Reviews (page 3 of 7)
I enjoyed this quite a bit. I remember listening to this band in the mid 1980s, but I don't recall this particular record.
This album a really nice blend of New Wave and Punk. Honestly, I wish that Wave bands from the early 80s sounded more like Magazine.
Better than I remembered. Definitely belongs on the list. It's kind of punk, especially the singing (can't be 5 star with a singer like that), but it's also kind of psychedelic. Favorite song: recoil
is good
1/22/25. Really enjoyed this one! First time listening to Magazine and was immediately pulled in by the instrumentation and progressive song structures. Will definitely revisit.
put british niqqas back on weed
post punk, slight aura of the stranglers, depeche mode, quite 80s and a little avante garde. worth keeping on a playlist.
Didn't care much for the singing but the guitar work and the songwriting brought it up to four stars.
More of a 90s Punk Rock so very surprised it was released in the 70s - Very advanced for it's time so impressed there - and not bad for punk rock may I say.
"Real Life" von Magazine (1978) ist ein echter Post-Punk-Klassiker, der mit seiner innovativen Mischung aus Energie, Melodie und Komplexität überzeugt. Ein starkes Debüt, das nicht nur die Fans, sondern auch die Kritiker begeistert hat – absolut hörenswert!
Banger post punk album
3.9 objectively such an important album faves: shot by both sides, definitive gaze
appreciate how sincerely geeky this record is! it definitely gives the appearance of a typical late-seventies post-punk album, but there's a level of pop finesse in the songwriting department that gives these songs a lot of strength and endurance. acerbic basslines, countermelodies galore (especially from the keys), surprising cadences and other harmonic motion. some of the material here comes off as borderline progressive, especially songs like "Burst" and "Motorcade", which owe a significant debt to, of all the bands in the world for a punk band to send up, Pink Floyd! "Burst" is spacey and flanged-out, but still retains the energy of punk from end to end; "Motorcade" is more obviously a punk song, but opens with a descending chord motif very similar to Floyd's "Echoes", plus some drum fills with huge Nick Mason energy, before picking up the pace multiple times over. elsewhere, songs take on a more straightforward approach in the vein of new wave ("Shot by Both Sides" is probably this album's overall highlight), but many of the best moments of Real Life aim in between these progressive and pop extremes, leading to songs like "My Tulpa" or "The Light Pours Out of Me" which are unlike much else from this era of British punk rock. decent 8/10.
I'll never complain about another foundational post-punk album. I can definitely see the influence this has had on later bands in the genre. They can be a bit goofier than a lot of post-punk which is somewhat dour which I enjoy.
Geggjað. Frábær lagasmíði og hljóðfæraleikurinn geggjaður. Var góð í fyrstu hlustun og betri í annarri og þriðju. Þessi fer á playlistann.
Ya llevo casi la mitad de la lista, y si hay algo que me ha enseñado este ejercicio es que soy un gótico de corazón. Todo el post-punk de los '70s/'80s, sumado al new wave con estética oscura, me fascina, y este disco no es la excepción. Sumamente influyente para el sonido new wave gótico, "Real Life" nos entrega una colección de composiciones que aún no han escapado completamente del punk, con inflexiones vocales agresivas pero con letras oscuras. Las composiciones son rápidas, melódicas y densas. Un muy buen LP que volveré a escuchar.
Kind of a quintessential post punk record and a great one at that. I find this to be rewarding with each listen.
It was upbeat and interesting. A little bit hard to listen to but would wake me right up.
this shit sound like magicant cool and quirky ear candy post punk, small drop in quality in the middle but only because it starts off strong
This was new to me and I am so glad to hear it!
The punkier songs were good but I dont enjoy the post punk bits as much
ok, reasonable punk
Catchy, well written tunes. These guys surely deserve more recognition.
Was surprised to like this album. It has a more modern sound The Presidents of the United States mashed up with Green Day is as close as I can come up with.
Catchy post-punk with hints of new wave - and it works!
Who came up with the idea of creating the bass/guitar duo of McGeoch and Adamson? I just wanna thank you. Ground breaking post-punk that only gets more creative as you go further into the album. It’s of course the 1000th album of its genre on the list so far - but this is one that should stay.
litty
I dont think I have heard of this group ever before and I liked them a lot, I liked this album a lot. It was nice introduction to Magazine. I listened through several times all the high points! Its getting 4 stars though because about halfway through I think the 4th listen I just wanted something else. So clearly its good and held my attention but some of the earlier 5 stars were what I listened to that whole day but here I did switch off of it after awhile. Still a great album and still one I fully plan on going back to.
Novel sounds with okay integration, solid enough construction, good enough genre piece. Felt unremarkable.
Colour supplement.
shot through both sides
Started slow, but it really grew on me as it went on. Lots of Buzzcocks influence here, and in turn, a lot that has influenced The Cure. Good stuff.
Quite a good listen. Liked a bunch of songs here.
Another group I have never heard of and I am now a fan! Want to hear more and will buy this album on vinyl
Solid lineup of tracks. Great end with Goldfinger.
Yep, this floats my boat. I mean, occasionally they dial up the creepy circus vibes a little far even for my tastes... but mostly there's a good balance of punky energy, arty experimentation, theatrical grandeur and weird sounds that give it so much more life than other records of the era.
Well, at least it's an important post-punk album this time. Not only it Magazine's Real Life an important album in the development of the post-punk genre, it's also really good. This thing is awesome. The sound is great. It's quite varied and unique. Comparing the tones of songs like "Definitive Gaze" and "Shot By Both Sides" is pretty crazy. The latter of those two songs is just amazing, and the former is a pretty good opener. The vocals are pretty solid as well. I definitely like Howard Devoto's vocals more than I did the vocals on the album I got from his former band Buzzcocks. The writing does its job well. I do have problems though. While the best songs on this album are total bangers, the weaker ones don't really do much for me. They're fine, just nothing special. I praised the vocals earlier, but honestly they don't always work for me either. Those problems are pretty minor though. This album's great. High 4/5.
Much more synths than I expected, in a good way. Definitive Gaze is a nice opener and My Tulpa as well with good keyboards and a bouncy rhythm. Shot By Both Sides ups the energy more and brings the riffing. Catchy stuff. Then Recoil goes much more punk. Lots of variety here. Difficult to categorize but I like most of it. Motorcade is maybe the best song, a six minute epic with some moody passages and a super fast middle section. It all feels very fresh.
Definitive Gaze 3.8 My Tulpa 3.7 Shot by Both Sides 3.4 Recoil 3 Burst 4 Motorcade 3.8 The Great Beautician in the Sky 4 The Light Pours Out of Me 3.5 Parade 3.8 Score: 3.666666667
Magazine's debut album, Real Life, is a cornerstone of the post-punk movement. With its haunting melodies, cryptic lyrics, and experimental soundscapes, it stands as a testament to the genre's innovative spirit. The album's standout tracks, like "Shot by Both Sides" and "The Light Pours Out of Me," showcase the band's ability to blend catchy hooks with a dark, introspective atmosphere. Howard Devoto's distinctive vocals, coupled with Dave Formula's atmospheric keyboards, create a unique and captivating listening experience. While Real Life may not be an immediate earworm, its rewards come from repeated listens. Its depth and complexity make it a timeless album that continues to resonate with listeners decades after its release.
I liked this one. Nothing too amazing but consistently good throughout. Liked the sound of the guitar. Favorite songs were Shot By Both Sides, Burst, and The Light Pours Out Of Me.
Never heard about these but surprisingly quite liked them!
Just great album, punk, post punk and some goth. love it.
Good listen. A good blend of punk and art rock.
I enjoyed this one quite a bit. A nice mix of different instruments in this post-punk format. I'll listen to this one again.
gonna be honest i really enjoyed this. considered giving it a 3 but there were enough really good moments on almost every song and it kept me engaged and interested throughout the whole thing. very cool stuff. might keep listening to a couple of these
Pre-listening thoughts: I have literally never heard of this band or album before. The album cover is freakyyy. They have less than 100k listeners on Spotify which is crazy that they made this list. This album has gotten great reviews and people can’t quite seem to pin a genre down so I’m pretty curious to say the least. Post/during listening thoughts: The vocal production (and instrumental production) is quite interesting. Some of the production does kind of date itself. It’s sort of charming almost 50 years later though. Even though the album cover is wackadoo the sound kinda fits it so props ig? I kinda rock with the post punk genre a lot so this is sort of right up my alley. The standard album stops at Parade so that’s all that I will consider for this review but I’m still gonna listen to the bonus tracks (but if they’re awful they won’t tank this rating). I love being able to hear when artists are British lol. Shot by Both Sides is superrrr catchy. This is very punk which I was not expecting! I know I literally just said I like post punk so like I should’ve known but I’m an idiot and get surprised at anything. I wanna mosh to Recoil. I could definitely see how this would be a huge influence to later 80s and beyond artists because in the 70s this genre was really new and fresh. Burst sounds like a Radiohead track. Okayy stacked vocals love that choice! Outro is fireeee. The midway rhythm change (basically became a diff song lol) in The Great Beautician in the Sky threw me. Not opposed to it though cause the second half of the song is better. Bonus tracks are good as well. That was a solid listen 7/10! Would love to revisit cause I think it would grow on me a little more. DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: mixed on this. Super influential but later ppl also did the genre just as well if not better. Like do you need to see the blueprint to appreciate the architecture? I don’t think so. But it’s cool and insightful. Fav tracks: Shot by Both Sides, Recoil, Burst but specifically the outro, Touch and Go (bonus track) Least fav tracks: n/a
Amazing album. Post punk is one of my favourite genres, and you can hear on this album, that this is where we’re headed. I really enjoyed listening to this. For some reason I had only heard The Light Pours Out of Me before, but the rest of the album is just as great. The music reminds me of Television.
This is a solid post-punk album. There's a lot to like here. some of the songs are pretty catchy, the instrumentation is good and it has a clear defined sound for this project. I think they hit something good when they made this.
Firstly I do not like the cover. This looks like the women that appear during my sleep paralyses that stand at the end of my bed and reach for me with their long, inhumane fingers. I always wake up just before they reach my face but find myself with chapped lips in the morning. After the first song I was worried Matt Noonan over here was going to ruin the album. I was pleasantly surprised after that. The new wave and punk songs stand out as the best with a few WTF moments during the carnival songs. I rather like this but am hard pressed to think of a mood that would cause me to want to listen again.
Solid. 4
Standout Tracks: I forgot to keep track because I was playing Mario Kart Lyrics/Vocals: 4/5 Instrumentals: 4/5 Vibes: 4/5 Overall: 4/5
Okay so I'm hit or miss on post Punk but this is definitely a hit for me. Started out cool but once we got to tracks 4-6 I was hooked. An infectious energy and very danceable instrumentals had me excited throughout the whole thing. I think it'll grow on me too Fav songs: - Definitive Gaze - Shot by Both Sides - Recoil - Burst - Motorcade -
Listening to this album really makes me think about what the early post-punk scene must have been like, when it was still called 'new musick'. The punk scene in the mid-70s seems to have spread like a forest fire and burned out as quickly. So many of those artists were reventing themselves, rejecting the oversimplicity of the genre, while holding onto the D.I.Y. attitudes. Post punk embraced art, literature, eclecticism and experimentation, and brought it to the masses. Or whatever portion of the masses were willing to listen. Johnny Rotten formed Public Image Ltd. Joy Division took an immediate left turn early on. Iggy Pop escaped with David Bowie to Berlin for his early solo work. But I never knew about Magazine. As others emerged from the embers of punk, so too did Magazine follow the Buzzcocks. Unlike some of their darker and more avant garde contemporaries, 'Real Life' is a damn fun album. The energy of The Buzzcocks is maintained flawlessly, but the music is completely unbounded by the strict limits of punk. In this way, post punk is a more honest reflection of punk ethos, given that it rejects any predefined rules of what the genre should look like. Magazine's more upbeat style and incorporation of synthesizers may have been an early step towards New Wave. They were certainly influential on the indie rock scene, with likes of Johnny Mar and Jonny Greenwood (among others) claiming to be big fans. Supposedly, Greenwood even declined to join them in 2009 because he felt too shy. This is despite Radiohead being one of the biggest bands in the world at the time. I might not be quite as big a fan as he is, but I definitely enjoyed this discovery.
Energetic, exciting artrock/post-punk, so good it’s borderline funky!
Wow, this is a great punk album instrumentally, and the Buzzcocks influence is clear.
Much better than I was expecting from the write up. Very proggy and certainly ahead of its time.
post-punk comes alive
The album cover is pretty rad. I’d never heard of them before and had no expectations.? The sound is pretty fun a little new wave a bit punk at times. It makes me want to check out more and will include some tracks on my music rotation.
I like the instrumentation. Not necessarily something if want to listen to with other people around... Does that make it a guilty pleasure?
Cool post punk
7,15
A Burst!
A day after getting some terrible proto-punk in the form of Violent Femmes, here comes some really good proto-punk! This is how it should be done ffs. Never heard of this band before but thoroughly impressed. Few weaker tracks but some absolute bangers on here. Will be on rotation for sure.
Pleasantly surprised by this one! Weird and funky and surprisingly listenable - I saw the "proto-punk" comments and got nervous, but I didn't find it that punky.
hadn't heard of these guys before but it's cool that the frontman for the buzzcocks is running the show. this album was neat. it was weird, punky, new wavey, dark, intriguing, and stylistically varied. some random thoughts on various tracks: shot by both sides is definitely a banger, already added this one to my monthly listening playlist. burst is practically a david bowie song. motorcade sounds like a really punky version of the residents???? the great beautician in the sky is some scooby doo carnival music for sure. the james bond song at the end was a neat inclusion, though I don't really understand why it's here lol favorites: definitive gaze, shot by both sides, recoil, touch and go, goldfinger
Really interesting sounds and vibes. Apparently influential, pre-new wave but solidly post-punk.
Surprisingly diverse. I was really digging this album, very groovy and a little ethereal with some rockin riffs.
I'm a bit stumped on this one. I've listened about half a dozen times now and I still can't form an opinion. On the plus side, the synths are really fun. I enjoy the music of the album and the lyrics are just kinda wacky enough to be interesting. That should be all of it. But on the negative, the vocalist is awful and the recording sounds incredibly 70's. I just struggle with old recordings. But the fact I keep listening to it makes think I'll keep wanting to.
This is so fun and wonderful. Shot By Both Sides is excellent. Beautician in the Sky is ridiculous. Really enjoyed this record overall. Interesting, unserious, well made, and surprising. Real hidden gem.
Pretty interesting stuff.
Magazine is a punk, or perhaps post-punk, band - they have punk timing, sound, and energy, but it's a rich, melodic, produced version of punk. They have a much wider range than most punk bands; they add transitions, pop production, and synthesizers to add depth to their material. Real Life is the band's debut. While not particularly commercially successful, it was very well received critically. Magazine's work influenced new wave and alt-rock bands of the 80s.
Really enjoyed it. It was like television + some other interesting influences
OK, have to acknowledge the influence these guys had on 80s punk and beyond. Heard of Magazine, mostly referenced by other musicians, although never explored their stuff myself. Not bad. The album rocks, although vocals detract a little bit. Also, found it odd to find out Barry Adamson was in the band. If I ignore my own musical tastes, this is 4 stars
Et stykke tid siden jeg har haft en positiv overraskelse, men den her var fed! Også selvom det bare er britisk rockband #28475. Synes det lyder et par år forud for sin tid
Vildt nok at der var nogen der lavede new wave der lød så fedt allerede i 78! Superfed kombination af post-punk lyd og synths. Lækker plade.
Angular antics, zany ztuff
Awesome sounds 4.5/5
I didn't know this album but it felt very familiar to me, and I did know the main tracks. Really enjoy this period of the post punk development of New Wave. The punks learned to sing and play their instruments and it laid the ground for so much that came after.
Punk Rock albums tend to be Russian roulette: you don't know if you're going to hear a masterpiece or a piece of shit. But today was a pleasant surprise. I've been hearing about Magazine for a long time, but only today I had my first experience. Excellent sound for a 1978 album, good songs, very well performed... perfect album!
There’s a lot to unpack here. I’ve only listened to this album once so I feel like I can’t fairly rate it. There’s a lot of good stuff, again after just one listen I don’t think I’ve taken the time to fully appreciate it. It’s definitely one I’ll have to get back to.
first listen didn't expect to like this based on the genres but the compositional work and guitar work was cool
Given how much I have struggled with Buzzcocks, I really wasn't expecing to like this, but ended up thoroughly enjoying it. Musically super interesting and well executed. One to return to...
Probably my biggest discovery of this project so far, 150+ albums in. Also gave me a new appreciation of early Midnight Oil (a band I was really into for a good bit, and which is sadly missing from the 1001 albums list).
solid pick
Good post-punk! I listened to this walking around Manhattan on a beautiful spring day and it kept me from being to perky. Will spin this again.
Uh, hell yeah, I’m totally into this, but why Magazine? Such a goofy, nothing name. Easy to imagine that a band like this gets lost in the shuffle with a name like that.
Post punk by the numbers. Classic
Ja, das Album heißt „Real Life“ nich die Band; die heißt „Magazine“ aus Manchester und ist 1978 eine der Quellen aus denen viele Wave Bands z.B. Smith, Visage & Ultravox ihre Inspiration fanden. Man hört wie hier Hardrock und New Wave ineinander übergehen z.B. in „Burst“. E-Gitarren, Synthi-Elemente, Drums prägen das Album. „My Tulpa“ & „Shot by both sides“ sind tolle Wave-Songs. Das Album eignet sich zur Wiederholung.
Considering my general distaste for punk-y things, I wasn’t too excited to listen to this. I am so happy to be doing this project because I loved it and never would have heard it otherwise. Funky in a weird way and so much interesting instrumentation.
This is cool art punk. Shot By Both Sides is a banger track and I enjoyed this a lot!
4 really liked the variety and weirdness of this. It’s like the sex pistols but with talent
This one's a real revelation. What a genre tbh. Thus is like progressive psych-wave. 3.8 stars
Sounds a little dated, as all groundbreaking albums tend to. I feel like post punk only got better or maybe I just really like Wire. Passable enough but I don't think I'll be returning to this well.
Cool
loved many instrumental parts upon the first listen, although overall the album sounded a bit unmemorable. on my second listen now though and it's all coming together. as a big fan of post-punk, it's really cool to see some parallels between this album and other music that came out around the time, but it also stands on its own
A waltz on Track 7, ballsy but dare I say they pulled it off. It stands as a microcosm for this whole album of dynamic, inventive post-punk edge. I had never heard of this band before and post-punk is one of my all-time favorite genres! That's what I'm coming here for, glad this album of the day was able to fill in the cracks for me. Looking forward to listening to their whole catalogue!
I was not previously familiar with the artist or album. It was a pleasant surprise for me. I enjoyed the vocals and instrumentation, and I found the songs to be interesting. I will come back to this and seek out their other albums.
Começou mediano mas logo pegou um ritmo que eu gostei pra caramba. Todas as músicas tem um arranjo único e a experiência de ouvir ele de uma vez é divertida. Faves: Shot by both sides, The great beautician in the sky
I really dug everything but the vocals on this one. I felt this particularly on the first track on the album where I was really enjoying the punk sounds until it was just ruined by some jarring ass singing which was definitely not appreciated.
One of the reviews for this album said that it's like a soundtrack to Halloween and I completely agree. Not my usual genre, but I did find this hauntingly beautiful.
Really interesting and cool alternative type rock, wrapped in a brit punk aesthetic that I'm not super fond of. Every song felt unique and I could get down to most of them
great find!
Slightly before my time, so had never heard of them. After two songs, I was ready to listen no longer, but then the next few songs blew me away, and now I've got to look into this band, as well as Buzzcocks.
Wild! 4
A good strong interesting punk new wave album. That never hurts in my book.
I liked a lot of the guitar lines in this record. Like a lot. But the rest of it was a little boring. I think this record would be best served blaring from a car's cassette deck.
Post punk is always a hodgepodge for me. After that first initial atomic bomb of an explosion punk was, the bands had to pick up the pieces from what that effect truly was. A lot of bands didn't go for keyboards, but I'm really glad this band did. It really rounded out the sound. "Recoil" was really cool how the sound bounced all around the players, I wish more bands did things like that. A number of songs sounded familiar, like "The Light Pours Out Of Me" used that descending melody which is in "Rock and Roll (Part 2)". A couple of the songs were a bit repetitive, but still worked, and the vocalist is a bit limited. But still, most of it worked for me, especially songs like "Shot By Both Sides" and "Recoil". So it's something I'll come back to for sure.
So this is known to be one of the first post-punk records. I totally get it. The first few songs depart from the typical punk formula, adding in some snyth, pomp, and multi-layered beats. Definitive Gaze has such a cool, new (wave) sound with the keyboards front and center and then My Tulpa and Shot By Both Sides seem to foreshadow all the late 80's and early 90's brit-pop and rock (looking at you Stone Roses, Supergrass, Kaiser Chiefs, and Manic Street Preachers). It feels like punk but not quite the same - again, a fuller sound from the combo of instruments. Recoil was the one song that sounded a little more like straight-ahead punk - there's still more chords going on, but the manic tempo and limited vocals stand out, which is quintessential punk to me. Burst is not the best song on the album but it shows the new direction they were going. Not really new wave, definitely rock, but something unusual about the main riffs combined with stilted drums and slower, haunting vocals. And a longer runtime that ebbs and flows. I think that is part of what became known as post-punk. Motorcade is a bit similar, but also has elements that sound more like punk and the Dead Kennedys. Just a really interesting blending of genres and sounds. But then The Light Pours Out of Me steals the show in my opinion. The opening/main riffs (and vocals) sound a bit like a Stooges song, but the chorus and bridge add in more of that new wave or melodic post-punk sound - just from a bit of keyboard and different chord structure. It's not the greatest album ever made and it has its warts, but it does a lot of cool things that are even cooler given how novel it was at the time.
Inventive and so musically interesting. I'd never heard of Magazine before but this was truly a great album.
Got a bit distracted and switched off a bit, first impression was ok at first, then a bit weird, then tailed off a bit. Gave it another try with my full attention and I liked it much more, including the weirdness and the second half. Earns its place on the list.
Excellent
Never heard of this and was pleasantly surprised! Definite new wave kind of feel and some tracks reminded me of talking heads from this same time frame. Could use another listen in the future
My favourite music growing up was an old mixtape of my dad’s containing Visage, Icehouse, and Magazine. This one really showed how context affects my ratings -when trying to listen in the car with the family and lots of noise around I didn’t like it. Listening again at home while I pottered in the kitchen, I thought it was great. Listens: 2 Fave Track: The Light Pours Out Of Me (I’m most familiar with this one) Rating: 4
I've never heard of this album before and I really liked it!
Loved it
I'm rounding up a little bit by Shot by Both Sides is excellent and tracks like The Light Pours Out of Me, Motorcade and Definitive Gaze are enough to keep the album interesting. There's definitely enough here with an early raw rock/punk style, that keeps it entertaining.
A great record, some tracks I had heard before without knowing their origin eg Definitive Gaze. They seem like an underrated band to me
261223 18:29 3.5
Right. Now THAT is post-punk or even new wave realness that I’ve never actually heard before. And the more I hear it, the more I want to listen again. Jesus, the royal lineage on this disc: post-Buzzcocks, pre-Siouxsie. Just fits right in there between punk and goth so perfectly.
like this one a lot, think i’ll relisten
A good album, I liked the style of music. My favourite song on the album was Shot by both sides.
Неплохо-неплохо. Сложно сказать, что мне конкретно нравится в этом альбоме, но он необычен. И привлекателен. Спокойствие и драйв.
Really liked this one. I can see where this influenced a lot of music after it came out. This is the kind of album I was hoping to be introduced to when listening to this list. 4/5 Will listen again
I had never heard this before. It was extremely my jam. I loved it.
Sounds so fresh, full of intricate sounds. No shy and retiring album here - grabs your attention and keeps it with driving guitar lines and smashing drums. Four stars on first listen but can see this headed for five.
Influential, and somehow sounds like post-punk despite being very much mid-punk, but just doesn't grab me the way the best similar records do. The one song that did (last bonus track on the Spotify linked version) is another in the grand tradition of odd-as-hell cover songs - a recurring theme of this list! Very very good, and important, and probably a major leap forward at the time, but falls just short of its fifth star in my view.
Wonderful record; favourite track: 'The light pours out of me'.
I do not know Magazine, so I was excited to throw on some unfamiliar music. Hooked right from the get go - even the cheesy synths on the title track. Looked into the album and artist, and lo and behold - this band is the brainchild of Buzzcocks founding member Howard Devoto. I love The Buzzcocks, but Devoto likely made little impact on the catalogue of theirs that I’m familiar with, having left the band before their first full length album dropped in 1978. Still, you can hear the connective tissue between both bands here. I used to write off “80s music” as disposable and goofy. But I’ve revised that position significantly after listening to new wave music that is clearly an outgrowth of the punk rock of the 70s that I love. Now late 70s and 80s alternative ranks among my favorite genres and eras. Genuinely enjoyed this album and am looking forward to moving more Magazine into my regular listening alongside Wire and Gang of Four.
I thought this was really good.
Very cool album. 70/80's bridging sounds. Heard some Bowie type stuff in there. Enjoyed.
Grabs you early and doesn't let go. If you were to ask me what year this album was released, I'd probably need ten guesses before I said "1978” and only then through process of elimination. I've never heard anything of this band, let alone this album, which surprises me because it's pretty great. It turns out Duff from Guns 'N Roses and Morrissey are big fans.
Fun, toe-tapping new wave rock. Not boring nor overwhelming. I can dig it.
4.0
J'aime le rock de cette époque, qui rappelle Bowie, les New York Dolls, les Stooges, le Velvet Underground un peu plus tôt, etc. Me semble préfigurer Green Day et leur musique ludique et efficace. La pochette est très réussie, encore pertinente sur le plan esthétique.
This was new to me, and I really liked it. Captures the post-punk sound of the moment (Clash, Television) with their own memorable spin. On my list to dive in more in the future.
A solid album, very british
New wave? Post punk? Interesting aesthetic.
I liked it a lot more than I expected to. Will likely return to listen to more
Never mind the Buzzcocks, here's another post-punk, new wave, arty power rock band... This surprisingly hit me just right.
Howard's debut album still has a catch today. Some classic punk anthems here
Actually like this. The post punk sound is great. Good find. Lead to a lot of great bands
Never heard of Magazine before, but I like the sound. This album is a keeper! Burst 💥
Really grew on me as I kept listening and in the second listen. Now I get an idea of what post-punk is. Good stuff.
What a delightful album. Glad I discovered this so far in my life. The new wave, rock & post-punk started here it feels. Some songs come straight from the punk (Shot By Both Sides, Recoil) and others are proto new wave. Getting better with every listen. Update after full listen 3: Also great lyrics
I love Buzzcocks Singles Going Steady and am a huge fan of Wire, but this one didn't really click until the third listen (previous listens were years ago). I only remember liking Definitive Gaze before but really enjoyed the whole thing this time, even the bonus tracks.
Really enjoyed this one!
I love this kind of "out there" post-punk so much. And this is one of the best from the bunch. And with members of bands such varied as PIL, Buzzcocks, Chameleons (on that album at least) and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, I'd say this is one of the most exciting lineup in the history of rock.
Now that's GREAT post-punk/new wave! All of this with a subtle glimpse of prog rock. Unique stuff!
Classic punk
Every song on this album was good.
4/5. A weird and interesting "rock" album with saxophones, synthesizers, and other random sounds. Goes hard during times I don't expect it with piano and drums or just the vocals while everything else is chill. There is a creepy and nervous vibe around the whole album. I really do enjoy it though.
Listening to this, one can surmise that the '80s started in 1978. Lots of good fun – chiming guitars on "Definitive Gaze;" mood + tone on "Motorcade" and "Light Pours Out of Me;" chorus (plus song title) on "Great Beautician in the Sky" – plus a clear sense of originality, having a plan and executing it pretty damn effectively. One hears so much of so much good that was just about to come. The closer is arty (the sax pretty effective – more '80s New Wave foreshadowing) but clunky, the risk of overreaching, one fears.
I couldn't even really tell you what I just listened to, and I mean that in a good way. I think it sounds cool for the time, and it felt super long, but not really in a bad way. Sometimes the vocals were really good, and I loved those moments and wished they happened more frequently. Regardless, the vocals fit the music well. I think it needs a relisten for me to fully comprehend it, so hopefully I'll come back to it sooner rather than later. My favourite song was The Great Beautician In The Sky.
Really interesting and very English sound. I like it because it seems like the proper evolution of punk. More settled more melodious, but full of plenty of surprises and defined drums. Vocals are just classic British punk, raw and emotive.
Yeah, I get it Buzzcocks wise up and try and make something a little more cerebral and buttoned up. Change is hard because nobody is ever ready for it. There's some stuff on here, like My Tulpa that is terrible, but some really interesting stuff in Burst and Recoil. (I dig Recoil., makes me think of Beastie Boys Some Old Bullshit tracks). This is respectably solid album... though the tracks that I like the best is from the sound that has changed the least...
Lots of great guitar and synth lines. Will be checking out more of their work in future for sure.
This was a fun one. Never heard any of the songs before, but they felt like they weren't unknown.
I was too young for this one at the time, but I suspect I could have got into it if I had been older.
I had never heard of Magazine before. I thought it was above average, has a unique sound, though there were hints of other bands sprinkled throughout, like Queen and Bowie. "Shot By Both Sides" was my favorite track. I wish Apple Music labeled the album as the extended version, as I prefer to listen to just the original for these ratings, and that version had four bonus tracks.
Post punk hasn't fared well in my ratings so far. There seem to be a lot of not very good albums in this genre. Fortunately, this isn't one of them. The songwriting and melodies are appealing. Much of the record is a bit softer and less fraught than other post punk albums. I particularly like the synths. As usual, the vocals are the weak point and this would have benefited from the band recruiting someone who could sing. Pop on a fun, female vocal and it would be almost as good as the Go-Gos. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Definitive Gaze Date listened: 22/06/23
This is excellent
Energetic, a landmark new wave album. Howard Devoto was at his peak here.
Short and intense.
Wow, they are so cool, "Shot by both sides" is epic!
Loved the dark sound on this one def gonna be listening to this one a bunch. Pretty good album with great energy. The first coupled of tracks were a little meh but it really picked up.
Pretty innovative for 1978. "My Tulpa", "Motorcade", and "The Great Beautician...." were the standouts. This was a pretty damn good album that has aged very well.
Punk, before punk was punk.
What a great album. Musically, the arrangements are idiosyncratic, well crafted and smarter than you might expect. Howard Devoto takes what he learned in the Buzzcocks and builds on that with echoes of Bowie, Iggy, Roxy Music. That said, this is very much the band's own sound, foundational to post-punk and one that probably launched a hundred bands. Devoto is also an impressive vocalist in a sly kind of way. He's all at once snotty, menacing and playful in a way few singers can pull off. Fave Songs: Burst, The Light Pours Out of Me, Definitive Gaze, Motorcade, Recoil, The Great Beautician in the Sky
I never thought that synthy punk can be this good.
Epic
I honestly didn’t expect this to be that good. I think I’ll have to listen to it again but seriously think this could become another favorite if I listen to it more.
This album is kind of all over the place in an interesting way. I hear Sabbath, Ramones, Sex Pistols, Clash. All pretty good stuff. Don't know that I'll listen again, but a pretty good listen overall.
Really good, catchy album
Really enjoyed this post punk goodness, the Light Pours Out Of Me is especially a banger. Solid 4
punk rock yes!!
This was cool. Not punk like I thought it was going to be. I even enjoyed the singers slightly different voice.
Might be worth revisiting
4.5
As far as our late 70s early 80s post punk new wave albums go this one actually hit the spot
Speciale sound. Moeilijk om een etiket op te plakken, maar wel leuk om te luisteren
Great music to pogo to
Having listened to Dub Housing by Pere Ubu right before this, there must have been something happening in music in 1978. The new wave thing they are doing sounds so breathtaking. It's just catchy enough to let you in, and then slaps you on the face and you like it, dammit.
Up there with Wire as far as post punk pioneers go. I enjoy everything about their sound.
I love New Wave. Some interesting sounds here. Synth, energy and passion.
Du vrai bon post-punk, album de qualité
4'5 👌
I had never heard this album before. I was aware of many of the songs through their live album; Play which I think is underrated. Difinitive Gaze, Shot By Both Sides, Recoil and The Light Pours Out of Me are all great tunes. Howard Devoto's voice is an acquired taste, but to me it fits his songs beautifully and for me its always about the song not about the individual elements, including the vocals. Its a very good album; the best studio album I've heard from Magazine. 4 stars
Interesting punk album! Worth a few more listens
I didn't know this one, but I liked it. It got a little over-long near the end and same-y, but there's plenty to like here. Reminded me of something like Wire. 4/5
I really like when I find something new to me that’s good, this is why I enjoy keeping up with this challenge. Solid punk that’s pretty well paced! Would definitely listen again. B
First listen. I’ve never heard of the band before, not too bad.
This album starts out really strong. It's a postpunk album with some electronic elements that were very surprising given when it was made. The album tends overall to get less interesting as it goes, which is a bit of a disappointment. It feels a bit like they started to run out of ideas. It's a bit of a bummer, but this album is worth it just for the first half 4/5
This is pretty interesting…. The quirky side to the buzzcocks melody. I like it!
really fucking good post-punk
Una altra mostra de la màgia creativa que va aflorar durant uns anys que no tenen comparació a la història de la música pop. 'Real Life' és un fill de la seva època, i un disc que acaba enganxat amb les escoltes. No és fàcil, però un cop et fas amb ell, entens que s'hagi convertit en un dels grans clàssics de culte del génere
Excellent post punk album. A lot to like
Babger
Not as crazy about this album as many are but it doubtlessly has many great moments. ”Shot By Both Sides” is also just a banger
Real wife? Huga!
There's some very 80s-sounding quirkiness, but these guys can really jam. The first 30 seconds were a bit offputting and I was getting ready to not like this. That quickly changed when I realized this isn't a New Wave synth album, they do seem to have some synth effects but it's a lot of great guitar riffs and driving melodies. Singer sounds halfway between Bowie and the lead singer from Blur, that took on a more heavy rock band. Overall good album, grew on me fast and kept it going pretty much to the end.
I previewed a couple of songs before going to bed last night. I wasn't overly impressed and expected to be kind of bored with the rest of the album today. When I started the album again this afternoon, it was much more appealing to me...kinda catchy!
Čak mogu reći da je album dost esencijalan za post-punk scenu, iako sam ga "kasno" otkrio, nea veze. Pola albuma rastura, to je sigurno.
Great album, never heard it before, looking forward to listening to it more.
Excellent noisy post-punk.
2/3 punk and 1/3 post punk
I enjoy these kind of discoveries which is why I am persisting with the final 172 albums on this list. It seems this band has crossed my path before so I look forward to digging in further. Fave: Shot By Both Sides, Motorcade
This was fine, nothing hooked me but it was listenable
Mélodicamente pasable. Con reminiscencias de los 80 con algo más de guitarreo. No los conocía y me han gustado.
The keyboards on Definitive Gaze remind me of Tony Banks playing around that time. This band plays well together
Back when I lived in Ottawa, b4 I became a DJ I would tape late night CKCU FM and be thrilled when I got gems from the likes of Magazine, Teardrop Explodes or The Fall. If someone asked what I thought of those bands, I'd give them a thumbs up, based on the 2 songs I knew. On this LP, the more punk-oriented singles are respectable (and sound a bit like the Buzzcocks) and I love Howard Devoto's delivery. As the album plays on it gets more interesting and the music becomes more timeless, with songs like Motorcade/Parade and The Light Pours Out of Me.
Umslagið er ljótt. Söngurinn er talandi og óeftirminnilegur. En tónlistin sjálf er fjölbreytt, flott og skemmtileg. Á mörkum þrists og fjarska. Gæti hlustað aftur.
Starts off real strong. Starts to lose me toward the end but maybe i'll come to love that in time.
More post-punk that I like. A bit uneven, some real misses. Favorites were Burst and Motorcade
It's post punk, but with a very clear dash of something else. It was pretty fucking solid.
Never heard of these guys but really enjoyed this album.
Right up my alley. I feel like I probably should have heard "Shot By Both Sides" before, but I don't recognize it.
I know Magazine from a few albums that I have from my 80s listening. Resl Life was not one that I owned, however I am familiar with a few if the songs from the live album; Play, which got a lot of....play back when in the day. Anyway the album is very good, better than both studio albums that I already have in my collection; Magic, Murder and the Weather and The Correct Use of Soap. Best songs Definitive Gaze, Shot by Both Sides, Motorcade, and The Light Pours Out of Me. 4 🌟
Great album, and a landmark of the post-punk genre.
I really enjoyed this
A competent post-punk addition by Magazine, that incorporates catchy hooks and modest production. For a 1978 record, the arrangements can be considered quite influential for punk bands today but not quite musically moving depth-wise. Hasty and nimble bars make for a thrilling record overall.
This is weird and fun. And what a change from the Buzzcocks for the singer (read that on Wikipedia). Definitely coming back for another listen. Lots of noise. Lots of pop melodies. But all backed with what feel like live takes in the studio (less synthetic than other similar bands from the same era). I'd put this up there with anything the Talking Heads did, and I don't say that lightly. What's not to love? Four stars because 3.5 isn't possible.
Way better sound than some of the other recent recs...love this type of punk sound as a switch-up to what I'm used to
Fun alt "mod" rock album. Not the most gripping stuff ever, but at least enjoyable all the way through
Loved this - amazed I'd never heard of it before.
A dramatic post-punk album that is especially unique and adventurous. The sound if deeply layered and the dynamism apparent from the opening track. The keyboard play alternates between fickle and volatile, never upstaging the central part of the albums sound: the singer. The lyrics are elaborate and the vocals are only enhanced by the band. This album has sound I would assume many haven't heard before and the interplay and energy presented is a thing to experience. Favorite tracks: Definitive Gaze, Shot by Both Sides, Motorcade, The Great Beautician in the Sky, The Light Pours Out of Me
Hot Damn. I never heard this group before. I thought Television was the preeminent Post-Punk band, I'll need to check out more from them. 4.5/5
Post-Punk
I really liked this one. I think every song took me on a little bit of a journey, which I appreciated. Didn't hurt that the musical style / vocals / lyrics are something I'd typically enjoy.
This debut album of Magazine is full of post punk songs that capture the energy of the David Bowie and Iggy Pop rock it's inspired by. It sounds as offbeat as it's album cover, but in the end it works.
This is great - weird and catchy, inventive and substantial without being self important.
mwa
Cool artwork, even cooler arrangements and songwriting. Don't love the vocals though. I feel like this album would reward some repeated listens.
Grabbed me for the first 10 seconds and didn't let go. Loved it. Don't really know why or how to describe it but it still sounds fresh all these years later. Will be going back again and checking out their other stuff too.
Didn't realize this was a remaster so was going to commend an album from 2007 for capturing that old punk sound, but it makes more sense this came out in 1978. I was immediately a fan of shot by both sides and the rest of this album solidified a very good listen. 3.5 that gets a 4 because I had a lot of fun Saved: Definitive Gaze, Shot By Both Sides*, The Great Beautician In The Sky, Touch And Go
Great stuff 4 stars
Det här var rätt gött alltså
Really enjoyed this despite not knowing the band at all
Nice! My kind of Punk Rock! I can see myself listening to this one again.
ahead of its time a lot like the clash
I liked it, quite like Lloyd Cole but rockier. Except for the Goldfinger cover. Shudder.
I like it. It's something different.
Genressä lukee post-punkia ja sellaiselta tämä kuulostaakin. Lauluääni on kuin suoraan punkista, mutta soitto on moninverroin monimutkaisempaa ja seesteisempää. Levyä kuunnellessa on ristiriitaisia tunteita, onko tämä hyvää vai ei? Ehkä kallistun hyvän puolelle. Ei tässä mitään bangereita ole, mutta mukavaa tunnelmaa.
v good punk album
I will listen to this again. Except that one song. You know which one...
Showing that you can know more than 3 chords and still do punk music. Hard to believe that the post-punk movement started just a year or two after punk broke out.
its good but why
pretty good
Great
Ok 3/5
This was a pretty cool album to listen to. Some of the songs on here I would skip, but overall a really good listen.
pleasing
Psychedelic rock, I'm digging it.
Aesthetically close to the mark yet always held a little further back, Magazine is a band that's been waiting for me all along. Definite Gaze, Shot by Both Sides, The Light Pours Out of Me are all songs I recognize and yet I don't remember seeing the distinctive record cover before. These are all songs that have slipped into the stream at one time or another without the band getting the recognition they might be due. Perhaps it's the everyday nature of their moniker, perhaps it's that their blend of post-punk was both too new wave and too art rock to find a distinct lane to get pulled forward through time in. In music and cultural history it seems like time leaves behind things that are difficult to classify or promote through a singular attribute, and yet these can be some of the most rewarding of cultural production. Take the other artist John McGeoch is associated with (Siouxsie and the Banshees) for instance, the image and sound of that band is self-propelling. I get the sense that more time with songs one through nine would be rewarding, and yet it's Thursday at 5:28 in the morning, I'll listen to something like 10 more hours of music today in various states of attention. Just as much as Magazine's debut is worthy of being picked up I know that I'll probably set it down and walk away soon enough.
I might not be a fan of post-punk, but this was okay.
Band and production isn't bad, singer ruins it a little for me. Overall fine but forgettable. 3/5
Seldom good, often bizzare, sometimes dreary.
평범하고 나쁘지 않았다. It was ordinary and not bad.
I liked this, but at the end of the day it was just an average album that I didn’t like anything enough to save and I’ll probably never listen to again.
At first listen I was not really into this. Another UK post-punk album. But as it rolled on I found it just fine. Maybe that’s the problem. Sure the Buzzcocky vocal delivery and some interesting musical moments help it along here and there, but I’m probably just tired of the over abundance of post-punk/new wave records being delivered throughout this which unfortunately is causing potential good ones to lose their luster.
I enjoyed the variety, bass lines and guitar playing.
Early example of post-punk music. It lacks something compared to other artists like Siouxsie & the Banshees. Musicianship? Quality vocals? Songwriting? I don’t know for sure, but I don’t care for it as much as later more polished post-punk. Does that even make sense? Polished post-punk? Eh, whatever, it’s a 3 stars from me. 3 stars
pretty cool
Good Reminds me a little of Sparks Good. I think with a bit more time id like it even more, but for now we'll call it a 3
Interesting. I knew Shot By Both Sides, but the synths and dub styles of the first two tracks was a nice surprise. A shame there wasn't more, and the later half of the album isn't quite as arresting, but definitely worth a listen. Strong 3 / weak 4.
Pretty good, was not familiar with this, which is surprising . Will definitely listen again
Has a few nice songs on it but is sort of drudge work otherwise. Point for creativity at least.
Not my favorite. They had the misfortune of following Elastica in my listening order, post-punk that I preferred. Shot by Both Sides was decent, Motorcade was interesting. Nothing else kept my attention.
Meh
Leuk, netjes, prima, 3 sterren
Beetje The Fall-vibes. Best dope eigenlijk. Sterke 3, net geen 4.
It was okay. Some nice moments but not for me. 5.1/10
Decent late '70s punk. The musicianship is decent but the vocalist is all vibes.
Started out great. Killer post punk with Roxy Music sprinkles. Side A was an easy 4 stars. But the back half lost me, just meandering and annoying.
Enjoyable listen, was waiting to be blown away, but still solid album
Had some cool tunes
Good songs, not a memorable record whatsoever.
Favorite Track: Shot By Both Sides
A bit hit and miss, but some fun stuff here.
Weird album. I don’t love really any of it, I like most of it, it’s good! But the best moments of this album are little guitar runs, or effects, or a vocal melody. Lots of ideas from this one, but I don’t think it’ll be a top album for me.
Listenable and occasionally fun.
punk kai goth. nice
An ok post-punk / New Wave album, but nothing really stands out.
It’s possible I’m undervaluing this just because I heard a PiL album a few back, and this is a much less impactful version of a similar thing. I liked it fine, and I bet I would like it more if I heard it a few times and it settled in. A 3, but a revisit-one-day 3.
5/10 Best songs: Motorcade Honestly, this album is the peak of this list's meta: 80s English new-wave rock band otherwise unknown outside of the island. Decent music, but never really moving to "good" or even "interesting." I don't mind the album - for what it is it's listenable, and I never felt a burning desire to turn it off. But it's just more of the same, endless numbers of bands the list's writer enjoyed when he was (presumably) a teenager and never got over.
I like the energy. This was OK.
I read the description briefly and confidently misidentified Shot by Both Sides as Walking on Both Sides, which is by Pink Turns Blue. I was a bit disappointed when I figured out my mistake, a few seconds into the first song. But anyway, as it turns out I knew this record too. It's alright.
Not bad!
I enjoyed this a bit. Needs more time / listens to really sink in.
surprisingly tolerable punk music, way more listenable than the stuff I've heard before. An easy one and done listen, also a little more psychadelic too. It does drag pretty heavy at points (Burst specifically).
Not my cup of tea but I didn’t actively dislike it. Totally fine punk music. I’ll never listen to it again!
If the vocals were stronger this would be a 4 for me. Love the chilly production and guitar work but vocals for me are weak and too buried in the mix.
Circus punk
Pretty cool off the wall alternative rock
Another band completely new to me. I enjoyed this. Oddly, it reminded me of Hawkwind in places. I found it entertaining throughout and it didn’t really outstay its welcome.
The Good: I’ve always preferred magazines to newspapers! The Bad: That is’t real… life… The Ugly: Uncertain what kind of magazine this is… If someone would’ve bet me money, I’d have said that the opening song is more than familiar, at least to me! I got all excited thinking that, perhaps, I’d been enjoying Real Life for longer than I thought. So I greedily clicked the wikipedia button, thinking that I would be told that Definitive Gaze has been used in mayor tv series, or movie productions… or something… to find that the name doesn’t even link to a separate Wiki page… Then it dawns on me… I’ve been playing catch up on about 15 odd albums which, for one reason or another, I’ve not had the chance to really sit down and listen to… and this is one of them. I have, however, started listening to this album on a couple of occasions… which means that this is where I’d heard the first song over and over again… Now I need to consider whether or not trying to finish this list is good for my sanity… Back to the band… I kind of like it, sometimes I love it… but at no point is there a “wow, I really needed to hear this before I die!” kind of feeling going on. The consensus seems to be that, Mr D in all his wisdom, is pissing off one too many persons with his list. This here not being a bad album, just uncertain why we’d have to hear it… So yeah, sorry… 3*
The album cover is great
No thoughts
The opener was a bit of an identity crisis: punk, psych, space, prog. But I guess a scatterbrained approach is a feature not a bug for punk. Uneven, but with some fun stuff. Definitively Gaze and The Light Pours out on Me are my highlights.
kinda cool