Back to Mystery City

Wasn't really expecting to like this, but pretty fun tbh. Decently catchy, doesn't take itself too seriously, and didn't overstay it's welcome. 3 leaning 3.5 I feel

Yet another hair band. Not a bad one. 3.

Not a bad album. Mix was a little quiet, but pretty enjoyable overall. 3.5/5

3/5

3-

Like several other reviewers, I don't really get why this album is on the list. It's a perfectly serviceable glam / stadium rock album, but there's nothing more than that. Nothing new, interesting, vital or exciting. If it's your type of music, you'll like it, but it's hardly worth going out of your way to listen to.

5/10

No está completo en Spoti, vamos a Youtube. Esto no empieza como esperaba. "Malibu Beach Nightmare", "Tooting Bec Wreck" y "Ice Cream Summer". Leyendo en la wikipedia veo que es otra banda rota por la muerta prematura de un miembro en accidente de coche. Interesante y el tipo de aporte que uno espera en esta lista.

Not awful actually.

Credit for at være forgangsmænd for en af de mest anstrengende subgenrer nogensinde, jeg synes egentlig det var helt fint, vældig catchy og mere tekstur end så meget andet 80’er rock. Proto guns n roses Hvilket Black Sabbath cover @Claus?

Transikoner??? Lød ret fedt, gode riffs osv

Not what I expected, essentially a glam rock album. Pretty good! Albeit an odd inclusion on the list

It was alright. Loved that it was so short.

I mean, it's entertaining enough but I'd find difficulty in writing a great deal about it.

It deserves one extra credit for sounding so outdated without necessarily sounding like Dad Rock. I enjoyed the upbeat style, and it is always fun to know bands from anywhere other than the US and UK, even singing in English. Sometimes, I doubted if I was listening to some kind of Kiss cover band.

Fun and light and wafty, just like their haircuts.

Sure, fine, alright.

I know I've heard *of* Hanoi Rocks, but I'm not sure I've ever heard them, or at least anything from this album. A fine album overall, I'd say, but not particularly distinctive or memorable, except perhaps that they're Finnish instead of British or American? There is a somewhat appealing whiplash-effect, though, to the various flavors of glam- and hard- and faux-punk-rock tracks (at various times shades of The Clash or Motley Crue or even Kiss). And no noodling overlong tracks on this album! Compounding the mystery of why this was included: the Wikipedia article is truly atrocious and uninformative; and the "1001 Albums" entry seems to fixate on how outrageous they looked and performed on stage, with not much to say about the music itself. Apparently you had to be there...

Super cute! Feels like the male equivalent of what the Go Gos tried to achieve and I am here for it. Love the drums on "Mental Beat."

Didn’t hate it.

Straight up 80’s hard rock.

I mean it's okay, it's also only 17 mins long so I wasn't able to for a strong opinion either way

Surprisingly good

Expected this to suck. It didn’t!

Interesting to finally hear them. It was fine without being spectacular

This is not reinventing rock music but it’s solid and fun to listen to.

Pleasant, not special.

Is it innovative? No. Is it the peak of it's genre? No. Is it special? Not really. Is it well made? Not particularly. But it is fun if you just want some dumb glam rock and can appreciate it for what that means.

Interesting to hear this back to back with Megadeth. This is like a slowed down, more tuneful version and is much better for it. Still not to my taste but infinitely preferable to Megadeth/Iron Maiden.

Spotify only seems to have 5 tracks of this album so I'm basing it on that. I thought it was going to be terrible but in the end it was ok. They are something more than a hair metal band. Definitely glam.

Good. Memorable for this line from their Wikipedia: "After the short tour, Monroe and McCoy agreed to reform the band. This would be (as the two put it), a "rebirth", not a reformation of Hanoi Rocks, mainly because none of the other members were able to join: Razzle was dead; Nasty Suicide had become a pharmacist;"

B-52s meets Gin Blossoms meets Beach Boys? Somehow it works!

It’s fine. I’m pretty sure most of the songs are in the completely wrong order, but whatever. I doubt it would affect my rating.

This was a pretty good 80s rock album. I appreciated that some of the songs had hook that I could see myself returning to. Not bad. 3/5.

Proto hair metal. Not exactly Chinese rocks

The history of the album is more impactful than the album itself. By today's standards it is just another hair metal album.

Fun, some really good songs, probably won't go back to it

80s glam rock shenanigans l. For what it is, it's not too bad. Awful cover art, mind you

Hadn't heard of Hanoi Rocks before... not bad, in as far as 80s Glam Rock goes.

Niet alle tracks zijn beschikbaar op Spotify, dus ik moest nog moeite doen ook. Ik heb het over voor m'n zelf opgelegde missie. Aardige, een tikkeltje foute, glam-achtige semi punkrock. Geen ramp om een keer te horen, maar tegelijkertijd hoort dit niet in deze lijst. Ik kan hier wel een 3 voor geven. Dit was, los van dat ik het moest zoeken op Youtube (waar ook verkeerde versies staan), makkelijk te doen.

I’ve time traveled to a party I missed out on. Because I never would have listened to this based on the album cover(s). But this was a surprisingly fun party. I thought it would be like Motley Crue but it is thankfully not that. Oh it’s rock-a-billy!

I was expecting not to like this but it was rock solid

Bright but forgettable.

Hanoi Rocks! Pretty solid punk album. Goin with a 3 still though.

Never heard this band, but heard of this band. Honestly I was expecting early Motley Crue or early Twisted Sister leanings. This goes more for the first Aerosmith influences. Which is fine I guess. But I would like to have heard some more grit. Good, not great.

The music on this album is pretty much just glam rock, which I do enjoy, but the vocals could let the album down a little bit, but not enough for me to dislike any of it. I overall found the album to be pleasant. I consider this to be a high 3/5.

Shout out Tooting bec 3/5

Good sample of 80’s rock

Very fun first half of the record but then mind of meanders midway through.

2 songs in, this is pretty good. Hair rock with saxophone?? yes PLEASE. Started getting a little boring near the end but this wasn't bad.

New York Dolls meets Thin Lizzy with a dash of 80's. It's not bad but not sure why it made the list. 2.5 stars.

70’s blender rock. A little punk (like direct Ramones chords), some glam, radio rock,… all decent, none special.

There's nothing really wrong with this, except I don't understand the importance of it or why it's on the list. Everything here has been done better by other artists. It's totally fine, and I wouldn't turn it off. But it's not going to be put into heavy rotation, either.

High 3 pero no me mato

These guys could be the worst band in the world but as long as they have Andy McCoy, they will always have legendary status. I feel like this band’s trajectory would have been different if they had only come out after Appetite for Destruction. No songs need to be skipped but I don’t think any of them could have skyrocketed these guys into superstardom either. It’s just a middle of the pack album. Choice cut: Tooting Bec Wreck

meh. Not terrible but I don't find it very interesting.

Finished better than it started. Was ready to skio it by glad I listened all the way. Still not great, but not as bad as it appeared at first. Hoping the next album that shows up is better.

A very adequate hair metal album, which is above par for my baseline opinion of hair metal. Mixing is kinda awful as the vocals are often washed out, but a pretty fun sound and mix of songs.

I wasn’t expecting to see a glam rock album on here, and while I know some Hanoi Rocks songs, none of them are on this album. It’s alright, nothing extraordinary.

some fun glammy classicy rock. nothing special but a fun ride. 3/5

Basic 80s rock. I think was a precursor to the hair band era

This was a fun album. I’ve always meant to check out Hanoi Rocks, and I’m glad I finally did. Kind of reminds me of Cheap Trick. Would listen to again.

I’ve never totally taken Hanoi Rocks seriously tbh, they also kind of felt like posers, but I’ll concede that this is better than most hair metal. C

Good musicianship but no.

It grew on me a little bit as it went along. I don't love it, but it's not terrible.

Interesting, never heard before

Great album covers!

Catchy with a side of cultural appropriation

You wouldn't guess it by the cover but this is much better than the cheesy glam metal that came after it.

More interesting than I was expecting! Drums high in the mix were Joy Division-esque at time, liked the sax/horns.

Enpä osannut odottaa suomalaista musaa. Aika lyhyt rykäisy, mutta ihan menevää. Ei silleensä oikeen suosikkia. Ice Cream Summer hyvä

A little chortle to myself when this pinged up. "Hanoi Rocks? Really?". Doing a bit more reading, clearly super influential and maybe we wouldn't have the wonderful range of Nordic power-metal, synth-metal etc without them. But, for all that, many many acts have done it WAY better since.

Good fun rock and roll! Didn’t seem like it took itself too seriously! Good fun!

Some good tracks.

Shortest album yet surely! Need to look into it there's a reason for it. I mean as far as I'm concerned middle of the road typical rock. Fine!

This is pretty cool, nothing amazing but was good. Liked some of the guitar solos

It was ok.

This is a bouncy, energetic, fun little 80's glam rock-y serving garnished with a twist of punk for a bit of added spice. I'll probably have a horrible hangover in the morning, but if you're not allowed to make bad choices, why have the freedom to make choices at all?

Eh this was ok, a solid 3.

Glam genérico, banco una banda Musica para divertirse🤩

full para secuenciar en el palio

Fabulous

Album 312 of 1001 Hanoi Rocks - Back to Mystery City Rating : 3 / 5 Classified as Hard Rock/Metal, but what I pick up from it is more of a Glam Metal. Good listen.

Fun, immature, shallow. I would have loved to see these guys during a glam metal music festival along with Motley Crue, Cinderella, the Scorpions, Ratt, etc.

Can hear the impact/influence some of the songs have had to music today or in recent decades.

I'd never heard of this artist or album before until I saw it on a list of the 1001 albums. Everytime I look at the list and scroll past this one, I'm always intrigued by it, so I was excited to be able to review it today. My level of excitement wasn't matched, but this album was okay. This album had a unique approach to hard rock, and I heard a lot of New Wave influences in the sound. "Malibu Beach Nightmare" was my favorite song on the album, and I enjoyed its guitar playing, and there were some nice keyboard sounds in the later half of the song. From there, the album came close to that early peak a few other times. "Until I Get You" marked a return to the guitar sounds that made "Malibu Beach Nightmare" one of the better songs on the album. The drumming on "Until I Get You" reminded me of ZZ Top's "Tube Snake Boogie," and it was a nice compliment to the guitar playing. "Sailing Down the Tears" and "Lick Summer Love" felt like early New Wave, á la the B-52's and Elvis Costello, respectively, and while neither song really blew me away, they were unique. Overall, this album was fine to listen to, but its best parts don't really stack up to a lot of other rock music from this era in my opinion, and half the songs were kind of forgettable. I'm still glad I got to listen to this, and now I can obsess over wondering what the hell Duck Rock by Malcolm McLaren is like.

Sko þetta er merkilega skemmtilegt svona miðað við hvað þetta er. Átti ekki von á neinu, en þetta er ágætis hármetall, næstum pönkað á köflum. Hár þristur.

Can hear similarities to King Gizzard in a few tracks. Good, light hair metal-ish pop.

Goofier than I was expecting. Not too bad.

Some classic glam rock. Some catchier songs, just not my cup of tea

Ok. Nothing outstanding but nothing offensive either. Just so so.

Pretty good, fast-paced, 80s rock album. Nothin super memorable. Beating Gets Faster is a highlight for sure. Fave tracks: Malibu Beach Nightmare, Until I Get You, Beating Gets Faster

There is a time and place for this album

Not bad. Makes you wonder what might have been had Razzle not gotten in the car with Vince

I always tend to think of glam as having these two distinct periods where it emerged in the 70s, died out, and the reappeared out of nowhere in the 90s after glam metal got popular with Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, etc. so it's nice to get these reminders that in between it never really died out. Honestly would be interesting to make some connections between this album, glam metal, and the glam acts of our current day (Yves Tumor etc.)

Was not familiar with Hanoi rocks other than hearing the name occasionally. Interesting bridge between punk and glam. Couple good songs

I don't know why, I thought I'd enjoy this more than I did?

sounds really amateurish at times what is this weird pronunciation, singing bad on purpose? i can't describe it weird and ridiculous there's something in their sound that just doesn't sit well with me i was ready to give it a 2, but rosalita (ice cream summer) and that random 'bitch!' cracked me up, also, as that one reviewer said, there's a saxophone too ++ the second part of the album sounds overall better, probably because you get used to it by the end so yeah, this album left me a bit confused

Its litteraly the buzz lightyear meme Drummer carries the album Key songs: Mental beat

It’s ok, probably some of the better 80s glam. I feel there is a lack of energy though

2.5/5

1st

Heard of this band, but not what I expected. 80’s hair metal from Finland. Not that bad, but not great. 2.5 - 3.

On the fence about this one, but leaning toward liking it.

Mysterious, for sure.

Solid punk album. Can't say much more or much less about it.

Mediocre.

Rockin

This was fine. I didn't hate it, but also didn't really love it.

6/10. I think I’m discovering that most things that call themselves metal aren’t actually metal.

Break out the hairspray and get ready for the album that is Finnished before it barely started. Ha. This is okay and it does feel like the picked up where Motley Crue stopped. Nothing really stood out about it except everyone asking me what are you listening to??? I had a roommate who was in a hairband that probably opened up for bands like this and got all the tea about what that era of music was like and it was hilarious. Kind of like the pro-wrestling of music but at the end of the day, they really did deeply care about their craft.

Really enjoyed the instrumentals. Vocals were hit or miss throughout, but a fun album overall.

Mid

It’s been a bad week album wise and this wasn’t something I would necessarily listen to again but comparatively it scores 3*

Now this was fun. Tooting Bec Wreck was a tune!

This isn't the worst thing I've ever listened to, the basic drumbeat throughout is a bit of a giveaway I reckon, poor man's billy idol

Yeah, I kinda dug this.

Fun early 80’s glam that set the stage for Poison, Motley Crue and the like.

Extremely 80's. a short but pleasant album. catchy riffs and nice vocals. Nothing to note though there is a couple moments where the instrumentation feels off. It also doesn't have any tracks that stand out. Final Thoughts: Good for background noise. Genre: Glam Rock, 1983. Rating: 3.4/5

Very fun and big sound! Feels like a cross between hair metal and rock n roll.

Serviceable rock. Malibu Beach Nightmare is fine, though Tooting Bec Wreck and Until I Get You are highest on my list. I poppy rock style, a la Poison, but without much of the catchiness.

They got spirit and genuinely sound like the band is really enjoying themselves. For that, I'll give 3 stars.

BEST SONGS: - Mental Beat - Tooting Bec Wreck

I actually quite like this, but I'm not sure of its significance to end up on this list.

2.5/5. Pretty plain, so not bad but certainly not good. I won't be remembering this one.

It was a bit “meh”. Hard 3.

Kelpo rockia. Omissa papereissa ei mikään mestariteos ja sen verran pitää vetää kotiin päin ettei tälle ainakaan kakkosta voi laittaa.

Hanoi Rocks ei oo itelle mikään ihmeellisyys ikinä ollut, mut upeeta, et tällaselle listalle päässyt. Ja kuitenkin reipas ja vauhdikas levy, että viihdyin toki kuunnellessa

Not great...not bad..not much to say. I guess 3/5

Actually this is ok, the right balance of some sleazy vibes, sing along choruses and chunky riffs. Bon Jovi listened to this, cleaned it up a bit and boom.

Ha(ir) + Noi(se) Rocks!

293/500

It was fine, but nothing special.

Was okey, any special feelings. unfortunatelly...

Ik weet het eerlijk gezegd niet met deze. Het helpt ook niet dat maar de helft van de nummers op Spotify staan. Het is opzich wel leuke rock, en wordt wellicht wel leuker als je het vaker luistert. Maar voor hetzelfde geld verveelt het heel snel.

Well - classic rock doing classic rock things I guess?

Vince Neil should be in prison

Different sound. Some interesting songs

Pretty good I thought

Some fun, ferocious Finnish rock and roll; music guaranteed for a good time. Favorites: Malibu Beach Nightmare, Tooting Bec Wreck, Until I Get You, Lick Summer Love, Ice Cream Summer.

I feel like Back to Mystery City is good but also doesn't quite deliver on its potential. It's fun and glam but doesn't push itself enough to earn more than a low 3. Could've been more.

I liked this. Not loads (and don't see why it's in this list as it's definitely not the best of its type, or particularly groundbreaking), but it's fun, slightly OTT glam, on the way towards metal but doesn't get that close. Nothing special, but quite a good listen, a low 3.

most songs unavailable on spotify- decent but average

Big surprise that this was more than tolerable. Fun, stupid, sleazy glam rock/punk. Thankfully closer to the Ramones and New York dolls than classic hard rock. First half much better than B side.

I mean, okay? Seems like an decent-to-good 80's hair metal album. Lots of hooks. Lots of cheese. Lots of terrible fashion choices. It's a fun listen, but is it all that revolutionary? I guess it did inspire a lot of their contemporaries, but from today's POV, I don't hear anything that makes it all that worthy of this list. Still though...fun.

This kind of glam rock doesn't really push me toward love or hate. It just is. This album's just kind of there. Best track: Beating Gets Faster

Their look and their music don't completely line up

Got the sense of being a Beach Boys wannabe updated for the eighties. Could listen to it again but no single trach compels me to do so

I thought this would suck a lot more than it did. Nothing special but hardly worth hating. Back to back "I can't believe I don't hate this, have a 3" days.

Classic leopard spandex fun but with some more classic rock and roll showing through

80s rock'n roll. Klinkt leuk. ***

Positives only review. This album's got some great rhyming, such as fun, sun and done, as well as girl and pearl and gone and on, and that's all in the first couple of verses. It's very upbeat, and jolly. Mr Hanoi has some very good vocal noises he can do when he's not rhyming so well (and a great haircut). Sometimes he makes great grr noises like a real thrash metal singer. It's got some mega key changes. My mate Craig was still listening to this in sixth form, he had a Capri, I bet he still plays it. Mostly Harmless Finnish fun.

I don't want to be harsh but... it's just some rock...

Meh

Solid 80s rock. I was surprised to see this on here as there is much better out there but it’s not terrible.

Second album by one of the original hair metal bands. The style is somewhere between Motley Crue and Def Leppard. A pop version of hard rock. It's more about fun than about art. Not bad, not great. I don't think it's essential. Favorite song: Mental Beat.

Pretty good old school rock album.

Mystery City is a Shrekian party record, familiar in silliness but just the right kind of off-kilter. I can't award it for anything but mild surprise, but it's the hairiest of hair metal and that remains an objective good.

First track had me ready for an electro album. Then the classic rock kicked in.

I enjoyed the attitude and musicality of what I managed to listen to... will come back to this

Non sono malaccio, ma nemmeno molto particolari.

2.5 Quite poppy, rock'n rolly, glam rock.

Pretty cool considering how old

Ach, best vrolijk en energiek.

Very mediocre. Nothing stood out.

Fun, but not particularly unique or outstanding

Bland. Nothing special. 2.5/5

Standouts: Malibu Beach Nightmare, Until I Get you Somewhere between hair-band and punk falls Hanoi rocks.... 3/5

Meh.

Good, just not my style at all

This was some pretty bland glam rock but until I get you saved most of the album. Otherwise nothing really notable

Oh boy, first look at this sleeve, this record's gonna be so bad! And frankly, I'm proven a bit wrong. It's pretty generic rock, doesn't really wow me. Just a few likeable tracks at most, Until I Get You being the standout. If you don't expect to be blown away, it's actually pretty all right. Just fun tracks. Key tracks: Malibu Beach Nightmare, Mental Beat, Until I Get You, Beating Gets Faster, 7 out of 10

Overall a good album, but there's nothing that's super special about it. Very 80s, something you might hear on radio. Other than that, it was an alright listen but none of the songs really struck me differently. Fave track(s): Mental Beat

Actually pretty fun, albeit with no standout tracks.

Aika hyvä! On visiota. Ei kuitenkaan hyvää nauhoituksen ja miksauksen laatua. Yksi sympatiatähti suomalaisesta kasarista.

Tämä LP on uskomattoman huonosti tuotettu, ja Andyn sanoitukset kuulostavat - sori mutta siitä ei pääse yli eikä ympäri - noloilta. Melodisesti kappaleissa on koukkuakin, tosin ripoteltuna rakenteisiin, jotka ovat - jälleen oi, niin Andymäisesti - ylisävellettyjä. Ja loppujen lopuksi on vaikeaa mitenkään erityisen brutaalisti arvioida levyä, jonka biisit jäävät soimaan päähän (vai muistanko ne vain lapsuudestani).

Found it to be more entertaining than expected. Solid bass.

Not bad, but I don't see why this album belongs on the list.

Didn't hate it but its a one and done.

Partway between glam rock and glam metal. Pretty fun

The image source of 80s hair metal, have to give props to Hanoi Rocks over that at least. Had no idea they were Finnish which is cool. Musically speaking it was better than expected as I thought it was gonna be along the lines of Bon Jovi or Poison. Some solid tracks here, especially Malibu Beach Nightmare and Tootin Bec Hec. Was a bit same old as it progressed, but it doesn't appear to be their biggest album, so am tempted to listen to some more Hanoi.

ändå ganska gött emellanåt

A strong first half

Sometimes familiar, sometimes unique, sometimes a bit cheesy. An all around fun album.

Really fun glam that isn't overly-obnoxious. Standout is "Sailing Down the Tears".

I'd like to preface by saying I have no clue why this album is on this list. It's the most steretypical rock album I've ever heard. My only thought was that perhaps it was ahead of its time, but it's from '83, so if anything it's behind it's time, so I can only assume it's because of the former Mott the Hoople production that got it on here. Other than that the album is alright. It's not like it's a bad album, just a boring one. Like a boring early Alice Cooper album. I'm still gonna give it three stars because I did find myself sometimes bobbing my head or just enjoying it, and the vocals are different enough, I suppose. It's a very light three, though.

Ei mun genre, mut ihan mielenkiintoista perehtyä lähemmin tähän aika tuntemattomaksi jääneeseen bändiin, ihan ok. Eka suomalainen levy!

I am not sure how groundbreaking this is, considering the other records on the list that kind of fill the same void. I definitely enjoyed it more in the second half, though. Some genuinely catchy melodies there.

Pretty raucous affair - rock with a distinctive 80s sound, plenty of power guitar solos and fevered drum fills. Some of the lyrics were a little twee for my ears...

Nothing exciting

Superbes coiffures, musique moyenne

Pretty fun

Fine - probably wouldn't listen again, but didn't dislike it.

Finnish glam rock, and it was actually decent. Will wonders never cease?

Standard 80s rock - very listenable Quality fell off after first three songs

Finnish proto-hair band with trademarked 80s harmonica and sax riffs? I’m here for that!

Pretty good, enjoyed the listen. Straight forward rock album from the early 80’s with a heavy lyrics toward California

3.7 - Finnish hair metal?! Well, not really. Actually I'd say this album draws much more heavily from glam and New York punk, thankfully. In fact, at times they sound like a tribute band to Television or some outfit. Still, the playing is proficient, the songwriting and performance loaded with swagger. I especially like the "lick the lips between your legs" moment at the end of "Lick of Summer." Definitely a curiosity worth revisiting down the line.

Who knew they were Finnish? The band is exceedingly poorly packaged and one wonders who the band is for. They look like glam-hair metalists (e.g., Motley Crue, Ratt), but then shift into much looser and more tuneful cuts, with indie, roots and roadhouse inflections. Not that it’s great – it’s frequently bashing and the lyrics are rudimentary – like childhood limerick rudimentary (maybe because ESL because Finnish). The rolling pianos and honking saxes are nice touches, but there’s a drum break that was surely lifted from the Bay City Rollers. And too often the band reverts to metal posturing (sometimes in the same songs with more promising alt-y hooks). “Tooting Bec Wreck” is almost indie rock in orientation, like the Replacements on a well organized day. “Sailing Down” is molten and plenty metal for one’s tastes. It’s also brief, which one likes, and surprisingly good doesn’t necessarily equate to great. Plus, serious points off for paving the way to hair metal.

This album is for somebody sadly that somebody is not me... the intro was composed as if it was intended as background music for an 80s ren-fair and frankly I would have enjoyed this album more if the rest of the songs carried a similar theme as to the intro. Continuing on, if you were expecting anything more then VERY 80s hairband love sick puppy vibes then you are in luck this album is not for you however if you somehow find yourself enjoying the assault on your Tympanic membrane and singing along well... dang... I applaud your resilience and grit.

Cheesy but good rock

Ok.

Seems to be an influence for 90s rock. Has some good parts, interesting to listen to.

A couple catchy tracks (the last three) but no real head turners

This was fun! And then Vince Neil killed their drummer.

Pretty unoffenssive rock. It's fine but not particularly great.

“Don’t Judge a Book by its cover” is a common saying and one thing that I have learned is that the same saying can be applied to albums as well. This album was a lot better than I expected although I admit I set the bar down to the Poison / Warrant level (based of course on the cover). It’s not a great album but it was a fun listen, and the songs and musicianship were better than I expected. The style was sort of a glam-punk thing. Not my type of music normally so I probably won't revisit it and I don’t see why it is considered important enough to be on the list. Maybe because they were a Finnish band? I’d say a solid 2.5 rounded up to 3 because I found the Wikipedia story about the lead singer getting spit on in Israel because they thought he was an improperly dressed woman kind of funny.

The five songs I was able to listen to on Spotify were fine

Album is on YouTube Music for those missing tracks on Spotify.

Harmless fun

Competent fun rock, not really anything special

Greit nok

This was something of a throwback to my past and though enjoyable it feels old, like me.

Most enjoyable.

Really enjoyed "Tooting Bec Wreck" some of the other songs were ok.

p508. 1983. 3 stars. Above average rock band with glitter and a sly sense of humour. A refreshing change from the 80's synths at the time. You can see where The Killers got their inspiration from. Well done of its kind, but it's hardly essential listening.

They do rock. Classic 80s hairball tunes.

Never really listened to this band before, Slightly better than expected - more rock n roll, as I was expecting a Poison vibe. Seems like a band that could have been huge with some really good production - where’ Rick Rubin? I liked “Sailing down the Tears”, rest is good, but not good enough to bump to a four.

meh glam rock. Must've been a bummer to listen to the radio in the 80's. Can respect that they became an influence for later Glam bands that were better in my opinion.

Basic glam rock from the 80s. Nothing special. Reminded me of The Clash sometimes.

I enjoyed this more than I feel I "should" do (or expected to, for that matter). I think I just admire the sheer unlikeliness of a Finnish band writing a song about Tooting Bec.

Kinda fun. Not a fan of the glam subgenre but this felt kinda different. Love the random ass use of horns.

Solid album. Finland represent.

Hanoi rocks ROCKS!!!!

Might be the only Finnish album on here. Gotta respect it

it was veryyy hardcore. I didn’t hate it i thought it was loud and cool but it didn’t have like a click or something specific i liked about it.

Considering I don't ever listen to glam rock, this is probably one of my favorites in the genre. Especially because of the punk sound they have. I look forward to checking out their other records.

Looked intimidating but was good!

Interesting story, I was only vaguely aware of this band and no idea they were from Finland. But album is pretty average

5/10

I liked this more than I expected to based on the cover. It was actually pretty enjoyable.

It's decent rock 'n' roll. Absolutely listenable. I love the descriptions of the songs on Wikipedia maybe more than the songs themselves. They certainly enhanced the experience. I think I liked "Tooting Bec Wreck" the best. Synthesizer, rats, drugs, and a great neighborhood name.

Some rock from the 80s. I wasn’t a big fan of similar music in the 80s and I guess I am still not. It doesn’t offend my delicate sensibilities, and it doesn’t stand out as something that I will listen to again.

I'd never heard of Hanoi Rocks. I think I would have really loved this album 30 years ago when I was listening to L.A. Guns and Motley Crue. I really liked Malibu Beach Nightmare and Back to Mystery City and, to a lesser extent, Mental Beat. The others felt like a bit of a slog for me.

Pues bien, lo escuché de fondo, mientras trabajaba y no logró cautivarme. Me llamaron la atención solamente "Lick Summer Love" y la canción titular. De ahí en fuera, yo creo que okay sin aplausos. 7/10

It is catchy rock n roll, and maybe a few more listens might endear it to me, but for the moment so-so 3stars

Sounds a bit like the clash. Strong bass. But... Kinda sounds basic.

Some I liked and some I didn't. 0RS

Not call album on spotify

Vaikka kuinka suomilasein yrittää katsoa niin vähän keskinkertaiseksi rokkipläjäykseksi tämä jää. Ei sinänsä häiritsevää, mutta ei kyllä millään tavalla innostavaa tai mielenkiintoistakaan. Oikeastaan ainoa biisi joka jollain tavalla herätti mielenkiinnon oli Back To Mystery Cityn demoversio. Varmaan siinä oli enemmän rockmeininkiä kuin muussa levyssä, joka toisinaan kuulosti häiritsevän siloitellulta ja lattealta. Peruskolmonen.

had never heard this album - and i may well have heard of these guys, but gotten them mixed up with saigon kick, which would most certainly have tainted my view of them. good to have that cleared up. this was fun - and super cool that these guys are finns, to boot.

Overall I liked it. Not amazing but ok.

I don't think I've heard of this band before, and all of the music seemed new. There was some decent rock on this album. There were tracks that hinted at hair metal of the 80s ("Strange Boys Play Weird Openings") and other tracks that fit in with tracks from Billy Idol ("Back to Mystery City"). The album was okay, but I don't think I'd ever sit down to listen to the whole album again.

Some solid 80s rock 'n' roll. 7.9/10

Très sympa n'en deplaise à l'horrible Rob Wuppert qui n'aura décidément jamais rien compris à la musique

Not a huge fan of hair metal, other than the aesthetics, but this album was a pleasant surprise.

better than expected

Nothing too special but some enjoyable glammy punk. I managed to get the whole album on YouTube as Spotify didn't have it all

rock. from the 80s. some songs missing on spotify. nothing lifechanging

rock de los ochenta. No esta mal.

more 80's meh... at least it doesn't have those synths

not my cup of tea but had some enjoyable moments

Another familiar name with little context that comes to mind. Finnish glam rock? Extra points for weirdness, especially in the first half, and a really first tier album title.

Record is good but the album they did after this one has way more bangers on it. Very underrated band but didn't age as well as Motley Crue.

Enjoyable but not enough to leave a lasting impression

3.5

1984. Key Songs: Malibu Beach Nightmare, Back To Mystery City

one of the most forgettable albums on this list. why is this even here

I could see how this appealed to those that wanted rock with just a touch of punk/proto-punk influence. Reading up about the band, it gives me strange emotions to think about them coming out of punk rock and influencing glam metal. Also there's a sax.

𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺 makes a strong case for why Hanoi Rocks are often regarded as one of the missing links between glam rock and glam metal. Their mix of punk energy, hard rock, and swagger would go on to influence many bands that found much greater commercial success later in the decade. Unfortunately, that historical importance doesn’t translate into an engaging listening experience for me. The album has plenty of attitude, but the songs rarely leave a lasting impression. I kept waiting for a track that would really stand out, yet by the end very little had stayed with me. I have no trouble appreciating 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺 for its influence, but influence alone isn’t enough. As an album, I find it far more significant than enjoyable.

Probably the most confusing inclusion on the list? It's far from godawful, but this has absolutely no place here. Literally just the most basic glam rock imaginable.

lowkey we got this album and dipped for like a month lmao our asses did not wanna do this well, for 1001 albums you MUST hear im surprised this is here because there are 1001 albums that have this sound that are slightly more engaging in summary its boring and i wasted 41 minutes. Every song was average, and me and bishy wishy senpai shanky pookie pie had the same opinion

Er det egentlig en 1’er?

Put this in a pile of disposable 80's music that I'll never listen to again.

2.1

Glammy and hammy, there's at least one, if not more, American 80s hair rock bands that owe their entire concept and career to Hanoi Rocks. The band dances on a thin edge of theatricality while playing deliberately dumb rock songs. They prove that when smart people play simply sometimes a little sprinkle of persona is more effective than trying to smarten 'em up. If you've ever suspected that the Ramones are surely not this dumb then I think you know what I mean — only here it's a European rock 'n' roll context. But Back to Mystery City just isn't my music. It's an album that's closer to the New York Dolls, Mott the Hoople and Generation X than it is the Ramones. The verdict on the record: it's fine, smarter than it says it is and has its moments, but it just doesn't move me.

*Back To Mystery City* is competent but not exceptional hard rock album that surprisingly adds some new wave textures to the mix. Nothing here is stellar, but the playing is skilled and the diverse sounds contained within make this collection a bit more interesting than your typical rock record.

Fun glam rock album Standout songs: Mental Beat Back to Mystery City

Просто енергійний глем-рок. Ні більше ні менше. Оцінка: середня-висока 5

Take me down to the mystery city Where the hair is big and the songs are shitty

I wanted to like but I felt like it was unoriginal.

I mean… Maybe I missed the significance, idk. It’s fine. Whatever. Now I’ve heard it.

background rock music it is acceptable but nothing exciting. 2.

this is what rock music sounds like in kids shows from the 2000s

Didn't love it didn't hate it but not really my vibe.

Pretty bad one Will I listen to again: 0%

Until I Get You.

I like some glam rock, but these guys led to a lot of the 80s cheese hair metal dweebs. I have to take a star off just for that.

Meeeeeeeeeh.

Mmmmm, was trying parts of this I liked but I think this is a miss for me

Hanoi sucks

Ehh. Corny.

I think I forgot about this album as I was listening to it. This might be the softest "heavy metal" I've ever heard

was lauft mit dem cover und dem erste song?? ich chan seeehr wenig mit dem afange würklich. wiso isch die komisch band uf dere miste? de nordamerikanischsti rock. vonere finnische band. finds irgendwie scho okay bitz punky aber au afoch nöd so spannend. meengmol hets chli slide gitarre aber s tönt wie plastik rock irgendwie. ich gseh es 2 cho? het ich mit dem möse ufgfwachse sii? ich gib zue dass ice cream summer recht en guete song isch und afoch saxophonsolo schono cool.

Not really my cup of tea.

Vetikke helt hva jeg synes.. noe 80 talls glam rock helt under par

Didn't hate it, but didn't really do it for me.

Weird, mediocre 80s glam rock. Absolutely nothing memorable about the album. Does nothing other bands of the era didn’t do. Strange one to put on the list, 3.5/10

I am not opposed to the type of Glam Rock they are playing, but their predecessors and role models were much better.

Didn’t exactly dislike it, but none of the tracks really stood out. Although any Finnish group that references Tooting Bec ( two steps on the Northern Line from where I lived) can’t be all bad.

Glam/punky crossover album

I had never heard of these guys, and now I know why. Sounds like something that would have inspired Motley Crue or some of those 80s metal types - that's not a glowing recommendation. It's not terrible, it's just not anything really inspiring or worthy of your listening time.

Overall, a fun, glammy take on punk. Sort of new-wavey, too. But without the lazy, drunken vocal delivery. Hanoi Rocks don't have excellent singing to write home about, but the listener isn't actively suffering during the experience. Unfortunately, the songwriting is absolutely atrocious here – about the most boring song structures and lyrics possible, clichéd instrument parts... the whole shebang. Careful, though, reviewers. This is leagues better than the actively grating punk or industrial or 90s hip-hop that also made the list. Strange Boys Play Weird Openings. A more accurate title could not have been written. Slightly messy, but pleasant, acoustic guitar for 43 seconds. Malibu Beach Nightmare isn't too different from other tracks, with the notable exception of the sax(!), emphasising that connection to early-70s glam rock. Nifty little experimental guitar sound in the solo of Mental Beat (is that Phrygian mode I hear?) – plus the odd vocal effects at the end. At this point in the album, you might reasonably think, "hmm, this might turn out pretty good!" Unfortunately, in Tooting Bec Wreck, your patience starts to run a little thin. Six minutes of bland, nondescript new wave noisemaking. Fortunately, Until I Get You is a significantly step up, and we end side 1 on a passable note. Sailing Down the Tears sounds straight off a 70s Rolling Stones record – mind you, a filler track, but a Stones track nonetheless – so I have to give it some points. But because of the comparison, it also suffers (the Rolling Stones are pretty good, it turns out). Ice Cream Summer is the main standout on side 2, primarily because of the fresh, outdoorsy sound and peculiar-yet-not-altogether-bad addition of a bell solo. Most of the songs in the latter half, though, are unimpressive. 2/5 Key tracks: Malibu Beach Nightmare, Until I Get You

Hair metal? But someone made it not gay enough?

Album 198. Back to Mystery City — Hanoi Rocks (1983) It's okay, my expectations were worse. But I don't think it deserves to be on the list. I think it's better to use it as a soundtrack in low quality movies and nothing more 2/5 No liked songs

Pretty silly but great that this specific band had so much influence on a handful of indescribably more successful groups for better and also for much worse.

I mean... I guess it rocks

If there is one thing I've taken away from my first 100 songs of this challenge, it's that I really don't like 80s glam rock. It is just not my thing. I can acknowledge there's some talent here, but it honestly sounds so lame. This is no different. Feels very poserish as opposed to "counter-culture". More generally it's very weird to group this type of music in with punk rock. There really is a visible difference between good punk and whatever tf this is. Highlights: Beating Gets Faster

They should’ve kept the city a mystery and stayed tf away.

I mean the only thing Mott the Hoople had going for it was the singer. So two from the barely mediocre band form a new hair band? It was bound to be basic trash and that is what it is. Not worth your time. In this case you can judge a book by its cover.