Reviews (page 7 of 8)
Kinda honk shooo thr guitar work is good in some places and the vocals ate really cool but other than that hoooooly is it boring, you can tell this was made in the 70s cuz that midi piano or whatever is soooo bad i legit can't take it seriously
Not a big fan of the lyrics, as much as they were tolerated by the time this was released. Some songs were decent, but the lyrics soured most of them.
Yeah sorry y'all I have absolutely no idea anything about the significance of The Stranglers or their 1977 album Rattus Norvegicus other than this project is weird! This band brings a much more childish and playful feeling to the sound of New Wave that I think I've very much been missing from all the other New Wave projects I have checked out as part of the 1001 albums to hear before you die list. Everything from the dated synths to the very "Prog Rock-like" instrumentation makes this album such a product of its' time but also one that did make me think quite a bit throughout the entire runtime even if I wasn't huge all around. The incel anthem Ugly was by far the worst song here as it was laughably bad with its' very "nice guy" energy seen all across the 4 minute track. Other than that this album is an enjoyable and entertaining ride that does feel a bit poorly aged but also somewhat charming in a cheesy way. I am a bit split on this project but I also wouldn't be upset if I heard it again sometime in the future.
Strange album cover - I'm not sure what to expect from the music. The rustic backdrop makes my mind immediately go to folk, but the leather jackets throw me off. These guys don't look like they're from the deep end of rock, either. I'm hedging my bets on some tepid form of rock/metal. Here goes. Punk rock. New wave. Pub rock. I guess I wasn't wrong in my prediction, though I don't hear these genres. To me, this is some weird hodge podge of punk, hard rock and progressive rock. I wasn't moved by this, though there were some alright bits in here. I appreciate the organ and early synths. A rare organ victory considering that I don't usually like the instrument. It sounds decent here, especially with how it complements the synths. The vocals are a mixed bag with some successes. I liked the jocular spirit. The rest of this album is kind of a dead end, however. The musty, blown out guitars weren't all that inspiring and significantly dragged down the material. The run time is decent, but I'd be lying if I said my investment in this album didn't flat line during the second half. Overall, this was an unengaging, yet tolerable listen. Book time. Recorded in six days and was controversial for its sexist lyrics. Wikipedia says this album was one of the best-selling punk albums in Britain and the frontman of the Cure considers it one of his favourite albums. As far as chart performances go, it peaked at no. 4 in the UK and was the 21st best-selling album of the year. The only other place where the album charted was Australia, reaching no. 82 on the charts. I'm not sure about this pick. It charted well domestically and was liked by critics, but I'm not seeing much in the way of a legacy. I'm appreciative of its standing as a bit of a black sheep in punk, however. If this truly is one of the best-selling punk albums in the UK, then I suppose I'm content with letting this one through. I cosign this inclusion.
Doesn’t do much for me. 2.5/5
I like some Stranglers songs here and there but they remind me of a less funny Dictators. Essential in a historical way, not a band I throw on particularly often. Peaches is pretty great though and they inspired more than a few of my favorite bands. No More Heroes is the better album and then...I don't think I engaged with them past that.
I’m pretty sure I listened to this about five years ago, and listening today, it’s clear I’ll probably listen to it again in five more years and have a distant feeling that I might have listened to it five years before.
Mom, can we get the Clash? No sweetie, we have the Clash at home.
Bit weird for me
At first, I thought this was another band to add to my Arctic Strokes Monkey Killers bunch and was pleasantly surprised that it was not. A much more venerable outfit. Alas, not my thing. Especially when I heard the lyric "we're going to make love until you bleed...". Yuck.
No son uno de mis grupos que más me gusten, de su época prefiero (The Clash, The Undertones o The Jam al margen) a los Buzzcoks, pero hay que reconocerles su valía para distinguirse del Punk ramplón, su larga trayectoria y sobre todo su apertura de miras. Ya incluir teclados les hacía diferentes. Sabían tocar y componer, ademásde tener una base sólida, lo que les permitió sobrevivir. Este debut contiene algunos temas como (Get a) Grip (on yourself), pero otros como Down On The Sewer se me hacen demasiado largos. No está Golden Brown, su canción más conocida, incluida en La Folie de 1981.
1: Get a Grip On Yourself 2: London Lady 3: Ugly
The Stranglers were *everybody's favourite punk band. Because they weren't really punk. They could play! They could sing! They were a proper band! But a bit edgy! Still, because Rattus Norvegicus is by all intents a "punk" album, it suffers the same fate as every "punk" album - trapped in its time with zero longevity. In other words, it's one for the fans. *By "everybody", I mean everybody outside of punk, of course.
Like an annoying version of the Talking Heads
This is pretty dreadful. Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way first: the lyrics. No, they don't hold up in 2026. Are they satire? I'm not sure. Does it matter? Maybe... but even if they *are* satire, it's pretty weak satire. Now onto the music: There are a couple of songs on here that are okay. Most of them are pretty grating, and not in a good way or even an interesting way. The few decent songs on here elevate this album from a 1 to a 2 for me. I've definitely heard worse, but it's not good.
You can’t convince me these guys aren’t serial killers. Anyways terrible voice, god awful lyrics. The only reason it’s not getting a 1 is because the music itself wasn’t bad.
This has got it's own feel to it, slightly grimy. It never really expands on the sound and stays in the same grove for pretty much every track, going from slightly dangerous sounding to safe and comfortable due to the lack of gear change.
This is a peculiar missing link between punk and I guess whatever the opposite of punk is. Obviously a lot more instruments. Didn't annoy me as much as a lot of punk is, but it also didn't give the punk energy. Can't say I would come back to any of this. Weird that this band is still around but good on anyone who can keep doing something for over 50 years.
Completely forgettable, I concede
Sub par. Like a worse Duran Duran
Purtroppo mio secondo approccio deludente ai The stranglers: dopo aver sentito quella chicca mainstream di Golden Brown come una qualunque vrenzola con velleità artistico letterarie su tik tok avevo sperato di rimanere colpita dall'intero album ma non ho trovato proprio niente di quel suono barocco e un po' whimsical. Questo album qua poi non c'entra un cazzo. Purtroppo not my cup of tea
Nothing that exciting. Didn't feel much while listening. A couple decent songs but nothing that crazy stood out to me.
It was fine, but it blends in with ever other album from this genre
Ei oikein jatkoon, lähti ihan vahvasti mutta rupes rönsyilemään pitkin genrejä ku levy jatku. Ei herättänyt juuri ihmeellisiä tunteita, paikoitellen ärsyttävä, paikoitellen ihan menevä.
This is a weird one for me, because I generally like the vocals and what I paid attention to in the lyrics, just the music seemed incredibly cheap and dated. Like it belonged as a soundtrack to an 80's/early 90's video game. It would have worked great there (honestly reminded me of TMNT: Turtles in Time, haha). But as an actual album, it doesn't work for me.
Meah
More punk, not a genre for me.
Better than most punk.
I mean. There was some cool stuff, but really just sounds like generic 70s brit-punk.
A generic rock record that reminded me a little bit of Spinal Tap.
I didnt rate this particularly. I can see how its at the pop end of punk and has a bit more depth to the sound, but it meant it didnt really grab me. It needed to be faster and and angrier, or it needed to have a better singer and some better hooks. And the themes have not aged well
It was okay. I knew one of the songs, you know which one it is.
punk, 1977 -> 2
Really good album, enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting to, amazing blend of genres and styles, fantastic lyricism, I can see why it’s so well regarded
It all sounded the same tbh
This seemed full of unnecessary self importance. It felt like the band felt like the were making something really special and this really was meh at best. It kind of made me angry listening for that reason.
There was not a single track on this album that I actually enjoyed. It never got bad enough that I had to turn it off either. This is a prime example of a 2 star album using my own crude rating method.
Förväntade mig mer faktiskt utifrån att bara ha hört golden Brown innan.. besviken
Very repetitive within each song, featuring a lot of spoke singing.
It’s just not my thing and that’s fine
This band have always been a complicated proposition for true fans of punk. Many of us wanted to applaud their resistance to the ‘stupidity for its own sake’ ethos while at the same time harbouring suspicions about the prog adjacent quality The Stranglers somehow projected. Maybe it was the over complex keyboards and the ever present hints of pretension in the lyrics. Whatever the reason, I just find there isn’t a track I really like on Rattus; none of it feels quite right, either as punk or as not-punk. It’s not that I hate the band - they tended to like people saying that - I’m more just, meh.
12/23/2025. Meh, grungy and glammy and not the fun kind. 4/10
This one was an easy listen but didn’t really do it for me.
It's OK. Some bangers, lots of filler, and the bass/keys combo gets grating after more than a few songs
Listening to the Strangler was like going into a time capsule. The weird part about it is it felt like it was more postpunk than actual pre-punk. The songs were longer, more organized, and more polished than you would find with the classic 1970s band like Sex Pistols or GenerationX, which focused on rare power. I kind of understand why they disappeared in the punk wave coming out of Great Britain. The album itself was a fun. Listen though I’m not sure how often I’d return to it. peaches was quiet risqué for the time, but I guess it was the Sexual Revolution and I thought is was funny that he promotes feminism just se he can get laid. Go Buddy Go was I think my favorite song because it had a punk-JerryLee Lewis feel. I can hear so many later bands in their music. This was definitely strong on historical influence.
No for me
Nothing to write home about
Heard it twice, but still can‘t really make sense of this. Reminds me of The Fall, The Doors and The New York Dolls (and others), but doesn‘t really fit together. Some interesting ideas, but by far not enough for a 50-minutes album.
Coming back to rate this a few days after listening and couldn't tell you anything about it,
Never checked out The Stranglers before. Only knew a few of their songs. Nothing on this record particularly stood out to me. Kinda run of the mill punk with nothing to drag me in. It’s fine
Good name for a band…music not so much.
there are better stranglers albums
Meh.
Why are all these bad albums on one list
I really enjoy the sound of this album so long as I ignored every single lyrics. As is, I feel stupider for having listened to it.
mid punk
Edgy punkish
C'était pas top top topitop quand même
Not really to my tastes. Neat keyboard/organ playing; reminds me of Gene from Bob's Burgers
A silly, quirky listen. I enjoyed the organ, synth organizer, and guitar throughout. The organ added a spooky feel at points, which paired with the album cover, may have been what they were looking for. This album lacked something for me though, I don't know if I would listen to it again.
Not punk enough.
Not bad for punk. But not for me! One song i know
It is fine. I get it could be inspirational for others but I found it hard to enjoy.
No more new wave/punk plz
I'm pretty up and down on this one. At times, I found myself drumming along and getting into the jams, but as the album wore on I found myself getting sort of worn down. Don't get me wrong, some of the songs are really fun: Princess of the Streets with its tasty virtuoso guitar work; Hanging Around with its thick bass; and Sometimes with its kooky 60s organ sounds. But at times even fun instrumentals couldn't make way for some pretty terrible lyrics. Looking at you Peaches (one of the hornier songs I've heard in a while) and Down in the Sewer (a weird ode to life in the sewer). By the end I find myself kind of glad for this one to be over. With that in mind, despite some solid instrumentals I can't see myself ever coming back. While its probably not a fair score, who cares. This falls in at a 2 for me.
Nope. Just nope.
All the songs sounded the same to me. On top of that I feel like there's 1000 other bands that have made music just like this. Nothing stood out nothing was rememberable. If this was the only music I could tune in on the radio, I wouldn't turn it off tho. It's not bad jusr nothing that I would play again.
The music is simplistic and the vocals are gruff / annoying. At least the dude on the cover looks like a very young Jemaine Clement!
Juvenile lyrics. From this vantage point, decades later, the sound often comes across as a bit . . . cartoonish. Like, literally, something sorta “punk” that would play under a cartoon. Did the album really sound fresh in 1977??? Hmm.
Really very few songs stood out here for me, except the one that was a single which sounded like a sea shanty. 2.4/5 - 2/5
Different which is nice but I don't like his voice.
Not bad, just not really my thing
Proto punk, not my jam but nice to have in the catalog for reference
Nope, not good.
This was almost entirely good, goofy, and grouchy. Star deducted for 70s circus organ
Nothing exciting or too terribly horrible
Did NOT know who the Stranglers were, but a couple of decent songs on this on.
Their debut album, containing several god tracks - notably ‘Peaches’. However, the album is very “samey” - one listen is enough. Two stars because its punk credentials.
A bit dated. And simple lyrics.
not my cup of tea punk
Punk rock polka at it's best and Art Rock at its worst. Unfortunately only a few decent songs.
I would call this punk. It's kind of boring rock with a slow something or other. It's not good though
Maybe the Punk album I didn't hate the most so far. Not a high bar.
Okay
I tried to like the Stranglers back in the 80s. Just not my vibe. Mostly just irritating.
Iffy vibes - music style is classic, something that I enjoy - lyrically poor taste. Overall 2, would not listen again
Not for me.
The organ is the best part. I initially was enjoying this, but then the voice got to be pretty annoying to me. Not bad, but nothing special.
Just looking at their photos on the album cover I knew I was in for another British band. As with most other British bands on this list they also failed to impress
meio lixinho, n gostei mt
Had never listened to this before, won't probably listen to it again. Liked Peaches the most.
This was slightly better than I thought it would be. A few decent songs, but the sound wasn’t for me.
alt und nicht mein Fall
I'm feeling Choosy like Susie.
I didn't really like this, to be honest. I mean it certainly has a sound, but it's not a sound I want to spend my time listening to. It's like jangly.
Boring.
A really good sound, but hard to dig it too much when the lyrics are all misogynistic crap.
Not familiar with their work outside of Golden Brown. Album is very post punk, energetic and some new wave weaved in. listenable but not my thing.
Cut rate late 70s punk, done better by so many others. I couldn’t finish my Rattus…
Some was ok, but most was unlistenable for me.
So much rubbish
Just not a fan of early British punk rock tbh
Peaches is a decent tune, couldn't be much bothered with the rest 2*
liked songs: Subtitling your debut album "IV" is hilarious. This is a sort of goofy sort of punk-but-with-keyboard album. It's ok. 2.5
Not much outside of Sometimes, Princess in the Streets and the proggy outro of Down in the Sewer that intrigues, and that's unfortunately a relatively small part of the whole album.
I can see how this album would make an impact around its release, but this is not for me.
Что то я уже устал от этих британских около панк групп
I don’t have any interesting thoughts about this.
Didn't like. Too hardcore for my taste.
I think this albums saving grace was its guitar riffs, I enjoyed those. Everything else was just not my speed.
If I had been born five years sooner I think I would have loved this album. I learned to enjoy the clash, but in general I find punk boring. Weird.
Yet another band I had never heard of…didn’t care for them much, but didn’t hate them either, except for a couple of songs. Won’t listen to it again. Two stars.
There were some good songs, and there were some bad songs. The problem here is the bad songs are much worse than the good songs are good. I wish the singer would pick a style, because sometimes he was unbearable to listen to.
Stranglers never were my thing. This debut album was a far cry from their more successful releases, and it's closer to The Fall or the Pixies, which I don't really like either.
I thought this was just OK. None of it was really bad, but I don’t feel like playing an organ in a punk band (which seems to be their only unique quality) justifies thinking of them as innovative. I never heard any of The Stranglers’ music before this and I doubt I will seek out any of their other work.
no strong opinion
34/1001 I've never really got into The Stranglers in a big way, not exactly sure what it is about them. Listening to this album again for the first time in a long while hasn't really revised my opinion. Great singles band, mind, and they certainly improved into the 1980s, but their debut just feels like a real slog to listen to for me. Peaches aside, everything sounds vary samey and melodically uninspired - all bass-driven and energetic, but somehow lacking the raw edge of punk, and the sophistication of pop. The addition of an organ certainly goes some way to setting them apart from their peers, but the songwriting here rarely makes the most of this novelty. Bands like Magazine, for example, made far more interesting records using similar building blocks. It's ok, not the worst album in the world I suppose, but, nah, there's nothing anywhere near on par with Golden Brown here.
Further proof you cannot judge an album by its cover. I looked at this expecting late 70s punk. And to some extent, they delivered. What I was not expecting was the low rent Doors organ-riff knock offs. There were enough tracks skewing towards the Clash that I would honestly rate this a 2.5. But I’m going to round down that score since I fail to see what about this I absolutely needed to hear.
No. ✌
So much shitter than I thought it would be
Väldigt blandad skiva, både stilistiskt och hur mycket jag uppskattar de olika låtarna. Känner mig inte helt klar med vad jag tycker om helheten, väger någonstans mellan en 2a och en 3a just nu. Får bli en 2a tills vidare.
4/10
I would have appreciated some nice angry 80s punk today but this wasn’t it.
couple decent songs then bleh
Goodbye Toulouse Peaches (Get a) Grip (On Yourself)
2 stars
Peaches // Down In The Sewer
Hmm, another Bowie-like one. Not very musical so hard to assess the talent level of the voices. Too few instruments, sounds cheaply made. 2/5
Jaime 3, Nuria 1-2
Definitely see how this is art punk, listening to it. Album cover and name seem so familiar but I have no idea why. I like what the bass is doing and that you can hear it in the mix. Unusual for punk. Ah Peaches. I know this song. That's why the cover and name are familiar. Good song. Overall the album skews a little too "British New Wave" for me but it's not bad.
Good album, except: Way too long Old mates voice becomes jading Organs Fuck me, give it a rest on the organs cunt, Jesus. I've listened to a few songs off this album that I do really enjoy, but the deep cuts are mid. I'd give this a 3, but given that I'd never revisit this album again it gets a -1.
The most bland, Nothing burger, milquetoast "punk" album ever. 4/10 Fav tracks - Princess of the Streets, Hanging Around
I was put off by the opening line: "Someday I'm going to smack your face". I'm not a fan of overtly violent lyrics like this. From a musicality perspective it was at least listenable. It didn't sound as obnoxious as some other punk I've heard over the months; this acts as salvation from a single star.
Nah. Their referred to as punk but that's not a great descriptor, they're much more varied than that. I'll give them credit for the variation but I wasn't really blown away by their sound. I decided to go back for a second listen and I was bored before the first track Sometimes was over. And that was one I thought I liked the first time around. I gave up after that. Just give me the strange but infectious Golden Brown from one of the 80's releases and I'll be good.
Have never really liked the Stranglers. I think when I was young I read a piece saying they were bell ends so I avoided them. I was looking forward to coming to this fresh and to have my perceptions changed. And whilst they do have some catchy tunes - in particular Peaches - and a strong organ going on - the lyrics / sexism have really dated and killed any enjoyment for me.
So stereotypically "British punk" that it almost sounds like a parody.
Peaches is still a tune, not really digging the rest.
Immediately forgettable
Well .... some good bass, I like the organ, some good tunes, but ... I shouldn't have looked up the lyrics. "Princess Of The Streets" She's gone and left me I don't know why ... I do ...
Fine. Thought Get a Grip was fun
A bit annoying to listen to.
2+ Stars (6/15)
Classic rock but make it worse
Not what I expected and not one to be repeated, I did dive into their 'best of' and enjoyed that a lot. 2 stars.
Compared to other albums that I have listened to on this site, this one doesnt really stand out in any major way, with nothing really to make it memorable.
Peaches is doing a lot of heavy lifting, the rest of the album doesn't really match up in terms of quality and leaves you feeling rather disappointed
I'm not a fan of punk, even punk on the higher-quality end like Rattus Norvegicus. Normally my complaint (about punk) would be that nothing is catchy or played well, though I will give a shoutout to The Stranglers' organ and bass playing, which is pretty fire throughout. The organ makes it feel like something from The Doors. But the band falls apart with the drumming and vocals, which feel uninspired and bland – just enough so that the music fades into the background as repetitive Brit-punky stuff that doesn't engage me. The general positive reception in the other reviews surprises me. I'll grant that the bass and organ particularly stand out in Hanging Around and Peaches – the two best tracks by a significant margin – but most other tracks fall a bit flat for me. Additionally, the band as a whole has this stylistic superiority complex that I'm not a fan of. Between the lines: "My lyrics are sexist and also anti-establishment and also we're cool blokes with leather jackets who like to beat up our fans in the middle of a song." (Weird flex.) That being said, the listening experience wasn't actively bad like some other albums on this list. 2/5 Key tracks: Hanging Around, Peaches
More music I’ve never heard of. Like the cover, hate the glam rock tag. Let’s see how this pans out. I know this is a genre that’s very popular, but I don’t even know the name. Is it early goth rock? Whatever. This song has a cool creepy organ. So that’s cool. The vocals are alright. Punk-y. This is too long and just sort of there. It’s fine. It sounds like novelty halloween music that horrible millennials like. Which is close enough to me to say again that it is indeed, fine. Ooh. Weird intro is good. Driving bass. Good. Ugh. This genre of vocals. Not my thing. I don’t hate this song but the repetition is grating. I find myself annoyed randomly and then realizing the riff has been repeating for minutes. I like the bizarre pulsing mechanical outro. Nicer riff. Let’s see if this repeats for the whole song. Ooh this one is more punk. Less forced deepening of the voice. I like this one. High energy, fun, angry. Hell yeah. DEEEEEEEP is so cringe. Fuck it’s dumb. This song is fine though. All things considered. They’re different. Lyrics are trash, but different is good. The bass tone is so cool on this. Type o negative probably owes a bunch to this. This thing really is hanging around. God it’s hard to talk about. It’s just ok. This track has a fun groove. The lyrics are spellbindingly lame. When you have no ideas for lyrics (or you do and they should’ve stayed confined to the pages of a tattered notebook), why is the music so repetitive. This verges on slam poetry because the music (while good here) is a backdrop. Video game Halloween music. For 1976, this does sound very futuristic. This whole album does. I hate the repetition, but there is a quality about this album that draws me to it. Nothing really to say about ugly. More repetitive proto-goth(??). Organs all over this bad boy. And not in the lyrics!! (pitchfork plz hire me). Yeah it’s fine again. Music is pretty cool. Although there’s just a sense that this thing is just a middling album all the way through. I assume one band member is writing this type of song all the way through. It’s so lame. Come on potentially underage girl, it’s the 70’s. Like why the infantilizing? It sucks. This song is bad. Go buddy go. Taste of psychobilly here. More of a taste of basic instrumentation and lame vocals. This SUCKS. It’s hard to pick out what I like about this album. I think it was an overall decent listen and I was even compelled at point, yet I find myself in the 2 star territory. There was too much cringe and not enough that stuck out as impactful. It’s hard to even muster a highlight list. There really is only one. HIGHLIGHTS: London Lady 2-2.5
Another 70’s album I just can’t get into to.
Underwhelming, annoying at times, forgettable for the most part, sloppy instrumentation, bad vocals. I don’t mind the lyrics and writing, but this could have been easily better. 2/5
Necesario
Turns out we can pretty easily track the whole fucked up racist brexit shit all the way back to the 1970s by looking at what the british were listening to and defining as punk music when star wars came out. Anyway, not a terrible album but the fact that this list puts up mediocre british albums over other more deserving albums of the world kind of puts the whole album in some sort of perspective, right? 2/5
Very boring album, nothing special, couldn't bother listening to all songs
British noises taking place in the background. 4/10
this did not seem to age well. could i write poetry to this? n
The organ is pretty cool. Everything else isn't.
Not for me
Peaches
this was just ok to me. I'd rather listen to talking heads. Maybe I just dont like punk that much?
Not my sound.
Listened Before? N British 70s punk. I found it okay. I don't know why there's so much keyboard in this album, and I don't know why nobody cares how problematic the first song "Sometimes" is from a modern viewpoint but hey... it's punk(ish... I still think its closer to edgy new wave but whatev). I guess it deserves to be here for some reason and Robert Smith listed it as one of his favorite albums so that gives it cred... right? right?? Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Peaches
The early punk bands rebelled against everything, even making good and interesting music. It’s easy when you listen to a band like the sex pistols and you can hear how that eventually became blink-182 but it’s hard to believe that when you listen to this it just sounds like another GarageBand.
They found a rhythm they liked and mostly stuck to it. Im filing this alongside The Kinks as one of those bands where I just don’t get the vibe. I see how they’re important to people but they just give me bad juju. Peaches isn’t as cool as it thinks it is.
Name?
This is what I call theatrical rock. It’s almost circus-like at times with the instrumentation and melodies. Not my favorite but not my least favorite. Likely won’t revisit this though, but at least I now know a group called The Stranglers exists!
It was okay. Was a similar listening experience to The Ramones. If you're into punk it'll be good. If you're not, well, not so much.
Saw them live at reading where they were bottled for the majority of the set. If you know what the bottles contained then you know the analogy I'm going for
naja, schöne Orgel, aber langweilig
Missing any connection to these songs.
The Stranglers: “Hi there, we’re a weird, very English not-punk punk band with horror-themed lyrics and lots of organ!” *Listens skeptically to Rattus Norvegicus, only to hear a weird, very English not-punk punk band with horror-themed lyrics and lots of organ* Me: “I don’t know what I expected here....”
Arvostan bändin omaperäisen haahuilevaa mutta silti napakkaa biisintekotyyliä. Superhittejä levy ei kuitenkaan sisällä, ja sanoitukset ovat kuin 14-vuotiaalta, joka keksii vain väkivaltafantasioita yrittäessään miettiä, minkälaiset lyriikat olisivat mahdollisimman "punk".
Muutama kuunneltava kipale ja loppu kohtuullisen hapokasta, kokemuksena kääntyy negatiivisen puolelle.
Meh
Strange, music is catchy and definitely a lot of familiar vibes in a lot of the songs (not sure if it's them copying others or others copying them as I was totally unfamiliar with the band). Lots of seemingly needlessly graphic lyrics caught me off guard.
Punk rock is definitely not my jam
I was not familiar with the band nor any of the songs. It was pretty unremarkable and relatively short. It was just kind of there.
simply okay
Boring
Bit too b9ring
Someday I’m gonna smack your face! OK, but can you buy me dinner first?
Didn't like it and I didn't really understand why it was on the list but by the end I could hear the influence on bands like IDLES and the like. 2.4 per track.
So strange to listen to. Really filthy lyrics set to almost lounge-y rock.
definitely new to me. Not bad - ok listen. I guess you need a lot of albums to come up with 1,001....
Didn't need all the synths. Sloppy vocals and poor quality recording. Other than that I loved it.
Could not enjoy this. Scrapes a 2.
don't get why people call this punk, its not terrible but not my vibe
Un rollo. Punk - rock- new wave.
I listened to this yesterday and can't remember it. I think it wasn't that bad, but I'll never listen again.
Again- the same thing I’ve been saying. I want something GOOD.
räfsning och röjning. ett mycket intressant samtida brittisk punkalbum från 70-talet. kanske blir det lite partiskhet i recensionen eftersom jag precis lyssnade på Poppis topphits från slutet av 70-talet och jag var så sömnig att även den här typen av musik är bra. sellout bastards, long live punk.... sometiems
Many of the songs sound the same. Not much to it for me.
Un rollo. Punk - rock- new wave.
Un rollo. Punk - rock- new wave.
2/4
The singles are good, but the rest sounded like filler. The Doors via pub rock. A bit too laddish for me, both lyrically and musically. Felt a bit neither one thing or another.
OK what is funnier than Joe Strummer's Mockney accent? Hugh Cornwells grrr I'm such a tough guy voice. Another album where all the songs have very similar instrumentation. Peaches is skin-crawling. Get a Grip is good. It's basically toss though, especially considering the mountain of vital and long lived stuff that was around at the time this is a very poor album.
4/10 - Not great and the songs were screamy in some places which I did not enjoy. Overall it was just slightly worse than ok. I liked the guitar solo at the end of down in the sewer but him saying he wants to like reproduce with sewer rats was crazy to me.
A bit too "punkish" for my taste
Veldig ok- Funky rock ish Ikke veldig imponert Stereotypisk britisk
Eh… alright as a background for gaming maybe? Have to be in the British Invasion punk mood.
Couple of good tracks but wasn't really feeling it
not my cup of tea
Started off alright, then turned into noise.
I think this record would’ve been a lot better without the added keyboard/organ sounds. I think they were trying to go for a Doors-type sound but I just wasn’t feeling it. I guess I prefer some of the more “raw” punk records.
The most recognizable song is Peaches, which is great. But otherwise on OK album from the late 70s.
The first song just made me think of The Doors with some kind of new wave twist. But from there it diverts into kind of a punk flavored garage sound. A lot of these songs are quite long, sometimes to a bothersome extent. Plus, I just wasn’t that into it. I’m not so much of a fan.
Punk but with a bit more melody and experimentation, and some of that new-wave whininess creeping in. 🍑🍑
Kinda bland
It was a bit samey. Didn't love it or want to listen again.
Rattus crapus.
I once owned a CD set called Living in Oblivion that featured “the 80s Greatest Hits” and while there were some bangers, there were just as many bargain bin acts like Belouis Some and Strawberry Switchblade. The single greatest sin though? My introduction to The Stranglers via Get a Grip on Yourself on volume 2 of this CD set. Hard to reconcile a single from 1977 as a “greatest hit from the 80s”. I felt that same disconnect from this album. I LIKED some of the songs, and some of the songs rubbed me the wrong way, akin to hearing a stupid joke about domestic violence. It’ll get a spare star for its sins.
They had a few songs I was bobbing my head to. Peaches I liked! Brit punk. Pretty cool. Kinda kills me to give this a 2 when Alice Cooper got a 3, but it’s not as good as albums we have a 3 to.
First reaction - what the hell am I listening to. The synth is wild, and the vocals are totally off from what I expected. But from the second track on this is very early days of British punk rock. Reminds me of Flogging Molly. Very experimental, and not a huge fan, but I respect it's likely influence on others. If I'd never heard this kind of music before I'd probably love it more. Overall good for music appreciation, but not otherwise not into it.
Pas trop emballée par certaines paroles misogynes; la musique est entraînante, mais me semble un peu générique
1001 British albums you did not need to hear before you die. I have no clue what to rate this, because I hate the shit out of this and it hurts my ears, but is doesn't seem awful for what it is. 3/5 but a 2/5 because I fucking hate it.
Not my style of punk.
Un rollo. Punk - rock- new wave.
Meh, straight ahead rock. Not memorable.
sad to report i did not enjoy
It sounds like if The Door sucked
Punk rock and organ is something I enjoy. However the lyrics didn’t sit well with me.
I'm not really feeling the songs. The compositions are too out there. Still a few decent ones.
Never heard of these guys, but with a name like The Strangles, I was extied to listen to this one. However, the combination of the Clash-iness, loose snare, electric organ, repetition and general Britishness killed the vibe. Finishing this album was a chore.
Started strong, but I was expecting a little harder sound with a name like The Stranglers. Ended up getting a very Doors vibe on some songs with that electric organ. Ended up being more silly than subversive.
No
2/5. The songs do hit and sure there is a nice vibe throughout, but not sure if play again. Some songs I’ll grab and keep, the others can stay where they are. Fun rock but not good enough. Also, the main hit is just kinda gross and did not age well.
I digged the synth vibe of the first music. The rest is ok
One decent song
70s rock overload, not into it today
Just your average new wave-punk-rock album really
Ok album one known song
Probably 2.5...
Why do all of these british punkrock albums sound exactly the same This one a bit better than the other ones so far They have a great synth player 2.5/5
Kind of fun, but also kind of noncey.
I thought I would enjoy this because I thought I liked the stranglers. Turns out I had not really listened to the lyrics as a kid. Pretty gross throughout. Keep the bassist and guitarist. Replace everything else and it would be a good album.
A noisy angry punk album. Didn’t particularly enjoy this one as the lyrics were a bit overly aggressive. The instrumentals were fine, pretty average for a punk album but I don’t particularly enjoy the genre. 4.2/10
Think I went through this one twice by accident as it was on shuffle for some reason. Not really my cup of tea but did enjoy being suprised by Peaches. Spooky lads
I've not heard of this band before today. The music itself is decent but I don't think its something that I would regularly listen to. I can see why people might like this but to me its just not my favorite type of music.
Not a fan
About average
Ich kann mir vorstellen, dass das Album damals ein großes Werk war. Mit heutigen Ohren ist es für mich zu monoton und nervig.
Peñazo. Solo me ha gustado "Goodbye Toulouse", por eso se queda en 2 estrellas y no baja a nivel de huid. Un disco que no considero imprescindible.
Can see how this was a big deal at the time. Punk?
Didn't enjoy this much
a nice mix of punk and new wave. their lyrics were weird at times, but i suppose i couldn't doubt how punk they were. they definitely did open the whole album with the lyric "someday i'm going to smack your face." their songs were quite catchy, which is reminiscent of punk at this time in the late seventies. but all in all, nothing too memorable.
Was fairly boring
I think I’m beginning to learn that 70’s punk is realllll hit and miss with me; and this was a miss
Just not my music
Not my type of music
Best Song: London Lady. Has a stronger punk element than the rest of the album. Worst Song: Ugly. Everything about this song is ugly, from the lyrics to the singer's attempts to sing on rhythm. Overall: Big English oof. Another contender for British band I'd do find to not know about. The fact that this album is included on "1001 albums" is, quite frankly, offensive. There's life outside your borders, goddamnit.
Another forgettable album. Nothing on it memorable in any way.
Meh
Punk que não chamou a atenção o suficiente para deixar alguma lembrança significativa.
Punk rock, but not face melting.
I am someone who is a big fan of music that came out around 1977: The Clash, Talking Heads, Sex Pistols, Iggy Pop, Television, Modern Lovers, Elvis Costello, etc. This album sounds like a parody of a good punk album from the late 70s. At first I thought there were some interesting sounds then I was like "Wait a second, is this song encouraging domestic abuse?" "Wait this song is misogynistic af" Favorite Songs(if any): Peaches, London Lady, Down In the Sewer
2.5. Definitely something I can get into!
Strong start, weak finish
I spent most of the runtime of this album wondering why I disliked it so much. Other than the fact that it feels 10 years too late to hop onto an already over saturated psychedelic scene and is British as hell, it should be fine, right? Then I saw someone in the global reviews mention Ian Dury and it all clicked. Fuck whatever this genre is. 4/10
Ok, but nothing that stands out. ‘Peaches’ tossing curvature references to the wind.
Lyrics were cheeky but boring. Maybe it was edgy but now just seems like that crass, drunk guy in the corner (looking at you Peaches). The constant organ in the background doesn't help. Drab curtains handing over a stage with worn shag carpet underfoot during an okay show. This album's lyrics just feel so heavily dated that they overshadowed the decent hooks.
Ok
noisy noise
Igjen, helt greit, men komme nok ikkje til å høre igjen med det første. Ga heller ikkje et ønske om å høre mer av de. 2/5
70s Pop/Punk with added keyboards. The singing is par for the course for the genre - which doesn't make it particularly good. The album fails to reach me, it's competent for the genre, but nothing I would listen to again. 2/5
Ganz cool aber hat mich auch nicht sonderlich beeindruckt
Wrong kind of energy for me, eh.
Bho, abbastanza noia.
This is what British punk sounds like in the late 1970s? It's not my cup of tea. I liked one song. It's not bad, I just wouldn't listen to it again.
This won't be any good. Yeah, not very good, but not obnoxious. First song was dece, bit doors-ey, then it hit early punk suck territory. This is why I should be able to give ratings out of ten - 2 seems too low, and 3 seems too high. This is exactly what 2.5/5 sounds like.
Like the other post punk albums but worse and more sexist.
Rattus Norvegicus by The Stranglers (1977) As Britpunk yobs who revel in comparing themselves to brown rats (Rattus norvegicus), these Anglo male sense assailants are down on everybody from ugly women to Jews. Misanthropic images and attitudes abound in this cinematic orgy of self loathing, morbidity, lust, and contempt. That about covers the lyrical themes on this album. But the music is well constructed and executed, like a (somewhat spare) combination of The Doors, Yes, Black Sabbath, and Jethro Tull. If you like innovation and compositional intricacy (I do), there’s enough on this record to sustain interest, especially in the bass lines, keyboard colorings, and (even!) backing vocals. If there is such a thing as prog punk, this is it. The Stranglers nicely sum up the Good, the True, and the Beautiful in the delightful song “Ugly”: “Don't tell me that aesthetics are subjective; you know all the truth when you see it, whatever it is.” Heavy, man, but sheesh! And wrapping up the symphonic closing track, we hear the most fittingly malodorous ending ever: “See you in the sewer”. 2/5
Interesting first exposure the genre but a bit redundant.
Some songs were decent, overall not my style.
Peaches is decent but other than that this is a very meh, samey-sounding album to me
There are some decent instrumentals, but the lyrics are pretty rough. I think 'pub rock' sums it up pretty well, sounds like listening to that one geezer down the pub who won't shut up
Not for me.
Sometimes and Peaches are highlights of this punk meets new wave selection. As is often the case with punk, I found the music too repetitive but it was interesting listening.
2/5 naaah
was ok, not my fave
I'm not joking, yesterday I watched the digital short on Disney Plus about Ratattoullie and they talked about the Norwegian Rat and that it actually came from China. Pretty wild that that is the title of this album today. Now I need to think about lottery numbers. There is a song on here called down in the sewers that has some good rat music on it but the rest of the album was mediocre. I'm sick of these albums, especially the ones where the cover and name are so cool and the music is just bland and british
Decent album, minus a star for some shitty lyrics.
Sounded like Spinal Tap at times, but without the guitar solos. Surfy rock with some punk vibes at times. Pretty meh.
not a big fan
Right out of the gate with Sometimes I got a good cross between Billy Idol and Wall Of Voodoo. Rockabilly punk with overt brit accent. Actually varied and fun.
Wasn't a vibe. Says punk, but very plucky
I don't think I've every heard anything from or about The Stranglers. "(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)", and "Hanging Around" hinted at giving the band a second chance for a follow up listen, but it only felt like a hint. There were some tracks that I definitely didn't like. Another entry, where I'd like to know why they're on the 1,001. There probably is a reason, but it wasn't apparent from my first listen.
Prefer their more melodic numbers, this one was a bit too punky for my liking.
Not bad
I feel a little ashamed rating an album without at least giving it the decency of listening to its entire content. I then feel even more guilty for only giving it 2 stars. Alas, I am willing to wager $10million my review would still be the same even if I did force myself to endure the remaining three songs. I’m not entirely sure who actually listened to this album back in 1977 (or anytime since) let alone be voted into the best 1001 release of all time. I found it quite a hard listen even while at the same time acknowledging not all music will be to my taste. I get art and avant-garde but this is neither...it’s just songs made up of irritating vocals/lyrics repeated over boring up-tempo elevator music.
Better than I thought!
Niet slecht, ook niet heel boeiend. Wel geweldig bas geluid. Dat dan weer wel.
Eerste paar nummers waren best aardig maar daarna begon het me toch wat tegen te staan.
Just okay. Nothing to really go nuts over. Likely won’t listen again.
Only the one song I enjoyed on this album (Peaches), the rest were below average.
2/5
2.7 - Fun and cheeky but not special enough to warrant more than the single listen.
Psssh. Estilo entre el post punk y el pre new wave que no dice nada. canciones sin sangre
Reminded me too much of The Doors
Kind of dreary and generic rock. Punkish?
maybe if I heard it then