Peggy Suicide

Fine. Sounds like another band, but can’t place it right now.

Very plodding and dull. Sometimes cope hits upon a seam of gold but its very fleeting

Put aside the question of whether everyone must hear this before they die; I can't, for the life of me, understand why anyone who's heard it would recommend that ANYONE else listen to it. It's musically insipid, technically rudimentary, sonically flat, and lyrically underdeveloped. I acknowledge that he has a Rock 'n' Roll attitude; probably has an impressive sneer. But an attitude just isn't enough to sustain a 37 minute album, let alone a 2 1/2 hour orgy of nonsense.

And you waste another place on this list

I love it

Was going to knock the double album for too long and too many fillers but actually only 2 or 3 that shouldn’t be present. After a poor first track there are loads of terrific tunes on this record, all the way through track 3 to 16. Taken into account that Cope was/is into drugs and tripping I think a fairly crazy mix is to be expected. Really good by 3rd listen-3.7 makes it a 4 stars! Will certainly enjoy playing this again.

"By his 7th album he had discovered his signature sound" - I wish he hadn't bothered! Very surprised this is a 90s album, it would easily have sat alongside The Beatles in the 69s/70s.

The opening song on this album is tremendously awful and really put me off from the very beginning! Thankfully, it does get better as it goes on, and there are definitely some more enjoyable moments. I don’t particularly like his voice so the mellow songs where it’s more prominent like Pristeen and Promised Land were less fun for me. Won’t be adding this to the re-listen list. Rating: 2.0

I was so bored I kept checking when it was over

It's too long and repetitive for me to enjoy, but there's talent buried in the runtime here. I thought Safesurfer was a brilliant track and was easily my favourite song and first listen of the album. Apart from that, I wasn't really interested in this album.

No substance, maybe should have pushed the levels up.

This album is considered a creative turning point for Cope and one of his most ambitious works; it is here that he established his signature sound—defined by raw energy and psychedelic influences. Conceptually, the double album explores the potential for ecological and societal collapse. Through it, Cope weaves in his personal convictions regarding animal rights, ecology, paganism, occultism, and women’s rights. The song "Promised Land" breaks away from the driving, psychedelic energy of the preceding tracks, taking a markedly quieter, more melancholic turn. Carried by a gently strummed acoustic guitar and Cope’s somber, almost preacher-like vocal style, the song unfolds like a meditative short film set to music. "Safesurfer" resonates as a hypnotic, guitar-driven rush; at over eight minutes long, it serves as the album’s heart—featuring truly magnificent guitar passages that are menacing, dark, and powerful. This is right up my alley! The album concludes with a starkly different track: "Las Vegas Basement," an ultra-minimalist, intimate lo-fi ballad. Driven almost entirely by a soft acoustic guitar and Cope’s vulnerable, contemplative voice, the track exudes a profound melancholy—much like the meditative closing credits of a long, intense film. One can truly view this album as a cohesive narrative—a concept. It took me some time to fully surrender to it, but if you listen closely, it reveals itself as an incredible record centered on the fictional character "Peggy Suicide." She represents far more than just an individual; she embodies our society and the natural world around us, holding up a mirror to us all. Not everyone will be prepared to follow this journey, but for some, it will surely strike a deep chord. An album I wasn’t familiar with before, but one that—after listening to it twice—I now truly appreciate.

3,5 stars

It was pretty pleasant to listen to.

Today I learned that Julian Cope is also a Shaman

music is love

No thanks

i thought this was going to be alright but then it never seemed to end and it was excruciating

This was different and I should give it a second listen...

What a weird but interesting album, didn't know what to expect next. Never heard of this guy, but he might have a new fan. Will definitely listen to this again.

I enjoyed this quite a bit (I knew some of Cope’s stuff, but hadn’t heard Peggy Suicide before). I like the art-rock-meets-neo-psychedelia vibe, the sprawling arrangements, and some of the lyrics are ace, too. It’s a (very) good album, but honestly, I don’t see why it should be on this particular list…

Listens: 2.5 Standout Tracks: Head This album is seemingly very obscure, even by this List's standards. I've never heard of Julian Cope, would have no idea that he's made 6 other albums before this and question why something like this is on the list. It doesn't seem to me like a hidden treasure. I guess you could consider it somewhat genre defying? It's a little funky, a bit rock and roll, some art-pop elements. It's apparently political in a bunch of ways. The album artwork is... Interesting. Vaguely religious, but Julian was apparently very anti-religion, so I guess ironic instead? It's a bit too long. Honestly, he reminds me of Nick Cave's approach to singing. Didn't love it. Don't hate it either. Solid 3.

Low lows and kinda high highs. Saved it from being a burden.

The first song just filled me with enough ick that I couldn’t get into anything after that.

I'm sure there's context I don't know, but I don't get it.

Really not for me

erstens viel zu lang, zweitens die erste Hälfte war schwer zu ertragen. Zweite Hälfte bzw gegen Ende war etwas angenehmer.

Nicht wert

At times this album reminds me of The Doors - Julian sometimes sings in that lower register and the backing music has a bluesy feel to it. Other tracks skew more Pink Floyd (e.g. Western Front) or Steely Dan or other influences. It all sounds much older than when this album came out (1991).

This feels like someone whose biography is more interesting than their music, and their biography isn’t as interesting as they think it is. Probably more like a mid-2, but feeling forgiving this morning.

Super unclear why this is on the list other than persistent British wankery. This veered between Doors x Magnetic Fields vibes without going nearly fully as weird as either of those bands, and utterly banal 90s rock. None of it represented something you must listen to.

boring and long 5.5/10 best song - hanging out & hung up on the line

Sekalainen nippu erilaisia tyylilajeja, joskaan mikään ei kuulosta kovin mielenkiintoiselta.

boring

Some of it was ok and some of it was just bizarre.

kind of like echo and the bunnymen if they were shit. this is also coming from someone who actually likes the teardrop explodes so i dont know quite what he was thinking here?

Less musically talented, slightly older British Tom Morello. Okay, I see you Julian Cope.

achei ruim, e é isso ai parado, cansado, sem graça, xoxo

eh rock, né. tem umas mais rock que as outras. tem até um flerte com o noise ali, umas guitarrada mais espacial, mas só isso. era pra ser ok, com umas músicas bacaninhas, mas eh longo demais. daí fica só chato na maior parte do tempo

Goose farts on a muggy day.

Lyrically, this is Nick Cave + a little bit of sunshine. But I rarely acknowledge the lyrics and the musicality here is surprisingly better than I’d been expecting. As a package it’s all still a bit pretentious. And too long. But nowhere near as bad as I initially feared it might be.

I almost like this.

Like a super dark B52's album. Not bad though.

Given it a 3 because safesurfer was a great tune and other songs had their moments. But it’s a lucky 3 because this album is far too long for what it is.

goes on for too long

good album

This is a long-winded, decent psych rock album, from the The Teardrop Explodes guy. There is some good variety, and neat ideas, but I honestly didn't really get much from this. A couple of good songs here and there, but this was just way less interesting that I was expecting. And I don't even really know why. I just don't gel with this thing. Maybe I think it lacks it's own identity? I dunno.

Bueno

Some of this was pretty good. But it was kind of all over the place and entirely too long.

There are parts of this I love, but then some other parts are baggy. Feel like I could grow to like it more with repeated listens. High 3

Lots here to admire.

Peggy Suicide sounds like someone has put a bunch of my favourite bands of the 80s and 90s into a blender. It’s strange how different the groups that I’m reminded of are - The Smiths, The Fall, Happy Mondays - linked only by the fact they’re all from the North. While sonically Julian Cope travels vast differences, there’s a sense of fun and a gentle nature throughout which I find attractive, as he leads you from track to track. It’s a very explorative “anything goes” writing style that absolutely commands the extended runtime, with him wringing the most out of every idea.

It's just too long for me, lots of great stuff but too much to digest coherently, going high 3

This was excellent. I was getting Iggy Pop, Nick Cave and Lou Reed vibes from this. Nice and strange.

Bra! En annan dag hade jag kanske gett en 4:a

Very creative and diverse album. Had never heard of it.

idr

⭐ Inte min grej. Det finns säkert bra element här men grejen är att det är för stökigt och bitvis väldigt enformigt, albumet är dessutom väldigt långt. Sammantaget gör det att jag inte orkar engagera mig och det flyger inte för mig. Det blir en 1a. Bäst är Safesurfer

I played it, but didn’t really pay it much attention

Hørte ikke hele. For lang, ikke for meg.

I made it to track 6 but well before then I think I realised I wasn't really enjoying it - the 5th track just seemed to contain lots of occurrences of him saying his name!! If it's your thing then good for you, but for me it was just noise.

what the fuck was that shit. i listened to half of about three songs. there was NO way i could’ve listened to an HOUR of this bloke who can NOT sing to save his life jesus

This album was the beginning of Julian Cope's trademark sound and approach. I did not know Cope had a trademark sound, mostly because I had never heard of Julian Cope. He is English and was in The Teardrop Explodes, which is a band already in this book, so those are all the qualifications needed for his placement in here. This was a long album. I would have cut a few of these tracks before putting the album out, but what do I know. This is another album that falls squarely on the question of "What is Julian Cope doing here that requires inclusion in this book?" None of this is bad, but everything he is trying to do here has been done better by more accomplished artists. Not every album in this book has to knock my socks off and cause me to question how I ever missed this album, but I generally would prefer something stand out about the album which creates the need for inclusion. My favorite songs: Pristeen East Easy Rider Safesurfer If You Loved Me at All Drive, She Said Head The American Lite

It's like a brit-pop album that is actually so good you can't even lump in into that genre. Long and ambitious and Cope pulls it off. Fantastic record

this album came out like two decades too late i might just be being a bit harsh, since i don't have an issue with this album sonically, and maybe it's all just going over my head and i'm just uncultured, but to me at least this literally just sounds like a 70s rock opera that was born in the wrong generation. considering i can think of albums in this vein that i'd rather listen to that came out 10-20 years before this, i can't help but find it all a bit trite compared to all the great, more significant and interesting rock records that came out around the same time thought it was a bit long as well lol i did like the little fun fact that the smiths drummer (mike joyce) played on this album tho favourite songs: east easy rider, drive she said least favourite songs: this album kinda blended together too much for me to pick out a particularly weak song, could just be on me for disengaging but idk

Bien. Belle découverte

Great discovery. Very prolific with wide range of sounds. What ever happened to this guy, or why I haven't heard of him before? This albums sounds very 90s so it sounds dated, but it was probably amazing at the time.

Peggy Suicide by Julian Cope is an album that has completely passed me by, as has Julian Cope himself. I know very little about him or his music, so I’m going into this one completely blind. Let’s give him a listen. Listening to anything that runs for over an hour is a big ask. For me, no album needs to be this long, and it’s almost impossible to maintain the quality and hold my attention across that sort of running time. There are definitely parts of Peggy Suicide that I enjoyed, but there are also plenty that didn’t do much for me. It’s OK overall, but the sheer length works against it. There are some interesting moments and good songs buried in here, but it’s far too inconsistent to justify the length and another listen. Favourite track: East easy rider Least favourite track: So much of the album was dull and unnecessary Album artwork: Love the album cover. It’s bold, strange and immediately grabs your attention.

Annoyingly long, and painfully boring. It's ambitious as it is to make an album an hour and 16 minutes, so if you're gonna commit to such a length it better be pretty damn special. But this fails at that so hard it's *almost* funny, but not quite actually funny because that would have meant I was entertained by this, which I wasn't, at all. If this were half the length it would still be painfully generic, but at least tolerable. But due to how much of my day I wasted listening to this, it just gets one whole star.

I guess I forgot to review this one, but have nearly 0 memorable moments from the album. Listened to a few sections of songs to try and jog my memory.

hey, turns out the nick cave at home is actually pretty good

The first track Pristeen asks the right question: How much can you take? Can you take a double album's worth? Can you take a bonus CD's worth? Whatever your limit, we all need a little Copium in our lives and yet that is so rarely what Julian offers. He's much more interested in a psychedelic ride to and through the truths he sees. And the truth is, while I might be more inclined to reach for The Teardrop Explodes for some niche cult kitsch — neo-psychedelic post-punk, anyone? — for a surprise track on a playlist, Operation Dimery's British Critical Expansion has struck again. I've come out the other side of this record thinking Julian Cope is much better than I've tended to give him credit for. Although most of the songs on this album are never really my thing, they're well-crafted and also immediately emotionally accessible. Never boring or total trash — they're the product of someone with a vision of what they want and that is compelling in its own right if you can manage to stay true.

No thank you.

After the run I've had this was a soothing balm. I knew Julian Cope's name, I know of the Teardrop Explodes ... but I had no idea what to expect. It's a bit odd. It's a bit scrappy, but I really kind of enjoyed it. It reminded of bands like the Beta Band in places. I wouldn't avoid it in the future.

Uninteresting

absolutely not. i know nothing about julian cope and after this i don't intend to find out. this album comes off as someone who maybe used to make exciting music but is now older and far too self-indulgent. if i'm wrong, i'm wrong, but that is sure what it sounds like. i wasn't there and i don't get it. 2/5

broke my streak of 4 stars way to go... album art had me expecting a way cooler album than it actually ended up being

Not bad but nah

Too dark and angry for me.

Didn't listen to the whole thing. I appreciated some of the messaging in it; the songwriting didn't do much for me though.

It’s good, kinda caught somewhere between new wave/post punk REM before Brit pop came around.

2/5. An album of experiments in Psych and alternative rock that saw Julian Cope changing up his sound and adjusting to the 90’s (though it did come out before the grunge explosion of late 1991.) and like many albums that see an artist expanding their sound and experimenting, it’s a mixed bag. There’s some moments I enjoy like the strange but effective instrumental build near the end of “Hung up and Hanging Out to Dry” but most of it did basically nothing for me. He’s obviously pulling from a ton of different influences here but never really develops any single idea or style fully into something distinct. and at an hour and sixteen minutes it definitely runs too long for its own good.

Makes me wanna commit Peggy

It wasn't what I expected, it was far more lively and fuller than I thought it would be. It has great songs, amazing vibes all throughout. It was long, but not boring.

Fun album. Really want to give this another listen soon. 4 out of 5.

Surprising, enjoyed some but won’t be one I visit often.

Had not heard of this artist, and didn’t take much from this album. Wasn’t a terrible listen, but I was ready for it to be over well before it was - and I only listened to the 1hr version…

A bit all over the place, which is guess is to be expected for an album that wants to emulate psychedelia, but it's the 90's instead of the late 60's. Wasn't particularly memorable either, as there seems to be a mimicry of other artists here such as Nick Cave, R.E.M., The Doors, etc. but nothing to really make the artist stand out themselves. But hey, this album apparently marked the beginning of their trademark sound and maturity as an artist, so good for them I guess...

At track 1, I didn’t expect to like this album. I was dead wrong. Interesting diversity of sound.

The first song was really bad, but the rest of this album is kind of groovy in an Nick Cave way. Still, 78 minutes is too long for this kind of thing. I could've listened to Dopesmoker 1.24 times instead. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

this really couldve used an editor to cut it down because alot of it is actually pretty good.

great

Why? What the fuck are we even doing here?

Peggy Suicide was a fairly decent listen. It took a search of Cope's Wikipedia page to learn that he was in The Teardrop Explodes and i will definitely say that this album is far more interesting than that Teardrop Explodes album i listened to earlier. That being said, it does still feel like pretty generic 90s country rock for most of the album with some stranger ideas in some of the later songs but not very much. I will still say that the album is pretty solid. The music on offer was pleasant and the weirder aspects didn't drag it down too much. The vocals were also pretty good here too and were probably the best aspect of this album. This album isn't super great but for what it does, it does well. Best Song: East Easy Rider Worst Song: Hung Up And Hanging Out To Dry

I was expecting some metal but am shocked its not that. It’s Pretty Solid. Standouts are Double Vegetation, East Easy Rider, Safesurfer and If You Loved Me At All.

There is some interesting stuff going on in this album but it is a bit self-indulgent and most of the tracks could be half the length. By the end, I’m glad it’s over.

1991. Seventh studio album. Seen as the beginning of Cope's trademark sound and approach. On the album's songs, Cope laid bare many of his personal convictions including his hatred of organized religion and his increasing public interest in women's rights, the occult, alternative spirituality (including paganism and Goddess worship), animal rights, and ecology. Stated that the entire album was a meditation on humanity's relationship to Mother Earth. Each song has its own meaning.

gran sorpresa

90s alternative meets Tom Waits.

A seemingly endless collection of, I don't know what, bad Syd Barrett Pink Floyd b-sides? On the other hand, it is also WAY TOO LONG.