Reviews (page 5 of 7)
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
Glam punk eh? I dont hear the punk. I do hear the Glam, Heavy Rock, Proto Hair Metal and I dont like it.
Boring. It's a product of its time and pretty generic.
Uff
not my thing
Very typical 80s pop/hard rock. Heard of them back in the day but never listened. I did not miss much.
Hair metal is one of my all time least favorite genres, but even I'll admit there are loads of better and more important albums out there. Why this one??? This is all just fluff. Mid 2.
Не сильно интересный и довольно проходной альбом заполненный стандартными для хэви и глэм рока приемами
Kind of cheesy rock. No standouts. 3/10
Ааааа
Not my thing
693/1001 2026.09.02 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑
I didn't connect with this one.
This is fine hard rock, but really nothing super innovative or new. I forgot about it as soon as it stopped playing.
This album is what you'd get if you took glam rock (but not too much glam) and punk (but not too much punk) and smashed them together. Apparently what you get is an album that is fine (but not too fine). 2.5 stars rounding down.
Kind of mediocre. Didn't despise my listen but did not like it either.
The best part of this was the intro. The rest? Meh.
The lo-fi nature makes this much more charming and less shit than the other bands that look exactly the same as these guys based solely on the album cover and my vague preconceived notions of that whole scene. I listened to this nearly three times. After the third time, I enjoyed the first few songs much more and hated the rest much more. I was polarised and ripped apart. The hate took my arms, head and torso, while the enjoy only got my stumpy legs. This means two stars.
Thought this was going to be some garbage hair metal. But after reading about it, turns out it's more of a proto-hair metal album. Interesting from that point of view. Also interesting that they're from Finland. Much more of a tossed off power-pop thing. Musically, just okay. Really can't figure out what they're trying to do, maybe a T-Rex sort of thing? Has shades of Adam and the Ants also.
Бабский глэм рок
It's 80s rock that is pretty indistinguishable from other 80s rock? First album from this challenge that I just don't really understand why it was included.
album #112 not bad enough to be a one, but my god is it still pushing it at a two. this was a slog. every song was the same and it was so boring, which is saying something when your whole schtick is hair metal. ꩜ average track rating: 1.7/5 ꩜ favourite track(s): strange boys play weird openings ꩜ least favourite track(s): lick summer love ꩜ album rating: ★⯪☆☆☆ ꩜ number of albums left to review: 977 ꩜ number of albums from the list that i agree with being on the list: 52 ꩜ albums from the list that I would consider on my list: 23 ꩜ albums from the list I won't include on my list: 89
Realno možda najgora podvrsta rocka/metala, u ovo je grozno, neke dionice nisu toliko loše pa eto.
I was not a fan of glam and pop metal in its heyday. There were certain songs I liked, but the genre struck me as all icing, no cake. I was not familiar with Hanoi Rocks, but it did ring a remote bell. The album is okay. Not objectionable - sounds good, basically straight-ahead simple mindless rock. It's not my jam, but if you like this genre, you would probably like this album. I'm between 2 and 3 stars on this one.
I’d only heard of this band due to the tragedy they’d experienced. I would not have imagined I’d ever listen to one of their albums, though. The positive is that I didn’t hate it. I didn’t like it much either, but some of the musical surprises (sax here, keys there) and a couple of songs that were tolerable (Until I Get You and Sailing Down the Tears) made for an ok drive home from work. Nothing I’ll save or recommend to others, but not as bad as I expected it to be.
i mean its just some basic glam rock, had fun but doubt i'd ever come back to them
Average
Sounds like an average high school garage band. Not a good listening experience.
Instantly forgettable posing.
I was in Helsinki recently and got moved from a section of the bar I was in because it was to be used as part of an event. There was a guy being interviewed in a booth in the back of the section. Turns out it was your man Michael Monroe singer with this band. Patrons cock a hoop about seeing their local hero. Anyway, reasonable album even if all the tracks sounded very much alike. Nothing special.
no soy fan del rock 😔
Pretty standard punk fare - maybe interesting because it is from Scandinavia but other than that unremarkable.
I have absolutely no idea why this is here, given it’s just mediocre 80s hair rock. And I like 80s hair rock. When it’s good. This wasn’t. It wasn’t awful. It just wasn’t good.
Another album that I don't entirely hate, but just fundamentally don't understand why its made it onto the list. What is there about Hanoi Rocks that makes it stand out as worthy of inclusion? I grant you that the same thing could be said of much of the Britpop that made it into the 1001 books, but at least they have the excuse of the author being British, and therefore more integrated into that music scene, and Britpop being pretty current at the time the books were made. Hanoi Rocks seems to have dated terribly and to my ear, nothing particularly makes it stand out. If you love glam-punk or hair metal, good for you! Enjoy this. But to me it's like watching Wayne's World... just significantly less funny. 2/5 (because I can't give 1.5)
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.
A very forgettable record. Does not need to be on the list. “Ice Cream Summer” is the best song here, but even it felt long, which all the songs do. And shorter albums that feel long are the worst.
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.
Well that got boring quickly.
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.
Something drew me to this album but I hope that doesn’t happen again… no element of this album was particularly striking and there are probably thousands of albums that do what these guys are trying to do but better
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.
Never heard of Hanoi Rocks. Another middle of the road, metal hair band from the early eighties. They sounded like they were trying too hard throughout the entire album, didn’t come across as genuine to me, or maybe just amateurish. Nothing stood out on Back To Mystery City, all songs seemed like skippers. (1.75*s) Throw a bone to the Finns.
nothing really stood on the album. kinda sounded exactly what you would expect from an album from 1982.
This album started out okay. Then it got weird. Then it got okay again. Then it got boring.
Even as I was listening to it I was forgetting about it. Pretty lame.
Sleeze är ju i regel det värsta som finns och även här men vissa låtar har ändå något punkigt över sig som är lite coolare än vad det brukar vara i genren.
Not a bad album but just not for me
This is a ridiculous album.
It's been a rough week on here. A very forgettable hair metal album. Zero standout tracks. If the band had been from the US or Britain, this would have never made the list. Poor choice.
Man this thing is so close to being good. There's so many little gems hidden in all sorts of shit. The chorus of "Malibu Beach Nightmare" is written well, but performed to poorly. The desert-mirage guitar section 2 minutes 20 seconds into "Mental Beat" is genuinely an innovative bit of production sandwiched in an otherwise lackluster anthem. "Tooting Bec Wreck" is a whole bag of beans to unpack. A manic anthem aimed at the dancefloor, which I genuinely enjoyed, but damn is the vocal execution so ham-fisted. He's trying too hard to sell this one to the listener. Or trying too hard to sound like The Clash in the beginning. This is a Finnish band so I can't be too critical of the vocal delivery. But wow was this a confusing one. At the end of this songs runtime, I genuinely loved it. I can't even get my thoughts straight in writing. That's how confusing this whole record was. "Until I Got You" - that prechorus section at 1:30? Aamazing! Tactful, a nice female vocal to give a bit of depth to the song's story. The rest of the song? Completely forgettable glam! What the hell is going on!? I'm experiencing musical whiplash!! Random E Street Band sax sections like in the song "Ice Cream Summer" have me just about tapped out. In some ways, the total shitshow messy nature of this album, with it's soaring highs and deathly lows, is all a microcosm for what glam rock in the 80's really was. I heard parts of songs on here I loved more than most material this list has to offer. But on the whole? This record doesnt belong here. The most enthralling, mesmerizing 2/5 of all time, hitting just above the 1/5 line. Guns N Roses surely took what these guys were doing and ran with it
Really repetitive. Favourite track: Strange Boys Play Strange Opening
Ok, but dated. I will never listen to this again.
Nah.
Such a weird layering of the pop sound, 80s rock, and nonsensical whimsy. Is it music? Sure. And I’m sure someone likes it a great deal but that someone is not me.
Really liked a couple of their songs but most of it sounded the same to me.
Not bad, but definitely not something that's going to be making it into my playlist. Kinda like Motley Crue meets 80s punk/rock.
not my thing
This is frantic and not in a good way.
Pretty average rock. Pretty boring
Pretty forgettable. Kinda new wavey, but not really that unique.
Lol Best Song: Back to Mystery City Rating: 4.5/10 Stars: 2
Meh this could've been 3 if Bowie hadn't passed me off so much.
SUOOMIIII 🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮. Heard some of their music before. In general I'm not really into glam but this album is quite ok. Maybe because it's not American 2/5
This was awful. But at least I know why it’s on the list. 2.
Saw the album cover, guessed the year it came out and knew I had to use a private session for Spotify. This is generic 80s hair metal, no way this was an album I had to hear before I had to die because I have to live through a lot of crap like this. Spotify, thank you for having a private session of this crap. 1OO1albums, what the hell with this crap?
Big hair, big sound, but not much that holds any longer than the hairspray holding it together.
I have not heard this before. I’ve heard Hanoi Rocks but I’m not super familiar with them since I generally don’t like hair metal. These songs are much less obnoxious than other hair metal I know but they aren’t very good. They aren’t bad either, just bland run of the mill hard rock that doesn’t move me. I might appreciate this more if they were more obnoxious instead of making stuff that blends into the background noise.
it's ridiculous for it to be on this list but not the worst thing I've ever heard
(36/100)
Its actually decent but fairly uninteresting I cant imagine coming back to it or describing it as an album i needed to hear before I died
Starts out pretty good, but feels like they only had a few good songs in them.
Not for me
I was surprised that this band was more punk/glam than it was hair metal. Unfortunately it's bland punk and and bland glam. The drums in particular are a let down. Not particular interesting overall.
I expected to hate this, but this is way more listenable than I though it would be. It's not as terrible as Poison or fucking Nitro I thought, maybe it's because they're finnish and not americans, I don't know, the voice has a bit more personality and it's a bit punky by moments, well the first track is. Shouldn't be on the list obviously and I was a bit bored during the second half, but it's fine.. Fav: Malibu Beach Nightmare Tooting Beck Neck
Bland hair metal. I remember why grunge killed this stone dead.
Hair band glam rock that is only mildly interesting
Glam rock. Enough said.
Vraiment, y’a des albums dans cette liste où je m’arrache les cheveux à me demander comment ils ont pu se rendre à la cut finale. Genre, aucun Gentle Giant en vue, par contre un wannabe Alice Cooper étiré à l’eau passe peinard?
Too fast and hard for me
Örugglega ekki margar finnskar hljómsveitir á þessum lista, en hármetall er ekki alveg mín tónlist.
Fat no for me
Aussi étonnant que ça puisse paraitre, le glam finlandais, c'est non.
It's weird that this is punk cuz it's pretty boring
A reminder that there's such a thing as "proto hair metal." Some decent riffage (e.g., Beating Gets Faster) and the Mott guys producing is probably responsible for the solid use of keyboards. I might rate this higher if I'd seen them live in a club in 1984, but I'm also sort of glad I didn't?
I don’t want to listen to this anymore as it was starting to grow on me the further I got! Best leave it there.
I enjoyed this like I enjoy Billy Idol. Only in very small doses, but when the mood is right, it hits the spot. Then the mood wears off and you go and listen to proper music.
What a strange fucking album. Not a fan of cock rock, which I think this falls into? But turn it breaks so many conventions. There are moments that are sweet and genre bending and then moments of ick. Almost like a novelty album of the era.
Back to Mystery City is at most a decent album. The songs themselves aren't bad but that is solely because of how generic they sound. I don't really know how it made it to this list since it adds pretty much nothing of value to it. 2/5
Better than a 2 but not quite a 3 for me.
Boring generic 90s rock
damn i already feel it's gonna be an experience that i don't want to repeat i think i get the vibe so far it's been interesting to say the least. very 80's sound light, chill, very "party like" it resembles Kult a bit – but it's more party vibe less political 2 out of 5 zmęczyło mnie to
Mid — did get better at the end
It's okay. It was kinda boring tbh. I can't say the songs were bad, but it felt pretty mid to me.
Puolet biiseistä puuttui spödifystä, mutta en tiedä oisko ne lisännyt arvoa miten paljoa. Ei puhuttele.
Meh
Bland early glam metal / soft punk. Probably inspiration for some, otherwise shouldn't be in the 1001 listens before you die.
Repetitive. I don't love heavy rock anyway, and this was just all kind of forgettable.
Hard Rock, 1983 -> 2
Album No. 0148 on my list. Neither Hanoi Rocks nor their album "Back To Mystery City" had ever been on my radar - I had simply not been aware of their existence. Well, and what can I say? I could have lived happily ever after if that had not changed. "Back To Mystery City" is really peak 80s glam metal. And not necessarily in a good way. I don't think it's a terrible album, and since it predated some of what the rest of the decade had in store regarding this genre, I guess it may have been somewhat influential. But personally, I think it's rather mediocre both in terms of music and lyrics, and is not particularly well produced either. I found the whole thing rather boring, the songs feeling somewhat generic, repeatable, and interchangeable. I'll add "Malibu Beach Nightmare", and "Beating Gets Faster" (a lighthearted pop metal song) to my playlist. To summarize: not fully terrible, but rather a forgettable album overall. 2/5 stars.
Pretty bad, not gonna lie.
That was some music I guess. Like maybe they were the progenitor of all the tropes of hair metal and I listened to far too much dad rock in high school but there was really nothing that really excited me.
Makes me wish I was listening to New York Dolls instead, which in turn makes me wish I was listening to Roxy Music instead, which once again in turn secretly makes me wish I was just listening to Virginia Plain on repeat. Nobody's perfect I suppose, and this album can attest to that.
It was OK I guess, for glam rock.
Dumb proto-hair metal without a lot of punch. Not godawful, but not particularly interesting.
A rather forgettable late 70s early 80s punk-metal-rock album for me. The album was cohesive and sounded "right", but the music didn't really interest me.
80s rock baby
Listening session: january 31th, while going for a walk Listened to before: no Thoughts: I actually liked the album cover better than the music and that says something Favourite track: Tooting Bec Wreck
Finnish 80's glam rock? Anyone...? Come on, they're fun... look at their hair! No...? OK then, we'll leave it back in 1983 Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ Naff ★★☆☆☆ (4/10) Total reviewed : 215 Already owned : 49 Purchased : 10 To buy list : 4 Nope : 152
1/27/26. Cool discovery! Not crazy about hair metal but this one was decent, however it felt repetitive and formulaic throughout. Was disappointed after the opening track which I really enjoyed.
Apparently, these guys helped birth Poison, Guns N ' Roses, Motley Crue, and all the other '80s hard rock glam bands. I don't knee-jerk hate those bands the way I did when I was younger, but I also don't find much that differentiates one band from another, to the point of boredom. If I didn't know the history/lineage, I'd assume Hanoi Rocks was just another one of those bands, because this sounds like all of them. I struggled to keep this on past the third track.
Didn’t finish, funky 80s rock tho
I can't take this album seriously at all. It's got a fun glam rock energy to it and if I was in a dingy basement gig venue somewhere it'd be a great time. But as an album it feels poorly produced and the songwriting is so basic it makes me feel like I could have written the songs as a teenager. I'm not quite sure how it ended up on the 1001 best albums of all time list if I'm honest. It gets an extra point for the saxophone. 5/10.
This is pretty poor
Pretty boring actually
Look, I find this type of 80s glam/hair/metal thing to be a guilty pleasure. And I definitely didn't even mind this album. And a song that was inspired by an Alice Cooper track? Count me in. But still, this album was ultimately pretty underwhelming as far as an inclusion on this project goes. It's one of those albums where I could probably listen to it and go "yeah, this is passable", but I definitely expect more from an entry on this project. Furthermore, all of the music on the album is catchy in the moment (to me), but none of it was very memorable. This is one of those albums that is about a 2.5 for me, and I had to decide "do I round up or do I round down?". Well, I couldn't really find any inspiration for rounding up, so here we are.
I don't have any songs on this to playlist, but I didn't hate any of it. It felt a bit pointless and forgettable.
I can see why this is important, but it doesn't mean I need to like it.
Lotta cringey hair metal but also a few bangers.
✅✅✅ Tooting Bec Wreck
Not my cup of tea, but didn't hate it
Positives: Not as bad as the cover image suggested. They are Finnish, even though one song was called Tooting Bec. Negatives: I have been back at school for one day and cannot remember any of it other than that there was a song called Tooting Bec and it wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be.
Was dreading this when I saw the tags of ‘glam’ and ‘hair metal’. It wasn’t as glam or hairy as I was expecting which was a blessing, though just a bit non-descript. A day later, I couldn’t tell you much about any of the songs, other than about half of them incorporating what Lyra calls the ‘football drum pattern’. No idea why it is on this list other than, from what Wikipedia told me, being the first Finnish band to chart in the UK. Big whoop.
This was my first time listening to Hanoi Rocks. They've always been one of those bands that a bunch of other bigger-name bands cite as being the originators of glam. Unfortunately, this just doesn't do it for me.
I haven't listened to a ton of actual 80's glam metal stuff like this; I didn't hate it but I was hoping it would be sillier/trashier/catchier or something.
80s garage band that never made it?
For anyone approaching this list with no knowledge of metal, you might get the misimpression that "hair metal" is one of the major subgenres. This one is essentially hard rock, with some occasional elements of pop-rock and punk. There's nothing specifically bad here, but damn it's a highly optimised mix of brash and boring. I'm quite keen to not hear this again. 2.5*
Pretty generic glam metal, it’s listenable but not remarkable. I never heard of the band before and I’ll probably forget about them before too long to be honest.
A couple times I tapped along but most of it just sounded generic and like things I’ve heard hundreds of times before. Not into it.
Eh, it’s fine but there are other hair metal bands I’d rather hear
Really didn't interest me. Was glad it finished.
Couldn’t really connect with it.
don’t feel anything special with this one. it’s fun but -to me- it’s nothing groundbreaking or obviously belonging on a list like 1001 albums to listen to before you die. favorite tracks: malibu beach nightmare until i get you sailing down the tears
Day 6 of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die with @marmeu. This album was overall incredibly boring and Tooting Bec Wreck being the only above average song on here. This album is just pretty boring and each song doesn't bring much new to the table. It seems to be a style I have heard oh so much and I don't see myself returning if this is my baseline. Overall boring and repetitive. 39/100
Se calhar fui eu que me fartei de rock
Quite Hanoing.
Some fun moments of glam excess but not really essential listening
I’m sorry that their career was truncated - sounds like a sad and premature end. Although Hanoi Rocks, this just didn’t for me. Never even reached the heights of mediocrity.
Was surprised to see this called heavy metal. It sounded like a weird mix of punk and new wave. It was not great.
This was loud and fast soft punk. Is this what they call hair metal? I like the glam aspects and the energy, but I didn’t walk away itching to spin it again. Not bad for some Finns!
This was generally inoffensive and I was gonna give it a 3, until I caught a stray with the errant “bitch” in the second to last song.
This is from Finland, so they are represented. Not very well. Towards the end there were a few songs that I would give three stars, but generally they remind me of your average high school garage band.
Ok, this is VERY 1980s. For starters, it's hair metal. It has everything you'd expect from the genre with added saxophone solos on top, which enhance the 80s feel. I don't really get why it's on the list as the band isn't hugely popular in modern times. Unfortunately, they lack the catchy hooks of the genre's greats. 3 stars for the music, loses 1 star for some very gross lyrics (the title track is the worst offender, but no song here is completely innocent).
Ik verplicht mezelf om niet naar de ratings te kijken voor ik een album aanzet om niet beinvloed te raken. Hier heb ik dat toch gedaan na het 2e nummer, om te kijken of ik nou gek word of dat dit gewoon een heel matig album is? Hoezo staat dit op die lijst? Is het omdat het ontzettend invloedrijk is voor Finse rockmuziek? Staat Doe Maar dan ook op de lijst? Ik heb af en toe zo ontzettend veel vragen voor hoe deze lijst is samengesteld. Voel me ook wat lullig tegenover het album van gisteren. Dat was saai, maar dit is gewoon echt slecht. Dit voedt wel weer mijn theorie dat bijna elk rock/punk album uit de jaren 80 op deze lijst moet. Nee, dit is niet echt mijn ding. Instrumentaal is het opzich prima, maar de zang is echt heel slecht. Ook lijkt de opname kwaliteit behoorlijk matig, wat natuurlijk de 80s glam vibe niet echt helpt te verdringen. Gelukkig is het een kort album, het krijgt geen 1 omdat ik het niet haat. Maar als ik nooit meer Hanoi Rocks hoef te luisteren is dat een persoonlijke overwinning. Zelfs de saxofoon op sommige nummers kan dit album voor mij niet redden, en dat zegt een hoop! FAVO: Beating gets faster(op de valreep toch een mierzoet liedje dat gewoon wel vibet ofzo)
I mean, it is not terrible. But certainly not my type of music either. To me it is boring and somehow reminds me of cheap alcohol.
Eh was not memorable
The hair metal equivalent of Coldplay just really fucking boring
Interesting
Not totally objectionable, but I really don’t think this needed to be on the list tbh.
Overrated
Painfully mediocre and generic, no idea how it got on this list.
1983. Fairly good enough but didn't push into the exciting.
Not my style
Eh pretty 80s and not really my interests
Poison ripped these guys off.
2.5
Meh, a little too hair metal-y for me. It was fine but nothing really hooked me.
The title track starts off pretty groovy, with lots of energy. The rest isn't bad, but it kind of sounds like glam rock that time forgot. Or like tracks written for the unproduced sequel of Rocky Horror Picture Show. It's much better than Mott the Hoople, which of course was on this list due to Bowie involvement. But not really great. The horns on Ice Cream Summer add a level of cheese unnecessary even for glam rock. Lick Summer Love pretty bad... that horn is back as well. Sailing Down the Tears sounds like glam rock mixed with some sort of country jangle. This album isn't the worst as some tracks have some redeeming quality, but definitely doesn't deserve this list. 2/5
Could be any 80s hair rock band tbh. If it was on i would listen i guess, but not an album i would choose to put on myself. Hate the random screaming. Feels like they're trying too hard to be "experimental" and "deep". Half the songs sounded pretty same same. Will not listen again or seek out more of the artist. Agree with Robert christgau "Monroe and McCoy lack hooks, are backed by "cute if over-calculated" dual guitar playing, and "yowl English-language lyrics that must impress Finns more than native speakers like myself.""
Another ‘meh’ one for me. Some of the songs were OK and getting a bit more catchy after a second listen. If I had gone through life not hearing this album I would definitely not consider myself deprived.
I'm so glad I wasn't around in the 80s
Hanoi Rocks? No. No they don't. Best Tracks: Mental Beat; Sailing Down The Tears; Back To Mystery City
Underwhelming hair metal. I don't think anyone would be talking about them if their drummer didn't die tragically.
Trying too hard to be badass. No sale.
I don’t hate it. It’s competent punk. But I have no idea why it’s here. I might give this 2.5 stars if I could.
Nice to have some non UK or US hard/glam rock for a change of pace from the usual. These Finnish lads are perfectly ok and rock hard. Apparently, they influenced the likes of Guns N’ Roses, Poison, Manic Street Preachers, Skid Row, Foo Fighters and Alice in Chains in one way, shape or another. Which is nice. But perhaps one had to be there in the late 70s and early 80s to fully appreciate what these guys were doing and how their sound and music was influential. While this was a pleasant enough listen when it was on, I found it totally forgettable as soon as it was over, and something I’m not ever likely to listen to again.
I think my friend Peter would love this.
You know how cave paintings are important parts of human heritage, but also, like, bad drawings?
More like Ranoi Hocks DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
Butt rock from Finland.
Sounds like generic Scandinavian glam rock. Maybe influenced Hellacopters or Turbonegro by showing that Scandinavians can play rock. Or maybe I'm making that up or imagining it. Makes me want to eat fries and grilled sausage with spicy sauce. But maybe I'm just saying that because somebody is carrying a bag of fries on the subway I'm currently on.
I've hear name before, never heard their music. I can see why they were popular.
Decent rock
This picks up after the "Toot" song but this is not a style of music that I enjoy.
Fun and energetic. Love the rollicking guitar riffs and pace of many of the songs. Sounds anachronistically like a 90s garage band mixed with 80s glam rock, so I can dimly see why it’s included here. But the singing and overall polish leaves much to be desired. Tops: Malibu Beach Nightmare Drops: Sailing Down the Tears, Ice Cream Summer
My wife grew up thinking this band's name was pronounced "hah-no-ee" rocks. Because when you're 12 and you don't have the Internet, that's what happens. We feel old.
A bunch of misses for me.
Beetje generic
nix besonderes
Never been a fan of "hair" bands. I was so thankful when grunge kicked that sh!t to the curb. This isn't good but I have heard worse.
There is hair/glam metal that is worth listening to, but this wouldn't be my choice.
There's a few songs here where they flirt with The Clash-style punk songs, but the majority of the songs feel like pretty run of the mill hair metal. If someone gave them a 3, I wouldn't argue the point, but round down for the "why?" factor.
Prefer NY Dolls for glam rock, not really into metal, and certainly not into hair metal. This wasn’t unlistenable but it also wasn’t great. Wondering if it made the list because Vince Neil killed the drummer.
I don't like how awfully American this Finnish band is.
Not bad, not exciting either.
Not really my cup of tea
Hanoi Rocks’ Back to Mystery City shows flashes of the band’s glam-punk energy, but too often feels unfocused and uneven. While tracks like “Until I Get You” hint at their melodic strengths, much of the album suffers from weak production and inconsistent songwriting that fails to fully capture their live charisma. Despite its cult following, the record struggles to stand out in a crowded rock scene.
Wasn’t for me
Not *bad* but it was a waste of my time, nothing I haven't heard other bands of the style make so meh.
Ну типа. Лучшая песня - Malibu Beach Nightmare.
Hmm, doesn't seem remotely special to me. 80s rock might be overrepresented on this list.
I think I know why this album is on the list. It must be one of those "It's so bad, it's good" situations I found this kind of unforgettable except for two songs in particular. Beating Gets Faster and Ice Cream Summer are two of the worst songs I've heard, lyrically. With lines like "All there is left is a photograph You smile and the ice cream's melting down your pants... Just like our summer, I thought it would last forever But as the autumn came, you had gone away" And... "If I'm down in a hole, or out in the streets Nothing else matters baby, if it's you and me baby. " Honourable mention should go to "Well, it's a wham bam gangbang every night there" from the title track. Yikes.
Why would you ever leave San Juan Teotihuacán?
kinda funny how this band is Finnish considering their death drive for being American. it's on the more tasteful end of this 80s big hair glam sound, which is nice. but that's only enough to make it tolerable instead of putrid. this album's just not my cup of tea in the end deserves to be one of the 1001? probably not
I hear a bit of The Hives in this but come on, it was released in 1993.
Det är utan tvekan nån amerikansk klåpare som gjort urvalet till den här listan. För hur man kan ta denna Hanoi plattan och inte nån av de tre innan är fullständigt galet. Är det för att detta va geombrottsplattan i USA måntro... Så oerhört förutsägbart . Nog om detta. Lite NYDolls och ganska mycket Sweet och Slade, upphottat glamrockstrams alltså. Men ganska roligt trams. Precis lagom hjärndöd actionrock på sina ställe medan annat faller platt. Men som sagt det är ju fel platta vi får lyssna till. Såg faktiskt HR i någon reinkarnation, kan ha varit med Dregen på gitarr (?), på Liseberg för sådär 25 år sen, det var tämligen underhållande vill jag minnas. Lite så är det här med, det är ganska underhållande men minns du för mycket riskerar det att krackelera. Trots att det är fel platta är det stabilt godkänt. Hade man fått i sig en 10-12 statköl innan man lyssnat hade det blivit högre. Tänk dig då rätt platta (läs Self destruction blues) och en hel back ...tanken svindlar
Det här var innan Stevie Klasson gick med i bandet. Det är inte utan att man undrar vad det här albumet hade kunnat bli om han hade varit med i bilden redan här. Men det kan vi bara spekulera i. Med det sagt, inledande Malibu beach nightmare är ändå rätt medryckande.
Bandet känner man igen men tror aldrig jag lyssnat på dem (inte ens 2004 då Stevie Klasson var med). Blir till en början positivt överraskad. Ett soundtrack jag inte väntat mig utifrån omslaget. Gillar blåset. Som helhet blir det dock då där med några få låtar som lyfter.
One good song off this entire album. Not offensive but not good either.
This kind of juvenile hair music is a dime a dozen
Глем відверто не мій жанр. Тут є хороші пісні, приємно було послухати, але точно не повернусь до нього.
Ніколи не любив глем-рок (окрім т-рекс, якщо Болана й компанію можна вважати глем-роком). Цей альбом місцями був веселим, але не більше.
Torilla tavataan!
Normie mid.
"lick summer love" is damn good, horny as fuck, but good. but the rest of this is not great
This was pretty underwhelming. I am not a fan of this era of big hair rock music and this was no exception. Very dumb lyrics and nothing really fun or catchy. If you aren’t going to be smart you should at least be fun and this wasn’t for me. I don’t see any reason to revisit this one. Not as bad as one star but I suppose two stars is fair since it wasn’t painful
Interesting back story but that’s about it
"lick summer love" sounds like it has Toad singing in the background
I don't have a problem with Glam rock, but this album is extremely limited and plain. It certainly it does not deserve being in this list, nor in any playlist of mine. 4/10
extremely confused by this album/band. I know its tongue and cheek but is it full novelty or am I suppose to be taking this serious. more research is needed.
im listening to this on youtube because my son has hand foot and mouth disease and hes listening to How To Train Your Dragon audio books on spotify and hes currently on chapter 21 wow great job son its nice to hear razzle on the drums for the first time. i dont understand so much music from the 80s. it just whooshes right over my head, kinda like "bop-it" jamesons bass work. 2
Very hair-metal/glam-rock and nothing I could discern that really made it stand apart. I think it would appeal a ton to people that are into that kind of thing but didn't feel particularly transcendent in the genre
Gross theatrical glam misogyny with just a hint of pedophilia in the background. Musically it's more complex and interesting than a lot of what was occuring in 1983 but all of that prowess was leveraged to then vomit out more bret Michael's-esque nonsense so what was it all for? I'm not sure if this was a joke or who was supposed to be in on it? I don't think it's me?
This is so standard and atypical 80’s glam rock which I wonder why did they include it - maybe as a benchmark to rate all the other albums off of ? Wish it had more going for it
1983 is one of my favourite years of music, so much great music produced in that year. This though, is not great it is just painfully loud and doesn’t do anything. Not my jam.
Fairly generic. Didn’t hate but was looking at my watch waiting for this to be over. 2.5/5
This album was direct and to the point. Very diluted Sex Pistols vibe and heavy hair band feels.
I disliked this less than I should have but I still can't ever imagine there will be another time I'll listen to this by choice. 4.75/10 (2.375/5)
Yeah. Glam metal isn't my thing. The saxophones don't help either as it had a jarring effect that just turned me away. It tried but this is mediocre at best.
Umm just not my typa music felt like it couldnt make its mind up
Das Album wurde 1983 in den Parkgate Studios im britischen Hastings aufgenommen. Der Mix fand anschließend in den Scorpio Sound Studios in London statt. Hanoi Rocks ist eine finnische Band. Die Mitglieder zur Zeit der Aufnahme waren Michael Monroe, Andy McCoy, Nasty Suicide, Sam Yaffa und erstmals auch Razzle am Schlagzeug. Musikalisch bewegt sich das Album im Bereich Hard Rock mit Einflüssen aus Glam Rock und Punk. Der Sound ist rau, melodisch und rhythmusbetont. Zu den bekannten Songs zählen „Malibu Beach Nightmare“, „Mental Beat“, „Until I Get You“ und „Back to Mystery City“. Diese Stücke zeigen verschiedene Facetten der Band, von aggressiven Rocktiteln bis hin zu balladesken Momenten. Das Album vermittelt den Eindruck einer Band, die sich stilistisch weiterentwickelt und dabei ihre Wurzeln nicht verliert. Die Produktion wirkt authentisch, der Sound roh, aber strukturiert. Persönlich hinterlässt das Album einen geschlossenen, ehrlichen Eindruck – es verzichtet auf Glanz, ohne an Ausdruck zu verlieren. Eine klare Momentaufnahme dieser Phase der Band mit erkennbarer stilistischer Handschrift.
Ok I guess? Nothing that wow.
Favorite Track: Until I Get You
It was fine but I got bored about halfway through. 2.5 stars but skew to a High 2.
This was about as "just fine" as music can possibly get. Ran through it twice and while it didn't bother me to have it in the background, it never once struck me as particularly interesting. For that this gets a high 2.