Peggy Suicide
Julian Cope
1991
Album Summary
Peggy Suicide is the seventh album by Julian Cope. It is generally seen as the beginning of Cope's trademark sound and approach, and as a turning-point for Cope as a maturing artist.
WikipediaFlying 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 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)
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.
Emännän näköinen... taustakuvassa... muuten hyvä.. heh... tarvitsee vähän.. heh.. cope.. kopin.. kopinkeinoja.. heh.. silmänraastot ja muut tarttuneet varttuneet....tavat... heh.. jatkuvalla syötöllä ja käytöllä.. tässä perheessä.. heh... Kuunnellessa.. ei kuitenkaan.. tarvitse murehtia... tai-.. maallista.. heh.. musiikkia..
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.
One of my favorite things about doing this is discovering new stuff, especially when it's pretty good like this. It's solid post-punk and he's a great singer and songwriter, but it's definitely a little too long. Unless this is a compilation of non-album tracks, no post-punk album needs to be over 40 minutes. But I also don't know if I'd cut anything out? Will likely come back. B
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
Prog rock with a dose of 80s cynicism. Pink Floyd without the irritating bits. Absolutely loved it.
I was probably not going to listen to this album today. I have been jazzed about the last few albums. I got on this list, and I had a bunch of other stuff that I was going to spend my time listening to today. Also, this album was longer than an hour, which usually reduces my excitement to listen to it. I still give thid Hey a shot later in the afternoon at holy shit. This was one of the biggest prizes on this list for me. Had never heard of this guy, he never seen this album. And I can’t find a lot on the history of this album, there’s a Wikipedia article, but it’s more about the political content that made its way into his songs. I’m finding it adjacent to Primal Scream. It’s an album like this that makes me heat bands the call them self psychedelic rock. Because most the time they’re just fooling around on instruments and playing music that is intentionally obtuse. This kind of stuff though on Peggy Suicide is the real psychedelic as it has amazing, musical complexity, and structure, but while you’re listening to it, just transports your mind somewhere different. I also thought that I was probably gonna drop this down star because it was going on for so long, and I thought it was going to overstay as welcome. But this thing keeps its flow, the entire way through, and wins a big finish, which I love to see on an album. It’s a strategy that basically dead tnow in 2022. Amazing album and if anyone was thinking of skipping over it, I would advise against it
I actually own a copy of this but I haven't listened to it (until now) since it was a new release. I bought it because I had quite liked a couple of Cope's earlier albums, "Saint Julian" and "My Nation Underground" but for whatever reason I didn't remember much of this. I have a vague memory of thinking maybe he had had some kind of breakdown. Who knows what I was thinking because man, I really dig this. I definitely did not remember so much of it having that funky, swirly Madchester sound which I still really enjoy. Anyway I think this is gonna get five stars from me.
Going to give this a 5. I always liked the album, especially Safesurfer of course, but there is a lot more to like: the songwriting.. lyrics.. general atmosphere, same vibes as that Soft Boys record from the 70s: Underwater Moonlight. So, it is great that both are included on the list.
A stunning album - idiosyncratic and unusual, Cope follows his own path to make this absorbing album which sound like nobody else.
Is it his finest solo album? yes. Is it perfect no, and there are signs of the Droolian obsessions that would lead him into full on druidery. But the songs are bullet-proof and providing you don't mind it's a double, it's a fantastic time trip to early rave culture, poll tax riots, the awful afterglow of Mrs Thatcher and how deeply wierd we all were in the early nineties. Also, lots of great photos in the packaging.
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.
Really nice Songtexts and meanings. (7/10) Favourite Tracks: Beautiful Love
-"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 was born to entertain, so here I go.” That seems about right. One gets the feeling he’s doing this for himself, following his muse and exploring his ideas, more than worrying what the listener would expect. Some of the songs (“Promised Land”) emphasize concept/angle over payoff (or all premise-no punchline as comics say).“Pristeen” is strong opener, followed by a few pretty meh tracks. Then things elevate significantly – “Not Raving” and “Head” and “Beautiful Love” and “American Lite” are all good and “Las Vegas Basement” is a highlight to close. Maybe slightly excessive as a double album, but interesting and engaging all the way through from an artist that’s worth getting to know a bit better.
I wasn’t sure what to expect but I really enjoyed this. A strong, catchy, well produced set of songs. 4 stars.
Wasn't familiar at all with Julian Cope before this. The first track didn't do much for me, but it took off after that. I love the sound of this album, and I dig the variety of styles. I read a little about Julian's background and there's definitely evidence of his post-punk roots, but there's so much cool exploration and weirdness. The song You... is fantastic. This is an album I would for sure spin again, way too much to hear in only one sitting.
Wasn't expecting to like this album, but WOW. "Safesurfer," "Hanging Out and Hung Up on the Line," "Double Vegetation," "Leperskin," and "Drive, She Said" were probably my favorite tracks.
First time listening to this (or really anything by Cope as far as I can remember), but I really dug it. It was fun, but also musically interesting. His vocals are just bad enough that it's endearing. Great album. Will listen again.
I was surprisingly impressed by this. Really good writing. He has something like 68 albums to his credit only a few of which have achieved even nominal recognition. He may be too smart for his own good. I also think he writes what's in his head and has no desire to kowtow to the industry. He could absolutely write a few I, IV, V, vi hits.
So far on my listening experience in this website, the albums just don't miss. I don't think some of them are a must-listen album, but a good records nonetheless. This album is amazing, each song is unique, love the instruments, it feels very psychedelic. I was working on my homework while listening to this, and each every track caught my attention, the sound on this album is very interesting and surprising, love it.
Really enjoyed listening to this album, didn't know Julian Cope and it was a really nice surprise this album.
A somewhat bizarre amalgamation of music ideas, not just confined to the albums overarching genre. I have no experience with Julian Copes music, but he seems like a songwriter who probably pumps out 100 songs per month. Each song is unique in its identity, but flows with the albums theme. It's quite long, but I found the album was better the longer it went on for. I seemed to enjoy it more and more. Recommend! BEST SONGS: - Safe Surfer - If You Loved Me At All - Drive, She Said - Soldier Blue - Beautiful Love - Las Vegas Basement 4/5
Great sound from the artist, unique soft experimental rock. Cheerful in the edge of being depressing, relaxed beats. Good vibes
Immensely captivating album with really strong tracks amidst this huge album that can get kind of patchy at some places but we're used to it with double albums, aren't we? I was shocked to enjoy this one as much as I did. I won't get into the music because like most Julian Cope, it's really hard to describe. Like psychedelic rock with some moments sounding like Nick Cave or even The Birthday Party?
A little too bloated, but I did like most of this. I think the more mature sound as opposed to The Teardrop Explodes really highlights a much more intentional artistry.
what this album did was prove to me that preconceived notions don't do us any good. i made the error of reading the wikipedia article before listening. i was sure peggy suicide would be pretentious art rock or a wannabe pink floyd, and that i would be bored and unimpressed. that was not the case! this album was refreshingly different. julian cope dabbled in so many genres--punk, rock, pop, a little jazz, and more i'm sure i didn't catch. calling this album art rock is limiting, really. cope as the primary lyricist is able to make quite a statement with these songs. the choice of a chorus singing all lyrics in "western front 1992 c.e." is bold. i wish i knew more about u.k. politics, because "each day we get closer to the big bad fire" in "double vegetarian" seems rather poignant. within "drive, she said," two sets of lyrics grab me: "she shouts, screaming down, over cities and towns, 'i have rights!'" and "yeah, we could crawl, but i'd rather drive, she said." 1991 was a quieter time, relatively, for women's rights, but i too want to go fast for societal progress. and that's only a handful of songs! this album could still be considered too long at 75 minutes, but i didn't find myself bored much. cope's ability to make every song unique helped in that regard.
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.
little jam bandy at times, kept my head bobbing throughout though. not bad,
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!
Cope crafts a unique sound that blends electric, world, rock, and spoken word into a powerful album. It is a very long journey and album though, and it could have benefitted from some more selective track listings.
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.