Reviews (page 2 of 8)
Take note the actual album is only the first 10 tracks and runs 36 minutes. The extra 2 hours is tacked on extras.
Perverted psychedelic pub punk that is also incidentally perfect pop!
Boring. And over two hours.
Really delighted to see this on the list! A very underrated punk/pop punk/post punk band just around for a minute before its members went on to do different things (the guitarist from Katrina in the Waves is in this band!!)! Just a solid half hour of great tunes!
Syd Barrett’s English psychedelia, the jangle of the Byrds and the crunch of punk all held together in a slightly chaotic way. Songs nearly fall apart but the musicianship and the sheer quality of the songs holds it together. It works best on actual songs like the title track and tonight but even the looser jammier stuff holds your attention
Never heard of these guys. Cool stuff.
why is this album 2 and a half hours long :( about halfway through and im enjoying it so far. idk if its bc im not listening close enough but their vocals kinda sound like the beatles in some songs. actually nvm NOW im halfway through.... theres so many british rock bands in this list holy. omg finally done...the more i listened to this album the more i didnt like it. I enjoyed it at the start but about halfway through i started to get sick of it. Also the closer i listened to it the more i didnt like it either. I feel like it doesn't really stand out from any of the other british rock stuff ive listened to. The cover of the album is pretty tho and im sure there are some songs i would like if i listened to it more but i don't want to listen to this album again and hear I CAN BE YOUR SMOOTHIE (i think thats what it was saying). If it was just like the first 12 songs i wouldve given it a 3/5 but now im giving it a 1.78/5.
40 tracks of self indulgent toss
not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue
This didn't really do much for me. The music is fine, lyrics are okayish, vocals are fine. Nothing really outstanding, and dear lord there's a lot of it.
Kinda forgettable. Maybe it's because we've already had a bunch of British/UK rock bands from the 80s already. There was some fun noise but very short-lived. Favorite(s): Insanely Jealous Old pervert Least: I wanna destroy you 2/5
Fav: The Queen of Eyes L: I Wanna Destroy You 2.5 To start, I only listened to the 40 min original version. The album mostly just reminded me of music I like better that came out before this. It feels unpolished and like it was dated when it came out. That being said the songs do feel distinct from each other and have their own things going on which is nice. I think some talented and creative people could make some great covers of some of these songs but the sound here just doesn’t work for me.
This sounds a lot like the byrds. Queen of eyes is a track that made me do a double take on the artist. And the byrds are basically a bob dylan cover band in the style of the beatles. I accidentally listened to a decent chunk of the super long version. Just not very unique. W: empty girl, insanely jealous, you'll have to go sideways, old pervert L: underwater moonlight, he's a reptile, where are the prawns, weh weh hep uh hole, rock n roll toilet 2/5
Echt überraschend gut. Anscheinend die Influence für ne ganze musikalische Bewegung in den 80‘ern und danach, obwohl der Genre am aussterben war.
Pretty good! Pretty good. Yeah decent
This wasn’t bad. Need to listen another time or two. Like a lot of comments say - it’s like the Byrds but 80s.
Man what a weird and singular and chaotic mess of perfection. Where did these songs come from?!!? I saw them Play this on the reunion tour and it was excellent. So different than the more mature yet quirky Hitchcock I was familiar with growing up.
Well this is weird. I was in peak reception mode in 1980, this is my sort of thing, but I've never heard of these guys. Although I'm vaguely aware of Robyn Hitchcock. Anyway, a mere 46 years later, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Robyn Hitchcock deserves more entries. He’s unique, and I don’t diminish him by saying he’s Syd Barrett crossed with the Velvet Underground crossed with a biology survey course. Queen of Eyes doesn’t sound like a Beatles song, it sounds like it actually is a Beatles song. If you like this album and RH is new to you: Gotta Let This Hen Out, Black Snake Diamond Role, Fegmania, I Often Dream of Trains.
Interesting album. A bit of an experimental power pop album I would say. Some nice albums. 1. Queen of Eyes 2. I Wanna Destroy You 3. Insanely Jealous of You
What a great find! Jangling power punk with great pop sense. Can totally see why this is considered an important album.
The soft boys do not, in fact, go hard
80s post-punk/wave stuff. The usual. Except. This one is actually grand.
Particular props for the joyous riff and the lyric ‘I would ramble all through time and space, just to have a butcher’s at your face’ on track 2.
I like this a lot, but I rarely ever go back to it. Robyn Hitchcock has had a long and diverse career worth diving into beyond this album though, so by all means keep going from here.
Awful. Listen to VU and you will know what they are trying to sound like
This was a unique case where although this album was just ok, I understand why it was included on this list. It's clear to see how this album was ahead of its time; you can hear the shades of REM in some of the tracks. Interesting how it initially failed commercially, then was lauded retrospectively.
This is exactly what the 1001 Albums list should be all about. Albums that may have missed commercially but have an outsized impact on the music that followed. Helping to fill in the cultural foundation and build that greater understanding of the roots. Plus it was a fun listen with great quirky lyrics and musicianship. My review only covers the first 10 tracks of the actual album and not the 30 "bonus" tracks that were included in the Spotify release. 5 for belonging here, only a 4 because let's be honest, despite how much I love this and Robyh Hitchcock in general, this album has some troubles.
I know what you're going to say: "but Rens this is an 80's album how could you rate it so high???" WELL CAUSE IT DOESN'T FUCKING SOUND LIKE THE 80's THAT'S WHY!!! Of course it is 1980, so I suppose the 80's music hadn't really started yet. I feel there are so many 60's and 70's elements here, the production is good, with the instruments soundig great and the layered vocals are top notch. There's a hint of surf rock, jingle pop, psychedlic rock and combined with more post-punk lyrics this just makes for a great record. I can see why so many big artists who did listen to this at the time got inspired and became something themselves. It's crazy to think this album was pretty much ignored on release. I liked it a lot, I may even find myself returning to it at some point, and I definetely feel I should've listened to it before I die. Finally, the website gave us something worthy!!
Diría que es de los más infravalorado. Varios toques de canciones más populares de la época incluido con una mezcla de géneros que lo convierte. en una experiencia a oir.
A very interesting and enjoyable listen. A talented foursome led by Robyn Hitchcock. Some really cool songs and they were quite the influencers. Out of this group spawned Katrina n The Waves plus Hitchcock n the Egyptians.
Here's a tip: listen to the remastered version—it has 10 songs, just like the original, unlike the 2-hour one.
fine
Another stop on the "every British group is on this list" avenue. Not terrible, but not mandatory listening.
> New day, new album > Styles: New Wave, Post Punk, Alternative Rock Yay, what a surprise. Bonus star for the epic sitar on the third track.
Meh
Yawn
I had never heard of this lot before but very enjoyable early 80s post punk indie.
Actually it was okay for long it is. Little weird which was fine but it better than just background music a couple of songs were a vibe.
Poppy music with weird lyrics. I liked it! I added “Positive Vibrations” to my playlist.
Kingdom of Love Positive Vibrations
I Wanna Destroy You I Got the Hots Queen of Eyes
Verkligen inget speciellt
I liked "Positive Vibrations" and that's it.
Another totally fine rock album. Polite, competent, occasionally beset by a good idea. Well produced and performed. I really can’t complain about it, but I don’t know if I needed to hear this before I died. I guess I can hear its influence on bands like R.E.M.? I like the heavy use of harmony with the punk-lite instrumentation, but I don’t think I’ll be chomping at the bit to revisit this.
It was okay but nothing to write home about. Not something I will go back to.
WAY TOO LONG But the music was pretty good
Highs and lows, with jangly tracks filled with great harmonies, and then other ones with weak, pitchy vocals
There's a reason I haven't heard of these guys.
I Wanna Destroy [This Album]
Pretty good punk, solid 3
The Soft Boys – Underwater Moonlight (1980) On Day 220, I found a decent album that really sounded like psychedelic rock and soft rock had a baby. The overall production capability carried a strong Beatles and Pink Floyd inspiration, making for a really enjoyable session with multiple great joints. "I Wanna Destroy You" was an absolute slapper right out of the gate. Beyond the opener, I ended up enjoying a heavy stack of tracks across the session, including "Kingdom of Love," "Positive Vibrations," "Tonight," "You'll Have to Go Sideways," "Old Pervert," and "Underwater Moonlight." A solid, groovy, and melodic 80s psych-rock discovery.
A fine 80s band attempting their best update of 60s bands. But honestly, I'd prefer to listen to the Who themselves. 3/5
Trodde på punk men det blev en ok poprock skiva. Lite som Fountains of wayne. Vill ge 3,5 men det får bli 3 av 5.
This was ok. This came off as sort of one note to me.
oke :p
So surprising, added a few songs to a few different playlists I have.
Wednesday, 30 July, 2026 Great album! I’ve never heard of this band before, so this was a surprising gem!
So I started off thinking this is great and really enjoying it but then it just kept going and going and going. It wasn't bad but it just went to long, I needed to stop and get a palate cleanser to mix it up. But the middle was Wey Wey Hep and Prawns, weird but a new level of weird so just too much. They by Leave Me Alone it was just a waste of time so much so I wanted them to Leave Me Alone. I feel like this is the early days of Twitter when people just posted about nothing and nobody really cared. The Soft Boys just all thought we cared after 20 songs so they would just make 20 more songs that said nothing
I think I could like this more if I spent more time with it. 3 after a first pass but it intrigued me.
PSA: The original album only has ten tracks. This will save you about two hours of listening to mediocre Brit Pop songs. Favorite Track: "Insanely Jealous".
Really good poppy post-punk album, with a decent sense of humour.
Original album is pretty good, The Byrds + punk rock. Who knew?
Yeah, fair enough.
I dug this! I Wanna Destroy You is a great pseudo-punk tune. Will give this more listens.
That's a whole lotta songs. But it's good.
What a pleasant surprise! At first I was caught off guard when I saw there were 40 tracks on the online album, but it includes everything from the original cd, so I listened to the main album 10 ones. Mostly when I read this band’s cut short story but how it got to influence REM, I said I need to listen to this, and after both of these bands I didn’t even know psychedelic rock. Favourite songs: I Got The Hots, Kingdom of Love, Insanely Jealous of You and maybe the first one. Maybe later I will listen to all 40 tracks.
This is some very average Brit rock.
This is the kind of music only enjoyed by music dorks that think they know more than you do
Again, it was alright……. Can we please get some better genres I don’t wanna hear this BS pop rock shit. I didn’t mind some parts of I Got the Hots, got quite a funky rad vibe I like those kinds of songs where they’re almost talking.
It’s aight, nothing really stood out to me though
71
2/3
Really like this move to make 70s-ass power pop but with a post-punk strip back to something a bit messier and looser, but of course I would, because every observation going “so this is clearly an influence on 80s alt bands like R.E.M.” is right and I love those bands. I could honestly take or leave some of the vocals and songwriting - Hitchcock’s vocal style isn’t totally my bag and I don’t care that much about the neo-psychedelia absurdity all that much - but small biscuits if the songs sound good.
first ten songs were pretty good, dragged on a lot though for the other 30
Surprisingly brilliant. The guitar tones are amazing, the percussion is interesting. I don't really care for the vocals but appreciate that's just the style. Some really good tracks in there. I was going to say this massively overstayed it's welcome as the YouTube music link has 40 tracks at 2.5 hours. However, on digging I realise it ends just about at the perfect place. 4 stars
Absolutely loved this! Lyrics are delightfully odd and the music is a compelling mix of musical threads and genres that I enjoy but can find overwhelming on their own. Really grateful to this project for introducing this album to me! Standout Tracks: I Wanna Destroy You, Kingdom of Love, Positive Vibrations, Insanely Jealous of You Rating: 4.5 (half point knocked off for I Got the Hots)
These guys would have killed it on Cartoon Network Groovies
A totally new discovery for me and I thought it was excellent. Highlights I Wanna Destroy You, Insanely Jealous of You and Tonight and Queen of Eyes. Its going into my saved album list. Great blast of punky power pop.
Underwater Moonlight I absolutely love this album cover, from the fonts to the photographic style to the creepy mannequins. And the quality of music is just as good as the cover, as this is an excellent early 80s post punk album with a kind of psychedelic Velvet Underground feel, a bit of jangle pop and some great harmonies, not feeling a million miles away from Big Star. Underneath the punkish sneer of I Wanna Destroy lies a power-pop chassis and it's a great opener. Kingdom of Love has a garage rock feel in the vein of Modern Lovers and a bit of Television in its country-esque guitars. Great lyric too. Positive Vibrations is the only song that didn’t really leave much of an impression, but it's still a fun track. I Got the Hots has a nice bluesiness, a slight Hendrix feel to the drum and bass pattern and I love Insanely Jealous of You, a wiry groove with some Neil-esque guitar and a fraught spoken word urgency. Tonight is a great Big Star/Velvet Underground/Television crossover with a great, catchy chorus. I love the 60s synth noises on You’ll Have to Go Sideways, feeling a bit like the theremin on Good Vibrations over a great motorik groove. Old Pervert is another great track, with a little bit of Bo Diddley in its dogged groove allied to scratchy post-punk guitars. Queen of Eyes is a lovely bit of power pop, recalling the Byrds and presaging REM in its jangliness, with an excellent chorus. Underwater Moonlight is also superb, some excellent guitars and another great drum and bass groove, again with an excellent chorus. I liked this straightaway but it grew on me a lot over repeat listens. Positive Vibrations is by no means a bad track but really its the only dip among the excellence around it. I was aware of the Soft Boys name but had never listened to them before so this is a great discovery, and I enjoyed it so much it nudges to a 5. 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔 Playlist submission: Underwater Moonlight
This is like a bridge between The Small Faces and The Psychedelic Furs, no more so than 'I Wanna Destroy You' which has elements of 60s rock with 80s post-punk (and seems a template for 'Pretty in Pink'). Where the album really excels is when it takes a turn down a dark alley - 'I Got the Hots'; a dark riff driven from the lower guitar strings (surely the Arctic Monkeys were listening). Then there's the Modern Lovers/Stranglers feel of the excellent 'You'll Have to go Sideways' afforded atmosphere by Krautock synth. And 'Kingdom of Love' has a superb guitar lick against an amazing rock n roll bassline, and simmering vocal. The perfect marriage of garage rock and dark undercurrents. There is filler amongst it by the standards of the excellent first third ('Insanely Jealous of You'; 'Tonight'; 'Old Pervert'). An album of great garage-rock, meets dark angular riffing, meets melody, with a couple of lulls.
Es ist ein schillerndes, leicht verwirrtes Stück Gitarren-Avant-Pop, das zwischen Psychedelic, Post-Punk und schrägem Jangle-Rock hin- und herspringt. Die Soft Boys klingen gleichzeitig verspielt und bissig, oft brillant in ihren Ideen, aber nicht immer fokussiert. Viele Songs haben großartige Hooks, doch die Mischung aus Nervosität, Ironie und Experimentierlust führt dazu, dass das Album eher fasziniert als wirklich packt.
The music was okay but 2 1/2 hours is way too long for one album.
Decent
This was really cool, but at 40 songs was quite the feat to listen to. I pretended I was listening to a live concert. A really great concert way ahead of it's time.
Hat seine Momente, überzeugt mich aber nicht auf ganzer Linie.
Das hat mich irgendwie aggressiv gemacht.
It seems strange to me that I've never heard this album before. I have heard Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians, Katrina and the Waves, and Thompson Twins — probably in exactly the opposite order — which are the bands that members of The Soft Boys went on to be involved in after they broke up. But I never connected any of those groups before.
très cool 3.5+/5
Yep, this is just "the Byrds but later". Psychedelia after the craze had come and gone a decade prior. And these boys have the guts to act surprised when its commercial performance was pretty poor. People aren't as moved by music that doesn't push boundaries. The production here is also pretty sloppy, especially in the drums, which sound like they were recorded in a cardboard box. Compare this to Steely Dan's Gaucho, an absolute masterpiece of production value that released the same year. The number of perfect professional ratings on Underwater Moonlight is pretty staggering. You give music like this a 5- or 4.5-star review, and then turn around and give Muse's incredible new album The Wow! Signal a measly 2 stars? For shame. I Wanna Destroy You starts off the album catchily enough. Not a big fan of the messy vocal interaction – that was a fad for a few years in the early 60s, before musicians (correctly) realised it sounded bad. Fortunately, Kingdom of Love presents a pretty solid turn into punk territory, and the guitar part features some great melodies. I'll allow Positive Vibrations even if it's kind of an extended (and disconnected) outro for I Wanna Destroy You. I Got the Hots... wow. Who let the blues into the room? Great groove. Great riff. Absolutely godawful vocal performance – so jarringly bad when it comes in that I had to pause the song to take a breather. At least it's followed by the relatively solid Insanely Jealous of You, featuring a mildly improved vocal performance (Bowiesque) and a good build-up in the instrumental. Side 2 begins with Tonight, which is pretty unremarkable apart from the explosion of energy in the last minute or so. Disappointing to end with a board fade instead of having a solid ending. It suggests low effort on either the band's or the production team's part. You'll Have to Go Sideways uses a 7/4 time signature and again features this slowly rising tension that never really goes anywhere. At least this time, the song ends instead of fading out. Old Pervert is absolute hogwash. The only interesting element is the cowbell. Everything else is messy and completely forgettable. At least Queen of Eyes continues the album on a decent note, even if the sound has somewhat regressed back into Byrdian (Avian?) territory. Finally, we have the finale/title track. Some cool trilled notes on various instruments (synth and strings, I think) in the background, and one of Hitchcock's strongest vocal performances to date. 3/5 Key tracks: I Wanna Destroy You, Kingdom of Love, Underwater Moonlight
This didn't do it for me. The music was sometimes OK, the lyrics totally off the wall. Because of the two-hour-plus length of the Spotify version, I finished the second volume the next day while mowing the lawn. Sometimes with unfamiliar music, it's instructive for me to listen to the suggested songs that follow on Spotify. Here's what I got: Fa ce-La by The Feelies Mannequin by Wire See No Evil by Television What We All Want by Gang of Four That's When I Reach for My Revolver by Mission of Burma Include Me Out by Young Marble Giants Three Girl Rhumba by Wire The Boy With the Perpetual Nervousness by The Feelies Found That Essence Rare by Gang of Four Roadrunner (Alternative Version) by The Modern Lovers It's only because of this list that I had heard any of these songs (Roadrunner and Three Girl Rhumba, FWIW), but all it did was help to nail down this album as Brit punk. I won't be coming back.
Some noisy, lo-fi rock. Has some psych, experimental elements to it and good compositions. I dig how deranged and directionless it can sound, but still comes together. This one is alright.
I don't think this project has necessarily uncovered many gems for me (mostly "yep, agree, that's a classic" or "huh, interesting, I don't think I would have listened to this before) but this is absolutely lovely. 60s harmonies combined with early 80s power pop / post-punk. Thanks 1001 albums project (and thanks to the reviewer below who pointed out there was a 10 song version available)
I didn't know this band. Some good tunes. Good album overall.
Ideal to drive to the gym listen to it and drive back. Aside it’s pretty good music
Det va overraskanes gøy, egentlig? Ikke kjempespenannes, for all del, men ikke så verst selskap på gåturen hjem en lørdag.
No miro nada relevante en este álbum, más que probablemente haya sido influyente
Fun listen once I find the album that was not two hours long. Sounds like someone finding their voice after listening to the kinks and other 70s albums. 6/10 Top song Queen of eyes
Don't have much to say on this one, honestly. 3.5 bumped up to 4.
I’m at a 5. It took me until the final track to realize what this album is trying to be (at least in my mind) – this is a slightly psychotic twist on the beach rock albums of the 1960s. Yes, the soundscape here is sort of a poppier psych-rock / punk hybrid that feels well ahead of pace at points, & it is the key reason why this album is as good as it is, but something about the mildly perverse & off-kilter lyrics really help to sell the vibe. “I Wanna Destroy You” is the perfect type of poppy threatening track to kick things off, and “Kingdom of Love” has weird analogies throughout that just leave a kind of sliminess to everything. “Positive Vibrations” drops the pretense of peace through unity pretty quickly & goes right into peace via military strength. "I Got The Hots” feels like an anti-love love track, both “Insanely Jealous” & “Tonight” come across as stalker-y in a compelling way, & “Underwater Moonlight” feels like a direct riff on the idea of beaches as fun safe spots for people to hang out in. That moonlight is not as freeing as it sounds, at least to me. Just look at that cover art again; those are the statues that replaced the two lovers on the title track. They’re weird. This whole album is weird, in a good way. The lyricism enhances the soundscape, and since both are played totally straight, it takes a bit to gather the ‘deconstruction of the 60s’ vibe this album is trying to give off, since it plays as homage for most of the album. We love to think of the ‘60s, at least musically, as a love-friendly utopia of sorts, and yet this album takes those values and tries to retain them musically while still expressing the more complex realities of the era. I’m glad it’s played straight, as the instrumentals here really are the highlight. The bass, acoustics, percussion – hell, even the sitar on “Positive Vibrations” – all of it works well together, and each instrumental feels befitting of their titles & the lyrics. Yes, this includes “Old Pervert”, which is just so out there instrumentally to the point of feeling like it could fall apart at any second, that it just kind of makes the track & the freaky character under the bridge work with how hard they sell it. The commitment to playing it musically straight is what makes the album work; it’s the equivalent of watching a great parody movie to the point where you don’t realize it’s a parody. For me, it’s a 5 – there’s just something appealing to it in both ways that really worked for me, and while a few tracks do have a bit of repetition to them, it’s a mostly breezy 36 minutes that feel worthwhile to listen to. I think the floor is a 3 if the lyricism just doesn’t click / appeal, but I think this album more than holds its own otherwise. I’m glad it’s on the list. P.S.: If nothing else, I’m glad I can tell people the person who wrote “Walking on Sunshine” also wrote a song called “Old Pervert” years prior. That’s a real fact.
Had no idea this band even existed. But listening to them you can hear the obvious connections to the Pixies and (sometimes) REM and other bands that were supposedly influenced by them. Not all the songs work, but there are a lot of songs so plenty to enjoy here.
I would have enjoyed this a lot more if it was 1/3rd of the length. As it was, 2hrs 27 minutes was one long slog. Some decent stuff in amongst the 40 tracks but just way too much filler. 2.5/5
3/5
Very cool album Standout songs: I Wanna Destroy You Positive Vibrations Youll have to go Sideways
Too bloated
love the guitar used through the album, the use of reverb and multiple additions onto the songs and especially the lead vocalists voice is cool especially for the time but it feels slightly outdated but maybe I've been spoiled by similar sounding bands from recent times
Great!
It‘s not bad but why is it so long?
Such a great album and not even my favorite Robyn Hitchcock, it's more of a proto-album for what he would do with The Egyptians era. This is probably a 4 for me, but since there is no other Hitchcock on this list (I don't think) I'm jacking to a 5. Also, if you like this, check out The Soft Boys reunion album Nextdoorland which is brilliant.
Come on wtf is this
Loved this new wave album. I’m surprised I never heard it but it was completely new to me, despite its 1980 release date.
Probably a 4 if it weren't so incredibly long
Most of the music was just okay for me. I didn't hate it but none of the songs really stood out either. I guess if I had to choose, I would pick, "I Wanna Er (Extract)" only because it was a little different from the others. This is not an album I plan on looking to hear the songs again, plus it was a really looooong album with its 40 songs. I was just glad that most of the songs were less than 5 minutes long because if the songs were longer then this album would have become interminable.
Harmless, but it's probably obscure for a reason.
Les Beatles en beaucoup moins bien, il y a de meilleurs albums à mettre dans cette liste.
Enjoyable new discovery. You can see this album as the throughline of quirky British alternative joining The Kinks to XTC. I didn’t realise this was where Robyn Hitchcock started out but it’s very obvious. It probably lies between a four and a five for me but I’ll round it up to remind myself for future listens
Never heard of it or them, never even came across it in The Book. So to my complete pleasure I have discovered a gem. Great album, love a bit of psych anyway so right up street. Listened to it twice already!
It’s fine I guess this project is getting stale I think
not a bad album, I would probably listen to it again if someone else played it but I would not look for it to play it. It is a typical alt-rock type of music
I don't know what to say. I guess if you don't have anything positive to say, don't say anything at all. I don't have anything negative to say either though. So here is my review with nothing to say: .
The Soft Boys Notable Textzeile: When you're older looking around You will hear a familiar sound I'll be gone but I'll still be around, tonight Es hätte so viele Textzeilen gegeben. Wow. Ich hatte von euch hier schon große Lobeshymnen gelesen und was soll ich sagen. Ich hab mir die 2 Stunden und 27 Minuten komplett gegeben. Und auch hinten raus (Anspieltipp: There’s Nobody like you) trifft das voll und ganz meinen Geschmack. Musikalisch nicht zu repetitiv, aber mit klarem Stil, nicht kompliziert aber auch nicht absolut stumpf. Und lustige, aber nicht komplett blöde Texte, unaufdringliche Stimme. Top Entdeckung!
Kannte das aus meinem Spotify Algorithmus und habe das Album tatsächlich vor nem halben Jahr mal gehört. Das klingt wie die Kinks für die 80er, wie die britischen Buzzcocks, nur surrealer und noch lustiger. Gefällt mir alles sehr gut und ich bin ganz begeistert. Kurz, absurd, Melodien- und Fuzzreichtum. Poptamin!
Zu allererst: 2 Stunden, 27 Minuten. Ihr habt sie doch nicht mehr alle. Ich habs dann mal auf die 10 Originaltracks ohne Re-Issue-Songs beschränkt. Das muss ja echt nicht sein. Nicht weil's kacke klingt sondern weil ich mir die wirklich guten, abgerockten, Lofi-igen, lässigen Songs nicht durch more and more of the same kaputt machen wollte. Wirkt irgendwie nicht wie 1980. Klingt teilweise wie mid-60s und dann wieder wie late-80s. Schöne Entdeckung.
The album cover is amazing. The album was OK - I was worried it would be bad 80's music, but I was happy with it. I'll say 3 to 3.5 - but will stick with a 3.
No thanks
Nothing special, nothing awful.
This is pretty good and the cover looks like something that could have just been released by some new indie band. The music is good, but I don't really hear anything to make it noteworthy. Having said that it got better as it went on. Nothing against it and a few of the songs are really good, but don't feel the need to hunt down a copy
You can see where Radiohead might get some influences from, liked the sound of this a lot!
3 - decent
It was fine
Another one of those albums that are all right, but feel out of place on this list. Enjoyable, but nothing special.
Decent.
SHIT!
More britpop? Sure!
Hørte lidt, og det var fedt! - Hørte det færdigt, og det var fint.
Der er noget fedt post-punket over dele af lydbilledet. Men det bliver for ofte lidt for pænt og poppet, særligt i vokalen.
2 plus hours of British psych rock. You must be out of your freaking mind. There is no way I’m wasting my morning on this shit. 5 songs in and I was like not a chance bruh
Hitchcockian. Wonderful power pop stuff and incredible sound from this slept on British band.
Super fun. Reminds me of the replacements which I read were big time influenced by these guys. Some great chunes. Feeling a 3.5 since there weren’t any like crazy standout songs to me, and emotionally I’m not crazy moved. But it’s fun stuff.
Just slash off the last half of the album
It’s not bad, I liked the faster power pop punk style stuff. Some of it was like The Stranglers just not as good.
Robyn hitchcock why are u following me?
In a nutshell: going sideways. The only thing going for Underwater Moonlight is that you can connect the dots between The Soft Boys and R.E.M, Pixies and future jangle pop acts. Synth-pop and post punk was "in". This kind of music was not really hip in 1980. Overall: 2/10
This was a pretty solid album, couple of really decent tracks and not much filler. Jangly rock, hints of the Kinks etc. decent!
stopping before the bonus tracks... 3
Doesn't live long in the memory.
I'm not a punk fan. It was okay.
Recorded in 1980s this ain't no Viagra Boys. Can hear the bridge between the 60s and 70s to the college radio music of the 80s. Better than expected. I liked it actually even if a bit quirky.
This reminded me of some later alt rock to come out in the later 80s and even into the 90s. I felt like I could hear bits of REM and Oasis on certain tracks.
очень позитивные и предсказуемые ребята
I heard it like an early version of pop/punk rock. Very interesting album, almost conceptual, to listen from beginning to end. It's the first time I heard of them and love the singer already.
A few duds notwithstanding, this is a real scorcher. I didn't realize it was Robyn Hitchcock until looking up the band several listens in! This is a quite a dynamic record that doesn't fully mesh with my conception of him (which in large part comes from his appearance in Jonathan Demme's Rachel Getting Married). This is R.E.M. and Guided by Voices and the Pixies, in 1980. Contemporaneously, it's probably just The Feelies operating on this level, particularly a song like Positive Vibrations. I especially love Queen of Eyes, in which Hitchcock sounds exactly like the great Bob Pollard. The songs that are less melody-forward hold the record back a bit. I feel like I need to take a shower after listening to a song called Old Pervert by a band called The Soft Boys - yuck! I've Got the Hots, what a lousy song.
Feels like an amorphous blob of what was coming out at the time which unfortunately makes it nothing exceptional and instead making me want to listen to other albums that sound similar instead.
I went into Underwater Moonlight by The Soft Boys with almost no expectations. Between the band name, album title, and artwork, I honestly wasn’t expecting much, but “I Wanna Destroy You” immediately proved me wrong. It’s the kind of discovery that makes working through album lists worthwhile—a funny, bouncy indie rock song that sounds years ahead of its 1980 release, closer to R.E.M., The Stone Roses, and the alternative pop that would flourish a decade later. What impressed me most was how unpredictable the album is. Songs like “Positive Vibrations,” “Tonight,” and “Queen of Eyes” showcase a band pulling from 60s psychedelia, jangly pop, punk, and surf rock while still sounding uniquely themselves. Not every experiment landed for me—“I Got the Hots for You” and “Old Pervert” were misses—but even the weaker tracks felt like part of a band willing to take chances. “Queen of Eyes” was a particular highlight, with its Beatles-inspired melodies and endlessly replayable energy. Overall, Underwater Moonlight was a pleasant surprise. I connected most strongly with “I Wanna Destroy You” and found myself wishing more of the album followed that sound, but I enjoyed the twists and turns along the way. More than anything, it reminded me why I love exploring acclaimed albums: sometimes you discover a band you never would have found on your own and end up genuinely impressed.
Ok summer is too good so I won’t go below 3.
psychedelic rock isn't normally my thing, and this proved to be the case with this album too i also did listen to it during a particularly stressful work day... so maybe that that is compounding here
I can kinda see the influences on other bands, but this was mostly forgettable. I say mostly because I’ve unfortunately had I Got the Hots stuck in my head since yesterday. Probably won’t listen to this one again.
I liked this. Not enough to put on a list of significant albums, but I still enjoyed it.
Nothing that got stuck in my head
ngl, i really enjoyed this
Nothing that thrilled me here.
es un 3 llegando a 4, le voy a poner un 3 solamente por la duración del disco
Nog wel nice (het eigenlijke album zonder alle extra shizzle): 3,5
funn!
nog leuk
An interesting listen, that's for sure. It's basically an album which asks the question "What if the Byrds were a punk band?", with its jangly guitars and witty lyrics. If you're going to listen to this one, make sure to look out for the 45th anniversary remaster, otherwise you'll be stuck with a whole lost of extra tracks for something you might not enjoy. Overall, whilst not a band I'd seek out again, I still enjoyed myself quite a bit. Favourite track: Positive Vibrations Least favourite track: Old Pervert
Дуже цікаво послухати) На четвірочку)
love the whole album
Muy bueno el disco. Sorprendió.
Meh. It’s alright. 80’s soft punk rock. (3)
Here's me been thinking for a few decades that Stiv Bators sang I Wanna Destroy You. Soft Boys/Dead Boys confusion. To be fair it sounds more like a Bators' title than a Hitchcock one. Still. The shame of it.
I wanna destroy you - 4 Kingdom of love - 4 Positive vibrations - 3 I got the hots - 3 Insanely jealous - 3 Tonight - 4 You'll have to go sideways - 4 Old pervert - 3 Queen of eyes - 3 Underwater moonlight - 3
Not my type of music
Solid album, lots of recognizable tracks need to give it another listen
New Wavey, fun rock music. I don't think I'll revisit this after listening, but it wasn't an unenjoyable time. I made sure to listen to the re-release album and not the 2.5 hour original one. You'll Have To Go Sideways was entirely instrumental but I found it to be one of the best on the album.
Not unpleasant, but ultimately not particularly interesting either. Another in a run on quite bland albums that I'm unlikely to listen to again.
I’m not surprised these guys fell into complete irrelevancy lol Its an interesting soup of genres; it really does feel like diet Beatles at times, with all the harmonies and instrumentation sounding a lot more like what was popular in the 60s rather than the 80s. I think there’s enough variety between songs to get you through the album (though obviously I ain’t listening to the full album bonus tracks and all). Every song is catchy and high energy enough to keep you invested all the way through. Underwater Moonlight has a pretty solid guitar solo and it’s just a nice way to end the album Vocals can definitely miss at times, think the harmonizing parts actually sound quite a bit better. Just a little too British and harsh at times, though for the most part they’re fine. There’s a couple songs that I don’t particular care for style wise, but (mostly Insanely Jealous of You) It’s definitely better than I thought, though you’d have to be an absolute psychopath to listen to the full 40 track album; the main 10 are fine. Probably still a 3, but it’s unique and also very listenable so I could see myself listening to this over some of the 4s I’ve given out
Annoying wailing sounds with lyrics that is just a guy reading his poetry completely deadpan. Yuck.
Boring, that’s about all I can say. Nothing stood out to me at all and I didn’t particularly like the music. Just not for me.
This was a very interesting album that I wasn't loving at the start but by the end I really started to enjoy it. The last/title track, Underwater Moonlight, in particular was a stand out favorite. This album initially gives off the vibe that it's going to be a bit of a straight forward rock/pop album but it progressively starts dipping into a more Psychedelic as it progresses. Would rate it higher but as stated didn't enjoy it until around the middle of the album. Solid production and sound tho!
Get a new name, boys
More like the wank boys
I liked it more then I thought i would. Got a lot of 60s vibes to it. The singer also sounds like lou Reed at times. Good fun album
Boring. Shit name. Shit album. ...And your Mother stinks!
So inconsistent imo. One song I’d think oh this is alright next one was like nah shit this
Idk what I was expecting from a band called ‘the soft boys’ but I actually thought this was pretty awesome
I feel like I never gave this a proper listen before. It's an album I own, as a longtime fan of Mr. Hitchcock's, I'm genuinely familiar with it, recognize the songs, none of them even sounded new. But somehow I feel like I'm recognizing for the first time that this is fantastic. It's not just "I Wanna Destroy You" and a couple other good tracks, it's an albumfull of weirdly divergent different oddball tracks that all make perfect sense both individually and as a collection. The guitars are really excellent, especially, and the lyrics are simultaneously as surreal and as lucid as an English mind ever gets. (which is a lot, to be clear). 5/5. Yeah, I wouldn't have thought so before listening again today, but this is worth a must-listen listing.
Decent album, a little long lol but ok nothing too crazy
''Cos if you wanna fight then you're just dying to get killed.' Welp, this is . . . really, really good. Harkening back to The Kinks & The Beatles, hell, even Gerry & the Pacemakers, i.e., these blokes are sixties thru & thru, they're also foreshadowers of an indie explosion that would start w/ R.E.M. These tracks are full of 'positive vibrations,' sitars, & anti-war messaging, but the record is not nostalgic for the sixties, it just knows where to go to catch the muse of great rock 'n' roll pop. I'm inclined to call Underwater Moonlight the British Marquee Moon, so full of verve, attitude, & adolescent spirit it is, but Television will always be #1 for me. This is yet about as fantastic a find that I've recently come across. 'On the rim of a vacuum jar.' Bloody right.
19/05/2026 I went full slog and listened to the 2.5 hour version 😒 I guess I was so numb to it by the end, that it just ends up getting rated this way. Spotify listeners: 25.1k
I liked this a lot! I had to check the Wikipedia page on this to see how many of those *40* tracks were the original album. Turns out it's the first 10. The next 10 are outtakes and the last 20 are alternate versions, pieces and parts, et al. I don't think you need to go through all 40, but the first 20 are tight! It's catchy and basically lays the foundations for what became "college rock" in the 80's and the Britrock of the 90's. Highly recommended.
Cooles Album. Hat mir richtig gut gefallen!
I was pleasantly surprised by this album. You see, some synthpop albums from the early 80s gave me a bad taste in my mouth. If more albums from that time period were like "Underwater Moonlight", I wouldn't have had such disdain for the 80s. "Underwater Moonlight" felt like a fresh interpretation of 60s psychedelia. "Insanely Jealous of You", with its bouncy bass, is my favourite track from the album. 4 stars for "Underwater Moonlight".
I really enjoyed this. My absolute favourite was ‘You’ll have to go sideways’, which was an unexpected Krautrock number in the middle of the album. It was oils have benefitted from a few more diversions like this but it was still a really enjoyable listen.
An interesting listen. Can hear the psychedelic influences through the instrumentation and song form at times, although there did sound like some “lol random” moments as well which didn’t necessarily enhance the sound. Wanted it to have a bit more bite in the end, a bit more rawness as it was overall too tame I thought.
I was a bit sceptical about what to expect. Never listened to them; I might have heard the name sometimes in the past. I believe that I've seen the cover before. Definitely a sound the 1980s weren't ready for. Somehow, it was a nice experience, and I can see the influence on many other bands.
At just over a half hour, not bad. It's just kissing the idea of psych rock while still being really accessible. Not my favorite, but I can see how this would be well loved by a certain audience.
Such a pleasant surprise! Love this introduction to a band and album I’ve never heard of. Perfect for a drive to my new favorite brunch spot by Prospect Park with Greta and Lo on the best weather weekend the city has seen all year
Lowkey cv nog. Duurde effe maar it has grown on me, er zitten gewoon niet zo veel vervelende stukken in ofzo. Ik heb wel gewoon enkel naar de korte versie geluisterd (10 nummers) want fuck 2u30 naar 40 nummers van dezelfde band luisteren.
Another new to me album and band. I know of Robyn Hitchcock but never heard his music. Solid jangle pop. Since they only have 2 albums I listened to both, as usual with my contrarian self, I liked their 1st album better. And as usual again, I ask myself, 'if I'm not questioning Dimery am I even alive?' But anyway, really enjoyable listen to both their albums. The bass playing was standout for me.
I had never heard of this one before, but can see the influence on 80s and 90s jangle pop very clearly. I was initially thinking a 4, but after a long break from this project and listening again today, I think it's closer to a 5. There are so many well crafted songs on here, and I love the punky edge they have. It's a great bridge between the 60s jangle pop era and 80s post punk. Will be listening to this one a lot - one of the best discoveries from this project for me.
I listened to this cold and was annoyed at another mid 90s Brit pop album. Then it got better, took some turns, and holy shit this was 1980? Clearly an influential album (for better and worse). A good album all the same.
Indulgence
Listened 13 May 2026
I wasn’t too interested in this album.
Favorite Song: I Wanna Destroy You
Je sais pas si je suis le seul à qui ça fait cet effet, mais à l'écoute, j'avais vraiment l'impression d'écouter un groupe qui fait des reprises de vieilles chansons des Who (genre des années 60), surtout sur Queen of Eyes où c'était confondant. Donc c'était très sympathique, mais pas non plus transcendant. En tout cas, si j'en crois que dit Wikipédia, c'est un album qui a influencé de nombreux groupes, donc je suppose qu'effectivement, il a sa place ici. Donc allez, ça passe.
Like what’s so special about this album?
I like the jangly guitars BUT the lyrics take away from the content
Psychedelic post-punk with a quirky, slightly dark sense of humour is an unusual flavour but The Soft Boys show it to be quite effective. I Wanna Destroy You is a passionate anthem of hate with gorgeous harmonies. Positive Vibrations is the complete flip of this with cheery vocals over quite anxious, busy-brained and amped up guitars. Tonight is more at ease with itself with quiet verses and electric, punch the air choruses. The twisty turny guitars on You’ll Have To Go Sidewides are brain bending. And then there are the various more patient, far weird cuts. A vast record!
Soft Boys is getting a solid to high 3, some great moments and I can hear the influence of many things i enjoy but only a few tracks really grabbed me
this had bangers on it, i really enjoyed it
Good background music
Strange mix of psychedelia and punk. Notwithstanding the album being 40 songs long, and the lyrics being a bit strange, it is alright.
Meh.
5l
This was fine. Nothing incredible but OK
Fronted by Robyn Hitchcock (my familiarity was initially via "Balloon Man") although his singing style here is more "in the mouth" around the vowels. Not sure why this wasn't better received at the time; there was nothing here I found to be a standout, but it was fine and fit with the period it came from.
Fine, but nothing special.
Ok
Pretty good blend of different movements in the pop rock world. I was happy to hear that I didn't have to listen to the 20 hour version.
This really is where the Pixies derived their style, isn't it. I don't hear quite as much REM as some of the professional critics seem to imply, maybe in the beginning. I think the instrumentation and songwriting in here is pretty good but they really peak with the first track and it's all kinda downhill from that point. It isn't bad but that's the single and that's the best track by far. Also pro tip, always look on wikipedia for the original track listing. You don't need to listen to several hours of remixes, b sides, outtakes, etc. Just the original tracks! It's actually kinda short!
some of its many tracks really just objectifies the lady they speak of, hell song #4 and empty girl were terrible for that, and the lengthiness in itself made all tracks seem like a blur. all continuations of "old pervert" creeped me out more than ever.
i ain't reading all that i'm happy for u tho or sorry that happened
An album that would sound old in the 60s released in 1980. And to add it is 40 songs long, no thank you.
Okay, a confessions. I listened to the 10 songs that were on the original release. The other 5 or 6 dozen I skipped. I made a note when listening to the first few tracks "If the Hollies did punk" and it did seem to be some sort of missing link between 60s British Invasion pop and the later Britpop. Probably R.E.M. had a listen as well. But then we hit "I've Got the Hots" and it went sideways into Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd whimsy - even to the point of a Psychedelia instrumental. And the less said about "Old Pervert" the better. I saw them described as "quirky" and "unique", which probably true, but the 10 songs on the original album.gave me no reason to go on to the expanded edition.
Petardka
Pretty not bad. The more I listen the more I like.
null
Surprisingly fun! Enjoyable listen
It’s alright nothing much else to say
Da fak je to?! Ne pomaga, da je na Tidal, ko odpreš album, 40 komadov?! Še dobr, da wiki zadeve razjasni, album je dolg le 36 minut, Tidal mi spet da neke bonus tracks k so ble na remastered ipd verzijah vključene. Phew. Ampak ja. Confusion. Creepy naslovnica & prvič slišim za izvajalca. (No, naslovnica mi je obenem creppy & všeč.) Ok, The Soft Boys ne začnejo soft at all, z "I Wanna Destroy You". V "Kingdom of Love" so besedila kr zanimiva. So far sicer ne slišim psihadelike (kar je wiki obljubljal), bolj post-punk, new wave. Je pa totalno všečno (spet, wiki prav 'commercial failure'). Ok, ja, ni glih vsak komad a banger, pa zanimiv je the random vibe change ("I Got the Hots"). Ampak hud komad & isto sledeči, "Insanely Jealous of You", k basically šopa start to finish. "You'll Have to Go Sideways" me mal na The B-52s spomne z melodijo. Ampak, dejansko totalno unikaten band. Prijetno presenečenje.
Enjoyable, would listen again.
If I’d have stopped after the first ten songs I’d have given this a three. But I liked a number of the bonus songs even more. Rock n’ Roll Toilet made me laugh. Bonus songs bumped it up to a 4.
40 SONGS AND I DIDN’T LIKE A SINGLE ONE SHITE
Two and a half hours!!! I was like no way am I going to do this and then I did. Underwhelming but not awful. Truly neutral.
Really enjoyed this I've never heard of the band there was a 60s sensibility to it so looked up the release date (1980)
Enjoyed this a lot, must have been quite a unique sound at the start of the 80s and I can hear how it would've been influential on the alternative rock of the decade. The songs bounce along in a way that reminds of early REM and there are some very catchy tunes which I'll definitely come back to with quirky, psychedelic lyrics. 4* because the second half is not as strong as the first
This album was alright; I appreciate it more as an inspiration for other bands than as its own work. I may need to revisit it, but for now it didn't do a whole lot for me.
good stuff
вокал где-то сзади, не очень динамично очень скучно и бритпопно пойду лучше блюр или оазис послушаю не переслушаю
I had to listen to this album twice. The first time, I ended up listening to the album on Spotify which is a 40 song, 2 and a half hour slog. I was hating this album. Then I researched and found this album was only 11 tracks. So I went back and listened to just the 11 tracks from the original release. It was a much better experience. I was surprised to have never heard of this band or this album. It is the connective tissue between the 60s music and 80s alternative.
Interesting hybrid of 60s British pop and 80s indie jangle.
I like the sound of The Soft Boys which is kind of mixture of 60's psychedelia and post punk, but maybe the song material is not interesting enough to keep me focused for full album length. It might also be that this album needs more spinning times, but there are far too many other albums waiting to be listened. Somewhere between 2-3/5...
I enjoyed this but I don't have any reason to revisit this album in the future. Nice vibes.
#377 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ❌ I very much dislike the "neo-psychedelia" tag it's been slapped with. But I do however, understand how they've influenced those who came later. I hear their influence especially in Pixies and R.E.M. who've both lent parts of their DNA from these guys. The "eightiness" of this album is what is disagreeing with me, this is something I can't pinpoint what it is, but I recognized it almost immediately. It's a taste thing, I can't help it and their influence on later bands doesn't make this music sound any better. And the music is the only thing I am reviewing. 3/5
Total unknown to me but really felt like a band I should have known about. I can hear echoes of them in so many bands.
Gear: SIMGOT SuperMix 4 Artwork: 🎎🏖️🌅 Production (2025 Remaster): 🤏🎚️😑 Music: 🪄🧩🌪️ Rating: 🌱🌱(🌱)/5
I have not heard this before. I’ve heard the Soft Boys before including a few from this album but I’m way more familiar with the Circle Jerks cover of I Wanna Destroy You. I’ve heard much more of Robyn Hitchcock who I just now learned was in this band. My first thought after listening to this is why hasn’t this been in my collection for the past 20 years and kept in regular rotation? It’s nearly perfect neo-psychedelic post punk, you can hear influences from Television, VU, Brian Eno, and the Byrds, and the influence this had on REM, Pixies, and the Replacements. This is an amazing album.
A hidden jem
Not bad, but didn't require 40 songs.
Pretty decent
Does this book have a bit of an obsession with 80s post-punk? Yes it absolutely does. Did I roll my eyes when I realised this (completely unknown-to-me) entry was yet more 80s post-punk? Yes I did. Although I thought with a name like The Soft Boys, it would be more synth-pop/new-wavey than it is. Did I really enjoy it anyway? Yes I really did. It's melodic and good fun, and doesn't feel horrendously drenched in the usual 80s production pitfalls. Please don't plough through the 147 minute, 27-track version on Spotify; an absurdly bonus track-heavy reissue. The 45th Anniversary Reissue from 2025 contains the original 10 tracks and it does the job nice and succinctly. I don't quite understand why anyone would stop and take stock at 45 years, rather than wait five years for the neat and tidy big five-o. Maybe it just made them feel a bit old. I guess I can relate.
This is a prelude to a lot of the jingle jangle mush that was released on sub pop in the mid 80s. Undoubtedly there is a lot of invention here its just difficult to wade through
Mucho texto
Raskasta kuunnella koko albumi. Sois periaatteessa muodollisesti pätevää kevyttä brittirokkia mutta enpä voi sanoa, että yksikään biisi olisi jäänyt mieleen. Jää yhdentekeväksi tekeleeksi. 2/5
4/5
Grateful for the public service announcement rhighlighting the existence of the original 40min version … almost went in on 2.5 hrs 😱 I liked it … but probably won’t listen again
40 goddamn songs? four zero, forty, c'mon. two tracks in, i don't hate it, can't wait for another...38 songs admittedly, I didn't not actively listen to this record
Not too bad, couple really nice songs. Never had heard before
Never heard of this band. Which is usually a bad sign. But this was enjoyable enough.
Didn't like it very much
ahhh bizarre, kinda terrible, but nevertheless interesting to see its influences and to hear what it influenced. Dont think ill feel the need to return but not displeased i listened.
I didn't like it... and I wanted to though
I'm so used to groany middle-of-the-road rock albums on this albums generator by now, that I was completely expecting to hate this. When an album wasn't initially met with success, my opinion is usually something along the lines of "I could tell", and these guys disbanded months after this effort so... What a great surprise to see that not only is this something I'd never look for, but it's also something I really enjoy. So it's got influences from the past, like Beatles-pop or blues, but it's also got some of the magic juice that more modern or recognized bands of the 80s pull off. It feels like either they were super influential, or right at it with everyone else exploring the evolution to the sound of a generation. What's important to me here is how the pieces that make this Frankenstein's monster are what I objectively consider 'the best parts', so it's feeling like a weird combination of things I typically dislike, in a way that I highly appreciate. I heard the 45th anniversary remaster which oddly enough is the release with the original 10 song track list. I don't want to ruin this experience by listening to any of the extended 2 hour versions. It's a very well curated piece of work. Hell, I'd buy it. It's not perfect, but it's got constant hook and pull. 3.6/5
Public Service announcement; Do not download the 2hr + special edition , the original 40min 10 track release is on Spotify. I thought I was going to really like this album but it was only OK and only just OK. I listened to it twice to make sure I had been paying attention as I usually listen whilst driving/ working / doing housework but I probably liked it less 2nd time around, it’s not that it’s bad it’s just that it’s not that good, there are a couple of decent tunes but the rest for me was petty pedestrian, sort of reminded me of the Only Ones who I felt the same about but then they had a mega banger that is missing from The Soft Boys catalogue. 2.3
This was quite good. First song was a belter and there were some other good tracks buried in there. Never heard of them before but would listen again.
FUNKY ANd fun listen! britty and rocky
Me gustaron los elementos psicodélicos de algunas canciones También hicieron un excelente trabajo en un interludio instrumental, que fue mi canción favorita del álbum Entiendo que fueron una referencia (tardía) para bandas que tuvieron mucho reconocimiento unos años después, un gran álbum de impulso para otros, así que fue bueno tener la oportunidad de escucharlo, y en otro momento lo volvería a escuchar
This was fun. Brit poppy, nympho, somewhat Beatles-esque psych, short and sweet does it's thing and gets the fuck out of there. Insanely Jealous was an immediate vibe for me.
very "just okay" 80's rock.
inspired rem
boring fucking shit
I wasn't aware of the existence of this band prior to yesterday, and I now long for those days of ignorant happiness. Ok, it wasn't that bad, like an undiscovered Bjork album! It was just boring. Nothing on there was interesting, exciting, melodical i.e. nothing to grab your attention. I just about made it all the way through, I did waver once or twice, so I'll give it the customary 2 stars.
Likely won’t revisit
What is this English psych pop rock? Super catchy and engaging
Music I'd listen to at the bar. I looked up the album online and found that it can be categorized under the genre "College rock" which is oddly on the nose. Insanely Jealous of You is the first song that caught my attention. Honorable mentions: Where Are the Prawns, Ngl there's a bunch of songs I'd skip, it gets a bit repetitive. But in hindsight I should've paid more attention to the lyrics, since that's what people online seem to like the most. I think overall it wasn't my cup of tea.
Bändi oli uusi tuttavuus. Ei jäänyt levyn kuuntelusta mitään mieleen, liian tasapaksua.
1/2
An influential, not-all-that-popular album, the type that are often a chore to listen to. This one was quite enjoyable, though. Not sure how often I'll return, but I enjoyed this first listen. A high 3-star rating for me, with "Tonight" being my favorite track.
This is surprisingly good. Apparently Soft Boys were very influential for indie bands. You can retrofit that connection when you listen to the Soft Boys' sound. Some interesting use of instruments and confident cross genre experimentation . Didn't know it but happy to be introduced to the Soft Boys.
I've been listening to each album rather apathetically recently. But this album, by a group I'm completely unfamiliar with, broke through. I really enjoyed it, and hopefully this feeling of reinvigoration will rekindle my listening habits and let me appreciate the albums to come in the coming weeks.
Enjoyed this. Felt like a pretty authentic blend of influences but still felt like a cohesive album. Feels like there is next to nothing online about these guys and I had never heard of them before. Wish I could get a bit more context around this band but this album stand alone felt really listenable to me.
I’ve never heard of the Soft Boys before, but this is excellent! It’s a bit punk, a bit new wave, and a bit psychedelic. I’m surprised this album was released in 1980; they clearly had an influence on several bands to come later.
Interesting as they jump from British Invasion to 80s vibes within a few songs. Not a good listen but funny song titles.
Pretty good. I primarily enjoyed the instrumentation. Favourite Track(s): I Got The Hots Least Favourite Track(s): Kingdom of Love
A good rock record. No moulds being broken here though. Side A 1 "I Wanna Destroy You" (3/5) 2 "Kingdom of Love" (3/5) 3 "Positive Vibrations" (3/5) 4 "I Got the Hots" (3/5) 5 "Insanely Jealous" (3/5) Side B 1 "Tonight" (3/5) 2 "You'll Have to Go Sideways" (3/5) 3 "Old Pervert" (3/5) 4 "Queen of Eyes" (3/5) 5 "Underwater Moonlight" (3/5) Total - 30 Average - 3 291/1001 154/291 albums reviewed were new to me
I'd heard of them but never heard them. This is exactly why I came here! Sweet!
Not half bad!
eh old pervert eh
This was a bit of a surprise. I've never heard of it, and based on the band name, release year, and album cover, I thought it was going to be a tough listen - and it wasn't! It was kind of weird in a good way: shades of punk, pop, psychedelic, maybe even a little New Wave. An interesting listen.
ok...........anyway........
more totally fine music that just doesn't feel like it's earned its spot on this list. if you told me this was robert dimery's old college group that he played bass in and wanted to sneak into the list, i wouldn't question it for a second. that's the level of unqualified we're working with here. but again, it's fine? 2.5 stars, rounding up to 3? whatever. i'll never think about this again. favorites: i wanna destroy you, positive vibrations, vegetable man
Goes in one ear and out the other, but you don't register it as "bad" at all while listening.
Hey umm... Mr. Generator? Can we stop giving privilege to the Brits? I'm sure there are so many interesting albums that couldn't fit into the list because there were 700 boring British albums.
Never heard of the band or the album and nt surprising given that it appears to have been a commercial flop, albeit it has been reappraised in more recent times. And rightly so, it's very listenable and I was pleasantly surprised by the blend of post-punk and psychedelia that worked together very well. One i'd happily revisit.
This is a fine record, and has a few memorable sounds. Overall though it's pretty boring. There are almost no memorable lyrics, and some of them are downright bad. This is an inoffensive, forgettable record.
Had never heard of this lot - can see how it influenced *everything* post-punk / indie after it.
Got bored quite quickly
I fucking love the Pixies