Penthouse And Pavement

I’m beginning to suspect that the author of this list misunderstood the assignment. This is clearly just a list of 1001 albums he has heard.

Oh this one was enjoyable if a little weird. Lyrics fit oddly well for the COVID era. Fave track: (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang. Should have been the theme song for Trump's presidency.

So you're telling me it didn't chart successfully, and it didn't wow critics successfully either. Then why the fuck would this ever be on the list? As an example of complete and utter underwhelming mediocrity? A what not to do? Ain't nobody got time for that. It's shit. And I don't need to listen to shit for shit's sake.

Some albums age well, while others remain rooted in the time that they were made. Heaven 17 may well have been significant pioneers of synth-pop, leading the New Wave revolution in the early 80s, but this album is a difficult listen now. Over-pleased with the new technology that enables unnecessarily complex musical patterns, the attempt to be edgy with sixth-form political potshots is simply lost in the mix. How this ends up in any list of great albums is a mystery to me.

Favourite songs- Penthouse and Pavement, Play to Win, Song with no Name I'm not a big fan of synthpop but I feel there's a lot of better synthpop out there than this. Some songs feel almost annoying and immature on this album. Synthpop is also something that needs to be really well produced for me to enjoy it, and I think the production here was not amazing. Also, you look at a synthpop band like Kraftwerk, which were so ahead of the curve that you have to respect their inventiveness, but this is a record from a time where tonnes of bands were making stuff like this, so it doesn't even seem terribly original to me. Not a bad album, certainly not my style, but I would argue that this is not an essential album. On the first track, [We Don't Need This] Fascist Groove Thang, the verse has some cool melodic ideas, but then it descends into this really repetitive chorus, that infiltrates your ear in an unpleasant way. Also the percussion is some of the most annoying stuff I've ever listened to. Next comes the title track. It starts off with a cool riff played on a synth, but it almost sounds like a horn. The percussion here sounds a bit better. There's obviously another vocalist on this track too. The melodies are cool here too, catchy, but in a fun way. I'm not a huge funk fan either, but this was an enjoyable track, though it did not need to be almost seven minutes long, as there are a lot of parts where I feel a bit of a lull. Still a great song though. Play to Win is okay, not an amazing song, but it's got some nice moments. It was one of the shorter tracks on the record, which I appreciated, as a lot of songs were really stretched out. This was the perfect length. Again, some really repetitive motifs that got kind of annoying, but this was okay. Next on the record is Soul Warfare. I'm not really a fan of this song at all. The piano sounds really pitchy and kind of like a toddler's just playing at random points. Then the hook (which is a pretty appalling hook. Seriously, write a better chorus) sounds really pitchy again, and it bothers me a lot. Another overlong song. Geisha Boys and Temple Girls is fine, until you get to the chorus. It's so nursery rhyme-ish that it puts me off the whole song, which is a shame because I was enjoying the verse. The laser sound effects do really annoy me as well. Let's All Make a Bomb might be the most annoying song on the record. From the farting synths to the weird melody, this song just sucks. The Height of the Fighting just repeats, over and over and over and over... then the verse is really strange. I'm sure it was a big political statement at the time and stuff, but the song just isn't enjoyable to me. Song With No Name is kind of dark in an interesting way. I can see why someone would enjoy this, and it's not bad at all. Got some weird moments, but definitely a highlight of the record. The last song, We're Going To Live For A Very Long Time, is another very childish song. Super repetitive and annoying. Not a fan at all. So yeah, I wasn't a huge fan of this record, but I do see how some people would really like it if they were into this style of music. It's just not to my taste.

This makes me want to squirm around on the ground like God’s favorite bug 🐜🦟🐜🦟🐜🦟

Well, I was a little hesitant going in, since I never listened to Heavens 1-16, but I figured I'd get the gist of the plot through context. Pretty decent, some Talking Heads vibes (but worse lol).

Heaven 17 experiment with 80's synth pop in an effort that almost feels like a summation of the musical movement. Unfortunately, they fail to capture any of the pop magic of other contemporaries when it comes to catchy ear worms.

Shallow and Pedantic. Bass player is fantastic. But everything else is pretty elementary. Seriously, I'm struggling to not turn this off. It's like that guy in school who thinks he's a good song writer and keeps trying to share his demo but it's god fucking awful. And he gets a record deal, which is stunning until you find out his dad owns the label.

the lyrics are amazing. very interesting album to listen to. definitely gives a unique perspective to the time period. track 10 has serious thundercat vibes. i feel like i have been looking for this album since 2016.

You may know Human League for their synthpop masterpiece Dare. Well, just a couple years earlier their music was more avant-garde, like if postpunk went complete synths and pop. Moving in a more commercial direction, founding members Ware and Marsh broke off to form Heaven 17 to continue their more abstract sound, giving us this excellent entry. Lyrics are incredibly left-wing, reminds me of Gang of Four, to the point where they outright call Reagan and Thatcher starting fascist regimes in the first track. "Let's All Make a Bomb" is a celebratory mood to bring about the end of the world. Although not revolutionary, it's a fresh relief to hear unique subject matter in such an upbeat manner. The first half is all high-energy dance tracks, littered with repetitive catchy choruses and addictive beats. Clearly inspired by American disco, this is most evident in "Soul Warfare" with the signature guitar chords. Second half shifts to "electric" dark wave, still maintaining that groove off the first half, but much mellower and atmospheric. I love it all, this is exactly my preferred genre of pop music, danceable with highly varied synth tracks not afraid to get weird.

Maybe a little generous but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Fascist Groove Thang is great and although it lost me around tracks 3-4, the likes of Let's All Make A Bomb and The Height of the Fighting hooked me back in. It's very 80s in some ways but also still manages to sound futuristic to me.

Not really an electronic person. Not surprised I didn't really enjoy it.

It's because of albums like this that I've been on 1001albunsgenerator for 227 consecutive days. Discovering gems like these on a Thursday night is priceless. The album has a very creative sound, built on funk grooves. 38 minutes very well spent! Great lyrics. The vocalist sounds like Ian Curtis had joined a disco band. I don't usually give 5 stars to a newly discovered album, but today, I'll make an exception.

Awesome new wave album with similarly awesome messages. The early songs on the record sound like Primus if it were a new wave band.

Heard of 'em but never heard 'em until today. Delighted to read about them and learn more about the roots of Human League. Overall I like this very much and it's much better to me than most synth pop from the early 80s. However, it's weird to have this much bass virtuosity front and center for the first third of the album and for the bass player to be some random studio musician who was not considered a part of the band. I call this The Doors problem, where technically the band does not have a bass player but they have a session musician play some bass parts on their records and they end up being important to the music. Heaven 17 seems to have this problem worse than The Doors, however and it's also amateurish that it sounds like it's presented in the order it was recorded, and that they ran out of money for session guys after four tunes. I like it better than most 80s synth pop but it's not an accident that Human League is remembered better.

"Across that great wide ocean Reagan's president elect Fascist God in motion Generals tell him what to do Stop your good time dancing Train their guns on me and you Fascist thing advancing" This album certainly isn't the best example of synth pop, but then again, fuck Ronald Reagan.

meh songwriting

Its got groove. But somehow it feels very small, the sounds feel very small, and the vocals seem very of. This is pretty bad. 2/5 The further I progress, the further this uninterests me. Nothing happens. 1/5 It's like a parody. "Decline Of The West" is pretty good, but it's not on the original album, so I wont consider it in this context. But I will include it on my playlist instead of any of the other songs lol.

Synthpop. Dammit. The worst thing to come out of the 80s. It's blippy-bloopy, arpegiated, slam-drum crap with Devo-esque non-singing vocals. Also, there are random saxophone solos inserted for some reason. I hate everything about this genre. In the interest of fairness, there ARE some pretty groovy guitar and bass tracks on this album that are not typical of the genre. They're just buried underneath so many layers of blippy-bloop that they lose their grooviness. Even throwing it that bone, this album is awful and gets one star.

i agree with Dan LeRoy of AllMusic who felt that the album combined electropop with good melodies, and that Glenn Gregory was able to deliver the "overtly left-wing political" lyrics without sounding "pretentious"

This kind of early new wave/synthpop can be hit or miss due to it being so raw compared to what most people are familiar with, but I really enjoyed this album!

Me: Mom, can we have Kraftwerk? Mom: We have Kraftwerk at home. Kraftwerk at home:

I like a lot of 80s music but this was a lot of fluff (needs more pumping base). I think I just wanted them to be Depeche Mode and they aren't. Honestly, this is what people are probably thinking of when they say they don't like 80s music. And why was this album so friggin long?

Another album I'm wondering why it's on this list. This was a struggle to get through.

A haiku: Heaven 17? Heaven 2 or 3 at best Aren’t I clever?!

I'm expecting another bad English New Wave band after looking at the cover of this album. Oh what a surprise I was right. This album was so bad it made me reconsider my enjoyment of other new wave bands.

Quite odd.. Spotify wouldn’t let me listen to half the album. Otherwise very short

Penthouse and the Pavement has some sick bass playing throughout, but the title track has a standout bassline. The sound has perhaps not aged as gracefully and I find the songwriting a bit hit or miss.

It's OK as pure background music, but can't see it as anything else. The lyrics seem somewhat interesting, but I mostly didn't pay much attention.

you have to admire the chutzpah necessary to be party to the founding of Human League, only to leave a few years later and start a worse version of Human League

OVERALL: Before listening, I was actually partially excited. I like synthpop, and this is a very short listen. After listening, my opinion on the 1001 magazine has gone down. Was 1981 just a really bad year for music? Why is this album on here? The best song on here is the intro, and it's barely above average. The first half has a pretty good bassline, and the occasional good part. The second half doesn't really have any good parts, only maybe around 3 in the entire half. The synths have aged so poorly, if you like synths, listen to something like Imaginal Disk (an actually good album) because this being someone's first exposure to synthpop cannot be good. I can understand how some people can like this, but it's not really for me (even though I like the genre). There are good aspects, such as some of the songs' messages, and you could make a genuinely good argument for the vocals being good. But holy shit, Song With No Name and The Height Of The Fighting are not for me at all. Surprisingly, this album is not a 0/10 or even a 1/10 because of the messages and the very rare sonically good part. SONG AVG: 2.8744/10 PERSONAL RATING: 1.8/10 (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang: The really weird thing in the background that lasts for the entire song isn't that good, but otherwise the song isn't that bad. It isn't very good either, but it's listenable. The instrumental sounds like it was made by either a person who is insanely sleep deprived or someone who thinks this is what all synthpop sounds like. Unfortunately, the lyrics are pretty relevant, however they are largely drowned out by the very slightly above average chorus. 5.5/10 Penthouse & Pavement: I don't think that this is as bad as it probably is, however it doesn't sound good at all, especially if you know the potential that this genre has. The instrumental sounds very rushed, and pretty much everything feels out of place except for the bassline, which is way too good for this song. 4.75/10 Play To Win: I feel like the rest of the album is just gonna be mediocrity with a pretty good bassline. This is different, because it has ONE other good element (the horn). Other than that, nothing is really that good here. 4/10 Soul Warfare: Okay, I think I understand why people don't really like synthpop or new-wave if THIS is considered to be a must hear album. The only thing about this that I like is the bassline, everything else has at least one problem with it. It's either actively bad or painfully mid. 3.25/10 Geisha Boys and Temple Girls: This seems oddly racist. It also has the worst intro of all time. After the worst intro I have ever heard, we get a very okay section. Then the synths come in, and they aren't the worst, but could definitely have been used so much better. Thankfully, everything after the intro is arguably good, until we get a section with diarrhea synth and bland, flavorless drums only. After that section, the synths suddenly become ass. Since there are listenable parts, it isn't a zero, but the intro disqualifies it from being anything higher than a 2. Which really sucks, because I genuinely like some sections, but they are unfortunately brought down by literally every other part. 1.75/10 Let's All Make A Bomb: Why is the song with bomb in the name right before a song whose name is based on Japanese culture? Anyways, the message is good, however the "HEY!!! :DDD" does not fit at all. The instrumental is also garbage. I feel like if the instrumental was being made in like the 2010s or later, it would have sounded much more polished. Instead we get rusty nails scratching a dinner plate. 2/10 The Height Of The Fighting: HEEEEEY LAAA HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I swear I like synthpop, but there is nothing really going on here. The lyrics are pretty much a loop, and the instrumental is also maybe a loop??? The police sirens do not work at all. Who the hell says "Hey La Hoo" at the height of a war/fight. It doesn't get something lower than a 1 because you could make the argument that it doesn't sound like ass. 1/10 Song With No Name: This sounds like actual garbage with the most unseasoned dry chicken drums on loop. What filter are they doing with the lyrics? The synths aren't that good either, who the hell put this on the magazine? It isn't painfully long or the worst song I've heard, not even on this generator, so I guess it has that going for it. 0.12/10 We're Going To Live For A Very Long Time: I've been very critical of every song so far, maybe this isn't as bad as I think it will be. (After listening) This song defines this album the most. It has mid to under average vocals, a boring drum loop, an annoying part in the instrumental, and a stupid ass chorus. And since it is in this album, it will probably live on for a very long time. It also has the most annoying outro of all time. Thank god this album was not any longer (I am not listening to the bonus tracks). I really want something good tomorrow, preferably something I've heard before and actually liked. 3.25/10

Have never had a positive opinion of Heaven 17 – not sure why, just never had a good vibe about them… Could not have picked out a song of theirs – so it wasn’t anything experiencially-related, but it’s always been that way… Well – after listening to “Penthouse & Pavement” – my long-held disdain for Heaven 17 was absolutely dead on, as this album – as my good friend Keith is fond of saying – was fucking terrible!!! Not pretentious like many other “1’s” that I have given, nor was it mindless speed metal – which I have been known to trash – no, this was just a level of extraordinary suckitude that one doesn’t come across very often… The funniest part, was the ONLY song that I found even remotely listenable, was “Song With No Name” – which I’d probably give a 2-stars out of 7 – but after that, there was absolutely nothing else worth listening to, over the rest of the ONE HOUR & 22 MINUTE exercise of sonic futility… That was until Track #19 came on (i.e. I might have had listened to the deluxe version…) – and I was like, oh – that doesn’t suck as much as everything else… When I went to check what the title of said song was on TIDAL, I found it was called “Song With No Name – 12-Inch Version”… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Seriously, this was absolutely awful, and that’s ONE HOUR & 22 MINUTES of my life that I’m not gonna get back… Would honestly give this a “0” if I could, as listening to this actually pissed me off, but the site won’t allow it, so begrudgingly I’ll give it a 1…

WHO THE HELL IS PICKING THESE ALBUMS?! WHO DECIDED I NEEDED TO HEAR THIS?! 1/5

Shouldn't be on this list, in my opinion.

If you had asked me what I think about British synth-pop from the early 80s when I woke up this morning, I 100% would have looked you in the eye and convincingly pretended to know what I was talking about and as I told you it’s basically just post-Imperial flatulence. But look at me now! I’m humbled and educated and have Heaven 17 to thank for it. This is the tits!

CHILL

OHHHH I THINK I MIGHT LIKE THIS ONE --- yes I did in fact like this one

Favorit We dont need this fascist groove thang Soul warfare Geisha boys and temple girls Lets all make a bomb

Loved this album!

Really enjoyed this album but didn't expect to. Always considered H17 to be slick yuppie music and until now avoided. But couldn't have been more wrong, the title track has a real groove to it and is politically on point. I know at the time it was aimed at Reagan but unfortunately the song resonates even more now with Reform, Trump, Tate, Musk the list goes on. Great album and will definitely dip into again. An anti facist 5 star bonanza.

This was pretty sick. Hard to describe, it just scratches the right itch. Shades of Kraftwerk. Fave Tracks: (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang, We're Going to Live for a Very Long Time 4.5/5

Wow I didn’t expect to like it but I love it. This is the first one I hadn’t heard of that I’m really excited by. Catchy, diverse, smart and satirical in a hopeful, moving way rather than a bitter, snarky one. Song with no name wow what a track, it’s like haunted proto pet shop boys. I will say some of the songs could have been served better with different mixing, especially let’s all build a bomb. Side note between this and Gang of Four and dagmar Krause it’s becoming clear that this list has a real political perspective it’s trying to share and I think that’s cool. I expected the purpose of the list to just be about exposing people to many styles of music but it’s actually more than that!

This is a cracking album with excellently crafted synth-pop with judiciously added instrumentation and backing vocals - and with a political edge to it that caused the lead single to be banned by the BBC. The original vinyl finished with a lock groove - though I only have the album as a digital copy after my vinyl copy was lost in a burglary. I think most of the contemporary music critics would have backed Ware and Marsh (with new recruit Gregory) over the remaining members of The Human League but in fact both bands were very successful.

I think I listened to this, and then forgot I did, so when I listened again for this list, everything was nice and familiar. Admittedly a lot of the songs sound the same (Geisha Boys and Temple Girls, Play to Win...) - I think this might be because the songs all have a similar tempo. However, really, really like it. We Don't Need This Facist Groove Thing, Play To Win, Soul Warfare, Geisha Boys and Temple Girls, and Let's All Make A Bomb is such a strong run - deserving 5 stars for that alone. Bit long?

I listened to this album twice through, and on the second listen I was jamming out to nearly every song. There's just something about this one that worms its way into my mind and DANCES! There seems to be a through line of rebellion, or at least anti-establishment sentiment. Bleak lyrics, but amazing music, nuclear destruction, religious Armageddon, lives being ruined by the words of a powerful man. But somehow, it still feels hopeful. It's so hard to pick favourites as each song does something so interesting, but Geisha Boys & Make a Bomb are my top two. But Height of the Fighting and Soul Warfare just worm their way into my brain so it's really quite impossible to pick my favourites Favs: Geisha Boys and Temple Girls, Let's All Make A Bomb, The Height Of The Fighting, Soul Warfare

Wow! I really liked this!!! I've never heard of Heaven 17 before, but I will be listening to more of them for sure. The first track ("Fascist Groove Thang") was definitely my favorite. It felt very 80s, but also fresh compared to a lot of 80s synth pop.

Yes, perfect. The ideal rate and ratio of beeps and boops. Just enough Ronald Reagan libel/slander (that's a lie, I could go for a little more).

Deep down in my heart, I know that this isn't *actually* a perfect album, but man does it hit right. It gives me that perfect synthy vibe that I am always down for. Fun times all around!

i'd heard of this band but never listened to them prior. damn, was i missing out! this is some good ol' WEIRD 80s music. all these songs sound radically different and a little off-putting but i'm totally here for it, even if the BBC wasn't because they didn't want to offend the worst man of the late 20th century, ronald reagan. favorites: we don't need this fascist groove thang, penthouse and pavement, soul warfare, geisha boys and temple girls, the height of the fighting, song with no name

I like it

5. One of my favorite albums on this list so far

A five star album, even before listening to it once again. The precision in the recording and the sound is incredible. It still sits well in the early 80's critiques of Thatcherism. Unlike most, it has aged incredibly well.

I didn’t know that this record is so good. It’s rough and very danceable. Perfect!

Wohoooo! Heaven 17.

10/10 VERY ambitious for a pop album, but I guess that’s just how 80s UK was

This album STARTED by calling Reagan a fascist outright and saying the world is fucked and needs to change all will be one of the catchiest songs I've ever heard. This couldn't have possibly NOT gotten a 5 from me. Damn this is the kind of stuff I use this site to find.

For some reason, seeing the cover made me think I would not like this - I think the ridiculousness of it was too tantalizing of a promise to be true - but luckily I was wrong, I loved it! The only thing I recognized was Fascist Groove Thang (I think from the LCD Soundsystem cover), but I liked most of these. I appreciate the political commentary, and the spare yet imaginative arrangements. The basslines in the first half of the album are so distinctive that I was shocked to find out that the bass player was not a part of the band - he was just some kid that happened to be at the local theater that one of the band members worked at when they were looking for a bass player. Really amazing story, well told here: https://www.songfacts.com/facts/heaven-17/we-dont-need-this-fascist-groove-thang

I've been patiently waiting for this one. It's about as close as it gets to RCE, if not in terms of sound, at least in spirit. Though honestly soundwise it's not too far off. The Kraftwerk influence is strong, but it's tempered with a decent amount of soul to set it apart. Right down to the BEF acronym, and just look at that cover! Listening to this is like getting DNA test results back and finding out who your long lost father is.

cool

Very quirky and fun album. Chaotic energy.

Classic synth-pop album. Perfect in every way (lyrics, art work, song writing) and part of a perfect 3-album streak with its two successors, The Luxury Gap and How Men Are.

This is a fine, fine example of early 80s British synth-pop, which is a genre I strongly connected to in my adolescence. Not that I knew this album, but I wish I had. It also gets points for the politics of the time. Coming today, on the U.S. election day, "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" helped me emotionally cope with a terrifying day. Maybe I can get through this with a defiant dance beat! Is it perfect? No. But it speaks to me and it made me happy today. And it has a perfect cover.

Despite growing up in the 80s, I haven't listened to a lot of Heaven 17 before. The album cover had me ready to like this album, and like it I did. I love this synth-driven, pop extravaganza. It addresses some pretty interesting topics (I enjoyed "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" as I placed my ballot into the collection box today). Some days the relative simplicity of a lot of the songs might not have appealed as much to me, but it was perfect today!

$/& sauced

10/10 LOVED IT. So very classy and every song sounded too interesting. Favorite was probably let’s all make a bomb

Very lovely stuff. Funky vibes mixed with electronic. Overall i liked all trakcs but the ones that stood out: Bassy play in "Groove Thang" was epic good. Fully instrumental goodness "Declines Of The West"

I have never heard of this band or album but it's great. 1981 is an interesting year in music and film and this album isn't an exception.

Pretty fun solid album.

proto synth pop com um espirito meio punk! com certeza vou ouvir mais

Smart lyrics, had me dancing through the kitchen, fun album.

Side A is incredibly funky and side B is a little bit generic synth-pop. Lyrics are one of this albums strongest points. I like side A very much, it's 5/5, but the other half is mediocre 3/5. So all in all 4/5

Actually it was good

I think I like the story/mythos behind this album even more than I like the album itself. And it is an excellent piece of new wave/elctro/pop/funk.

I don’t have much insight into this album, but I quite liked it.

Yes lige mig, mere new wave slurp slurp. Lyder som post punk, helt synth baseret men de her synths lyder dybt mærkelige

Good

Surprisingly great, I had never heard this band before.

Surprisingly fun and catchy. This was a sleeper hit

V funky and v groovy. I like the synths and the beats and all of it.

if you could pick one album that says "80s Wallstreet Music", it would be this one

Enjoyed

This is a fun little record. Did not expect to see it on this list. It’s really pretty good, though. Smart, upbeat, and funny.

Synthpop isn't really my thing, but seems with the passing of time it’s much better than I remember, and this was OK, no actually better than that. Yes it's very of it's time and sounds it, but so what even in it’s basic for now electronics it’s still real, no auto this and that, no mass homogeneous crap, so sod it 4 Star.

Very funky. I love a band with a good concept and the whole fake brand thing is great. The cover really reinforces that.

Very futuristic and cool.

Muy divertido!

Rad as hell.

I enjoyed this. It didn't have the immediacy of something like the Human League, but it was interesting and fun.

Early electronic

fun dinky synthpop tunes

Better than human league

Day417 - we need new wave again more than ever. synthesizers and lyrics that rage against the corruption and the fascists

Sounds great but didn't have "the song" on it. Low 4.

Didn't know them before. It's quite interesting. Unfortunately, '(We don't need this) Fascist Groove Thang' is topical again.

this one i have listened to before taking on this project. it's a synthpop bundle of joy. very fun listen.

Great

- Better than expected; remember to put this one in it's proper context. -

One of the best type of entries on this list - a surprise banger.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/V348yLxRHFDvpZAA9 But seriously, this album slaps - I only know the singles, but even they were longer and funkier than I remembered, so I probably only know the radio cuts? It sags on a few tracks, but overall, this was great, and brought back a lot of memories of seeing them live.