Reviews (page 3 of 8)
You guys aren't ready for the cheesy might of 80s alternative pop and it shows
Not what we thought it would be. Strange at parts.
Quite fun to listen to, but not really my cup of tea genre wise
Quite interesting, not what I thought it would be….
that album was so fucking GOOD
This reminds me of ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ Depeche Mode. Early 80’s electronic music. It’s ok. Not sure what makes this list worthy. Kind of repetitive and annoying. (2)
They were very innovative at the time, paving the way for what ultimately became more successful acts after them. I don't think this is their best work, there was better to come. It's very much of its time, you could set your clock to it. Toe-tapping synth-pop dripping in 80s nostalgia.
This was a whole vibe!
Between a 2 and a 3
punmemorable and punmemorable by hunmemorable 1unmemorable
Started out fun and unique but then quickly got repetitive and obnoxious and I found myself looking at the clock as the album continued. Likes: Fascist Groove Thang, Penthouse and Pavement
Better than Coldplay
Interesting, but weird
(We don’t need this) fascist groove thang is such a good song title - the songs pretty good too but the rest of the album doesn’t live up to it
Sinto como se fosse um classico, foi lançado em 1981 e esta absurdamente bom pra epoca. tanto no som quanto na estetica.
Not heard of the group or album, some eighties synth magic right there, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
#75/1001 🇬🇧 Synthpop made in Sheffield. Whilst this is a genre and period that i generally like but can't see myself revisiting. It wasn't dreadful but neither was it that memorable either. Best tracks: Facist Groove Thing, Penthouses and Pavements.
Es ist ein visionärer Synth-Pop-Meilenstein. Heaven 17 verbinden politische Schärfe, elektronische Präzision und unwiderstehlichen Funk zu einem Sound, der 1981 wie Zukunftsmusik wirkte und heute noch glänzt. Ein Album voller Ideen, Haltung und Groove – absolut zeitlos gestern und morgen 😊.
Firstly, one of the great cover artworks of all time. Some of the more accessible poppy tracks to me sounded like they were a big influence on early Wham!. I liked some of the tracks but there wasn’t enough strong hooks or ear worms, one of those albums that you need to listen to again as afterward you forget most of it even if you quite enjoyed parts of it, the problem is that its not good enough for me to want to listen to it again. I would definitely frame the front cover and hand it on my wall though. 2.4
Pish.
I don't like the vocals and I dont much like the music (I same the same for all of these British New Wave bands), and it's very dated now. But it's groundbreaking, it has good lyrics, and it deserves another star just to piss off all the Facism-embracing Americans on the site who gave one-star reviews.
Decent 80s vibe. I liked the anti fascist themes and lyrics.
I could only listen to half of this album on Spotify but I didn't really get it. Seems to be making a statement about war? Idk. The music was not compelling enough to try to understand lol.
Somewhat manic. I think in a good way?
A little second wave ska mixed in with the usual synth pop.
Like so many synth-pop bands from the early 80s, Heaven 17 got old fast. Now their songs are both unsophisticated and overly preachy.
Very early 80s mechanical electro-synthpop. It's a compact album from start to finish but the production ruins it for me which sounds so dated now. Early 80s were the strangest years in pop music that's for sure.
why are these kinda bangers like 'pavement' way more than 'penthouse'
Temu dépêche mode 2.3
1 is this even music?
The bass on this is amazing - real funk powerhouse stuff. The synth programming is rather cheesey. The songs are a bit samey. There's even a squelchy 303 line in here, many years before acid reared its head.
90% of the 80s tropes. 25% worth listening to.
Really forgettable. No idea why this is here.
I had a really hard time with this. Very unremarkable. I don't know why this is here. The 1980s were a strange time.
Mmh
80er Synthie-Pop
We need some bangers…
With tracks like 'Geisha Boys and Temple Girls' and the absurd 'Height of the Fighting', this album is the embodiment of early 80's absolute pretentious pop shite. Just listen to 'Height of the fighting' and tell me I'm wrong!
I was originally going to be bitchy and say this was Temu-Pet Shop Boys/kraftwerk BUT I actually didn’t mind it - and when imagine it sitting in a timeline between Kraftwerk and Pet Shop Boys then some of its awkward dorkiness is forgiven because these music techniques were probably pretty ground breaking at the time - and also I appreciate a bit if sparseness in music.
5/10 I thought Heaven 17 were electropop, with emphasis in the Pop. But I was confusing them with Haircut 100... Makes sense now. This is a sparser and more mechanical take on synth music. Lacks much soul (or tunes). Easy to see how this would have been much more impactful in its day, when this sounded modern. Today, it sounds very dated and uninspired
11/03/2026 Couldn't really get into this album, I found it quite boring. Spotify listeners: 321.5k
Very early alternative. Also hard to tell when one song ends and another begins. A couple of songs reminded me of The Human League.
Fascist Groove Thang is really fun, but otherwise I found this to be plain decent synthpop.
Bass playing is nuts, best part of the record by far. This was not that great, the album cover is far more interesting than the music, unfortunately. Props to them for clocking Reagan as a piece of shit so early, and they are definitely pretty based in their political lyrics and speaking out again fascism. But, the songs themselves really suck. Shame.
Okay. Not very memorable for me.
Album #1,068 Right off the bat, Leftists calling Republicans fascists. I guess some things never change. Ignoring the on-the-nose political lyrics, the music was kind of ok early 80s energetic pop.
We Really Don't Need This Fascist Groove Thang!
Pathetic
Not a fan
I enjoyed the Penthouse side quite a lot but the Pavement side wasn’t as good. I had listened to it a while ago and didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I did this time around. Really tough between a high 3 and low 4. Also was cool to learn they didn’t even do live performances until late 80s. Anyone who is on the Trainspotting soundtrack is alright in my book. Rating: 3.5
Not what I was expecting. The name always had me picturing MOR soft rock but this is anything but. White Funky, 80's electronic pop tunes are here though they vary wildly in quality. This would have been a great EP. Best Tracks: (We Don't Need This) Facist Groove Thang; Penthouse and Pavement; The Height of the Fighting
only ever heard their 2 big singles "Temptation" and "Come Live with Me" which were decent at the time, but this is nowhere near as good as other synth pop acts that were around at the time. Human League and Depeche Mode to name a couple
Extra point for fascist groove thang but the rest is meh
Fascist Grove Thing began getting more airtime in my town during Trump’s first term, and really ramped up in 2025. Understandably so, given the state the USA today. Hateful, uneducated, greedy, hypocritical, draft-dodging MAGA Republitards. Despite the relevant lyrics, this music is not catchy or melodic. More noise than substance. Too bad; I need an anthem for my angst, and this ain’t it. No Kings!
3 stars
Another good album!! I loved every track on this Heavenly 17 project, The opening track is very timely ‘We don’t need this Facist Groove Thing’ we don’t need it at all, given the current situation in the world ‘Soul Warfare’ and ‘Song with No Name’ are also great tracks. This album roved how you can create good art in times of turmoil to reflect the mood and fears of the time- 4/5 GEMV (4.03.2026)
44/100. In the end, there are simply a lot of other 80s synthpop albums I would reach for before putting this on again. It's just forgettable in a genre that usually delivers much more excitement.
I really disliked this album. I have no other words
Interesting front cover. Not much else to report. Was silly 45 years ago, it's no less silly now.
Not my thing
This wasn't awful but was far from decent. All the electronic albums on this list are such a snooze.
I feel like I have heard 400 synth pop records better than this one.
Very British but not in a good way. It’s fine I guess.
I lived through the synth pop era. Some are better than others. This was ok
Quintessential 80’s Pop but with a little more substance lyrically (politically).
I did not listen to this whole album but it is an easy four stars. Bouncy, 80's vibe. Like it alot. Four stars
I think the author skews a bit towards some of the lesser known British acts.
This was fine but nothing special.
Really liked this! Groovy as hell and charmingly early 80s flavored new wave that I had no idea existed until this was generated for me! Definitely one i’m going to dig deeper into in the future!
I’d give no stars if I could. Poor Devo impression.
I lasted one track. This was not my groove thing at all. No idea how this made the list, still it is educating me on stuff I don't like.
Timing of this album couldn’t have been better
Number 545: This marks my halfway point on the 1089 albums here (or to be a stickler, I’ve just surpassed halfway). How unceremonious. Music, in large part, is meant for ceremony, yet on all the ‘big’ days, I’ve been assigned stinkers. I’ll never forgive them for giving me Napalm Death on my wedding day, although that is kind of funny in retrospect. I’ve gotten very dull, sleepy albums on New Years. I’ve gotten objectively the worst albums of all time on my birthday. Now, here we are, halfway through the journey, and as I’m playing this album from a band I’ve never heard of, the only thought I have is, was this band playing a joke? This music is so ironic, it’s practically unlistenable at points. I’m sure when this came out, a small crew of twenty-somethings in the UK who thought they were brilliant praised the shit out of this before forgetting about it forever only two years later. What does make me suspect design from the generator though is that the first track is all about fascism and how history inevitably repeats itself (gets a whole star for taking on heavy themes) and just yesterday, I had to sit through a long winded, self-glorifying state of the union address from one Donald J. Trump. He declared that he thought he deserved a metal of honor and would bestow one upon himself if he could, as he was giving one to a one hundred year old WW2 vet, thus trying to place himself on the honeree’s level. Yeah, I feel like someone at the generator watched that too and made a selection for this morning.
good yet odd
Going to say it was not the most exciting music in my life, but still perfectly listenable.
I know synth effects were all the rage in the 80s, but this album just overuses it to such a ridiculous extent... I didn't hate it, it was all perfectly listenable, but it was also pretty dull. Each track was like the band just found a synth sound they liked and then decided to use it non-stop through the entire track. The lyrics were decent at times but then were also just repeated over and over and over. The vocals are pretty typical for the era, so they don't really stand out to me, and they aren't my favourite style. Not terrible though. In terms of creativity, I did like the fact that this album seemed to like doing some deliberately off-beat vocals, that was pretty unusual and it did catch my attention in a good way. Very low 3. Probably not something I'm going to listen to again but it was OK...
found myself enjoying it as simple fun but not something i could say much about or see myself going back to
Despite this album claiming to be 38 minutes it felt like it took me years to get through. Must boring, uninspired music I've heard in a while Low 2
Yeah fuck yeah this was good. Funky, weird, futuristic, gothic and electonic all of it. Future sailors Never listened to any Heaven 17 styff before but deffo will again. 4.0/5.0 Best Song: Song With No Name
It's synthpop to me, it can never be much higher than a 3 star. I'll be honest this is a good example of synthpop, but it is still nothing that amazing. I will say there are some fantastic song titles on here though
It was definitely a weird album I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it so I think that it’s a lower 3
Why is this in the list? I literally could not come up with any positives about this album and it has zero redeeming features! I just really disliked it and hope to never listen to it again
Listening session: february 22nd, while getting ready in the morning Listened to before: no Thoughts: I mainly liked the first couple of songs because I’m a sucker for groovy bass lines but other than that this album didn’t wow me Favourite track: (We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang & Penthouse And Pavement
Heaven 17 because this is music for 17 year olds. 3/5
This was pretty great. Can see the birth of a thousand bands from hearing this album. Powerfully 80s but not taking itself too seriously, good stuff.
I like 80s synth pop but this is legitimately terrible and annoying.
This list has some good 1980s music that stand the test of time. This album isn't one of them. I find it all a bit too typical
Really liked. Think I prefer these to human league
bit boring ngl, though i enjoyed it
Local man discovers fire
Some of this was catchy, but kind of got annoying afterwhile.
Pretty cool snapshot of this time and sound. Not the best synth-pop album ever, but a fair entry into it's catalog. Does it deserve to be on this list? Probably not, but I've been forced to listen to a lot worse than this.
This is *very* Sparks and *very* DEVO but not as funny as either of them. Still, kind of groovy. Favorite Tracks: We Don't Need That Fascist Groove Thang, Geisha Boys and Temple Girls, Let's All Make a Bomb, We're Going to Live For a Very Long Time
pretty good, nice and funky
3.3
not bad, just good background noise
i liked this, very surprising 3.5
I only like electronica when it feels cohesive and this is all over the place.
No thank you. This process has cleared me of my instant dislike of heavily 80's english pop music and i can see the quality in some of it now, but this reminded me if all the reasons i wasnt a fan originally. Synths were great but calm down. This isnt a art school concept album and you need to actually write tunes rather than fuck around looking all trendy and cool. The opener is a great example of how this could have been good, but the drop off after that track makes Niagra Falls look like my morning piss in comparison.
Although I can see how people would dislike this album to me it’s of its time and absolutely full of bangers
This wasn’t bad for background but I won’t seek it out. To be honest probably won’t even remember listening to it.
I was so prepared to hate this album but it was quite good.
I didn't hate but it wasn't that good either.
Not all the tracks were available on Spotify so I had to supplement with Youtube videos. This album feels like proto-Chumbawumba, and "Geisha Boys" and like a precursor to a much more refined "West End Girls." It feels like something out of an art school conceptualist project, with the vocals detached from the music, nothing here blends well. I don't like to throw around the word "pretentious" and I won't call this effort that, but there's a common thread in here that feels performative.... or something. The basslines are great though, in the title track and in "Play to Win". The second, particularly (and purposely) synth-driven half of the album, though just doesn't do a thing for me at all. The plinky, repetitive "We're Going to Live For a Very Long Time" does nothing to shake the art school manifesto. Perhaps graciously, the album ends here. I just can't get into this overall, though. A firm 2+ but not enough for a 2.5 to round up. I wouldn't be listening to this much at all. I recognize and reward the influence the album had. But that alone does not save it.
Fucking terrible, squared. Here we are at the confluence of disco and britpop. I'm in hell.
2.4 stars
This euro-pop kind of stuff never appealed to me. This didn't help. 3/10
Political synth pop pioneers. I find it too much synth and not enough pop.
This album is better than what I thought, but I didn't like it to the extent to say it's good. At least some songs are nice, and some arrangements too. Well, it was nice... I guess.
doodle...doodle What qualifies this album for this list? 1,5
This was a really fun experience listening through this album. Its fun synth pop with some fun variants and singing coming in and out from different directions and in different tones. Great rhythms to vibe along to today. Definitely something I will listen to again.
This is another entry as to why this album was on the list. I get it's 1001 Albums you NEED to hear, but there has to be an explanation why. Maybe the book uncovers that? I dunno. Anyway, this is very early synth-pop and you can hear it. Maybe it;s on because it defined the genre? I dunno. All I know is I could not get through most of this album. The synths and drums were good at points and caught my attention, but the sum was not greater than its parts.
Great example of the type of synth-pop that I like. Groovy and lends itself well to moving your body, a little bit goofy but not too much, and includes some amount of anti-fascist sentiment.
If coke residue was an album, this would be it. I love silly 80s stuff. However. This is….umm...memorable….
If someone told me I should listen to this band and described them as devo, prince, and Bowie I would be excited. But I was only excited when it finally ended.
Probably deserves a higher rating, but I know nothing about the genre except I don't really enjoy it. Based on the number of bands associated with Heaven 17 I imagine they're groundbreaking in some way. Good for them.
Started fine but just got a bit boring. Not my thing
At first I was into it but the longer it went on the more groan-worthy it became. This is how I imagine new wave/synth pop sounds to people who hate the genre. Favorite track: (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang
A New Wave State back in the day - Everyone's darling band. Listen and get a taste of what you missed if you were born in the 90's
1/29/26. Cool album, love this group's take on synth pop. Also enjoyed the incorporation of funk with the slap bass lines. Definitely a unique one that relies more on niche instead of widespread appeal.
We don't need no fascist groove thing is the anthem I didn't know I needed.
Honestly, I'm into it and was really impressed by the songs and instrumentation. The bass was bonkers on a few tracks. Will definitely revisit.
not my taste synth pop
Nah. I ain’t about it.
literally garbage
I enjoyed the music, but found it a bit boring. The better music was the things that were randomly chosen by spotify after to match the style.
Not for me
I like Fascist Groove Thang, but the rest is a little ordinary, and a bit dated sounding.
Ah! The early 80’s! Just before my teenage years and I wasn’t cool! So while I knew about Heaven 17 and by association Human League I only knew them by their singles so I was quite excited to see an album from this time. Oh my, it’s a bit dated isn’t it. Haha It was ok and seemed to get a little better the more I listened but it is definitely of its time.
All the songs pretty much sound the same
Synth pop is not my thing really.
I love the Human League, their early stuff is tremendous. This breakaway group could have been the best. But there is something missing, I can't put my finger on it. It may be the overblown tunes?
Okay an interesting one. I've literally never heard of these guys before, maybe cause I'm American? idk. I didn't hate this, there's a lot of sounds in this that I really enjoy in music I already love, but this one isn't entirely clicking with me. It's fine, there's nothing inherently bad about it, but I just don't see myself pressing play on this ever again. There's so many other versions of these sounds I already love. (I only listened to songs 1-9 because that's the original tracklist)
Not bad by any means, but pretty inessential. We Don't Need This Fascist Groove Thing is worth putting in the pantheon of great synthpop songs, but very little that follows it gets particularly close
"Penthouse and Pavement" by Heaven 17 is really not my style. To me, it mostly sounds like fairly bland synth-pop, and musically it did not grab me very much. There might be strong or provocative statements in the lyrics, especially considering the time it was released, but that aspect did not really come through for me in a way that made the album more engaging. I did read that some of the singles were banned by the BBC, so I assume it must have been considered pretty outrageous back then. From a personal listening perspective, though, this is not something I would come back to. One or two songs were ok, but overall it is not an album I enjoyed much.
Loved this album when it came out. Was genre defining and have seen them live and Glen Gregory had and still has the most amazing voice. Facist Groove Thing is a fantastic single. They also get no credit for relaunching Tina Turners career either.
So 80s! Love an anti-fascist bop
banger intro into middling new wave.
Honestly liked this much more than I thought I would. Let's all make a bomb is so good.
Wacky & fun.
Nothing remarkable nothing bad right down the middle
Didn't know what to expect with this, but I totally dig it. Super funky bass lines (both real and 303 style), funky guitar against electronic drums. I checked out a couple of other albums by them and am not as into those, but this one slams.
Went into this one blind. It was fun. Definitely quintessential 80s, but early enough in the development of music like this to be innovative, especially the later tracks. Bass was particularly solid
Track 1 is ready to go viral on tiktok.
Decent, very decent. Short enough good stuff No complaints Easy 3
Starts terrible but has a couple of good tracks later on but still a bit dissatisfying
Realllly like this album Some songs were a little bit too long but overall rly liked the vibe
finalmente um álbum que superou as minhas expectativas. achei um álbum bom de escutar (não fiquei com vontade que acabasse logo), com temáticas importantes e uma estética (capa) bonita. gostei!
I never got super into them but I liked Human League. I've seen both at Cruel World haha! Cheesy new wave fun
I had never heard this album. It was good 👍
Grosse découverte ici! C'est du Depeche Mode qui french avec Talking Head, réalisé par Prince. Je lui donne cinq car rien ne m'en empêche et pour contrer la note horrible que mon ami va lui donner.
Exactement le genre de découverte que j'attend de cette liste. 3.49 étoiles
I dug the hell out of this Funky ass bass on Penthouse and Pavement
180/1089 EXTREMELY 80s and very repetitive in both sound and lyric. appreciate the intent though The only song that stood out to me was the final track, We’re Going to Live for a Very Long Time. Otherwise it was just OK and fine as background music 39/100
fine but forgettable. not my favorite of early 80s/new wave music but still fun
Ce n’est pas ce que j’écoute au quotidien, mais c’était une belle découverte.
It was ok. Nothing really grabbed me, but it wasn't bad.
I like Heaven 17, but this is not their best album. The excessive use of those goofy 80s drum sounds (fake hand claps, bongos, whistles, etc.) was unbearable at times. Liked Songs Added: (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang
9/10
favorites: track four: soul warfare
Not the biggest fan of the shoegaze elements, not bad but not my cup of tea
I had to give this two listens to be sure I liked it. Conclusion? I do! I mean, its very 80s, but it's also a bit weirder than the average and does plenty of interesting stuff. I was surprised it opens with something so overtly political. And the 5 songs in the middle from Soul Warfare to Song With No Name are all great - especially Geisha Boys and Height of the Fighting. Very enjoyable.
This is pretty naff. The synth sounds are very lame sounding, they have the child's synth feel to them rather than the fuller sound I prefer. The slap bass is intrusive and annoying, the lyrics sound like they're trying really hard to be serious but the music removes the seriousness for me, then there are the lines they shoehorn into parts where they don't really fit. It doesn't fill me with anything really. Well, some bits fill me with annoyance. The synth whistle breakdown in bomb for example. Just no. But I mean, It didn't like anger me, it was just really rubbish. Could have done without this one.
I really hated this. Thin crappy electronica. I dont care who it influenced.
-early 80s okay -fine no standouts shocker -another boring 80s album
Everyone knows these guys for 'Temptation' but there's nothing here close to that. They are writing protest songs with a tinny synthesiser and bass grooves, but the result is rather weak piss. The opener appears to accuse Ronald Reagan of being a 'fascist' and there are similar brave contrarian takes against Thatcher et al throughout this. He's still like this now, looking at his Twitter, which is full of 'End Israeli Apartheid' garbage. Some people never grow up. So nah, I like 80s electronica/new wave as much as anybody, but ABC, OMD, Human League this ain't.
Really weird, but I kinda enjoy it, in a weird way.
# Playlist Track - (We don't need this) Fascist Groove Thang # Notes - First few tracks are pretty good but it loses steam along the album. Still a very pleasant surprise. - Doesn't live on the pantheons of synthpop, but it's a fun listen, all things considered. - Very annoyed that in 2026 not wanting fascist groove thangs is still relevant.
This features probably the strangest sounding synthesizers I've ever heard. That was all I could think of throughout, never mind the oddball lyrics and song construction. Kind of charming as a relic of the 80's sound I guess.
A surprise. Quite good
Enough of the generic British new wave.
Yeah, no.
Not a big fan of synth pop but the album is very 80s. Some pretty groovy songs tbf. A lot of very unique songs… Seems to be a political statement. Fav song is ‘Geisha Boys And Temple Girls’.
Not in my wheelhouse.
Loved it
Ekkert spes. Early synthatónlist en þeir vissu ekki alveg hvert þeir voru að fara með þetta. Þó ýmsir góðir hljómar og pælingin er þarna.
Áhugaverð plata. Vissi ekki að Heaven 17 hefðu stofnað Human League. Auðheyrt í mörgum lögum. Frumsynthatónlist sem ég hafði gaman af. Þeir fóru svo í miklu poppaðri lög eins og Temptation.
A typical 80s synthpop album - not the best but not the worst in this genre... just mid I much preferred the vibe of the first few songs, anything after that became very repetitive and uninspiring Best = (We don't need this) Fascist groove thang Skip = We're going to live for a very long time
Bastante chulillo
For the first 2 minutes of this album I thought it was a hidden gem, and somehow this band I had never heard of had created the Prodigy's sound 13 years before them. Then the vocals started and so did the cringe. Track 2 was just as cringey. Then the realization set in that it was a studio album made to sound like a live album, and there was no coming back from that.
1. groove - 0 2. pavement -1 3 uuin -0 4. zoul - 0 5. height - 0
Temu Depeche with a Casio knockoff.
Let there be no doubt about the decade this was released, because Penthouse and Pavement practically screams "1980s!" from start to finish. There's nothing wrong with that, and I appreciated the Reagan dig (which apparently got "Fascist Groove Thang" banned by the BBC). This is an album I appreciate more than I enjoy—good for Heaven 17 for bringing biting commentary to the era's bleeding edge of electronic pop, but it's not something I'll return to.
Now is the time on Sprockets vhen ve dance! Also, touch my monkey.
Weird 80s experimental/noise album. Was pretty funky and groovy at times, I’ll probably revisit as a joke to my friends lol
Enjoyable enough, painfully 80s, pretty boring IMO. Sorry Heaven17 fans...
too 80s for me honestly
Heaven 17: Penthouse and Pavement Penthouse and Pavement is an album that struggles to maintain the promise of its opening act. While it starts with a surge of energy—leveraging sharp, electronic funk on the initial tracks—the momentum quickly dissipates as the record progresses. The production, which was once considered cutting-edge, now feels somewhat hollow, lacking the sonic depth needed to sustain interest over its full runtime. Despite its historical reputation as a pioneer of synth-pop, the project ultimately falls flat, failing to bridge the gap between its ambitious concepts and its actual execution.
Really enjoyed this one 👌
Underwhelming - I feel like there were better choices than this.
Awful
Better than I thought; still, it's neither super influential or super popular . Pretty niche and not in a catchy good way. Didn't hate it.
Heaven 17 is essentially a spin-off from The Human League, with most of the same members, minus a couple. This is their first album, and it’s a really good example of early 80s defining synthpop. The album has two distinct themes. The first half is the “Penthouse” side, featuring more polished, pop oriented tracks. The second half is the “Pavement” side, which goes in a darker, more experimental electronic territory. Like a lot of synthpop and 80s new wave, this album is driven by social consciousness and its politically charged. When it comes to late 70s and early 80s synthpop and electronic music, Heaven 17 has always been one of those standout, unique bands. 4/5
Ist mir zu weirder Elektropop.....
Gähn
This had its moments
Great first track. The rest was pretty fun but nothing I hadn't heard before.
Perhaps rounding up a bit, but I'm kind of into this weird blend of electronic dance and funky soul.
“Here comes the daylight, here comes my job Uptown in the penthouse or downtown with the mob” It was going so well for the first three tracks. I did not have high hopes for Heaven 17. Whenever I have heard them spoken about it was usually in the context of them being from my home city. Even then this was usually uttered with a hint of embarrassment. In terms of their music I was only really familiar with “Temptation” which admittedly is pretty catchy. I certainly wasn’t expecting to hear such effective busy funky bass lines and to actually really enjoy the music. The first three songs have such a groove to them and are really enjoyable danceable tunes. I was starting to think of the people I could recommend the album to and even wrote in my initial notes that Heaven 17 felt at times like Sheffield’s answer to The Talking Heads. Then the bubble burst in truly disappointing fashion. The bass guitar I had loved up to that point disappeared completely and was not to reappear at any point. It was replaced by increasingly cheesy grating synths and the rest of the album was 80s synth pop that I wouldn’t ordinarily touch with a barge pole. The mild embarrassment of this lot being from Sheffield sadly makes complete sense now.
I didn't really like this at all. It was like a combo of new wave pop and funk that no one asked for or wanted. Throw in the synths and overly-80s production and it's just kinda the worst of all worlds. It felt like each person involved thought they were working on a record with a different genre than everyone else. I don't see much here that I can say redeems it in any way. It just kept getting worse. Listening to the singer repeating "for a very long time" over and over may have sent me over the edge if it hadn't been the last track. I don't get why this is on the list. I won't be listening to it again. Overall: 1/5
:D
I would absolutely hate to be sat next to any of this lot at a work function.
Surprising to me that, given this kind of weirdo stuff is my bent, I'd only ever heard the name. I liked it though I felt it was a little sparsely designed at times and perhaps a little to twee to be arch.
Uninspiring. And when it comes to rating this as an album, the remastered digital release I listened to is padded out with several versions of every song, diluting the experience further. Could've left that to a special edition or something.
Terribly dated
Fascist Groove Thing was repetitive and annoying. But Penthouse and Pavement (song) was very enjoyable. Despite a few of the songs being a bit repetitive there are also some cool melodies here. Let's all make a Bomb is catchy. Height of Fighting is not bad, either. Song with No Name is a catchy melody, too. They have a very 80's synth sound. Puts me in mind of Axel F.
Not another generic '80s synthpop album. The opening track, "Fascist Groove Thing", is catchy. I can't say the same for the other songs. Heaven 17's synthwork shines, and it should've been the focus. At least Heaven 17 condemns fascism. 2 stars for "Penthouse and Pavement".
This is solidly … fine … but I will stick to Duran Duran for my 80s synth pop needs.
5.5/10
3/10
Less interesting version of Talking Heads. Enjoyed it, but would rather listen to Talking Heads.
A strange blend of electro disco new wave that only the 80s can produce. Got tiring to listen through after a couple of tracks.
45
Nice one
just another 80ies British synthie-pop album
I hate live albums.
What is this? Completely not my style of music. Track one has its moments but doesn’t go anywhere and some of these songs are flat out bad.
A few nice 80s songs, but a few are very monotonous. 3.4 stars
Synth pop and new wave is just not my thing. It feels like this band is searching for anything that might stick in a time where synthesizing everything and over tuning every bass line is the new cool thing to do. In the "80's music sucks" argument, if someone held up this album as a reason why, it would be hard to argue against.
This was not enjoyable, felt he was shouting at me the whole time. Lyrics were dumb, melodies soulless, and conducive only to the most coked out of dance moves.
This list seems to love 90 minute albums by bands that seem like they only made 90 minutes of music. I could take this for 45 but a little British synth pop goes a long way for me. Pretty campy and overly earnest at times, but in what’s probably becoming my signature line: there is worse music to put on while you work a job at your computer.
What is this and why is it here? 1.
This wasn't bad, but from what I can tell they weren't the first band to do something significant to musical history and nothing in this album screams "greatness." I think this might be one of those "Oh man, I'm at 998 albums and I'm out of Elvis Costello and Blur. What do I pick? To the dartboard!" Personal enjoyment: 3/5 Relevance to this list: 1/5
I liked a number of the signs, but found others tedious
Toilet noise
I could take it or leave it. Can't say I'm much of a New Wave type of guy but this wasn't horrible. top 2: Penthouse and Pavement and Play to Win 2.55/5
não é mto meu estilo de música, mto experimental pro meu gosto
This is fenomenal, incredible basslines and very poignant for the current state of the USA, 45 years later. It makes me sing and dance and feel rage all together. Some tracks are more experimental and sound a bit like Tortoise. Great discovery, whatever people thinks
New to me but very good
2/5
For this kind of music, that 80sish pop stuff, this was probably one of the more enjoyable albums from that genre. 3.5.
The first album that I have not only not heard of, but never heard of the artist/s either. Guess we’ll see what I think. As usual, my first listen will be as blind as can be, so this will be my first opinion formed in this project without knowing what other people think whatsoever! Exciting. Let’s go! — Ah, the “orange man bad” of 1981. Well then. I happen to be of the opinion that when you’re listening to a political album from the past, you need to be familiar with the politics of the time it was released in to accurately judge it. You can guess my opinion of most of these reviews cluttering this album page as a result. This album is solid. Certainly, perhaps they wouldn’t have referenced the Democrats so kindly in the opening track if they had been able to see ahead to what Clinton, Obama and Biden were going to bring the US, but you have to realize that in 1981 Reagan was doing unprecedented things that would lead to unprecedented consequences and nobody could’ve foreseen how the parties would transform. Certainly, perhaps challenging the still-prevailing-in-1981 narrative that the US was entirely justified in dropping the nukes during WW2 feels less audacious now that we live in a world where it’s… still the prevailing narrative, but you won’t get in as much trouble for challenging it? I guess? Yes, the production makes it a little obvious they were having maybe too much fun exploring a new genre, but the instrumentals are hardly the primary focus of this album. I could go on for a while about everything I like about this album, and I haven’t added favorite songs to an entry before this, but I think I should do it for an album this underrated. Very glad I found this little time capsule. If LCD Soundsystem is covering your song about Reagan from 1981 in 2018 and changing the lyrics to be about Trump, I think that means you made it. Congrats, guys. Even if the plebs on this site mostly don’t get it. Favorites: Penthouse and Pavement, seemingly about the life of a sympathetic and politically active member of the petit bourgeoisie working against their ostensible priorities for the good of humanity. While this is a cliched character study at this point, I doubt it was then. Geisha Boys and Temple Girls, about the sexualization of children in mass media, or something along those lines. Let’s All Make A Bomb, commentary on the Cold War, Nagasaki, Hiroshima, and the theorized internal monologues of the psychopaths doing it all. We’re Going to Live for a Very Long Time, possibly the best aged song on the whole album even if it’s not my favorite. This song could be about a lot of things, including the rise of “AI”/LLMs and the plot of Pluribus and so many things happening or being related right now.
“1001 albums you must hear before you die!” Catchy title …the book probably was first named “995 shitty albums that should have never been recorded with 6 good ones mixed in” and didn’t sell well with that title … either that or it was curated by 6 idiots in a psych ward deep inside England somewhere! I thought “what a fun idea get a new album every day to check out … hear some great important MUSIC that I some how missed… plus relisten to some of my old favorites. WRONG the people who made this list are so far off!!! I’ve suffered through - Goldfrapp, Limp Bizkit, the Associates, the prodigy, public Image LTD, Portishead, Minutemen… and this “Heaven 17” which wasn’t even AS bad as many of the above was the straw that broke the camel’s back… I’m starting to write my own book called “Life is too short to listen to shitty music!” 1 star for this and I’m out… this experiment is over for me!
The start does not bode well for this album, sounding very much like a low budget version of their Sheffield rivals The Human League. It goes on for what feels like an age before we reach more casio keyboard sounds of Penthouse and Pavement. I fear it is becoming quickly apparent why I only know Temptation (unfortunately not on this album). The one slightly redeeming feature so far is the occasional bass break. Play to win is an accurate amalgam of all the cheesy elements of early eighties music.overall this just made me appreciate Human League more
By every available metric, I should have quite enjoyed this. I did not.
Another stray thoughts review: - this needed two listens as I had no idea what I thought about it after the first listen - during (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thing at one point the bass sounded like Uptown Funk and I spent ages trying to work out why - Let's All Make A Bomb has a bit in it that sounds like they rounded up a load of Premier League refs and got them to whistle along - everything is too repetitive and too long (you could fix the latter by fixing the former) - The Height Of The Fighting is bloody weird: HEAT! WAR! SWEAT! LAW! - the bleepy bloopy synths often sound like they're playing a different song to the one everyone else is playing - the bass player is *great* - I really like the vocals. I cannot in any way justify that statement - I actually liked We're Going To Live For A Very Long Time a lot until the point they repeated the title 1 billion tomes during the fade out. This is a 2.5 for me. I objectively think I should probably hate it, but I don't. I'm rounding down to 2, but I really did consider rounding up instead. 2/5
This was NOT good
Unremarkable but not terrible. Their second album (The Luxury Gap) is much better than this. The title track is a great synthpop song however
Crqp. I liked this.
We don't need this crappy music thang One nice thing I'll say about New Wave as a genre: they really know how to rip on the bass. That shit is slapping. The guitar has some nice riffs, but the rest of it is questionable at best. Quality singing is just a really important thing to me, and New Wave, in general, does not care if you can actually sing or not, but it is just so hard for me to listen to. It ends up ruining the album quite a bit for me. Favorite Song(s): Play to Win
No amount of immersion therapy can make me like new wave. Bleh. Even within the genre it sounds pretty generic. 1.9
If this had been presented as AI slop I would have believed it.
Boring and does nothing new.
I had no preconceptions of this album, and the opening bars had me worried for a moment that this would be a hard listen. Although somewhat kitsch and cheesy, what developed was actually really rather listenable. Some excellent basslines and urgent beats, this was pretty catchy
The early 80s electronica scene in Sheffield was an incredibly creative period. Heaven 17 consisted of Martyn Ware and Ian Marsh - two former members of The Human League - and vocalist Glen Gregory. They shared a studio for the recording of this album with their former band mates, which must have been an interesting experience. The theme of this album contrasts funky street life with the burgeoning 80s yuppie lifestyle, nicely illustrated on the cover. Side one has the danceable beats whereas the second side tends more to the experimental electronica side. It still holds up well over 40 years later, at least to my aging ears. The lead single, Fascist Groove Thang, got played on the John Peel show but was then banned by a craven BBC who were afraid of upsetting a right wing American president. Good job that sort of thing would never happen these days, oh, wait … Steel-City-tastic!
undoubtedly the sound of an 80s record
2,5
Pretty good new wave album
Nunca me tomé en serio este grupo. Siempre lo vi como una especie de Depeche Mode prefabricados. No suenan tan mal pasado el tiempo y la primera canción, pues muy oportuna para los tiempos que corren: "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang".
Ew. Why, exactly? It's so synthetic, and boring.
not good
Okay, I gave it two listens, and I was enriched by the broadening of new music. However, this kind of sonic quality, this kind of production does not appeal to me...I would even say I have an almost physical aversion to it. I did my best to hear past that and listen to the songs and the message and I think I got something from it. Trying to place it in context helped but I think that's the main thing I'm missing. Yeah geez it's just so clean and "80s" hahaha.
first 2 songs were interesting, rest were boring
Distinctive and some good tracks but not enough variation for me to like it, short though so it does have that going for it.
Not the best of 80s synth pop.
I never knew they spun off from the Human League, but this is definitely an improvement over Dare, and Fascist Groove Thang has some staying power. Still not enough to push it past a 3, though.
Poo
I’m glad I listened, nothing amazing but takes me back to the 80s. It’s just missing something extra to make it really good.
"It’s Not Going to Get Any Less Relevant, Is It?" Forty-four years after 'We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang' was released, LCD Soundsystem covered it, changing the lyrics “Reagan’s president elect – Fascist god in motion” to “The orange one is president – Fascist god in motion.” Being banned by the BBC is a badge of honour.
Not for me
Shake yo fascist groove thang 👍
these guys were cool enough that i got halfway through the album a second time and didn’t even notice. i supposed that means that no songs were super memorable either but i like to look on the brighter side. i would’ve listened for much longer. pretty damn cool
Okay. Good.
this unfortunately did nothing for me
this album showed me first-hand how white boys appropriated the word groove for their shite music...I was expecting something actually groovy
80s annunciation that is occasionally set to 70s groove
fascist groove thing- 5. i like the bass solo penthouse and pavement- 5 play to win- 5 soul warfare- 5 geisha boys and temple girls- 5 lets all make a bomb- 5 the height of the fighting- 5 song with no name- 5 we're going to live for a long time- 5 groove thing- 5 its funky but boring
I know Heaven 17 primarily by their second album The Luxury Gap, which I owned back then and still think is a brilliant album. I didn't know that Heaven 17 (and B.E.F.) was founded by former Human League members. No wonder some tracks remind me of early HL records. They continued their social and political criticism, and there is currently an astonishingly similar thing going on between the BBC and the US, as when the first single of this album was banned by BBC Radio 1, claiming that the record libeled Ronald Reagan. So, back to the album at hand. I like that synth sound, and it's less New Wave than Post-Punk-Pop-Synth music. A bit edgy and too much relying on the Linn drum machine (which sounds quite weird today, but was the thing back then).
The lyrics are clearly the album’s strongest point, with sarcasm and social commentary being the core of what they wanted to express. Now, if you ask me whether I liked the album, the answer is no. I hated every single second of the synth.
Pretty fun listening, short
I generally like 80s music, but this felt veryyyy produced and synthy. I felt like I got the point by the 3rd song and it just kept going and going
As an electronic dance album from the early 80s is was good but there are better groups and albums out there. “Fascinating Geoove Thang and Penthouse and Pavement were the standouts for me.
Ok that was really pretty great. The song Fascist Groove Thang is amazing and relevant today with all the maga bullshit going on in the usa. The last three songs on the album are a bit less attention grabbing than everything which precedes, but still a great album. 4.2/5 - 4/5
(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang is one of the best opening tracks ever. Everything else is pretty nice synth pop music, but nothing too outstanding to write about.
first listen bleh
Never heard of this band before today. Didn't know what to expect. This album was a lot of fun! A little samey at times but didn't take away from the overall experience. I'd give it a 3.5/5 if I could. I was going back and forth if I should round up or down for my score. Upon a second listen I think I'll round down. Didn't have enough to push it into 4 territory.
very discordant, its listenable, and innovative for its time
See why this is on here but definitely of it’s time
I quite liked this synth heavy 80s album
This is the ultimate eighties style almost like a parody seen from today. The rhythm is robotic as much as it can be. I can't understand how anyone can enjoy this kind of music. But it is really interesting from a historical point of view.
A handful of semi-interesting beats/motifs do not make an album a must listen.
Feels to much like homework trying to get through it in an attempt to listen to all the albums on this list.
Thought I liked this at the start but the more it went on the more annoying it got 2*
Even though all this is really is just over a half hour of pure early 80s British synth-ness, it does grow on you as it goes on. The opening Fascist Groove Thang is a bit disconcerting, but is in no way representative of the rest of the album, which varies from irredeemable synth overload (Play to Win) and genuinely great examples of the sort of sound that you’d expect from this era (Geisha Boys and Temple Girls). I can’t say I particularly like this sort of music, in most cases it just makes me feel a bit ill, for largely unknown reasons. This however was nothing more than a half hour of ‘yeah, it’s alright’.
This far into the project and I just don’t know anymore. Liked a couple of songs. Then I didn’t. Then I just didn’t care. No idea how to write about music that I have no strong opinions about. 2/5
To me, this feels more post-punk than new wave (I can't quite put my finger on what the difference is, but it's there to me). Usually, post-punk bands have to choose between emphasizing the ability to dance to them or being dour, but Heaven 17 here are attempting to do both at once. I don't think it quite works, but it does lead to a post-punk album that doesn't quite feel like any of the countless others I've heard. I do really like the cover; gotta love these ironic representations of corporate life!
The streak of 3/5s continue Pretty solid album with beats that I’m sure were groundbreaking at the time but are pretty standard nowadays Some of the songs would sound great on a DJ set It’s got a little bit of kraftwerk with some super catchy hooks Standouts: Let’s make a bomb, the height of the fighting
Fuck I wish I could have this hour and a half back
Is it nearly finished yet? Lyrics so bad could have been written by Paul McCartney. Soul Warfare is absolutely awful 5 minutes of repetitive shit. Followed by 4 and half minutes of more repetitive shit.
This reminds me of being 7 and messing around on my Yamaha keyboard. Step one: press preset drum Step two: plink three keys. Repeat. Step three: think of a title and sing it over and over. This feels like a pisstake, but you just know it's not. Crap.
I'm leaning towards a 3 with this album. It was an absolute delight with headphones on, and I really enjoy this type of music. I'm not so sure it needed to be included in the list, but it's a happy lil discovery nonetheless
Wasn't aware of this record. It has always been my personal belief that we don't need this fascist groove thang, so it's very reassuring to see this sentiment echoed in popular music. I like the funky "pavement" side (first 4 tracks) a lot more than the second "penthouse" side.
After the first song I thought it was going to be good, it is not. I guess I need to listen to Heaven 1-16 to get the context of it all. I did know of Facist Groove Thang due to the LCD Soundsystem cover they did some years ago. Lets All Make a Bomb also was good, but the rest of the album did not interest me.
holy early 80s, batman!!
Pretty meh on this. Maybe a 2 star, I was hoping more here
абсолютно flavourless альбом. скучный, как будто на коленке школьники замастерили. talentless boring. просто white boys get to record something
Rarely have I heard a more generic sound in my life. Couldn't get through it.
A little less than mediocre. What's this doing on the list?
Just enough off the synth-pop beaten path that this was an interesting album for me. Immediately after I finished it I went back and listened to a few of the songs again. The Height of Frightening crawled into my ear and I had to listen to it a couple more times today. 4/5
Great 80s album