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

Oh, this is an album that a friend once said not to listen to in the dark. Evolving from performance art group Coum Transmissions, Throbbing Gristle were an early electronic/noise/industrial band, once labelled as the wreckers of civilisation. Often wilfully perverse (for the accelerated version of the single United), this is an album that combines electronica with electrical noise and found vocals. Very influential, and part of the great flowering of experimental music that came in the wake of the punk explosion.

This is the quirky weirdness I live for! :) I enjoyed it as a collage of noises and found sounds, I feel like they did precisely what they set out to do. I couldn't say I'll listen to this daily, but I'm glad to have heard it and will dig into their discography properly :)

Blood-curdling, audacious, unforgettable! Some of these tracks sound straight out of a horror movie, Hamburger Lady particularly lingers in the mind long after the album finishes. Not everyone will click with the dark, noisy style of this album, but thank goodness it clicked for me.

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

Imponerende lydeksperimenter og atmosfærer, men det ramte ikke rigtig plet for mig

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.

This is very obviously not music. In it's defence I don't think it ever tries to be, instead it's more of an auditory art installation. I'm only going to give it more than one star because it technically fits the bill of this whole exercise. You should definitely listen to this at least once and make your own mind up.

Not my thing…I like weird stuff but this didn’t land for me

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.

Gelijk een straffe binnenkomer. Flink experimenteel, rare industriële geluiden, af en toe wat muziek. Ook wel divers en best sfeervol. Het doet me denken aan de experimentele stukjes van Pink Floyd

Just noise.

Based on what I knew about this album beforehand this was not as bad as I expected this to be going in. However, most of the decent parts on this are balanced out with sections of droning sounds and skits.

Sounds like a middle school band attempting to be edgy

industrial noises, ominous voices, moments of bliss

It is a very interesting album.

I can totally understand why this wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, but it happens to be mind. There's definitely a range of quality in the record, but overall it's a brave experiment in sound; just enough textures, noise, ambience, and danceable rhythm to be pleasing, as well as impressive. I hear a lot of bands I love in Throbbing Gristle’s second LP Highlights: “Hit By a Rock”, “Dead On Arrival”, “AB/7A”, “Blood On The Floor”

Umm, no.

<<<< the Beatles Fuck people who record bullshit then have the audacity to release it and charge actual money for it. I can't tell if the positive reviews I saw for this are a joke because they describe things that simply are not on this album, like music, for instance. This would be zero stars if I could do that

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

The pioneers of industrial music did not perfect industrial music. I would argue that it's not even good industrial music. It was bearable, but just barely. Once again, the algorithmic generated playlist that started after the album ended was better than the album, haha. This is the point though, I am doing this project to improve my algorithm.

Połowa utworów brzmi jakby jest nagrał R2DR, druga jakby komuś się dyktafon włączył w kieszeni. Szum, chaos, dezorganizacja i dezintegracja. Ja lubię dziwne rzeczy, ale ludzie tego nie da się słuchać! Nie obchodzi mnie, że to wielka płyta jest, nabawiłam się przez nią dźwiękowstrętu. 1.5/10

YIKES

Novelty levels of atrocious

Some of this I dont even think could qualify as music but I feel richer for having listened to it.

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.

Industrial = absolutely no musical talent whatsoever

Tried to give it a fair shake but it’s borderline unlistenable.

If you are fan of bleeps, boops, clangs, indecipherable background dialogue and ambient noises, this is your album!!!!

70's industrial music. It's definitely different for that time, and now I would say. I'm not a huge fan of industrial, and this is rough around the edges. I give props for being different and creating something unique, but I can't go past a 2 here. Difficult to digest. I like later groups, no doubt influenced by this group, but I probably won't listen to this again.

Just not my thing.

Another inexplicable “must listen” trash album that makes me get on my knees and thank God that I didn’t pursue music journalism or criticism as a profession and have to fawn over shite like this. What a waste of time. Zero stars.

Interesting industrial music, will have to try more of this genre

What in the world?!

Synthetic, dissonant, weird spoken word

so scary. hamburger lady is terrifying. I don’t like this. at all. really bad first impression for this website. really horrible and awful. I’m genuinely scared. who put this on the list because they are disturbed.

It’s certainly not like anything else I’ve ever listened to. Credit where it’s due there. I am curious how they made this. It’s groundbreaking, so good for them. I have no idea how to rate this. It’s a challenging listen but it’s more interesting than some of the throwaway post-rock or Britpop I’ve been presented with. That could also be me being dishonest with myself, because ultimately I have to pull a ‘Trout Mask Replica’ and say that I am not enlightened enough to enjoy this. I do have a feeling that evangelists for this album have a different attitude towards music than me, to put it diplomatically. I’m glad I listened to it, but I won’t revisit and will be skeptical towards anyone who puts this on the aux.

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

I really try to be open to experimental music, but this just doesn't feel like music at all, does it?

This is a very difficult decision, in terms of how to actually rate this album. There is something oddly captivating about this album. While the tracks themselves are not really music at all for the most part, you seem to be drawn to it and just listen more intently than something that is more enjoyable but can be ingested with a more distracted mind. As a musical album, this would easily get a 1/5 but then again, as an experience from start to finish, I would be more inclined to give it a 3.5 or even a 4/5. Good: Weeping (Weirdly calming, especially the plucking sounds), E-Coli (Nice long drawn out strings - Favourite "Track") Weird: Hit by a Rock (Comforting Strumming), Dead on Arrival (Semblance of Music, almost like a single splices of a full song with the rest muted.), Hometime (Almost a Yin and Yang of the ominous tones, and child dialogue balancing each other.), We Hate you - Little Girl (Jesus Christ) Meh: IBM (Annoying Shattering Noise), Valley of the Shadow of Death (Just a conversation). Would I ever listen to this again, no but I would definitely recommend it to others who have not heard it yet.

Didn't take much from it. Some of the songs reminded me of Ross trying to show off his keyboard playing skills.

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.

On the matter of D.O.A.: The Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle, this album is important to the development of industrial and experimental music, but I'll wager it's not a frequent-flyer for many. The album serves as a blueprint for sonic sabotage and other provocations; as such, it's more instructive than enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, there are enough tracks that are obviously musical in some way that you'll experience a pull as well as a push. The question every listener will ask themselves — whether consciously or not — is this an experience I reject or enjoy overall? You can't ride the line of neutrality for very long. Sooner or later, your ears will make the call.

There are a lot of words I could use to describe this album, but "music" is not one of them

Ha, and to think I took a week off of this list because it was starting to seem like a chore and then this is the first album I get back. This isn't music and it's infuriating to listen to. At least I can turn it off after 2 songs. 0.5/10 (0.25/5)

I was prepared for some weird an abrasive stuff, but what I got was not as bad as what I thought it would be. There was some interesting experimentation going on and it reminded me a bit of some tool songs, the death threats answering machine, some dark sound loop songs. Not super bad in the end. Compared to Einsturzede Neubaten this is a stroll in the park, therefore I can't give it 1 star. I won't listen to it again, but for a record made in the 70s, it was ahead of it's time.

What crap is this

50 #61 of working through the 1001 Albums list This might be too avant-garde for my taste, it is just noise..I'm not saying it's bad, it's just not to my taste, this is very much a piece of art and I'll probably never listen to it again. I do like the sampling of keys and computer sounds but the conversations are a little unsettling at times. I think there is something unique here but it's not what I'm looking for when I listen to music, this is a once listen but never again situation. I have no idea how to rate this, so I'm give it a 2 (basing it solely on how enjoyable it was to listen to). Standouts: Dead on Arrival, Hamburger Lady, AB/7A

Very eerie and unsettling Not much singing or human voice mostly noises, some of which sounded like a dentist drill or squeaky violin. Probably would not listen again.

not music is it

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

That was awful. Nothing redeemable.

0/5. Hated every second of this WTF. I get the experimental, what is music, flow of this…but compared to MUSIC?! Nothing here.

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.

Classic industrial. Love how weird and non-musical it's willing to get. Hugely influential on the genre too.

Creative at least? Idk this is barely even music, more like a collection of random sounds. I appreciate them pushing the boundaries with this, but there is no reason for me to ever want to listen through this album again.

Nice

Not a fan thumbs down

fucking awful

OK, I generally like industrial and electronic music, and am even pretty happy with most random ambient stuff... and weird music... but... This isn't really very coherent. I suppose that's the point, but if I think I'll never listen to something again, and am only listening to it because of the 1001, it just can't get a very high rating. Two stars because they are earnest.

1978 feels quite early for this kind of record. While I appreciate there are all kinds of music out there, and this certainly could be a fitting soundtrack for a horror movie or Twin Peaks, I hardly think it is an album you must listen to before you die. ‘Weeping’ was really on to something but in the end it’s too much noise ans incoherence, and just overall bad sounding - as with the rest of the album. Ironically I listened to the remastered record but it’s probably one of the worst sounding albums I’ve ever heard. 0/10.

Recognized this from the "Global lowest rated albums", unsurprisingly it's an industrial music record. This really isn't for me. I get that it pushed the boundaries of what music actually is and sampling done in the 70s is very different from what it is today. But it just isn’t an interesting or pleasant listen. All of it was not bad though. AB/7A and E-coli had a pretty cool electronic synth vibe. Groundbreaking it probably was but not something I would want to listen to. Doesn’t make me question how it can be rated highly, which for many 1 star albums I often do. It must be a 1 star from me still.

Listened to this a number of times, feels like a true art project and I guess that’s why I enjoy it. It’s both intellectual and completey pedestrian all at once.

Wreckers of civilization, transgressive performing artists exposing the dark side of human civilization, Throbbing Gristle. This album is supposed to make people uncomfortable. Mission successful, well done!

Overall: 1/10 Sometimes people will discuss music and say "oh it's just a bunch of noise it's not actually music" and 99.9% of the time I argue with that statement. This is just a bunch of noise, it's not actually music. A sound collage? Sure, I'll give you that. Whatever it is, it's straight up trash. Fav Song: None of them Least Fav Song: All of them

Why is this even on the list. This isn’t music.

Cool that it’s old

Yet again, and album thats actually interesting gets terrible reviews on here. This one isn't even that noisy? It's barely noisy at all it just has "found" sounds. I thought it was fairly impressive. A bit too like trying to be edgy for the sake of it, but still worth listening to.

Most of it is just random sounds. I couldn't get through the album without my brain hurting. Sliding through most of the songs told me enough.

it's experimental, I got it

Weird one. Not much lyrics

n.l.

come on

This album made me pro-9/11. I hate the west for allowing this album to happen.

HATED almost the entire album, then severely fucked with AB/7A. So what I’m saying is get this album off the fucking list and replace it with the one below. Anyways, go listen to Stay Ugly EP by crim3z if u thought this was stoopid except AB/7A. It’s a 5 song album. Here’s the link to it on Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/album/4SdrdBBRHRo1CL6u3vJrR7?si=uom9S52oTG6Ok3d2HcQKzA

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.

industrial rock deez nuts

Difficult to listen to and straining my ears with noise, blips, feedback, guitar distortion, fragments of conversations.making up an Industrial album.

Weird and kinda cool. I would probably never listen to it again though.

41 minutes of random noises.

This is weird and kinda disturbing

Objectively, this is a rough listen, and understandable on why it’s the lowest album. I’m going a 2, because there were a few enjoyable songs, and also, there are elements in this album, that I’ve heard influence bands, 10, 20 years on.

What the hell is this album?! It's just a bunch of random sounds smashed together, which were not pleasant and also upset my dog. I couldn't even listen to it all the way through, it was that painful. I would give it a zero if it was an option.

terrible

Something that I like about this album is that today I found a new thing I hate.

oops i like this

If you’re expecting a four-man rock band, of course this doesn’t sound like music. Taken as eerie horror movie ambience, it’s excellent. Despite trying to not like this I found it intriguing and entertaining the whole time.

I feel although I am being brainwashed. This entire album is like the intro to a plausible piece of audio one could call "music", but it never ends the intro phase.

In a way, I didn’t want to enjoy this album. But I did, and in a way, that makes me kinda sad

pretty inoffensive. the semi naked child on the album cover on the other hand...

This is one of the lowest rated in the whole project but I've been looking forward to it. This album gets mentioned in the reviews of other albums, usually in the context of, no matter how shitty an album is it's not as bad as Throbbing Gristle. I get it. This is not the type of album that appeals to the masses. I'm 3 listens in and this thing is a creative masterpiece. If more tracks were like AB/7A it would be in regular rotation. I know I'll probably never listen to this again, but today this album is pure brilliance.

At the time I received this album, it was the lowest user rated entry out of the 1089 albums on this list--that is absolutely wild to me. I get that this is not melodic at all, but it isn't abrasive or all that challenging. It's honestly incredibly pleasant even as a background record. Subsequent listens are more rewarding as well. I know this isn't for everyone, but it's interesting and unique in the context of the majority of this list. And there is some absolute garbage on here that should not be rated higher than this album.

Is this what was called Industrial in the early days? This was after Kraftwerk too? I don't know. I'm giving it 2 stars simply for being so daring, especially for 1978. But I can't agree with it being a must listen.

As far as fax machine noises interspersed with random conversation clips goes, this is the cream of the crop, but as far as gristles go, this one is more flaccid than throbbing. 2 viagra pills out of 5

I hate experimental music

Interesting sounds, but not super listenable

Hit by a roooooock!!!!

it was something..

++: 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

The opposite of the Holy Grail for this site. Deserving of the lowest rating.

First ever listen. Bloody loved this.

Dafuq

De to første låtene var grusomme, resten var det mulig å lytte til uten at det ga mer stjerner.

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.

Experimental for sure and I can hear the origins of industrial dance music that I love only with no pay off. Every song feels like the beginning of song that is about to kick ass.

Thoughts I had while listening to this: "Finally, the perfect soundtrack for a lazy Sunday" "Wasn't this featured on 'NOW That's What I Call Music 32'?" "That riff just kind of tunnels its way into your brain, doesn't it?" I don't know, man. I want to be the kind of music lover that can appreciate this. I was so excited to check out an album I'd literally never heard of before that enough critics thought worthy of a list (even one as big as 1,001 albums.) But I didn't appreciate this on any level. I'm guessing it's hugely influential and there are artists I adore who were completely turned on by this. I can imagine this being a foundational record for Aphex Twin, Autechre, Whitney Houston. Oh, not Whitney Houston. Who am I thinking of? (That being said, I listened to '20 Jazz Funk Greats' and there was some actually great stuff on there.)

To be honest this is a pretty interesting sound collage. No different than you'd find on The Beatles Revolution 9 or Tom Waits Bone Machine or Radiohead's Kid A. People giving this album 1 star are just doing it to fit in. Give it an honest listen.

Don't like noise.

This album is weird, very experimental. I found the sound effects to be distracting.

Industrial music is not my thing and this is a particular distasteful example.

Really pushing the definition of music. Lowwww 2.

Horrible noise. Whoever signed this band should have been fired immediately!

I do like to think I'm open minded, but this is not music. It is a soundscsape. A soundscape that made me too bored to finish.

Meaningless noise.

Industrial grinding, ambient sounds, and snippets of conversation / audio from technical recordings. Hard to imagine anyone genuinely enjoying this. I can imagine people being inspired by it though. I’m sure there were artists who heard this and thought “Oh okay, cool, we’re doing that now? I’ve got an idea for that sound.” But this album feels too abstract and formless to listen to in any sort of everyday context. Okay “AB/7A” is a real surprise! It sounds like some modern, synth-y indie. It would sound at home on an MGMT album. I wish there was more like this!

Some interesting stuff in here but for the most part it doesn't move me very much. "Hamburger Lady" is probably the best track and it's meditative and calming in a way. I really hated how at 3:48 we get a familiar synthetic sound but it's volume is maxed out, right around 20 seconds before the song ends. What's the point of that? The album is certainly abrasive, and I have always appreciated edgy and abrasive music, but it feels a bit cheap to craft a song that's somewhat interesting and calming but then have it throw a random punch at you at the end. "Hometime" after that was a bit of a head scratcher too, but the album I felt was saved slightly by "AB/7A", which sounds like indie videogame music. I would have really loved if this album had a bit of both this kind of sound blended with the industrial grating. The album ender "Blood on the Floor" was a cool punk track. Blend more of that in with the rest!

Les pires 41 minutes de ma vie, et j'ai fait le Vietnam.

P-Orridge is v horrible, and Throbbing Gristle's excursion into violence and disturbance, particularly on the harrowing 'Hamburger Lady,' is not exactly experimental music w/o reason but it is a trial in horror w/o uplift. I prefer the electronic minimalism of a band like Suicide, and if I were looking for a noisy affair, give me the free jazz of Archie Shepp and Cecil Taylor, the discordant blues of Captain Beefheart, or the heavy lyricism of rappers like Danny Brown or JPEGMafia. So while I can appreciate the influence that a record like this has had on industrial music, that's where it ends for me. I cannot get down w/ a record this disdainful of human life and this intent on sampling snatches of uneasy conversations. It's pretentious, and ugly too.

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

This was just bad. I have heard of Throbbing Gristle before (from 2 sock puppets online oddly enough), and they mentioned that it would be weird. It was weird, but also awful.

Narrowly misses a 1 just because it kept me guessing. Something unique in a sea of other unknown mostly same-ish British artists. 2/5

Misophonic garbage.

I don't really care if I'm not cool enough to "get it". I get it, I just don't really have patience for it. Still, I listened to the whole thing, and there's "better" albums that I had to switch off.

This might be the worst thing I've ever heard. I understand being abstract, breaking convention but this is horrible. You can be weird, use unconventional sounds, have things which aren't traditionally appealing without it being this horrible to listen to. This isn't an album, it's an abstract art piece masquerading as an album, and because of that as an album it's horrible. I understand it was very special for it's time, and that it's not supposed to sound good, but also I would never listen to this by choice. I was unable to get through the whole thing.

Thanks Robert Dimnery, now I have a headache... Favorite songs: AB/7A Least favorite songs: the whole album 1/5

Super weird. Was not impressed - more noise than music I guess?

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

Ei vaan voi ymmärtää.

Mikä tämä on

Nyt oli kyllä harvinaisen huono levy, yhdessä kappaleessa oli ajoittain hyvä beat. En ymmärrä mitä tekee tällä listalla. 👎🏻

Voispa antaa 0

What an awful album choice to have added to this list of 1001. For sure, there are some stinkers but this one takes the top spot for biggest piece of shit on here…it’s not even music. Just some fuckwad band tinkering around in their garage trying new ways to think they’re pushing lines on what’s possible. Ugh. Not one single person in all of the world alive or dead has ever said, I have friends getting together later maybe I should put on some really good music, like DOA. I dont care if that wasnt the intention of this album to begin with. If I could give this horseshit album 0 stars that would be more appropriate. I’m so fired up about this album that I’m leaving a review no one is even going to read. If you do read this and you have this album up next in the cue, take my advice…don’t listen to any of it. Piece of shit.

# 498 : D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle : 09/06/2025 Pitchfork described the album as "a nauseating masterpiece" Bang! says it all really. I mean It's good to know other bands and genres' exist out there, But I'm pretty sure I DIDN'T need to listen to this before I kicked the bucket.

Genesis P-Orridge was described by Alex Petridis as having "a grating, Mancunian-accented whine that somehow manages to sound out of tune even when there is no apparent tune to be out of." It is refreshing to have an album that demands a response, and which makes you think about the music that is a daily listen. This is an exhausting, confusing, demanding noise - uneasy listening, and all the better for it. More of this kind of din, and less landfill indie.

Weirdo music, but there's nothing else like it, and originality is a rare commodity in music.

Absolutely terrible, complete garbage, no musical qualities whatsoever. If you get this album: turn around, don't drown.

Late 70s industrial rock. Tech noises. Sounds modern and 70s in equal measures. Startling. Borderline not music. Certainly creative and varied, but not enjoyable.

10/10 as a diehard fan of Swans and Boards of Canada, this music slaps

This is without a doubt the second worst album I have ever heard.

Not for me.

So here's the thing...My initial reaction like many on here was to immediately dismiss this album as garbage. BUT if music is considered auditory art, then I've got to at least consider this as an art form. It may not be a Caravaggio or Picasso or Jackson Pollack, but it is a banana duct taped to a wall so it's gotta be for someone out there, right? I was dreading listening to something so experimental, but it's not 100% terrible and there are maybe 2 tracks that I find at least tolerable and listenable. Not for me, but I think I understand it's place in "music" history.

Gave this a couple serious listens, and honestly loved it. Only had a passing familiarity with their work before. Yeah, it's challenging at times, but in interesting ways, by turns brooding, bleak and beautiful, and always human throughout.

i also can record myself getting ready in the morning and put it out as a record.

Experimental, eclectic, always engaging. Refines things done before it, prophesizes the future. Brilliant stuff.

Trash

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.

Boring. Nauseating. Creepy. Pretentious. Calling this album shit is an insult to shit. Also, whoever made the album art should probably be put on a registry.

Experiencia

what

I get avant-garde, and yes, music is everywhere in everything. But this isn’t pleasurable, listenable or desirable.

I find it fascinating how violent some of the reactions to this are. Apparently you are a fraud if you like this or possibly just simply hated. Pretty funny. It's just sound and some creepy words, not even TG's most disturbing. I think it's exciting not really knowing what's coming next, sensing that the people making the record didn't know either a lot of the time. I saw them the last time they reformed and if anything they were even more impressive than their early albums would have suggested. They weren't just a tribute to themselves and incorporated current tech into what they do/did. I kind of wish the follow up album 20 Jazz Funk Greats with its sneakily grim Blue Peter annual artwork had featured instead. The reviews for that would have been even more fun as expectations raised by the title were not met. Trivia corner for classic rock fans: The cover for UFO's album Force It was designed by TG's Sleazy and features TG's Genesis P. Orridge and Cosey Fanni Tutti as the couple.

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.

Dafuq. This is really annoying stuff...

Did I enjoy this? No. Will I often go back to it? Oh no. But does it deserve to be the lowest rated album on this list? No!! Something kept me on the edge of my seat. I kept wondering what would happen next, which happened to make me listen incredibly actively. 4 stars because they seem like assholes in real life

This is #day290 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... what a beautiful Sunday morning listen! As I spin this record, I'm tracking my wife's flight from Oslo to home. She's wrapping up a short vacation, and being an industrial fan, she'd probably enjoy this one. Now, I like my music to be challenging sometimes. When it's unsettling and eerie... The kind of music that makes you think, or takes you places. D.O.A.: The Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle is exactly that. An early specimen of experimental electronics and industrial, a sound kaleidoscope, a movie without images. This is my first experience with the band, and it's a great introduction. I didn't know (or, maybe forgot) that Peter Christopherson was a member of Throbbing Gristle. As an occasional Coil fan, that makes this even more interesting. Sadly, there's absolutely nothing on this list by Coil or, say, Psychic TV. At least, there's Neubauten. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day291.

Guay.

🎧Is this what hell sounds like (complimentary)?

I usually reserve a 1 to an album I was unable to sit through. I sat through this. I hated it, but I sat through it. There were 2 tracks that I didn't hate.

Perfection. The haunting ambience, and creepiness really add to the music here. A wonderful entry in the world of experimental, Coil, Nurse With Wound, etc. Weeping is a sonic masterpiece. Influenced many that followed, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, etc. Must have.

This was just bad.

Way to experimental/industiral ,or what you might call the mostly strange sounds that happen throughout the album, for my taste. I didn't enjoy this at all and I hope my Spotify discover weekly wont get any weird ideas from this.

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

as incediary and destructive as they are, they really are putting themselves out there with this album. its very believeable in a sense. if you listen to DOA and think "this must be a joke" then id say the jokes kinda on you lol. the soundscapes are this torturous and relentless mechanical nightmares, hard to conceive as anything other than a kaleidoscope of black, gray and deep blue assembly lines, stiching toguether sonic amalgations one may struggle to call songs, but the lyrics are grounded by this sort of brutalized humanity that i can only read as sincere. the only people who can get to see it face to face, however, are those willing to drown in the endless gears and machinations of each track and meet the art halfway. when observed from a comfortable distance, DOA seems like gibberish. not their best album, ive issues with the pacing and it doesnt totally pick up until Dead On Arrival, but this is truly a stunning effort.

I did not enjoy this

they spent more time working out the song titles than they did the actual songs.

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

dnf

Not the worst one star I’ve given, but yeah, firmly one star. WTF? 1/5

When the lead track spends a good chunk of time cycling the instrument cable in and out to make that noise we all hate, you just know the album is going to suck.

Unlistenable

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

Literally unlistenable garbage

Could not stick with it - it's weird

Listened on 5/15/25 1/5 No favorite songs This was just nonsensical noise

In lieu of a standard critical review, I’d thought I’d just share some random thoughts that occurred to me while listening to this so-called “album”. - I wish I had the self confidence that these people had to record this, call it music, put their names on it and release it to the public. - I have to assume this is what they played in Guantanamo Bay to force prisoners to confess to crimes. - I also have to assume this group of people got in a room and asked themselves how they could make an album without using a single musical instrument. - My ears hurt. No really, they hurt. Favorite song: AB/7something was the closest thing to a melody found in the entire album

The fuck You simply CANNOT convince me that these people have any talent or that anyone who likes this has a single brain cell. The only thing I enjoyed was the song titles, but to borrow from track #2, I’d like someone to hit me with a rock when I listen to this machine porn garbage. “Songs” that didn’t make my ears bleed: - AB/7A (closest to actual music) - Hamburger Lady

I prefer the NIN, Ministry vein of industrial music

I hated this album. Seems like it would be appropriate for a horror movie!

A few moments of interesting noises scattered throughout 45 minutes of crap. It's as if an art student turned in their sketchbook for their final project. How and why is this an album?

this was a turd sandwich

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

Utter Rubbish

Le vrai Evil Kraftwerk. Tu le sais parce que la track Hamburger Lady est même pas goofy.

Hit by a Rock really felt like getting hit by a rock. I have to give them that.

Thanks, I hate it.

Mostly, it's a bunch of spoken word over noises, sort of reminds me of some of the artsier moments of Huggy Bear's Taking the Rough with the Smooch. Except there, you're listening to stuff like "Pro No From Now" and "Prayer" because you know you've got "Herjazz" coming up. Here, the payoff is some rudimentary beats with more noise over the top of them. Now, I'm not disparaging rudimentary beats with more noise; the same description is true for Psychocandy, and that's one of my all time favorite albums! The problem here is that they're just not very good at it. This album falls somewhere between a 1 and a 2, giving it the 1 because everything I've read about them in Simon Reynolds' Rip It Up and Start Again makes them sound like unbearable edgelords.

Just noise. One or two bits of songs that are pleasant, promptly interrupted with more noise. No idea how this could be in the 1001 to listen to unless there's a big crowd of people who want to remember their modem connecting.

4/5

Something new...let's have a listen

Hilfe. Ich bin sehr tolerant aber das war doch keine Musik mehr... was war das?

Apparently in 1978 you could just record you and your friends at the kitchen table with ambient noise in the background and call it music. This is straight trash and shouldn’t even have been allowed to exist much less allowed on this list.

Hated this

Não ouvi porque não tive interesse no disco! E as críticas que li eram devastadoras.

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

Absolutely garbage

Very not good

This is why I usually rate obscene and offensive rap albums 2/5, to make room for nonsense like this. At least those are somewhat entertaining, have good beats and samples. What's here? Computer noise, people talking in the background, industrial noise, more talking, other noise. I know this list doesn't specifically say it's for music only, but it's implied or else there would be stand-up comedy and other types of albums. This album barely qualifies as music. Yuck.

Maybe you had to be there? This shit sucks ass. It did kind of trance me out while I was on a run though so not the absolute worst. The high pitched alarm shit at the beginning is terrible.

Very meh.

I don’t doubt the importance of this album, but it isn’t an “everyday listen” kind of thing. I got into this band after watching the BBC documentary Synth Britannia. Nothing sounded like this at the time. Their experimentation ended up being extremely inspirational to the preceding years of electronic music.

I appreciated it more after reading about their motivations, I'd still never want to listen again though

this was a super weird album but i have to respect it. filled with a bunch of essentially musique concrete songs with a couple cool techno tracks thrown in for good measure. torn between 3 and 4 but im gonna go with 4 based of off getting an album like this even on this list

I can only imagine putting this on the turntable in 1978. It was obviously a groundbreaking album of electronic music for the time. I am not a huge electronic music fan but it was interesting. I liked “Dead on Arrival” and “Hamburger Lady”, “E-coli” probably the best.

Definitely at the "challenging" end of the musical spectrum. Not for everyone, and honestly not really for me. That said, I do see the artistic merit in the work, so I won't criticize. They created something I couldn't have created. Not going to rush out and buy a copy, though.

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".

Very weird. I was expecting that and there were some interesting bits mixed in but overall yeah...

Listened to this album in high school, didn’t understand it. Listened to this album yesterday and can say it’s certainly an interesting artistic piece something you could see being played at the Mass MoCA. It’s just not something I can say I’m a fan of but can appreciate it

I don't get it. I'm probably not supposed to. Fine, whatever, let's move on...

Haha God what has happened to me, this is the kind of shit I would have HATED a few years ago. But after having been made to listen to so much glitchy electronic ambienty shite these last few years (new partner and his friends) whereby I have gained a real appreciation for well constructed noise, I actually really quite like this and think it's very good. I also feel like Hometime is undeniably lovely, no? Is it Emperor's New Clothes? Have I just been indoctrinated into the world of pretending you like shit music, and over-intellectualising bloops and bleeps? Perhaps. In any case, I can see this album's influence on proceeding electronic music and think it's very listenable and not the total load of rubbish one may immediately think. Feels like I'm at an exhibiton.

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

This is an interesting inclusion on the list! I thought this was 1001 Albums with music on them and not whatever this fucking bullshit was. There are more unpleasant albums on this list, but I can't remember one that has less music on them.

If these are the pioneers of industrial rock, let's just say I'm glad the genre has evolved away from whatever this is. I'm going in with an open mind though and will give it a thorough listen. I'm a huge fan of later industrial acts like Nine Inch Nails, so I was interested to experience some Throbbing Gristle but I found this album devoid of anything really interesting. Right off the bat, I thought the intro "I.B.M." had some interesting sounds to reel me in, but then as it transitioned to "Hit by a Rock" my interest faded, as did any semblance of order and beauty. The album devolved into seemingly random noises, samples, and voice recordings. The songs are really slow paced and full of ambient noises and, honestly, pretty creepy. I wish there had been more variance in the tracks. The second half of the album showed promise as it rolled into "AB/7A" and I had hope that something cool would happen, but sadly it returned to harsh, eerie muck. But yet, it's weirdly haunting even though it lacks any sort of musical IQ. Standouts for me, if you can call them that, were "Dead on Arrival," "Weeping" - had a weird but catchy little guitar part over some creepy man and eerie thuds and creaks - "AB/7A" - this one actually sounded good! I'm all for experimentation and doing something unique and this album is certainly off the deep end. In the end, it's performance art, not really an "enjoyable" music album. As I kept listening, something stirred in me. Just a little. I am actually torn whether to rate this 1 or 2 stars, because of how unique the album is. There are glimmers of **something** in a few tracks, but does that really redeem how almost unlistenable most of the album is? It certainly made me feel **something** at a few points throughout my listen. And the fact that I'm thinking about it so much after I'm done listening to it makes me think I have to break my normally pretty harsh rating system and give it 2 stars just for being what it is because its wild and bleak and yet somehow still captivating in that moment you're almost held captive listening to it. I can't explain it, but it exists and it's been built upon. I'm glad I listened exactly this one time and will probably never again cross paths with TG unless there are more albums lurking in this project. I will say there is most likely nothing else nor will there be anything else quite like Throbbing Gristle. I think these would be great songs to commit a murder to if I were into that sort of thing.

Pretty hard not to skip

I'm all for avantgarde and experimental music but this was a really terrible listen, like a background music for a factory or something similar. I guess there is a reason the genre is called industrial. The only thing I liked about the album is that its sound was ahead of its time - it was recorded in the 70s but it could have been something from the 90s or even 00s. But anyway, it was almost unbearable as there was absolutely no melodies, not anything that could be a called a 'song' so I have to give it 1 star.

I came into this really prepared to like it as I often have with the worst-rated albums from the list, but yeah, nah, this sucks. With the name of the band, I was expecting something offensive and harsh, but this is just plain boring. In a quite literal sense, the first few tracks are not music. The tracks are just a bunch of noises and recordings. No rhythm, no tone, no vocals created for the track. The title track is ok, even enjoyable, like an industrial-lite Krautrock? Weeping was mumbled, spoken word vocals over droning backing and intermittent strumming. Not bad, but not fun to hear. Hamburger lady much the same, but in some of the harsher noises I hear something like a much less fun Butthole Surfers. The outro We Hate You Little Girls is all that is wrong with this album - not music, not beautiful, trying very hard to provoke but eliciting only a sense of profound boredom. It has the sensibility of a university student performance art piece and about as much style, skill and meaning. The experience of listening to the whole album is like being trapped at a show you hate but can't leave until it's over. The majority is right in this case, it's a very bad album, although it was more interesting than another Dire Straits entry. A valuable though unenjoyable listen. Just out of curiosity, I listened to another Throbbing Gristle album immediately after, 20 Jazz Funk Greats. It's much more listenable and enjoyable while still retaining the same sound.

It's like background music for disturbing movie scenes. one track reminded me of fight club. maybe it would work better for me if this was part of a movie but for sitting in my living room and listening to an album it's not the stuff i listen to

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

I suppose that Throbbing Gristle had to crawl before bands like Skinny Puppy and even Ministry could run, but this album is just racket. There's no semblance of a tune; no song structure whatsoever. 2 stars for genre historical significance, and that's being incredibly generous. Should honestly be a 1 (or a zero, if that were an option).

I was certain this would be a one but it kind of grew on me. I even mostly enjoyed AB/7A. I'd recommend reading up a little on the band and band members, they're interesting people and some are still making music today in theirs 70s.

I'm not sure if Throbbing Gristle had ever been on my radar as a band I needed to listen to. The name is familiar as is Genesis P-Orridge, but I had only ever heard single songs if anything and never took the time to listen to an entire album. I am glad I finally did. I love music that pushes the boundaries of music. I may also be a bit contrarian when it comes to music sometimes as I get off on music that makes other people upset or hate it and I often despise the mainstream popular music. Don't get me wrong, I like the hits too, but I really like when people hate something so much and I hear it and think "hey, that wasn't that bad!" That is this album. An obvious "fuck you" to anyone who thinks "music" has to have structure and melody. In my opinion, Donald Trump could record an album of his nightly farts during his second presidency and that may completely change my extremely low opinion of him as a president into a very high opinion of him as a trolling avant garde artist who, thank God, was just fucking with us his entire life. "Farting on Melania in My Gold Plated 4-Post Bed in Mar-A-Lago next to a banker's box of sensitive documents @ 3:14 AM 4/16/25" would have to be played at my funeral. I would eat that shit up. One can dream, right? This is all a joke, right? Back to Throbbing Gristle. As others have mentioned, this album evokes a mood. I am not sure exactly what that mood is or was meant to be, but it ain't happy. It's the existential dread of life mixed with life's surreal underbelly. Why are we here? Why do we make and listen to these sounds? Do they have meaning or do they exist as a random assortment of noises that someone took the time to record? And how does one find meaning amid the meaninglessness of it all? Throbbing Gristle knows this isn't Top 40 material. They know it is bottom 40 material, but they are sending it out into the universe to ask us to challenge our perception of what "music" is. To be contrarian in a world of yeasayers. I appreciate that. It gets my blood flowing and melts a little bit of the plaque and microplastics in my brain. Would any of the songs on this album go on a playlist containing my favorite songs that I would want to hear again? Absolutely not. Can you sing along to Hamburger Lady or Hit By a Rock? You can try if you want to. Did this album evoke more emotion from me than Christina Aguilera's Back to Basics? Yes. And what was that elicited emotion exactly? I am not sure, but I felt something listening to this and I am of the thought that feeling something even if it is painful or depressing is much better than feeling nothing at all. So, as you listen to this, ask yourself what it makes you feel. A lot of music is just someone trying to make a buck by trying to make you happy. Throbbing Gristle said fuck that. We will make no money to make you depressed. Your happiness is not our concern, if you want to be happy listen to Van Morrison or Raffi, but if you want to think and feel something completely different, give us a try.

Worst thing so far. Jesus fucking christ.

Industrial music's actual trash, innit?

This isn't music, it's just noise.

Really trying to push through this album, but Hamburger Lady really tested me. That was a very morbid and unsettling song if you can call it a song. The whole album is just distortion and noise with varying crescendos and voices speaking throughout to make it more unsettling. AB/7A was maybe the only song on the album, but was just an instrumental keyboard and drum track only to return to the creepy ambiance of scientists talking over distortion and other ambivalent noise. Trend pretty much continued on for the rest of the album. I hated every minute of it, but also somehow feel more fulfilled (??) to know this existed at some point in time.

Assolutamente no

ab/7a is a great song

It’s good for what it is but if you actually listen to this unironically I’m kind of concerned for you

Post-war, post-environment, post-joy: "Industrial music for Industrial people". The first track may immediately alienate, but lean in and turn it up.

Unedited listening notes: Uneasy Listening Must be "Art"... we're talking about it, right? Influential to bands like NIN, Ministry, Joy Division Punishing (like Swans) Star rating system does not apply (use something else? Clods of dirt? Burnt doll heads?)

Every few years I dig into noise music. It's an interesting concept: what defines music? I don't enjoy it, but I like to be reminded that it exists.

one star for originality and interesting experiment, but a bit unsettling

I can’t it’s awful noise

Qué cojones

‘Like a small piece of Throbbing gristle’ was how Len’s 11th wife, the one and only Linda Lusardi described his erect penis! The marriage didn’t last long. 0.2

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.

Not sure what I've just listened to here, some of it is alright and soothing but some of it is just pure chaos.

Very interesting composition throughout, but it is not something I would listen to much. A couple of the tunes grew on me. Overall not my cup of tea though.

1/10. One of the worst albums I've ever had the misfortune of hearing. A constant assault on the senses. That being said, I think they achieved their goal with this album

Ugh, DOA is just another cookie-cutter, radio-friendly, crowd-pleaser. Way too mainstream and poppy for me. 2/10

zzz

I'd heard a few of these tracks before, but never the whole album. Some of it is actually quite traditionally musical, while other parts are less so. I actually preferred the second half of the album to the first for some reason. I was expecting to find this a challenge, based on other reviews, but it turned out to be far more enjoyable than I would have thought. I don't think it's quite enough for 5 stars, but it's definitely thought-provoking and influential enough for 4.

nothing remotely interested me. Mostly just disparate sounds . While it was not displeasing to listen to it was also not pleasing to listen to

While I can appreciate the experimental aspects of this record, I did not like it.

1 out of 5. Despite most of the reviews saying the same thing I didn't expect to dislike this album as much as I do. It does not spark joy.

If this was a film, I’d probably like it. However my tolerance for pretentious wank doesn’t extend to music.

first listen not for me

I should have just skipped this when I saw the name "Throbbing Gristle". That said, perfect name for this band, the noise in this album turned my ears into throbbing gristle. Never again. Never should have even been in the first place. Yikes. I'd give this 0/5 if I could. 1/5

Music made by modern day cave folks. Or someone left the electronica on and laying around in an unsupervised preschool. As primitive as electronic music can be played. My head hurts after listening…thanks for that.

I didnt like this other than the children chatting it offended my ears.

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.

Yeah no that's just noise

While the industrial sounds of Einstürzende Neubauten's Kollaps dealt with the mechanical realities of life in factories, Throbbing Gristle's D.o.A. features a more sinister and perverted approach to industrial. Signals, ominous tape playback, blasts of sharp synths and feedback: these make up the modern world in the eyes and ears of Throbbing Gristle. There is a constant anxious tension that invades every note of D.o.A., as if to revel in uncertainty and fear. The album's centerpiece is Hamburger Lady, a song that sounds like a nightmare you can't wake up from. This song in particular effectively builds on the dark work of Suicide, especially the song Frankie Teardrop which came out just a year earlier. Side B certainly feels more haunted than side A. It makes sense that not a lot people like this. Throbbing Gristle have always been more like conceptual performance artists rather than musicians, but there's no doubt that there's a lot of weight to this album. A keystone album for industrial.

United

Glad I listen to this. I can now honestly say I have listened to the most godawful shite in the universe.

I definitely did not need to hear this before I die. Now that I've heard it, I would like to die.

Couldn't finish

Not even music.

Didn't hate it.

So glad this is on here. Nearly unlistenable though. One of my favourite pieces of pop trivia is that Simon Cowell was considering Cheeky Girls cover Hamburger Lady as an attempt for Christmas number one. They went with Have A Cheeky Christmas instead.

Nah, maybe better when observing the art exhibition at the same time. Heard hints of Death in Vegas in there though.

This challenged me big time

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

Throbbing Gristle is a British band that pioneered industrial music. D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle is the band's third album, but not actually their last. Most of this is non-melodic noise - random samples, feedback, and static. Oddly, there are a few melodic spots - like the track "AB/7A" - that could be an Animal Collective track. For the few bright spots, there are too many tracks like "Hit by a Rock" and "Hamburger Lady."

It's something.

The only thing final about this report is my willingness to ever play it again

The Good: a throbbing gristle… The Bad: it is dead on arrival… The Ugly: once dead, it’s just a gristle… What the hell did I just listen to? And what is a gristle? Anyone who enjoys Pink Floyd circa Dark Side of the Moon, or The Wall, will enjoy this… I know I did. Do I find this industrial? Not really… unless I am mistaken about what industrial is all about. I will have to give this several more listens to get a better idea if these gentlemen are pure genius, or they just realized that stealing is a nice art-form too! For now, I will happily give this album 4*

Got through 3 tracks. I like challenging stuff but this was just weird.

uh no thanks

Well it sure was a lot more interesting than heavy metal. But not interesting enough to listen to again.

Lowkey I can see myself liking this. I don't though

Pretty sure this is one of the lowest rated albums on this website. Within one minute of the opening track I can see why. Not sure a lot of this qualifies as music, really. Almost feel like I should rate it higher for the originality but this is just not very enjoyable to listen to.

How many times can I get a truly awful album on a list of "must hear" albums? This is just atmospheric sounds, noises of people and children, and other ambient and electronic noises, which, in my mind, serve no purpose. You can't dance to it, you can't sing to it, can't play along to it, you can't workout to it, you can't relax to it...all you can do is "feel" something about it, and I felt irritated. It amazes me these artists think of these, record em, put it in an album, and then expect people to buy said album.

This is fucking shit. It's the first album though that gave me something I haven't heard yet. Still shit though

"tHiS iSnT eVeN mUsIc!" You know what Dave? After the 350th fucking 80s new wave British pop, you should be grateful.

I've seen enough video essays that bring up this band to know what I was getting into, and I remember trying to listen to them s couple years ago and thinking this was unlistenable. But I don't know, I kind of enjoyed this. You kind of have to think of it more as art than music. I also became a lot more of a fan of noise music in the past couple of years so that helped. Realistically I think this is a high 3, but I'm going to give it a small bump for being really interesting, ahead of its time, and I want the kid rock album to be the lowest rated. Low 4.

I understand why this album is on this list. But you can tell most of the 4 and 5 star reviewers enjoy the smell of their own farts.

Suddenly Yoko Ono doesn’t sound so bad. I like Zoogz Rift, Magma, CAN, Brian Eno and Captain Beefheart 100x more than this. AB/7A is the only redeemable track. I’m still only giving the album a 1 for the overall pain it instilled on my ears Avant-Garbage.

Morons on here getting mad that there aren't any melodies and it gets a bit wierd, as if Throbbing Gristle were trying and failed to make Rumors. It's not really an album you put on to rock out to, but a meditation on bleak alienated life, on the grind of late industrial Britain, on the rotting urban fabric of the 1970s. It's the bleeping and fraying electronics of a barely functional life support system. Musically it draws on ambient composition styles, krautrock explorations of synth/tape loop technology, darker psychedelic approaches to creating strange mental states through drones, repettition and rupture, punk embrace of noise, and the kinds of sounds you'd associate with video art and multimedia installations. All of which creates a collage that captures, reproduces, extends, and aestheticizes a set of nasty latent public feelings: anomie, aggression, resentment, despair, indignity, exhaustion. Of course it isn't pleasant! Favorites: Hamburger Lady, AB/7A, Dead on Arrival, Weeping

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

It is just sound, like awesome it supposedly makes inbounds in experimental music but honestly, it felt so pointless listening to it. What do random noise and conversations mean with these interesting and experimental albums that showcase the best of music? No idea.

What?

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

just no

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.

First album that I just couldn’t finish. This is just a lot of noise and got on my nerves real quick.

I'm beginning to regret this endeavor. This is garbage, total and complete. The album cover is objectionable and the sounds that issued from the speakers in my headphones were appalling. I regret giving this extra plays on Spotify.

I've heard more interesting sounds emanating from the tyre and exhaust place opposite my house

Pretty tough listen! If Vulva from Spaced recorded an album I'd imagine it sounding a little like this .. That said, there were one or two more ambient, Krautrock-y songs around the middle I actually enjoyed, in particular AB/7A which sounds like it may have been an influence on Manuel Gottsching's E2:E4.

Can I give this zero stars? This is not music.

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!

A difficult listen and I wasn’t in the mood for such unsettling music today.

Two or three of the songs are quite bad, if perhaps a bit interesting as an experiment. The rest is just unbearable. 1/10

No thanks. Nonsense. From the wiki…” Later reissues of the album omit the inset and card calendar due to its resemblance to child pornography.” Yeah I’m not interested in this.

Just why? This ain’t music

Ist das Musik? Das sind einfach aneinandergereihte Geräusche. Vielleicht muss ich hier auch mehr auf den Text achten, aber nach der Hälfte habe ich einfach kurz durchgeskippt und es waren wirklich immer nur irgendwelche Geräusche

I appreciate contemporary art for pushing the envelope of their respective art forms. You have to look at these things through the lense of cultural context - like with how serialism changed the way people thought about harmony etc. But a lot like serialism, looking back at artists like Schoenberg and Throbbing Gristle, it stops making sense in the modern day. If you find me one actual real life normal human with real life ears who thinks this album sounds -actually- good I’d be impressed.