Back to Mystery City

Not really sure how this made it onto the 1001 list, but I can only assume it's bribery.

I'm genuinely confused by this album, or at least its inclusion on this list. Nothing I heard seemed new, novel, or influential. The recording quality was mediocre, and song writing basic, the execution lukewarm. Maybe I missed something, but I don't think I'll be listening again to find out.

Bad 80s Glam. The sound of doing blow off of a Macy's credit card

Never listened to this band, but this is stupid glam metal and I am absolutely here for it. This was better than I thought and influenced Poison/Motley Crue and others. Great album as long as you are willing to have fun with it.

Um, interesting choice for this list. I have never heard of Hanoi Rocks but they aren't terrible. This album feels like one on your guilty pleasure list - don't really want to tell anyone you like it but deep down there's something about it that you're drawn to. For that reason, it gets an average rating. But nothing more. I just can't justify a higher rating for a fun sounding album by, from what I can tell, just another 80's glam rock band with some tragedy. Really don't know why they're on this list.

The Mystery: What would it sound like if Poison made a Replacements album? The Answer: This record.

I was going to give a two, but then when I heard the saxophone I decided to add another star.

Pretty dumb but... fine I suppose. I dunno, I think there's better stuff out there in this style.

Beach boys punk rock

I'm sure Hanoi Rocks were pretty great live in a small club in 1981; a bit of glam, rock and roll fun. But this album is... just sadly amateurish. The very existence of this album is both a calling card to help the band get live bookings and a souvenir for their live fan base. But it's not a good record. The songwriting is basic, the lyrics were clearly written by someone with pretty rudimentary English, and it sounds like it was recorded in a cardboard box using a tin can on a string. I can hear their energy, which is commendable. I like an energetic album by an enthusiastic band, and I don't even mind if the recording is a bit shoddy, but this is just paper thin. I can hear how this was the beginning of 80s glam metal, but there are much better examples of that genre (if you really felt like 80s glam metal needed representation). Really, I suspect the main reason that this band is included on the list is the tragic death of drummer, Razzle, and the way that intersects with the more prominent story of Motley Crue. I am increasingly uncomfortable with the way that the story behind a record becomes an integral part of the status of that album, especially when predicated on the suffering or death of the people involved. I'm sure Razzle would rather be a live drummer (even a live retired drummer) than a dead legend. 2.5 stars, rounding down for the emotional vampirism on the basis of a dead man.

The infamous Glam Punk band, criminaly underatted and undeapreciate, i'm accually suprised to see one of their album here. It started with a accoutisc oppening with river and bird songs, absoluttly not preparing us for the rest, but still kinda funny. It then go with the powerfull riff of Malibu Beach Nightmare. some songs are very good, others forgettable, The best songs are: Malibu Beach Nightmare, Mental Beat, Lick Summer Love, Betting getting faster, Ice Cream Summer and Back to Mystery City. But honneslty the songs all have some cool intro, riffs and Mike Monroe always give a hell of a good vocals job. The songs are bluesy, metal, rock and punk, sometimes all at once, showing their vats music skills and influences of others bands like New York Dolls, Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, english glam Rock (Bowie, T.Rex, Roxy Music), The Sex Pistols or more classical rock band like the Stones or Aerosmith. In addition of their songs, they have an authenticity, a street wise glam punk attitude and way of telling their songsd, that is more than just the girls and party vibe of others Glam bands (that i also like but i more authentic here). Micheal Monroe is one of the best frontman in rock, vclarly in that period of time, because all thoses band kinda immitte him. Their songs just genuily feels real and still got that good vibe of others glam band, its a shamed theyr never get big. The influenced Hanoi Rocks have, with this album and all their others, is significant, especially when you look at all the american Glam Metal scene (Especially in the Sunset Strip) its undiable, from their songs, to their attitude and their look. Huge band have praised them, Guns N' Roses in particular, memebrs have often said good things about Hanoi Rocks an sayin how much they have influence them. The list of bands is long, Ratt, Alices In Chains, Poison, LA Guns, Skid Row, Foo Fighters, Mötley Crüe and even Def Leppard. To conclude the album is very good, i dont know if its the best album of Hanoi Rocks cause i dind't listen to all of them, but this one is one of the best 80's Glam Metal album i have heard, because of the attitude, the feeling and the music. But we have to regognise their influences, but some songs are not very good, a bit repetitive and it almost feel like some songs were not at maximum potential. Anyway love it.

This one surprises. Loved it and hope to find a copy.

I loved this album, even though the first time I listened to it tracks 2-8 were not the correct songs. Seems Apple Music has the wrong songs associated with tracks 4-8 were the wrong songs. Whatever songs those were I listened to the first time sounded like Hanoi Rocks and I really liked them... After re-listening with the correct tracks (than you YouTube): I LOVE THIS ALBUM. This band is really amazing. Some pretty strong rock tracks in here ("Malibu Beach Nightmare") with some punk and glam and 50s stuff - all blended together into BACK TO MYSTERY CITY. There are touches of Queen, Meat Loaf, the B-52s, the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack - all have done some similar mixing before… What's great here is Hanoi Rocks has their own spin on these winning combinations. I loved every song on here. The styles varied a bit but still felt like a cohesive album. Some wild fun sound-effect shenanigans in the opening and scattered here and there - like the farm animals in "Tooting Bec Wreck", the spacey echoey effects in "Until I Get You,” the bells in “Ice Cream Summer.” Well done without being overdone. This is some of the best punk/rock/glam/50's style music around. I wish I had discovered them in the 80s as I think it would have enhanced my adolescence. Nevertheless lots of fun now, the lyrics were interesting, and I will listen to this often. And after being exposed to some additional Hanoi Rocks through the misidentified mystery tracks, will follow up with some more of their albums. HANOI ROCKS ROCKS!

In an effort to keep my reviews consistent, I keep these attributes in mind when I choose an album's rating: recording, performances, and songs. The performances and recording of this album are fine but the songs are not good. Say what you want about Motley Crue and Poison, they had song craft figured out.

This kicks ass. Early punk energy. Adding this to my collection.

5/5 - shockingly good. I can see where GNR got it from

I don’t know much about Hanoi Rocks, but I do know that the drummer Razzle was killed by Vince Neil’s drunk driving, who served only 19 days in jail. Mötley Crüe then went on to carry on making music. It’s one of the most bizarre things to happen in rock music and a massive injustice, and it really needs a Netflix exposé. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Malibu Beach Nightmare, Sailing Down The Tears, Beating Gets Faster I don’t know why I haven’t listened to much Hanoi Rocks before. Glam rock and metal was a big part of my life for a good while, but I just didn’t look much into this band for some unknown reason. This album was pretty spectacular. It has plenty of catchy melodies, nice distorted guitars, and vocals that don’t tend to shriek quite as much as some similar styled bands. I liked this a lot, and I’m very glad I’ve finally given them a good listen.

Long time music listener, first time glam rock enjoyer. Seriously, the 80s form of glam rock has never really jelled with me, but *man* did I enjoy this album. Sounds like it was made for huge stages and big festivals, insert your own crowd chanting while listening. I'm not sure if it's the use of the name "Rosalita" and the killer saxophone solo in "Ice Cream Summer", but man, it sounds just like Springsteen went glam. Early on in the record, I thought, "this isn't bad," and near the end I was super into it. Fuck it. I'm feeling generous tonight. Favorite tracks: "Mental Beat", "Tooting Bec Wreck", "Beating Gets Faster", "Ice Cream Summer"

Was expecting hair metal, but these guys definitely have a more punk/glam sound - owing more to Bowie or T Rex than other hair metal bands.

Well this was a nice new guilty pleasure. By all measures, Hanoi Rocks sounds a bit ridiculous. It's glam rock after glam rock fell out of fashion. It's punk when everyone else was going post punk. It's very rough around the edges and hard to take seriously. But honestly, I kind of loved it. The first half in particular packed some good punches. I can completely understand why they attracted such fans as Mott the Hopple and Axl Rose. Shame that they didn't last as a band. I can easily see them having matured, with this album being the slightly embarrassing fan favorite that no one admits to. But honestly, it was pretty good.

That's crazy how they added crazy sax solo in rocks songs at that time and that actually is really good especially in "Malibu Beach Nightmare". "Tooting Bec Wreck" wtfff was that intro and in the mid part of the song the singer sounded like Donnie Thornberry ahaha but the rest of the song was clearly awesome probably my favorite of the album. The rest of the album was good but a bit weird, I mean there is a weird atmosphere but that means they succeeded to create their own vibe that's dope for sure.

What works here – and not very well, TBH – are the new wavey elements, including sax and keyboard flourishes and also Strummer-esque vocals on the first part "Mental Beat" and the overall feels on "Tooting Bec Wreck." On balance, this could scarcely be more forgettable (or more regrettably '80s for that matter). One can't confirm that "Lick Summer Love" (among the least bad cuts here) is a Spinal Tap cover but the title suggests it must be. The hair styles alone require a full point deduction. The lyrics also suck for being sub-sophomoric. They can't be Finnish, can they? Or is Finland some neighborhood in LA that one doesn't know? Perhaps the best that can be said is that this coulda been much worse, and the packaging tees up that expectation.

Another reviewer describes this album as "dumb glam." I mean, yeah. Isn't it great? Well, I had a blast listening to this album, but it turns out if you're listening on Spotify, this is not Back to Mystery City. About half the tracks are mislabeled. With a little digging on YouTube, you should be able to find the others. These are the actual songs Spotify shows as being on the album: 1) Strange Boys Play Weird Openings; 2) Malibu Beach Nightmare; 3) Mental Beat; 4) Don't You Ever Leave Me (mislabeled); 5) Lost in the City (mislabeled); 6) First Timer (mislabeled); 7) Cheyenne (mislabeled); 8) Beating Gets Faster; 9) Ice Cream Summer; 10) Back to Mystery City. In spite of the annoyance of having to find the right tracks, I really enjoyed listening to this. Hanoi Rocks gets associated so much with 80s glam metal that I was expecting not to like this, but they're better than a lot of those bands. This album has a Mott-Meets-Sweet-Meets-New York Dolls vibe to it, ramshackle but with a surprising pop sensibility. The songs are glammy and trashy and tongue in cheek, all of it in good fun. Fave Songs: Tooting Bec Wreck, Beating Gets Faster, Until I Get You, Ice Cream Summer, Mental Beat, Malibu Beach Nightmare

Büro, Heidenheim, Deutschland. Sehr tolles Album!

I’ve heard for a long time that this band was apparently influential as hell on all the 80s hair metal bands, and now that I’m finally listening to them for the first time that is certainly evident. They are such an interesting mixture of hard rock and art rock with a very European sensibility.

I really enjoyed this album. Hadn’t heard of Hanoi Rocks prior to showing up in the generator. Had some good guitar work, saxophone, songwriting and vocals. Had a late 70s early-early 80’s vibe. They be in my radar and my playlist.

This album is wildly eclectic. It borders simple and genius at the same time. Don't sleep on this band.

A really good album, I like Malibu Beach Nightmare, Mental Beat and Tooting Bec Wreck the most.

Classic glam rock

Peacemaker rocks! :D

Yeah, this is great. Due to the fatal car incident with their drummer and the Motley Crue singer, I somehow always associated this band with MC and never paid it the attention it deserves. Turns out: it does not have those silly glam rock sing along refrains, but it is much more rock n roll: think New York Dolls a decade earlier. My bad.

I spent my entire 8 hours of work listening to just this artist.... good stuff

Everything that I love about rock!

## In-Depth Review of *Back to Mystery City* by Hanoi Rocks Released in 1983, *Back to Mystery City* is the fourth studio album by Finnish glam-punk band Hanoi Rocks. This record marked a pivotal moment in their career, blending elements of punk, glam rock, and 70s pop into a unique sound that influenced future bands like Guns N’ Roses and Poison[1][2]. Below is a detailed exploration of the album’s lyrics, music, production, themes, and influence, along with its pros and cons. --- ### **Lyrics** The lyrics on *Back to Mystery City* are diverse, ranging from introspective reflections to carefree celebrations of youth and rebellion. Andy McCoy wrote most of the album, with Michael Monroe contributing to some tracks. The lyrics often feel like snapshots of the band’s life at the time: - **"Malibu Beach Nightmare"** captures a playful yet edgy vibe with its depiction of escapism and summer fun[1][2]. - **"Tooting Bec Wreck"** is inspired by the grim realities of living in a rat-infested London apartment, showcasing a raw and introspective side[2]. - **"Until I Get You"** is a melodic ballad about longing and romance, reminiscent of Alice Cooper’s style[1]. - **"Lick Summer Love"**, controversial for its explicit content, reflects youthful hedonism but has been criticized by band members as overly sleazy[1][2]. The lyrical themes oscillate between gritty realism ("Tooting Bec Wreck") and carefree glam-punk anthems ("Malibu Beach Nightmare"), which adds depth but occasionally feels inconsistent. --- ### **Music** Musically, *Back to Mystery City* is a vibrant fusion of glam rock, punk energy, and 70s pop influences. The album’s sound is characterized by: - **Dynamic Guitar Work**: Andy McCoy’s lead guitar and Nasty Suicide’s rhythm guitar create intricate dual-guitar arrangements that are both melodic and raw[2][3]. - **Catchy Hooks**: Tracks like "Malibu Beach Nightmare" feature irresistible hooks that blend punk aggression with pop sensibilities[2]. - **Diverse Styles**: The album ranges from upbeat rockers like "Beating Gets Faster" to mid-tempo tracks like "Sailing Down the Tears," showcasing versatility[1]. - **50s Rock Influence**: McCoy drew inspiration from early rock’n’roll and girl groups, lending songs a nostalgic yet fresh feel[2]. Standout tracks include "Mental Beat," with its driving rhythm and infectious energy, and "Back to Mystery City," which combines glam-rock swagger with lyrical storytelling about their adventures in Asia[1][3]. --- ### **Production** Produced by Dale Griffin and Pete "Overend" Watts of Mott the Hoople fame, the production balances raw energy with polished arrangements: - **Live Feel**: The album retains a gritty edge that mirrors Hanoi Rocks’ live performances while avoiding overproduction[1][2]. - **Instrumentation**: Morgan Fisher’s keyboards add depth to certain tracks, while Miriam Stockley’s backing vocals provide texture[1]. - **Drum Work**: Razzle’s drumming brings vitality to the record, especially on tracks like "Mental Beat," despite initial recording challenges[1][2]. While the production captures the band’s essence effectively, some critics have noted that it doesn’t fully showcase their potential. Monroe himself expressed mixed feelings about certain songs like "Lick Summer Love," feeling they didn’t represent their best work[2]. --- ### **Themes** Thematically, *Back to Mystery City* explores: 1. **Youthful Rebellion**: Songs like "Malibu Beach Nightmare" exude carefree energy and escapism. 2. **Urban Decay**: Tracks such as "Tooting Bec Wreck" reflect the harsh realities of living in London during the early 80s. 3. **Romance and Lust**: Ballads like "Until I Get You" delve into longing and love, while "Lick Summer Love" explores more explicit themes. 4. **Adventure**: The title track celebrates the band’s experiences abroad and their growing fame. The album balances lighthearted themes with darker undertones but occasionally struggles with tonal cohesion. --- ### **Influence** *Back to Mystery City* played a significant role in shaping glam-punk and glam-metal scenes: - It inspired bands such as Guns N’ Roses (Slash praised Hanoi Rocks as “the real deal”), Poison, and Alice in Chains[2][3]. - The album helped revive authentic rock’n’roll during a period dominated by post-punk gloom and pre-party metal trends[2]. Despite modest chart success (peaking at #87 in the UK), its cultural impact was profound. Songs like "Malibu Beach Nightmare" became anthems for a new wave of rock bands seeking to combine glamour with grit[1][3]. --- ### **Pros** 1. **Innovative Sound**: The blend of glam rock, punk energy, and 70s pop was ahead of its time. 2. **Strong Songwriting**: Andy McCoy’s compositions are memorable and diverse. 3. **Energetic Performances**: Michael Monroe’s charismatic vocals and Razzle’s dynamic drumming elevate the album. 4. **Influence on Future Bands**: It laid the groundwork for glam-metal acts that emerged later. 5. **Standout Tracks**: Songs like "Malibu Beach Nightmare," "Mental Beat," and "Back to Mystery City" are timeless. --- ### **Cons** 1. **Inconsistent Tone**: The mix of lighthearted tracks ("Ice Cream Summer") with darker ones ("Tooting Bec Wreck") can feel uneven. 2. **Production Limitations**: While solid overall, some tracks don’t fully capture Hanoi Rocks’ live energy or potential. 3. **Mixed Lyrics Quality**: Certain songs (e.g., "Lick Summer Love") have been criticized for being overly explicit or lacking depth. 4. **Limited Commercial Success**: Despite critical acclaim, it didn’t achieve substantial chart performance outside Finland. --- ### Conclusion *Back to Mystery City* is a landmark album that showcases Hanoi Rocks at their creative peak. Its blend of glam-punk aesthetics, catchy songwriting, and energetic performances make it a cult classic that influenced an entire generation of rock musicians. While it has its flaws—such as inconsistent tone and mixed production—the album remains essential listening for fans of 80s rock’n’roll. For those seeking authentic rock energy combined with glam swagger, *Back to Mystery City* delivers in spades despite its imperfections.

Hanoi Rocks delivers a delightfully catchy glam rock record, with favorites coming out of 'Until I Get You' and 'Mental Beat'. The arrangements are quite methodical and measured, with Razzle's familiar classic rock drum patterns fastening the album. A Finnish band singing in English could make you mistake Hanoi Rocks for a Brit band, which affords it extra substance as a generally pleasant listen.

Je ne connaissais pas, ça rock !

This was not terrible, but it did drag on a bit, wouldn't revisit, it was ok(ish).

I had only heard of this man’ band because of the Vince Neil accident. This was sort of what I expected, maybe a little better.

It's time for a hard flashback to 1983 with the Finnish rock band Hanoi Rocks and *Back to Mystery City*. I've been looking forward to something like that for the last several reviews. A little glam rock, a little hair metal. This promises to have some uplifting moments. Let's get stuck in. One of the things I love about hair bands is that they often show ridiculously weird musical knowledge, particularly in the first track, *Strange Boys Play Weird Openings*, which you might think of as throwaway or introductory or an instrumental lead-in. But really, they're often just musical jokes, typically commenting on historical music or the news of the day in one form or another. Here we get a medieval madrigal / Greensleeves-esque noodling around on a guitar along with a badly played flute, which leads into a heartbeat. I think it's funny. It's the kind of thing you only laugh at if you get the joke, which is the best kind of joke. Then we launch into a weirdly hybrid banger, *Malibu Beach Nightmare*, which combines one of the many hair metal tropes: going down to the beach and meeting girls with getting a sexually transmitted disease and then hooking up with a skinhead. Now we're not actually informed how the skinhead treats him, but she is described as a Brixton Pearl. You be the judge of irony there. If, however, the sweet, sweet girl, the sea pearl that made him burn, that naughty girl, is in fact the same girl who is a skinhead, well, he ignored the red flags and it's his fault. The middle of this song is a 50s guitar throwback thing, which works interestingly, but not poorly with the rest of the experience. The song is fun and it's a good way to kick off an album. I don't want to suggest that rock bands in general can pretty much all be counted on to make a song that is about how they take drugs and play music and they enjoy the lifestyle. But *Mental Beat* is pretty much a song about Hanoi Rocks taking a bunch of amphetamines, getting really high. Then having those meth jitters where you can't seem to not do something. "Hanoi Rocks has got the beat. Boy, they never seem to sleep." Yeah, guys, I'll believe that. If this song has a problem, it's that it goes on a bit too long. At five minutes and three seconds, it could have lost a couple of the bridges and a couple of minutes and still have been very on point. Get in, get out, do the business. Still not bad. *Tooting Bec Weck* would be a cautionary tale if the band had more critical insight and less pride. But, you know, it's a rock band. You don't expect to use them as iconic guides to how to live life well. No, you expect them to tell you how to live life like a dissolute, destitute, down-on-your-luck scumbag, taking drugs in the worst part of town. Which brings us to what Tooting Bec was, or more accurately, is: a particular borough of London. It does have the largest open-air pool in the UK, so it's got that going for it, but it was also the bad part of town in the 80s when Hanoi Rocks was living there. What did they write a song about? Their scummy, run-down, piece of shit neighborhood and how they were scummy, run-down pieces of shit taking drugs on a regular basis. Like I said, don't take your life cues from a rock band. Like the previous track, the biggest problem with this one is that it goes on too long: six minutes and 12 seconds. It could have been cut down to five and lost nothing of substance. Look, I know some of you think that *Until I Get You* is a song about the romantic buildup of a man pursuing a woman whom he desires and that he is consumed with adoration for her. But seriously, listen to the song. It's about catcalling a woman who is leaving the grocery store parking lot. This guy hangs out in the same place every day, so she obviously lives somewhere nearby and is getting groceries, and every day he's harassing her. What an asshole! On the positive side, it's a pretty good song. As long as you don't listen too close, everything's golden. But isn't that the truth about most music? If you're really looking to extend the story, the next track should probably be about how this guy stalks and rapes her in her apartment, because that's the setup. What I was not ready for in the next track was basically just a straight-up love song. *Sailing Down the Tears* is about a guy who has had a pretty miserable romantic history, finally found the girl of his dreams. She seems to be into him too, and he's just singing about how he loves her and how his release from the cavalcade of tears represents and is a reflection of how much she means to him. That's it. That's the song. It's upbeat, charming. It does exactly what it says on the tin in terms of acting like a love song. It's a perfectly serviceable song that does what it wants to. Hard to comment on because it is just that, but easy to enjoy. Hey, remember when I was talking about the inevitable song that involves stalking and raping a girl in her apartment? Yeah, it didn't disappear. It just was a track late. *Lick Summer Love* very well could be that track. After all, it does start by a man ogling a virgin who only sort of looks like she would want to try it with him. We get into the description of how he would like to deflower her, which I get, but we have fragments of song which lead to some strange cogitation. "I've got to get you for any price. I can't get you off my mind." "I may be a total stranger, but I'll get you in the long run." "You may not like it yet, but I bet you'll get wet." I don't know, man, I don't think she asked for this. "It'll be worth every tear you shed." Perhaps we are talking about the momentary pain of the breaking of the hymen, but there are some overtones I think we need to talk about with your therapist, sir, or the local authorities. Despite our misgivings and the implications of *Beating Gets Faster*, this is not a song about domestic violence. Instead, we've returned to the root of so much rock music. It's just a love song about how much the singer protagonist loves his girl and how much she loves him back. No matter what he's up to, no matter where he is, their love will always be true. That's it. That's the song. That's the whole thing. Frankly, it's been kind of a wild trip to get this far, so I'm just going to roll with it. We're going to let it be. Oh, *Summer Love*, so many rock songs have been written as paeans to you, but few of them end with so much of a "bro, you wrote this song" as this one does. *Ice Cream Summer* has the singer-protagonist lamenting the stealing of his love away by a young lady by the name of Rosalita. She perhaps accurately called him a born loser because losing is all he's ever done. Then she left at the end of the summer, thus proving the nature of her prophecy. Yet, hark, as the last verse comes around, our young man declares that he has survived the long winter and now summer comes again. *Ice Cream Summer* is forgotten. He has gotten over Rosalita. He means nothing to her, a photo among others of old friends and lovers—but he just can't seem to shut the fuck up about her. Seriously, brother, you're the one dragging out the mental photos of the girl that got away. Maybe you should just get on with it. I'm not sure who you're trying to convince. If you were waiting for Hanoi Rocks to sing about the London underground scene that they were part of kicking off, well, this is your song, *Back to Mystery City*. It itself was one of those underground clubs that they played a lot of. I have to admit, they don't make it sound all that appealing. A place with no heart, a place without pity. Some place that people will judge you by the clothes you wear and where it's a wham bam gangbang every night there. I don't know, doesn't sound like my kind of scene, but they did seem very excited about living in the shithole part of London earlier, so who am I to judge their taste in lifestyle choices? Except for a sane, sensible person who can say, "that sounds like a kind of shitty place." Overall, the album *Back to Mystery City* is a good time if you turn off your brain and don't actually analyze the lyrics too much. It's got a good beat. You can thrash around to it. You're not going to hear something that's excitingly mentally stimulating, but if you're looking for a little bit of punk and a surprising amount of retro 50s style guitar and beat making, 1983 is not a bad place to stop and look around with Hanoi Rocks.

Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it. I’ll probably never listen to it again. 2.5 stars rounding up to 3.

If I had heard of this band before, I forgot I had. Some decent 80s glam rock.

Mental Beat is incredibly Clash-lite, a Finnish impression of Joe Strummer. Really like the strange intro and production interludes, the oddly blues-y harmonica and jazzy piano flourishes, the lurking synth. It's a fun album but it probably won't be heavy in my rotation.

Pretty good! Great production on this one for the 80's

One of the best, sicher nicht. Durchschnitt ist für mich in dieser Liste der 1001 Alben, die man unbedingt hören soll fast schon ein dickes Lob. Einmal hören, dann vergessen, dafür vergebe ich 3 Punkte, weil ich nicht wirklich erwarte, irgendwelche geniale, mir noch nicht bekannte Musik vorgeschlagen zu bekommen.

Never heard of them but that was actually pretty enjoyable and solid.

Glam, punk, and hair metal in a blender. No complaints. 3.5

These guys didn't sound Vietnamese or Finnish.

Had no idea of what these folx were going to sound like, but apparently, every movie that is set in the 80s uses their styling to imply the 80s.

Not on Spotify, and the track order is backwards on the YouTube playlist. Fuck you, nerds. This guys hair is so amazing. I wish I had enough hair to rock that look. This is an otherwise solid rock and roll album from the 80s. Definitely worth the listen.

I suppose 1983 was just about right for this. I do not care for the glammy metal stylings. It is as if they listened to a good bit too much '70s AOR to practice their English. It's like a really good high school band before they learned some creative individuality.

Back to Mystery City Do you think the recording of the acoustic guitars in the intro to Strange Boys is supposed to sound so wobbly? I guess it might make you think you are about to listen to a vaguely pastoral album based around Blackbird. But by looking at the cover you clearly aren’t in for that sort of thing. Indeed you’re actually in for some occasionally pleasingly schizophrenic and stupid but ultimately not particularly good and quite badly recorded Finnish rock. Is it a joke or are they serious? I can’t really work it out if the dumbness is real or deliberate but I am significantly reminded of Anvil. Malibu Beach Nightmare was apparently originally a calypso. I wonder what that was like if they thought this was a better way to do it? Among the rest of it I quite like the looming (synth?) bass on Tooting Bec Wreck, Sailing Down the Tears is quite a decent pop rock song, as is Ice Cream Summer, and I don’t mind the New York Dolls influenced 60s-sih garage punk of Back to Mystery City at all. So overall it’s as completely terrible as it might suggest, but apart from some fun dumbness on a couple of tracks it’s not particularly great either. Probably a high 2, not enough to get into the 3s but not totally abject either. 🇻🇳🇻🇳 Playlist submission: Back to Mystery City

Didn’t find it to be particularly innovative or inspiring in anyway… May have been much more so it is time, but I found it very run of the mill …. Pretty good, nothing special for me. I certainly see how others could listen and get all hyped by it ….

So Hanoi Rocks “Back To Mystery City” was fine, as I liked the idea of a Finnish rock band – especially since I had a really hot blond Finnish girlfriend once… : ) Was not very familiar with them – though I had heard some of their music… Remember thinking that they were one of early “hair metal” bands along with Motely Crue and a few others in like 1981 – which was cool… And I do remember hearing about them alot when their drummer was killed in that car accident with Vince Neil of Motely Crue driving, while they were on a “beer run” after a heavy night of drinking… Seems like they were never the same after that… As for the album, every track on the album was solid – though there were moments of goodness scattered throughout… The 2 best tracks IMO – we the “Summer” songs… “Lick Summer Love” – 4-stars out of 7… “Ice Cream Summer” – 4-stars out of 7… Again – a fairly straight-forward rock/punk sound, with decent musicianship and song-writing – and would have been fine seeing in a bar in the early 80’s, but certainly nothing exceptional for sure… Would probably give this a 2.25 if I could, for being part of the origin of “hair metal” – especially a commercially-friendly band as well, and Finland’s greatest contribution to rock…

Solve the puzzle! Hanoi + (Rocks - R - O + S + U) = ? I quit listening to a song when I lost interest and didn't make it to the end of a single one! Pass.

Only listened to the songs available on spotify. Kinda disappointing ngl. Just some more wanna be rock stars

why i gotta listen to this

Wondering how this got onto the list. The band was known but never really suggested anything original. For this album the band doesn't seem to know whether it should be rock, not powerful enough or pop, lacking memorable catchy tunes. So it fails on both.

Um yeah, not too sure. Some sort of 80s punk/hair metal from Finland. If this has any relevance to the world of music, it must be lost on my ill-informed ears, but this could safely have never been made.

Dumb glam that doesn't really go anywhere or do much interesting. A couple of fun hooks

This is a band whose name I've heard a million times, and (maybe thanks to the "Rocks") I did expect them to be heavier than they were. I really enjoyed this, though. There was definitely some 80s metal in here, but I heard some influences of new wave, glam, power pop... they can really do it all. I kind of wish they had picked one lane and not gone for everything, but really they pulled it all off. I'd happily listen to this again. What a fun album. Was kind of leaning toward four stars but I think I talked myself into a better rating as I typed this haha. Nice work, Hanoi Rocks!

Was awesome!

Didn’t think I knew anything about this group, but I happened to watch the Netflix Mötley Crüe documentary “the Dirt” last night so I had heard of Razzle/Hanoi Rocks indirectly. The first track threw me off a bit but the rest of the album was killer. Really enjoyed this, played through twice easily and explored a bit of their other songs as well. Crazy the global rating is so low, this was amazing

I’m a simple man. Give me a guy shouting WOO over a guitar solo and 9/10 times im in, and it happens multiple times on this album. Also appreciate the very judicious use of the sax solo here. Granted im a rock whore but this rocked more than usual.

Great hair rock

80’s glam!

daaamm i loved this one! one of my favorite new ones so far! fave song: until i get you

I should have discovered this album much earlier! I had heard of Hanoi Rocks and remember seeing the cover a few times (I was even familiar with some of Michael Monroe's solo work), but I never felt the need to listen to the album. “Malibu Beach Nightmare” and the first few songs sound like a European punk rock band from the early 80s with a touch of new wave (which Hanoi Rocks probably were at the time). But then, starting with “Until I Get You,” the band really finds its own style, and I recognize some ideas that are strongly reminiscent of the early works of Guns n' Roses. This is exactly the missing link between punk rock and glam rock that I've been missing until now—now it all makes sense! It would have been a shame not to know this album before I die!

10/10

Tää on hyvä levy, vaikka jäänyt kokonaisuutena vähälle kuuntelulle Hanoi-tuotannosta. Paljon hyviä biisejä!

Finnish gem

fun glam rock

this shit is fire, you better come right in

Never heard any of this. Unreal. I dunno if they tried to be tongue in cheek but I love it. More proto-punk than glam and just unbelievable. My first 5.

I thought I was going to hate it seeing the reviews - But not even close, loved every minute.

Energético y divertido

Sehr gut. Leider ist das Album zu kurz

Album Nr. 10 Einfach gute Rockmusik.

cool

Normalnie byłoby 4, ale 5 za kickoff ;-)

The college summer I pack packed through Europe with classmates we were to take a train from Sweden to Finland; one of guys disappeared and we missed the train; a couple of days later he reappeared after a 48 hour sojourn with a Swedish girl he had met; never made it to Finland but liked this album nonetheless

I remember Hanoi Rocks being in Sounds, when I was a teen, and never actually got round to listening. Now, <mumble> years later.... It's a lot better than I expected. I can hear the lineage back to Mott (thanks to the triumvirate), and the tracks pass by most acceptably. There's a definite link between Glam, New Romantics and Hair Metal in this album. A solid 3.5 stars.

Fun

Good fun.

There’s definitely nothing groundbreaking to be had here but it’s a fun listen and I enjoyed every song on it. Can’t really ask for much more than that. Top Track - Sailing Down The Tears

I don't get all the negative reviews towards this top of this one. This was easy listening glam rock. A lot better than I've heard from most in this genre. Pleasantly surprised and have never heard of this band before. After this album played I listened to more of their catalog. 4.5/5

They get bonus points because they are Finnish, thought i wouldn't have guessed. For Until I get you I almost would rate it 4/5, but lets consider it 3.8 . Now i read the tragic story, well damn as I said, they really fitted with the 80's us rock scene. Too bad their journey was cut short. They really had potential.

Positively surprised. I really liked the album, most of the songs rock. Straight 4.

Like weezer did hair metal

This was really fun. Very much enjoyed, it felt like a cleaner (like crispy and exciting) and more fun sound than other albums of the era we’ve been served up.

Crunchy can be so much fun

Me pasó algo curioso con este álbum. La primera vez que lo escuché me voló la cabeza, amé todos los tracks y estuve a punto de ponerle 5 estrellas. Lo esuché una segunda vez y aunque me gustó, el entusiasmo ya no fue tan tremendo. Sí lo volvería a escuchar y quiero oír más de los Hanoi Rocks, pero creo que un 4 es más justo. Aún así, discazo.

Gött paket. Överhängande tema på soundet. Vibez

Finnish heavy metal

Never heard of them but surprisingly fun

Pretty good album! I have heard of them but never actually listened to them but I liked it quite a bit!

08/04/2026 I'm happy to give this 4 stars knowing the influence it had on the genre. It's a bit weak in places, but an okay album nevertheless. Spotify listeners: 120k

Had never heard of this band before and I really liked this album!

I’ve heard that these guys were massively influential to a lot of big bands including GNR. I also know that Vince Neil was responsible for killing one of them so there ya go. The influence on bands like skid row, GNR and Motley Crüe is very obvious. Hanoi Rocks sound like the Clash mixed with glam rock and mixed with pop music melodies. Pop music melodies were a key part in the success for bands like Poison and many more glam bands to come. How can people not like this band??They sound so futuristic. If the whole glam era of the 80s sounded like Hanoi rocks, people would look back with a lot more fondness for the genre. What would these guys achieved if Razzle didn’t get killed? They sound so good.

4/5 really good glam metal

Unashamedly rock in a kitschy style with influences from rock, pop and punk. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these tracks turned up in a movie soundtrack