Infected

1986 brought us Topgun, Maradona's hand of God and Infected by The The. What clusterfuck of a year it was. I can't think of anything good associated with it. I was in a new romantic phase, getting into Eastenders and trying to avoid getting AIDS (unsuccessfully). Bad memories.

It's kinda not good, right? Like... almost good... but then not. The The has managed to fill up an entire album with the kind of pseudo-intellectual, half-aware, social semi-conscious lyrics that make so much of 80s music super cringey. It's not good, fellas. It's just not good.

I’ve loved The The since forever. Not one dud song! I cannot actually sit still when this plays, because the music inhabits my whole body. I just want to sing and move to every tune. Matt Johnson manages to mix high octane danceable songs with searing political comment and the frailty of the human condition. Sadly, and maddeningly, the themes of despair still resonate nearly 40 years later. The brass arrangements add excitement and drama. Neneh Cherry’s voice on Slow Train to Dawn is just beautiful. Magnificent! I saw them on tour back when Johnny Marr was the guitarist. Great days! I just want go back and put it all on repeat now!

Really good. Great mix of funk, new wave/post punk with great Thatcher era lyrics. The use of horns within this post punk format gives the music a more optimistic sounding feel as opposed to other British post punk artists despite the lyrics that reflect economic and global strife.

This was weird in the best of ways. I liked this a lot.

1.9 - Ugly as an anal wart. That album cover perfectly represents the bile within. Ever wonder what it would sound like to take INXS but have it fronted by George Thorogood, and inflect it all with a heavy dose of Broadway jazz? Fuck I hated this.

This is pretty tedious. I imagine it must have found its way onto the list through the compiler's personal nostalgia. Someone forgot to tell this band they were just a below average 80s band. Utterly disposable.

Reading previous reviews, I see a lot of people not getting this record at all. I presume they did not live in early 1980s UK. Upbeat jazzy pop accompany bleak lyrics of alienation, political, social, and personal. Which, apparently, I can still remember.

fucking spooky dude. I loved this, everything I wanted, just hit all the right spots. really incredible production and powerful techno beats. pretty awesome x

Great pop album with diverse musical styles. Not the happiest lyrics. Excellent contribution of Neneh Cherry on Slow Train to Dawn

Excellent. Diversity of instruments used also helps to keep tracks fresh and distinct.

Opening track is a banger, this was a great listen, exactly what I wanted from this

Never heard of the The! This guy seems to have had a really interesting life though. I did a bit of research because the lyrics really interested me and I think the messages in the songs in this album are very meaningful. I love the poetry and activism of this album. Aside from the words these tunes are lovely! This is a type of new wave and post-punk I can really get behind. The sounds are gorg and the tracks make me feel good. They're interesting, layered and inventive. I really like the fact that he just works with loads of different musicians, all the vocals are great but I just realised Neneh Cherry is on here and now I know why I love it haha. A great discovery for me!

This was an unexpected banger. Heard of The the, but had no idea what they sounded like. Really enjoyed it.

Excellent album.

Remarkably good. Loved it.

My staple diet for 1986. Played to death. Still love it

Aww shit! Memory motherfucking lane again. Caught them at CBGB’s with Johnny Marr, back around ‘94. We snuck backstage so a friend could give Matt a letter. He was the nicest, kindest, sweetest man to her. Was truly human and decent. Absolutely had a positive effect on her. Matt Johnson is more fabulous than he has any right to be. Love this band, love this record as much as their others. 5/5

I’m listening to this album a day late. The big debate was last night and it was a disaster. This album feels so prescient.

This is post-punk? I guess I always view that as a little edgier or darker. This album is some blend of that, new wave, and new pop. I can totally hear where later UK artists like Teenage Fanclub, the Mock Turtles, Primal Scream, Northside, The Alarm, or Dramarama (from the US actually) came from. If you don't know what I mean, go look at the transition from 80's varied rock to 90's alternative rock - particularly what was going on in the UK before the summer/fall of 1991 and Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, etc. changed everything. I don't mind their sound, but do I love it? Like most of this genre, it feels like it's trying too hard (to steal a line from track two). Some good lyrics but the musical backing feels a bit over the top (piano too loud, backing instruments or synth too prominent) or the vocals straining when it's not needed (as if to say listen to me!). Both their biggest singles (Infected, Heartland) are good examples of that. Like all the other bands from this genre, one song or two feels a bit refreshing but a whole slew of them (like an album's worth) gets to be a bit much.

I recall hearing the band name The The, but I really didn’t know what to expect. As the first track started, I thought that it sounded like some solid 80s rock and that it would be a fun album. But then, I lost my enthusiasm and it started to all sound just kind of “meh” to me.

An old favourite. Wild-eyed apocalyptic visions of an England falling to pieces and the corrupting souls that live there. Overwrought and as subtle as a brick to the back of the skull. But the rage gives the album urgency and verve. At the end, as Johnson goes full Hank Williams and challenges the devil to a knife fight, your heart is pumping as hard as his.

Funk funkless, grooves grooveless, vocals occasionally amusing.

This is the first album I listened to multiple times in one day from this lost. Whoa. Matt Johnson is brilliant. i Love the tones and synths. I dig the theatrics. OG industrial with Oingo Boingo vibes. Dope shit

I think this is slightly better than Soul Mining. Super 80s sounding but still kinda it's own thing underneath it. I was surprised at how many bangers are on here

KINDA WAS LIKE LISTENING TO THE MONSTER MASH IN THE BEST WAY, I LOVED IT LOL

My favorite of theirs. Great music and lyrics.

This was a fantastic album and loved the varied musical sound scape, almost felt like an extra musical. Never heard of them before and became a big fan of this album.

This is a weird one for me. This wasn't the type of music I listened to back then. The release date of this album is the same week I got my drivers license, so that brought the nostalgia trip. But my bunny died yesterday, so I listened to this album while blubbering in my kitchen this morning. I listened through twice but I had Look On Down From The Bridge by Mazzy Star running through my head the whole time.

From the off this is not what I expected. way more glam than I thought there would be, and it's definitely for the best! honestly a riveting listen

Five stars straight through, and check out the 12" mix of Sweet Bird of Truth which is way superior to the album cut. Looking forward to Scraping Foetus off the Wheel appearing shortly on this list...

Sleeper hit, I never heard of these guys before. Giving it 5 because of the pleasant surprise considering the boring name

I've heard of this band before, mainly as a punchline due to the name, but never actually listened to anything by them. The album artwork didn't inspire much confidence either. I put it on in the background while I did other things but by track 3 I had stopped what I was doing as the music had my full attention.

a distinct and very synthy rock album that while very much sounding like from the time, has a fresh and creative energy i've never ever heard, plus really romantic, almost poetic and... kinda astonishing religious references. this one's a diamond in the vast rough of lesser known 80s alt bands. it's very... dare i say, infectious.

I love this - it's just the right balance of innovation and cheese. A vision fully realised

Ammost anything Matt Johnson touched turned into to gold. My favorites are Soul Mining and Dusk, this also 5 stars.

Cool album

I owned this on cassette when it first came our and enjoyed but thought it was a little over the top, which it was when compared to Soul Mining. Upon listening again I find it to be very good start to finish. Each song is uniquely strong and it holds up well musically and thematically. I like hearing how Matt Johnson wraps different musical styles around his serious themes. The music is fun and varied, definitely of its era but transcends the period.

It was pretty decent!

I am so glad I got this. I absolutely adore soul mining, but I haven't listened to much else of The The, so I was looking forward to this and was not disappointed. This album is a perfect portrayal of angst in all its forms, from songs about the hopelessness of the modern world to the difficulties of opening up to another person. Everything from the lyrics to the stilted, powerful vocals, and the bizarre assortment of instruments fit together perfectly to paint such a wonderfully detailed emotional picture. Not quite as good as Soul Mining, but this is still absolutely a five star album! 5/5

Surprisingly 80's sounding album. Lots of horns. Could hear the post punk coming in on some songs like "The Mercy Beat."

Relevant

I couldn't grasp why this music is so appealing to me, but then I saw how some critic described it as "collision between Soft Cell and Tom Waits" and I suppose I just couldn't not be mesmerised

Yeah, after absolutely not too much hours with "Soul Mining" I might be fanboy of The The. At first listen this album seemd to be a little bit worse than their debut but after second listening I think that they are just a bit different. Magnetic main vocalist, great rythm, bass and percussion are still present. I would say that whole atmosphere is quite similair to previous album. Neneh Cherry and backing vocals are making great job too.

One of my favourites!!!!!!

Sounds incredible. Awesome lyrics. Gonna have to look into some more of this band's stuff. Reminds me a lot of Oingo Boingo, one of my favorite bands, but with a bit harsher sound to it

Oh my god I love The The. (I'm biased one of my favorite songs of all time is by them.) I LOVE THE VOCALS. I'm an 80's girly for real. Every song was making me sway in my chair WHILE doing homework so speaks for itself.

A great album with so many great songs. My favourite song from the album is "Heartland" and I remember watching the video for this on MTV in the 1980s, but I also really like the title track "Infected".

Love this album. Amazing (or not) how a lot of the political commentary is still relevant today.

Another shining example of 80's sounds and production done right from The The, this time with less cheese and more brooding.

"Sweet Bird of Truth" is one of the best songs ever written. Several tunes on this record are absolute bangers. Criminally underrated, The The is one of the most important bands of their era. Check out the "Mind Bomb" album if you haven't already. You're welcome. (Glad to see "Soul Mining" already in the 1001.)

High energy and pretty cool, thought that would be it as first few songs are more pop than post punk but songs are consistently engaging different and cool. Great discovery 5

This is actually an awesome album

My second The The album so far and really enjoyed it. The blend of genres and interesting sounds are great Saved tracks: Infected, Heartland, Angels Of Deception, Twilight Of A Champion, The Mercy Beat, Sweet Bird Of Truth

Now you're onto my taste! Still with the synths hanging over from previous Soul Mining album, but with addition of real full band instrumentation and excellent backing vocals from guests like Neneh Cherry and Tessa Niles. Matt Johnson’s musings are still overly bleak and introspective, but now include wider world view subject matter. Magnificent.

Sometimes The The reminds me of They Might Be Giants. Sometimes The The reminds of me Oingo Boingo. Either way, I win! This was such a great little album.

I had this album as a kid and know every sound on it, which must mean it's a five star. A complete album in every sense - story telling, beautiful production and some excellent songs. If you get a chance, see the film that accompanied it.

Hell yeah

OMGGGG totalmente mi vibra

What a delightful surprise! 80s is generally not my genre but The The is distinct.

I love this band.

One of my very favorite songs in college was "This is the Day" by the The (from their previous album), but I had not followed up to hear more of them, and that song went off my radar along with its mixtape. I totally would have loved this album. The more I have listened to it, the more I have liked it. Good sound, interesting lyrics. As this album came out with a video compilation for each song, I was intrigued and watched them all. Some crazy stuff! Love it.

I don’t recall ever hearing this group but I really enjoyed this! Sort of an edgier Simple Minds-ish 80s vibe going on that I really like. Homeland is a fantastic song. Others that stood out immediately were Infection, Angels of Deception, Sweet Bird of Truth, and The Mercy Beat. Great stuff!

80s but somehow sounds modern as well. Songs and lyrics both well crafted. Great bass playing, really interesting musically.

-Way better than Public Image Ltd., The other album I've listened to that I know is post-punk -Promtped immediate re-listen -Lots of good jamming

Coolest album

I've never heard of this band, but I liked what I heard. I'll put it on my radar the next time I run into them again but with a different album.

Inspired 80s rock. I did like Mind Bomb better. But a lot of powerful drama here. 4/5

Solid listen, not as memorable as their debut (also on this list), but overall enjoyable and probably worth revisiting.

Well that was an experience. This is not an album you can have on in the background, you kinda need to sit down and pay attention to it. Which I don’t often do. The making of the album film sounds batshit and I need to find it.

Wait its actually really good?

I like this a lot. Wish i had found it many years ago. i will investigate TheThe further.

It was fine, I didn't feel like my time was wasted 3/5

this was pretty cool!! most of the songs were fine but a couple stood out, especially when it leaned into that darker, specifically halloweeny sound. hints of primus, nick cave, and tom waits somehow pervaded this album too which is cool

So I found The The’s “Infected” album, to be standard fare for the mid-80’s British pop… Think I’ve seen that they considered themselves “post-punk” – okay, still sounds pretty poppish to me… Nothing really exceptional here – though nothing really sucked either, so just kinda there for me… Certainly didn’t so a deep dive on the lyrics, but those that caught my attention weren’t anything consequential to be honest… Best songs IMO were “Heartland” & “Slow Train To Dawn” – as both were catchy and fairly well-done… Seemed like an average British pop album for 1985, so not sure what it’s doing on the 1,001, but okay… Solid 2 for me…

Wow, I really disliked this. The The’s well performed, but overly polished digital synthetics really grated on me and barely held my attention today. Also, I’ve got about 46 records left on the list, so I figured I might as well hand out what might be my last 1 star rating to a band whose name might be the worst in the history of rock music. We can all agree it’s a fucking stupid band name, right? The The? Really? What a fucking lazy band name.

Not great

If I was a teenager in the 80s and I found this cassette tape in a friend’s Walkman, I’d stage an intervention. 1 star out of five. Now pack it in with your shite.

Fucking loved this, every track was totally my jam, very unique yet bloody awesome

This album is honestly great. It gives big Prince/Billy Idol meet musical theater vibes

This is insane! I loved it for the first note till the last! Some highlights were “Heartland”, “Infected”, “Angels of Deception”, “Sweet Bird of Truth”, “Slow Train to Dawn” … actually every song was exceptional! It reminds me a lot of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” especially the vocals and the mood of the album. I’m adding the whole album!

I know I'm in a minority, but I'll stand by the position that this is one of the very greatest records of the 80s (and thanks to the amazing production, it still sounds fantastic today). Lyrically astute, musically brilliant, politically engaged and endlessly relevant, deeply cynical and loads of fun.

What a great album, especially how hard it was to make good-sounding albums in 1986... how did I not know The The?? 4.6

With a band name like “The The,” I was expecting a 2000s indie rock album from some pretentious artists thinking they were funny. Perhaps my rating is over-inflated by how pleasantly surprised I am, but it was not at all what I was expecting. Very fun. Prince-esque.

This was super cool and very a propos on halloween weekend!

Oooh! Some new sound. Loved it.

Flexi Sound

Wow, wasn't expecting to like this so much Funky and nice bass

++: Infected, Out of the Blue (Into the Fire), Heartland, Angels of Deception, Slow Train to Dawn, Twilight of a Champion, The Mercy Beat +: Sweet Bird of Truth 9,1/10

Leuk!

loved it.

Greatness!!

Reviews of this album are extremely polarized so I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. Fortunately, this is right up my alley and a quick addition to the “this is the stuff I hoped to discover from this project” list. Infected is an interesting peek at the sloppier, sleazier, side of new wave. The extra dose of funk and the horns can lean things a little circus-y at times, but I’m here for it. It’s kinda like if Tom Waits told his band to play happy music and he rested his voice, or Talking Heads if David Byrne brought a little more creepy lounge singer energy. Or like if Electric Six formed 20yrs sooner and invented their sound from scratch. Begrudgingly, I can’t deny that I’m a New Wave fan at this point, especially the weirder stuff. I might need this on vinyl.

If Midnight Oil, My Chemical Romance and David Bowie had a baby. What a great, weird album. It's going into the rotation.

Really enjoyed this, great tunes, thx!

Really, really enjoyed this. Definitely will explore this group’s discography more.

Never heard of The The before but this album was great. A must listen.

I've fallen behind again. Last trip of the summer where I plan to be unavailable on a weekday though! Probably only have time for one listen this time. Update: scratch that. this is a barrel of monkeys I'm definitely giving a second listen. Listening notes: -Infected is such a strong start for this album! Poppy vibes with a sort of off-kilter vocal arrangement. On a second listen, I appreciate starting such a varied album with something that feels conventional and yet hints at the genre-exploration ahead. -Out of the Blue--Didn't listen close on the first time. I don't think I'm crazy about this. -Heartland--I'm just loving this jazzy, minor-key(?) vibe. Don't really have a response to this being the 51st state of the USA, but it made me chuckle a little. Until I realized that part of being the USA is cutting the welfare state :( -Angels of Deception. What a fun ending! -Slow Train to Dawn--Any song with -The climbing up and down "piano" scales (I don't have a vocabulary for music criticism) around a minute in just totally captured it for me. -The Mercy beat has a really nice driving beat, but it was kind of annoying. My only miss for the album. Review: I'm feeling generous and I think I'm going to overlook being a little bored on The Mercy Beat and finding Out of the Blue a little bit of a dud. Everything feels fresh and fun. The set of keys is really neat. There's a sort of mysterious tone that I'm loving. The sort of dangerous alluring tone to the music is a lot of fun. Musically compelling AND made me want to dance. Crushin' it. 4.5 stars: Harmonica, Brass, and Organ give them the round up. If more artists incorporate saxes like this and organs like that, and strings and what not. Just such an expansive vision.

Reading some of the reviews, I think this might be one of those albums that you had to be there... This album is the product of 80s and the bleakness of Thatcher's Britain for many. It paints amazing vivid pictures and creates such a claustrophobic vibe. It's intense, and wouldn't have it any other way. Probably in my top 10 albums of all time.

Fantastic post-punk album!