Real Life

Not a big fan of this one. Mostly the lead singers voice and instrumentation always had something that turned me off. It wasn't awful, just always something that made an otherwise good song not that enjoyable to listen to and kind of grating. I really don't think the synth work fit in with the music in particular. Standout Tracks: Recoil, The Light Pours Out of Me, Touch and Go* * 'Touch and Go' doesn't look like it was actually on the original release, which is too bad. It's definitely my favorite song of any on the album.

big shrugs sorta new wave punk. there have been 3 other bands on this list that sound basically the same and honestly not really my jam

Only listened to half of the album. I didn't hear too many singles. I'm not a deep-tracks guy. So I'm lame.

I really enjoyed the first song, and the 2nd was alright as well, but after that, and especially from the second half of the album it just got worse and worse

It's just okay. Not feelin' it!

Not my thing

fine, as far as post punk goes

This is just not very good. The guy has a punk voice, but tries to sing in a way that only works if you have a much better one. The songs aren't particularly musically or lyrically interesting, and it doesn't have the energy and pace you need to carry a voice like that. 2/5.

I do not like these vocals and weird circus melodies. I do not like them, Sam-I-am

Spooky, circus vibes. Realizing that “classic punk” is pretty hit or miss for me, and this was a miss

Why is it that what would otherwise be interesting music, is so often ruined by the artists not considering that the human voice is as much an instrument to be mastered as any other musical instrument. The technical musicianship is outstanding here, except for the vocals which are of pre-school incompetence and thereby ruin the whole thing. The progressive/avant garde bands that really succeeded were those that paid attention to the vocals, or, if they lacked the vocal skills, stuck with instrumental music. A good effort thoroughly ruined.

I bet this is English punk or new wave, straight off the bat. Yep. Same annoying sound and production as all the rest. Wanted to be artsy. First song wasn't too bad but just got worse as it went, which was far too long, incidentally. Overall? Garbage. 2/5

Weer zo’n weinig zeggend post punk album, wil nu wel eens wat anders

👎👎👎 I disliked strongly. The voice and the lyrics? The lyrics were just weird and annoying and his voice didn’t distract me from them. The music was mediocre and everything else was no.

Never heard of Magazine before today, and apparently it was for good reason. This was a weird album. Magazine is a new wave/post punk band from the UK, formed by Howard Devoto of the Buzzcocks. Howard can't sing for shit, the music feels Unfinished and lyrics are nonsensical. Not a big fan of this band or album. Definately won't listen again. Favourite song: Shot by Both Sides, My Tulpa Least favourite songs: The Great Beautician in the Sky, Burst, The Light Pours Out Of Me, Motorcade, Parade 2/5

Oh yay another punk album. This one was fine I guess. Whatever

Pretty boring then you hear a good song and think it's getting better. Then they spoil it with a track like Parade. Get a singer with a decent voice ffs! Boring and annoying. Never heard of them back in the day. Wasn't missing anything.

Swing and a miss. The instrumentation was cluttered and the vocals were drawn out and sloppy.

hardly anything about this was good. lyrics were quite poor, vocal performance was only marginally better than that. loses a whole point for having a fucking circus music song. 3/10

Some interesting concepts & sounds but it didn't tie together for me. It was giving "trapped in a house of mirrors while being taunted over the PA"

It was fine. Felt a bit pedestrian to me. Would not bother listening again.

Some first impressions……. All sounds like a weird bridge section Cool sounds,cool dissonances Boring vocal Melodies Would be more interesting instrumental but maybe not rhythmically cool enough to hold my interest Guitar and synth lines cool but stupid Cool phaser sounds and Cool synths, I really like the combination of tones and dig the dissonances but wish the songwriting was better Cool out guitars Out of tune bends out of tune synths and stuff 60’s psychedelic meets punk Songs and moments: Shot by shot has a great build from 3:10- 3:20

I wouldn’t listen to this again, but they put a ton of effort into these arrangements and there’s a lot of interesting stuff going on. There are some crazy synths and cool guitar moments, but the singing is a little underwhelming.

I can see why no one remembers them Cover art 3/5

Listened Before? N This was weird and noisy. I've heard worse, but I wouldn't listen to it again. Apparently I don't like the 1970s music much. Added to Library? N Songs added to Playlist: Shot by Both Sides

A mixed-bag of an album that throws a spastic combo of Brit pop guitar, mild cheesy synths, and genre uncertainty at the wall where it doesn’t quite stick.

Some songs are rather good, makes me think of a mix of B-52s hoping for some more punk. The album itself is rather unimaginative unfortunately.

Had a few fun tracks that I bet were pretty influential when this came out.

A psych revival in thrall to the post-punk Wire had pioneered, I can see why this might be seen a important. But I can also say that it isn't. For all the wonky vocals, violent changes of directions, and snooty artiness, the songs are often rudderless, not to mention hookless.

2.5/5 Not bad but no song really got me. Maybe worth another try.

I dont like the singer

Well at least this was a bit different and nice to hear some synths.

It wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't an album I needed to hear before I die.

Never heard of this before in my life, first one of the whole list. Not bad but not really my thing

Not bad

It's okay. Pretty dull. It's sort of punk with synths. This feels like the band that people who want to appear to be 'too smart' for punk would pretend to like *coughpitchfork*. It's inoffensive but not exciting.

British prog rock 2.5

Sehr unterhaltsame Bastard Mischung aus Ska-Synth-Pop-Punk. Allein der Einstieg ins ‚Real Life‘ ist das Album schon wert. Quirlig geht’s weiter, die schnodderigen artsy Sounds (Roxy Music) und Energie machen Spaß, bleiben aber in ziemlich ordinären Songwriting beschränkt. 2.4

2/5 naaah

I don't really love or hate Magazine. It's not the worst example of this kind of music which I don't generally get on with. I don't enjoy this style of talk/singing and it kind of makes me feel sad a lot of times. This album did not make me feel sad but it was kind of meh. Not offensive but it doesn't really excite me. I can see why it's on this list as the first ever post-punk band. However, I just found out the main guy who set up the band had left in the eighties so hopefully one of their earlier albums is on the list too otherwise this seems wrong to me. Although I can appreciate what they were doing with this, it's not my bag.

Well didn't think much of this and found some of it highly irritating. Some were ok.. the beautician one though. God. Get it off

Not bad. I like the mix of weird psychedelic rock with synthesizers and stuff as long as there are also "real" instruments. I feel like I should rate this higher than I'm going to, but there's just been so much of this genre on the list already.

4/10

This Brit-punk album had some decent elements of fast paced guitar rhythms and various stylings. It has elements that remind me of Bowie. The lyrics are pretty typical artsy punk. The album is pretty average for what it provides but it’s not too bad yet it doesn’t excel in its genre. 4.5/10

boring mediocre post-punk

Another album I haven't heard of and did nothing for me

Pretty cool rock record, but not many songs stuck with me.

I've got to give credit to Howard Devoto for quickly coming to grips with the limitations of punk rock, and also for having the taste to be inspired by the best of glam and art rock, but he and the rest of the group aren't up to the task of infusing art rock with the energy of punk. The songs and the arrangements don't begin to approach the creativity, taste, and subtlety of their inspirational sources. Dave Formula's keyboard textures are horrible more often than not. And vocally, trying to pull off this sort of material invites unflattering comparisons to Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Bryan Ferry--any of these guys had more talent in their pinky on any given day than Devoto would have in his entire body in a lifetime. This kind of thing had already been done a million times better within the previous five years. It takes a special kind of chutzpah to try to pull this off. That said, Real Life isn't putrid, it's just boring and mediocre.

Peaked on first song LOL

It was unenjoyable, but not unlistenable. The saxophone is a really weird touch to the songs which have a punk feel to them. In my opinion it does not fit. Favorite track: Definitive Gaze

Thoroughly enjoyed the album, wouldn't listen again tho.

Interesting mix of pop, punk, electro with some sax and other random stuff thrown in. Some funny rhymes and cool production but that sneering/whiny British accent gets old after a while. The Goldfinger cover at the end was cool.

Eh

Didnt like the vocals, instrumentals were alright

Relatively uninspired brit punk.

was pretty good, I didn't really like the vocals too much though.

Post-punk emo that you really have to be in the mood to listen to.

Like it’s musical style but really not my cup of tea.

Was a 3 until Goldfinger.

Was ok - didn’t give it much time tbf

Punkzera pao com ovo

Enjoyed a few songs, but a few too many strayed into cartoonish vibes that I was not digging.

Gave it one listen. Didn't stand out much, and didn't sound like 2007. Sounded. More 80s. Kinda cool though.

Reminds me of the Ramones. Not really my type of music, but there were a few that I enjoyed. 0RS

wasn't a huge fan of this either. Better than the last album, the music itself was alright but could not stand the vocals.

wouldn't chose to listen to again, and has high potential for being skipped if it came on randomly

Electro-space? Cool beat and backing instruments, weirdly out of tune vocals Kind of generic rock, not very inspiring

Was on the fence initially but really started getting into it at the end

More like a 2.5. Not my thing but not bad!

Ei jäänyt mieleen...

Taas kerran ihmeteltävä mitä tekee listalla. Laulaja oli kännissä? Kuuntelin läpi kuitenkin.

Bit dull

2/10… art punk / goth wave / *1978

Nope

Magazine’s “Real Life” was a frustrating listen for me because there are moments where I can hear something really interesting forming, but the album constantly gets in its own way. Right from “Definitive Gaze,” the spacey keyboards and grating vocals made for a rough introduction, and that became a recurring issue throughout the album. A lot of the synth work sounded more cheesy than atmospheric, and instead of adding to the songs it often distracted from the stronger guitar and rhythm sections underneath. There were tracks where things clicked more. “Shot by Both Sides” worked because it leaned more into straightforward punk energy and pushed the keyboards into the background. You can really hear the Buzzcocks connection there, and it ended up being one of the few songs I’d actually revisit. “Motorcade” was the clear standout for me. The keyboards finally created a mood that fit the song, the bass groove was excellent, and the track built into a genuinely cool journey with a strong guitar solo and more personality in the vocals. Unfortunately, that felt more like an exception than a turning point. Too often the vocals drained momentum from songs that had strong instrumentals behind them. “The Light Pours Out of Me” opens with a fantastic groove and crunchy guitar work, but the singing kills the energy for me. Tracks like “The Great Beautician in the Sky,” “Parade,” and “Goldfinger” leaned too heavily into the theatrical keyboard sound that never connected with me, while songs like “My Mind Ain’t So Open” and “Touch and Go” were decent enough punk tracks but not memorable. Overall, Real Life feels less like a fully realized post-punk classic and more like a punk album experimenting with keyboards. I can appreciate hearing ideas that would influence later bands, but outside of “Shot by Both Sides” and especially “Motorcade,” this wasn’t an album experience I enjoyed very much.

Is the album bad or was I just completely uninterested and tired of albums that leave me completely uninterested on this list? Probably the latter, but I’m still giving it one star.

Didn't enjoy

More brit rock, gave up

this is a worse, new wave/pink floyish sort of like the clash version of the buzzcocks.

Hated it

brutal

OPIIJJKAJJSJSLAFHSDDDDDDDDDDDC

Don't care for the slow-mo singing, hasn't aged well

I seemed to be only getting rubbish albums lately and this was another one!

mIiid

Strange band. Punk/ rock?

Scooby doo ass haunted house music

Just very bad

Umm. Pass.

Did not care for it

Not for me.

Yeah, this is just shit isn't it?

I can't listen to someone 'sing' like that for more than five minutes

What a slog. Most times the instrumentals were interesting, but the singer was just so damn generic. Brit punk vibes, but really not it for me.

Not another 70s British band, sigh.

I didn’t mind the circus/funfair instrumentation of ‘The Great Beautician in the sky’ , but other than that i’d struggle to find anything positive to say. I really didnt like the vocals and other than TGBITS there was nothing to make the music fight through this to dtand out

No song I liked

No thank you

BLERGH!

I don’t get it. It seems very bland and boring. The highlights are the parts Steve Shelley was involved with, but even that makes me wish I was listening to the Buzzcocks instead. Not my thing. Slow, meandering, pretentious, forgettable. 37%

Not a big fan of punk. Not a fan of these guys at all

nao me pegou muito nao sendo bem sincera

Ugh! Sounds like a newly formed high-school band playing songs written for a never-to-be-made vampire action TV series on one of the legacy networks. Also, not a fan of lead singers who can’t sing. It’s a 1.

boring and uninspiring, no clue why this belongs on a list like this

Another album where I find the singing incredibly grating. It distracts me from both the lyrics and the instrumentation. I gave the album an honest go and listened to the whole thing, it's just not for me, I think.

The singer can't sing and the saxophone player can't play the saxophone... Noisy shit

< the Beatles Last album I got was a punk album by a band I had never heard of. It was incredible but it was pretty low rated because... It was punk, I think. This album, also by a band I had never heard of before, is higher rated than that album yet is.. bad. It continues the trend of post punk being as shit as every other kind of punk is good. Holy shit. Just got to the Goldfinger cover... Fuck this band

Well, this is deeply unpleasant immediately. Second track marginally better. Who is this for?? I am struggling. It’s too much and not enough at the same time. I can see this is bridging a gap between something and something else, but the experience is bad. Not for me.

chato

Not punk enough to be punk, not prog enough to be prog. Truly annoying, nasally vocals and silly keyboards everywhere. Post-punk, I suppose but it winds up sounding like what would happen if Pink Floyd suddenly forgot how to make music. It’s a slog to get through and there’s not a single track I’m dying to hear again.

I couldn't do it, I really tried, but it's utter garbage. I made it to about 30 seconds of track 4 before pulling the plug.

1. gaze - 1 2. tulpa - 1.5 3. zhot - 1.5 4. recoil - 1.5 5. burzt - 1 6. motorcade - 1.5 7. zky - 1 8. light - 1 9. parade - 1 10. zhot - 1.5 11. mind - 1 12. touch - 1.5 13. finger - 1

Kudt

The vocals are often annoying and out of tune lol. Some wacky sounds. Kind of futuristic. Strange. Bit repetitive. Also the songs are too long.

no for me. Goldfinger ... is that a joke? terrible.

Average

75% of the album is absolute trash. Annoyed I had to listen to this one. There are about 3 tracks I didn't hate.

nope - not my thing sorry. Tried to enjoy it, but just couldn't

Nope, not for me. This punk tendency to emphasise the last syllable of every line is really grating once you notice they all do it

This is definitely towards the bottom of the barrel. I might have enjoyed it more if there wasn't any singing on the tracks

Not weird enough to be interesting, not good enough to be enjoyable.

Didn't care for it.

Definite Gaze sounds like the munsters theme song except it got old real quick with it's repeative notions. I made it half way through song 1 before giving up.

Didn't work for me at all.

Remastered 2007, staat er dan trots bij op Joetjoep. Maar het klinkt nog net zo beroerd als in 1978. Een paar nummers zijn beter dan Frans Bauer, andere werken weer danig op de zenuwen (vals!). Een mallotige cover van Goldfinger (oorspronkelijk een B-kantje, geen onderdeel van het album) is sympathiek, maar kan de zaak ook niet meer redden. Weg ermee.

Tijdens het afspelen, maakt een apparaat op de bouwplaats ineens megaveel herrie. Als dat stopt, hoor ik de muziek weer. En verlang terug naar de herrie van dat apparaat. Wat een valse zang. Een schande voor de lijst.

bro wtf is this hot garbage

What is it? Punks try to sing or play instruments instead of hitting them? Not rock, not synthie-pop. Maybe experiment to indie. Unnecessary

This album is ass

For a short time this sounded alright, I actually thought I might really enjoy this. Then Howard opened his gob and destroyed everything. As I reflected on why I detest the whole punk era so much I decided that it was not so much the music (although a lot of that was utter garbage) but it was the singing that made listening to it such an ordeal. With someone who had any talent for singing this would get 4 stars but with Howard it only gets 1 and that's only because I can't give it 0

Didn't like it.

Played this yesterday morning and honestly can’t remember a thing about it other than the sensation of why is this on the list?

After an elongated pause, I am back to the 1001 Albums Journey. This album was typical 70s music which I am simply not interested in. Pass.

I tried to listen to this a few times. Can't get all the way through it.

NO

Boring, forgettable, and cliche. Musically it's not anything that's not been heard a million times and vocally it's poor, with nothing lyrics.

Unfortunately not for me this one. Not really much substance to it, and a bit dreary :(

Couldn't listen to the whole album. I tried, just terrible!

I feel like if I did a deep dive on this album it would get a higher score, but just on the surface, I really wasn't that into it. Nothing against the musicality of the group, just didn't really do it for me.

And I thought this list had already exhausted all British bands that ever existed

I tried but it really wasn't my thing.

No.

That was painful to get through only slightly better than rap

Wasn't really feeling this one.

Nothing special. On its own, this would be a two star album at most, but since it has no business being on a list of essential albums, I'm giving it one star.

Awful

Worthless like all post-punk

blegh

First song instrumental kinda cool, vocals a little over dramatic for me. I can’t say I’m rocking with it. On “My Tulpa” the vocals definitely sound more at home, nvm “you can touch yourself anytime” is a weird thing to be repeating. “Shot by Both Sides” has a cool instrumental, but it’s he vocal style still ruins it for me. Vocals can be bad in an earnest and endearing way, but the lyrics and tone here are giving pretentious. Maybe he’s trying to do like a David Bowie thing? It also sounds like a cartoon vampire voice? Is this what WLR sounds like to people who don’t like it? Fans of this band must have been absolutely insufferable at an open mic night. Or like the edgy goth kid in a theater class that thinks being dark and moody makes something inherently more deep. The dissonant melodies on Parade are really cool, but again I just can’t get past the vocals here. I really like a lot of the instrumentals, but that just makes me so much more frustrated with the vocals for ruining each song for me. 👍: the instrumentals 👎: the vocals Cover art: 6/10 again the logo here seems weirdly off centered

bad

I don't get what Real Life is meant to be, none of it works. Some of it is instrumental only and I'm not sure if that's good or bad given the singer can't sing. 1.

1 or 2 stars. I like punk but this isn't even good. Didn't finish.

Heftig…

Not for me.

Assaults the senses like a middle aged vegan named Karen who. Is. In. A. Hurry. And is standing behind you in the 10 items or less line and who has just counted 13 items in your cart. Having been in my second year of college when this album was released, I cannot recall any potential drug or combination thereof which would permit me to enjoy this uneven rhythm enough to listen to it again. Seem to recall it was against Geneva Convention to play this to POWs, but does have potential use as the album to play if you have unwelcome house guests.

no.

I got progressively tired of this album

I will not be subscribing

I couldn’t tell if it was good or not

Liked Definitive Gaze. Liked the beat on several of the songs, but didn’t seem to hear the lyrics over that beat. By the 4th song I felt like the beat was just a continuance of the ones prior. The album cover resembles Nightmare Before Christmas. The remake of Gold finger was 😣.

blä...gillar inte.

Not that great rock. Don’t love the vocals.

Mehhhhhh

Ooh man, I hated this.

Didn't finish it.

Wasn’t a fan. Not my style