Reviews (page 5 of 8)
It started off bad, and got progressively worse. There are so many other bands / albums in this genre that I would listen to long before I even considered listening to this again.
Kan ikke ha vært edru når de fant på dette
We duiken wéér het theater in. Ik ben inmiddels gegroeid als mens en ik kan over het algemeen dit soort 80's meuk al iets beter hebben dan vroeger, maar deze specifieke plaat durf ik wel de stempel 'verschrikkelijk' te geven. Mijn pantser is te dun, ik ben hier niet tegen gewapend. Een half opengescheurde, gekreukte David Bowie uit de kortingsbakken van de Xenos. Galm, galm, galm. Goedkope synth geluidjes. Een vervelende lul van een zanger. Kopstem. Veel gedoe. Ik geef me gewonnen, ik kan niet anders dan een 1 geven hiervoor. Verschrikkelijk.
Oh my, this has been a great surprise! I was sure that I was going to dislike it because of the title, cover, and genre, but it surprised me positively. What we have here is an 80s post-punk, new wave, or whatever-you-want-to-call-it album. But instead of being too dark or mellow, this is kind of freaky. Super inspired by David Bowie, with a twisted, ultra-synthetic drum sound and patterns. I really enjoyed it, although maybe it lacked some choruses or singles.
No amount of drugs can style this music
The link between Duran Duran and The Smiths. Great stuff.
Nope - not working for me
I wanted to like this so bad But in the end It was actually just so bad
Unremarkable UK 80's pop. Grows on you during a 2nd listen but doubt I'll add any songs off it to my 80's playlists. Standouts: Club Country, Party Fears Two
Phew, what a load of shit. In between, there were a few passages where I thought it could still be something. In the next piece, however, my expectations were always emphatically disappointed. I finally broke it off. My time is too valuable for crap like that. 1/5
It’s probably sacrilege to say this but I always found Billy McKenzie’s vocals a bit much - he seems to be frantically over-singing everything, to my ears at least. Perhaps that was the point. I like the music though - extraordinary as his voice was, it’s the music on this album that stands out for me. Aside from Party Fears Two of course, where the two come together brilliantly.
Off the cuff remark: A lot if this is really grating. Histrionics of some of the vocals really irritate. Of course "Party Fears Two" was used for a TV or radio show, but I can't remember what. Standout Track: "It's Better This Way" brings to my mind Bauhaus. Revisit?: Highly doubtful
That was bad. Bland, uninspired music, and horrible vocals on top. Waste of time.
Absolute garbage! It was like listening to a terrible movie soundtrack. I was bored to death by the instrumental tracks and angered when the vocals started.
First reaction was this was another 80's dance pop album and I was going to struggle to get through it. A few songs in I was a little more intrigued and actually tried to like it but by the end, the drum loops and cheap sounding synth effects bore a hole through my head and I was officially glad it was over. In smaller sample sizes the sound is intriguing and could warrant a higher rating but as a whole this album was a bit of a chore.
I’ve been flip-flopping as I listen to this album. There’s parts that are experimental 80s post punk/new wave that are clearly influenced by Bowie that I enjoy quite a bit, and then there are parts that are just cheesy 80s synth pop that I just don’t really enjoy at all. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I don’t think I can see myself reaching for this album again; I’d rather just listen to some Bowie.
picks: Party fears two, No
not for me
this album is weird. 2 stars
Nope didn't like it
This record is like a time-capsule transporting you to the early 80's. Inventive arrangements. Cryptic lyrics. Peculiar song structures. Flamboyance dialed up to theatrical levels. New wave mixed with experimental pop and clearly a fair dosage of drugs. While it doesn't exactly hit with me, I respect the ambition and creativity.
Meh
This shit rules
Incredible
Very 80s.
A mid-eighties time capsule, as if David Bowie had joined Altered Images.
Wow, this was terrible.
My ratings are 1-hated it 2-did not like 3-it’s okay 4-liked it 5-loved it
Don’t understand how this received so many accolades
interesting
Nice album, liked that.
It seems that around 80 percent of post punk and new wave just doesn’t do much for me. This falls into that category. I can recognise that there is obvious talent and musicianship here, but the actual sound of it end up leaving me somewhat bored. This isn’t an awful album by any means, and if it came on the radio I’m sure I’d waggle my head, but it’s just not something I’ll be purposely seeking out again.
вот эти кусты с обложки явно обладали каким-то дурманом
Sometimes a bit cringe but otherwise great
i know the reviews were warning enough, but i really wanted to keep an open mind and give it a fair review. nothing could've prepared me for how bad this was. i couldn't even make it halfway through i have to agree; this sounds like a less talented and more pretentious David Bowie. i can only assume this is another case of an artist making it onto this list because they're from the UK, as per usual i can't fathom why the author of the book thought everyone should listen to this. there's so many more talented artists that the post-punk genre has to offer. do better!!
The most flamboyant, dark and weird album this side of new wave, it's colorful cover almost feels like a trap when you get to how weird the sounds this album packs are, like having the typical 80s synths accompanied by some extra dissonant, loud or weird instrumentals while the singer sounds like he got plucked from an Opera, it's a wild ride and one that I had already gone before but I think now I get its eccentricities more than I did before. It's a cool album but I can understand some being turned off by... well all of it
WHY
Some Halloween core ass music? Why was this on the list? 2/10
An album with some interesting elements. 3 verging on 4 for me.
It's hard for me to believe that this album got any traction.
80s synth-pop, art-rock, whatever you call it, just is not really my jam.
80's new-wave pop. I don't see how this was any different from the hundreds of other albums just like it. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything amazing either.
3.5
2.5
A pretty generic 80s British new wave album, nothing too bad but not that interesting either. I am not a particularly big fan of the genre or the early production in general so I think it is a 2/2.5 at best.
You guys know I love weird music and Post Punk, so you'd think I'd love a weird Post Punk album, but I don't know, this one was just kind of boring. It's not weird enough to be interesting and it's not punk enough to have any energy. Nothing here is that bad, but it is just boring. Mid 3.
Terrible, can’t listen to it anymore made it 5 tracks in!
What just happened? This is a rollercoaster from cool instrumentals to annoying vocals... If he could just stop singing 😅... Moments I liked, moments I hated. Experimental but at the cost of good songwriting... All in all, I did not like it or love it, I did not hate it (all the time)... Mostly between interesting and terrible, but more on the later, so 2 stars...
Meh
1.5/5 not great 80s synth
Started fairly strong but lost me in the back half. 3.5 stars.
This had a lot going for it. Gothic, weird, etheral. Suffered greatly from cheesy 80s production
Day486 - the way it started i thought it was an instrumental album but then it got very goth-y and cool
Not good, not terrible.
Oough, this is akward and painful.
Took a couple of tracks to get into it's groove but loved most of this, always interesting. Another reminder why the reviews here are a total disaster - the top review states "indistinguishable from any other Britpop LP out there": this absolutely does not sound like britpop - do you have ears? Do you even know what words mean?
Another “never have I ever heard of this album / band”. And hope to never listen again
Starting to get the intense feeling this list was written by a white British man who grew up in the 80s... More like 1001 Albums You COULD Listen To Before You Die.
This is another one of those that I just can't see how it ended up as one of the top 20 lowest rated albums on the list. Like don't get me wrong it's far from perfect, but it still has a lot of cool moments and ideas. It's fun, it's catchy, and to be honest there's very little that's actually awful about it. The production is pretty bad, I'll give you that. But other than that I really don't understand the hate for this one.
Isuse bože!!!! Najbolje otkriće dosad. Uopće nisam bila u moodu kad sam pustila prvu pjesmu i samo me povuklo. Koji kurac, zakaj ne znam za ovo???? HUSHEJEHSHSNSJSBSUSBS 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
jebeno! malo pederski al je super. što kasnija pjesma to bolja
I very much could have died without listening to this one.
No thank you
Dude has Bowie voice! Interesting stuff. While there were some good tracks I don’t need the entire album.
wanna get baked and lay in mccarren and listen to sulk by the associates? maybe! not no! when were you thinking
Too niche a sound for me to make room for these guys when I already have the Cure and Bowie.
Suck by the Asses
2.5/5. Hard to give the benefit of the doubt to any album I haven’t listened to before when they sound like this.
I enjoyed this without loving it. It seems like an album that has good quality at first impression whilst also benefitting from peeling back the layers. Will keep trying.
Wow. That was an experience. Sounded a bit like Bowie, but not Bowie. They seem peak new wave.
**An ok album
This album screams "we have David Bowie at home (and he fell down the stairs on the way out)"
ok, i heard it, didn't much like it. i guess the weirdos need their representation too
bad
Man that was long. There’s lots to untangle. What interested me the most was the orchestration, particularly the strings that danced along. This album needs more listenings to fully reveal itself.
Even though I had low expectations, seeing that this album is 80s pop punk, I was still disappointed. It sounded like Pet Shop Boys, but with weak vocalist and very monotonne music. I don't think there's anything that I can praise. Just a waste of time.
It’s so bad I can’t listen to it
British post-punk has gotta be my least favorite genre. I was going to give this a 2 and say "these guys put the mid in MIDI," but then I read the Wikipedia article about this album and these guys are so far up their own asses about it that I had practically no choice but to give it a 1.
80s ✅ From the UK ✅ Unnecessarily long ✅ Mid ✅ Perfect for this list! Considered a 1 here but it had just enough for a 2. Call it a 1.6
goddammit, this might be the worst week I've ever had in this project. This album sucks and I hate it. It doesn't make me mad, so it doesn't get one star, but it's very bad.
Florid, louche, and maximalist - epic in scope and sound and massively overwrought. I adore it.
Another album that’s fine, but I don’t hear anything distinctive about it for it to merit being on this list. I think Scottish bands are graded on a curve by the author.
Kinda interesting in some ways, it sounds a bit like David Bowie's experimental stuff with Brian Eno. A lot of this is annoying to listen to though. The synths on Bap De La Bap, for example, are just a bit sonically unpleasant and that's just in my mind as I'm on that track at the moment. Also it's not even to mention the vocals which are... unorthodox, let's say
Too messy, too out of tune, too 80s, too long, too pretentious. 2/10
On second listening i didn’t mind this. Very 80s but slightly unmemorable 6/10
Wanted to like this much more than I did. Love the mood and vibe but meh
This is the only album that has bounced right off me. I want to give it a higher score based on the synths and instrumentals alone. But the lyrics and vocals do this album no favors. Dunno if it's just post-punk stylings but they don't work in concert with the great synth work, not at all. In fact it feels like they're actively clashing. I'm sure this appeals to some folks, but man it really doesn't do it for me. The synths sounding great are the only thing saving it from a 1/5.
Oh bi dem lange Album het da Basil gar kei Spass! Wer aber sehr Spass dran gha het: ICH! Und was für e Spass! Gueti 80er Post-Punky Energy mit es bizli Ähnlichkeite mit mim Bruder David Bowie und au sust stimmt sehr vieles bi de Partner! Da dörfs au wider e (Noah zitiere) "The [insert random ass word]"-Band sii. Grad e Handvoll neui Lieder entdeckt wo mer ih minere oldie playliste wiiteri freud bringe werdet. Dasmal gits ehrlich-gmeinti 4 abgschläckti Briefmarke - bi dem gester bini mit mine müede äugli so früeh am morge abgrutscht. wäri es guet gmeints 3 gsi, sicher keis 4i. Da defür ehner es abgrundets 4i. Und Hot sinds auno dezue Spassspassspass
Überraschend und erfrischend chömed die biz alternativeri und sympatherischi version vo de finance bros ine. Zwüscheziitlich heds mi fast us de schueh grüehrt und kurz na denkt was wer wenn dass e 5er überraschig a la fever ray wär. Aber doch zwenig gnüsslich für mini ohre. Aber wenn das album e chässorte wer, denn frischkäse. Club country die inoffiziel anthem vu eusem grüppli. „Alive and kicking at the country club“. Ironisch mit me gegeteil köntry song am inekicke Ez isch d frag, eich seid de buch biz 4 puntos. Aber wie oft wirdi einzelni tracks na lose, realistisch gseh, zwenig für es 4er album. Schwo schwa schwirig. Fühlmi aber grosszügig
lustig dass ich mit the associates noni associated gsi bin?! quality stuff, aber irgendwie trotz em fact dass mini hütigi droge john maus gsi isch & ich eidütigi parallele zwüsche de beidne gsehne bini fast chli froh gsi dass die zweit hälfti remixes und reinterpretatione gsi sind & ich mich wieder am johnny boy ha chönne widme de namitag isch denn vo schübel dominiert worde, drum hani ehrlich gseid fast chli vergässe wie mini associates tönt hend. trotzdem paar lieder alst staubfänger gspeicheret also über de average schaffemer‘s hüt nöd aber ich gspüre es gad wieder berguf boys, mini ohre lechzet nach eme hochkaräter
I had high hopes but they weren’t met.
This is the sort of album that gives 80s music a bad name. The hysterical vocals in particular made it tough to get through.
Okay
dálítið sérkennileg músík. djúpur gotasöngur yfir drungalega hljóðgervla en með eitís-popp ívafi. gef þessu þrist, er ekki minn sjóhattur.
Vocals somewhere between Dexys Midnight Runners and The Cure, and a synth-poppy take on post-punk. Interesting enough, but not a lot stood out except for the surprisingly cheery cover of 'Gloomy Sunday'.
Listened to a few of the songs right after my first listen, and I couldn’t remember having heard one of them before. Some interesting drumming on Sulk, but it’s overall quite the boring listen that I will soon forget.
What the fuck is this?
Never heard of "The Associates." "Sulk" is totally boring and weird crap. What kind of singing is that? Holy shit, and they dare to take to the streets with that! Awful, really awful.
I feel like these guys would be friends with Sparks.
Pretty average and boring. Maybe this was revolutionary for its time, but much of this genre that came later was much better.
Not our sort of thing
The Associates are NOT Bowie, no matter how hard they try.
5/10 One of those ones where I get it, but it didint really work for me. Nicely put together, well played, good use of electronic instruments. Vocals up and down, some sounded a bit like Bowie. Something of the Cure in here? Best: Party Fears Two
Some parts were cool, but not a fan of the vocals. Standout songs: Gloomy Sunday
на любителя (я не впечатлен).
nice rediscovery of a band i’d never given much time with everything else going on in the 80s
Where do I begin with this pile of trash? Let’s ignore that the production on Sulk sounds dated as fuck. Are The Associates even playing in time? Like, is the drum machine even in sync with the synths? Can they not hear that this sounds like a bunch of teenagers in a garage on December 26th with their Christmas gift guitars in hand attempting to play a Van Halen song, but like, the new wave version of that? And when these guys *are* playing in time– purely by accident, I assume– well, then the atrocious moaning vocals come in and muck it all up. As a pro-level, seasoned David Bowie hater, I am especially annoyed by how his influence has touched this band, but Jesus Christ…A knockoff is torture already– a Bowie knockoff is like a personal vision of Hell for me. And every time the vocals catch a vibe in that ‘80s new wave way and I start to imagine I’m hearing a hook, the instruments all fall out of fucking time again! Which, again, all sounds dated as fuck!! I truly worried I was being too harsh on this record, but I think any semblance of a hook or a catchy line that I might be hearing is just Stockholm Syndrome. I feel like I’m forcibly gaslighting myself to find something positive about this record. And EVEN THEN, I walk away concluding that Sulk is one of the worst pieces of shit I’ve ever heard in my life. Abysmal is an understatement. I don’t think The Associates have a musical bone in their body, and certainly none in their ear canals, that’s for fucking sure. On paper, I was already not the audience for Sulk– an early-era new wave album [i.e. inherently dated] that was only popular in the UK [i.e. too British for my Yankee ears] and heavily influenced by one of my least favorite musicians of all time [a.k.a. I’m a Bowie hater]. In practice, the end product is a million times worse than I could’ve ever imagined. It’s almost offensive that these idiots even got a record contract, let alone that this ear-bleeder somehow got included on a list of any kind that isn’t “The 1001 Worst Albums of All Time That Will Make You Wish You Had Hearing Loss.”
Raro pero con mucha onda. De esos que las canciones de la versión extendida están mejor que las originales. Como pop pesadón, denso. Me gustó.
A really bad and discordant album. Bizarre music choices, and some songs sound like the drums aren't even in time? Awful sound and even worse production quality, to say nothing of the shrill and incomprehensible lyrics. Total pass
Going into this, I had never heard of The Associates or their album Sulk, so I had no idea what to expect. This album took me on a journey—some parts I loved, some I couldn’t stand, and others just left me confused. There are a few solid tracks, like 18 Carat Love Affair and Club Country, but then there’s also a fair share of chaotic, almost video game-like 80s noise and outright terrible songs. It’s not a 1/5 disaster, but I won’t be revisiting it. Favorite song: 18 Carat Love Affair and Love Hangover Least favorite: Most of the album Album artwork: Really cool cover.
Despite the colorful album cover, Sulk tells you what's needed to be known about The Associates. One of the plenty of bands in the U.K. that went under the radar, the duo came up with some of the most poppiest yet abstract pop of the time period. While us listeners were not expecting this to be a farewell for the original incarnation of the duo, Sulk also showcases them at their very best. Never judge a book by its cover. Favorites: Arrogance Gave Him Up, No, Gloomy Sunday, Nude Spoons, Skipping, Party Fears Two, Club Country, 18 Carat Love Affair, Love Hangover, And Then I Read a Book, Australia, Me, Myself and the Tragic Story.
4/5
It is Boring
This is weird as hell and I love it. Might actually regret not rating it higher once I give it more listens.
Sounds, bad. Style, annoying. Total listening experience, also bad.
This must be a joke. The sounds are so thin that I thought that I was listening this through some tweeters. Also that singing is very "interesting".
Oh gawds. Artsy post-punk electronica, distressed flamboyant vocals, super tinny soundscapes and 80's vibes. I guess they're shooting for psychedelic weirdness, but it comes across as art school student work and forced strangeness. The cool bits that were happening in early 80's underground music have been layered on top of each other willy nilly and the cracks filled with "I want to add this" without a thought to consistence or coherence. This is fucking awful.
Good
The album cover alone made this hard to ignore. It gives a pretty good idea what sort of music you're about to hear. It is however over an hour, so I'll see how I do. It's interesting, all the hallmarks of 80s synthpop with an over-layered soundscape, making it echo in an eerie sort of way. Obviously the post-punk aspects reflect traditional goth music from the 70s combined with the more modern sound. It's honestly a super solid album of the sound of this time, I just don't know how well I could discern the songs.
This was a little too 80s but some of the tracks were kind of dark, which I liked. Overall a fine album, definitely far from the worst of the decade.
This sounds like an Andrew Lloyd Webber version of the all puppet Dracula musical that the guy from “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” was writing. Blah!
On paper, a mix of post-punk and 80's pop should be my anathema. But you know what, I'm actually kind of digging it. It's really weird, but quite daring and different. Some of the tracks are moody, others are kind of awkward and unsettling, with harsh synths pushing through, and weird drum beats. There's an overall manic energy to this, again, something I've historically not got on with, but it works here. I really like the synths and soundscapes in general. They make for such an interesting backdrop. A bit of a weird outlier this one, but I respect it and I'm very positively surprised by it. 3.5 rounded up.
Listened to this on a fitting day where the world didn't quite feel real so the off-kilter vibes actually hit. some parts later in the album still a little monotonous but I respect the weird forever and always. thanks for coming with me on a crowded rainy bus trip
Only ever heard Party Fears Two before. The rest of the album comes across as art school wankery, which is borne out by reading about how it was made. Bit disappointing really.
The worst kind of 80s synth pop, the type where it's all so overwrought and they clearly think so much of themselves - let's have upbeat music sang over by a man who sounds like Dracula discovering he has a fear of heights while in flight, tonal shifts so hard they could kill a man (who told you Gloomy Sunday needed a cover??), and tons of new ideas for instruments while still sounding like a less-good Cure. Too much freedom, too many ideas, none of the execution. Looks like the guitar isn't the only thing full of piss in this band.
slideeeeeeeeeeee off, tear apart the earthhhhhhhhhhhhh and leave me alone
Boring
If Adam Sandler and Talking Heads went to the mall to collaborate on a pop album in the 80s, it would sound like this... but better.
It’s a little extra, but that just comes with the territory of 80s new wave/post punk. The album isn’t as creative as anything Bowie put out, and several songs just blur together, but overall it’s catchy music I could see any retro or goth clubs playing.
Love the 80s vibe but the record feels pretty flat, nothing exciting
3.5
I enjoyed it but nothing grabbed me as particularly interesting.
Cool
This album is an unpleasant mess. Moments of musical awesomeness, but they were just moments, and not many of them. Nope
Its just not for me - I found it a tough listen. The only highlight was hearing 'Tasmania' in the track Australia, I tried to look for the lyrics but couldn't find them anywhere?
A very weird record for me… only after one listening I can tell this is special, you can hear the 80s and Bowie’s influence here. Not 5 stars cos it is not my style though
1.0 - Awful
Literally not a single song here is completely good. The stuff I enjoyed musically is ruined by overly melodramatic, spooky, Bowie-wannabe vocals. The rest is janky and boring 80s schlock.
Gear: Dunu SA6 Artwork: 🦩🪴🛌 Production: 🫢🔊❗️ Music: 🎹🌌🎤😖 Rating: 🪴/5
Just not interesting to me. Wasn’t bad music, just very bland and uninspiring. 2/5 Won’t listen again
Don't know anything about this but we love a good 80s album, right? Is that tin foil just flapping in the wind?? Oh, that's an interesting sound. Okay, yeah maybe this ins't for me.
Seems like something I should like. Turns out it's offensively bad haha. Like actually unlistenable.
Well at least they named themselves correctly
My favourite quirky album
the best parts of this are inoffensive new wave. the worst parts are melodramatic bowie impressions over very dated and dull synth tracks. this, my 636th album, might be the album that pushes me over to finally just skip tracks i am not finding anything enjoyable in after the first half.
A bit noisy in places
Hadn’t heard this since I first listened five years ago, and yeah the weirdo goth vibes are still immaculate
A Scottish post punk/pop band......fuck... It's so strange to me how you can 100% guarantee that if a band is Scottish, their music is going to be absolute dogshit. This may be one of the worst records I've been forced to listen to .It's awful. Dudes voice sounds like David Byrne from Talking Heads. The music is everything that was wrong with 80s pop. So much of this absolute garbage on this list.....fuck Scotland's shitty music. Where are all the bagpipes? At least back then, when bagpipes were being used in traditional celtic songs, you could make good music. Where did it all go so horribly wrong? Favourite songs: Arrogance Gave Him Up, simply because the lead singer shuts the fuck up, and this song is fully instrumental. Least favourite songs: No, Bap De La Bap, Skipping, Nude Spoons, Gloomy Sunday....and the rest of this album. I don't care....I've lost interest..... 1/5.....0/5 if I could. Nothing about this album is remotely "necessary listening". Fuck the writers of this shitty britpop enthusiasts book. It certainly isn't an essential listening book as advertised. Robert Dimery is obviously some form of moron.
This album was a roller coaster. I absolutely hated most of the songs until tracks 8 and 9. This is mostly because the singing got really grating and was just annoying to listen to due to being so high pitched. There is some impressive creativity going on in the album, but I only started to appreciate it until like 40 minutes in. I think this is due to the style of songs, not necessarily just getting used to it. Anyways, I do not recommend listening to this in album form, because it is too hard. I'm also banning myself from this music because it seems like the sort of music that would get stuck in your head and be extremely annoying. As such, it is too dangerous to have around.
This album got me thinking. About my aunt, who recently passed. She would have loved this. She always loved the worst crap from this age. I wish I could still ask her about it. Love ya Kerry xx
The music sounds pretty good but his voice is like nails on a chalkboard for me.
At times it sounds somewhat like what David Bowie might have made in the early 80s after "Scary Monsters" if he had continued to embrace the quirky stylistics of new wave instead of pure pop. Nevertheless, there's an icy and obnoxious quality to the production and performances on this record that you would rarely find on a David Bowie disc.
I tired to like it but in the end I can’t help but feel this is what would happen if the Human League and David Bowie had an ugly musical baby
4 stars. V good but idk if this is smth I would loop often.
If I had to shoot a Halloween movie entirely within a party city- this would be the perfect album for that
This is a deeply interesting album and sounds like little else while sounding exactly like 3 or 4 different groups in a blender. It's a really fun listen, but the lead voice is a bit tough for me overall. I would go 3.5 here, but dropping to 3.
Trash
I so want my stats to reflect how much I loved 80s music but I keep getting oddballs like this. Not horrible, but 1982 could do a hell of a lot better.
2/18/25. I hear a lot of influences and sounds that my current favorite bands draw from! I liked the mix of pop and upbeat, to the cool instrumentals.
Never heard of them. It's good, but too dramatic. I understand the hate in the reviews. I also understand why it's on the list. It's a more sophisticated Spandau Ballet or Duran Duran. The 2000 remaster sounds HUGE. Favorite song: arrogance gave him up.
Would not listen to this again. Rating two stars out of respect for putting out something weird.
This is how mentally ill people hear voices in their heads.
Horrible
A bit overfilled but very fine and for its time advanced wave/proto-dark-wave
Bland.
Knew the name and that they were Scottish but never heard them before. This was bizarre, really enjoyed the vocals, I'm going to give them more of a listen so it's a 4
It was a fun 3-star listen until it overstayed its welcome.
David Bowie if he peaked in the 80s
Forgettable synth pop
Sucks ass
gave me a headache maybe remasters fault
Couple of classics but many annoying ones
In their best moments, this band sounds like Talking Heads in their worst moments. Those glimpses did not last long enough for me to term any of this “good.” In fact, it sort of made the whole listening experience all the more irritating.
If these are the associates, I want to work alone.
Vocalist seemed to be trying to do David Byrne/David Bowie impersonations. I was not impressed.
This album 80's so hard.
This is a very strange album. Musically it is great in places, but as whole it doesn’t work for me. Enjoyed the cover of Love Hangover 2/5
Genre wise this is up my alley, I like most of this synthy post-punk dumb-guy-smart-guy sort of stuff. This one is good, just not top of the class.
meh
I was annoyed at it being 1 hour 30 but then I ended up listening to all of it! So I guess I quite liked it
I couldn't latch onto it personally :/
I’m fed up with the crappy 80’s new wave. Please God, enough.
Sulk is the second and last studio album from the Associates, a Scottish band that made grandiose post punk. The album was a critical and commercial success, and the band didn't survive their success. Their songs have a dramatic, theatric sense, driven by Billy Mackenzie's cabaret falsetto. The album includes "Country Club," one of the band's biggest singles, a danceable track utilizing a drum machine with extensive use of synthesizers.
Не мое, но прикольно для того, что стилистически совсем не соответствует годам выхода
Непойми что, но местами весёлое и задорное, а местами какие-то завывания.
A lotta synths on this one
And back to British music. Music is ok, singing is terrible, and songs are repetitive. Only ok song is Arrogance Gave Him Up, which is an instrumental. Best song: Arrogance Gave Him Up
Dieses Album war kacke - 1 Stern
Erstes Lied ok, dann schwach, aber gegen Ende überraschend gut, vor allem die Bonussachen.
Nicht mein Fall.
While walking at lake johnson
1. Sounds like a training montage song from an 80s B movie 2. Sounds like another 80s B movie scene with someone walking down a dark street trying to recover from a breakup. Super annoying vocals. Couldn't listen all the way through 3. This is shaping up to be a shit album. Skipped 2 minutes in 4. This would have been a decent instrumental track. This guy's weird vocals are unbearable to me. Skipped 3 minutes in 5. Nope. Skipped 2 minutes in 6. Least bad so far. Still bad 7. A new way for this guy to deliver bad vocals! How fun! Skipped 2 minutes in 8. This whole album was like the (rightly) rejected score from Neverending Story. The bridge on this song is actually pretty good (the guy wasn't singing) 9. I was tapping my foot until the singing. Skipped two minutes in 10. No singing at all, so not bad I'm absolutely not going to listen to the 4000 bonus tracks on this album. If they were substandard for the original release (which sucks), there's no point in continuing for me. 2 stars
Wanted to like it. On paper I should. Found it almost kind of irritating actually.
Jarentachtig-gegil, een woord dat in de Van Dale opgenomen zou moeten worden. Sjongejonge, wat een zenuwenmuziek dit. Als deze gasten bij me zouden aanbellen, zou ik snel de deur dichtdoen voordat ze hun voet ertussen kunnen zetten.
Yep. Jaren '80... Af en toe wat vaag. Maar vooral stereotype. Ga uit mijn lijst!
Vanaf de eerste toon weten we in welk decennium we zijn beland. De synths en drumcomputers vliegen je om de oren. Nu gaf de hoes natuurlijk ook al wat weg. 80s in optima forma. Om terug te komen op die drums: die drummer heeft ADHD op het eerste nummer. Daar zitten een paar nootjes te veel over het algemeen. Die levert hij vervolgens weer in, want daarna volgt een theatraal stuk dat ook vrij typerend is voor de 80s. Verder is het een combinatie van eerder genoemde zaken: theatraal en ADHD. Ik dacht er niks van te kennen, maar ik herken zowaar "Party Fears Two". Mijn tolerantie voor 80s muziek is inmiddels een stuk hoger dan vroegah, maar dit gaat enigszins de grens over, met name in het theatrale. Dit album vinkt wel wat hokjes af zeg. Het is net iets te muzikaal om er een 1 voor te geven, dus een magere 2 zal hun deel zijn.
Having outlived everything that was bad about the 80's, I consider myself immune to the worst of it. This album reminds me that I might need a booster shot.
not for me mate.
point4.
Quite liked this, Cure vibes
I liked it at first but the longer it went on the more I disliked it
Enjoyed this. Some catchy songs along with a fair bit of meh. Doubt I’ll go back to it but glad I’ve heard it
Some cool tracks on here, have never heard of the band before. Listened to the deluxe version and all the added tracks felt unnecessary. Goiny by original track list it's a solid 3, nearly 4
I didn't love it, but always enjoy a new-to-me New Wave experience
Associate 1: "Hey, we're a bunch of queers, let's make some post-punk music!" Associate 2: "Okay, who's going to be the lead singer? I'm not a good singer." Associate 1: "Shit, I can't sing either." A lightbulb appears over Associate 1's head, his eyes glow green. Associate 2: "I KNOW! I'll just do a poor imitation of David Bowie!!" Associate 1: "You're a genius. We're going to make so much money. Nobody will like our music, but at least fuckwit music critics will rate us highly, because post-punk is so /IN/ right now!" Associate 1 and Associate 2 proceed to suck each other off in delight. I'm not gonna lie, at least the instrumentals were pretty good. I don't think this album deserves to be the 7th worst album on this site (as of 24/01/25), there's plenty worse post punk garbage lurking around on this list that deserves a worse fate. I actually ended up enjoying this album as it went on, hits like Party Fears Two and Club Country were really worthy songs, you can definitely tell what songs on this album are good and not by the Spotify streams. tl;dr - bowie copycats with really good instrumentals but good songs are overshadowed by other songs with the singer being shit and trying way too hard
I miss the blissful ignorance I had in the first few minutes of this album when I thought it was going to be an instrumental album. I thought my tolerance for tacky New Wave was pretty high but it was not enough to stomach the vocals on display here. Like this goes beyond the usual 'ohhh this guy sings annoying' mentality that bad vocals usually drag an album down with, I don't know if I can say with confidence that these guys actually know how to sing
An altogether too long collection of some of the the most 80's tripe of all time, constantly on the cusp of being interesting but consistently failing to distinguish itself from any of the other mass produced faux art nuwave slop of it's contemporaries. The vocalist should be studied for science.
A deeply underrated post-punk albumin never heard of it or a single song off it, some genuinely masterpiece songs on this thing. Lacks consistency though and I found it pretty front loaded 8/10 Fav tracks - No, Bap De La Bap, Gloomy Sunday, Nude Spoons, It's better this way, Club Country, Love Hangover, Club Country 12" version, Party Fears Two - Instrumental, Australia - John Leckie Recording, Grecian 2000
This album has the feel of the fake Kraftwerk knockoff band that the nihilists are in from the Big Lebowski. As far as I can tell, this band did NOT have a whole album in them. I have a feeling that this was included in the book to contrast to bands like Depeche Mode to show both the highs and lows of New Wave music. Fuck man, even to show how quality can vary on one LP. How this has a special edition which is half an hour long on spotify is beyond me. Bam De La Bap really just sounds like the musical equivalent of a guy who didn't prepare anything for his school presentation and he's up in front of the class winging it. And then you have songs like Gloomy Sunday and Party Fears Two which is what would happen if you gave that same bloke 90mg of lysdexamfetamine? Props to the vocalist for trying different styles, doing some nearly Sisters of Mercy type of shit on Skipping. I am a tragic for new wave, post-punk and synth shit but I'm not drinking the kool aid (or Irn Bru in this case) on this one. I knew Party Fears Two before going into this, and coming out this tomorrow I am only going to remember Party Fears Two and its killer keyboard track that my coworkers is going to be forced to listen to me whistle. Highlights: Arrogance Gave Him Up, Gloomy Sunday, Skipping, Party Fears Two
No no no no. Don’t call my mamma. What’s in a good boy.
Bordel de merde, il y a des albums qui vous tombent dessus sans crier gare. Des trucs qui, à l’époque de leur sortie, sont passés complètement sous vos radars d’adolescent. En 1982, j’avais douze ans et mes oreilles commençaient à peine à s’ouvrir sérieusement, tiraillées entre les derniers soubresauts du punk, l’urgence glaciale de la cold wave et les sirènes synthétiques de la pop qui allait définir la décennie. Et dans ce bordel ambiant, un disque comme "Sulk" de The Associates a dû me frôler sans que je ne m’en aperçoive. Trop bizarre, trop théâtral, trop… tout. Pas assez direct pour le post-punk, trop torturé pour la new wave qui commençait à sourire de toutes ses dents. Le réécouter aujourd’hui, avec le recul de mes 55 balais et des milliers de galettes usées jusqu’à la corde, c’est une expérience à la fois déroutante et fascinante. C’est comme déterrer une capsule temporelle qui contiendrait non pas des souvenirs de cours de récré, mais les fantasmes baroques et dépressifs d’un dandy écossais sous amphétamines. The Associates, pour ceux qui débarquent, c’était avant tout un duo : Alan Rankine, le musicien-architecte, et Billy Mackenzie, le chanteur-dieu, la voix d’un autre monde. Leurs deux premiers albums sentaient encore la guitare post-punk, l’urgence anguleuse de la fin des années 70. Mais avec "Sulk", c’est une tout autre histoire. Fini les guitares en avant, et place aux synthétiseurs, aux claviers opulents, aux arrangements qui lorgnent sans la moindre honte vers la pop la plus orchestrale et le cinéma hollywoodien des années 50. "Sulk", c’est le disque d’une rupture stylistique, une rupture assumée, radicale et presque arrogante. Dès les premières secondes, on est plongé dans un bain de sons synthétiques, de rythmiques programmées avec une précision maniaque et de nappes de claviers qui s’élèvent comme des cathédrales sonores. Ça suinte la laque, le maquillage et les ambitions démesurées. On imagine les mecs en studio, poudrés jusqu’aux yeux, se prenant pour un mélange improbable de David Bowie, Scott Walker et Phil Spector réincarnés dans le corps de jeunes Écossais blafards. Le son est riche, dense, parfois à la limite de l’indigestion. C’est une pop mutante, une new wave qui aurait bouffé des stéroïdes et lu trop de poésie romantique. On est loin, très loin, du minimalisme de certains de leurs contemporains. Ici, c’est l’excès qui est roi et chaque morceau est une petite pièce de théâtre, un drame miniature mis en musique avec une grandiloquence folle. Et puis, il y a LA voix. La putain de voix de Billy Mackenzie. On ne peut pas parler de The Associates sans s’arrêter sur ce phénomène vocal car Mackenzie ne chante pas. Il vole, il plane, il plonge, il s’envole dans des octaves stratosphériques avec une facilité qui défie l’entendement. C’est une voix d’opéra, une voix de diva, une voix qui semble porter en elle toute la joie et toute la misère du monde. Parfois, elle caresse, l’instant d’après, elle déchire. Sans elle, "Sulk" ne serait qu’une collection de productions new wave certes intelligentes, mais un peu froides. Avec elle, ça devient une tragédie grecque sur fond de boîtes à rythmes. L’album lui-même semble coupé en deux. La première face est la plus accessible, la plus "pop", si tant est que ce mot ait un sens pour ce groupe. On y trouve des morceaux aux mélodies presque évidentes, des structures qui pourraient passer à la radio si elles n’étaient pas systématiquement sabotées par un arrangement bizarre ou une envolée vocale complètement démente. La seconde moitié, elle, bascule dans une noirceur plus affirmée, un drame plus pesant. Les morceaux s’étirent, l’ambiance devient gothique avant l’heure. C’est là qu’on trouve des titres comme "No", véritable tour de force vocal et pianistique, qui vous file des frissons par sa seule intensité. On sent que la fête est finie, que le masque tombe et que la réalité, beaucoup moins scintillante, reprend ses droits. Et puis, il y a ce choix de reprise, aussi audacieux que morbide : "Gloomy Sunday". Pour ceux qui ne connaissent pas, c’est la fameuse "chanson hongroise du suicide", une rengaine à la réputation si funeste qu’elle aurait été interdite sur certaines radios. Que The Associates, au sommet de leur art du mélodrame, décident de s’attaquer à ce monument de la déprime, ce n’est pas une surprise. C’est une évidence. Leur version est spectaculaire de théâtralité, presque trop. Mais la reprendre, c’était déjà un acte artistique fort, une façon de dire : "Vous nous trouvez dépressifs ? Tenez, bouffez-en jusqu’à l’overdose." Le plus terrible, évidemment, c’est de réécouter ça aujourd’hui, en sachant que Billy Mackenzie a mis fin à ses jours en 1997. Ce choix de chanson prend alors une dimension tragique, une résonance funèbre qui glace le sang. Ce qui n’était qu’une posture esthétique devient, avec le recul, un présage macabre. Et ça, c’est le genre de truc qui vous fait reconsidérer un album tout entier. Alors, pourquoi seulement 4 sur 5 ? Parce que "Sulk" est un disque épuisant. Son opulence, son drame permanent, sa production très marquée par son époque peuvent parfois tenir à distance. C’est un album qu’on admire plus qu’on ne l’aime au quotidien. Il n’a pas la perfection glaciale d’un "Dare" de The Human League ni l’impact viscéral d’un "Pornography" de The Cure, sortis la même année. Il flotte entre deux mondes, dans sa propre galaxie de paillettes et de larmes. C’est une oeuvre unique, imparfaite mais géniale, portée par un chanteur qui n’avait aucun équivalent et qui nous manque terriblement. Un disque pour les coeurs brisés qui aiment danser, pour les âmes en peine qui rêvent de projecteurs. Un monument de pop baroque et déviante, à découvrir absolument. Ne serait-ce que pour se prendre une claque vocale et se rappeler qu’en 1982, certains avaient le spleen magnifique.
I like it. Quite enjoyable to listen to the sounds of it. The syth sound is completely not out dated which is impressive. Not the type of music I would repeat day after day but it's beautiful and attractive. At least a 4/5, can be higher.
This is actually a really good record. Never even heard of them. Favourite tracks: Arrogance Gave Him Up, No, It's Better This Way, Parts Fears Two, Club Country, nothinginsomethingparticular, The Room We Sat in Before.
1.5
noh art-pop screych.m paskaa ja ajan kliseotä täynnä...
This is all over the place, with an almost sickening amount of very dated synths flooding every song. There are occasionally some highlights, like the heart pounding bassline in It's Better This Way or the piano riff in Party Fears Two, but overall, I think this was a little too erratic for me to fully enjoy.
Good vibe but won’t come back to this
I'm always suspicious of early to mid 80's bands that I haven't heard of. If they were good I probably would know them. This one didn't do much for me
oh my god yes
fav song was “and then i read a book” kinda like talking heads. started off not liking much but the songs grew on me
Most songs are horrible, but track 7 and 8 were quite decent. Not a big fan of post punk, it seems.
Totally get that this is an acquired taste - for most of my listening life I wouldn't have given this the time of day. Sitting down today with Simon Reynolds' Rip it Up and Start Again while listening to this on repeat did the trick for me. Get the feeling I might come back to this in a few years and give it a 5.
not my style
Super weird and fun mix of post-punk and pop. I appreciate how much they committed to just making it as extra as possible. It definitely feels VERY 80s but in a self-aware way.
Okay. Why is this on the list? Did we really need another new-wave album on here? No. No we did not. There's enough of it already. This album is not notable enough to be on the list. But impact isn't everything. Sometimes, we have to ignore the low cultural impact of an album to praise it. The problem is that this album isn't good or original enough for me to do that. Sulk is mid. Admittedly, there are decent elements here. The instrumentals are very 80s, but they work sometimes. They're a bit overstimulating at times though. I'm not a fan of the vocals. I can get behind some weird vocals. That's like a quarter of the appeal of Talking Heads for me. These ones just aren't for me though. The writing is fine, I guess. It's a bit uninteresting though. Songs like "Bap De La Bap" just kind of annoy me. The album's also pretty inconsistent and all over the place. Overall, Sulk is fine, but I really didn't need to listen to this before I die. High 2/5.
Billy could sing and Alan could play! A terrific album. May they both rest in peace.
Musically this sounds pretty nice, however the vocals let it down. Low 3/5.
It’s ok
Turned off after a few tracks couldn't take anymore
This. Was. Awful. Very 80’s and VERY bad 80’s. First album I couldn’t finish. If I could give it negative points I would. On a positive note, it is winning for worst album cover.
Like someone announcing to everyone that they are leaving the party in the loudest, most bombastic way possible.
-well it’s always interesting getting to hear relatively obscure synth-pop and new wave that breaks away from the model of the big names -most of the songs here didn’t really do it for me though. it coulda been shortened a whole lot. i do love the vocals though, they were kinda haunting -Favorites are No, Gloomy Sunday, and Club Country
Sulk is peak self-indulgent ’80s excess, over-the-top production, theatrical vocals, and a relentless need to be different for the sake of it. While some might appreciate its quirky charm, it feels more like a dated relic than a timeless listen. A bold of them to make this album 1 hour and 38 minutes, of what is ultimately, ’80s junk.
Total whiplash compared to my previous album. The instrumentals? Trash. The vocals? Annoying. I didn’t like this at all.
And just as I was wondering how long my 5/5 streak was gonna go on for, here comes a post-punk album, guaranteeing I won't be able to give it a 5! I mean, to be fair, this album isn't **just** post-punk; Wikipeia classifies it as synth-pop as well. But, boy, if there's anything that would make me not look forward to an album, labelling it as "post-punk" would be it. And, look, I kinda don't like to be this unfair to any genre. There's always gotta be something I like about each and every one — at least **one small thing**, at minimum. It's just that I have had the least amount of luck figuring out what that thing is with post-punk, let alone what its appeal is supposed to be. Goodness, even with jungle and drum n' bass can have some nice piano lines every now and then. I mean, if you were to ask me to define what I thought post-punk was supposed to be, I'd honestly probably say something like "It's uncommercial hoo-hah that I'm supposed to applaud at just because it's uncommercial." Y'know, I started bad with METAL BOX, and it hasn't gotten any better for me since. So, this album, then. What's its deal? Well, for one, I feel like I can attribute everything I like about it to the "synth-pop" label, that being the instrumentals, mostly. They're pretty good, honestly, even if they're not exactly mind-blowing. If this album were just those, I could see myself giving it a 4 at most — and not just because I've been wondering if I've been too generous lately with my 5's. As you've seen, though, I've given this album a 3, thanks entirely to one thing: this guy's vocals. I read a review on this website comparing this vocalist to a bootleg David Bowie, and, yeah, that's really the vibe I get. He's doing all this whooping and caterwauling 'coz, y'see, that's what vocalists on **important, artsy music** are **supposed** to sound like — I guess. It just didn't do anything for me, or at least anything positive. And I get the feeling that on any other album I might not have minded this too much, but you combine the fact that I thought of these guys as "post-punk" first with the whole "Who the hell are these guys?" kind of reaction... Yeah. Yeah, no. This guy just sounds like he's trying too hard to sound important, and it's a detriment to everything. I mean, jeez, I read a review that compared these vocals to Russel Mael of Sparks, and... No? No, not at all? Not even close? So, yeah. Big ol' 3. It's fine, but coulda been better. Part of me's happy my group got this, though more as a reminder that I **can** rate stuff less than a 5 than because of anything that's actually on this album. If I had a choice of listening to any other 80's album today, believe me, I absolutely would have.
Post punk is a genre which my group and I have had a rough time with (here's looking at you, Metal Box), so it's definitely good to say that this record is actually pretty damn good if you're big into things like 80's synths, which I definitely am. 4.5 bumped up to 5.
I’m at a 3. It took a lot of rehab work, and the quality of the last 3 tracks to get there, but this album crawled its way up to a 3. I’m really not sure what to make of this album, because I can’t quite figure out exactly what’s wrong with it. The biggest and most obvious flaw is the dichotomy between the vocals and the instrumentation – far too many tracks on this album deeply suffer from them never really being in sync. The best way I can describe it is like trying to play around in FL Studio with two songs that you know won’t make for a good mashup, but trying to make it work anyway. Individually, I think the vocals could’ve worked on a lot of the tracks I was indifferent towards if the instrumentation had been better adapted to suit the vocals. However, that same criticism applies to the instrumentals as well – I think a lot of the instrumentals here are really good, but the vocals should’ve been more adapted to them. That’s where my biggest issue with this album lies – it’s got good vocals, and good instrumentation, but save for the final 3 tracks, they just don’t work together that well, and I’m not sure which adaptation would make the album more preferable to me. It really is a case by case basis, just based on the vibes of each track. I understand this sort of post-punk new wave experimental thing the production is going for, but it really doesn’t work as well as it could have. If anything, I’m frustrated that the last 3 tracks fully nailed it, because it just means Tracks 2 through 7 could’ve done it too. Nude Spoons was irredeemable, though. I am giving this album a bit of a long leash, but it’s because I can sense the framework of a really, really good one in here, at least for my sensibilities. I fully understand the average rating this has on the site – it’s abrasive, unusual, and never really meshes together to make a cohesive album experience until those last 3 tracks… but I just didn’t hate the rest of the tracks enough to go down past a 3. It’s a strange album, and I’d personally only really recommend it for super niche circumstances, but I think it’s got a place on the list for all its oddities. Hence, the 3.
Still fresh in a strange way.
When I think of the albums that could've/should've been on this list and I hear this cringe inducing shite, I'm thinking the compilers should be locked in a room with this on repeat play for eternity. Maybe they will then learn the error of their ways.
Like a cheery crappy echo, well more crap
As a student I was.i introduced to this by by a girl who I sort of fancied a bit, this album was our common ground for our otherwise divergent music tastes (she was into Culture Club, I was into Jesus and Mary Chain). We had fun for a bit but ultimately headed off in different life directions. Very 80s album, interesting (at the time) alternative to.the rest of the synth pop stuff but history hasn't been so kind to it and it sounds a bit .. well, crap tbh. +1 for the nostalgia. (And what's going on with the Spotify version with all those spurious added demos and stuff needlessly tacked on to the end? No album deserves this, not even ones I like)
Nearly unlistenable Boy George wannabies. They could have been big if only they had stuck at it and been any good.
I listened to the original track listing, first 10 tracks - not all the extra alt/demo bloat. Unfortunately, it didn't make it any better, it's far too melodramatic. I'm sure there are better albums that represent the a similar space and time.
The top review for this record currently has this to say: "bland, homogeneous instrumentals indistinguishable from any other Britpop LP" This is one of the most baffling comments I've read on this website. And there have been a few, you can trust me, I'm on album #954. Maybe the person didn't have ears. Maybe Britpop sounded completely different on their planet. Maybe they skipped over Bap De La Bap, and Party Fears Two, and...etc. Maybe they'd just smashed another cup. Maybe the alcohol has turned them blue. Maybe the remark makes no sense and turns to shark. I can completely understand someone not liking this, and Billy Mackenzie's voice is absolutely divisive. But bland? Personally I only know Party Fears Two and I heard that first via the Divine Comedy cover. I love that song, because it's insane and beautiful and manic. The rest of this record is utterly manic and insane, and not quite as good. But an invigorating listen, that's for sure. Ears pricked up during Bap, Nude Spoons I'm off to watch that YouTube of The Associates appearing on lunchtime magazine show Pebble Mill.
A combination of beautiful, melodic and…..”interesting” but 5 stars for that voice. Sorely missed.
Meh
Had a few bright spots but mostly annoying.
Basically a David Bowie wannabe act. Why not just give us Bowie?
Layered and strange. More depth than I expected from the 80s
I liked parts of this, but as a whole it didn't do a lot for me. Might give it another chance down the road.
Liked this one. It's got a lot of interesting parts. Sounds like unhinged Bowie or sometimes Talking Heads. 3.5/5
This guy sounds so much like David Byrne, like SO much. The music is decent but not especially memorable otherwise. C
Ganz nett, aber auch irgendwie belanglos.
Pretty bad
I keep thinking I've gotten the last of the garbage British new wave bands that I've never heard before, and here I am on album #959 and they still keep coming.
I don't really know what to think about this album, but I know that it really didn't interest me. Generally, I'm a big fan of early post-punk, especially the synthesizer variety. This just didn't speak to me, through, and I don't care enough to figure out why 3/5
This album is stress-inducing but, like, in a good way. Favorite track: "Party Fears Two."
Could not appreciate
Had never heard of them. Fits well with the early 80s timeline, but pretty forgettable.
Never heard this album before. Oh my what the 80's is going on here. I mean, wow. It's just a neon-and-pastel-colored train wreck of an album. Even the two "hit" singles, Party Fears Two and Club Country are head-scratchers. I'm pretty sure The Associates must be a figment of a mockumentary...an 80's Spinal Tap. If I'm allowed to laugh at the music, I'm good with it! Otherwise it plays out as a cautionary tale of what was allowed to happen to pop music in the 80's.
Two days, two very annoying albums I’ve listened to.
An okay album, I liked No the most.
Rating: 1/10 0/10 vocals and mediocre instrumentals. Sounds like generic synth-pop that is trying too hard to be experimental.
nothing special here. it sounds like literally dozens of albums from this genre in this era.
This was rather boring, tbh
Is this a joke? Am I getting trolled?
Je ne comprends vraiment pas pourquoi cet album s'est retrouvé dans les plus détesté de cette liste. Oui j'ai bien aimé, mais c'est surtout qu'il y a tellement pire que ça (ex : Korn). Une version beaucoup plus avant-garde du son new-wave/post punk des débuts 80s. Pas le meilleur album de ce genre mais définitivement plus aimé que la majorité de ses contemporains de cette liste. 8/10
For this review, I will only examine the original UK and Canada release and ignore the bonus tracks from the 2000 remaster. I can't say I've heard of The Associates before. They were a short-lived Scottish post-punk and synth-pop band from the 1980s, apparently cited as an influence by acts like U2 and Björk. After listening to their commercial breakthrough Sulk, that legacy has some merit, even if I struggle to connect with this album. There is a haunting atmosphere evoked by Alan Rankine's spare synth-keyboard play and Billy Mackenzie's wailing somber vocals. This style may be stuck in the 80s, but it makes due in the darker pastiches of that era. Songs such as "No" and "Gloomy Sunday" make the most effective use of that dreary ambiance before the synth club booms kick in the latter half with "Party Fears Two" and "Club Country" that are danceable in their macabre mannerisms. Yet as much as I respect Sulk's style, it does not have much memorability. Aside from the above songs, most of this album tends to be homogenous in its presentation, going in one ear and out the other. It's not the worst experience out there, but it does leave me desiring more hooks or cohesion. At the end of the day, this album is a product of its time with some good moments. Whether it belongs on this list is subjective, but for now, I'd give it a listen and cherry-pick your favorites.
At last, an album bad enough to challenge The Cramps. I wanted to turn it off after about 30 seconds of the first track, but I've been surprised many times while working through the albums on this list so I persevered. Made it to track 3, and that was a huge fucking effort to not turn off. Musically it was awful, vocals were just as bad. The only plus side was this is the bands only release, thank fuck for that!
I kept losing interest after a few songs. It took me about four tries to listen to the whole album.
Not terrible but I found I would love one song than hate the next. I am curious why this made the list.
Horrible. Not my cup of tea but I can see how it influenced other artist who also make shitty music.
Well that was a waste of time. 10 tracks ranging from nearly enjoyable (Party Fears Two) to extremely irritating (Bap De La Bap). That makes for a total rating of "Dislike"..
I think this should be listened to a few different times and in different moods. Absolutely serves a punk vibe and fuck you attitude towards music culture but set to an 80's electro-pop base
I guess i applaud them for doing something different at the time. But a lot seemed like they combined a lot of sounds from the era to make something that wasn't necessarily great. That 2nd song reminded me of Nick Cave and I thought we were gonna go somewhere special. But we didn't. We stayed home
Not that exciting
This one’s a bit odd, and I’m still trying to figure it out. It’s definitely artsy synthpop with a strong post-punk vibe. The theatricality of it all really shows influences from David Bowie and Bryan Ferry.
2/5 too much echo.
Went into this with high hopes. I love the 80s and try to devour everything I find that I may have missed the first time around but baby this ain't it . I can see where it wants to go but they didn't make it.
In the end, I just didn't care for this one
I was so pleasantly surprised to see this record on the 1001. This album was too weird for my friends back in the early 1980s when we were in high school. We listened to some pretty weird stuff at times, Tones on Tail, Liquid Liquid, but The Associates were too weird for most of the folks I hung out with. Listening to it now I'm impressed with it, honestly, it's coherent and yet very very strange, particularly given the time. It's probably one of the more "effected" sounding records I can think of, unusual for the early 1980s. I'd put in in the same category as Soft Cell. Disconnected odd music for outcasts. Lovely. It's totally fine if you don't like the style or the sound, but for some of us, this is great precisely because it's unique. Bonus points for the "Love Hangover" cover!
I've always loved Party Fears Two, I quite like Country Club, I love new wave and this kind of era synth/pop/new wave. But this really grated over a whole album.
somehow, The Associates made an album that is wreaks sensory hell upon me and still sounds very much spongy to all the sounds around it. it's music i can only imagine was recorded in studio by the do on the cover hopping around like 90's grossout cartoon characters, bouncing off the walls and getting glitter all over the place. it takes until the second half for this weird saute of genre to come together in a "satisfying" way, and it does have its moments, but the moment is always the same flavor of squirrely flamboyance.
"No" sounds like the intro to Tim Curry's rendition of "Everyone Knows It's Halloween" from The Worst Witch: https://youtu.be/SSZYVFc6BqI?feature=shared&t=52 We'll carve pumpkin fay-ceeeess
A certified freaky album. And by that I mean 70% 𝕱𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖐𝖞, and 30% 𝓕𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂.
Somebody had their David Bowie collection on repeat. Having influences is one thing but this is a straight up copy.
2.5/5
sounds like I’m listening to a rookie band that hasn’t figured out how to do vocals yet
The 80s were a time where creative ambitions really felt like they were flowing. People actually attempted to push boundaries and change the dynamics of popular genres without falling victim to conformity. But, as they say, not all that glitters is gold. I’m all for experimentation and new ideas, as they are the driving force of what makes music so great. But when I go back, I look at a lot of these older albums in hindsight with the context of the music that came after them. I can imagine this record by The Associates was probably pretty cool stuff for the early 80s. But I also know it wouldn’t take too long for someone to come along and upstage this in many ways. I’ll still give this album the credit it rightfully deserves, because it holds its own at several moments. I think, at its absolute best, this album showcases some of the most interesting and well put together synth pop I’ve ever heard. Stuff that can even rival the best that the generation had to offer, like Tears for Fears or Depeche Mode. I wish every song sounded like Club Country, because it’s a legitimate banger. But more often than not, the record does not reach those heights. It’s recorded in a very manic and energetic way. Almost to its own fault. The drumming, for example, often sounds all over the place and very random, and only occasionally catches its footing to really provide a solid beat for the music. The rhythmic gap left by the drums is primarily picked up by the many synth sounds, which tend to be the best aspect of each song. I don’t think the singer’s voice is bad, but it’s also all over the place, and feels like an amalgamation of every popular male singer’s voice at the time. That includes both the good and the bad. This albums biggest fault is inconsistency. Like I said, in a perfect world, every song was similar to Club Country and this was an amazing album. Unfortunately, it regularly falls short of its own highs. Rating: 5/10
Pretty good.
Synthy, falsetto art rock, disco, glam, minimalism which I hated.
Ich habe keine Ahnung was David Bowie dazu bewogen hat, im LSD-Rausch ein Album unter Pseudonym zu produzieren. Aber vermutlich ist es auch nur unter dem gleichen Drogeneinfluss ohne Hörkrämpfe anhörbar.
I listened to it yesterday, and I remember enjoying it a bit, but just one day later, I already started to forget it, and now I only have the impression that I listened to a good The Cure cover band. I'm unsure, but the album is probably good enough to receive 3 stars.
I swear I’ve heard the Club Country 12” Version sampled somewhere. Otherwise this was completely new to me. But based on the art and year, it was exactly what I was expecting and it kinda ruled
2 for being 80s but generic forgettable 80s.
Not for me.
Heavy David Bowie influence in the music. Seems more like a Bowie cover band than anything original. Solid musicianship and the vocals were decent.
British poppy and kind of weird. I didn't get it.
Ok.
Ah, Sulk, where The Associates try to convince us they’re doing something artistic by throwing every instrument they can find into a blender. It’s moody, it’s eccentric, and it’s entirely incomprehensible. Imagine sitting through a storm of synths, operatic yelping, and lyrics that make as much sense as your Aunt Marge’s fridge poetry. Billy Mackenzie tries to hit high notes that would scare away bats, and every song feels like a contest to see how much echo they can cram in.