!!! (wo mi scho biz überrascht het aber umso meh gfreud, dass d Karin also doch e chlini Rocker und Matel Göre isch!) Suicide isch für mich de Inbegriff vonere 80er Jahr underground Rock und Punk Band wo jedes Konzerst imene versiffte, verrauchte New Yorker Chäller, mit meh fettige, Langhaarige Läderjaggeträger*inne wie amene Hells Angels Meetup (Wo wahrschindli grad im gliiche Chäller) stattfindet. Alli sind bsöff vom günstigste bier und selberbrännte Schnapps. Ich pack mer d Rocker-Karin grad under de Arm und gang det here. Bim lose vo Suicide chund e gsundi "I don't give a fuck"-Attitude dure, wo mer de Tag bestriite chan als isch mer unufhaltbar. Let's goooo. (Das chli Random Geschreie bim einte Track hets ned brucht, defür machet das vieli wiiteri Neuentdeckige vo anderne Suicide-Albe wider guet - z.B. Surrender) Das git 5 ahgrauchti Zigis id Frässi vom Timon ad Selbstmörder!!
Still a cool record! I don’t listen to it often but I like to come back to it from time to time.
This is my kind of weird. Never listened to this group before. This is the type of stuff I was hoping to discover on this list. Interesting to say the least. I'll have to look into the rest of their catalog.
Truly the kind of album this list was made for, just appears in the 70s out of nowhere and creates a whole new world. Frankie Teardrop is obviously what most people will focus on, and of course it's a masterpiece and one of the most difficult to listen to songs of all time, but the rest is incredible too. Repetitive droning synth-punk that manages to be catching and un-nerving at the same time. Mind melting stuff.
Absolutely incredible, and still influential. Plus Alan Vega sings like Elvis Presley!
This is Ur-punk. It’s so punk that it manages to piss off people who like punk. You either get it or you don’t.
"Natural born losers, shells of genuine human beings, Alan Vega and Martin Rev were first known for the way they haunted mid-seventies downtown New York--East Village, Bowery, Lower East Side--with all its sordid clubs blooming like so many decadent, proto-punk flowers. They were two half-tramps sticking out like a sore thumb (wine-stained leather on their backs, large sunglasses, an off-kilter beret), hanging around a city they knew by heart, surviving through tips given to bookmakers, and assembling a fanzine where horse-racing predictions and gynecologist pornography mingled. And when they had a little time on their hands, they drew minimalistic compositions out of a broken-down Farfisa organ they were too broke themselves to repair. Naming themselves Suicide--"because if we had named ourselves Life, no one would have bothered coming to our gigs"--, they also gave a couple of *concerts* once in a while. To put it in a nutshell, Martin Rev's fingers fidgeted around some prehistoric gear including a basic drum machine while Alan Vega, either sitting or standing up according to his whim of the moment, gave his mike the full torture treatment--beating, spitting and also singing on it when he suddenly remembered to do so. Most of the time, after throwing insults and unbearable hissing sounds at the pit, the outfit darted out of the scene without ever casting a glance at the appalled audience. Suicide's duo had been active since 1971, but they only started recording in 1977. The result is this seminal LP, which serves as *both genesis and apocalyptic end of the rock world*. "End of the rock world", because Suicide's music cuts through the melodic spine of the old rock'n'roll idiom to only keep two or three scrawny chords out of the butchery, repeated into loops by the organ and covered with static sounding like the beep beep of a vintage electronic game. Over that backdrop, Vega mumbles a pre-rap rant interrupted by cries of pain and bliss, the whole drowned into an unsettling echo whose origin is impossible to pin-point. And "genesis", because it is now impossible to number the acts--including some very commercial ones--who ripped off Suicide (from the *Nebraska*-era Springsteen to MIA, from the Jesus And Mary Chain to Young Fathers, from The Cars to The Kills, from LCD Soundsystem to Gilla Band). Industrial, Cold Wave, Techno, even some strands of Hip Hop all owe something to Suicide's electronic minimalism. It also offers one of the most evocative urban soundscapes from the time and place in which it was conceived, while sheltering one of the most heartbreaking love songs that has ever existed, "Cheree"." You can have trouble digging this record, sure. But you can't deny its importance. Review adapted and translated into English from the one Alexis Bernier wrote for French magazine *Rock & Folk". 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list of "essential" albums, rounded up to 5. 9.5/10 for more general purposes (5+4.5). Number of albums left to review: 70 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 401 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 231 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 299
I imagine suicide’s debut album to have suffered the same fate as the velvet underground: not many people bought it, but all of them started a band. Still, songs like cheree and ghost rider are just gorgeous on their own, regardless of the historical significance of the album
Pure noise
I’d heard of this band and album many times but had never checked them out until now. Upon listening to this album I can see how huge of an influence they were on so many artists after them! Minimal instrumentation, but a solid listen if you want to hear where so many synth-heavy bands who came after got their roots. (And yes, Frankie Teardrop is CHILLING)
my kinda freaks
A brilliant synth post punk masterpiece that has the centerpieces ominous and terrifying Frankie Teardrop.
WHAT AN ALBUM. Imagine Elvis filtered through nightmares and you're about 50% of the way to getting it's (overused word but appropriate here) genius. Withered electronica giving 50s surf rock riffs, with an 'it could only work in this specific situation' vocal delivery. A dark and beautiful thing.
The most essential punk album of all time.
This was new to me. It was stark and hectic. I liked it
Hell yeah! More fuzz!
This is fantastic most of the people here are just stuck in their boring dad rock
Intense; terrifying; puslating; wounded; insane; baby murdering; sexual; animalistic; haunted; progressive; political; toxic; amazing. Best Tracks: Ghost Rider; Rocket USA; Frankie Teardrop
It's not a perfect album but goddamn if it isn't close. So much music I love sprung forth from this moment and these sounds.
I wish I could hear it for the first time again and have my mind blown all over again.
GHOST RIDER MOTORCYCLE HERO.
Ghost Rider is quite possible the greatest rock and roll song of all time, the rest of the album is close behind
Frankie Frankie
Stunning photo-punk.
cool
Really enjoyed this, way ahead of it's time.
I am very excited to read the reviews on this one. Somehow I'm guessing that there's not going to be a lot of middle ground between love and hate. I'm one of the people that love this band, and this album in particular. Suicide was one of the bands that helped form the late 70s punk scene in New York. No one has ever sounded like them since. Suicide is a beautiful combination of idiosyncrasies that can never be replicated. The perfect people at the perfect time, with perfect ideas about music and perfectly shitty equipment 5/5
ну ваще кайф, просто рил щит, монотонно, грязно, прям как и вся моя жалкая жизёнка
It's fun to listen to a guy have an orgasm over scary synth music
I see the value in it. Melodically fascinating and I enjoyed the dynamic structuring of the tunes.
Cool and interesting album. This is one of the best “finds” I have discovered doing this 1001+ album journey! Standouts: Cheree, Johnny, Frankie Teardrop, Che…. 4/5
I really liked this and was planning on 5 stars but then I got to the twisted part of Frankie Teardrop and skipped to the next song.
This had chill lcd vibes
A genre defining album. Pre Soft Cell and all things electronica. Canned off stage regularly, but stuck to their guns.
achei que fosse ser um death metal maluco, mas está longe disso. muito bom
Mhm, Nick Cave could never.
At first it sounds like the lead guitar (metal style) is played on an old printer, brrr brrr brrr, chreeerrrr. Fun. Like a zeppelin album we didn't get, fun and funky and not too serious.
Enjoying these grungey, scratchy 70s sounds!! Now here's something a little interesting! I haven't googled the band so hopefully they haven't done something bad.
Spent a long time not listening to this feeling absolutely sure that I would hate it but it's actually great.
I understand the low ratings, but I completely disagree. This album carries such an unique atmosphere and it does really well to make itself stand out at such a short runtime. Favourite track: Ghost Rider
This is either going to be an album I absolutely love or hate to pieces. I can't decide which. First song - so far so good, I dig it. I can tell that a lot of synth pop bands from the 80s owe a lot to this record already. Honestly I don't get the hate for this one. Yeah Frankie Teardrop is weird but that's sort of to be expected I think. And I feel like it's weird in a good way. For something that came out in 1977, this is amazingly ahead of its time. I don't know why this has such low reviews here. I wouldn't really make a point to sit and listen to this one again but I think it is a great album and I am very glad to have heard it this morning. 4/5
Not really a pleasure to listen to, but still an important and good album
I like the sound of- simple and a bit odd. The album has a timeless quality. My one quibble is that “Frankie Teardrop” was far too long. Still, “Cheree” and “Ghost Rider” make up for it.
Creepy and kinda good. They obviously influenced The Boss, because "State Trooper" could have been a Suicide song. Not my normal cup of tea -- but I truly don't understand all the one-stars on here. This ain't without merit. Frankie Teardrop goes on about four minutes too long, but as a whole, it's pretty damned punk rock.
I should have hated this. I should have been annoyed. I don't particularly like electronic music or The Doors. And yet....I found myself interested in the strange sounds that bloomed from my earbuds, and in the end I think I liked it. Go figure.
Frankie Teardrop is one of the craziest songs I’ve ever heard. It’s one of the first times a song made me truly uncomfortable. Like squirming I want to turn this off uncomfortable. Which is awesome, if art is meant to make you feel something boy I felt something. And it’s also a critique of capital! Maybe if Frankie’s boss fucking paid him more. Anyway, the rest of the album is hit or miss. I like Ghost Rider and Johnny, but could do without Girl. Girl is really bad.
3.5/5
I think i like this. I think.....
Amazing moody synths
Suicide are the definition of uncompromising. They made music that sounded completely divorced not just the time it came from, but from reality itself. It blew my teenage mind to hear Vega and Rev go places that no one else cared to (there are points on this album that I found genuinely frightening). It's not just its inventive use of synths and beats, but a whole approach to writing music which feels uniquely theirs. There is an aspect of avant garde performance art to the debut, which sounds in line with the descriptions of their elaborate and sometimes violent live shows. Unlike a group like Throbbing Gristle I feel they take the extra steps necessary to explicitly turn a sometimes abstract approach into what is unquestionably a new and highly artistic form of music. It doesn’t surprise me that an unexpectedly high proportion of the listeners of which have gone on to be household names, or how often I hear Suicide samples turn up in much more famous songs.
Suicide gets a low 4 from me, this isnt synth pop at all, this is nasty minimal synth with rock n roll bubbling under the surface. Not completely my bag but influential on some favourites (saw The Horrors cover Ghost Rider in the style of their Strange House album around 2008/9 which was fun) and a great unique flavour!
That was wierd, but it's the kind of wierd I can get behind. It was a captivating listen and I went back for repeat listens. I was traveling for work, so I was listening in my car - this would have been a different experience listening at my desk while I work. It's "noisy", but in a way that's still musical and able to be listened to and appreciated.
This was pretty cool. Can definitely hear the influences stemming out of this one.
It’s brilliant and y’all are just haters. You need to stop thinking with your brain and think with your clih instead
Lowkey confrontational.
radikalt debutalbum som åbner op for no-wave og synthpunk verdenen. Det er åbenbart et punk band, men det er jo slet ikke hvad man forbinder med punk ift støj osv, men det den tager fra punk er at koge det ned til de mest minimalistiske som overhovedet muligt. Det føles virkelig koldt, paranoidt og bare mørkt i det hele taget. Det minder mig mest af alt om elektronisk musik et eller andet sted og det er jo også lidt forbundet til no-wave -> industrial -> elektronisk. Det er åbenbart noget som selv punks hadede og de reagerede med vold mod deres shows fordi det var sådan anderledes at de tænkte det var en del af det de begik oprør mod. Så selv punkerne var basicly forvirret. Det er synth-punk som ikke gør brug af de der rå midler og guitar osv, men i stedet bruger primitive elektroniske midler. Så de er sådan lidt proto industrial og det er også derfor den er med på listen basicly, det er fordi de bare blev ved med at skære ned på instrumenter og stadig skabte noget som kunne være en plade.
i really love this band. surrender is my ringtone and fave song evaaaa
Great record, has a layer of the uncanny all throughout but it's not until Frankie Teardrop that you realise how that layer is also menacing and nihilistic, almost reframed the rest of the album Would consider it similar to a psychological horror movie that is just unsettling with one big moment of release. Appreciate it doesn't make easy listening but it's very well executed imo This also sounds like basically nothing else and if it came out today it would still sound strange, which isn't a measure of quality but still cool
I enjoy this album more every time I hear it. So unique and contains a range of vibes, from fun, to loving emotion, to flat out terror. Favorite track: Cheree
When this came out in 1977, people were experimenting with synths. Disco was poppin' and the the first attempts into what would become New Wave were being drawn. Not Suicide, though. They took all this synth movement that was taking shape and sent it all to hell to create something dark, obtuse and angry. Think of a proto-punk and obnoxious version of The Doors... and you would probably be right and wrong at the same time.
AMAZING stuff!!! i've had suicide on my radar for a while, loved the atmosphere on here
1977...... How in the world.... I love how insistent the drum machine is on this album, it's like the same sound the whole time (except for 'Girl' which is kind of bossa nova-y). I love how it comes in on 'Rocket USA,' like the hi-hat is a split second ahead of the bass the first time. Massively influential on so many things and the mood struck here is unlike basically anything that came after.
Holy holy, this some crunchy , driving, dangerous electro? Wildly diverse in but very like dark most of the time Franky teardrop like fucked me up lol in some sort of way. Never heard of this and thought this was wild.
What a difficult listen this was it seemed to want to annoy me and make me dislike it. Somehow this didn't entirely work and I was in awe of a lot of the choices made on here. Probably won't listen to it again but man what a trip this was
Not nearly as heavy as I expected for a band named suicide still very unsettling but in a good way
This album was a haunting, shocking experience. "Frankie Teardrop" actually freaked me the fuck out.
Avant garde punk sounds surprisingly modern. More shoe gazy than I would have thought.
This was a bit of a revelation. Last song was wild but the first 9 were concise and well ahead of their time.
You guys are such haters, this is fun! It's not even a weird kind of experimental, but you can absolutely hear where it influenced later new wave/punk sounds. I'm into it.
Not sure how I’d feel about this album if I didn’t read the Springsteen book Deliver Me From Nowhere. The fact that it influenced probably my favorite album from my favorite artist definitely helps it. It also sounds like something that came out in the late 80s not 70s, so that’s cool. It can also be horrifying at times. So I guess 4 stars
3.5/5 (leaning more in the 4 direction.) the word of the day is “tension”, as that is what I felt most when listening to Suicides 1977 self titled album. From the light yet constantly pounding synths to the uneasy speak-sang vocals this album feels like it could burst or collapse at any moment. Only major thing holding back is the same thing that holds groups like Kraftwerk back a bit, which is that the technology for electronic/synthesizer music has just grown so much over the past few decades, but suicide still manages to do a lot with the little that they have.
Had not heard this band but enjoyed the album and reminded me of bands such as throbbing gristle and Caberat Voltaire Good listen toon a fresh winters country walk ,I loved the contrast with the quite serene surroundings and the industrial noise created from the band
so deliciously haunting to me. the sparse electronics, found-footage-esque vocals, something visceral and strange seeping into your eardrums like a poison. i tested noise-cancelling headphones while listening to this album today - it was like inescapable dread. awesome.
Really fun and interesting, throbbing gristle vibes
Killer, wow, really unique.
A 4 because of Stefan
Den er en jam! Super fed! Jeg har aldrig lyttet til det før fordi jeg synes deres bandnavn er uhyggeligt
Nice and noisy!
l insisted that my parents listen to this while we were having dinner and it was quite an experience. Genuinely funny the way some of the sounds were deployed in here. Always grateful to hear some synths and there certainly have not been enough synth-based albums on the list so far. Can only imagine how revolutionary this was at the time and the people it inspired
A couple of the tracks here are taking the piss, you know which ones. Still like it though.
This one is really fucking weird. The synth/electronic instrumentals definitely carry. The Girl song and Frankie did make me scared. However, it’s a really good experimental album and I like how unique it is. Not something I would listen to casually though.
Cool!
I've heard Alan Vega's name mentioned mostly without context, so this was fascinating.
Cheree has been on my playlist for years and I love it although I have no idea where I first heard it. Despite loving Cheree I had not ever listened to anything else by Suicide. Disappointingly the rest of the album is not quite on same level as Cheree- very similar musically just doesn't quite match the ethereal beauty of Cheree - mainly because tone of lyrics generally much darker. Can really appreciate why its a landmark album and so influential as was years ahead of its time.
This is a bit like the surf-rock derived garage guitars of The Cramps mixed with the spaced out grooves of Can. It acts as a hypnotic backing against which the singer can ostensibly semi-improvise melodies in his conversational tone, lamenting the loss of America's youth, infanticide, and other such hard-hitting subjects. They also take a leaf out of Kraftwerk's Buch, with relentless beats and motifs repeated over and over. Some tracks are arresting, none more so than 'Frankie Teardrop' which tells the story of a broken blue-collar worker who slaughters his family and himself. I thought this highly impactful but not something I'd ever be minded to listen to again. And then I saw a Nick Hornby quote (about Frankie Teardrop) with the same sentiment, proving that I'm 100% right, cos Hornby is a proper writer. Read the lyrics and they don't say that much. But when you listen they say a hell of a lot. Effective as heck. But a challenge.
Another band I've known about but never listened to. Always assumed they were thrash punk. How wrong I was. To my ears, it sounds more like classic rock through a low-budget minimalist elctro punk filter. Love most of it, though "Frankie Teardrop" is a bit much. One I will likely revisit.
Yes! One of the CBGB originals! These guys fit right up there with Blondie, Ramones, and Television!
mostly really cool idea to have this synthheavy album although not a big fan of ALL songs
Great, love the primitive synths
This really does go crazy - never liked it as much as I did on this listen. Excited to keep listening to it
The fire alarm at work was malfunctioning today and it sounded a bit like this. I mean that in a good way as these guys knew how compelling an ominous drone can be. I could have done without the cheap jump scares and lewd groans - I see Rolling Stone's original review called it 'absolutely puerile', and I can't disagree - but this is still a unique and impressive record
Good but requires some edibles.
Way ahead of its time. Rad af
Really good
Simply unsettling, the yelps on Frankie Teardrop are so visceral, so real and it’s deeply unsettling. This isn’t dinner party music, this is meant to make you feel, the minimalism of the music, the droney tones, it’s dark and it’s really well done. I am a firm believer in giving albums on this project a couple listens, especially the more challenging albums, and Suicide is a prime example of why that’s important. Music is meant to make you feel, it’s not always meant to make you feel good. 4 stars
An interesting listen that I probably won't revisit often, but it's impact and influence are undeniable
Very nice.
Some people love Billy Joel, some people love Suicide. I love Suicide.
Such an interesting album. Truly pioneers for lots of future genres and way ahead of its time. 4/5
My first listen to an interesting and unusual album.
Het gevoel van ongemak, maar ook bij tijd en wijle vreemd bevredigend (niet bij 'Frankie Teardrop', maak je geen zorgen), is echt unmatched op dit album. De mix van futuristische, glitchy synthpunk en bebop uit een stoffige jukebox, is echt bizar en heel erg alien. Het is apocalyptische muziek waar je bijna gehypnotiseerd op gaat linedancen. En los van dat ik de culturele en experimentele impact van de plaat begrijp, en hem daardoor wel hoog heb zitten, heeft hij eigenlijk best wat aangename verrassingen in petto. Althans, als je de angst kan overwinnen om de muzikaliteit van de plaat te omarmen na de babymoord van Frankie. 'Ghost Rider' is een intense industriële punk banger, die altijd een kick geeft. 'Rocket USA' is een slow-burner, hypnotiserend, maar ook enorm catchy met z'n riffje. 'Cheree' is een Lynchian dreampop song, waar de uitdrukking 'weirdly satisfying' voor in het leven is geroepen. 'Girl' is tot het iets té intieme slot ook gewoon een toegankelijke song. Maar dat is ook de spanning en de mysterie van deze plaat, Alan Vega kan welk moment van Ritchie Valens veranderen in Jeffrey Dahmer. Waanzinnig muziekstuk, in de goede én slechte zin van het woord. 8,5/10 Highlights: Ghost Rider Rocket USA Cheree Frankie Teardrop (hoe je het wendt of keert, het is een hoogtepunt)
The podcast No Dogs in Space gave me an appreciation for this band and their very unique music. Ghost Rider, Cheree and Johnny are all excellent.
The podcast No Dogs in Space gave me an appreciation for this band and their very unique music.
Reminded me of Sigue Sigue Sputnik, but Sputnik were almost a decade later. I quite liked their mix of Synth-Punk and Electronic Rock, although "Frankie Teardrop" was almost too experimental.
Incultura mía. No los conocía!!! Ya sé de dónde salieron Jesus & Mary chain, León Benavente, y tantas referencias de esta banda que hizo este discazo en 1977. "Ghost Rider", "Rocket U.S.A." y "Cheree". Qué locurón de disco de verdad.
Another excellent punk album: difficult, strange, unsettling, slow to digest, requiring patience and attention! But undoubtedly very, very good
Good Stuff. 4*
It would be impossible for me to not feel like an hypocrite when I'm disliking albums for being too stale and then liking this. This album is incredibly minimalist. Every song is basically a static drum beat and bass line that keep repeating until the end of the track, with the singer singing or screaming over it, and times to times, they add some synths melodies. So, what is there to like about the album? Honestly, I think it is very groovy. I do like a lot the fast paces and bass lines. There's also the overall sense of bleakness thanks to some of the lyrics. 'Ghost Rider' mentions American exploiting its youth, 'Rocket USA' talks about a guy speeding and not caring if he dies and 'Frankie Teardrop' is in another level. It is the dreariest song, narrating the story of a guy called Frankie and how he kills his wife, child and then himself out of desperation of not having enough money to survive. What I really like about it is that the singer does some very gory screams every time someone dies and I think it is incredibly fitting. In conclusion, a very bleak and groovy album and undeniably something for people with an acquire taste.
It's influential in a lot of ways... but it's not always accessible or easy to listen to.
Not bad, I can see how it was influential.
Heel prima
Experimental, droney, odd. Love it. Honestly, it is a taste of things to come for post punk. I am sure they inspired bands like Bahaus, Sonic Youth, Swans, etc.
I really love electronic/rock fusion so this album was cool for me. It was pretty simple but I can hear how this influenced tons of music that I'm really into. I can see how this could get boring to some people but I really love repetitive driving rhythms. My critiques are that I don't love how the vocals were mixed and I also don't think Frankie Teardrop should have been 10.5 minutes haha.
This is so rad. Its eery and uncomfortable, but so cool and creative. I love that Bruce Springsteen listened to this weird ass electronic record and then decided to make similar songs on Nebraska (his famously, acoustic album). This was fun. It feels like a horror movie. I've listened to this before, when I realized that Frankie Teardrop was the inspo for State Trooper, and I was intrigued but weirded out. Today I listened to this while riding a bike around San Francisco in the morning traffic. It was an experience!
от такой обложки и названия ожидаешь другого звучания, но интересно
Very cool. Like Dirty Beaches. You can hear this influenced a lot of stuff.
I kind of understand the negative reviews here. It's not for everybody. But I kind of liked it. In fact, I was into it. I have weird tastes and yes, I need therapy. Wait. I'm already in therapy. This explains so much.
Great album
That was wild. Went from the tron soundtrack, to the napolean dynamite soundtrack, and ended with a whatever the hell Frankie teardrop is. I kinda dug it. 4/5
I really should've picked this up sooner. I mean at first I thought it was a definite 5...but by the end a few things had grated on me slightly (mainly the same beat on each track being tsh tsh tsh tsh). Songs like Johnny and Girl sound like Carnival Elvis (I mean that in a positive way).
LOVED Ghost Rider. The album then blended into the art project that accidentally inspired the entire 80s. I’d never heard of them, wasn’t expecting it, and got scared listening to Frankie Teardrop. If you want to feel things, listen to this.
- I'm not convinced that this is as innovative as everyone claims; there's a lot happening in the mid-1970's ... these guys were working in a hotbed of creative energy (NYC) though so ...... For sure, it's a tough listen and I say that if you're having trouble categorizing something it's probably art .... anyway, 4 stars for the balls it took to record this and put it out there .... -
Frankie Teardrop is like watching a David Lynch movie. I didn't LIKE listening to it, but it was a visceral and fascinating experience. These guys really are something
I expected more loud, shouty and boring punk but actually really enjoyed it. A few tracks reminded me of early Nick Cave (From Her To Eternity vintage). Sounds like externalised anxiety. Didn’t care for ‘Girl’, sounded like The Doors fanfic.
Fascinating style! Repetitive rhythms and synth loops with vocals that remind me of Lou Reed. The music has an experimental, avant garde heart. But there's a dash of nostalgia too. You can just barely hear the influence of rock 'n' roll. Like, “Johnny” could be a surf rock song. Whoa, “Frankie Teardrop” is wild. I don’t exactly love it, but it definitely got a reaction out of me. Those screams are so abrasive. I mentioned Lou Reed before; this track could easily be on Velvet Underground’s “White Light/White Heat.” Hypnotic art rock. I dug it.
surprisingly controlled
nothing quite like it
Classic riffs, haunting vocals, unique sound.
I do like Suicide, my only beef is that it all kind of blends together in a beautiful noise jam, spread across the toast that is my eardrums. So no beef really. Beef jam would be so gross, yeah?
Never heard of these guys - what a unique record. Not one I'd want to listen to all the time, but really interesting and groundbreaking. Discoveries like this are what I signed up for.
Maybe not my favourite new wave era electronic album, but’s cool. I’m fascinated by this time period and the creativity involved. It’s rudimentary but interesting.
Synkkä ja harkitun minimalistinen!
they were making synth punk before it even existed as a concept, they were a band w only 2 ppl, they’re terrifying, raw. they confirm what the pure essence of punk is. frankie teardrop is one of the most terrifying yet most powerful songs ive ever heard
I'm generally a fan of this era and this sort of thing... I like this record but it's kind of a tweener i.e. it's not as contemplative as some of the really out there contemplative ambient stuff, and it's not as active and energetic as some of the (excellent) early new wave.
I don't think this should be on this list, but it's still one hell of an album. Very unique vibes to find here.
Cold, textured and anxious synth punk that makes our brain buzzzzzzz. A very unique product.
7/10
3.5 Very very interesting. Never thought some Avant Garde electronic rapid subtle rock beats with some rockabilly-esque singing and vocals on top would sound so punk, but here we go. Surely this must have been groundbreaking. I can't see this being a copy of something else. Rocket and Che the standouts by far. The only letdown was Frankie, boring and 10 minutes long to boot, swap that out for something better and you've got something incredibly special here
Liked it
Electronic proto punk music. The singer sounds a bit like sweet Gene Vincent on downers on some songs & on others he doesn't, the music I like as it has a lot of repetition and it's a sound I take comfort in. One song that was a difficult listen was Frankie Teardrop it just has an unsettling feel to it and as if that wasn't enough the screams got old fast. If it wasn't for Frankie Teardrop this album would be a 5/5 for me and I would play it a lot more (I do own a copy) but that song makes me not want to hear it all that often. A near masterpiece and one can hear the influence Suicide has had and continues to have on endless bands from Devo to the The Birthday Party to NIN to Radiohead & the list goes on & on. I guess I could always just edit Frankie Teardrop out which BTW is not a bad song at all it just makes me feel on edge.
Psychadelic
A unique classic. Still sounds fresh after 50 years.
Enjoyed this way more than I thought I would, except for Frankie Teardrop which had to skip. 😬
Disturbing, and very unique, although you can hear it's influence in lots of places
A bizarre take on the human experience…if that’s at all what the band even intended for
kivaa huudabtaa conceptual huudanta
If you were throwing a party and were ready for your guests to leave, putting on Suicide's debut album would be one way to do it. This is not an easy album by any means. I have a soft spot for this band though, having seen them live at South Street Seaport in 2007. Some reviewers have claimed that Suicide carried the torch from the Velvet Underground and I think there's a decent case to be made for that. Both bands showcased a reverence for older style of rock n roll from the 50s and early 60s. Both bands married that with abrasive and daring sonic experiments. Both bands wrote about the unseen and untalked about underbelly of New York City. But the Velvet Underground would eventually reach great fame, aided by a good number of pop songs that balanced out the most challenging songs. Not so much with Suicide, although they did have at least one radio friendly song (the excellent "Dream Baby Dream" which sadly isn't on this album). Their music was often darker, unsurprising for a band of that name. They incorporated a heavy use of droning synthesizers which was pretty novel for the time. Although they remain further in the shadows of music history, their influence is surprisingly far reaching, with electronic artists, goth bands, and even Bruce Springsteen singing their praises. But would you actually want to listen to it? Well, it depends on you. Expect your blood pressure to go up and your faith in humanity to drop. This album is like a David Lynch movie in album form and I say that as a compliment. You might want a good palate cleanser ready after this one though.
Hard to know what to make of this Lynchian fever dream of an album. But there's no denying the spell it casts. I don't even know what genre of music it is but I can hear the influence it had on artists like Ric Ocasek. If it had been longer my rating might have been lower but it gets in, gets out, and you're left wondering "what the fuck did I just listen to?" ( in a good way)
Judging by the name and cover I thought it would be a hardcore punk album, I was wrong, thankfully. I liked this unusual sounding electronic/minimalist album which must've been groundbreaking back in the 70s. It reminds me a bit of 60s psychedelia and late 90s electronic music. No surprise it wasn't a success in the US as this album sounds a lot more European where it was a more success.
We do not get Nebraska without this shit. That being said, I do understand why they got their asses beat on stage. Imagine hearing Frankie teardrop live
Siento que esto me hizo una lobotomia. No sé cómo calificar esto. El tema de 10 min me dió una reacción física que tampoco se describir. Sólo por eso le voy a poner puntuación alta. Nota: 3.8 y pongo 4.
This is a hard one to rate, and honestly challenged what I would consider “music” to mean. What I liked: the minimalist but driving synths, ambient production, unique sound. What I didn’t(?) like: the moaning, screaming, meandering vocals. BUT, those same vocals took these songs from dark but simple synth tracks to something genuinely uncomfortable(Girl) or disturbing(Frankie Teardrop). So hear me out: if you value music for its emotional effect, then these should be equally as valid as songs that make you sad or angry or happy. Like movies. Obviously being scared is unpleasant, but horror movies are widely enjoyed because of their intense emotional reaction. I don’t see why music can’t be the same. With that said, there are certainly other albums on the list that similarly attempt to evoke uncomfortable responses from the listener but not in a way that is interesting or skillful. This, I argue does it very well and so as weird as it feels, I’m giving it a 4.
Weird but fun
🎧Man this rules.
Almost gave this one a 5. Im glad i discovered this what a gem!
Interesting but you have to think of the music as a rhythm. Maybe is influential but seemed repetitive.
One of the most interesting discoveries on the list so far! Synth-punk is definitely something I can get behind, and Suicide starts out super strong with the pulsating 'Ghost Rider'. Then there is the obligatory awful punk track of 'Girls', and the formidable 'Frankie Teardrop' - straight out of the Eraserhead soundtrack.
Not what I expected at all. Enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. Except for Frankie's Teardrop. That was more like what I was expecting, and was a bit much.
Very cool vibe
I can definitely hear Spaceman 3 on this album. Awesome, way better than the global reviews
Minimalist rock very nice
Big thanks to Marcus Parks, Carolina Hidalgo, and No Dogs In Space for their series on the band. It was good preparation for actually listening to the whole thing and appreciating it.
From the dulcet tones of Frankie Teardrop to the Soothing notes of Ghost Rider, your mother would approve. Music to meditate by!
I kinda fw this, but no one can know.
The origin of scare the hoes music.
Wow! Was not ready for Frankie Teardrop.
Suicide
Very strange, but also very good. Not quite enough for 5 stars, but a solid 4 from me. I really liked the keyboards, but the vocals took a lot of getting used to. By the end I was enjoying the whole package, but some of the 50s styling left me cold. Very interesting to finally hear a band that I knew of because they influenced Spacemen 3.
Not at all what I was expecting. Kinda like ambient drone punk? Some social commentary that’s still sadly relevant almost 50 years later
I'm so tired boss 8/10 Fav tracks - Ghost Rider, Rocket USA, Cheree, Frankie Tear-drop, Che Least Fav - none really
Weird experimental electro-punk. Mostly Spoken vocals with psychedelic echoing effects over simple synth lines and pulsing beats. Surely inventive and insanely anti-commercial for the time. It’s entrancing, peculiar, and sometimes creepy and sometimes beautiful.
Na nie ghört, gsed nach heavy metal us, han biz angst gha im vorhinein. Und denn wirds aber richtig guet. Zemli experimentel aber nöd zu fest, also nani störend. Einzelni lieder hend mich a s dadalus&ikarus konzi vo de letste wuche erinneret. Fast biz synthi mässige sound wo sich da is album drigschliche hed. Cool zum mal drilose, zwei drü songs zum merke. Solidi büez vu Suicide Au wege surprise: quattro formaggi
I’m not really sure why, but I like it and not because it’s “massively influential” etc. I just dig it, though I expect it’s not for everyone. Delightfully minimalist.
Suicide debut album was not well received, initially. The band met with limited success in the UK, but were panned in the US. These songs are an interesting combination of styles. A background of minimalistic, mesmerizing electronic with a punk lyrics. The band's synth punk influenced generation of musicians in the 70s and 80s. As the years passed, the reception of the album and the band's work has improved considerably. Suicide's synth punk is regarded as an important precursor to much of the pop of the 80s and 90s.
"Frankie Teardrop" just blew my goddamn mind. Holy shit, I can't wait to dig deeper into this. 4/5
deze was mij onbekend... maar wat een openbaring... en dan vooral 'Frankie Teardrop'... kippevel van eerste tot laatste noot... geweldig
This is droning on a bit, but I’m still excited to hear the original version of “Ghost Rider”. Ghost rider and the second song sounded the same like the first one never stopped. Third song is cool so far.
Noisy, distorted, fuzzy, grime. This is a fantastic rock record that captures the sound I like.
Some good songs, some are just a little too weird
It’s cool, synthy, neurotic and a bit horny. It’s probably generally abrasive but I enjoyed listening and would listen again. Ghost Rider and Cheree are my favorites.
Confused by this album - it's not in my 2006 version of the book!
Abzug für “girl”
Grinçant, chuchotant, presque inquiétant, très actuel pour un album de près de 50 ans
The band name does not hold up in 2024. As time passes I'm less and less okay with casual use of the S-word (not that it should be taboo, just that it should be reserved for discussion of the tragic act itself). That said, I really liked this album. The last couple tracks don't really fit but the first several are bangers.
I love this shit it’s so weird and it has aged well. Frankie teardrop will always be scary
Damn how cool. Glad this was a second listen, it was even better this time around. So irregular but so effective. Can’t give it a 5 because I like can’t just play these songs every day ya know lol.
Jeg kendte Ghost Rider, men vidste ikke hvem der havde lavet den. Hele albummet har samme urolige “rytme” som Trentemøller lagde på Springsteens State Trooper. Endnu et album der retfærdigører at lytte så mange albums igennem. Det her er en af de “skjulte” perler. Det er mega cool, intenst, anderledes og nærmest nervepirrende at lytte til.
Definitely a revolutionary album. I like it. I'd probably give it 3 stars for enjoyment and likelihood of listening to it, again. However, what it did for punk, goth, noise rock, and even new wave is amazing.
Really liked it, except the Frankie song…too much for this guy.
This was so much better than I had anticipated, punk in its truest form. Frankie Teardrop is such a wild and frightening experience of a song.
Dark and moody droning synths going through the chords at a glacial pace, as drum machine rhythms urgently try to beat out a pulse, breathy chanted vocals rise from the depths of goth despair with a bit of insouciant Lou Reed flair, some organ swells and bells and xylophones adorn the high end to and add counterpoint and texture. Extremely good brooding mesmerizing psych-punk.
This is a very unique-sounding album. It's really just an organ with the bontempi beats going and a man singing BUT the soft fuzzy distortion of the organ sound and the beats and the reverb and delay on the voice give this really unusual, spacey, SPOOKY but electric sound. Definitely one I'll come back to.
I had never heard of this. Terrible choice for a band name. The music was great though. Reminds me a bit of the Velvet Underground. I put it on whilst doing something else and looked up at the playlist wondering if I was on maybe the third or fourth track and the songs were just very long; lo and behold, I was on the last track and the album was almost over instead of just hitting its stride as I expected. Also, the only year I saw when putting it on was 2017 (the year of remaster), so I didn't actually know what year this was from until after I listened to it. I was surprised to see 1977; I would've thought later by a decade at least.
A long-forgotten album by precursors to the punk, post-punk, techno, and industrial genres. Deeping disturbing, but hyper-influential.
Ghost Rider Rocket U.S.A. Cheree Frankie Teardrop
Weird.
Weirdly the album I had before this was LCD Soundsystem, and here’s Suicide doing the same thing but snappier 40 years earlier!
A bit patchy but very interesting.
This is not going to be for everyone. Alternates between psychedelic punk and drone. Had some Velvet Underground vibes. I didn’t hate it!
A lot more chill then the band and album name suggest.
I think M.I.A. sampled this song in "Born Free." Regardless, this is a crazy album. I don't know if it's really something you can listen to at a party or anything unless it's a really cool indie night club. Reminds me of dirty beaches.
Good album. Dude is pretty thirsty though. The 10 minute song doesn't need to be 10 minutes either. 3.5/5
I get why this inspired Springsteen to make Nebraska. Awesome shit. B+