Reviews (page 6 of 8)
My first time hearing this band I like the speed and energy it started with and the slower melodies at the end
That was long but good There was so much I couldn’t really take it in, but every song had groove and audible lyrics, an easy contribution to my full daily commute (to and from work) all the way up could hear Sid Barret, and Sid Barrett and other punk
That was a pretty good album!
I started this album sort of liking a couple songs but as it went on, the songs got worse and worse. They started sounding like demo tracks for songs, with placeholder lyrics that they would eventually rewrite and double back to, but never did and left us with half-baked lyrics such as "Wey wey hep uh hole" and "where are the prawns" repeated over and over again. I gave up halfway because I had already wasted too much time on this crap and there was no way I could endure the full 2.5 hours that this album lasts. Before checking the wiki in the global reviews, my prediction is this band is British, which is why it is included on the list, despite being incredibly sub-par and unnecessary. Don't bother with this album. Unless you hate yourself, do something better with your time, like huff some gasoline and stare at the wall for a couple hours. That will be more fun than subjecting yourself to this trash.
Bonus track (Bonus track)
This was an interesting listen, hints of T-Rex and the Beach Boys at times. Then the odd irritating song mixed in. Enjoyable and listenable overall but fairly mid
This album was very good. Unusual lyrics accompanied by really quite soft music. Sound in both musical and vocal quality. At times it was a bit Jaggeresque vocally and other tracks traces of The Stranglers were evident. I listened to the whole 2 hours in one hit which I didn't think I would be able to prior to listening. A hybrid between blues and new wave in my opinion and it worked 👍
I want to like this because if the year it came out, but I can't put my finger on anything it sounds similar to. Maybe 10CC a bit? It's dramatic and fun, 3 easy stars. Wait watt, this is Robyn Hitchcock and friends? Big hole in my listening history not knowing these guys, I need more
This album came out at exactly the wrong time. It’s psychedelic beats and sitar breaks were ten years too late, the indie rock energy and quirky production were ten years too early and the actual release date fell in the middle of a printers strike so the album didn’t get reviewed in Melody Maker and NME. This is a shame, because there’s a lot to enjoy here, with the highlight being the full on rock freak out of Insanely Jealous of You.
I did not know them before listening to the album. And I had to doublecheck the release date; it sounds more modern than when it was released! It's an interesting mix of post-punk/indie rock that prefigures what will come next in the decade. There are lots of good ideas, the songs are catchy and entertaining; that's a nice discovery.
Plenty of nods to the Beatles, Kinks, the Byrds and lots of other 60s rock and psychedelic rock bands, but with better production and fused with new wave and post punk sounds of the early 80s. Don’t know if it’s the underrated classic it’s made out to be, but I certainly didn’t mind it.
This is a 3 in my opinion but very close to a 4, my just be my setup but the production was not that great. However for the time (1980) this album doesn't sound similar to anything else I could think of I know around the time. It sounds exactly like early 90s British underground indie Which is saying alot coming out of 1980. Highlight tracks were I wanna destroy you. Positive Vibrations Tonight Underwater moonlight. I listened to the original 10 track but I may come listen to the 40 track reissue in future. Overall solid but not to my taste. May listen again.
This one is interesting, listened to the first half and it annoyed me after a while... one day after, I listened to the second half without knowing it (I though the next record on the list was playing, but spotify tricked me)... I like the second half more, but it is still just ok... Lately, a lot of records I got were just ok, either I am in Stan-mode or this is just some rough patch... anyhow, this one is ok, nothing special, so 3 stars.
A quite enjoyable record , but the length was too much . Almost 30 bonus tracks when the same can be accomplished by a separate deluxe version is absolutely ludicrous . A couple bonus tracks could even be considered decent were it not for the sheer volume and length. If the 10 original tracks were the only present , I could see myself giving this record even a 5.
This album smacks of the 60s. So it's not super groundbreaking anymore in the 80s. Still good though.
Too long. Music is fine but too long an album not a group worthy of 2+ hours
Long British rock album
Decent album. Like their sound. It's just too damn long. Songs started to sound the same and I got bored.
Ok. I don't hear why they are influential. Kinda British, kinda Beatles like. Won't seek them out
If you want me to listen to those extra songs from the extended version, fine, but it will remove some stars from your rating...
White bread music. Completely inoffensive listening-wise.
Why is this 2 1/2 hours long
MID!!!!!!!
Missing the appeal
Album review claims there are no dull moments on this album. Agree to disagree, I found the songs pretty repetitive and the lyrics quite mundane.
A few flaws, but this was pretty good. Cool psychedelic undertones here.
As jim said … landfill indie
2,5
Never heard of the band. No idea what to expect. I really liked it! 4/5
1. deztroy you - 1 2. love - 1.5 3. vibrationz - 1.5 4. hotz - 1.5 5. jealouz - 1 6. tonight - 1.5 7. zideuuayz - 2 8. pervert - 1 9. queen - 1 10. moonlight - 1 11. reptile - 1.5 12. vegetable - 0 13. ztrange - 1.5 14. ztonez - 1 15. prauunz - 1 16. hole - 0 17. dreamz - 1.5 18. znake - 1.5 19. like you - 2 20. zong - 1.5 21. empty girl - 1 22. heart - 1.5 23. toilet - 1.5 24. pervert - 1 25. zmoothie - 1 26. alien - 1.5 27. bloat - 28. moonlight - 29. hair - 30. pig - 31. pervert - 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40.
Terrible band name, pretty ok album cover and some decent jangly snotty rock tunes here. 3 stars
I can hear the influences while also hearing what this could have influenced on quite a few tracks , like Tom Petty on Kingdom of Love, Rolling Stones on Alien, and Franz Ferdinand on Insanely Jealous and Leave Me Alone. Unrelated to reviewing this album, this is an example of how I wish Spotify and other streaming services would split out re-issues. What shows up there now isn't the original release and is some sort of combination of the original album plus the two re-issues of it. 3 stars.
I hear the punk influence, this is a "post-punk" band, you can hear the punk influence in the guitars and bass parts. This has a very Pretenders feel to it, same time period...rock just before New Wave. Listening to all of this music for this project makes me realize that everything is just a mash up of everything else because there's a Pink Floyd/Piper at the Gates of Dawn vibe as well. You can definitely hear the influence on later bands, I'm thinking in particular English Beat. Some of this album seems weirdly out of place, like it's 10 to 15 years after its time. I read REM loved this band and I can hear it on some songs. The opening and final/title track are the weakest on the album, most of everything between is better.
Awesome. Had this on repeat all day
Pretty good.
What... was this?!? Kinda digging it.
Underwater Moonlight is a perfect album. From the cover to the sequencing, from lyrics to production… Everything makes sense.
Soft boys Feels like rock n roll. Love the first 3 songs Old pervert has a cool instrumental but the melody and lyrics don’t fit. Didn’t listen to all the bonus songs.
I guess this was influential but it influenced a lot of bands that I also don’t like
I don’t like the vibe but the lyrics are really really funny
It was good. Not great. I liked the quirkiness of the lyrics, the music was okay. It's a promising record but not one I'm going to come back to much.
40 songs is nasty work
The funny thing about this album is that if you told me it came out in 1967 I wouldn't have any reason not to believe it. It sounds a lot like any of the Brit pop from the 60s with maybe a little bit of new wave starting to creep in here and there. I only listened to the original 10 songs, the 30 bonus tracks on Spotify seemed a little excessive (was there ever really a demand for those?). I was ready to move on after those first ten. This is one of the albums that isn't bad but I found myself thinking "surely there was another album that could have been included instead of this one?" 2.5/5 rounded up for the hilariously weird and bad album cover.
Can see the REM, etc influence. Pretty catchy, the lyrical absurdity feels a little much, I think Robyn learned to tone it down later as a solo act. Still sounds like it could just as easily have been released last year as 1980. My favorite song was wey wey ep eh hole or whatever, which shows up on spotify despite not being on many editions of the album, so it stays 3.
Fantastic, really unexpected album.
Have never heard of this band but I was only 9 when this album came out so I guess I can be forgiven. Turns out I really quite enjoyed it and will probably listen to it again in the future.
The Soft Boys have a if The Beatles or Beach Boys were post-punk vibe. It was pretty unexpected. Underwater Moonlight is mostly very good. Tonight is the highlight for me. At times they good off on tangents a bit too much 7.5/10
Pretty sure that I’ve heard this on more than one occasion, it’s not good, but it’s good.
I wanted to like this but something about it rubbed me the wrong way
Classic Girls girls girls is not great Beats are cool
I'd never heard of The Soft Boys. I like the music - not timeless music, but I would include on my playlist. I was immediately reminded of The Replacements.
Good band name tbh
Certaines pièces sont entraînantes, mais dans l’ensemble, plutôt oubliable pour moi
Why did I ignore the Soft Boys as a teen. Damn.
Ok to listen to once
hasssunhuska albumi jonka kaltaista en ole koskaan kuullut, erittäin ainutlaatuinen kokemus todellakin... أَبَانَا الذِي فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ، لِيَتَقَدَّسَ اسْمُكَ لِيَأْتِ مَلَكُوتُكَ لِتَكُنْ مَشِيئَتُكَ فِي الأَرْضِ كَمَا السَّمَاءِ اعْطِنَا خُبْزَنَا اليَوْمِيَّ اعْفِنَا فِي مِمَّا عَلَيْنَا فَقَدْ أَعْفَيْنَا نَحْنُ أيَضاً مَنْ لَنَا عَلَيْهِ وَلاَ تُدْخِلْنَا فِي تَجْرِبَةٍ لَكِنْ نَجِّنَا مِنَ الشِّرِّيرِ لأَنَّ لَكَ الْمُلْكَ وَالْقُوَّةَ وَالْمَجْدَ إِلَى الأَبَدِ آمِينبَانَا الذِي فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ، لِيَتَقَدَّسَ اسْمُكَ لِيَأْتِ مَلَكُوتُكَ لِتَكُنْ مَشِيئَتُكَ فِي الأَرْضِ كَمَا السَّمَاءِ اعْطِنَا خُبْزَنَا اليَوْمِيَّ اعْفِنَا فِي مِمَّا عَلَيْنَا فَقَدْ أَعْفَيْنَا نَحْنُ أيَضاً مَنْ لَنَا عَلَيْهِ وَلاَ تُدْخِلْنَا فِي تَجْرِبَةٍ لَكِنْ نَجِّنَا مِنَ الشِّرِّيرِ لأَنَّ لَكَ الْمُلْكَ وَالْقُوَّةَ وَالْمَجْدَ إِلَى الأَبَدِ آمِينبَانَا الذِي فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ، لِيَتَقَدَّسَ اسْمُكَ لِيَأْتِ مَلَكُوتُكَ لِتَكُنْ مَشِيئَتُكَ فِي الأَرْضِ كَمَا السَّمَاءِ اعْطِنَا خُبْزَنَا اليَوْمِيَّ اعْفِنَا فِي مِمَّا عَلَيْنَا فَقَدْ أَعْفَيْنَا نَحْنُ أيَضاً مَنْ لَنَا عَلَيْهِ وَلاَ تُدْخِلْنَا فِي تَجْرِبَةٍ لَكِنْ نَجِّنَا مِنَ الشِّرِّيرِ لأَنَّ لَكَ الْمُلْكَ وَالْقُوَّةَ وَالْمَجْدَ إِلَى الأَبَدِ آمِين you'll have to go sideways
I had no idea “I Wanna Destroy You” wasn’t originally an Uncle Tupelo song. I like a lot of the songs. I can hear REM in this, who I love. This was missing something for me though.
Too many songs
Post-punk. Me sonaba Underwater Moonlight. Me gusta Song #4.
Is nice
I had no idea what to expect here, but I think I liked it! Maybe not as much as other post-punk of its era, but I'll be revisiting this one at least once.
Bell'album, somiglianza coi beach boys ma comunque canzoni belle, da ascoltare meglio perchè dura 2h e 30
I could see how this band influenced others. Definitely could hear they are a British band. Sound quality felt off but that may have been part of their sound
The album while pleasant isn’t a stand out to me. While I didn’t turn it off (I listened to it on repeat) I didn’t feel the need to turn it up.
This is clearly a transitional album. So it has importance as an album pointing the way from where things were to where they were going; from punk to a new 80s guitar pop/rock. Most people mention REM which you can hear in some of the songs. You can also hear the punk style but less angry and more jangly. You can also hear older 60s style jangly rock that many compare to The Byrds. Finally, the psychedelic thing I find harder to get. I guess theres the heavy psychedelia like White rabbit, and the light like Syd Barret which I find less listenable. This is the latter, at times. Its all interesting, listenable and important enough for me to like it.
Much more immediately engaging than I expected, with driving bouncy bass and sing a long choruses. Very melodic guitar work and there's what sounds like a sitar at one point. Captures some of the 60s rock sound but with a sharper edge to it. Insanely Jealous of You is less neo-psychedelia and more post-punk, to me, but it works. There's some misses (Old Pervert) but this is solid. Favourites: Kingdom of Love, Tonight, Underwater Moonlight.
Балдёж. Мягкие мальчики это бунтарский такой лёгкий панк-рок, как я понимаю в жанрах. Но слушалос приятненько
Some great songs on this album. I only listened to the main 10 tracks but I’d listen to the album again.
You gotta read Kunetz's review
Nothin better than gettin soft with the boys
Favorite Song: I Wanna Destroy You
Really tough 4.5
It was above average. Nothing exceptional but I certainly didn't dislike it
I liked the album. I did not make it all the way through. 40 songs, 2.5 hours long? That's simply too long for an album. I liked it a 4, but since I couldn't make it through the whole thing I am deducting them for that. I'm sorry but come on. Not even their own mothers listened to the whole album probably.
This album is absurdly long on Spotify, but the original release is actually only the first ten songs. That's great news. The opening song is "I Wanna Destroy You", which I've heard before. I like it, it's simple but catchy. "I Got The Hots For You" is fun AND funny. "Insanely Jealous" is also cool. "Kingdom of Love" is probably my favorite song. The guitar part is really awesome. "Queen of Love" has great vocal harmonies and a fun guitar part that's similar to Kingdom of Love. I don't have too much to say but I liked this album a lot. The songs were all cool, good runtime. I'm surprised to read that this album was totally panned in it's time. 8/10
The bass on Insanely Jealous of You is fun. Decent album
Reminded me of James. Nice A bit rocky in places They aint no Pink Floyd, if you are after Psychadelic rock
This album came out in 1980. I "discovered" it in 1994 thinking it was new. Great album, wrong time indeed.
No standout tracks to me, but just a solid album all around wish I could go 3.5 stars but I’ll round up to 4.
I've never heard of this band but the lead singer's name, Robyn Hitchcock rings a bell for some reason. "I Wanna Destroy You" is a total banger, I saved it to my Spotify immediately. 1980 must've been a strange year to release a psych rock album, so I respect the band for doing so despite genres like post-punk being much more fashionable. Apparently, R.E.M. were very influenced by them which is cool and makes sense given this album's jangly sound.
I only listened to the first 10 tracks of this thing, which according to Wikipedia was everything on the original vinyl release. From the album art, to the vocal delivery, to the lyrics, this was a weird one, but a weirdness that I vibed with. Although I definitely enjoyed the A side cuts over the B sides. Fav Songs: I Wanna Destroy You Kingdom of Love Positive Vibrations I Got The Hots
I listened to the main 10 tracks a couple of times (but not to the ~30 bonus tracks). The sound is fine. Some parts remind me of Pixies. The reviews keep saying how they influenced REI, and...I guess? I don't know, the album is OK.
Another addition to the growing list of anonymous British albums that seem to only be on the list because the guy who made the list probably liked them in High School. Not bad, just why?
Another never-heard-of-them British band that vaguely reminds me of the Stranglers. & given that, I wasn't minding the music. But as the 2+ hour album went on, it rapidly wore out what little goodwill I had.
Cool album.
The Soft Boys were a short-lived British band that only recorded two albums. Underwater Moonlight, their second, is an album that was very influential on 80's alt-pop. They created a psychedelic version of alt-rock that sounds like a step between the punk-pop of the 70s and the alt-rock of the 80s.
Didn’t really stand out to me, but not bad
This is why I love this album thing. I’d never heard of this band before but this might be one of my new favorite albums (all 2 hrs of it). It starts off as pretty standard post-punk stuff. Wait, that’s a major key. Wait, that’s psychedelic with some sitar thrown in. Surf rock? Blues? Jangly Byrds-inspired songs? So so cool and extremely listenable.
Very nice surprise. I knew I Wanna Destroy You from Uncle Tupelo. I liked a little bit of Robyn Hitchcock in the 80s, and I loved Katrina and the Waves first album. Never listened to a Soft Boys album until now.
Psychedelic jangle pop / punk
Very much enjoyed the experimentation going on. Each song felt unique and worthwhile to listen to.
This one came out of nowhere for me. Not including the 30-some bonus tracks on Spotify, this album did a lot of interesting things musically that really caught my interest. Every song sounded unique from the last and tried to do something interesting , and It works very well for me. My favorites were Tonight, Queen of Eyes, and Underwater Moonlight
This album was very good. Felt like something that could have come out much more recently. Favorites were I Wanna Destroy You, Positive Vibrations, Queen of Eyes, and Underwater Moonlight.
Starts off as a standard early 80s album and then branches more into the psychedelic.
I don't think British pop is my thing. I can't really tell them apart from the last British pop group.
I don’t know how I felt about this album. Whilst trying to quantify a rating, I’ve ranged from two stars all the way up to four stars. Maybe I need another listen to solidify my thoughts, but my reviews are basically all off the cuff reactions, so I’ll put three stars and be done with it.
Good
"Underwater Moonlight" is the second studio album by English rock band the Soft Boys. A number of genres describing their music include neo-pyschdelia, post-punk, new wave, pyschedelic pop, jangle pop and power pop. Yes, they kind of fit into all of them but it's also tells me their music is pretty unique which it is. The album was initially unsuccessful but is now considered a pyschedelic classic, influential in the development of neo-psychedelia. The bandmembers included Robyn Hitchcock (vocals, guitar), Kimberly Rew (guitar, vocals, synth and later formed Katrina and the Waves), Matthew Seligman (bass) and Morris Windsor (drums). "I Wanna Destroy You" blasts out with the guitars forward and the rhythm section rockin.' This is power pop and sounds like a cross between Cheap Trick and early Pyschedeic Furs. Harmonized vocals with lyrics ranting against neo-fascists and neo-nazis. This is a great song. They slow things down to a grungy-bluesy vibe in "I Got the Hots." Hitchcock is talking. This reminds me a lot of Frank Zappa's "I am the Slime." Pyschedelic and funny lyrics. "I got the hots for you said the dentures to the peach." Echoing vocals and a creeping guitar and bass open "Tonight." The song then explodes into power pop. A nice vocal chorus and song overall too. We finally get that jangly guitar I'd been reading about in "Queen of Eyes." Melodic guitar chords. R.E.M. was listening. " Underwater Moonlight" closes the album. An anxious guitar and beat which goes to power pop. More jangly guitar. The album closes with a rocker. I have no idea what this is about. An older couple goes under water then gets set free. This album is pyschedelic, power pop and melodic. There's weird lyrics as you would expect from Robyn Hitchcock. I was reminded of Pink Floyd (Syd Barret era), Cheap Trick and Feank Zappa. Most of the songs are very catchy. This is a really good album. A high recommendation for everyone.
Nice album.
3.3
2, средна работа
Positive vibrations was my favorite. But I loved the sound of the soft boys. Good listen.
So my Spotify now seems to love these guys and are shuffling into every playlist I have, Im not too mad I also dug this alot
Starts off well with “I Wanna Destroy You”. I was thinking “cool I found a new band I like”. Sadly didn’t maintain the level. “Old Pervert” is painful to listen to, and not because of the subject matter it’s just unpleasant musically. Luckily followed by Queen of Eyes which is a nice little jaunt. Overall a very mixed bag.
Liked this more than I thought. A pleasant surprise. Some good stuff on here. Not perfect but I will revisit this one again.
80s rock
Yeah nah.
Pls stop with these 2hr plus albums
Not my favourite.
Ya con los primeros minutos de la pista 01, uno se da cuenta de cómo esta banda influenció en los sonidos de los '90: como expresa la reseña oficial de éste disco, R.E.M. Me recuerda también a Dinosaur Jr y, en algunas canciones, a The Strokes o a Tame Impala (sobre todo en las voces). Grata sorpresa esta banda que demuestra lo divertido que bucear en el universo musical.
Opens with "I Wanna Destroy You" that sounds like it's a cross between The Byrds and Cheap Trick and not a million miles away from Gigolo Aunts, and all I could think of was how good it would be for an odd throuple 2 camera BBC Two 90s sitcom starring two hideous guys and a blonde bombshell. It would run for 3 series, so around 18 episodes, and then a christmas special reunion episode years later when one of the guys has a huge tax bill to pay after his bid to transition to America failed spectacularly... But I digress.
Amazingly straightforward!!
3.5
I loved this. It’s a really fun synthesis of new wave and psychedelia. I can definitely see why this band had an outsized impact.
Had a couple good tracks, but it got lost by the sheer length of the album.
Was somewhat enjoyable, but a very long album and dragged things out far, far too long
Not impressed. Not offended. Generic, yet listenable. 3/5
I like the sound :-)
Soft Boys is one of those exceptional punk bands that's unlike anyone else and sorta sounds like your favorite 80s indie bands. You can hear the Violent Femmes' folk punk ("I Got the Hots" and "Insanely Jealous of You"), Byrd's jangle pop ("Queen of Eyes"), and even some dark ambient ("You'll Have to Go Sideways"). The mixture of jangle pop and punk in a carefree style predates REM. It's known as neo-psychedelia, but really only a few tracks has just hints of psychedelia ("Underwater Moonlight" and "Positive Vibrations"). Every track is memorable. Even the bonus tracks are fantastic. They lack coherency and could all certainly be stronger (doesn't have the same impact as Violent Femmes' s/t or REM's Murmur), but it's a standout in innovation with a ton of diversity. It's a blast listening to this, aged decently well, and I'll find myself coming back from time to time.
Eh nothing special. I don't really care for it
This is definitely an interesting listen. I kind of feel it would be worse if he were a better singer. I enjoyed the lyrics quite a bit more than either the vocals or the music, but I legit think that I'll try and listen through this again.
This is great. Really enjoyed this
i had never heard of this album or band before, but oh my is this album prescient! this album sounds and feels like an album that swarths of 1980s college rock/alt rock bands listened to. you can hear the blueprint being made for bands like REM. a very cool album. i particularly enjoyed the tinge of psych rock that it had at points, especially the sitar on "positive vibrations"
Ez influenced by Beatles
amazing beatles influence
Decent
Yeah, kinda dig this. Kinda Beatles meets sex pistols meets stones, meets Outfield. Every song kind of reminded me of another song that I couldn't quite put my finger on. And every song seemed like it was in a slightly different genre but never falling too far from the tree.
Mesmerizing, inventive, winding, jangly psychedelic pop music that belies a real sicko’s sensibilities under the hood. Feels like the skeleton key that unlocks a greater understanding of much of the music that I love without feeling dated, or like the stuff it influenced outright surpassed it. Like this was doing 60’s folk revival a decade before The Stone Roses, and sultry lounge lizard blues 30 years before The Growlers. I can tell what will keep me coming back to this is the tension between lovingly crafted pop melodies and surrealist lyricism. This is an absolute gem and probably the first new worthwhile thing I’ve been turned onto by the 1001 albums list.
Boring!!
4/5 Really good
Undertones of Cheap Trick (and on one song the Byrds), and in general fairly enjoyable.
I've been a huge fan of Robyn Hitchcock for years. It was ironic that it probably took me fifteen or twenty years before I discovered The Soft Boys. This is a great album. Quirky, fun. Great songs.
The new beatless, no beat nevertheless
I had some familiarity with the main single on this but not the rest of the material. Very happy this was on here. Lyrics and music both enjoyed.
That was pretty good, actually. Not great by any means but still pretty good. The main issue is that REM did it better and they're already on the list like 4 times. This doesn't need to be here.
A rare day. A new discovery of something interesting. Not one you return to every week but interesting.
Cool jangly stuff. Sounds like an influence to Let’s Active
Underwater Moonlight by The Soft Boys is often cited as a highly influential album that has left its mark on bands like REM, The Replacements, and The Pixies. However, upon my initial listen, I found myself underwhelmed. While I can appreciate its significance in shaping the alternative music scene, the album felt overly long and somewhat disjointed. The songs lacked a cohesive flow, making it difficult for me to fully engage with the music. Despite its reputation, I couldn't help but feel that it failed to live up to the hype. That said, I acknowledge that albums of this nature often require multiple listens to fully appreciate their depth and complexity. It's possible that with more time and attention, I may come to discover hidden gems within its tracks. Overall, Underwater Moonlight left me feeling indifferent, but I'm willing to give it another chance in the hopes of uncovering its true brilliance. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 1 STAND OUT TRACK - I Wanna Destroy You
2 and 1/2 hours of Mid.
Fine, not great. Couldn't really get into it.
A bit dated new-wave sound, but quite ok.
Pretty great album cover but fuck me boys 40 songs? Nah.
Good
forgetable blurb NNN
Not for me
I like the driving beats and music behind the singing. the singing is quite atrocious though.
This is what I'm here for. A band I've never heard before from an era I've never really explored that has multiple songs that catch my ear. What a cool album. The sound is pretty modern besides the older singing style. I really enjoyed Kingdom of Love, Insanely Jealous of You, and You'll Have to Go Sideways.
Power pop with teeth and lots of psychedelics. Will revisit for sure.
Whatever. Didn't like it and it wasn't unpleasant but I'm in a bad mood and this didn't help so 2 stars.
Pretty great stuff here. Psychedelic but also punky and kinda poppy? Such an eclectic mix, I can see why audiences weren't ready for it at the time but it really does hold up. I can very much see the influence this would've had on a lot of bands I dig.
Great. I never heard of them, but I knew the Circle Jerks' version of I Wanna Destroy You. It has too many bonus tracks, but some of them are even better than the original album. Favorite from the original release: Positive vibrations. Favorite including the bonus tracks: Where are the prawns
If bands were people themselves, and not just made up of people, then this band would be a child of the Clash and the Kinks, who spent a lot of time growing up listening to the Pixies, Violent Femmes and the Velvet Underground. That doesn’t mean I like this band as much as all those others. But I do respect their influences.
A few double takes with the lyrics and subject matter on this one. I was entertained and appreciated listening, but I can't see myself going back to listen more. Can definitely hear what influenced them (hello Velvet Underground for one; Insanely Jealous of You) and I can understand what people said about it coming out at the wrong time.
It was pretty decent. I can actually see what they're talking about regarding this band's influence on later bands. They seem like they would have fit better into the late 60's than early 80's.
Couple good songs. Otherwise okay
Didn’t make all the way through this marathon album but it was perfectly fine music. Interesting blend of surf rock and British 60s/70s rock, every aong was enjoyable without being overwhelmingly great
Over all not bad. I can see how it w as before it's time coming from the 80s; this sounds late 90s early 00s if I had to guess. Though it is well produced its not particularly my favorite genre. I might listen again, 3/5
Wish I had heard this sooner. Can hear the thru lines to more recent bands.
Good Album, New for me but it sounds great
Surprisingly good album
Another English blow up
I'm actually going to make this the rare 3.5 rounded up just because it has a couple super killer tracks and it's a lot more interesting than most of the dross I've been getting lately.
Was very nice, considering I was stuck in Austin rush hour. Made it pass decently
Liked this one, solid rock album that seems to take inspiration from a lot of influential bands like beatles. Some of the psychadelia is coming through which I like. Punk elements too. Cool fusion
Cant believe this is Robyn Hitchcocks band im such an idiot! some really catchy tunes! Dig it.
Never heard this band before, which is surprising but they were great. I could hear the influence they provided future bands.
Interesting instrumentals and at times beautiful atmospheres. But some corny tunes and the «too cool to be sincere» attitude in the vocals put me off.
Straight Punkrock.
This felt like the opposite of a greatest hits album. My favorite part was the end I had been looking forward to it for over 2 hours.
New to me and I like it!
solid 3.5/5
Just ok
This band reminds me of Sonic where you are listening to them and immediately seeing all the bands you love that they influenced. A lot of reviews probably ignore that this sounds a bit less unique because we have 40 years of bands borrowing from the influence of the album. I don't think I've listened to this album before front to back and was shocked by the length of it, but I had heard multiple of the tracks from looking up the original after a band I liked covered it. The kind of post-punk guitar folk just works pretty well for me. It's a style where even the okay tracks are pretty solid and never offensively bad. It is pretty long and self indulgent, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. Highlights - I Wanna Destroy You, Insanely Jealous of You, Tonight, There's Nobody Like You
This album is... long. Almost two and a half hours. I don't think I was mentally prepared for it. There's a lot of very solid stuff on there, but it outstayed its welcome. Side note: The track 'Old Pervert' was eerily similar to the outro music in Trigun.
I feel like I’m listening to the missing link from classic rock to 80s college rock
I listened then immediately forgot
Sounds like the precursor of a band that is not for me.
Not bad, I like psych rock but I'm not sure I would keep listening to this on my own.
This goes harder than soft boys should. Love that contrast. You know these guys are probably sweethearts
Did nothing for me.
This album really impressed me, it was not at all what I was expecting. They sound very similar to The Rolling Stones Top tracks: I Wanna Destroy You, Positive Vibrations, Tonight, Dreams
Pleasant surprise, never heard of this band. Thoroughly enjoyed this 2 and a half hour long album.
Interesting.
The music is good in some parts and just OK in others, but there's little doubt that Robyn Hitchcock writes the daftest/funniest lyrics in rock, viz: 'All aboard Brenda's iron sledge - please don't call me Reg, it's not my name" Where are all the prawns? Good question, Robyn.
Bof, un peu insipide, rock anglais de base.
There's a few ok tracks on this album, nothing special, and certainly nothing significant about this post punk 1980s group, and the music, although had grass roots of promise... it was all very poorly executed and produced. I'd never heard of these guys before, and I grew up in the 80s, and i was very into my music bak in the day, so I'd say they weren't that popular.
A gem that I have never heard before
I really liked this. New to me, can see how this was a big influence on REM and a lot of 80s rock to come.
Enjoyed the first few songs, no memory of the back half
Another example of one good song not constituting a noteworthy album. Saved: I wanna destroy you 2.2
A jam from start to finish. I loved it and want to listen again!
Uninspired wandering through punky mood swings, I did not enjoy this album. There are some great melodic ideas that were not fleshed out to be something truly lasting. The lyrics, though interesting, mean nearly nothing. And when they do mean something, it’s disturbingly perverted.
I never heard this band before. I enjoy their music.
Meh x5
Really?
Kind of like the Beatles, but not as good
Ive definitely heard of The Soft Boys, but I don’t think I’ve heard their music before. I love the band name though. I’m expecting either punk or really ballady pop music. Let’s listen and find out. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: I Wanna Destroy You This was a lot of fun. As a general rule, I tend to avoid listening to extended editions of albums for this daily review thing, but I didn’t actually realise that I’d downloaded that here. I was bopping away and enjoying the music, before I realised I was deep into the bonus tracks. This is a really fun mix of punky, jangly fun. I don’t know if the lyrics are super deep because I was honing in more on the fun of the music. Recommend!
Lame and boring
Literally what was that
Honestly, I have nothing to say about this album. It was neither good or bad. Nothing caught my attention and soon after I finished I forgot everything about it. I guess that's the definition of 3/5.
I am feeling this album. Glad I found out about them!
I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I thought I would after reading the summary. It was enjoyable enough, but never grabbed me after the first track.
Will be coming back
George Thorogood meets Elvis Costello. Interesting and creative. Some goods cuts here, led by strong guitar playing. This group has potential!
I mean it’s alright. A lot of the songs are forgettable and none of them really want me to listen to the album again. They all make good background music for talking with people.
Not my favorite. It felt like a bunch of songs about random things that did not all go together. Some of the songs were good, most were not. I don’t see how this was a pivotal album in any sense.
Super sprøde guitarlyde, meget spøjse og høhø-agtige tekster. Synes det kan noget, men så catchy er det heller ikke. Det er meget de to gode spader der trækker den op
Interesting middle ground of like the Beatles, rolling stones, and beach boys. Not as interesting as any of them... Just fine.
I kinda liked this.
Ok
Really enjoyed this one. Sounds like The Who, a bit of Rolling Stones, the Police, Beatles
Decent album. I might listen to it again
I love this record. The artwork, the feel. It’s driving and snotty without being annoying. That is truly a feat. “I wanna destroy you” is a fave, love the gang vox. “Insanely jealous” is a song I wish I’d written. Lots of things just work for me: bass lines, guitar choices, the hooks, the irony. I also really want to buy a flanger pedal now.
An album that is on this list because it inspired other amazing artists is not a good sign going into to from my experience so far. I'm not sure what psychedelic rock entails, kinda get the vibe in positive vibrations. This is enjoyable, not bad, but also not outstanding, reminds me of late Beatles/George Harrison. A whole lot of blah. 2* Only the stones remain: Rolling stones vibes, was that the intent? HOLY FUCK, 40 SONGS?? 2.5 hrs of this? Yo, cut the crap, trim it to the good stuff. Oh, maybe it's all these bonus tracks that are unique to Spotify? The longer this went on, the less points I wanted to give it. But it doesn't suck completely, so 2*. I had to stop at track 22, this album kept giving me anxiety. Maybe I will finish it tomorrow. Got through the non-bonus tracks anyway.
Sounds like 80s college rock station staple
Mulla oli tästä paljon ajatuksia eilen, mutta muistiinpanot katosi. Tulos: ei enää ajatuksia. Hyvin kasarisoundi, mutta vielä ilman metallista äänimaailmaa, ja maanläheisempi ääni sopii tähän hyvin. Pätevää poprockia, aika hauska.
Tämä bändi pääsee niin pitkälle kuin 60-lukua fanittava uuden aallon bändi voi päästä ilman todellista inspiraatiota. Poikkeus: Insanely Jealous of You - ihmeen toimiva renkutus. 2,5.
I would have rated this album a 3 but it was 2.5 hours long. Who do they think they are. No thanks.
Ok
Better than I was expecting. Too bad these guys didn’t make it very far. 7/10 Top 3: 1. I Wanna Destroy You 2. Queen of Eyes 3. Kingdom of Love
Flipping marvellous.
Longest album of all time.
nondescript. not worth a listen. just play the beatles instead.
Not too bad! It had its ups and downs, but in general it held up quite ok. I think my favourite song of the album is 'I Got the Hots', which was pretty cool. Not many strong opinions either for or against, will have to be a 3 star.
Never heard of "The Soft Boys", from the band name and album art alone I would've thought it was a modern band so was surprised it was from 1980. It felt punky and fresh. I enjoyed the mix of rock, synth and punk. Made me think of "Viagra Boys" but they are 30+ years "Soft Boys" junior. It was fun and you never really knew where the songs would go. A strong 3.
Fun and easy listen, although mostly unremarkable tracks. Seems to me to be a pioneer of a sound that I have now heard to exhaustion. Likely would have appreciated it more earlier in my exploration of music.
This album has everything I like about rock music in general. It's a wild ride where post-punk riffs, power pop melodies and jangle pop rhythms all coexists in this hazy production that boasts exuberance, a strange sexiness, youthful energy and... fun. Above all this is a fun album, the kind of album that you only want to hear really loud. Also Kingdom of Love is one of my favourite tracks of all-time.
Great album and one of the best things the 80s has to offer!
I didn't knew that band before and wow, it's pure genius. Power jangle pop meets post-punk with a little spicy psychedelia here and there. This record is now on my wantlist. Thank you, goodbye!
I quite liked parts of it. It was probably somewhere between a 3 and 4 for me
De souvenir, ces gars-là étaient excessivement doux. À raison.
Quelle douceur de la part de ces jeunes garçon, on en créverait d'envie de leur remetrte l'étiquette en place.
you know what really stinks? listening to albums and you legit have nothing noteworthy to say about it. it's got a real original vibe i would say, like if the beatles were new wave. basically. but i really couldn't give you any... thoughts about this album at all, it just exists. it's just there. that album art is real interesting though.
This was a good album - a group I wasn’t aware of. Great sound.
Such an old-sounding album, I think it definitely had its place in the time it was around, but I was kinda bored with it. I couldn't really get past the first hour of the album; I got kinda bored.
Never heard of them before, glad I did now. Enjoyed it and will give them another listen!
Never heard of this band before. Pretty solid stuff.
Probably a 3 based on the good songs, but since they thought they had two hours of content, gotta give it a 2. Could easily be condensed into something good. Will I listen to again: 1%
a lot of cool instrumentation thoroughly rampant on this, though all it does is disguise the mostly forgettable music in something seemingly more interesting. vibed with it for as long as i listened to it, and it all but evaporated from my memory the second the music ended.
This is a weird one, but its highest points are when it's allowed to get weird. Influences are all over the place, at the same time sounding influential to so much that came after it. It's an album out of time in a way. It would be nearly as at home 10 years earlier or 25 years later. I struggle with a numeric value here, but I think "3.5" in my head means "4" in practice.
enough 3 2
I completely missed these guys at the time.... Kinda ok- a mash-up of Glam meets New wave?
So if you’ve ever had a random thought like “I wonder what a folk new-wave punk band sounds like”, then this album is the definitive answer to that question. Generic and uninspiring in every way.
Really dug this
Never heard of the SB but really like them! Remind me in beat, guitar licks, lyrics, and attitude to the Clash which is a big compliment. 3
Nothing offensive but just not for me.
Easy to see why it was influential to the next generation of pioneering musicians!
super solid album. a couple really good songs and cool guitar lines throughout.
nice vibey music
Gitarrenpop. Geht ganz gut rein. Gefällt mir ziemlich gut. Insgesamt erste Sahne, höre ich noch mal an.
Dull
01) I Wanna Destroy You - 8,0 02) Kingdom of Love - 8,0 03) Positive Vibrations - 7,5 04) I Got The Hots - 7,0 05) Insanely Jealous - 8,0 06) Tonight - 7,5 07) You'll Have To Go Sideways - 6,0 08) Old Pervert - 6,5 09) Queen of Eyes - 7,0 10) Underwater Moonlight - 7,5 TOTAL: 7,30 (73/100) Never heard of the band. 60s meet punk rock. Weird, but kinda good weird. I think.
Never heard of this and thought for a moment we were in for a 5 star gem But it kind of dawdled after a strong start before ending well So we'll say a very strong 3 that I might be able to push to a four with a few more listens Glad to have found it though
This album simultaneously sounds like its from the 60s and the early 80s all at the same time. Hippie rock with some truly silly lyrics and catchy hooks. Fun all the way through. Also, not many people know this, but Robyn Hitchcock was a founding member of the Beetles. To this day he remains their most famous member.
Fun album, but idk if I needed to hear it before I died.
Cool surfy, jangly new wave. Sounds ahead of its time to me. Not necessarily production-wise, but certainly sound-wise. Great guitar parts, and stylized vocals.
Not my vibe but I get why it is included
This was alright. I liked the bonus track “Vegetable Man” more than I liked the other songs.
Ya know what? I liked it. lol
J'en ai liké une
The Apple Music description of this album as "80s college rock before its time" is apt. Although it was new to me, it definitely reminded me of music I heard on campus in the 80s. It made sense when I made the connection that Robyn Hitchcock was a part of this band, since he indeed was frequently played by college friends in those days. I enjoy the jangly songs, and can definitely hear the influences this album had on later artists.
This wasn’t so great for me. I guess it sounded okay, but it was also pretty boring for me.
Surprisingly enjoyable. Liked it quite a bit!
This was a very interesting listen in that at times it felt almost Beatles, at times proto-new wave, at times it hinted at college rock. I didn’t feel a lot of cohesiveness necessarily on the album, but I did like a lot of what I heard and it definitely was interesting.
опять весь день слушала и ничего не запомнила. на ночь послушала и подумала ой что это, откуда это у меня в плеере. такие панковатые вроде. психодела особенно не услыхала
This was way too long for an album that just was not good. This was not worth the 2 hours in gave it will not be looking them up any time soon.
This wasn't great, but not terrible either. I wasn't a big fan. 2/5
Just wow. I have heard of the Soft Boys but was never motivated enough to check them out, and I'm glad I did! Investigating further I've seen reviews that make such statements as "stone-cold classic of neo-retro-psychedelic jangle pop (src: Jive Time Records)" and I couldn't have said it better than that.
RYM gives this album the genres "Neo-Psychedelia, Post-Punk, Jangle Pop." Kind of an all-over the place variety of genres, so it's just better to say this album sounds like 60s hippie pop given a little bit of early 80s punk energy. But that feels too slight of a description. This is a great pop album that somehow manages to foreshadow a lot of trends of the alternative 80s, being long before the trend of 60s nostalgia, Pixies-esque obsession of quiet-loud dynamics, and Johnny Marr's jangle maximizing the sound of the guitar. I Wanna Destroy You is a great opener and mission statement. Amidst jangle pop with a delicious twang, the singer belts out the title of the track. Kingdom of Love has a great interplay between the first calmer section of the chorus, and the second meaner section of the chorus. Positive Vibrations definitely brings the punk speed to the late 60s love songs a la Beach Boys, esp with the sitar sprinkled in. I Got the Hots sounds sleazy in an almost cute way, especially with that inversion of tone in the chorus, even ending out in a rocking tremolo. And Insanely Jealous of You builds up subtle tension, punctuated by a delicxious guitar, before the singer repeats the jealousy. All of these are just S-tier songs. Granted, the album doesn't always have killer songs hiding great ambition. Tonight is a bit more of a traditional love song. You'll Have To Go Sideways is another exercise in tension building, although this time it starts louder, and kinda stays that way. Old Pervert is another sleazy song, but a bit more punky. Queen of Eyes is a really pretty and almost romantic song, that's unfortunately a bit too short. Still, these are not bad songs, just A-tier songs which still showcase the great talent of the band. And all is again great with the closing title track of the album, carrying the romanticism of Queen of Eyes and fleshing it out with the track dynamics and build-up that The Soft Boys have shown in the previous tracks. A damn fine album with a effortless faux-psychedelic sound and swagger. Decent 5
Post-punk. Me sonaba Underwater Moonlight. Me gusta Song #4.
I'm not going to listen to all of the bonus tracks, but the few I did listen to almost sounded better than the original album. Didn't leave much of an impression
I really like this quirky, eccentric album that simultaneously looks back to the paisley-flecked psych of the 1960s and keeps track with the new wave. I can definitely see how this might be an acquired taste - but give me a fey English lad singing about fish any day of the week!
Áhugavert að vissu leyti. Dálítið out of sorts m.v. tímann.
I was actually more acquainted with their album called Invisible Hits, but this is a solid record as well . Reminds me of the Buzzcocks and also Oasis but with a darker sense of humor. Old Pervert is the goofiest song I've ever heard since Boris the Spider- but i love it for how bizarre it is.
folk avec une touche latin forgettable 5/10
Maybe spend more than $10 on your next album.
good energy. Not very original.
I wanna destroy you I feel it coming on again Just like it did before They feed your pride with boredom And they lead you on to war The way you treat each other Really makes me feel ill Cause if you want to fight Then you're just dying to get killed I wanna destroy you Great album. Kind of retro hipster, but great despite that. 5/5
It's not too punk, for better and worse. I was moderately enjoying it until I sensed Beatles and got agitated
wanted to skip this album many times. took me 4 days to listen to it because whenever i put a song on I had to turn it off a minute later
Never heard any of this, not terrible vibes but probably not re-listening. Sooooo long
Really fun album overall. A little punky, a little Beatles, it just sounds like they're having a great time. The songwriting is tight and catchy, and there's a lot of variety.
A bit too tame and beach-y for me.
Sounds like a 90s band not 80s kinda cool
Due tue time issues i didn'nt listen to the bonus tracks. Hower, solid songs, but i wouldn't listen again to this songs. Favorites: Queen of Eyes Tonight 3.1
Rating: ** 3+ ** Notes: Actually i really liked the music and will definetly listen to some Songs of the Soft Boys angain, but bruv... 2 1/2 i just felt scammend.. way tooo long... no one should release such a long album... would have been 4+ starts if they made the album between 45 and 70 minutes.. Songs which stood out in no particular order (credits to Uncle Gue for the idea): "tbh there was not really a bod song, but no one stood out.. " ------------------------------------------------------------- Rating Scale: 1- very bad 2- bad 3- neutral 4-good 5-very good additonaly -/+ sign if necessary
Tbh I don’t like listening to a full album especially when it’s a long album. But I like the combination in the album of psychedelic rock and alternative rock. Never heard the band before! Personal top3 in no order: Kingdom of Love I Got the Hots He‘s a Reptile
Am Heimweg von der Uni wollte ich das Album anhören, wurde jedoch durch technische Störungen meiner Streaming-App teilweise daran gehindert. Das Album kann zwar nichts dafür, aber zu meiner Stimmung hat es nicht positiv beigetragen. Schlussendlich bekam das Album - besser gesagt die Streaming-App - eine zweite Chance. Für die Bonus-Tracks blieb jedoch nicht genügend Zeit. Hierzu möchte ich nur "Vegetable Man", ein Cover eines frühen Songs von Pink Floyd hervorheben. Am besten gefiel mir der Song "Positive Vibrations". Insgesamt ist das Album mittelmäßig bis gut. 5.2/10
Massive album. Many songs felt like a reimagining of a hit/classic through a punk/post-punk lens
Some pretty amazing psych pop songs on here. It's easy to hear the influence this album must of had on underground music. I think the production is the most lacking element, due to the age and budget. Would love to hear a new mix of this. May bump the score with more listens
Kooky. Combining some of the influences of late 70's punk with some more resonant tones and interesting topics, this album can be heard in a surprising amount of future bands ranging from REM to King Gizz
3.55. "music that incorporated the indelible harmonies of the Byrds and the surrealism of Syd Barrett"
Yeah, this was a lot. Meh.
Shades of The Stranglers, The Replacements, The Beatles, Graham Parker. I like it.
Pretty good, except way too long.
When I received this album as my album for the day I was horrified to see that it was over two and a half hours long, which meant that rather than sitting down and making notes on each track I was forced to replace my daily listening with it. It wasn't until I made a google search that I realised that the original album was only ten tracks long, and that for some reason under spotify you can only get the extra-long dulux extended twice whatever version. This made sense as the first ten songs sounded like actual album tracks. After this is trailed off into complete nonsense, the singer has this annoying way of trailing off from singing to talking, like Jarvis Cocker but if he was a massive bellend. Lyrics are some dreadful attempt at surrealism but it just sounds stupid and annoying, instuments are pretty samey throughout.
Wow, this is by far one the most outstanding records I found through the generator. Such a great band. It has everything I like
Sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit
nice timeless sound
Really enjoyable! Sits at a nice point between jangly post punk and power pop. I like both of those things, so I also like this!