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Peggy Suicide
Julian Cope
1991
Wikipedia
Reviews
Like a review? Give it a thumb up to help us display relevant reviews!Flying blind again going into this one with an artist I have never heard of. “Pristeen” is certainly unique. Halfway through the songs I started wondering if I had taken something a half hour ago that was starting to kick in. I wasn't sure if I was going to like this album at this point, but the opening drums and guitars in “Double Vegetation” grabbed my attention. The verses show off Julian Cope’s vocals which were starting to grow on me. Good song! As the album progressed, I was liking this more and more. There were a number of standout songs. "East Easy Rider" with its cool, groovy sound, the organ in "Promised Land", "Safesurfer" and its mantra-like ending, "If You Loved Me At All" with its really catchy chorus, the also catchy "Drive, She Said" with that old-school guitar vibe (perhaps my favorite song on the album - "Yeah we could crawl but I'd rather drive, she said"). PEGGY SUICIDE has a lot of subtle things happening in the music alongside some very pointed lyrics in songs like "Soldier Blue" and "Leperskin". The former seemed disturbingly relevant today - so much for progress. The youth choir singing "Western Front 1992 C.E." over the strange drips and ominous music was very cool although it may have a decidedly niche appeal. "Hung Up and Hanging Out to Dry" spends more time out in the more experimental sounds. These songs were well-placed later in the album as by now I am fully on-board and ready to appreciate them, although I could see how they might inspire the use of the skip-forward button for some. I pretty much fell in love with this entire album. I had thought there was no way I'd make it through the extra 11 tracks of the DELUXE EDITION, but by the end of the original album's quietly appropriate last song "Las Vegas Basement," I was more than happy to hear more. The additional tracks of the Deluxe Edition (an entire album’s worth) consisted largely of music that seemed suited for the lobby of a boutique Millennial hotel or maybe the Cosmopolitan in Vegas. Nearer the end were some alternate versions and very experimental pieces. The Deluxe Edition I didn’t mind but probably wouldn’t visit that often and wouldn’t recommend to new listeners. Judging from PEGGY SUICIDE, Julian Cope is a very interesting person in a profession that is filled with interesting people. One review referred to him as a madman, and that seems apt. This madman's music is fantastic and inventive, the lyrics at some times pointed and other times cryptic, and this album has a lot to say. Madmen can often end up creating unlistenable music. Fortunately I did not find this to be the case here. This album is a wonderful, trippy, exciting journey. Fantastic!
This feels like the kind of album that would be playing super loud at a record store and you'd be shopping and grooving and you'd pick up a copy and then listen on your walkman and it would feel like a wonderful secret. I loved this an awful lot. Even songs that started out kind of annoying (is he rhyming "mistake" with "mistake"?) built to something magnificent. Different tracks brought to mind wildly different things: Pristeen reminded me of Jesus Christ Superstar, Double Vegetation of The Who's Tommy, Promised Land of Leonard Cohen, Safesurfer of Pink Floyd. Several of the tracks are a total groove and a half: East Easy Rider, If You Loved Me At All, Soldier Blue, Not Raving But Drowning, Head. I was dancing along for a lot of it. And then we end with the easy, mellow Las Vegas Basement. I didn't pay much attention to lyrics. They seem repetitive but I didn't mind that at all. Love it love it love it. Thank you for this!
Schrodinger’s cat. The movement of the Holy Spirit. The ending to most of the Coen brothers’ movies. I commented in my review preceding this one that sometimes you don’t completely or immediately comprehend an artist, where they’re coming from, what they’re trying to express, and it adversely affects your enjoyment. Other times, you don’t get it, and its ok. But in this particular instance, I neither immediately nor completely understood Julian Cope’s 'Peggy Suicide'; but, I loved it! He claims the whole thing is a meditation on humanity’s relationship with Mother Earth, and there are certainly songs that may be interpreted in that way. But I also heard him reflecting on a myriad of other things like birth control, police brutality, politics, religion- just to scratch the surface. And I’ve got a hundred questions that need answering: What/where is Cope’s promised land? Who’s the apostolic hag? What’s the significance of 1904? What is the meaning of the lyric, ‘Concentric circles running to the American lite’? Or, ‘It’ll all wash down when it rains’? And when he sings on the opening track, 'Pristeen' (spell check is now screaming at me), ‘How much can you take? ‘Cause your lying to me was your first mistake. Your trusting in me was your major mistake,’ is he singing about or as (and I’m guessing here) Mother Earth? This is a recording to spend some time with, to re-visit, on many occasions. And not just for the lyrics, which are rhymed and rhythmed masterfully. The music is wonderful, too. Passionately sung (and I loved the use of echo on his voice), unique melodies, a wide variety of styles and arrangements while at the same time keeping it simple in the best way, great supporting musicians, even better production (the sound engineer excelled.) There wasn’t a bad or even mediocre track in the bunch. And man, 'Hanging Out And Hung Up On The Line' is rockin’ the way rock oughta rock! I’d love to see this performed live. I was 32 years old and living in the very small town of Como, TX when this LP was released. Nirvana’s 'Nevermind' pretty much dominated my cassette deck back then, along with Metallica’s 'Metallica' (Black Album) and the Rollins’ Band, 'The End of Silence.' The sheer volume of those three no doubt rendered 'Peggy Suicide' inaudible to my ears. But that was then, and this is now. Yeah, this… is… now. (Your turn, Julian. What do you think I mean by that!?) At the conclusion of his musical meditation, he leaves us with this forlorn lyric: ‘I was born to entertain, so here I go. I was shown the door before I got to sing. Only to be now forgotten.’ Well, you know what they say: When one door closes, another opens. Uh, Julian, that would be my open door. And you’re welcome to visit anytime you want.
First time hearing this or anything from Julian Cope. It feels aggressively artful. That is, the existence of the songs and their collection into this album represents a single object. As songs in and of themselves, they show a stunning array of style and execution.
I liked it quite a bit. Julian Cope at times sounded like he was bringing in influences from the Smiths, Lou Reed/The Velvet Underground, and various new wave/post-punk artists. The album runs a bit long and would benefit from a pruning of sorts.
This album is too irregular for me. There are some great songs, but there are also some experimental and dislocated songs (more appropriated in some kind of really experimental album)
Eclecticismo y distorsión, guitarras y New Wave, cantautor progresivo. Tiene temazos. Para escuchar en modo concentración literaria.
Sounds very diverse and creative, good flow through the album, liked a lot better than some of the other “punk” or “post punk” on this list. If out of 10 stars, I’d probably go 9, but I’ll give it the 5 stars for a truly creative piece of art and pleasant surprise that didn’t lose my interest over the long playback time
Never heard of Julian Cope but this is a great album. Sort of post-punk grungy stuff. Will definitely be exploring some more of his music.
Zeer afwisselend album. Het was iedere keer benieuwd zijn naar hoe het volgende nummer zou klinken. Enkele zeer rustige nummer, en ook iets meer rock-nummers met goeie riffs. Leuke verrassing
What a wild ride! Super neat and varied, and a VERY long album. I didn't make it through disk 2, but I did really enjoy disk 1.
this was really great and had amazing range. feels like some shit my mum would play but in a good way. not a 5 because it was so long that I can’t really remember what I listened to at the beginning.
Wreszcie przesluchany na spokojnie, pierwszy albumik ktorego nie moglem dorwac na spotifaju, chociaz go widac, to jednak niedostepny, tak jak wiekszosc tworczosci Juliana przed tym albumem, z tego co sie wywiedzialem, to wlasnie dzieki niemu zyskal popularnosc nie tylko w punkowym undergroundzie, ale takze w troche szerszych kregach, nie jest to album ktory zrobil topowe miejsca w chartach, ale jest to prawdziwy post punk, czemu prawdziwy postpunk, bo wreszcie lirycznie cos sie dzieje nie tylko darcie ryja na tematy przemocowo seksualne, tak w ogole darcia ryja nie ma, a sam wokal jest bardzo podobny do tego jakim poslugiwal sie pozny Frank Zappa, niektore tracki wrecz do zludzenia przypominaja mi jego kawalki, ale o czym jest album punkowy bez darcia ryja i typowego kontentu, trak otwierajacy pristeen brzmi jak typowy kawalek romansowy, tylko ze co to za imie pristeen po guglu wychodzi, ze jest to nazwa ukejowego dezodorantu do higieny intymnej dla kobiet, daje calkiem inne spojrzenie na trak, epicki 8 minutowy kawalek pod tytulem safesurfer w ktorym polowa to gitarkowe wariacje jak u pink floydow, ale o czym on mowi, tytulowy safesurfer stara sie namowic partnera lub patnerke na sex w formacie bareback, lata 90 wiec mocne hivowe viby przez to przemawiaja, a trakow jest 18 i zeby naprawde zrozumiec o co w nich chodzi trzeba je dobrze przeczytac, a jest o czym czytac od feminizmu, konformizmu, ochrony srodowiska, podporzadkowywaniu sie zorganizowanym religiom, przez okultyzm, do hejtowania thatcherowej, jest ciekawie i jest to dobrze zagrane, nigdzie nie czuc, ze slucha sie czegos zbyt rozbudowanego, a kompozycje sa raczej proste, gitarka elektrykowa aktustyk, to narzedzia z ktorych korzystal Cope, reszta instrumentali to basik, drumy i keyboard, chyba nic wiecej nie slyszalem, czas na ciekawostke, tytul peggy suicide nawiazuje do kawalka peggy sue czyli do jednego z najpopularniejszych kawalkow Hollyego czyli pioniera rockowego popu lub raczej popu z ktorego wyszedl rock, szkoda ze nie moge nic dodac na plejke, ale przynajmniej na dysku flac bedzie sobie lezal w bibliteczce, a dosc rare znalezisko, bo nawet na torrentach nie mozna dorwac tego albumika, ale z pomoca przyszedl soulseek o ktorym nie mialem pojecia, a pewnie sie przyda z bardziej undergroundowymi plytkami
I enjoyed a lot of it. No need for the deluxe edition again, guys. I've not got 2 and a half hours in me. Felt like the Man Utd Villareal penalty shoot out.
-"Double Vegetation" gets pretty intense with some nice screams -"Safesurfer" sounds like some David Bowie stuff -Songs I liked, but didn't have something stand out particularly strongly that caused it: "Soldier Blue," "Leperskin," "East Easy Rider," "Drive, She Said" -I like the keyboards in "Head"
I really enjoyed this one. It was interesting and different, but still very musical. I liked the variety of instruments and sounds, and how Julian Cope varies his resonant voice. The lyrics definitely make relevant statements to 1991 Britain, and some which definitely speak 30 years later in the USA. I didn't love every track but I liked most of the eighteen. A few quickly picked favs might be "Double Vegetation," "East Easy Rider," "You...," and "Beautiful Love."
Interesting. I would have rated this a 3 but hit the 2nd half and just started jamming out to it. Listened in pieces and not as a whole but nothing turned me away. 3.6
I first heard of Julian Cope recently, as he wrote one of the leading books about kosmische/krautrock. I looked him up and thought "holy shit, here's a long recording career I know nothing about". So I'm coming into this album with a pleasant and intrepid feeling of discovery... Well, it's pretty good. I put it in the niche category of "solo male rockers (normally previous members of a post-punk or new wave band) with long and adventurous careers making authentic, non-compromising albums which I respect but don't completely love in all their sprawling incoherence". This record is a semi-concept album. The concept/narrative is pretty loose, and stretches out across 18 tracks / 1h:15m. Within it, there are lots of nice catchy/poppy moments as well as strong elements of rock and alt-rock. I enjoyed it quite a lot on second listen. It doesn't really hang together perfectly, but I like its ambition. It also just sounds better (and more unique) than the vast majority of more "classic" albums on the list. On that basis, I'll be generous with 4*.
Surprisingly quite enjoyed this. Like most (it seems) of the reviewers I had never heard of this artist and I had low expectations. More of a 3.5, but as we all know, that rounds up to a 4.
Really cool album. Lots of styles, lots of interesting studio trickery but nothing overwrought, always in service to the song and the songs are great. Great melodies, interesting lyrics and the rhythms are tight and driving. I lje his vocals toond sounds like John Cale at times. 4 🌟
A pleasant listen. Soft rock with some nice synthesizer music in between. Would recommend.
I liked this more than I thought i would, even though the lyrics are very simple and often repetitive. I can see influences from a lot of other artists and bands here too.
I now understand what was going on with Peggy and why she may have contemplated suicide and it has nothing to do with all of the soap in my underwear. That was just an experiment to see how much soap my underwear would hold. I did not factor that some may use bar soap and others use pump. I prefer pump when we are dealing with things in my underwear. I give Julian Cope a tip of the hat and four tiny pebbles that can be confused for rocks.
better than i was expecting. don't think i knew what julian cope sounded like, i was expecting sparks (the band - not to fall in love with him). i liked this.
This was a pretty strange one. Not sure what to think of it. There were a couple songs I liked quite a bit and others not at all.
This was pretty solid, almost the definition of post punk rock kinda. Will likely listen to again
I should like this more, definitely flavours of Nick Cave in there.... but I really didn't get on too well with it. Perhaps I should give it some more time but still 990 ish albums to go before I die!
Never heard of this before... can't guess anything based on the cover. The font says techno, the album name says indie, the artwork... I just dunno lol. Ok this is artsy nonsense, somewhere between Nick Cave, Tex Perkins, Lou Reed etc. some of it is ok but I just can't stand albums that go for this long - 75min for the vanilla version alone. Won't be listening past the 75.
An interesting mix. Hard to pin down to a genre, definitely 80s meets 90s with a lot of influences and styles. Nothing I’ll revisit though
I enjoyed some of the songs…mostly the ones with funky bass lines. The album did seem long though. I could see maybe listening to this in the background as I was working, but I already have a stack of such albums for that purpose that I enjoy more.
Great guitar tones. Cool use of instruments throughout the album. No songs really stand out. Gets pretty boring and goes on for too long.
When Julian Cope was with the Teardrop Explodes they released Poppies in the Field which I really like so I was interested in hearing his solo work here. This album has some very interesting tracks, but as many here have complained this album is too long, and on Spotify we have the "Deluxe" extended edition which is even frigging longer! I couldn't maintain my attention for the duration of this Deluxe edition so it eventually was relegated to background music. If the filler had been culled this would have been a really great album. Safesurfer for example is a killer track.
He really mixes it up a lot on this album, but it all holds together quite well. I found the 1st song wasn't a good opener, it was a bit too repetitive for me also a bit like some Lou Reed ballad. At other points he sounds like Nick Cave and sometimes there's a Bowie influence. I love the song Safe Surfer, especially the epic guest guitarist. Unfortunately I can't get the album art out of my head.
I've always had a soft spot for wingnut lefties, especially when I have a pause button.
This is a LONG alt-rock album. Songs are nice enough, but nothing that would give me any incentive to listen again. 3/5.
Jeetje, eerst vond ik er niets aan, vooral dat 1e nummer leek om maar geen eind aan te komen. Na het 5e nummer begon het ineens een beetje te leven. Best leuk om dit eens te horen.
The 3 stars I am giving this really belies my listening experience. Most of the tracks were in the low 2 area; I found it generic and greating. However, some of the tracks were really quite excellent. Like a mix of They Might Be Giants, A House, and Morphine. A weird synthesis of formative sounds of my youth that I never imagined together. These tracks are in the high 4, even low 5 territory. This averages out to a 3, but really it's quite a divisive experience.
In 1991 I didn't particularly care for Julian Cope and probably couldn't pick his hits out if pressed to do so. As I listen to Peggy Suicide now, I remember why his music never really connected with me. Musically the album is actually quite good, as early 90s college radio fare goes. Cope has a solid group of musicians working with him and some pretty interesting arrangements. But there was much better stuff going on with music in 1991 than this. Cope struggles to hit some of his notes, and his vocal style isn't interesting enough to excuse it. I still mostly enjoyed listening to this, but the album is also overly long. It should be several songs shorter. Fave Songs: Safesurfer, Las Vegas Basement, Beautiful Love, Pristine, Not Raving But Drowning
Double Vegetation has a cool 90's alt vibe. The whole album is like that, so it gets a little old by the middle of the album.
Not bad. Way more enjoyable than expected. Not sure if it was good enough to play again.
At first listen I didn't really know what to do with the album, but with the second and third listen it started to grow on me. The songs are of a high variance in quality, but there's power and emotion enough to be found
Més aprofitable, musical i melòdic que la gran majoria de la suposada música experimental que hauria de venir en la década posterior. Els arranjaments i els temes, partint d'un pop enrevessat influït per la psicodèlia i uns quants géneres més, arriben de vegades a bon port, mentre que altres es queden perduts enmig del no res... disc interessant, si més no
I did not enjoy this, It just seemed too long and dragged on, not to mention the music did not appeal to me.
This album wasn't as bad as I was expecting. It sounded pretty funky at times but overall it seemed like standard folk/rock. The lyrics were pretty unremarkable to me and it was hard to understand the meanings sometimes.
The scope of this project is admirable but it runs into a jack-of-all-trades situation as a result. Any memorable riffs were too buried in the kitchen-sink mix to jump out at me.
The music is the most interesting aspect of this, as i'm not a big fan of his delivery or lyrics; though they have a message, it isn't enough to hope my interest. Overstays its welcome and drags on.
Apparently Cope suffers from Illeism, along with Jason Derulo. Unfortunately, this album is not so good that I'd go to the 29th track of the deluxe edition.
After a seemingly endless run of early 70’s, mid 60’s & 50’s folk/country albums generated for me recently I was a little excited to be drawn one from within the last 30yrs at least. Especially since I had not heard of the artist previously. Unfortunately the music did not live up to the level of my pre listening enthusiasm. Good vocals and enough variance from the norm to keep me interested, but that was about it. Nothing stood out to me on this album and it won’t be staying on my download list. 2 Stars
This was an interesting deep dive into the world of an artist whose name I've heard, but never really engaged with before. It feels really effortless, eclectic, and yet cohesive in a way that can be alternately compelling and also long in the tooth (see "Hung Up and Hanging Out to Dry"). I really respect the inclination to experiment here, but it strikes me as a little less on the mark than Spiritiualized, who were working in the same kind of era/arena. Ultimately, as is the case for most double albums, this collection would have benefitted from some editing down into a killer 10 to 12 song collection. Unless you're just super into what Julian's laying down. 2.5/5. Favourite track: "Pristeen".
This album goes off the rails so quickly after a solid start with Pristine. I'm sensing this is a concept record, based off the length and the themes of the lyrics, but it overstays its welcome and becomes almost unlistenable. Julian Cope reminds me a little of Lou Reed, but he lacks the nuanced lyrics and the ability to pull off Reed's droning vocals.
A few decent songs on here. Some of the music has a good feel but vocal delivery and arrangements leave a lot to be desired
This album is really long, especially the 2009 multi-disc version. The original stops at “Las Vegas Basement” so I’m counting it done at there. First few songs don't do much for me. "Hanging Out And Hung Up On The Line" is a good song, it has energy that the first few don't. Overall, I think this isn’t a coherent album. I like Cope’s musical style, though he tends to excess, and that’s my general problem with this album. He needed editing. When he’s good he’s great but a lot of it is mediocre. Also, maybe you have to be English for the lyrics to resonate but they just didn’t do anything for me. I agonized over what to rate this, and I guess I’m settling on 2 stars. I’d be willing to give another Cope album a shot because I like his musical style in general but this is not to me a great album.
I found Julian Cope’s previous band, The Happy Monday’s, pretty boring. Same here. Stylistically all over the place, but still nothing caught my attention.
This is just alright. Not really special, don't understand how some of these albums get on this 1001 list but then again it is 1001 so they've got to fill it with something. Also this is a deluxe album but the extra songs aren't any better. 4/10.
First time listener to this guy... The "artsy" feels a bit forced on this album. Why is this on that list?
Not super for me. I don't care for the vocals. I think it's got a certain cool factor. but I don't find it super interesting. There is a lot of ideas on here though, and they are not all bad.
Some interesting parts, a bit formulaic derivative blues rock in others. Vocals a little too front and centre for my taste.
Even oral sex references can't bmake me interested in the first track, Pristine. And I quite like Julian Cope (as a person. Other than World, Shut Your Mouth, I don't know that I know any of his songs before today). The fact this is 18 tracks long is already filling me with dread. No improvement yet. East Easy Rider is a a Stone Roses dirge (more so than the Stone Roses made). Five tracks in, some life appears with Hanging Out... which is a Suffragette City style driver. Safesurfer sounds like Nick Cave, but boring. Boring is the watchword for this album. An album this genre agnostic, with really interesting themes should not be this boring. For comparison, Fear of a Black Planet came out this year, and does angry and political over exciting, interesting music. I have tried to listen to every album in full from this list. But sweet Jesus I cannot be bothered with this. It's 18 tracks long, I'm none in and I'm losing the will to live. If you loved me at all felt a bit like Pavement for a minute. Then went on interminably. Okay. Stay of execution. You is a tune. It's almost like he has enough ideas for a 2 minute song but not enough for 4 minutes. He could have learned from this! More things that sound like Scott Walker fighting an army of bees! Beautiful Love is fun too, though a couple more dull as shit tracks made me consider turning it off again! Western Front is good too! The back half of this album would be a three star album. The first half is one star. You can probably work out where I'm going to end up. Definitely not one of the 1001 best albums of all time. Overlong, mostly dull, but saved by two or three flashes of excellence.
Ik werd hier geen moment blij van. Net zo'n soort stem als Neil Young - op het randje van vals.
A laskluster album nothing specs about it and none of the songs are good enough for me to listen to again
Jotenkin ristiriitaset fiilikset jätti. Välillä erittäin jees, mut huonot hetket peitti yleisfiiliksen. Ei lähteny ehkä sit kuitenkaan
There was some nice stuff in here but there was also a lotttt that I didn't really care for. Appreciate the ambition though
I wish I loved anything as much as the listmaker loves British guys who jerk off on tape and call it "music."
I thought this would be a decent album after the first few tracks. However, it quickly got very tiring and the length did not do any favors. This was my first DNF cause I couldn’t make it through the last three songs. There’s a lot going on with most of it not being good.
Oh what a waste of time. AGAIN. Uninspired Jam tunes, hated it. Skipped through. Boring.