D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle

This one is a challenging listen. It questions the notion of what even constitutes music. I would never blame anyone for giving this 1 star, and when I pressed play on the first track, I nearly wrote the whole thing off, but by Dead On Arrival, I found the melody and every song from then on I was able to find something to latch onto. I would take this album over yet another post-punk/new wave band any day of the week.

My Gristle is still Throbbing! After the high-pitched sonic attack of "I.B.M" I was pretty sure I was in for a terrifyingly bad 42 minutes. Is this practically unlistenable? Definitely! But it's really not all bad. I can see how some folks heard this and thought they could add some melody to the industrial noisy bits and make a new kind of music. So, props to them for originating something. It definitely doesn't sound like anything else. I have never understood how anyone puts out a track of overheard conversations. They're almost never listenable. Even most scripted skits on albums are bad and only get worse with time. But to just hear 2 people talking about whatever is insane to have on a recording. They do that at least three times here. That's annoying. I like some of the ambient parts the best. "Dead on Arrival" and "AB/7A" are probably the best, most listenable entries. I don't imagine I'd ever come back to this, but at least I can see why it would be on a list like this. I'm going to give it a 3 because it was groundbreaking and the production and effects they made/used are astounding for 1978!

some songs in the album is pretty catchy, but toher than that it's pretty okay ngl

Halfway through the second track I knew I hated it and resigned myself to another 40 minutes of awful music. Until all of a sudden it wasn’t awful. Maybe it just grew on me, maybe I developed some weird Stockholm syndrome but by the end of the album I had quite enjoyed it. It’s not gonna be up there with my favourites by the end of this but it deserves higher than its 1.88 global rating.

I heard if you start playing this album & Brian Eno's Music for Airports at the same time they sync up.

Hell yeah the lowest rated album on this entire list. It's really not that bad. There's a lot of what I would consider "filler" on it in that it doesn't sound either like music nor is it noise that really compels me but when it's good it's good! I'm more of a Psychic TV girl but there's still quite a lot to like here, but more to borrow from in terms of ideas than to actually listen to on its own.

nowhere NEAR the worst album on the site almost a 4 even, but got boring eventually

New to me but familiar with the band. Don’t understand the hate for this - it’s clear that they were ahead of their time and heavily influenced industrial music. Challenging at times and not something I will put on a lot but has lots of interesting moments. I’d rather listen to this a hundred more times than subject myself to that bloody Adele album again.

Look - am I putting this on when my in-laws come to visit? No. Am I putting this on when I work out? No. Am I putting this on when I’m driving to the airport? No. Does this belong on the 1001 albums list? Absolutely - if nothing more than to cut through the longer-than-it-should-be list of boring new wave and rock revival bands I’ve had to slog through for this project. At points, the record is rather lovely, and not nearly as unlistenable as other reviews make it seem - intimate field recordings, weird sounds, and some cool textures - this is extremely Kraftwerk adjacent, and they get far more praise on this platform. Screw you, justice for Gristle.

It's hard to believe this was released in 1978. Very adventurous and abstract music to get an album release in the era of disco. That said, 1978 was a year where several groundbreaking albums hit the market, seemingly out of the blue. Van Halen. The Cars. Dire Straits. Perhaps record executives proclaimed "it's time to release anything that's opposite of disco". Glad they did. This album is not similar to the other 1978 blockbusters, and major labels didn't pick it up right away, but it is a breath of fresh air for innovation. Fans of industrial likely turn to this album as a genesis of the genre. Weeping & Hamburger Lady are highlights for me.

No nyt oli rehellisesti erikoinen paketti. Yleensä tälläsestä huokuu tekotaiteellisuus pitkälle, mutta tämä tuntui rehelliseltä ja aidolta. Todellista tunnelmanluonti musiikkia! Olisi hyvä soittolista esim. omiin hautajaisiin, saisi surun hetkellä vieraat ottamaan vähän mitävittua-katsekontaktia toisiinsa ja tunnelma kevenisi. Lyriikoita ei tullut juuri kuunneltua, mutta eiköhän ne olleet samaa laatua. Pistetään kolmonen kun oli kerrankin vähän erilaista settiä eikä samaa geneeristä paskaa kuin edelliset 63 levyä.

Well, I got through this one unscathed. Truly this is an album that lives on the fringe of music. This feels like a combination of The downward spiral, and Geogaddi, but most, if not all musical elements have been stripped away. A weird, noise, sound collage. I'm rating this higher than one would expect because this album is a real musical reset. It reminds you of what music is, by showing you the absolute farthest edge of what music can be.

Reading other reviews of this album, I was dreading it. But there are far more offensive albums on this list. It really does make you think; maybe 1001 albums is too many? This is background music, and not entirely pleasant music at that, but I have had some humdingers on this list and I managed to make it through this in one sitting so it can't have been too bad. Probably a 2.5/5, rounding to a 3 because I feel sorry for the stats on this album.

I expected way more throbbing and was pleasantly surprised by both the quantity and quality of gristle here. Seriously, I’ve heard the name tossed around, was slightly familiar with their place in music history, but had never heard a single second of their music, that I was aware of anyway. Kinda cool

This album does not belong as the worst album in the project. This is not a conventional album. This isn't the band you go to see live, even though they did at least one live album. This is a band for appreciation through headphones. It's not ALL noise. The noise is interesting and thought provoking, sure, but not all of it is noise. Tracks like "AB/7A" are proto-ambient/proto-electronica. These guys laid some of the groundwork for bands like Ministry and Skinny Puppy and early Nine Inch Nails. Let's save the worst slot for the truly bad, like the plethora of 70's pop that the author thinks are "all that". Or every dog-shit album the Beatles did, because they're not all rockers. I might not listen to it again, but I'm glad it's on the list and that I listened to it. My Rating: 3/5

Like the soundtrack to the craziest mindfuck of a movie you've ever seen. I love these obscure recommendations. Favorite track: AB/7A

Liked it a lot more than I was expecting based on the other reviews! I’m into the early electronic stuff that pops up, and some of the voice clip/ambient stuff reminds me of GY!BE which I dig. Hard to rate an experimental thing like this with other more classically structured music though

Man this was pretty weird dude It does play like a cool soundtrack / lots of stuff that I could use to get inspired for Echograph That being said, it’s not really a musical album and while it’s cool that they did this back in the day, it’s still a bunch of weird sounds and not every “everyday listenable”

Intense, harrowing, insane. Not my favourite at all but I really respect what they did here

Well — it had to happen at some point. Finally and at last, the Randomizer has hit my group with what is, as I'm writing this (and as I'm sure it has been long before and will be long after), the lowest rated album on the entire website. A 1.88. Only one of two albums with a sub-2 average, and 'Kollaps' is way more on the verge of being a straight 2 than this thing is. And if I may borrow some vibes from this album, just for a moment: I think y'all are cowards. Now, that's more antagonistic than I normally like to be, number one. On top of that, it's not like it's exactly news to me that the people who rate albums on this website are not fans of experimental music — besides Kid Rock, I think every album in the bottom 15 or 20 is heavily experimental in some way. And it's not like I begrudge them or even don't understand why these are rated the way they are; I'm not even here to tell you I'm that over the moon about Throbbing Gristle here. I just can't help but be struck by the thought that it seems most people refuse to give these albums a chance. They put them on, hear something abrasive or weird or just something they're not used to, and they call the albums "noise" and refuse to engage with it any further. Not that they don't have to if they don't want to, but if you're going to review it, you should probably give it more of an honest chance. For me, it just comes back to the "noise" descriptor. Describing this album as "noise" would imply that it's thoughtless; that it's just a collection of random sounds that had an "experimental" label slapped on to justify it. Believe me, I've done the same thing myself: if you wanna hear **real** noise, go check out John Zorn's 'Spy vs. Spy' album (if you dare!). But let me be the first to tell you: this music is not thoughtless. Can it be a little loose? Yes, absolutely. In some spots ("Hometime"), it might be even a little too easy to replicate. But there's no spot in this album where I'm listening to it and I'm thinking they weren't thinking about what they were doing. And I suppose the problem with what they're doing is that it's antagonistically abrasive and weird, but, I'unno, if you can meet it on the grounds it's coming on... Of course, I might just have weird ears. As I've explained in other reviews of/babbles about experimental albums, I feel like I have the kind of ears that can ... hear past the weirdness? And, y'know, get to the core of what they're trying to do underneath. And as a result, oftentimes I'm sort of left ... unimpressed by experimental albums, if I can be honest. I might be the only person on this website who, if they have a negative reaction towards an experimental album, it's because they're bored than because they're actively repulsed. I mean, I'll tell you that I agree with a group member of mine that some of these songs could've probably been cut down by a minute or two... But at least when I say I'm bored by this album, it's because I actively tried to engage with it, instead of shutting myself off the moment I heard something too abrasive for my sensibilities. And I'm not gonna act like I've always been 100% perfect about engagement, but goodness me. Like, I'm trying to be fair to all these people giving this thing 1's, because, again, I **get it**. But I really don't think this album deserves it, honestly. I mean, when Kid Rock's on this same list with his collection of insultingly trash wannabe pimp cowboy raps, or when you have something like 'Haut de gamme''s horrifically inspired cruise commercial music, I don't get why an album that actively tries to do something and challenge you should be rated worse. So, like ... look, to actually speak about the album directly, without relating it back to the other point I've been trying to make, it's fiiiiiine. There's some kind of interesting stuff on here, some stuff that maybe goes on a bit too long ... and there's honestly a really pretty moment with the track "AB/7A". But on the whole, with my weird ears, I can't say I'm terribly over the moon about any of this. It is what it is, and while overall I'm happier to have heard something unique like this than another boilerplate 60's psych album or random "popular with critics" British album, it's absolutely not my cup of tea, and I can't imagine putting it on for casual listening, y'know. So, yeah. Honestly, this review ended up a bit more of a babble about other people's reviews than actually being a discussion about the album ... and you could maybe say I'm being kinder to this than I otherwise would solely as a means to push that point ... but I wanna think that even if I hadn't seen these reviews or the average score I would have felt the same way about this album. It's by no means for everyone, but it is absolutely not the worst album on this list. "Fight the real enemy," I say: bland, boring music that doesn't aim to challenge you. Throbbing Gristly, despite my not being terribly impressed by them, at least tried to do that much. And I have to give them credit for it, if nothing else.

While Industrial might not be everyone's cup of tea (Downward Spiral, this isn't), you really should give it a fair shake at least. 2.5 bumped up to 3.

Alright. It finally happened. Where do I start? Firstly, I don't hate it. I can see a lot here that has influenced other music that I like. Some of the more ambient tracks could easily have been made in the 90s or even later. That this came out in 1978 is startling. You compare this to Jeff Wayne or Genesis or Rush who all had albums out in the same year. Different planet. Then there's tracks that really are just noise. And they're not pleasant to listen to. Did I like it? Hard to say. Would I listen again? Maybe. Not the whole way through but there were some good bits.

What a strange album, definitely can see why it's controversial. But it's also strangely compelling, with specific songs like Dead On Arrival, which sounds like a proto NIN song. AB/7A is also good and i liked this a lot more than I expected. While I was working on stuff. This was an enjoyable listen, though if I was just sitting and focusing on this, I think it would be much more challenging. DOA is my favorite here.

jel ovo dobro? baš i nije. dal bih slušo? ne. al neka. ima dušu i stoput je kreativnije od dosta sranja koja sam moro slušat

There are some albums are seem better suited to a contemporary art gallery than your home. It's the kind of place that you go into expecting to be shocked, disturbed, confused, etc. These collection are more like artistic statements than rock albums. That's certainly the case with Throbbing Gristle. As this writing, this album is the worst rated album on the generator, followed closely by the debut album from Einsturzende Neubauten. Both feel pretty unfair to me, but I also get it. Both are early examples of industrial music (though as far as I can tell, the two bands were unaware of one another). Throbbing Gristle are challenging in a different way. It's an almost analytical approach to breaking down barriers. Neubauten felt born out of the punk movement, but Throbbing Gristle feel more like they escaped from the art world. The album is not nearly as bad as the reviews would make you think. The sound collages don't necessarily fit well together, but most of them on their own are not particularly unpleasant. The band is clearly on a mission to deconstruct the concept of what music really is. In doing so, they picked up the mantle from experimental composer John Cage who heard music in everything. There's a joyous energy to John Cage's works. Throbbing Gristle on the other hand seem more nihilist, perhaps finding music and joy in nothing and wanting to force you out of it. It's not exactly something that's going to get a big fan base, but it goes feel appropriate for a challenge that's meant to take us out of your comfort zones. No matter what album you listen to next, it's bound to be more accessible. I appreciate this album for what it is (aside from the intentionally disturbing cover art, which is a bit much). But ultimately, it's music that's more interesting to read about than to actually listen to. And that's ok. We need things like this to shake up our concepts of music as we know it. I've always loved a quote from the lead singer Genesis P Orridge: "When in doubt, make no sense." Love or hate the album, I think that's a fantastic philosophy for making art.

The music was alright. The rest was unnecessary.

Finally, the worst rated album in the whole list! I’ll zag and say it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever heard (unlike many others who have listened). It’s like a further deconstructed GY!BE. Definitely abstract but it kinda works in a dark, psychotic way. It sounds like the deepest recesses of the subconscious, both of the oppressed and the oppressor, and I’m not sure which of those is more unsettling

It’s was Ok. I think it’s a 2.8 a 3,0

Appreciate this for what it is but I can’t say I had particularly strong feelings about it

Really abrasive. I haven't listened to pretty much any industrial of any sort before, except for The Downward Spiral; but that one is really really derivative. And I don't believe I've really listened to tape music apart from a song or two on an album from like the 60s (like Electric Ladyland or the White Album.) Most of the rating comes from it being novelty to me. It isn't a bad album, but I don't think I would want to listen to it again; maybe after a couple years.

Would I put this on for fun? Absolutely not. But was I intrigued throughout while seeing a straight line to influencing so many other artists? Absolutely yes. Crazy that AB/7A is on this compared to everythign else. Truly experimental. 3/5

This is one of the more intriguing albums from this list. Maybe I’m lying to myself but this honestly isn’t awful and actually quite listenable. I would absolutely listen to more “music” like this

Gave me a hunger to listen to NIN

Well, *that* was an experience. Not exactly what I think of as industrial music, and often not what I really think of as music per se, but it's definitely a different sort of sound and album from most of the rest. It's hard to say there were many favorites here, but I *did* enjoy the concept of the ultra-sped-up track "United", and "Dead on arrival" was probably the closest to a more traditional track than the rest (unless you listen to the original 4m04s "United" song, which even has lyrics!).

Unsettling. Sounds really modern

When I was a freshman in college I was interested in working at the radio station. In order to evaluate the new applicants they issued a test related "college" music. There were some questions about Joy Division and Hüsker Dü. The New York Dolls and Velvet Underground for mentions. But what I really remember was the Throbbing Gristle question. "Explain the relevance of Throbbing Gristle.". In the year of our lord 1988 industrial music was starting to make some noise in America. Literally. With guitars. And programmed drums. And crazy keyboard sounds. And samples. All mimicking aspects of the sound collages and industrial industrial noise of bands like...wait for it...Throbbing Gristle while more aggressive - the American version was much more controlled - or maybe organized is a better word. But in the end - not as unsettling. So is that relevant. They were influencing an emerging genre that would within a couple years produce their fully realized pop version - NIN - who wrote songs that were stadium ready with shout along choruses. But does that make them relevant? It's not like even the college station was playing Throbbing Gristle records - at least not during standard waking hours. But they're fun to reference. I know this because I had been introduced to them the week before - aka - my second week in college by this nutcase on my floor who knew the acronyms for scenes that were evolving globally before they even coalesced. Because by the time a scene actually emerges - it's already done. You already missed it. He of course knew about Throbbing Gristle. He gave me a brief history - pre Wikipedia - and apparently gave me enough information to pass my college radio "entrance exam". He didn't own any records but that was kind of beside the point. In the end - this is some trippy shit. Disturbing. Nauseating (in a good way if that's possible). Creepy. It definitely makes you feel something - physically and mentally. Not necessarily good things but music doesn't have to make you feel good. It just has to make you feel. The opposite of love is not hate - but indifference. By that calculus it's at least better than Pretzel Logic. .

Delighted this is here, it's a breath of fresh air - and the perfect soundtrack to an irritating dinner party various couples break up on before all having make-up sex in the backseat of the cab back home.

Honestly better than a few of the ones I’ve been served up so far. Weirdly good. Hamburger lady was something I had to listen to a lot

I fell asleep while We Hate You was playing in a loop. My neighbor later asked me if everything was ok - so let’s say this album stimulates communication

way less horrible than most reviews suggest. was i worried when I.B.M. started? maybe. but most of the rest was between okay and interesting. polarising in itself, i'd give some parts a 4 and others a 2. so a 3 in total, but for a very different reason than my usual "don't give a hoot about it one way or the other."

I get it, this is probably the most reviled and repulsive record on the list. But I've gone back and listened a few time through to discern what kind of effect this evokes in me. It makes me think of 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' where there is the 'mood organ' to help set your brain's electrochemistry just so. For me, DOA adeptly dials in 'tedium, boredom, unidentified dread.' I don't mean it's a boring record, but it's like emotional input from a dead personality, haunting comfort, and deep cosmic isolation. Some days that could be the perfect playlist.

Kind of enigmatic. Interesting experience

Surprised this is here and 20 Jazz Funk Greats isn't. What a weird band. 7/10

Unexpectedly more experimental sound art than industrial music. But I dig it.

A supremely off-putting odyssey of all that is eerie is perhaps not for everyone, as evidenced by the fact that, as of writing, this is the lowest-rated album on the 1001 generator. Unless you’re completely averse to new experiences (in which case why would you even bother listening to the list), you cannot deny that this grand industrial spectacle of abrasive noise, uncomfortable conversations and brooding soundscapes is at the very least ‘interesting’. This isn’t something that you’re going to hear on the radio, is it. As for me, I love all this experimental shit, so this gets a far higher rating than the average. I can admit that it’s a mixed bag, some songs go from off-putting to simply annoying (Weeping), some are extremely experimental (Walls of Sound) and some are genuinely brilliant in their own right (Dead on Arrival, AB/7A). Even if many may find this horrible to listen to, it serves as a benchmark for music to come that went both in a more accessible direction, and in an even scarier, noisier, more experimental direction.

Oh, this has a similar vibe to Einstürzende Neubauten! It only pre-dates Kollaps by like 3 years, but there's definitely a connection between the two. This is cleaner, more polished, and I like it better at the end of the day. There's a bit of electronica to it, and I thought the voice clips were interesting. Not one that I expect i'll listen to regularly, but an interesting 40 minutes!

Surinaa ja piipitystä. Ihan jees kokeiluja, mutta en ihan pääse sisään. Riittävän kiinnostava kolmoseen kuitenkin.

Det gode ved at have hørt en del eksperimenterende metal før vi begyndte på det her er, at så bliver man ikke så chokeret over sådan noget her. Flere interessante end uinteressante numre

Felt like I was caught inside a room in Area 51 or something.. Challenging listen, but more interesting than a lot of other stuff on the list.

In this final report from one of industrial's initial pillars, what comes forth is an increasing march towards advancements in the trajectory of the band, as its transgressive natures not only improve upon but also becomes more insidious with its subtlety. There'd be no more reports following this, as the group had no need to be checked upon; they'd already made their mark and will continue to do so. Favorites: Hit by a Rock, United, Dead on Arrival, Weeping, Hamburger Lady, Hometime, E-Coli, Death Threats.

It is a very interesting album.

*Dial up noises* - it's a hard listen, and very experimental, but some of the more "traditional" electronic tracks definitely stand out

It's funny how this album pops up only a few days after I had raged about Devil WIthout a Cause by Kid Rock because I said then that this album did not deserve to be at the very bottom of this site's rankings, I do get why this is the case though, I mean what's gonna be more (relatively) palatable for a (presumably) normal American/European person using this site to find out about music for the first time? An album that is mainly rap and rock combined in a trashy way with some country and nu metal elements mixed in or a mechanical, cold, and electronic sounding album with sampled recordings and things that might as well come from a cult? It's only obvious which is more tolerable to most people (and like, it's not like DWaC is that much higher, it's like no.7) It is interesting though that even today this album is still offputting to most regular people as much as it did back in the late 70s, even though by and large the weirdest part about it is how sparce and alien it can be, many songs are very much simple tape and synth soundscapes without much more going on, and when there is something going on it's still pretty minimal stuff. AB/7A was probably the most eventful song imo given the pretty synths that kinda feel like a prototype of what Coil, group that one of the members of this group formed later on, would make. I think the biggest feeling I have about this album is how I think that while its foundational to a genre it's not the best representation of it or hell, I think some did it better later on (sometimes less than a decade later lol), it's an album that I think it's more contextually interesting rather than interesting for what music lies inside, like these guys were partly doing performance art that was actively transgressive against the rigidity of British society at the time, but also in a way that was weirder than the Punks of the era and sometimes even more effective at making people squirm (mostly with sex afaik), it's also one of those bands that made the most out of their live performances which is probably another thing that unfortunately just doesn't come thru in the music. It's not that this context would make the people who already turn it off like it but I think it is interesting the place in history this and a lot of maligned albums on this site have and how this context can probably help people understand a little bit more where this music that sounds like this even comes from or why people would make it in this way. I think that even though when its on it's not the best thing I've heard in the genre I do think it has wayyyyy more purpose and transgression that does make it a interesting album to finally have the chance to check out.

What the actual fuck. I mean that in a good way.... sort of.

I couldn't stop laughing when I heard the wailing "hit by a rock". I don't think thats the intention though haha. The album is abrasive and experimental. I don't think this deserves to be the lowest rated album on the site. It's certainly belongs on the list. The lyrics and topics are pretty disturbing too. Will is listen to this again? Probably not but I think this album is intended to challenge the listener which it succeeds at. 2.5/5. Raising to a 3.

Definitely not my thing but I understand it Weird, difficult to engage with, and nonsensical But without it we wouldn’t have Nine Inch Nails, Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, KMFDM, and a host of other bands

I had high expectations on this one, because this is the kind of noise I like, but to be honest this particular record had too many voice tracks and stuff like that which I didn't enjoy. Besides this, is a nice sing-along background music.

Turns out I kind of like this proto-industrial stuff. This one didn’t get me hootin and hollerin like Kollaps did, but the whole album blew right by and I was pretty interested the whole time. Who’d have thought.

++: I.B.M., Hit by a Rock, United, Weeping, Hometime, AB/7A, E-Coli, Death Threats, Walls of Sound +: Valley of the Shadow of Death, Dead on Arrival +-: Hamburger Lady, Blood on the Floor 7,6/10

Ooh what's this. Zero knowledge or expectations. Cool start. It's like Brian eno goes metal. Nice ambient stuff. Really interesting. I'll likely listen again but certainly not once a week every week! I'll stick with darker ambient feel. A beat did break out at one point though

Um. Ummmm. I…. ? What was that? The most interesting part was learning about the controversial calendar it came with. There was one song maybe and a lot of noise. I guess it could be interesting at times. Still giving it 3/5 is generous. 2.5 for me.

Less an album of songs than a series of soundscapes for an Alex Garland run of Black Mirror. Evokes a sense of fragmentation, disarray, and paranoia.

Throbbing Gristle is fun to read about but definitely tough to listen to. This one was much less dissonant than when I first listened months ago, almost to a surprising degree. Definitely unique and most definitely influential. Rating: 2.6

Never heard of this and I didn't like it at first, but it grew on me. Pretty interesting album.

More interesting than a solid amount of some of albums I’ve gotten on the list prior. Strange, noisy, off putting at times, not without its merits and there’s something to it to be honest.

Honestly I don’t know why this is currently the lowest rated record. I found this a lot more interesting and easier to listen to than a lot of the slop on this list - take that anything labeled “Madchester”, the Byrds, dumb UK Electronica and No Hit 80s-90s Britpop bands. Now is this something I’m going to put on all the time? No. Is it awful? Absolutely not. Solid 3.

Guay.

Honestly I didn't really care for this... But I am pumping up to 3 stars just based on how unique it is.

I was expecting this to be so abrasive but really it is just different. There are visceral tracks like "Hamburger Lady" (read the letter it is based on and flash on the carpet) followed by synth pop grooves like "AB/7A" - interwoven with spoken word, early industrial and haunting ambient sound experiments. I get why people don't rate this highly, but I enjoyed learning about this group and am curious to listen to this again.

This album reminds me of the ambient noise music playing in an art museum for an abstract visual art piece. Fave song: AB/7A

Love the name. Respect the experimental effort. Don't need to hear it again.

Love the experimentation, don't know about the day to day practicality of this record. 20 Jazz Funk Greats is more my speed

Reminded me of the weird parts of a Pink Floyd album.

As Lorraine said to Marty after he got off the stage at The Enchantment Under the Sea Dance, "That was some interesting music!?" Widely regarded as the Pioneers of the Industrial genre, the late 70s experimental and electronic music has always fascinated me. I have never listened to Throbbing Gristle, but I can definitely hear the early groundwork for the Industrial scene, with the various samples and in my favorites like Dead on Arrival, AB/7A, and Wall of Sound. Does the album deserve a spot on this list, absolutely. Does it deserve the overall lowest rating on this list, I don't think so. It's weird, it's experimental, I didn't love it and I didn't hate it, I will probably never listen to it again, but if anyone ever asks, I can say, "Yeah, I've heard that album".

It's wild that this is from the 70s, sounds much more modern. Not easy listening that's for sure, but I did enjoy it, an interesting insight into some art music from a group I've heard of but not explored.

Interesting

A little to “noise” to pass the time. A good late night listen though. Mind numbing

My day with Throbbing Gristle has finally arrived! I've already listened to three of the lowest rated albums just this year, but this will be my 13th of the bottom 20 albums to listen to. Of those basement dwellers, I really loved Kollaps (5 stars), and I also enjoyed Junkyard (4 stars). I just finished up Simon Reynolds's book on post-punk music, so even though I'd never heard of Throbbing Gristle before this project, I feel like I have a decent idea of what to expect on this album. Here's hoping that I'll enjoy this album as much as Kollaps! Well, Throbbing Gristle is no Einstürzende Neubauten, but I thought this album was pretty good. When "I.B.M." started, I thought this album was destined for the 1-star pile, but it grew on me more as I went through it. D.O.A. was weird and haunting, but in a way that I enjoyed. Songs like "Dead on Arrival" and "AB/7A" were really enjoyable, and I loved how they were melodically abrasive. I enjoyed the songs that had spoken word bits as well, like "Valley of the Shadow of the Death." Listening to those spoken word parts was really unsettling. If felt like I was hiding in a room, and overhearing a conversation that I wasn't supposed to be privy to. It reminded me of those weird AI backrooms videos on Facebook in the best possible way. My biggest complaint with this album is that I found some parts of it pretty boring. If you had made me guess how long "Hamburger Lady" was, I would have wagered it was eight minutes long, because I felt like I lived every second of that song twice. Regardless of how I felt about this album, I can understand why it's on this list. One of the top reviews mentioned that this album is what punk wishes it could have been, and after listening to Never Mind the Bollocks, I can't help but agree with that sentiment.

first listen not for me

Big props to the organizer of this list as I would def never have listened to this nor even know of this band or honestly much of the genre they came from otherwise. This is not for me, but I can understand its purpose and it’s certainly a statement. The songs also got more melodic and listenable, at least as a background vibe, the more the album went on.

Totally insane Details inane Play it again? Only in the rain Rain of blood Finely understood Deep dark mood Cometh the flood

such much ambience, nice stuff even if it's just 20000 different bits of noise hahaha

the definition of a 'challenging listen'. fair play to them. sounds like nothing else. sounds like nothing for the most part.

Not so much music as art, better approached from that standpoint I think. They've hit on some interesting ideas and generated in my mind a variety of thoughts and emotions. Successful from that point of view. Enjoyable, not so much. I could do without ever hearing Hamburger Lady again, probably would prefer to have not heard it at all. Otherwise, a reasonable inclusion on this list.

Wow. That was unexpected. I went into this cold; I'd never heard of the band and I didn't read the reviews. And I'm really pleased that I didn't! After the initial confusion/surprise I really got into it. Did I like it? I honestly not sure. Does it deserve to be on this list? Hell, yes!

Trippy Industrial

Horrible and depraved music for horrible and depraved people. I rather enjoyed it!

This was the weirdest album I have listened to, and I didn't hate it.

well, at least it's not another britpop album! actually this was pretty cool. more of an ambient noise collection than what i'd normally think of as "industrial music" but there are some genuinely interesting and engaging tracks here. AB/7A and Blood on the Floor were the most melodic of the bunch, so they felt like true "songs." hit by a rock made me chuckle uneasily, as did hamburger lady. i guess that's something! favorites: hit by a rock, hamburger lady, ab/7a, blood on the floor

Intermittently interesting ("AB/7A," eg, which puts one in mind of Ulrich Schnauss, and "E-Coli" is trippy-eerie, but not too) and songs like "Weeping" and "Hamburger Lady" build to a pretty strong effect, of dreaminess, sort of compiling a sort of wan and out-there vibe/mindset by wearing down one's defenses. But too much is inert and utterly amusical, though, sure, A for originality and doing it their way. The band name is about as good as the cover shot, though it suggests that this should be industrial rather than pretty quiet found-sound collages. And inspiring/influencing NIN isn't necessarily a strong recommendation. Nor are their extremely limited skills.

я хотела потяжелее но ЭТО УЖ КАК-ТО СЛИШКОМ БУКВАЛЬНО я слушала в несколько подходов (все равно не дослушала) почитала ещё чуть чуть про индастриал рекордс и все такое короче реально сложно воспринимать как МУЗЫКУ это типа аудиальное современное искусство вот чето из разряда на выставку прийти перфоманс оценить,в общем ротор на винзаводе

Never heard anything like this before

I find this quite intriguing, if I’m honest. I don’t hate it and I can see its influence . Genesis was an interesting character. I feel all their work is more like performance art

Impressive piece of early noise rock. Very apparent how the work here would go on to influence other artists in adjacent fields. I'm not running it back all the time, but I see the good in it for sure.

Weird and awkward

Well, this is about what I thought it would be. I like this early noise/industrial stuff, though the extent to which these groups liked to be shocking for their own sake rather than to achieve any goal really seems juvenile in the modern era. Like, they certainly did shock me by showing a little girl's panties on the cover of this album, but me being shocked achieved nothing, and I would argue that it did real harm to that girl. It all distracts from the music, which I would say is genuinely interesting (not good particularly, but interesting). 3/5 Really close to 4, but I was too shocked by their edginess to go quite that far

Interesting and challenging

I enjoyed it, but at the same time I'm unlikely to want to return to it.

weird electronic noise

Avant-garde as all get out. You need to be in a certain mood in order to really enjoy this album.

In today's entry of an album getting terrible reviews that aren't necessarily warranted. I've been dreading getting to this album because of all the badmouthing it received only to once again be pleasantly surprised by what I got. This type of music - for lack of a better word isn't exactly terrible or ground breaking. The Beatles themselves experimented with weird noises on the White Album and Sgt Peppers but don't get dinged by the negativity here. If the band's name weren't Throbbing Gristle, would they be so penalized? John Cage could make this album and be glorified. This was better than I realized, but really weird. 3.5/5

I listened to the whole thing. And you know what, I did actually enjoy it. I wouldn’t listen to it again but it was a fascinating experience. Not exactly musical, but definitely interesting sounds.

Knowing it was the lowest rated album made me wince, and the first few tracks are rough going, but there's actually some interesting bits in here and if you're up for up for a challenge its not too bad.

It doesn't deserve to be the lowest rated album on this app, there are quite a few really interesting bits. It's not Avant garde rubbish, but there are plenty of songs where you're just like, why? Anyway. It didn't upset me, so 3.

weird, which is exactly what they were going for, so successful I guess

industrial nauseating hävyttömyys...

I was dreading this from the reviews, but it was a fascinating listen. Probably won’t be back any time soon, but definitely going to give some other TG a try.

If you can work through the first few tracks as you're occupied with something else, the cacophonous tones begin to make more sense. Obviously a big step for industrial music, and likely one of its' most successful early founders. Not my deal, but glad I experienced it.

Interesting.

ту мъч авангард, 3

3.5

2.75

Weird music. Interesting to listen.

Not my kind of music but I give it to them for musical skill and production quality.

Weirdly great

It reminded me of Dark Side of the Moon, but without the music.

"The band's debut single "United", which had garnered some popularity due to its relatively accessible style, was included on the album on fast forward, reducing its running time from 4:03 to sixteen seconds."

Not for me but fascinating. In the forest there is every type of bird.

i went into this album with such low expectations that i was actually surprised by what i heard. ‘music’ is a strong word in some cases, but the incoherent cacophony of sounds was quite interesting in places. i think it’s quite a reflective album, and does make you think. by the last 5 songs though i was willing it to be over, and i feel it just went on for too long. overall, not half as bad as the reviews lead me to believe.

How can I sum this up? It’s like an alternate world mashup of Kraftwerk and Devo……. Valley of the Shadow of Death seemed like they accidentally left the record button on…. There seems to be no point to this album then to just experiment with sounds and beats. But at the same time I’m not turned off by it. I did only get to Weeper though. It’s not a full listen for me but it’s enough to get a ranking of 3, which is sort of my Land of Misfit Toys I guess. Choice cut: IBM

originally listened thinking "what the fuck is this" understood it by the end

When listening, I had left the repeat on and I think it got around to the 3rd play through before I noticed. I guess it is an interesting album for the time frame it came out. I can see what they were going for and it was fine, fairly inoffensive for what it is.

Total cacaphony. Some tracks were good, some were annoying. For a group named \"Throbbing Gristle,\" I expected something more cohesive. I did not understand Valley of the Shadow of the Death. The next track, Dead on Arrival, clicked with me. It seems like early industrial or something. I like this significantly more than some other albums on the list.

Not nearly as offensive to the ears as this website’s consensus would have you believe. After the first song, anyway. I liked some of the ideas in this album, even if they didn’t quite pull all of them off.

Noisy meandering fun! Surprisingly easy listening tbh

If you want a neat album comprising a selection of songs, this is not the choice for you. I can see a lot of hate for this album, and sure, by conventional assessment it is distinctly lacking. Yet, I found it to be quite a profound musical journey. Not one I would want to relive, but one that meant something - and that is surely is the point of the 1001 list

As a person who enjoys things like NiN and Death Grips I guess theres a limit to sounds that even make me squeamish. This felt invasive, wrong possibly. However, especially on finding out this was made in 78 I think I "get" it. Someone had to put the screws to what sounds could amalgamate into something like music. Without utter sonic nightmare fuel like this the music I enjoy might not exist. For that it gets a 3 solely on technical accomplishments. That said I'm not touching this album outside like 2 songs with a 10 foot pole.

Great exploration of the line between noise and music. Not sure I need a whole album's worth. But I'm really glad this is out there.

weeping is elite, hometime is so scary i almost screamed when someone came in while i was listening to it, swear 2F e. coil uses that exact same saw string sound you hear in the RDR2 prologue. anyways. paranoid ass album and we hate the british but we love noise!

If your idea of what industrial music sounds like is, understandably, songs like “Join in the Chant,” “Headhunter,” and “Closer,” you may be surprised that this is a formative industrial album. What may be more surprising is that this also had a major influence on the World Serpent/neofolk sound of the 80s. While it’s not exactly accessible, it deserves some credit for its impact, but loses some for that creepy ass cover.

3/5. Highly respectable experimental electronic music. Was it fun to listen to? Sometimes but mostly a head space of experimentation. Spacey and out there signals, as if sent from another planet to us as a collection of recordings to define their culture, just like what we send out for any response. An important record for sure. When I saw industrial, I was excited because that's been some of my favorite albums from this list. Every genre gotta start somewhere, I'll give the respect it deserves but not necessarily another listen. Best Song: I.B.M., Hamburger Lady, AB/7A

it's definitely music, definitely one of the albums of all time (i'm scared)

Oh my GOD. What a fascinating academic listening exercise. Did I like all of it? No. Did I respect/appreciate all of it? Yeah. Worth a listen, just to have that experience.

3/5

It’s hard to listen to this one and not wax nostalgic. My son was conceived to “United”.

I found this to be an interesting Album. An interesting juxtaposition of music, noise and spoken word, albeit unsettling and confronting at times. I probably won't listen to it again, but I am glad that the generator drops these oddities into the mix as they all influence another artist down the line and move music forward in new ways. Doa

Sehr experimentell, Collagen, Geräusche, Klangteppich.

Ok - I don’t like experimental and noise albums much - but I liked the mood this one created. I’d very much doubt I’d pick it up to give it another spin but I’m glad I listened to it.

weird but quite interesting 3

I just listened to my forty-somethingth late-90s british sophistipop album with a breakbeat under klezmer music for this list, so Throbbing Gristle was downright refreshing. This may be pure noise, and I may never put it on for casual listening (or even formal listening), but at least it has a place in music history and formalistically goes somewhere different. There are many much worse albums on this list with scads of high ratings which boil down to "my mates and I loved to hear this in the pub!" This album gets points for being challenging, different, and not britpop or triphop from the 90s.

Can defo see its influence. It’s a unique experience for sure but I don’t know how often I’d go back to it

I like challenging music, although sections of this doesn't seem very musical. Weeping was my favorite track. Might work on those oddball dreamscape playlists that I tend to make.

Personally this is not music I wanna listen to but I’m really glad I found out about them - they are legends for making this kind of music in ‘78

Throbbing Gristle were one of the pioneers of industrial music, and this album is interesting, from harsh experimental music, to tracks that reminded me of Tangerine Dream and Brian Eno.

It wasn't that bad. I could go a lifetime without ever hearing the band name again (just wanting to be hated out of the gate), but the actual "music" was definitely not the worst "noise album" I've heard.

The moment has come (742nd out of 1089) Actually, my curiosity in the overall worst-rated albums led me to 20 Jazz Funk Greats a while ago. The cover/album title remains one of my favourite musical jokes, the beatific smiles belying the horrors of songs like “Beachy Head”. I wasn't a big fan however, thus I wasn't in a huge rush to listen to D.O.A.. I noticed that while many artists on this list jump between genres and have jarring segues to the next track, TG almost weaponize that feature, giving the end of a track suspense as you wonder what disturbing sounds you’re in for next. On that note: “AB/7A”, maybe the most suspenseful moment on the album as it’s unexpectedly pleasant on the ears. Something I never considered before starting this challenge is the value of music that *disturbs*. On one hand, it's no surprise Throbbing Gristle is as unpopular as they are on this website. On the other, I've ended up liking a whole swath of albums on this list that are disturbing in some way or another. Neither The Young Gods, nor Skip Spence, nor Suicide nor Nine Inch Nails have easy listens on this list, yet they've also have some quality that made them worth it. Furthermore, recent works outside this list that have inspired me include Leland Kirby's Everywhere at the End of Time (which hits the listener with lengthy passages of unsettling noise), Scott Walker's The Drift*** (which also deals with graphic subject matter), heck even the very industrial Chernobyl: Music from the Original TV Series by Guðnadóttir (partly composed with noise from actual nuclear power plants). So why was this listen (at least somewhat) worth it? The most abrasive moments IMO come very early on in the album, with the worst offender, funny enough, being their single "United" sped up to a high pitched screech. (If you listen to the original version, it is funny that they'd destroy their own song like that). A reprise of "I.B.M." in the 2nd half might have killed this album for me. It's the quieter moments that made a stronger impression, with "Hometime", "Weeping", and "E-Coli" being dark, ambient moments that got under my skin much more than "IBM" or "Walls of Sound" did. A lot of bands were focused on how synthesizers could effectively substitute for orchestras, choirs or drum tracks, whereas T.G. were instead seemingly using them to transcribe their nightmares. Maybe this is too many words to spend talking about T.G., but it definitely tickled my imagination more than a lot of albums. I wish the album cover was almost anything else, though HL: “Hit by a Rock”, “Weeping”, “AB/7A”, "Hometime" April 15, 2024 ***I say inspired, yet I'd probably give that a 2/5 if going by my metric on this website. The palpable horror has diminishing returns after the halfway point

Very good for what it is. I don't know if I will ever listen to it again. But it was interesting to listen to. It reminded me a lot of Revolution 9

I remember throbbing gristle being one of those joke bands people mentioned in highschool. Needless to say they've stood up to their reputation. All in all a unique listen. 3/5.

Genuinely interesting. Creepy.

veit ekki með þetta. grauturinn reyndist ógeðfelldur. 3,5. á mögulega eitthvað inni.

Super interesting and different album, felt almost scary at times. Definitely an arty album but I enjoyed the uniqueness of it.

Avant garde was invented for this concept of an album. I’m still think ‘wot’ after listening. Sound engineering is amazing 7/10

Its a small but important distinction to note that it’s called 1001 Albums To Listen To Before You Die, not 1001 Albums To Enjoy Before You Die. Three stars.

Loved it!!

This is the worst album I heard Gi berish! An insult to my ears. It is below O

As far as experimental noise goes, I guess this wasn't too bad. Just not my bag. Also, super not a fan of that album cover. Super ick. I assure the site mod that it will not affect their numbers if they were to use the alternate cover that omits the inset image.

Es muy interesante el concepto, y a pesar de lo extravagante el resultado es bueno. Me llevo a reflexionar distintos temas mientras escuchaba el trabajo.

Veo esta portada y pienso que es un disco reciente. Que es una captura de alguien haciendo videoconferencia y se ve su propia imagen en formato vertical en la esquina inferior por ser con un smartphone. En las estanterías postureo de tecnología vintage. Qué equivocado toda mi precepción. El disco es música experimental-electrónica-ambient-ruido no creo qu tenga mucha aceptación pero a mí estas cosas suelen gustarme. El inicio con el sonido de un MODEM debió ser curioso para la gente en 1978, ahora supongo que vuelve a haber mucha gente que no sabe lo que es.

Brutal.

Unsettling

Art record. Industrial flow along with captured conversations.

Meh

Strange and evocative, more a loose collection of tones, voices, and thoughts than an album per se. Enjoyed my time with it but it's hard to say if anything stuck for longer than it took to listen to it.

Ambitious and interesting, but definitely also dated and pretentious.

Took some time to get into this one. Not a big ambient noise type person in my music but I turned around on it and can see myself listening in the future.

kinda ... throbby... 3 stars.

Feels like soundscapes. It feels like it influenced Radiohead, Thom York.

It is interesting to listen to!

Weird soundscape vibes. Interesting but hard to get into.

It’s really pretty good when you put on the right lenses. For the definitive album of the genre it works well.

They seem like a band who has garnered attention in part through doing deliberately controversial imagery (Nazi stuff, porn...) a tactic I don't find appealing. I do appreciate some of the sounds on this album, and the ever present experimentation. Not wholly convinced of its greatness after the first couple listens.

I'd much rather listen to 20 Jazz Funk Greats.

It was boxing day and I couldn't find a moment that seemed appropriate to put this on with the in laws around. I'm sorry. I'll come back to it I promise.

in 1978!!!! some respect deserved

Sigh. Not my thing. Really hard to listen to, giving it three stars because I’m not sure if it was actually bad, just not music I would ever listen too and just didn’t understand. But shoutout to all the art students who make weird experimental music. I might not like it but it’s definitely original

Abrasive and aggressive, this album really resonated with me. This is industrial noise, mechanical dissonance, loops that grind on your metal. In some ways, it's anti-musical in nature, but that's what I find so captivating about it as a whole. I can't say that I enjoyed listening to the whole album, but I am glad to have heard what it has to say.

Strangely compelling noise

At time of writing, this album has the second lowest rating on the website, very quickly I realise why. This is very far from mainstream music, I’m sure a lot of low score reviews will say this isn’t music. My view is this album is a challenging but rewarding listen, as it showcases the experimental nature and the wide-ranging sound of Throbbing Gristle. Some of the songs are more accessible, like “AB/7A”, which has a catchy groove and a hypnotic vocal. Some of the songs are more difficult, like “Home Time”, which features a distorted voice and a chaotic noise collage. But the album is different and genre-defining, as it inspired many artists in the industrial and electronic music scenes, such as Nine Inch Nails. I appreciate the adventurousness and the innovation of this album, but I don’t think I will revisit it often. It deserves to be in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, as it is a landmark of the industrial genre and a unique musical expression. I give it three stars out of five, mostly for its originality and influence.

This album had its intended effect - it challenged me to let down my guard and open myself up to something different and it surprised me. I can't really say that I ENJOYED it but I didn't hate or dislike it either. It kind of grew on me and I never felt like I wanted to fast forward to the next number hoping for something better. It wasn't really music as I would define it but rather artistically fashioned sounds with musical elements. At times the "soundscapes" were jarring or discordant but it wasn't just random noise, it was manipulated in such a way as to make it interesting. I don't know if this makes any sense but this album isn't really something you listen to, it's more like something you experience. I wouldn't actively choose to listen to this but I was intrigued by it and I don't think I'm any worse off for having heard it.

Ah….Throbbing Gristle…as art, or an artistic statement, this album a is 5/5. As a musical statement it’s a bit harder to assess. I definitely appreciate the desire to push the boundaries of music (and what can be considered music) as far as it will go and ‘D.o.A…’ does just that. It’s harsh and uncompromising, but there’s also a dark humour that runs through the album. It’s often very uncomfortable listening, and an effort to listen to in its entirety (which no doubt is the point). I like that it’s so dissonant and demands so much from the listener. Would I listen to this again? Probably not any time soon. Am I glad that I have though, and been challenged by something so avant-garde and experimental? That’s a big yes.

I can see why this is so lowly rated and the reviews are how they are. It pushes boundaries sometimes to the breaking point of conventional recorded material. I felt like I was having heart palpitations at certain points due to the noises.

Kova

Do I get what it’s going for? Yes. Do I respect what it’s going for? Yes. Do I even kinda like it in concept and sometimes in execution? Yes. Do I ever want to listen to it again? ……no.

Throbbing Gristle is a band that’s remembered more for their historical importance than by how well their music holds up. I do enjoy this album, but by modern standards it’s a quite average industrial/noise/experimental album. Still, well worth listening to

Chill men inte lika greppande som annan industrial ja hört

Detta e vel da verst ranka albumet på denna listo her, men eg sette i grunn pris på da. Har nok sammenheng med at eg hørte ein del på da i ungdommen, og at AB/7A e jævlig bra

At first, I thought I would really hate this album. The first song won me over about halfway through; but I still didn't love every song. Still a very cool album.

Experiments in noise.

I skipped through it. I liked the idea but couldn’t listen to it. It’s still better than Eric Clapton and Finley Quaye though

Throbbing Gristle Genre: Industrial 1978 3rd Listen: 2, 2.5 Standouts: AB/7A Others: Weeping, I.B.M., Hit by a Rock, Valley of the Shadow of Death, Walls of Sound Love the child porn calendar...they have balls. 3.5

64/100

A weird and wonderful listen but a touch outside the enjoyable zone

Dear god. I don’t know what to say. Anyway, this album which I’ll call DOA the Third is an industrial album? Experiment? Thing? The album cannot be described other than heavily distorted beats and/or very harsh, shriek-like ambient instrumentation. I can’t really describe it any more than that. It’s one or the other. Except for one track and I’ll get to it but firstly, Hamburger Lady is the most horrifying song I’ve ever heard, that has been made, and will ever exist. The songs starts off well enough with cryptic lyrics and a harsh if minimal beat that sounds like a car revving. However, the longer the track goes on, the more you begin to feel fear. The track describes the aftermath of a victim of a car crash, and it’s horrifying. The hazy vocals, the car beat, the fact that the word burned is repeated a lot of times. Even if you went into it blind like I did, you still feel fear. Dread. The melodic repeats of Hamburger Lady add to the dread as it feels out of place and it’s just so good. I don’t ever want to listen to this song again but it is a masterpiece. The next song, Hometime, is also horrifying but for less obvious reasons. The song is just a distorted beat over this recording of a young sounding girl. It’s sounds like she’s just messing around, doing whatever, but with the combination of the distorted beat and the previous track making me scared, I feel dread that something’s going to happen to this girl. Holy shit; how do they manage to get me this scared for two songs. However, the next track is a little happier. AB/7A is a synthy little track that’s just this up beat sounding synth and it’s just what you need after the two tracks. These three tracks are the highlights for making me scared and also making me feel better after those two other ones. This ambitious and experimental record is straight genius and I don’t know how they do it. But, the original release did apparently contain child pornography in the form of a calendar insert, so I’m going to deduct point. Also, that is completely true, a calendar was included that contained photos of a kid on a bed in a calendar thing. It was dropped from later presses but I can’t rate it too high considering this fact. Still, I liked it. I’d give it a 6/10 all in all.

Hard to listen to, BUT it succeeds in painting a mood, a scenery, an unpleasant feeling. Unrelenting in its rhythms and screams and blabbering. + Hit By A Rock + Dead On Arrival + Weeping + Hamburger Lady + Hometime (reminded me of Starfox Adventures and something else)

This album is wild and definitely way out there at the edge of anything I normally listen to. Even though my ears are not used to anything resembling this when it comes to my usual musical tastes, I can admire what they were doing here in terms of challenging expectations, going against convention, etc.

Horrible to listen to, but historically interesting. I don't even really know how to properly rate this.

I found this to be a challenging listen, but I also found it to be rewarding and very interesting.

It will never become my favourite album, but I don't have these feelings of hatred this seems to flame in some others in the reviews here. In the afterwaves of Punk, several new forms of music emerged. In Britain it was mostly the post-punk and in the US it was the art-rock that came about. But from around the years between 77 and 82 the whole music scene around the world found new ways to express itself. Restless, experimental, searching for new boundaries. And Throbbing Gristle is no exception. It really feels these are visual artists that try and put their ideas to music. Disturbing, bleak ideas. With imagery to match. And inadvertently lay the foundation that would later become a million selling music-style dubbed Industrial, named after Throbbing Gristle's own record label. A highly influential album, and something that's not supposed to be pretty, but made to disturb you. And that's probably why this is never going to be anything other than divisive. My wife on the other hand was physically relieved when I turned the album off though.

Not very easy listening, but enjoyable.

Highlights: "Walls of Sound," "Weeping" There's a fair amount of range, more than you'd expect of a group that calls itself 'experimental' or 'avant garde'. We definitely hear some of Eno here with the gliss touches and sour ambience. 1978 is probably the earliest we're going to get for this use of rhythmic noise, or at least the use of this timbral palette to express this morbid and devastated mood. This was not what people like Daphne Oram or Tom Dissevelt were going for. It is truly and deeply edgy. The purest musical and sociopolitical expression of someone climbing up the walls and snapping their fingernails off in the bricks to fall back to the bottom. And now what. Musically, I'd prefer the people they influenced, Depeche Mode or NIN or even Xiu Xiu, ten times out of ten.

Cool for what it is, a la Suicide, and I'll probably never listen to it again

Experimental

Interesting early instrumental/electronic album

Hard to rate this one... It's for sure music for an art installation at a modern art museum. A dark room, weird video, crazy dancing, or maybe a mechanical clock shortly turning as someone fixes a lift. +1 for the band name.

I dig it. this speaks to the robot in me.

Hamburger Lady is a true masterpiece. I appreciate this as an art piece, but not really a regular listening kind of thing.

Je sais pas quoi en penser. Intriguant comme noise, clairement avant-gardiste, mais trop purement noise pour mon goût, manquait de musicalité.

Some cuts on this record are quite enjoyable, but some others are almost unlistenable for me. I feel I didn't completly get this thing, but on the other hand I didn't dislike it at all.

I prefer '20 Jazz Funk Greats' for its humor and diversity, but a Throbbing Gristle record is always a dark cacophony. Favorite track: 'E-Coli'

This has its moments I guess

Throbbing Gristle is funny as hell. Oooo look at this ART. Do you see how ARTSY we are? Let's mumble incoherent nonsense over a track of somebody having sex with a tuning fork - truly the MODERN Mona Lisa. Let's dedicate a track to a young kid speaking about god knows what for 4 minutes because that's what BEETHOVEN did. Man, fuck these guys. ... Strong 3/5. Has some cool ideas, I'll definitely return to this one in the future.

Maybe being 525 albums in has prepped me for this kind of thing. Maybe it has made be grateful for it not being late 60s/early 70s rock. Either way, I kind of got into it.

Wow. Proto-industrial and I liked it a lot more than I thought that I would. That said, the bar was pretty low.

I think this album broke me similar to how "Everywhere At the End of Time" did. I think it's akin to watching a horror movie on acid. I'm not going to pretend I enjoyed it, or even liked it, but it made me feeling something. Mounting dread. Horror. But that's what it's going for, isn't it? Favorite(?) track: "E-Coli"

Es muy oscuro y ruidoso, no es una escucha agradable, es muy pero que muy interesante pero hasta ahí. Se escuchan ruidos de fondo, sinteticos, gritos y muchas otras cosas extrañas. Grabaciones de voces se ponen encima de otros ruidos y eso es una canción. Es impresionante que esto halla salido antes del 80, ya había escuchado un disco de ellos pero pienso que era un poco más, musical, esto es pura experimentación. Me recuerda a la música concreta. Como album no me gusta, como experimento musical y revolución, es de lo más único que he escuchado. Es bizarro distorcionado e industrial. En conclusión, un disco raro y muy adelantado a su epoca Canciones Favoritas: (A medias) - Dead On Arrival - AB/7A - Blood on The Floor ⭐ - E- Coli 3/5 Nunca escuchen música industrial antes de 1980

It was very ok

HAAaamMBUUURrgerr LAAAaaddyYy Dark but playful soundscapes that I had fun picking through Reminds me of a New Wave film but in an album Weeping is really sad but pretty AB/7A has unsung lyrics but don't look them up unless you want to ruin your day I think outsider art is interesting in general Probably won’t listen to it again any time soon

Very strange. I like odd recordings like this, though I don't know this is one I would listen to often. I read that one of the band members went on to form Psychic TV, which makes a lot of sense. Knowing that, I really want to give a second listen in a much quieter environment; probably lots of hidden aural treats.

Interesting as an art piece, but as an album I'd ever return to? Nah. The sound design is pretty insane though so I'm giving it points for that.

"Not as unlistenable as I had expected!" —Cover quote I think track 5, "Dead on Arrival", is the one that really solidifies what this album is trying to do. This is when the previously-ungraspable mixing board of sounds coalesces into something melodic, in its own way. The difficulty is, sitting at nearly ten minutes in, it's all too easy to have already checked out by the time it starts up. Yeah, weird one to rate. I didn't hate it. But if I wanted to listen to music, I'd still go with any of the albums I one-starred before I opted for this.

I like me some experimental nonsense, so I found this an engaging enough listen, but nothing really wowed me. Fave track - "We Hate You (Little Girls)" is delightfully deranged!

Its basically impossible to rate. Where do I even start? As art house albums go, its both amazing and shite.

Well... that was a thing. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I don't know if I want to listen again. It was probably innovative and unique at the time, but it's a bit dull to listen to now. I've just listened to their modern work, and found it much more interesting. It's still borderline art/bullshit, mind.

I'm quite surprised this is tagged as Industrial....seems more experimental avant garde ambient. Yea we're 400 albums in - I can invent genres. It's fucking out there....but not unlistenable to me. Definitely see the inclusion of this one before a second album by the Verve or an eighth album by Elvis Costello. Not dying to spin this again, but glad to at least experience it.

Terrible at the start, but it was ok in the middle.

Fell asleep and it gave me weird dreams

There's a fine line between music, creativity and pointless noise. This seems to an album of interludes.

I tried.... but no. +1 for being pioneering....

não é minha vibe, experimental ate demais

That was pretty out there, but I've definitely heard worse things.

Critics who made this list seem to like dissonance and noise. This album had some great use of effects, but otherwise I didn't find much I would want to hear a second time.

I was in the perfect head space for this. 4/10 ….. it sucked but had moments where I could almost hear “the other”- the music in my mind that goes over the top of it.

Wouldn’t listen again, interesting but a tough listen.

historically significant and hard to listen to

A deliberately uneven record that has a handful of captivating moments but doesn’t do enough to reward the effort it demands.

It's not that bad... At least it was ahead of its time and innovative. I think.

Sunku pasakyt kad patiko. Kelios dainos buvo raminančios, todėl duodu du.

this pushes the boundaries of what could be considered music. its deserves its place on the list but it isnt something im keen to revisit

Here’s the thing: I don’t want to be like the rubes that say there’s nothing redeeming here. It’s an album full of interesting and even pioneering sounds. M Nor do I aim To be like the snobs that say this is high art—I thought the hipsters of the early 2010s were pretentious but y’all take the cake. That being said, this album presents a collection of tracks that are alternately extremely unpleasant, wildly confusing, and vaguely bearable. Being influential doesn’t make you good.

too many funny noises what is this

How do I even rate this

I expected worse since this is the single worst rated album on this site, but it was thankfully not that bad. It's just normal bad.

didn’t love it. Not my thing. But not, like, TERrible

The two things I can really say about this are: 1) I was able to identify this as music, and 2) it wasn't the most irritating album I've listened to. (1.5)

This was uncomfortable. I didnt listen as much as I was exposed to it and disturbed.

Well, not as bad as I thought. Some noise stuff was definitely worse. It's not my thing, but at least it's listenable. Kid Rock was worse.

This surprisingly was not the worst album that I’ve listened to. It wasn’t great, but I did listen to the whole thing (unlike some of my 1 star ratings that I found too awful to complete). I thought “Dead on Arrival” and “AB/7A” were interesting.

Yeah I mean it’s brilliant. But I did not enjoy listening to it.

This is one of those "I'm not mad, just disappointed" situations. This album isn't bad, it's just dumb. There isn't any reason for it to exist, nor is there any reason for it to be on this list. It serves no purpose and therefore I can't really hate it. The exception being "AB/7A", that was actually alright. It's like Throbbing Gristle screwed up and put an actual musical song on the album.

Interesting conceptually but not really very interesting musically.

3/10 Good grief, this week I've been getting all of the controversial albums - with this one by Throbbing Gristle being the lowest rated on the entire site. To reiterate my thoughts on similar albums that push the boundaries between "noise" and "music": Do I consider this music rather than a random assortment of sounds? It's heavy on the avant garde spectrum, but yeah, sure, why not - especially since the band itself calls this music. Do I find this music appealing? Eh... There's not much here to grasp on to or to draw me in - no real hooks or nice beats or anything. It's extraordinarily abstract. Then again, it IS listenable, and I kind of enjoy some of the sounds, so I don't think it deserves 1 star.

A bit crap really

It made me realize that music like this can exist. Some tracks, like Dead on Arrival, are oddly catchy, though not something I would return to often.

For what it is... It's objectively good. Maybe good is a strong word, let's land on interesting. I've said before experimental music is lost on me and this is def someone's college art thesis.

Considering this has the lowest global average of any album on site, I was mildly disappointed by how abrasive it wasn’t. Just a lot of post-rock sounding field recordings and sound collages over gentle instrumentals. I actively enjoyed AB/7A and went back for a second listen of the whole thing. I can understand why people wouldn’t enjoy it but I don’t really get why it’s so much more hated than stuff that actually hurt my ears or bored me to tears.

I respect this album more than I like it. I can appreciate what it did for Industrial music and tape loops and all that, however, I don't want to listen to it again. Weeping was a highlight for me though. 4/10

Challenging, and probably not an album to listen to for the first time at 8am on a Friday when you have a deadline this afternoon. Still, the through-lines to modern industrial and even lofi acts like GBV are there. Probably something I'll return to, but for now, mid 2s.

💢💢

zzzz muy raro

3/10

Tout pourri mais pourquoi pas pour déclencher un Bad Trip

c'est de la musique industrielle et il faut de tout pour faire un monde hein

Pov : t'es en vocal et Léo/Basile prime veut pas s'arrêter pas de parler Qq trucs horribles mais qq trucs que j’ai apprécié donc pas un 1

Well, that was interesting. The kind of thing I feel like I would normally like but just didn't work for me.

They got as far as saying "I bet you could make music with weird experimental sounds" but never bothered to actually do it. The tracks with vocals are the worst part of this, and I'm not usually an instrumental sorta person. Maybe one or two tracks of vague British sounds run through a spooky filter would be interesting but they keep dipping back into that tainted well. I don't hate this - it's not just a series of stupid noises like a lot of the reviews say - but I certainly don't like it. I'm only rounding this up to a 2 because it came out in 1978, when this would have actually been something new. If this came out today it would be an immediate 1.

Als een album omschreven word als "A nauseating masterpiece" dan weet je al dat dit een perféct album is voor de maandag! Oortjes in, geluid op maximaal en we gaan hier eens even goed voor zitten! Nee zonder grappen, ik ben best benieuwd hiernaar, het eerste nummer is ontzettend onheilspellend en zorgt er wel voor dat ik benieuwd ben naar de rest. Maar eerlijk gezegd als er staat industrial pioneers dan weet ik al wel dat dit zeer waarschijnlijk niet helemaal mijn ding gaat zijn. Maar wie weet zit ik er compleet naast! ik probeer hier met een open vizier in te duiken! Nou, de eerste 3 a 4 nummers zijn een soort intro, en even denk ik zelfs "zo erg kan het niet zijn toch?" En eigenlijk valt het een beetje mee. Het voelt als een onheilspellend album, ook gecombineerd met de cover. En dit is absoluut geen album dat ik snel nog eens zal luisteren, maar rond nummer 6 denk ik toch voornamelijk "Is dit alles?" Misschien klapt het er nog eens op, maar het is een ongemakkelijk album met de spoken word, maar nog niets wat me actief dit album laat haten. Ik vind het een beetje saai? Had hier echt wat meer van verwacht. Merk dat ik zelfs liever een noiserock album had gehad na een tijdje, want er gebeurd gewoon niet zo heel veel... Nou, dit was een kort album, maar ik zou dit toch een beetje Blauwe Ballen - Het album noemen. De hele tijd is er een soort van dreiging die uitgaat van de sfeer en de muziek, maar eigenlijk is het album opeens ook afgelopen en blijf je een beetje achter van "Was dat het???" Ik verwachtte eigenlijk een explosie van geluid, niet 1 nummer dat een soort synthpop vibeje is? Verdomme, nooit gedacht dat ik zou balen als ik een album lang geen noiserock zou horen, maar hier zijn we dan toch aanbeland. 1001 lijst, wat dóe je met me? FAVO: AB/7A

Hits the same way pretty much all industrial music does for me - the discomfort they’re going for is there, but just seems pretentious and boring.

Interesting.

This was just noise interspersed periodically with something that resembled music.

This is the side of alternative that is too much electronica for me.

Okay, so this wasn't as challenging as the reviews had it hyped up to be. Honestly I wish it had more cacophonous noise. I feel I have received less cacophonous noise than what was advertised. There were some intriguing bops, like IBM, Dead on Arrival, and AB/7A. I was perplexed and unnerved but could bob to the melody. I didn't like the vocal tracks and found them to be more irritating than unnerving. I feel like it almost worked for Weeping, but I didn't like any of the other ones. Hamburger Lady really accurately mimicked the feeling of my nighttime solitary anxiety attacks, which is something. The entire way through this, especially the latter half, made me feel deep bodily anxiety. Really interesting stuff. I'd revisit IBM, DOA, and AB/7A, but I could leave the rest. Wasn't expecting to get Gristled less than a month into the project, but here we are.

Je zaujímavé vypočuť si to aspoň raz. Bavilo ma to viac, ako mnoho iných popularnejsich hudobníkov, ale u mňa je to len za 2.

Much anticipated and now it is there. Too be honest it is a bit disappointing, I expected it to be worse. Of course it is noisy but not unbearable. I definitely prefer it to Celine Dion.

133/1001 First listen. Reading the reviews this sounds like it’s going to be a one time listen. I could see some of this as interludes between more normal tracks but a whole album of this? I don’t know why you would listen again. It would make a good soundtrack I suppose. 4/10

It's mostly noise. AB/7A was a nice little groove, but that's the closest thing to an actual song. Still, the 1001 has delivered Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit, and I can't rate this as low as those abominations.

I was both concerned and intrigued going into D.o.A… I mean, how could I not be? The lowest-rated LP on this site ought to be a uniquely awful experience – perhaps even a “so bad it’s good” kind of album. I was fully prepared for something unforgettable, for better or for worse. In that regard, I came out of D.o.A feeling a bit underwhelmed. Listen… I don’t think it’s great, but is it the worst album on this list? I’d argue that it isn’t – it might not even be in the bottom five. At the same time, it’s not very accessible, so I sort of get why it has the lowest average rating. I’d be lying if I said I enjoyed listening to most of these tracks, but there are a handful of songs that I could at least picture working in the right context (like a video game or film soundtrack). I wish the surrounding album was just as consistent, but what can you do? I try to keep my ratings fairly subjective and not take influence into account (considering every album here is supposed to be somewhat influential), but I feel like have to give Throbbing Gristle a couple of brownie points for helping shape the industrial genre. Highlights: Dead on Arrival, AB/7A, E-Coli

Sounds like a haunting radio transmission from an alternate earth o e dimension over...like maybe you aren't supposed to be hearing it. It's a wildly influential record in industrial music, but not for casual listening, that's for sure.

Not an easy listen is it? Some bits are really cool and I can definitely see how a track like E-Coli was foundational in allowing bands like Mogwai come through and do what they do, but ultimately too much of it sounds like filler tracks you would put between songs on an album, without enough of the actual songs for it to go between

Well, that was something atleast.

I feel like I would really love this if I lived ontop of the motherboard and I was trying to here what happens in the real life like a fever dream🥲one day

God this sucked. Bonus star for not being jazz.

I won't be listening to this album again. It is interesting, but I can see whyso many people hate it. You have to be VERY open minded for this album. I can't see a situation where I will happily put this album on for a casual listen, but if you're trying to see how far away from traditional music an album can get, this is it.

Some interesting noises.

I will give this 2 stars just out of spite. Unique and influential offering, however barely listenable, but still this is one of the very few hommages to Musique Concrete movement on this list.

Formless, structureless music is just not for me. I can imagine industrial being fun, but this is not it. It’s not like this album made my day worse. It was mostly chill and inoffensive. I definitely appreciate the creativity that goes into creating something like this, but it doesn’t resonate with me, unfortunately. I was just bored.

Well, it finally happened. In the same week as I got Thriller, too. I mean I'm not going to doubt the influence or impact of this, but I also don't like to rate on that. I prefer to rate on how much I enjoy listening to it. Unfortunately this album was basically an experiment in "how little enjoyment can we force the listener to have". I'm very glad that the whole thing was not like I.B.M. (that was a little too abrasive). I can respect the sheer gall of releasing this and it sure as hell isn't boring even if I didn't particularly enjoy it. "Oh you like music? Name every sound." Throbbing Gristle: well Also my cat seems to be very confused. He normally doesn't care when I play loud music but this one has him at full attention for some reason.

* only listened to 1/2 of but intended to go back and finish today Fav: weeping 1.5/5

This is... art... but not really enjoyable music.

I hate this. Thank god it's over. It got slightly better at times, but I will definitely never listen to this again.

I don’t listen to Industrial music as much as I did in my younger days back in the 90s, but it’s still in the rotation. When this album came up, I was excited to finally check out Throbbing Gristle. Unfortunately, however influential and ground breaking this was in the 70s, I just couldn’t connect with it. Happy with the music that was birthed from it, but this is not for me.

I didn't hate it and there were even parts I kinda enjoyed. Still not my cup of tea

It wasn't awful, but not something I would ever listen to again and at times a bit of a drag to get through.

The problem with rating things with whole numbers out of 5 is that it struggles to capture the nuance of the score. I can certainly understand why it would be rated 1/5 en masse using this scoring system, but it certainly isn't the worst on the list. That said, I don't think there is anything on here worth revisiting, and (not that it should influence the rating of the music), hard to ignore the album cover looks like a photo in the Epstein files.

Not nearly as rough as expected from the universal reviews. It’s not something I’ll put on to listen to, but I get what they were building

This one was hard to get into. Cool I guess that they were so out of the norm, but I couldn’t really get into any song. Some were just noise and I’m pretty sure there was a whole track of people just talking in the background.

There's not much here but it's pretty inoffensive, just a noise record, surprised this is the lowest record of them all

Very very strange but fascinating

Did not get it

Awful.

poor production quality. most songs seem to be random sound effects strung together with nonsensical, often indecipherable lyrics (although many are just instrumentals). this was painful to get through to be honest.