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

20 seconds in: Thanks, I hate it. I think this is specially calibrated to lodge a sharp hook into my brain and scramble it. I think that experimentation in recording is important. It doesn't necessarily mean that all those experiments are music. Play this if the sound makes you feel less alone, but don't pretend it's anything other than an album of sound effects. Now I feel bad for docking a star from S&G's Bookends for "Voices of Old People." That was magnitudes more listenable.

"D.o.A: The Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle" is the second album by English industrial band Throbbing Gristle. Some of the descriptions of this album include "invites comparisons to Lou Reed's "Metal Machine Music," Brian Eno's obscene phone calls and the sound your refrigerator makes when it short circuits" and also a "nauseating masterpiece." This sounds right up my alley. The bandmembers included Genesis P-Orridge (vocals, bass, guitar, violin, effects), Coney Fanni Tutti (guitar, effects, tapes), Chris Carter (synthesizer, electronics, tapes) and Peter Christopher's (tapes, electronics). The album begins with "I.B.M." Distorted layered electronic noises. Guys talking. Beeping like someone is entering something into a computer. And an annoying saw-like electronic noise. Oh boy, off to a good start??? Violin strings and P-Orridge wailing, yelling and singing "Hit Me" start "Hit By a Rock." There's various electronic noises and a wobbly synth noise. This song reminded me of the band Suicide. Racing car noises pervade throughout "Hamburger Lady." P-Orridge's soft, distorted vocals tell the story of a burn victim spending time in a hospital. Echoing guitar strings accompany. "Hometime" has a droning, ambient sound. Kids are talking and babies are crying in this relatively happy song. "AB/7A" may be the only song close to a normal song. A drum beat and a layered synth melody. This might be an ode to Kraftwerk. There's bell sounds and actual changes to the beat and synth keys too. There are very few songs on this album that resembles anything close to what someone would call a normal song. The whole album resembles a horror-film soundtrack where the theme is making everyday life experiences frightening. Everything is about the noises and atmosphere. All the vocals, besides the baby crying, are muffled and distorted. I found this album both creepy and fascinating. It's probably in its own catergory for the time or any time for that matter but I do hear influences in the future work of electronic and industrial bands and Radiohead. I have no idea of who I can recommend this album to except those who can appreciate a soundtrack-like approach to weird electronic noises and creepy atmospheres.

This manages to somehow be both boring and obnoxious at the same time.

Trippy Industrial

No one needs to listen to this album before they die.

All these squares giving this album a low rating probably voted for Trump. Returning to this, it’s easy to see how influential this was to underground music. About ten years ago, I often found myself in a particular warehouse in the old part of town, where I’d see bands from across the US perform music just like this. To me, that was the scene, and everything else was weak or pandering. True industrial.

ich "rauche" eindeutig zu wenig

Random sounds thrown with no reason in songs.

En samling ljud, inte musik. Har ingen aning vad grejen är och var här. Blev tvungen att googla och det visar sig att de är grundare till flera genrer som är absolut soptunna. Verkar som att de var en av de första med att strunta i sångstruktur, så vem vet om vi har interludes och beat switches utan de. = Om jag rökte på och fick för mig att jag var nya Aphex Twin. Andra delen av ”Hometime” ger mig rysningar och magont.

Not for me

Great way to get out of an obligation. Listen to this first thing in the morning and a headache is guaranteed. Also a great way to trigger nightmares. Could be useful if looking to simulate the sounds of hell? I do indeed feel like I've been 'Hit by a Rock'.

I respect the artistry of this band. Though I'm not sure I fully get what they're trying to do here, and even if I did I still don't enjoy it. I wouldn't say that there's no resemblance to music here, its atmospheric. AC/7A was sort of enjoyable but not enough to bump the score.

Nope.

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

Well when people say that music sounds like noise, I'm certain they aren't referencing this album... But they should be. Not really sure what the hell is going on here, but um.... yeah. Yeah.

Is this supposed to be a joke? Or is it supposed to test our believe in the 1001 albums "to hear before you die"? Why should anybody listen to this album? I reckon that you will find a couple of persons who actually like to listen to the album. But what have I missed if I hadn't listened to it. The answer is very, very simple: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

Pretty stupid, but not unlistenable as background noise.

41 minutes of my life I will never get back.

No one needs to listen to this album, should be removed

does nothing for me!

fuck you 1001 albums you need to listen to before you die

what a name. oh. and uh... not for me. look, I respect people who make industrial / noise (is there a difference? is that offensive??) but I don't fuck with industrial / noise. does that make sense? anyways. DNF. sorry.

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

Wtf is this torture music

Ugh

I love weird shit but wtf is this

This is atrocious.

Once you get past the opening tracks of modem sounds and noise, some of the later tracks are ok, but anything interesting about this album is buried deep under an obvious and tedious intention to shock, the revoltingly aversive band time, and the borderline paedophile cover art.

This album needs a hug, but I don't want to go anywhere near it.

Hahahahaha. I can almost see the reviews without reading them. Divisive might be an understatement. Personally, I can get behind this. So much more interesting than another late 60s white guy band. Sometimes you have to cross the line to know where the line is. Sometimes you have to find the boundary and give it a shove or we'd keep listening to the Beatles, Coldplay and Oasis. I would weep for the future. Favourite tracks Weeping, AB/7A, Hamburger Lady. I've never listened to this before and only heard of them as a kind of amusing and mildly offensive band name. I'm glad they exist. Listen again. Did for gold. It's there. This is the most interesting album I have listened to from this list or anywhere for a long time. I get that you might not get it, I do. Five stars. P.S. If your streaming platform of choice autoplays similar music after your selection, you could be in for a treat 😂.

Just why?!?

In 2008 I headed into a double-feature: “FlicKeR” was the headline with “Do you love me like I love you (Part 5: Tender Prey)” opening proceedings. I immediately headed over the road to buy “Tender Prey”, Bobby Gillespie’s testimony on “Mercy Seat” more than enough to encourage a purchase. I’ll save my thoughts about Nick Cave’s masterpiece - and how young the interviewees in that film now look, almost 20 years on - for another time, as the film that followed, “FlicKeR” was just as influential to the next years of my life. I responded strongly to Brion Gysin’s ideas, was already enamoured of William Burroughs’ whole vibe, and spent a fair bit of time trying to make my own Dream Machine (having missed an opportunity to see a Dream Machine in person during COVID, I still occasionally check if they’re freely available … be a shame to not try it one day). The documentary featured various musical artists, all pretty cool, talking about their experiences with Gysin’s hypnotic, hallucination machine. Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo was among them, offering his thoughts to camera in a way I’d be reminded of years later standing in Coventry watching The Cribs play “Be safe” – a connection made through time that was pure lightning on both sides. Also on that documentary: Genesis P-Orridge, mid pandrogyne project – so complete a presence, spectacle and aura that I misremembered having seen a Throbbing Gristle documentary distinct from “FlicKeR”. It stuck with me, suffice to say. And then, again, years later, I’m reminded of it. I’m in the Tate Britain at, probably, “Women in revolt” and there’s a whole section given to COUM Transmissions, the precursor to Throbbing Gristle. I remember being humoured by the comments of an offended Tory politician – “desecrators of civilisation” or similar, he’d called them in the 70s. Good on Cosey Fanni Tutti, and good on COUM. Somehow, I again miss the call. I spend a couple of seconds remembering once maybe listening to Throbbing Gristle in 2008, and I move on. And so today, in 2025, I am so grateful for this project. A third invitation to fully engage with Throbbing Gristle is met ecstatically. From the first track, a darkness of beeps - a year earlier in time, but with the feeling of Joy Division’s “Unknown Pleasures” stripped of what joy and pleasure it holds - I am held in place. There’s so much space to move inside music like this, angles to explore, moods to drown in, atmospheres to let crystallise and sit gargoyle-esque atop your central nervous system. “Hamburger Lady” is a standout track; though it’s not album best thought about in that way, really. So soon after the passing of David Lynch - a time that we realise that his work can’t really be taken apart as a filmography; it really demands to be seen as one – I’m pulled into a similar orbit by similarly iconoclastic artists. This is a piece of real, enduring art arriving from within a series of lifetimes that will never be repeated.

Noise...just noise. I knew this would be difficult but it ended up mostly being just boring. 1/5

noise - a hard listen

Horrible

Ultimately, the goal of music should be to sound good. This does not. 1/5 Key tracks: AB/7A

This one is weird. Experimental? Or maybe they forgot they were recording? some of these are not songs. Why was this made? WHY was this on the list??? I made it to number 8.

you know, i actually thought i'd dislike this more based on the overall review score. i'm not saying i *liked* it, but that one crazy german industrial album that sounded like a marching band falling down an up escalator was way more unpleasant. i will agree that this doesn't feel very industrial to me... just strange, ambient, and droney. and it even has a good song in the middle of it? baffling, which is probably the point. i'd probably give this a 2.5 if i could but my threshold for 3 stars is "would i mind if this was played for me a second time?" and the answer is yeah, i'd probably switch the album.

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

0 stars. Garbage noise, nothing worth relisten. Beginning to question the criteria used to make this list.

This has terrible reviews and I'm not gonna try to justify them, but I will say I personally think that I have heard worse than this and I am currently 90 albums in. I read a review that said this is not so much music as a project. I agree with that assessment. This is a collage of sounds more so than a music album.

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.

This album sucks. “Art” rock is not my thing, it’s just noise as far as I’m concerned. No redeemable qualities here.

Из вредности хочется поставить пять. Удивительно, что эти же люди, которые въебывают этому альбому 1 из 5, потом пишут, мол заебали эти британцы выбирать однообразный нонейм кринж, а потом ставят пять очередному блюз-рок альбому в духе Black Keys. Это не первый альбом группы, который я слушал, и поэтому я в целом был готов к прослушиванию. И, честно сказать, это охуенно. Мне в целом нравится вся эта саунд-коллаж тема в современной интерпретации (но, выходит, не только в современной). Альбом прямо течет - 40 минут пролетели незаметно (при том, что я был сфокусирован на происходящем!) Лучшая песня - Hit by a Rock.

that's it? that's the lowest rated album on the generator?

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

Enjoyed some tracks

I'm lost.

* laughs nervously * what the fuck

1.5/10

Never heard anything like this before

I'm quite familiar with Throbbing Gristle, due to a documentary my parents put on TV one night and the fact my mother had a previous boyfriend who was really into them, but had never got round to fully listening to any of their albums, the only song I know from this one being 'Hamburger Lady' which is the most well known on the album. I would not recommend listening to it in a parked car in the dark on your own. It's the sort of stuff I know I'll eat up though - haunting digitalized screeching, early industrial noise, experimental stuff. I do prefer the ones that have at least some steady beat, and I wonder if some of these benefitted from having visuals as they were more of an art collective than just a band. Some songs on this album gave me the same effect being in a dentist's chair does - a sort of grinding that puts my teeth on edge and makes me salivate. Yet, I absolutely know I will listen to this again. I think 'Hamburger Lady' marks a turning point for the album where it starts to resemble more traditional music. I like the recorded voices and talking over the liminal music, it's very me.

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.

This was interesting because it's so unlike anything else I've heard. I wouldn't listen to it again, but I'm always down to hear something that really pushes the boundaries of what we call music. AB/7A was the most listener-friendly track, but I think Hamburger Lady was the one that left an impression. It's the song equivalent of watching a great horror film. I also love Nine Inch Nails, so I can thank them for their influence on Trent Reznor. But again, one listen was plenty for me.

Pretty ass

Couldn’t get through it

Now I know why this is titled 1001 Albums You Should listen to and not music you should listen to before you die.

This is the soundtrack to schizophrenia

This is really toeing a fine line on what exactly music is, which really makes this more art than music - something designed to elicit and emotion, and not necessarily a positive one. While I can appreciate art rock, I can't stand listening to it when a whole album is like this.

Weird and awkward

Not as "not for me" as I thought it would be based on the band name. Ha.

excuse me？

Terrible Album, nothing redeeming about it. Maybe it would be slightly better if I was on acid or something

First half is a tough listen. It gets a little better in the second half. I feel like Tool definitely got inspiration from this for some of their interlude tracks.

Literally just boops beeps and fuzz

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

It's fucking Christmas and instead of hanging out with my family, I'm listening to this shit. There are a few songs where I understand the artistic appeal but for the most part, this seemed to just be sound. 1/10

In a nutshell: industrial performance art. This was a hard listen. I haven't heard anything like this before. If your only exposure to noise is Nine Inch Nails (like me), then you're gonna be in for a shock here. For anyone who liked Kollapse by Einstürzende Neubauten or Psalm 69 by Ministry, this could be right up your alley. Will give two points for ingenuity. Overall: 2/10

Hard to listen to but not without merit.

not for me

couldn't finish

Not always listenable, but the bits that are listenable feel like they could be on any electronic album of the last 50 years.

Interesting and challenging

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

Well ... at least it's not Kid Rock.

Just noises, nothing but noises

Genius

I thought I'd hate this but.. loved it? It's like the soundtrack to a brilliant film about the apocalypse which you've never seen. Worth listening to all the way through and just letting your imagination go with it. Will return to it.

Well at least it's good to know that there's a floor to this list. A reference point or dictionary definition of what a 1 star album should sound like. Honestly, I get why this is on the list and I agree that you should listen to it once because after you do everything else will sound so much better by comparison.

This entire album feels like a joke that everybody else is in on besides me

Guess it’s official that I like post-punk. Enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Favorite was AB/7A, and Hamburger Lady.

I'd be lying if I said this was my ideal listening but I do recognise that this album was an important milestone in the development of industrial music and it's nowhere near as awful as some of the deluded muppets on here calling themselves reviewers would have you believe. You just have to remember that it's an art project.

I had an alright time with this, why not? The four tracks from "Hamburger Lady" to "E-Coli" were top. No whatsoever problem here. I think "industrial" might be a misnomer. What else, uhm... this other review got a Thumbs Up from me: "this album is everything that punk pretends to be."

Weird and noisy? Weirdest stuff I’ve heard in a while

Not sure how this album made it onto this list, but it was a surprise (in a good way).

weird electronic noise

Dreadful. I get it, they're challenging the norms on what could be considered music. That's why there are only like four tracks on here that have any sort of rhythm or melody, and all of them suck. I find it hard to believe that anyone, including the "artists", could possibly enjoy this, so the 1-star review must be what they've been going for anyway. ... That was the review I had prepared after making it through the album. And yet, a day later, there is more to be said. Most albums so far didn't captivate me for much longer than their runtime. This one was different. I did thorough research on the band's background. I found a concerningly active subreddit and was shocked to realize at least several people spent actual money on their physical records. I regrettably listened to "20 Jazz Funk Greats", which is still terrible, but at least undoubtedly music for the most part. I really tried to understand why this is a thing. I still don't. I spent the rest of the day listening to Igorrr and Mr.Bungle and had a great time. Long story short, this is still obviously a 1/5, but it might be the most fascinating one out there.

Not an album to listen to before you die, but an album that made me wish I was dead.

Didn’t need to listen to this one :)

Oh here we go with another industrial album. I made it through the Kollaps album relatively unscathed, but here I am ready for my next bleeping and blopping session. I liked United, Hamburger Lady, and AB/7A(?) it’s hard with these types of albums because it feels a bit like Stockholm syndrome. Do I actually like this song? Or is it the album’s unrelenting disregard for what is acceptable music — not even music but acceptable forms of sound. And do I “like” the song because it is simply one small glimpse at some form of life and humanity? Idk but I definitely don’t think I needed to hear this before I died. Haha imagine your loved one is on their deathbed and you say, “Hold on grandma! You never got to listen to D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle!” Dead on arrival is maybe an accurate title. Dead on. Okay I’m at the end of the album now. The last four or so tracks are okay. Again I never know if I’m just so desperate to see good in things that I go, yes I like this song and I see what they are doing here.

Woah, this is genuinely very cool. It’s unsettling and beautiful in that vague way that’s almost uncomfortable, but ends up being much more enticing than off-putting. When I started listening, I was working on something else, but I found myself getting so drawn in to the environment of sound and the images it conjured that I couldn’t concentrate. I was kind of dreading this when it popped up since I don’t generally like industrial music (and I expected this to be especially abrasive), but it ended up being a really pleasant surprise. I would love more weirdly beautiful shit like this to pop up in the list. In places, the atmosphere totally invokes the game Yume Nikki for me. (Specifically Dead on Arrival, AB/7A) Favorite tracks: Dead on Arrival, Weeping, AB/7A

"What in the fuck am I listening to?!" is how this album review started. I thought it's just a choice of intro, to start off an edgy band/album or something. But, seriously, what the fuck is this shit? Is it music? Is it the last surviving piece of tape of a recording jumbled up by a trash compactor that you're trying to play through a rusty blender? wtf is it? I never heard of this band before, and from this album I have no clue wtf they're about. Do they even make music? Maybe they recycle old casettes and try to stitch them together to see what it'll sound like? They could be selling potatoes for all I know because listening to this album I have no idea what's going on. Granted a few of these have a bit more rhythm and melody besides just random noises. The 2nd half of the album was more tolerable than the first. It could be great for the soundtrack of a dystopian/apocalyptic drama/horror production. Fair play for getting included. One of the albums to listen to before you die just so that you can find out such a band or style even exists. I'd justify this being on it more than some shit rock band that's not produced anything noticeable on an overplayed genre. At least this pushes some boundaries, becomes trully unique, and defines a genre of its own, even if you only play it once in your whole lifetime.

Fuck sake, it's the first listening day in December, can't I have some Nat King Cole or something? Instead I get a 'challenging listen', joy! The tracks with music in are either rubbish discordant noise, or mumbling nothingness, and the talking tracks you can't even hear what they're saying. This is absolute bollocks. I'm off to boot up some 'Christmas with Nat & Dean'.

I think Throbbing Gristle may have nicked this from the BBC sound effects library.

Absolute garbage.

Difficult to see how you can give this more than one star

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.

Not my style but i could see Ab 7a used in edits

First time since I started this (700+ albums ago) that I’ve listened to an album a second time immediately after the first listen. It’s not great but it is strange and weird and fun and adventurous and different and has an air of insouciance that is simply absent in most pop music. (Yes, I think this is pop. We belong to an ecumenical place of worship.)

La única canción que me ha gustado ha sido una que puso Deezer cuando el disco se había terminado. Bueno, y I.B.M. era graciosa. Género Industrial, avant-garde. Bueno, sí, un poco ruido de fábrica sí que parece. Eso es cierto que está muy logrado. Por eso, y por I.B.M., lo salvo del 1.

Fuck it - five stars. Feel like this is the kind of album that some people will really hate but I feel like it made me feel like little else. In many ways it precedes dark ambient and a lot of environmental music that I think is mostly seen in movie soundtracks. Rather than any kind of music, the closest thing I can relate to this album is the movie Threads, just in the way it channels this sheer dread and terror. Best Track: AB/7A Worst Track: Blood on the Floor

Idk what to say about this

Influential blend of early electronic music and incidental sound. It’s like if Kraftwerk were edgier. Some are interesting but some are grating. So it’s a 3.

I love weird ambient music but that was too much

More music should sound like this. Most music, in fact.

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.

Resembles music But noise and randomness reign In mechanic art

Shite

What a bizarre album. At many points I would argue it could not, in good faith, be considered music. Experimental? Absolutely? Some dudes fucking around with a new synth? Sounds like it. Did I enjoy it? Ehhh. Often sounded like a computer themed horror game

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

I know this band more by reputation than anything else. I gave it a listen and some interesting sounds going on but in the end it just seemed like a badly tuned radio. I'm sure that back in 1978 many people saw this as groundbreaking but I'm afraid that there's simply not enough going on here to maintain my interest.

I just wasted 40+ listening to this garbage

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

Industrial ambient boring music

This album is definitely better than The Second Annual Report, but it seems a bit less adventurous and avant garde at the same time. All in all, it is a pretty good album, and an excellent example of Industrial music. It is absolutely worth a listen, and I'll probably be listening to it again in the near future.

Just random noise.

I’m 960ish albums in and this is easily in the bottom 2 of albums. Random noises, bad voiceovers, and ear piercing screeches does not make music. This was a steaming pile of horse, cattle, and pig shit combined.

What a horrible band name. Starting the first song is only distortion or static and some hospital equipment beeps which promises that this album is going to be a slog. This is not music, this is a collection of annoying sounds. The second song is better solely by the fact that someone is singing and there is definitely a bass being played. Then they play their big debut single at 16x speed or rewinding or whatever. More found sound, this time a foul mouthed conversation over some "musical-ish" sounds and rain. Two alternate conversations, if this was the sound of a restaurant I was in, I'd leave. Einstürzende Neubauten heard this album and thought, "Hey, we can do this in German." It's hard to decide who did it worse. Dead On Arrival has the most music and is still somehow worse than the songs made up of annoying noises. That this album exists is a testament to the condition of modern humanity that enough freedom and leisure time and income exists to make this possible. Now it's the idiotic babble of a child over weird space-age sounds. The kid does have a cute voice. And know it's scientists talking about e. coli. These "songs" are terrible. It's hard to know if the songs with terrible tape recorded talking are better or worse than the songs with no human voices at all. That was a truly terrible experience.

This is just a bunch of sounds and audio clips put together. This is shit.

Shite

industrial nauseating hävyttömyys...

You’re fucking with me right?

D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle? More like D.O.A. the Torture Method of Throbbing Gristle because this album was genuine torture. Somehow this album managed to commit every no-no in music history. Horrible music that's overly repetitive and has start-and-stop loud moments? Check! Grainy and muffled vocals that make it impossible for me to decipher what they even are? Check! Terrible lyrics? I don't know since i couldn't even tell what they were. Even at 42 minutes, this album felt like it was dragging on and on. This may genuinely be the worst album i have ever done for this project. Sure, Will The Circle Be Unbroken was an overly long and repetitive country album but at least i can consider that music. Calling this album music though, is a MASSIVE stretch because this is just noise, Awful, awful noise. Best Song: AB/7A Worst Song: Walls of Sound

Oh now this was creepy and eerie. Especially as it went on…. the children speaking and the creaking doors oh no thank you. I guess I don’t really understand why this album is here- just a strange sound all throughout. I don’t think there was any part I was particularly impressed by. I guess I could see why someone might like this, because it’s so incredibly different. I’ll give them that.

This sounds a lot like a bunch of noises the tape drive on my friend's shitty Vic-20 (look it up) computer used to make. So. We have an album of that, including bonus mumbled voices and screams from the basement. Ok so yes it is hilariously terrible and it's not really "music" per se, but weirdly I didn't turn it off and it IS here just in time for Halloween - I imagine just looping this at the front door for 3 hours would be enough to weed out the pretenders. And honestly if given the choice I would re-listen to this than anything by Lou Reed or Leonard Cohen so go off, I guess. 3/10 2 stars.

There are some interesting tracks/elements here, and I can genuinely see where the appeal and influence lies. That said, most of it sounds like a band that took all the wrong lessons from "Revolution 9". I'll still take it over Linkin Park, though. 1/5

DNF

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.

Contrarians will convince themselves of their own superiority by saying they like this

The first 3 songs and Walls of Sound are very unpleasant. Thankfully United is only 16 seconds long. Dead on Arrival started out listenable and kept getting worse. Weeping is mostly boring. Are we getting some actual music on AB/7A? I liked that. Blood on the Floor sounds like a song, but it's like I'm 2 rooms away from where the music is playing. The rest is mostly talking with some sounds, which I really don't care for. Not the worst, but still a bad album.

This is an odd one. best track ab/7a sounds like it was made yesterday.

This feels like an album that was deliberately designed to make people uncomfortable, and to question what exactly constitutes "music". While not an good listen by any means, I respect the artistry that went into making a statement like this that almost resists interpretation or enjoyment. Surprisingly some almost "songs" aren't that bad either in isolation. Top tracks: AB/7A, E-Coli

Koja pička materina. Okej ovo je neslušljivo u mom slučaju trenutno. Meni je ovo apsolutno preseravanje. To mi je kao oni ljudi koji daju dvogodišnjem djetetu platno i boju i dijete to raspršće posvuda i onda to dijete ima izložbu svojih radova. Ili ona vječna rasprava je li umjetnost kad netko nacrta crnu točku na bijeloj pozadini. Nisam, nažalost, poslušala cijeli album, možda mu se nekad vratim, ali danas mi stvarno nije bio dan za ovakve eksperimente. Still, pošto je takav dojam moram dati 1/5 ili 1.5/10.

1.5/10 Eksperimentalno brijanje gdje mi se bas nista nije dopalo. Ne mozes mi pricanje u studiju stavit pod pjesmu u album, iako sam se bar malo odmorio od silnog kreštanja. Ali to je art pa mozes. Dobro, kajgod. Jedino na stvari AB/7A su se malo dobili, ne znam sto im je uopce doslo ali bas nista ne mijenja. Zaboli me za tvoj art. Ici ce najniza ocjena do sad, ovo mi kurca ne valja. Mogao sam i u tisini sjedit.

some pretty sounds in here but overall feels like a lotta vague doodling with noise...tempted to check out 12 Jazz Funk Greats though that looks cool 4/10

Utterly offensive in the name of music. I'd chose to listen to John and Yoko's wedding album over whatever 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 is eight days a week. Laughable how actual people recorded "D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle" at a recording studio, the album got mixed and edited by professionals, and not one single person thought that it might've been a bad idea.

Um, so weird, so so weird, just noise? Feels like a bad acid trip..

Whew, I was not expecting to get a Throbbing Gristle album on this list. Lmao My first time hearing Throbbing Gristle was my friend Cory playing Hamburger Lady. It horrified me. It felt like I was listening to what an eldritch being or alien was attacking me with over psychic waves. Like I still get an unknowable unsettled feeling when I hear it. As for the album, it is an incredible piece of experimental art. Throbbing Gristle’s work is singular in the exploration of sounds pleasant and unpleasant. I feel you can hear the influence TG had on artists like Aphex Twin, Nine Inch Nails, and ,distantly, Oneohtrix Point Never. Granted, those artists took a different approach to musicality in their art but the impact of the challenging and horizon expanding art TG created still stands. In comparison to the vast majority of albums on the list, this album feels like a gremlin escaped from it’s hidden world and found belonging with outsider art appreciators. Fun bit: United was actually a single with much broader appeal but they decided “f*** it” and sped up the 4:04 long song to 16 seconds on the album. Standout track?: Hometime

Hardly even music. More like experimental auditory art I guess? Not my cuppa tea. I can see its influence on various electronic genres but it sounds more like a cacophonous collection of Brian Eno demos that would, in any other case, be left on the cutting room floor.

Not an album.

This is the first full industrial album that I've listened to and I absolutely love it. At first, I had no idea what was going on, but as I continued to listen, I just got sucked in. Now I'm listening to it again. This is a perfect example of why I signed up for this 1001 albums project. This album put me in a happier mood today. There has to be something wrong with me. I listened to this again after I got home for the day and was giggling. Perhaps, it just lets me know that other people have these anxious or dejected feelings, and it makes me feel less alone. Weeping is so good. E-Coli is fun. Walls of Sound and Blood on the Floor ended it perfectly. Poor marmalade though... And Hamburger Lady, Mrs. Beef loved the idea too. Like I said, I must have problems though to give this five stars. I'll figure them out one day.

It's hard to describe what this is. I don't really hate it. My best description would be that it's the kind of music that I would expect to be in the background at some futuristic haunted house. Not really something I'd think of when looking for an "album", but more of a background accompaniment. I don't think I could see myself wanting to intentionally play this again.

Mostly garbage with a couple of musical moments here and there. Waste of time though. 1.5 stars

I definitely don't like it at all. Thank you for putting it on the list though, this is actually something different you should try. Will I listen to again: 0%

The experimental studio technique to create all these sounds is surely something I respect, but this album is unlistenable to me. It begins with a track I thought was just an intro but then turns out to be, well, an actual track that feels way too long for only two and a half minutes. The rest of the album is kakophonic as well, but all without any theme. People here shat on Einstürzende Neubauten, but this here is the actual bad and annoying album.

Really wish zero stars was an option

First time hearing about this group, already a bad start with a rating not being over 2, but that's fine ig. Basically noone likes this, but from what I've checked on Spotify preview the genres are interesting, experimental and krautrock is my kind of vibe so I'm contemplating whether if this is actually that bad. It's industrial music and I kinda love it so I think I'll like this, unless it's extremely boring. First song, it's instrumental?(Lyrics said so). Experimental start I suppose. Kinda Vibing, just waiting for it to be a listenable noise, because whatever this is, it IS scratching my brain in both bad and good way idk. I really liked this, it's weirdly catchy. Wonder how it sounds with headphones on. Low-key transitioned into the Second song, but not as much. I hear a man screaming. Now he's singing, but more like scream singing. Definitely a lot of sounds. Love how nothing makes sense in this, and literally in no way this can be considered music, however, I'm vibing. Not as good as the first song tho. Third song, basically an interlude, which destroyed my ears without headphones goddamnn. Still a bop, just wish it lasted longer and with a bit of progressiveness. 4th song, almost rain like sound. Some talking here and there. Otherwise it's permanent wave(not really tho). I wonder if the talking is from somewhere. There are two people talking too, basically two scenes and I'm guessing it's in different ears, I just can't hear it that way without headphones. Literally nothing else happened, worst one so far, I wish it had more noise, since that's what they do. The talking sounds russian, but it definitely isn't. 5th song, beat is beating finally. Some experimental sound came in, which now sounds like a train. This is the closest Gristle has been to making an actual song for now. Said this many times, but this would be amazing with headphones Imo. Some new sounds were introduced in the middle, but nothing drastic. It's become less of a song, but still good enough. I've checked the reviews and I saw a lot of 5 stars, dunno how it's still the lowest rated album I've ever seen. As smn there said "it's just sound". Honestly the overused sounds and the pattern of some basic ass songs I've listened to here was so mid, this is actually something, they worked for this, it's just a little inconsistent, at first I thought the songs would flow, but they deffo don't, which sucks, because that would be greaaat, especially for this album. 6th song, the lyrics are dark af I think, I'm not sure what the meaning is tho. This one sounds more like a song than 5th one did tbh. His trembling voice is already enough for the song to feel as dark as possible, it's like quiet and overpowered by the sonical part of the song, and it's just perfect with how album has been going. The guitar doing its little part is quite satisfying, possibly the best part in the song, it just fills the song and matched the vibe the voice creates. Just put on headphones and it's muuuch better, I get where the sounds are supposed to be. The voice is in the middle literally, there is a crack kinda sound on the left and the right ear has some kind of harmonica sound. Tho the outro just fades away all that stuff. 7th song, loving the first minute quite a lot. The sounds are distorted and they travel in my ears in the best way possible. His voice is glitchy and hard to hear, but I'm reading the lyrics and it's dark as fuck. There are so many hidden sounds in the song if you listen closely. Some guy talking from the radio is one example. His glitchy voice is extremely satisfying. I hear a car speeding up, but it's not exactly that sound. It's giving Aphex Twin because of that particular sound I can't explain by text. This is the most listened song in the album, I kinda get why. 8th song, little girl is talking, some baby is crying. There's an ambient sound in the background. The girl is definitely British. Left ear is getting new sounds. The girl is talking in the right ear btw. When she's quiet there is just ambient sound with a little bit of experimental beats. A woman voice on the left, but no it's still that girl, she expressed happiness I think. Loved itt. 9th song, an upbeat song? Am I still listening to Gristle wtf. It's too happy for them. Will it have a twist? If not I'm not really vibing with this as much, too repetitive. It's ethereal too if listened closely enough. It was just that beat all through the song, kiiinda not what I want from Gristle, tho if I didn't know other songs, I'd say it's a fine one. Just it doesn't go with the album flow. 10th song, radio speaking in both of my ears, but simultaneously and voice is the same but they're not synchronized. There is an almost violin like thing playing in the middle, but too distorted to be a violin, some industrial sound I'd say. Not very impressed with this one. If I ignore the sounds(impossible, but still) it's a fine fine Aphex Twin like ambient music(well tbh Aphex would use the voices too prolly). The voice came in the middle and the song ended quickly after that. 11th song, I think I'm listening to a dialogue in a phone call. Lyrics were confusing, the girl was angry at that man, but not sure if it was about him cheating or something, but definitely that kind of thing. It was as short as an interlude so nothing really happened. 12th song, great start already. I never listen to noise as a genre, but this is filling my brain with this sound in the best way possible. Many many industrial sounds in between the windy sounds, it's travelling from ear to ear too. Nothing much to say, I just really liked it. 13th song, dark lyrics again. His voice feels like somewhere far, and the quality is bad too, but still sounded like music. Not the best song, but definitely quite different from the others. Actually I'll elaborate on that in my conclusion: First of all, definitely a 5 star album, I do need to like every song to rate it 5, but they're just growers aand I have to give them that additional rate score(would be 4 otherwise) because of being so different from the other albums I've ever listened to here, which changed the whole perspective I have about quality music. I am a lover of experimental sound and this just made the very best sense being this good. I expected a much worse album, the only problem as I said is that it doesn't have the structure of a good album, but that's fine. One last thing, I want more albums from this group or I'll just listen to them myself soon enough.

After the first "song": This is absolute garbage. Maybe it gets better? After the whole album: Nope, it doesn't get any better. Possibly even worse. Utter trash.

What an album! Definitely a new and interesting sound and I didn't even realize what was going on. I would definitely call this art and would say there is something special here. These are people trying to create something new in the world.

Oh God it's so bad. Never again.

1.5/5. Different... but not something I enjoy listening to. Some of the sounds on here are thought-provoking, but not fun to listen to.

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.

Not for me

Interesting.

ту мъч авангард, 3

This album is terrible, I feel dumber and less cultured having listened to all of this album. I recommend you listen to no more than one minute of this album and preserve your brain for anything else. I give this zero stars.

Well that was weird. I am not sure it was music. Artistic? Perhaps. It veered toward something I'd describe as music a few times. For the novelty alone I'll bump it up a star, but that's all I can do.

Album 562 of 1001 Throbbing Gristle - D.O.A. the Third and Final Report of Throbbing Gristle (1978) Rating : 1 / 5 Album name is perfect. It was D.O.A. Nothing good about this.

This Is not anything for me.

“Why?”

Patient, aggressive and grating. Before even looking at the other reviews I'm willing to bet most people hated this. I like electronic, ambient and noise. Those genres wouldn't be the same without Throbbing Gristle.

Wow, now that was something quite different! Not quite sure how to rate it as it’s impossible to compare with anything else we’ve had on this list so far. Musically it’s clearly a 1 star album but they’re getting a bonus point for originality.

It's completely legitimate to put Throbbing Gristle in this kind of list. I'm glad I listened to it. Genesis P Orridge was an auteur of some note. It is, of course, absolute garbage and anyone who says they like it, or would buy it, or would listen to it more than once, is a fraud.

Kind of an early 'soundscape ASMR ' offering. Unappealing

It's extremely specific. I'm pretty sure some people enjoy it. I'm treating it like a performance. Not very good performance, but still. Somehow not the worst or the most boring album I've heard from this list.

absolutely not

I think this is my new worst album on here. I was listening to it in the car, and thought something had gone wrong with the car. Turning down the stereo fixed it.

I tried, I really did. But this just isn’t for me.

3.5

Right I have listened to the album, now please can I die!

Oh... wow. This was good actually! Was dreading it a bit due to how low it's rated but I was pleasantly surprised. This is not an easy listen, but to me it was a fun listen. Noisy, dark, and challenging. I would actually consider giving this a 5 star, but I think it loses a star for me because I can't see this being a big relisten one. I do think I'd reach for it in the right mood though.

2/10 One of those that boggles my mind for being anywhere near this list. Not good. Clearly designed to be almost unlistenable, like a drunk guy sticking out his chest and trying to provoke people into fights I’m sure it was influential in - essentially creating - industrial music, but so much of this is just random sounds, snippets of conversation, and it’s like a glass of fresh water when the occasional tune breaks out Best: Ab/7A

An experimental art album that doesn't land in the slightest. I know that art can be subjective in any medium, but for this to be in a list of "1001 albums to listen to before you die" means that the makers were definitely scrapping the bottom of the barrel to fill the list. 1/10, and that's only because there could have been potential for someone these to launch into at least a mediocre song.

Yeah it’s not good, definitely a 1 star, but similar to Kollaps I’d rather listen to this than slip knot.

Truly bizarre

this is just a bunch of noises, sounded like a plane landing, i don’t really see why people would want to listen to this

2.75

This was a little abstract for me but pretty interesting. It's funny how seemingly random sounds can pull together into something sonically engaging.

I'm not sure it is possible to like this. As a statement piece, it takes some cojones. Many aspects seem deliberately placed to annoy. While a lot of it is actually quite intriguing, the overall effect is to make the annoying even more annoying. As an "art" piece, it sure does provoke a response. But that response is not to like it.

Apart from a brief moment of enjoyment on Dead on Arrival, this was utter crap.

OK, so on the face of it this doesn’t bear much resemblance to music. But for some reason I didn’t hate it at all. I found the songs with the background talking strangely relaxing. And while they are supposed to have invented industrial music, actually some of this seemed quite proto electronic dance, in parts had the feel of Aphex Twin’s darker works. So I think a bonus mark for invention.

I feared the worst and most songs are unlistenable. That's probably what they wanted. Worse than Pere Ubu and that's saying something.

Pointedly ugly music can be sublime in combination with the right elements: it can overwhelm, it can frighten, it can rock. “D.O.A” sometimes does each of these, but overall feels more like documentary to me, a personal rendering to what it felt like to live in the arse-end of Britain’s industrial-social decay. As such, often it is ugly-ugly. I’d never got round to this record before as I’d assumed it would be a admirably miserable listen, so I’m relieved there’s much of what makes their successors great in this, though it is frequently too on-the-nose for my taste. Rounding up to a 4 as a lot of the discourse here is “this is not art/it’s just random noise”, which is so basic the basic riposte is demanded: you couldn’t make this if you tried, lame-o!

A fun listen but there wasn't enough in the longer tracks to keep my attention throughout. "Hamburger Lady" is great, and "I.B.M." and "AB/7A" are each a unique kind of banger.

"DoA showcased some of our strongest work and established the course we would head in." If this is their strongest work, I'm definitely not listening to the other albums.

I really want to give this more stars, as the avlum went on it grew on me a little bit but I am never going to listen to this again

Noise

This is NOT music.

Not my taste.

Very weird, Loved it, way ahead of its time

What in the fuck did I just listen to

“Favorite” Track: AB/7A

Where to start…like most people , this was not an easy listen. Walking down Tottenham High Road, it was tough ti distinguish between background noise and the “music”. Either way, respect to Throbbing Gristle for doing this, the record company for releasing it, the % of people of were inspired by this to make something better. ✊

Worst album to have a hangover to

Weird music. Interesting to listen.

I swear to God I have listened to this before and it stunk the last time too! What a dull and thorough waste of my time.

Yeah I'm not interested in this. No digs against anyone who does enjoy this, but I find nothing to enjoy here.

nah

Cero estrellas. No entiendo cómo algo que es puro ruido entra a una lista de los mejores discos de la historia, pero bueno, yo que voy a saber. Insoportable.

I couldn’t listen but to the first couple of tracks! How can anyone call that Music?

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

Ещё более экспериментальное чем до этого, видимо я чего-то не понял

“Capolavoro nauseante” fra, dì semplicemente che sei pretenzioso e bastian contrario

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0PJnc8BFTk so che ho già usato questa similitudine, ma ditemi che non è la stessa cosa. 41 minuti della mia vita che non mi verranno mai restituiti.

This album just sounds like the last recording found on your dad's phone after he goes missing in the Belanglo State Forest and you spend the rest of your life convinced that he was abducted by aliens. Good album if you're an audiophile (or...) and like listening to beep boop random noises and being freaked out (Hamburger Lady put me on edge) - but this shit isn't music. At all.

13 SPOOKY/UNSETTLING AMBIENT CREEPYPASTA SONGS [ROYALTY FREE, LINK IN DESCRIPTION] Every time I have thought about this and how they are definitely capable of creating an atmosphere with their unsettling ambient tracks, I am reminded of how I had to sit around and listen to a whole track with someone wailing hit by a rock and just get annoyed again. And what is with this nonce cover art? Makes you wonder what one of the lead composers was doing when he died in Thailand back in 2010 Highlight: AB/7A

I.B.M - sounds like it was the soundtrack to a experimental/psychedelic film project. If this was part of an AV experience it might go alright. On its own though it's a bit how ya goin'. Hit By A Rock - as above ^ United - I think this is the whole of Sargent Peppers Lonley Hearts Club backwards and sped up. For the last time, there are no secret messages to Beelzebub or Moloch in the Beatles albums, stop looking. Valley of the Shadow of Death - soundtrack to a film created by David Lynch's British twin. Dead on Arrival - low-key I fuck with this one. Sounds kinda neat. Maybe the consistent backing beat his helping me along. Weeping - guitars out of tune, to me this is like the part in Spiderman 3 where Venom is surrounded by the metal rods Spiderman is banging then to give Venon psychic damage, well I'm Venom in this scenario. Also, the worst vocals I've heard on the 1001 album list, all of the singers in my highschool's Battle of the Bands we're better than this. Hamburger Lady - take the crumby vocals out and this is a decent soundtrack. Hometime - CREEPY TRACK FOR PERVERTS AB/7A - another decent soundtrack I enjoyed At the end of all that, consider my Gristle, well and truly Throbbed

this is one of those albums that up themselves faggots will tell you 'was so important for the industry' or 'a huge inspiration for some of the greatest in experimental noise' but i guarantee you theyve never sat down and listened to this shit front to back in their own free time. now, while i admittedly didn't know people were doing noise this early which is kind of impressive, this is bad noise. this sucks. this has none of the rhythmic or hypnotic beat you want from noise, none of the interesting palette of sounds or variations. instead it's just overmodulated, over distorted discordant banging and electronic whining. it fucking sucks ass and also it's so fucking full of itself. the music is already pretentious as fuck, don't go around wanking your 2 incher claiming it's about 'extremist ideologies' and 'the dark recesses of human society and sexuality'. instead you should hang yourself with a noose. i was almost tempted to give it a 2 just because it probably was influential but then i remembered cabaret voltaire existed and i changed my mind, these guys deserve their dogshit score and im contributing to it.

who up throbbing they gristle

This album is not music. Just because it's presented in a format that is similar to an album, doesn't mean it is music. It's art, not to say if it's good or bad, but it is art. Specifically not music. So, I did a little bit more research on the artist and they were actually originally a visual arts group before moving into music. They like to make confronting and surprising art. From that aspect, this album is kinda cool. The tracks are full of some really cool noises from a time when synths were new, recording technology was taking leaps and boundaries were ripe for the pushing. Some of the tracks sound like they would fit perfectly into a horror movie and evoke pretty interesting images. Some of the sounds and soundscapes have been obviously replicated for use in so many other things, from music to movies. They also were able to record something that is more or less a group experimenting with sound and noise and give it a more than a semblance of cohesion, were able to communicate feelings and provide some really interesting listening experiences. I understand this is pushing the boundaries of technology of the time, recording equipment, experimenting outside the box with noise and sound. And I can really respect that, it's art and it kind of works in some ways. But anyone who calls this 1970s equivalent of a dude basically fucking around with the preset options on a Casio keyboard proper music is fucking retarded. It's not music. Sure it's interesting, but how many times do I have to listen to what sounds like a dude having a tug to JOI torture porn in the back of an old time server room. It's not music, it should not be on this list. Nobody in the history of planet earth has been at a party or driving with their friends in the car and thought "Hmmm, you know what be fucking awesome? Listening to IBM by throbbing gristle! Everyone will surely love and enjoy the incessant boops and beeps for 2:37 - not to mention the whirring!" I guess I can see why it belongs on this list, and I can see that it was influential. But honestly, it was a fucking painful listening experience that I probably won't repeat.

Okay, I'm prepared for the incoming pretentious, fart sniffing, pontificating allegations. And I ain't beating them. I'm also not going to go to war with everyone. I'm just going to put my best case forward for this album. Talking Heads realised their first feature Length album in '77 it was wildly ahead of its time in predicting the sounds that would define the 80s but also in its sampling, editing and production techniques. This only grew on future albums. Similarly, even earlier White Light / White Heat by the Velvet Underground came out in 68 and capture the textures, Fuzz and Punk that would explode in the early 70s with Branca, Sonic Youth, the Swans and all other subsequent alt rock and Punk projects of the late 70s and early 80s What does this album have to do with any of that? It released in 78 and was riving that second end of a decade wave of innovation. No-one was making sounds like this this, except for Eno and before him Halim El-Dabh on his single Lady and the Poet single and some faggots out of Princeton Uni music department. There's probably others but those are the ones I know of. I was disappointed by the track hit by a rock cause it felt like it was going somewhere but didn't. I felt as though not only is the album deeply experimental but it has nothing to show for it. Thankfully I didn't feel that way throughout. In fact everything up to and including Dead on arrival didn't amount to much other than an early use of sampling in this manner. However, weeping blew me away, this track came out nearly 50 years ago and it sounds like an experimental track that would have came out today. It's so unique and beautiful and sad. Hometime pushed me, the moments of babies Cries really got under my skin. And that was the point. By experimenting with sampling you are able to create soundscapes once unthought. Music doesn't have to be catchy and danceable it can be foreboding and scary. This track filled me with a sense of dread. Very cool. Hamburger lady minus the vocals if used for the Soundtrack of a contemporary horror film would receive praise for its building of tension, the imagery associated with it is immaculate. Some people are amazed that Aphex Twin developed some of his early works in the mid 80s, AB/7A came out in 78, c'mon you gotta admit that's pretty cool. I feel the same way about E-coli as hamburger lady, could make it onto a horror movie Soundtrack today and no-one would bat an eye and may even give it praise. Walls of sound, is a premonition of the looping soundscapes of no-wave and influence as mentioned above that would dominate the early 80s and have a lasting impact on all alt rock going forward. This album reminds of Enos album another green world. And while he might have beat them to the punch this album is certainly remarkable and influential for its time and certainly deserving of a spot on the list. What people need to understand is, that this album while not to most peoples taste isn't a Flaming garbage heap, it's not just banging noises together. I've been to dogshit live noise shows, anyone can bang some shit together and call it music. That's a 1/5. This isn't that. This is well composed, influential, ahead of its time. It had structure and nuance. 8/10 Fav tracks - IBM, Weeping, Hamburger Lady, Hometime, AB/7A, E-Coli, Walls of Sound Least fav - none really

Interrogator: Moscow has gone dark. We are out of options. A pre-emptive strike on Russia is prepared. The President WILL authorize. JACK! For the LAST time! WHERE is the NUMBER 5 REVIEW?! Jack: HOW MANY TIMES?! Byron was at Mt Gravatt! We had to Stop Byron! Interrogator: "We"? Jackbot? Jack: We wanted the same thing. The same. Interrogator: We're losing him again. Aw, God… He's back at Mt Gravatt. In a shipping crate, Jack and Jackbot prepare to set foot In Mt Gravatt. Jackbot: We are here. Mt Gravatt … Source of 1001 review’s poison. They are preparing to deliver another 4. Jack: Not on my watch. Jack: Byron. This is the end. Byron looks up upon hearing Jack and upon seeing him, drops the radio he was speaking into in shock. Byron: You..?!!! Jack grabs Byron and slams him into the electrical equipment then throws him into the chair, Byron recognizes his attacker. Byron: I know you… The chat! You don't know… What we did to you… Jordan appears on the radio again. Jordan: Jack, talk to me! Jackbot moves in on Byron as he protests. 1001 Albums Generator: [static] …Three…Four…Four… Jackbot: Your evil has claimed the lives of many better albums… Jackbot punches Byron. Jackbot: No longer. 1001 Albums Generator: …Four…Three… Jackbot punches Byron again. Byron: Killing me will not stop Reggatta De Blanc being a worse reviewed album! Jackbot continues punching Byron. Outside, two people in hazmat suits prepare to breach the safe room. Jackbot: I DO NOT CARE ABOUT REGGATTA! Jackbot grabs Byron by the throat. Jackbot: MY NAME...IS JACK...MACKENZIE!! Byron: No… Jackbot reaches behind his back and draws a Marker to write a big N on Byron. Jackbot: AND I WILL HAVE...MY...REVENGE!!! Cutscene microfiche depicts DEFCON remaining at level two, with twenty-four hours left in the US countdown to nuclear first strike. Jackbot: When all that you are, all that you have done, is buried beneath the lies and deceit of corrupt men. I will die in this wretched place. The only thing that keeps me alive, is the thirst for vengeance. They must be stopped, Jack. Marko...Byron...Taylor...ALL SOULD HAVE GIVEN A 1 TO DEXYS MIDNIGHT RUNNERS. Dexys had the worse album and Its criminal it isn't lower on this fucking list. This album was ass but gave me the funny idea about black ops 1 so 2/5.

I.B.M. lets you experience life inside one of those room-sized computers they had in the 1970s. Hit by a Rock opens with someone being tortured just outside that same room? United came and went, didn't notice it Valley of the Shadow of the Death is clearly just a result of a Dictaphone being left in a council housing flat somewhere. I'm convinced this whole track is raw audio. Dead on Arrival, this shit is ass Weeping Hamburger Lady is more of the same random noise, which is good because it signals to me that the album does not have a change of heart in its second half to be something at least entertaining. Who gives a shit about the rest of the songs? Not the guys 'performing' it, that's for sure. I feel about these 42 minutes of noise as I imagine a lot of people do about modern/post-modern art. It's bullshit, and I don't know what level of degeneration of your frontal cortex/serotonin imbalance you have to have for this to be enjoyable. This shit sucks, anything higher than a 1 is a Christ-like level of charity and generosity. Music critics should be rounded up and forced to break rocks in that labour camp from the start of Rambo 2.

Weirdly great

There should be a zero stars option for this

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."

Conjunto de ruídos com a marca da aleatoriedade.

Amazing, finally I found a band that revolutionised music with a new, groundbreaking invention - industrial music. Without this new genre we wouldn't have bands like... Rammstein, I guess? Other than that, absolutely terrible and unlistenable album. Very easy 1.

I tried…I really did

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

Music only in the broadest definition of the term. Would only recommend to someone I really hate. No good songs just unpleasant noise.

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.

Not gonna lie this opening is really turning me off. I fear this will be a 2 star album for me cus I’m really not into this…. I’m only on the second song so we’ll see I guess? If I’m being totally honest this is kinda unlistenable. I thought i might have a winner with “Weeping” but I fear not. I can see how this album may have felt ahead of its time, and therefore interesting, but I do not like it.

Wat een naam haha Wat een tyfus herrie, nee dank je Al dat 1e nummer laat mn oren bloeden Waarom staat dit in godsnaam ertussen Alleen AB/7A is nog beetje normaal 0/5 als ik het kon geven

I usually like noise etc, but this did nothing for me.

There's nothing about this album that can redeem it from its cover art. The music may be influential in industrial circles, but child exploitation is neither edgy nor provocative, it's disgusting.

First pass: I appreciate experimental, but I truly cannot find anything redeeming or interesting here. Every song is a cacophonous, confrontational din. I like confrontation in music, but this seems utterly pointless. Second pass: okay there some interesting stuff here. The latter half for sure, the wall of sound is certainly something. I appreciate that it’s different and inspired even if it’s very much not for me

I liked it. Not much to say. But it’s a good example. I feel we’re getting a little bit of white boy critical in crowd. But it was ok.

"Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable", said the Mexican poet and academic, Cesar A. Cruz. I would append; “Within reason.” Challenging art can be important, rewarding and memorable. Or just entertaining aural puzzles and experiences. Sometimes we seek it out and get what we came for. But to subject another person to this abrasive annoyance, boredom, or pain like this is beyond me. And beyond what I want to tolerate. I can only guess or sense that the origin of this art is their own special, twisted and malevolent form of abject alienation. Or maybe not so much experience worth sharing, but a joy they get from inflicting it. And I don't wish to study it further. The cover art and track names were informative sign posts. I won't reveal the rare and special insults that come to mind for this group.

So what do we have here? Computer noises, long before we all had to deal with them; Hit By A Rock - definitely sounds like it; a 4-minute song reduced to 17 seconds for some reason; noise plus dialogue I can’t be fucked trying to decipher; a steam train being chased by outlaws and/or indians; more train noises with more words; car racing noises; a child’s voice with creepy sounds in front of it; something that makes you think the band just played Autobahn through several times; perhaps plane noises with more indecipherable dialogue; apparently death threats left on a phone, but I really struggle to hear the words; electric train noises that are not related to Phil Spector; and a deranged voice actually singing - about blood on the floor. Two stars for the name, which, unlike their output, I always thought was one of the best band monikers ever.

Industrial music is important to me. I own and love a lot of 80s and 90s industrial records, I went to industrial night clubs, I played in a (terrible) industrial band for most of the 90s. It's not the only kind of music that I love (not even nearly), but it was pretty important to me. Throbbing Gristle were a band I read about a lot (Re/Search magazine, Simon Reynold's Rip It Up and Start Again, mentioned in hushed tones). They were (supposedly) dangerous, transgressive, iconoclastic, seminal (in all senses) "wreckers of civilization". But rarely heard. In Australia, at least, it was nearly impossible to find their records, and they never got played on the radio. Their roots as a performance art collective, Coum Transmissions, really shows. They are trying to shock and discomfort, and doing a pretty good job on those fronts. But it works much better as an artistic concept than as an actual listening experience. And they are trying sooooo hard to be transgressive. Maybe they were too successful, and now nearly 50 years later it doesn't seem that bad. I just don't really want to sit through it, in the same way I don't really want to go to a performance art show of a degrading sexual acts. Just not into it, you know? That said, I can hear their influence in a lot of records I own, most notably Severed Heads, an Australian band I was obsessed with, who started out making 'unlistenable' records before evolving into electronic dance music, a similar trajectory to TG. I wonder if Tom Ellard from Sev Heads had actually heard much or any TG, and was reverse engineering what he thought they must be like based on what he read about them. As an early Coum Transmissions slogan put it, "We Guarantee Disappointment." And, by that metric, this album eagerly delivers. Great band name, terrific concept, massively influential, but not a great listen. 5 stars for the ideas, 1 star for the music. Look, I'm glad I have actually, finally listened to at least one TG album all the way through, but I'm not racing out to buy a copy.

Not a good listen for me

It’s just random noises…. Would give it a 0 if possible

Hit rock bottom today. Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse. 0/5

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

I came into this with an open mind having heard of Throbbing Gristle but never listening to them before. Relating this bullshit to punk in any way is fucking absurd, and anybody who tries to do so is trying way too hard to sound smart about music. There is nothing punk about this apart from musicians with little to no training performing. All this is is ambient electronica, and it fucking sucks. It's not interesting, it's pointless, there's no hidden message in the music, nothing. This is the adult version of babies being enthralled by mobiles. That being said, AB/7A is a cool track

not interested in listening again, but i thought it would be much worse considering the reviews on here.

Noise -5 Stars

I really tried to like it, I did. I like experimental stuff. But man, you have to make it slightly audible. Otherwise, it's just a pain in the ass to try and listen to it.

unlistenable

This isn't music it's white noise

Could not rank this lower

I worry for Matt.

Still no Bob Seger

Lamenting that I didn’t rate that Hanoi Rocks record higher

Wot.. there's no Zero stars ????

Just random noise and nonsense. If this is clever I dont get it. Awful. Favourite song: Nothing Least favourite: Every track Album artwork: Good cover

Is this what it sounds like inside the mind of a paedophile? What the fuck is up with that album cover with a sleeping girl in her underwear? That's beyond trying to be edgy and just sick.

Not at all my taste.

I don't know

Sometimes a cool idea isn’t something anyone would actually listen to, unless you’re being pedantic. A lot of people would say that type of thing about noise rock bands like Sonic Youth or Big Black or Boris or Melt-Banana or Lightning Bolt, but all those bands still make, well, songs. Some are more chaotic than others, some more deconstructed than others, but these groups push the boundaries of traditional pop music. Sure, that can be abrasive and hard to listen to, but if you squint your ears, your mind will adapt to the noise and hear the song underneath it all. There’s a whole other world of experimental noise music where the idea of a song becomes obsolete and the semblance of song structure no longer matters. Merzbow, Earth, installations like The Disintegration Tapes; circuit bending, mic feedback, that tiktok of a guy banging a snare drum on a table with no application of musical rhythm while everyone just watches him with their arms crossed as he destroyed the snare and smashes it on the ground. If you’re depressed and too far down the music nerd rabbit hole, you’ll be [un]lucky enough to discover that this music — the edge of the metaphorical cliff, so to speak — is big on a site like Rateyourmusic, where being pedantic and knowing more about obscure artists increases your cred, which is more valuable than actually listening to an album or even enjoying it, especially when no one can really fact-check your listening habits. If you say your favorite album is Instruments Disorder, no one can disprove you or know for sure that the truth is that 99% of the time, you're listening to Sabrina Carpenter in your headphones. Throbbing Gristle are like, the progenitors of all this shit. From an artistic perspective, they matter. Experimentation should be championed, and moves everyone forward. The non-music of Throbbing Gristle expanded the palette not only of noise artists like Boris or Lingua Ignota; it also expanded the palette of Ariana Grande. Just because the former is aware of those new sonic possibilities and occasionally applies them in their own art doesn’t mean the latter isn’t benefiting. There is value in deconstruction, and sometimes, pure experimentation is beautiful. But just because an experimental art film of static makes sense in a contemporary art museum and can be appreciated within that context, you’re not going to go home and put that art film on while eating a bowl of microwave popcorn after a long day in the office discussing Q3 projections, now are you? Be honest, because the only people who claim otherwise are just trying to lord a pretentious, holier-than-thou lifestyle over you, at least that's my personal experience as someone who works with/leaves around/is occasionally friends with this sort of person, and maybe sometimes sounds like this type of person to other people. Very few people *consume* pure experimentation. Again, that doesn't mean *creating* pure experimentation should be dismissed or that the byproduct of experimentation should ignored from the history books. I'm just not going to listen to it, at least not in a way that matches my enjoyment of a favorite album or movie. That’s basically my thoughts about D.O.A. and Throbbing Gristles. I inherently respect the experimentation as an artistic statement. But are these songs? I don’t think so. The closest to popular song structure we get is “Weeping” and “Hit By a Rock,” which both walk the line between slam poetry and music. “Blood on the Floor” would also classify if the song wasn’t purposefully cut short with a fade-out before it could develop any structure. Otherwise, there’s a little bit of rhythmic patterns on “Dead on Arrival” and “AB/7A,” but the rest? It’s spliced tapes, recorded conversations, sustained notes, and circuit feedback. It's noise, yes; it's very rarely a song. For the most part, D.O.A. is an art installation, at its best. At its worst, it’s a tutorial sales pitch for one of those newfangled synthesizers. Look at the bleeps and bloops, aren’t they fascinating? What does a mostly glitched 16 second clip of “United” inspire in me as a listener? What about the 30 second cut-up technique of “Death Threat”? The artistic merit of a song like “Wall of Sound” can’t be understated, nor can its influence on a scene be dismissed, but who on earth of sound mind and body actively listens to that track? (This said, in May 2020, I did turn on Pulse Demon frequently to block out my thoughts while I work. But I wouldn’t say the human brain processes harsh noise, but rather just accepts it, and I was actively trying to ignore dark thoughts during a dark time in society.) The concept of active listening means being aware of the art in a way that can illicit enjoyment of it through appreciation. I know people can enjoy all sorts of art. That’s why all sorts of art exist. But this level of experimentation is purposefully pushing beyond the human capacity to actively listen to it, so it begs the question, how can anyone actually enjoy it? I don’t believe they can. I think anyone who says they enjoy it is being pedantic, trying to one-up you in an intellectual game of 5D chess, despite the fact that you never offered to play in the first place. That doesn’t undermine the value of an album like D.O.A. Does it belong on the list? That I’m a bit torn on, if only because I can’t tell if this is a list of “popular recorded music since the creation of music-related home media was made available to a mass market audience,” or “an exploration of any and all music since around the time when music could be recorded and purchased via a mass market, thus arbitrarily beginning at the year 1955.” Because if it’s the former, this album doesn’t belong, because this isn't popular music, aka it lacks the structure and purpose of popular music, which is fine but art music isn't consumable as a mass market product. But if this list is the latter option, well then, this list did a pretty shitty job exploring all those avenues in a balanced way and overemphasized the value of popular music over art music, so it’s probably the former. Still, I can respect the value of this record, and the impact on a scene. I just think it’s not what I would call music, at least not music as defined by 95% of the albums on this generator, even including the other noise and experimental albums on the list. All this said, it’s not bad as art music. It just doesn’t belong here, and I’ll never revisit it. Could I be annoying and pretentious and give this 3 stars? Sure, because intellectually, I think it's good for what it is, even if that isn't the point of this list as I see it, and a passive, head nod acknowledgement of this as a work of art is what I would give it at an exhibition opening, which still doesn't mean I love it, but I also don't think it's bad art or underdeveloped or something. But I'm not in an artistic third space, I'm in my goddamn apartment listening to popular music albums. And based on that metric, I'm never going to return to this, let alone enjoy it passingly like I do all the other 3 star albums. So even though I don't dislike like a 2 star album, that's where I'm falling. Put this in a room in The Whitney or The New Museum, but don’t put this on this list.

i had no idea what to expect it's not the kind of "industrial" that i'm used to, but this is pioneering for 1978 at times it feels very uneasy and at others its legitimately depressing there are some kind of weak spots for sure, and that's to be expected. it's not the greatest thing ever, but it pleasantly surprised me.

Mostly annoying. I probably would've told myself that I liked this when I went through a bit of a "noise rock is cool, anything "weird" is good 'cuz most people won't like it and I like to feel superior" phase in my early 20s. I barely survived this.

AB/7A captured what I believe it is that this band attempted to accomplish, otherwise this is so ironically punk rock that it is unironically shit.

Ok you can say what you like about this album but it won't be 'it's bland' or 'very unoriginal'. It's not a joke. It's people trying to produce the most uncompromising unpleasant sounds. 20 Jazz Funk Greats is the same too. I've tried listening to this a few times over the years but it's pretty disturbing and you tend to find other things to listen to. If you want to listen to only one track it's Hamburger Lady. Read the lyrics then tell me I'm wrong.

Groupe inconnu. Mais où est la musique ? Il faut attendre le 9eme morceau pour écouter quelque chose qui y ressemble (AB/7A). C'est tellement barré que je me suis laissé emporter par ma curiosité et suis allé au bout ... mais absolument rien me donnerait envie de subir une seconde fois cette torture. => 1/5

Day209 - maybe the best band name i’ve never heard of. It sounds like the revenge of the nerds made an album

Props for moxie and ingenuity. Probably will not listen again. But I guess I’m glad to have listened once?

As an avid fan of industrial and electronic music, I tried to embark on a music journey of open mindfulness to it and seemed to have every avenue of it stunted. My desire for rythmn was no satiated, lead segments were underdeveloped probably artistically, the tonality was off putting more often then not and the overall song structures were far too loose and not as refined as I'd like them to be. I don't know the whole attempt at noise punk seem to fall so flat here. I know that there are better examples even if I am not privvy to them.

To each his own . . . and this ain't my own. I just hope Laurie Anderson isn't on this list too.

There is no reason I needed to hear that album before I die.

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

1.4 - I don't know what to say...

Wow. So much of me wants to be edgy and contrarian and say that I loved this, but there was only one "song" here I could ever imagine playing again - Ab/7A. I fully support this sort of artistic expression - the fact that it exists (and in 1978 too) is a 5 star fact of history. The music as something to listen to in 2024, a very generous 2 star experience. Fave Track: Ab/7A 1.9/5

Bit of a difficult listen. Didn't really get it.

I usually like alternative/ experimental albums but this one is mostly noise..

A calamitous and obnoxious waste of my time. I don’t care if this helped pioneer industrial music and certainly am no stranger to enjoying more experimental music, but no one should have to endure this

One of the founding texts of industrial, and on E Coli there's even a tune. An art project that relates to popular music of the time as the VU did in the sixties. And like them, not many people listened but many of those who did went onto form bands. Having said that, its anything but an easy listen. I did have a mate who lived in the mid-80s in Bethnal Green opposite a house he said was the P.Orridge base. 2.5 really, but can't round up for this one.

At one point during Weeping, I went to the toilet and, forgetting that my lights are connected to the extractor fan turned them on then immediately turned my volume up, because I didn’t want to miss what was going on in the album. I genuinely wasn’t sure what I was expected from Throbbing Gristle, I think it was possibly something closer to Big Black, but what D.O.A. ended up being was, if unexpected, never less than compelling. I mean, it’s also terrifying. There were points when I genuinely felt paranoid and anxious when listening to it. And although the most interesting tracks, the hard-to-hear spoken word recordings, felt pretty voyeuristic at times, it felt voyeuristic in the same way that watching Hitchcock does. It places the listener in an interesting position where listening feels both wrong, and like the most natural thing it the world simultaneously. It’s the audio equivalent of a horror movie, and all I can say is that all of the coolest people, and most of the best artists, I’ve ever known have been as appreciative of horror as they have other great pieces of art. I’m glad I took the time to listen to this album, and I’m not sure I ever want to hear it again

Nothing makes me happier when there is an artistic movement that pushes boundaries and then one artist decides to take those boundaries to the most obscene conclusion and destroys the movement in the process. I love the idea of this band, but I will never listen to this ever again. It actually made me a bit nauseous. But clearly some of my favorite bands are inspired from this. I also think it's hilarious that reviewers think they can make this. Fucking do it then.

I can file this away in the "once was enough" drawer. Am I glad I listened to this record? Yes. Does it belong on this list? Not really, although I can see how it was sort of the start of the industrial genre. Very surprised that this was recorded and released in 1978. I actually kind of liked some of this album, there were some really interesting things going on and the lyrics, for what they were, were actually pretty good for the most part. Even still I don't think I can really give this more than a 2/5.

whoa dang

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.

What a load of crap.

Horrible.

So far, one of, if not the most insular and alienating set of songs I've ever heard. As such, I personally found myself interested and engaged but it was pretty rough. Will I revisit? Yes, but not too soon.

There was no music in this... just the noise of keyboards, static, soundbytes, and mish mash. Blech.

I don't know what this is. It's just noises kind of shoved together.

I guess there's some interesting things going on, but this kind of experimental music is just not for me

It's experimental noise at it's finest. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I had a hard time listening to it, but good for them to make this kind of album.

A bag of nuts and bolts

Noisy meandering fun! Surprisingly easy listening tbh

One of the first forays into industrial music for me in high school, was a band that lead me to a lot of really amazing music... I really enjoy it but I feel that they're one of those bands who are a bit more influential than good

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

influence hin oder her, this sucks lol

This is just noise and songs about pedophiles.

basically just random noise and conversations

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.

This album is abysmal. I’m sad I’m the only one doing this right now since I have no one to complain to about this.

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.

Now, how to review and rate this album? An album without a single song, essentially a compialtion of noise and conversations. I’ll never listen to the album again, and there are no individual tracks that I’d go back and revisit. However, if I had to choose between this album and an experimental jazz album, the choice would be easy. I guess it’s 2 stars, then

This wouldn’t have made my top 10,001 albums.

Sounds like a test CD from a HiFi magazine for calibrating your system.