Rattlesnakes

I never really know how to feel about the influx of British bands I have mever heard of before. On one hand, there's something refreshing about, well, something I've never heard of before. On the other hand ... why the UK? I'm not anti British, hell I'm dating a Brit, but it just seems very specific to come across so many albums from this country. I haven't even pulled an album from Asia yet, and at the time of writing this, one of the top charting pop songs is some slutty K-pop number ... Anyway, this isn't bad. The cadence of Lloyd's voice really clicks with me. He's got a voice that has a good rhythm, but for the first two songs, does all the heavy lifting. "Rattlesnakes" is the sort of song I want to see during the remainder of the album. "Forest Fire" delivers in a similarly satisfying manner. At the end of the day, this album was serviceable, satisfying even. As a whole, it doesn't do a lot of standing out, but a decent amount of bangers were still to be had.

So this is the Lloyd who was ready to be heartbroken. I've loved the Camera Obscura response song and had never heard the original. This was an okay album but maybe I was hoping for more. If you told me this album influenced a lot of bands that came after I'd believe it since this kinda stuff has been done better by later bands.

3.4 - Depressing and timid indie-type 80’s jangle rock. It’s a shame, because this could have been an incredible record. All of the elements are there, from the jangly guitar, to the reverb-laden backdrop, to the sweet-mopey vocals, to the unrhyming lyrics... But, again, the songs are just depressing. For example, one song is about sitting in a train station, reading the paper but then getting annoyed because a random girl has the gaul to invite you back to hers for a quick fuck. You begrudgingly accept her invitation and yet somehow manage to not seal the deal.

This was a pretty good album. I really enjoyed the guitar work - especially the acoustic stuff. It kinda gave off some REM/U2 vibes and time. I can also see how this may have influenced some bands that would come on in the 90s - like Soul Asylum and the Counting Crows (though that may just be the accordion talking). Solid.

Tre stjerner.

Quite a few sniffy Americans not liking this but its pretty fine. There are enough hooks and the songwriting is fine. Hus voice is distinctive.

I really enjoyed this album. Well produced and sounds refined. If I had an issue it’s the similarity. It’s well voiced and performed

Album checked all my boxes but felt like it was still missing something. I think if the lead singer had a bolder/more charismatic voice this would be a high 4

Quite decent 80s rock of that certain sound I can’t really place right now. Enjoyed it but nothing too special all things considered

Solid

This is like... fine but it's kind of frustrating how many seminal pop albums were excluded in favor of random British dudebands

No strong feelings about this album.

I've kind of already forgotten it, but the guitar work worked well

This is actually a beautifully written album, with lyrics to rival many. However nothing else piques interesting here. This sounds like a mediocre Talking Heads albums

3.75

The refreshing middling tones of brit pop to bring me back to even keel. Speedboat stinks, and Rattlesnakes could be good if the singer wasnt so....bland? Like pudding with raisins in it. Forest Fire is the first song that really gelled for me. over all its pretty meh, but i will take meh.

Tbd on how much I’d revisit, but not bad

Mid 80s pop/rock. Not bad by any means but so, SO mediocre. It's not even about the typical 80s sound or other production qualities, but about the songs that have nothing memorable about them. 2.5/5

3.5/5

I know Rattlesnakes from Tori Amos's Strange Little Girl album. Other than that it was quite a forgettable experience. Some vocals were a bit annoying and reminded me of Morrissey.

Yeah okay but pretty generic, more a rattle than a commotion

Not bad but nothing to write home about. 5/10

Bland and forgettable.

i really have no thoughts about this album. it was pretty good but i have already forgotten it

Pretty good, enjoyable.

Mumbly record that hints at Roxy Music but without the raw magnetism. There seems to be more below the surface but after three rounds of listening to it didn’t reveal itself to me. Maybe another time.

Are you ready to be heartbroken is a great song, but I just never got into these guys. Pleasant enough but I always just end up feeling I’d rather be listening to felt

Nice to listen to but overall a little bit tepid

Not bad, but I think some of their other albums are better

4/14, 29%

INT

bangs of Morrisey, but i don't automatically hate it. not for me though all the same

If I'm being honest with myself, this is not a very good album, just more unoriginal brit pop, but I find it fun and enjoyed it for some reason, so that's worth something. 3/5

decent, but not something I would listen to very often. there’s a lot of stuff in the album worth liking (the jangling, the eerie reminiscence to quite a lot of bands you would know, such as Arctic Monkeys), but a lack of energy and muddy mixing brings the album down by a lot. Ultimately it’s good but something I’ll have to re-listen to see if it sticks around.

Decent New Wave featuring jangly guitars and a filtered vocalist that reminds me of early alt rock contemporaries like the Replacements or REM. It's light and happy with tints of country and folk. Pretty simple stuff, nothing innovative or exciting here, and it gets repetitive by the second half, but it's my type of music so I like most of the songs. I am a bit obsessed with replicating that cool guitar sound.

This album is a lot to process. Cole cited Bob Dylan directly as an influence, and while I don't hear this as much in the sound, I can tell from the lyricism. The good thing is the one thing I actually like about Dylan is his lyrics, I can't stand his whine or the egregious use of harmonica, but he can write a damn good song. He also cites Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which for that to be mentioned by name seems heavy for the one song I recognize their influence on. I might be mistaken, but I hear quite a bit of Elvis Costello's influence on the album, if the band name didn't hint at the like of him. I also get a bit of Nick Cave in the first half of the album, and if naming conventions do mean anything to this band, it also tracks. All that wordiness behind me I do like the album, not sure if I'd give it another listen or if it is a "Must Hear", but it's good.

i know i didn't hate this but i'm struggling to come up with anything to say about it.

Yeah. OK. Yup... I wouldn't listen to it again. But I can definitely dig

Two good songs but his voice gets boring.

It's a great lyricist with a good voice and sadly, a very pedestrian band. Without that final element, I can admire the spark and wit, but... That's all. A shame

This was good but nothing totally grabbed me, nothing seemed too special about this overall. The vocal delivery reminded me of Lou Reed at times. It just seems that this is another album that was added just bc we need yet another British artist on this list. This is 3 stars

Not bad.

overall impressions, its...fine...i have no other thoughts. kinda boring, nothing all that interesting going on.

This seems to be another of those 80s bands that were sort-of indie, except ‘indie’ didn’t really exist yet (I guess they called it ‘New Wave’ back then?) First half I liked, some catchy melodies and interesting (if a bit pretentious/geeky) lyrics. Speedboat is a bit of a tune. By the end of the album I was getting more easy-listening, poppy vibes (i.e. a little blander). 2.5 / 3

p527. 1984. 3.5 stars. Sounds like Edwyn Collins hipster kid brother. Jangly 80s guitars, bitter sweet cynical lyrics, but missing standout tunes. If the rest of the album was as strong as Perfect Skin you'd be looking at 5 stars... But it isn't.

This album is pretty decent. Nothing too special but nothing terrible either. I feel like this album is perfectly average. Definitely got an 80's vibe from this album too. Favorite song: Down on Mission Street Worst song: Four Fights Up

Quite nice, listened easily

In today's entry for generic Brit-pop that sounds like just about anything else done by a better qualified group you should listen to before you die we have Lloyd Cole And The Commotions, a group I've never heard of and if I did hear anything I'd think it was the Smith's or Morrisey's solo work. 2.5/5.

Mostly unremarkable. Best track: Down on Mission Street

Great album

Ok

Pretty decent album to have on in the car when while you’re driving around town

A pretty solid 3

Decent album, not convinced it should be on this list

Pretty cool! Odd vocals

Good classic album

Enjoyable throughout. I liked it more than I expected to. Lots of catchiness. Could listen to again. My mom would like this album. It sounds like it influenced a lot of big 80s music. Kinda sounds like New Order.

Not sure I'd consider it one of the greatest 1000 albums of all time, but it makes for pleasant easy listening sure

The most striking thing about this album is Lloyd Cole's use of narrative songwriting. It's really nuanced and unique for its time, like reading a series of really clever short stories. Musically, the songs are pleasant fare with alternatingly jangly and jagged guitars and subdued melodies. Cole's sometimes wavering vocal style takes a little getting used to, but it's still a solid listen. I find I'm enjoying this more each time I hear it. High 3, not quite a 4. Fave Songs: Perfect Skin, 2cv, Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken?, Four Flights Up, Down on Mission Street, Patience

Probably a 3.5 really, quite good and an album I'd never listened to before.

A very well produced album, crips, clean, clear, but the songs, only interesting in the beginning, became slower in tempo and excitement after the first few tracks which ultimately leaves the albums a bit average by the end.

Melodic indie rock from the 80s. Quite alright!

+ Speedboat is goood. + Forest Fire is something of a song, hahaha.

Classic songwriting!

Easy sound and not hard to get through. Nothing really stood out beyond the first song.

A solid 3. There were some songs where the guitar sounded great, especially Down on Mission Street.

I had basically no expectations, but this was pretty decent!

Enjoyable; didn't pay much attention as it was in the background while working, but it was pleasant to listen to.

A very interesting record! "Forest Fire," the title track, "Four Flights Up" and "Perfect Skin" were probably my fave tracks.

I remember this album from when some of its tracks (most notably, Perfect Skin) were getting a fair amount of airplay on the radio stations to which I was listening at the time. I liked their music when I heard it, and I really don't think I've listened to them since the 80s, so it's great to hear it come up in the rotation here. I hadn't listened to the full album before, and it's better to my ears than I would've guessed. I had thought of them as being in the "alternative" rock genre, which it probably was back then, I don't really know, but it's more of a blend of bluesy-folk-pop with a sprinkling of slightly dark edge from what I suppose people might call "art rock" or something like that. Good stuff.

Didn’t mind this. Some pleasant melodies and the whole set flows as an album nicely. The singles are the standout tunes on here, and the only songs of theirs I knew previously. But the lyrics feel a bit mannered / contrived in places, with the abundance of ‘references’ liberally (ahem) peppered through the tracks.

very unique style of music, not really a clear style therefor pop although its quite eccentric

Rattlesnakes is mostly a wordy set of songs. On its face, the sound world is not particularly distinct. That's not to say it's bad, but the focus is clearly supposed to be the on the songwriter here. And it might be the bias of my perspective in history, but Lloyd doesn't sound quite in the league of the other great writers of the era. But in thirty-five minutes the music grew on me, so who knows, this might be primer for future appreciation.

It was okay, never heard it before. Nice nostalgic feel.

Pop ochentero animado.

Indie pop de los 80. Me ha sorprendido para bien.

This was fairly decent for what it is. I'm not super into jangle pop but by the second half it was starting to sink in that Rattlesnakes is fairly different. The compositions and singing reminds me a bit of New Order if they weren't doing new wave. Some of these songs I'll revisit sometime. At the very least I'm glad to have listened to this as it sounds like it will grow on me in time.

Oh look, a late 70s early 80s UK pop rock new wave post punk band I haven’t heard before

The singer has some goofy tics which make this album more fun and stand out more than all the other super generic 80s British new wave on this list.

Rattlesnakes and Forest Fire certainly caught my attention but the rest is much of a muchness.

Wel oke maar tis niet hard of snel genoeg om echt van deze alternatieve engelse band te luisteren

j’avais apparemment sauvegardé 4 titres auparavant, je devais être un peu à fleur de peau ou je sais pas

maybe nothing very special, but I enjoyed it, short and fun album

Johnny Cash vibes. Nothing special

Sounds okay, but never would consider this to be "must hear". Easy to listen to and has some fine moments, but really there are other more worthy Brit-Pop band that could make the list. I did enjoy it though.

A good 80s Brit indie love album. Like Orange Juice meets Prefab Sprout with a hint of Smiths. Listenable without much filler, but only Perfect Skin seems essential.

The songs are ok, but they sound more like the background songs of a movie. It's nice as background music but it doesn't feel like it deserves that much attention.

Hmm, I don't know. I liked it, but ultimately it was just a little... unremarkable? I also felt like the singer was not very strong in terms of vocal range.

Easy to listen to, nothing extraordinary, just a good sound. Listened twice to the album and it got better and better. Favourite songs: - Rattlesnakes - Down on mission street

Close to New Wave or Post Punk but a little bit of something else. I think the something else is in a small part a combination of soul/funk and maybe a little punk rock, too. 3.5

Drama, Getting lots of Dire Straits vibes Have never heard of them before... Enjoyable, had the volume quit low.

Saw the album cover and was very convinced this would be like a very low moody country album... Absolutely was not.

Easy listening but very meh. Wouldn't turn this on out of my own volition but also wouldn't be upset if someone else did.

Sort of a strange album. Some songs very much like Dylan. Overall enjoyed but no real standouts.

Definitely not an industry plant lol

okay British sound.

Solid 3, enjoyed the vibe

Started out interesting but quickly descends into pretty dreary 80s indie-pop.

The first half of this record I found to be fairly forgettable, but the tail end had some acoustic stuff I enjoyed and could see myself revisiting.

Generally enjoyed it

Haiku: This had some nice songs, But nothing fully grabbed me, Maybe I’ll come back.

filler British rock pop period music. some potential candidates for your hipster cred indie pop playlist

Standouts - None (I was listening pretty passively, used it as background music)

I don't think I've ever heard of this group before. The album art makes me think of an abandoned house in a dusty cowboy town. I'm guessing the name \"rattlesnakes\" subliminally made me think western. Getting started with Perfect Skin I immediately like the music, and the voice, and the lyrics are clever. Lloyd's voice sounds familiar but not specifically, I think it is just \"standard 80's british pop\". As more songs go by I think the opening track is the standout. The rest is just fine, workmanlike pop. The music reminds me of bands I love; The Cure, Aztec Camera, Icicle Works, etc. Yet by the end of the album all I'm feeling is \"this is fine.\" I'm not quite sure how this album made this list, tbh.

Ahhh, nostalgia is a great thing. An album of its time, but still stands up even after nearly 40 years.

Decent. Liked speedboat

A pretty fun, casual jam album. No recognized songs

Ratttlesnake reminds me of something chase would listen to

Hadn't heard this before. Not sure if I needed to. Not bad but not remarkable. I think this only got on the list because British music seems to be graded on a curve.

Interesting sound, but didn't grab me as much as I wanted. But not super cheesy 80s, so it has that going for it.

Pop

Distinctive voice and well written songs. I don't especially like it, but. I don't hate it either. It's a good album, just not to my taste.

The text on the cover looks like it was put on there with the default ms paint text. The songs are great though. Reminds me of Prefab Sprout. McQueen is one of my favorite albums, and this one doesen't go all the way to be equal imo, a 3.5.

Some good songs Bit of a soundtrack to the end of my teenage years …

Un bon album 3.25. J’a aime lecoute et certaietounes mn plus accrochees

Second Listen. Becoming a very familiar album to me. Some call this album 'boring' but, it is not. It is a comfortable album. I enjoyed it from start to finish and look forward to hearing it again. First listen I gave this a 2/5, now it is a solid 3/5.

Good listening.

3/5 some interesting ones, but...

Dal nome e dalla copertina non sapevo bene che aspettarmi ma mi ero immaginato un disco southern/country. In realtà devo dire di essere rimasto piacevolmente sorpreso. Purtroppo un po' si sentono gli anni '80 a livello di produzione (soprattutto nel suono terribile di chitarra elettrica col chorus che trovo davvero stilisticamente fuori luogo), però a livello compositivo ho trovato lo stile molto fresco e mi ha ricordato, a tratti anche molto, un gruppo che amo molto (i The Lucksmiths). Purtroppo però, questo stile secondo me riesce bene quando è accoppiato a dei contenuti brillanti nei testi (come succede ad esempio coi Lucksmiths). In questo caso i testi sono generalmente abbastanza insipidi, anche se non brutti, e il risultato finale è che... dopo un po' si accolla. A tratti per me è stato un 2, a tratti un 4, comunque interessante. Direi 3 e passa la paura.

Not really my taste for the most part, but a few songs really pull this up for me, particularly Forest Fire.

Brooding, moody, pop music. Liked it. 80 pop without the cheesy synth sound. 3/5 (Might have been 4 if I'd paid more attention).

Reminds me a bit of early REM... jangle pop. Something about the production feels very 80's. I liked a few of the songs and there is nothing overly objectionable but I doubt I'll ever revisit this.

It sounds great and all but it kind of just washed right over me, didn't really soak it in

The Album atmosphere is somewhere between erotic (Perfect Skin) and philosophical (Forest Fire). (6/10) Favourite Tracks: Rattlesnakes, Down on Mission Street

Not bad, but I'm not sure why this is a "must hear" album. Sounds like pretty generic 80s pop/rock with hints of country/folk. 2.5/5

1984: Rattlesnakes, Forest Fire

Reminds me a bit of REM, but british. Overall, very good. Closer to a 3.5

A solid album, but a bit forgettable for me. Sounds nice as background music.

Always liked his sound and this is a good one.

Liked the first few tracks (‘Perfect Skin’, ‘Speedboat’, and ‘Rattlesnakes’) and then kind of lost interest. Lloyd Cole has a unique voice and some really good lyrics though.

No highlights

I liked this! Nothing super special, but just overall good music.

80s alt rock. Chill and cool

Fine.

false

Music ok, singing not great!

Поначалу услышал Speedboat, вспомнил раздражающие попытки Doors в блюз, занегативил. Потом услышал Charlotte Street, вроде по кайфу трек. Остальное не особо отложилось, интересным не показалось, скучновато.

Contemplative and engaging all at once. Lloyd Cole manages to channel angst and frustration into a digestible record that keeps the listener engaged.

I really liked two songs. The lyrics are quite nice overall but it feels like it's the same rhythm and melody for the entire album. Shame.

This is all quite pleasant, unexpectedly so. It was a nice accompaniment to my pottering around. Nothing wonderful, nothing terrible, straight down the middle niceness.

Het had de ingredienten om te raken, toch gebeurde dat niet.

Good but not great. I like the sound, but enjoyed the more upbeat songs like Four Flights Up a lot.

I might give this relisten. I think it might be more rewarding after reading the lyrics.

I dunno, it was very generically 80s and fine I guess? Silly lyrics, decently forgettable. 6

Pop ochentero animado.

Not very offensive, but not very memorable either. Just a bunch of very similar sounding ez listening Brit pop songs from the 80s.

not caring for the opening track/single is not a good sign, pretty eneric sound. Rattlesnakes and forest fire are pretty catchy. The album and sound grew on me. I could have lived with out it, but I do not regret listening

Really fun upbeat indie rock. Nothing too crazy. British rock/pop band that formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 1982. Between 1984 and 1989, the band scored four Top 20 albums and five Top 40 singles in the UK.

Enjoyable, but not noteworthy past two or three songs. Lyrically engaging.

great 80's and Bob Dylan vibes on this one. Not exactly my cup of tea, but enjoyable.

Eh, this didn't make much of an impression. Pleasant, but not much stood out. Fave track - "Are You Ready to be Heartbroken?", I guess, although they were all much of a muchness....

Not to bad but not my type of music.

6

Good background music, nothing particularly stood out

Cool album but not the most memorable on first listen

Solid but not a fan of Lloyd Cole's voice.

good

5.5/10 Smooth, pretty uneventful but nice. Nothing to shout home about, but very listenable.

pretty average. Nothing special but also not bad.

Enjoyed it, the composition was weird and interesting. At certain points, it seemed like it was using digital drums? A nice dense piece of 80s rock that was very layered. Favorite song: Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken, overall 6/8

It starts out pretty strong, but every song kinda sounds the same 3/5

3.5/5. Background dinner rock. Musical soft rock guitar and keyboard. Brit-rock whiny vocals. Not bad but not super interesting.

Decent ! Bra songwriting

Starts strong dips in the middle, lead singer hasn't found his voice the lyrics are a bit rough. Some nice instrumentals however.

Kind of the same vibe throughout

Another offering like the Cure. The curators of this list seem to have a few favorite genres... This was nice, but not great.

I've never heard of them in my entire life and for a good reason it seems. This is just deeply boring and unremarkable. Not bad boring, but it's background music they play in a movie when they can't get the rights to more popular songs 2/5

Talking heads nur langweilig und schlecht und zu lang

This album fooled me into thinking it may be a little country rock, but I quickly realized that this was sort of a meh 80s britpop thing. This album is fine. It's just a little boring. It's store brand cola. It technically serves it purpose, but you know that it isn't Coca Cola while you're drinking it. My soda analogy is more interesting than any part of this album.

Another British new wave album. Sounds like a slightly more upbeat version of The Smiths. Generally quite boring. 2/5 Won't listen again

Thumbs down

Perfect Skin - 2/5 Speedboat - 2/5 Rattlesnakes - 4/5 Down on Mission Street - 3/5 Forest Fire - 2/5 Charlotte Street - 2/5 2cv - 3/5 Four Flights Up - 1/5 Patience - 3/5 Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken? - 2/5 Average score: 2.4/5 ⭐️⭐️ there really wasn't a whole lot that i liked about this album i'm afraid. at best, most of the tracks weren't memorable. the vocalist's performance is pretty damn terrible more often than not i don't think this was bad enough to give it 1 star, but i doubt i'll be back to listen to it again

I mean, it's good background music, but nothing impressive to me.

Of all the Big Star clones that came out in the 80s this might be the worst. Cole's voice is so profoundly smarmy, absolutely missing the mark of the rest of the music. The songs are over baked, over thought, over...ly catchy too. It's a hard album to really like because I can't get past his voice sometimes but through all the bleh there's these small gems that pop up. It's a bizarre listen, and probably shouldn't be on this list. But there it is.

I only knew of this band because of the Camera Obscura song "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken". It reminds me so much of the 80s jangle pop/indie pop from elsewhere - The Triffids, The Go-Betweens, The Chills. It certainly influenced many English and Scottish bands of that era too. Nothing else to write home about unfortunately. Overall: 3/10

Listened this morning and yet I genuinely couldn't tell you a thing about it. Very bland jangle pop. Forgettable.

Lloyd who? Not sure if these guys made much of a commotion with their debut states side. Certainly didn't affect me on this listen. Short and uneventful. This album must just be a personal fave of the editors. I got nothing to say, just ok, run of the mill brit rock...2.1 stars.

Not family with Lloyd Cole and the Commotions previously. The first half of Rattlesnakes wasn't bad. I was enjoying what I felt was some pretty straight forward even keeled British pop rock but something about the novelty wore off. At times this felt like a less glum, more positive version of Morrissey. I don't mean that entirely as a knock necessarily, but something about the style of this made me lose interest even over the relatively short playtime. I feel like this album started with potential that wasn't fully realized and became mostly formulaic and played out by the end of it. Nothing special, relatively mediocre entry. 2.01 stars

Mediocre British new wave. Doesn’t belong on this list at all, and is exactly the kind of album that should be removed from the new edition of the book.

Lloyd Cole gör aldrig bort sig, men det är heller aldrig någon wow-känsla över vare sig låtar, framförande eller produktion. Ett stabilt hantverk.

Sounded a little smiths-like

It's objectively fine. Not special in anyway, deeply surprised it's on a list of albums to hear before you die. I kinda enjoyed the opening with Perfect Skin but as the album slows towards the end, Cole's yearning vocals become rather grating. Overall, unremarkable yet inoffensive, not one I'd listen to again.

It's nearly good at so many points across the album. Certain songs threaten to develop into something interest. Lyrics border on the edge of fun. It just never quite gets there.

Honestly, it just mid britslop Forest Fire and Four Flights Up are okay. This album isn't inherently bad, however I feel no need to ever go back to it. In my opinion, it isn't unique enough to be distinguised form others in the genre.

Alright bro

meh

favs: speedboat rattlesnakes charlotte street rating 1.5/5

Completely forgettable. No notes, didn't even notice I was listening to music.

too 80s to me

"Sophisti-pop"? Are we serious? Wikipedia describes the genre as "blend[ing] elements of jazz, soul, and pop with lavish production". Lloyd Cole and friends, I'm trying to be helpful when I say this: there are few, if any, elements of jazz or soul present here. The production is... well, extremely standard for its time. Brutally far from anything lavish. The sound carries that distinctive "80s air" about it, complete with spacious, airy, not-quite-human drumming, weak quavery singing... the complete works. I agree with most of the top reviews here, but a lot of those are giving 3-star ratings when it should very clearly be lower. An "average" album, an album that does nothing for the listener, might get a "middle" rating in other contexts, but you need to judge these albums in context. Rattlesnakes has been placed on a list of the 1001 best albums of all time. Given that fact, it's substantially worse than it should be. Speedboat (along with various tracks thereafter) makes use of strings, which I guess is supposed to be the connection to the soul genre. Via disco. It's a stretch, but I see the vision. Rattlesnakes pulls off those string lines pretty well, but Speedboat does not – and in fact comes off as surprisingly boring. Later songs use few interesting instruments, and the vocals do not improve at all. Was it really that difficult to hire a competent vocalist for your band in the 80s? Re another reviewer, who put it simply yet eloquently: "[Not] revolutionary or different in one way or another, it just sounds like every other generic British alt-rock/pop/sadboi album in the 80s-90s and I'm starting to get sick of how many of these are on the list." 2/5 Key tracks: Rattlesnakes, Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?

80s motherfuckers went crazy for this? lmao

Highlight: Rattlesnake 2.7

2/5

They sound like the Smiths but not in a way you'd remember...

First three songs: “okay okay, I can get behind this. Lil lost gem” Rest of album: “let’s bury this ‘gem’ a little deeper.”

Dull.

Yeah I don't really understand why this one is on the list. It's not actively unpleasant, but it's very repetitive and boring.

Disco pop plano

Está buena la onda de la banda y suena bien. Pero aburre y deja muuuy poquito. Es un rockito tranqui que no termina de arrancar. The Smiths diluido.

Lyrically very interesting but unfortunately the arrangements and the vocals are not. Halfway between country and western and an Elvis pastiche. Wanted so much for this to be enjoyable but it was more of an endurance test

Low 2 Really tough this. Singer is just rubbish.

I don't like the singer's voice and the way he sings. Music is too generic.

Este es un álbum de rock clásico, algunas medio baladas, otras más animadas Entretenido, pero no me pareció trascendental, ni que tenga algún elemento que lo permita destacar muchísimo de otros exponentes de un género que en su momento estaba bastante saturado

Honestly, not good. This is not a musical style I enjoy. Dated and boring.

Not my cup of tea

Some good tunes, but nonetheless a boring album.

I don't know. I won't remember anything about this album.

Not my cup of tea

It's like a less emo version of The Cure

I sincerely do not know what to make of this album. I'm almost certainly going to give it a few more spins just to try to figure it out. It's not that it is appealing, it's that it is a strange curiosity, like a car crash. Odd that it is plucked out of the millions of albums to be included on the list but I feel like the author is more heavily invested in UK music than I ever will be.

Good but nowhere near great. I could have died before hearing this and been ok with it.

Okay ... sure. I've heard this before, but with better melodies and vocals. None of these songs will occupy a single synapse in my brain once it's over. Why is this here? Oh, right, all the Brit Pop goes on the list. If want to listen to Spandau Ballet, or Roxy Music, or the Waterboys, Style Council (you get the point), I'll start there, not here. Next.

I just really didn't care for it. The vocals were also grating to me.

Meh

Boring 80s music. Not my thing.

Definitely has its charms

Dunno what to make of this really, sounds both very of the 80s and very not at the same time. I think I'd rather listen to REMs first album if we're talking what came out in this genre/era, and some tracks are quite reminiscent of this. Strangely intriguing album cover, is it just me? Reminds me of an old book cover or something. "The The"'s song "This Is The Day" (great great track, give it a listen) is a lot like "Charlotte Street"

Some hints of Prefab Sprout in there but mostly a bit bland.

Two good songs and the entire rest of his career is garbage.

Some nice, catchy songs, but nothing that stands out. A very summery album imo! Fav song is ‘Andy’s Babies’.

I'm pretty sure I've seen this album while flicking through the book and some of the user profiles, but aside from that I can confidently say that I've never heard of this album or artist before. This album cover is kind of amusing. Out of all the images these guys could have picked to represent their music they had to choose a gross, musty, shitty picture of a cabin door. I guess that's part of their countercultural punk aesthetic. There's no way this music isn't punk, right? I can partly see it being folk, but I think the Commotions are too rowdy for any folking antics. Anyways, here goes. Jangle pop. Folk rock. My inability to lock in folk for my prediction has cost me once again. I want to like jangle pop. It's an earnest and distinct genre, but one I find immensely difficult to appreciate. The music is just so stale. Weak vocal performances and unremarkable guitars are pretty much all that this genre is, though there are some nice string sections in the case of this album. I salute the runtime, but overall this was an unremarkable listen. Book time. "One of the finest debuts of the 1980s". A lot of literary references and comedic lyrics. "...as sharp as anything by pop's other literate funnyman, Morrissey." Wikipedia says this album had some modestly successful singles in the UK, was well-received by critics and had respectable chart success across Europe and the West, but that's about it. I mean, sure. This music is a decent representation of where music was at during the time, it's a unique genre, it isn't over-represented and I can see it having an influence over where popular music would head in the 90s. I'm pretty sure the only other jangle pop album I've encountered on the list is 16 Lovers Lane by the Go-Betweens, so I cosign this inclusion.

More 80s brit pop jesus christ

I was whelmed.

There are no less than 40 albums on this list that sound vaguely like this one. I say vaguely, because so many of them are vague and forgettable. I’m sure these hit if you were a certain type of teenager in a certain place at the time of their release, but hindsight puts this record in its place. “Down On Mission Street” and “Forest Fire” almost revived this project’s pulse, but it was too little too late. 2/5 no need to listen to this one

Started off good then flattened out for me.

Boring

563/1001 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑

Wow, this one really dragged. It’s not awful by any means, but man, it sure is boring. Nothing offensively bad—just a slow, uneventful listen.

OMG another one no one has heard of... Had potential but just never broke outta the mold

I'd like to come up with a critique beyond just "boring", but it didn't inspire anything else

nah

I didn't get on with this one

Not familiar with them but yet another British, 80s, poppy meh 😖 and not encouraged by the opening track/sound. God, this is wank and my patience is really running out of this type of music on here. Probably won’t make it to the end of the album as I’ve come to expect not being surprised by these types of bands as albums progress. Taraaa (2.5)

Not particularly offensive but just utter tedium most of the time, can't remember anything from this after listening to it

This was a slog. The production has this 80s thing that I can’t stand, and that’s a big issue I have. Musically not bad but not great or groundbreaking. Clearly someone from the UK who put this list together bc there is a lot of stuff that was only big there.

It was fine, but I already forgot what it was like.

She's Got Perfect Skin 1001 Albums Generator 226 (2/12/2026) It's kind of Smiths-like, but not as good or interesting. Perfect Skin is a great song. Pretty middle of the road jangle pop, 2.5/5 rounded down to 2. Favs: Perfect Skin Forest Fire Four Flights Up Least Fav: Down On Mission Street

Just another one of those albums that drifts by in a blaze of middle of the road mediocrity, making you wish that this list drew more from wider genres and their extremes than the briefly popular. Makes you think that maybe, just maybe, I should listen to Pete Ubu again….

It was fine, it sounded like the inspiration for the 80s, with 60s vibes. No songs really stood out and it wasn’t my fav sound.

Similar to other 80's pop records on this list, decent instrumentals but lackadaisical vocals really reduce this to mediocre at best.

I'm not sure if this album really deserves to be on a list of 1001 albums you need to hear before you die. It wasn't bad per se, but it just didn't really do anything for me. It was inoffensive and quickly became background music. I'm usually waiting for an album to end when I dislike it or wanting to hear more if I liked it, but this is right in the middle.

This was only 35 minutes long but it felt like forever. What a dull album. A real snooze.

Didn't resonate with me. Easy listen but nothing blew me away or grabbed my attention too much 4-5/10

Generic British pop rock. Nothing stood out at any point.

Another British new wave/pop/indie rock?!? What a surprise! I'm so tired of these nothingburgers that I can't even come up with a creative way to take a shot at - yet another - 2* album from what is obviously the editor's very favorite genre (okay, he might like prog rock better; it's a 1 and 1A situation). This 2* should be replaced by the Goo Goo Dolls Dizzy Up the Girl . . . which, let's see, Influence 1. Hits 5. Quality 3. Intangibles 3. I've never been a big fan 2. Well, that only gets us to a 3*, but it's still an improvement, and I'm sure many more people would give the Goos a 4*, so good enough.

Is there anything special about this? I don't know, I didn't hate it, but it is also super not special and not worthy to be here. It was forgoten for a good reason, super bland. But yes it is still kinda listenable, cause it is so not innovative musically and without risk that sure

Gave me some Dire Strait vibes but no guitar work and good as songs really. Still listenable but not great. 2.5 goin down.

The album is perfectly encapsulated by the cover. All brown. Dull and lifeless. Boring. There's some nice instrumentation in here, and it's easy enough to listen to I guess, but all the songs bleed into each other with no real distinction between themselves, and no real elevation into anything more interesting. 2.5 rounded down.

Meh…

Again. So many deserving albums have missed out due to shit like this

на любителя, мне не зашло...

Not my favourite style of music - kinda reminds me of Morrissey :/

I liked it better on the second day than I did on the first. Probably won't go back to this album, though

no terminó de llamarme la atención

Not bad, but annoying because this took a spot on the list away from so many albums that are much better than this. It's not even like this is revolutionary or different in one way or another, it just sounds like every other generic English/Scottish pop album in the 80s-90s. Shows that the list is really one person’s opinion. So many other bands and genres that should be represented. 2.5⭐️

Didn't listen to the whole thing, but the first 3 tracks were pretty crap and I suspect it didn't get better from there

Sounds like 8 GarageBand sample tracks, one Dylan parody and one semi enjoyable track musically (Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken) that gets muffled by the vocals. 1.5

Nääää… Patience var bra, resten var ganska kasst

Very average new wave mid tempo rock. Not even rhythmically interesting.

This one wasn’t for me

Great album to fall asleep to…fails for me by any other metric, other than I guess the production is good. Did I really have to hear this one before I die?

It's fine, not my cup of tea but enjoyed some songs.

In general its very boring. I dont know, this is nothing like some i'd like.

Good album. Reminded me of The Talking Heads.

Didn't have enough Bob Dylan on the list. Gotta get some Bob Dylan derivatives in there too. zzz

42/1089 2.4672* Pretty generic sounding crooner and backing band. Nothing to get too excited about, no real hooks. Standard 80s new-wave-adjacent faire. Could be ok background in a coffee house. Cool album cover. Hits...perfect skin

Not what I was expecting. Kind fonforgetable.

The most exciting thing about the album is that at its absolute best moments, it sounds like The Smiths. Now think about how exciting The Smiths are.

Had a hard time getting through this one. Very 80's British new wave.

Reminded me of the Jesus and Mary chain and their brand of pop, but not quite. And just enough difference to be kind of annoying and not a fan of this album

Very 80’s, very average, super forgettable.

I did not like this. No feeling or emotion. Everything felt very blah. It was like the cure but take away everything that makes them good.

Don't have much to say about this one. Thought it was fine, albeit a bit bland. Has already left my brain a few minutes post-listen... 2.25/5

The only Lloyd Cole song I am familiar with is Jennifer She Said from their final album. I like that song, but it didn't wow me enough to look into listening to anything else from them. If I had, I'd of realized that this album was going to be horrible. The music is fine, but that voice sounds like it's flat and sharp at the same time, and the pronounced articulation and emphasize of almost every word is highly annoying for me.

boring, cure-ish vibes but worse

Bit odd to have this one here, nothing remarkable. Did I miss something?

Really really rubbish and really infuriating that something so inconsequential was included.

Safe and forgettable album with mediocre songs and performances. Not bad, not good. Easy to listen to but nothing worth revisiting. Top tracks: Forest Fire, Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?

“I heard the The Smiths before you”

This album evokes strong meh. For this it gets a soft 2.

its ok

The music was decent but I just couldn't stand Lloyd's vocals. Favorite track: Forest Fire

★★½

Best Song: Rattlesnakes. A moderately toe-tapping chorus. Worst Song: Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken? These lyrics, which were undoubtedly the intended focus of the song, were corny as all hell. Overall: I'm at a loss as to what I'm supposed to get excited about here. History has forgotten this album. I am already forgetting this album.

Another dreary Brit pop record that was obviously important to the clod that made this list, but sounds like geese farts on a muggy day.

Dull, dull, dull. I was bored from a few seconds into the first track until the album ended. The only positive to take from this album is that it didn’t make enough impression on me to make me hate it with a passion

Pretentious and boring

Immediately forgettable. Listened to it and when it was over, couldn't tell you much about what I had just listened to. It's very jangly. The singer seems to want to be some sort of a crooner or something. It's not offensive, it's not terrible...it's just average and I don't know why this is on the list.

2.75

Uninteresting. Uninspiring. Unessential.

Perfect Skin is an entertaining and promising opener, but the half-sung/half-spoken/always verbose lyrics come across as pretentious and grow tiresome within a few songs. The band's work is solid and very much of its era, but Lloyd Cole seems to be cramming in beat-poetry-style stream of consciousness words and oh-so-literate name dropping and (kind of) trying to make them fit the well-crafted tunes.

I didn’t find this interesting at all

Pleasant and chill album listen to. Nothing groundbreaking, especially hearing it nowadays. Still didn't mind checking it out.

If you had told me that every single one of these songs was on the soundtrack for any 80's teen hijinks rom-com, I would believe you. Nothing remarkable.

I’m kind of on the fence with this one. It was ok, but it’s another album that doesn’t jump out to me as being noteworthy in any way. I kind of get a mix of maybe the Cars, the Cure, some other more rock leaning new wave… but nothing really stood out.

2.0

Jakieś nudne pierdolenie o szopenie

boring

Generic 80s soft rock album.

cut rate smiths