Reviews (page 4 of 8)
Eh
I went into this album blind. It wasnt bad- the sound was somewhat interesting but nothing really captured me. The instrumentation was decent, but the lyricality was a miss for me. Overall- probably a 2.5
Solid album. Weird lyrics but I like it
4.5
I was kind of surprised at how little I liked this one. I've heard a few of Julian Cope's songs over the years ("World Shut Your Mouth", "Trampoline", "All The Blowing-Themselves-Up Motherfuckers...") and I like those. I've heard Peggy Suicide referred to as his masterpiece. The band he's got on here is fantastic - loved the music. Unfortunately, the lyrics kind of killed it for me. Maybe it's because I wasn't British in the 90s? After reading up on the album, there is apparently quite a bit of political commentary going on, but I didn't really catch that. So, I guess, mad respect for him and the album, but it's not my thing.
How much can you take? That is a really good question after getting through the first track of this album.
Before listening: "Who he fuck is Julian Cope?" After listening: "Makes sense why I don't know him"
Knew the name but not the music. Good album.
Long and eh - funk like
Long album. Rockabilly and light punk feel
songs that just lazily repeat the song title as the primary lyric without any nuance drive me CRAZY. this hatred is probably borne of having to play "the Prince is Giving a Ball" 800 times. whatever. Pristeen wasn't my favourite.
Hit and miss 2.5
I certainly didn't need 75 minutes of this. The opening song "Pristeen" asks, "How much can you take?" It turns out, not as much as Cope was dealing out. I fast forwarded through 3/4ths of the songs before bailing out from disinterest and boredom.
It was fine.
Such dated sounds!. Fun nonetheless.
I've played this album several times and feel like I'm listening to a random mix. There's no structure and every song seems to be taken out of a different album ! Quite nice to listen but can't really enjoy the album itself
A long album that contains so many different ideas and sounds. Was daunting on first listen but started to come together. Many tracks really grew on me and I think I can still get more from it. Good find.
come on man. what is this list.
Listened to this once in the background while working, and another time very much in the foreground while flying cross country with half an edible in my system taking a shitload of notes that I'll try and distill into this review... Main takeaway is that this was a great album that I never quite felt like I could pin down. For as long as the original recording is, it kept me engaged all the way through, to the point that I was happy to continue into the deluxe edition bonus tracks. Really enjoyed that throughout the album it never felt like it was rushing into or out of songs. Often the songs are lead by long instrumental intros and fade into jammy expositions. Probably why I enjoyed it so much. Things open on a confident and powerful, Pristine, whose bass tone warms the soul. That warm is given over to something a bit dustier with Double Vegetation, which has so much space in the recording you could practically drive a truck through it. The chorus sounds vaguely like REM. East Easy Rider is a huge change of pace and tone that sounds a bit like RHCP -- at this point I am overcome by how much fun this album is shaping up to be. Felt oddly fitting that Promised Land was hitting its stride as the aircraft made its way down the runway towards takeoff. Plays a bit like a hymnal in tone. Salesurfer has an absolute unit of an intro on it and lyrics that make no fucking sense, but I'll be damned if I didn't enjoy every second of the ride. If You Loved Me At All is weird AF at the beginning, but has a solid as hell bass line -- reminds me a bit of August by Umphrey's. You... makes me think of Zappa and TV On The Radio in the best of ways. Love it. Leperskin is another standout of mine -- love the nimbleness of the bass. Weather Front was a pretty song and Hung Up and Hanging Out to Dry is a slightly messy, but altogether fun jam of a song. Found the layered, looping repetition of the title to be pretty damned trippy. Loved Las Vegas Basement as a closer; just felt so right in that spot. This one snuck up on me completely. Fantastic album that I'll be back to for sure. 5 / 5
I listened to this over a week before actually reviewing it. I really enjoyed this and it subverting my expectations in sound and quality. Don't have any detailed notes because I just skimmed it to make sure I had actually listened to it.
Wow this album was all over the place. Was definitely a super unique style and it kept switching up all the time which I liked especially since it was a long boi of an album at 75 minutes. Had some really high highs that were great and just a few medium lows at points. The singer certainly had a unique style.
Pretty weird album that I'm digging. The vocals could be better but sometimes it really fits the song. Safesurfer is a jam. Soldier Blue reminds me of Umphs for some reason. What a random fun album.
A strong enough collection of songs. It’s a bit incoherent and not helped by its runtime. There plenty of bright spots, but 75 minutes is a long time for meandering and throwing various stuffs at the wall. I don’t want to hang around forever to see what sticks. I see Cope was in The Teardrop Explodes, who made that ‘Kilimanjaro’ album I didn’t like. Interesting. I do like this a lot more than that at least.
I like psychedelic/art rock and this is a very good album in this genre from the 90s by Julian Cope. It has various styles and instrumentations which keeps me getting interested throughout. It's a long album, too long for my usual liking (which is somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes) but anyway it was an enjoyable listen.
# 570 : Peggy Suicide Peggy Suicide - A Marathon of mild disappointment I went into Peggy Suicide with low expectations—and somehow, it still managed to underwhelm. Clocking in at a soul-draining 2.5 hours, this album immediately tests your patience. The opening track “Pristeen” asks, “How much can you take?” and by the end of it, I was already asking myself the same question. There’s no denying Cope had ideas here—lots of them. But ideas don’t make an album. This is a sprawling, meandering journey through half-baked concepts, forgettable melodies, and vocals that sound like someone reading their journal out loud in a pub. It’s listenable, technically, but not enjoyable. No hits, no hooks, no reason to return. I skipped a few tracks. I zoned out. I got bored. And I couldn’t wait for it to be over. Verdict: Ambitious in length, forgettable in impact. A marathon of mild disappointment. Best Track (if you must): [None stood out.] Closing thought: I have to ask—do the people giving this five stars actually listen to the albums they’re rating, or just admire the word count? Listened: 17/09/2025
i reallyyyyy liked that. it reminded me a bit of pulp: sleazy and dark and catchy and just the tiniest bit stupid but in a way that feels interesting and fun as opposed to actively reducing my brain cell count. i thought there was a lot of variation in sound which kept my attention throughout. i had a good time listening to this and i bet i will again!!! fav tracks: pristeen; east easy rider; if you loved me at all
It was fine and catchy and pleasant but too long, even without the bonus side. Fav tracks: Hanging Out And Hung Up On The Line
Gear: ZiiGaat x Hangout.Audio: Odyssey 2 Artwork: 😇🧜♀️🌊 Production: 🤔😣🤷 Music: 🔮🍄🙄 Rating: 🔱(🔱)/5
Wasnt the biggest fan of this album
A lot of it's giving Fontaines but in the 90s. Little dark, little funky. Very all over the place but kinda more in a fun way than a way-too-messy way. Loooooooove the guitar sequences, love the melancholy, will say my standouts are with the funky/bass-heavy tunes though. Maybe just a little tooo loooooong. First Listen Favs: Easy Easy Rider, Hanging Out And Hung Up On The Line, If You Loved Me At All.
Album had a good start with a pristeen and then it became the most mediocre album I ever heard. I also checked and guy release by an album yearly like come on. Mediocre at best. Fav tracks: Pristeen Safesurfer (but it reminded me a lot of Pink Floyd) 2/5
point9.
Peggy Suicide is ambitious and sprawling, with Julian Cope clearly aiming for something big and important, but it does not always land. The album stretches across a lot of styles, from psychedelic rock to poppier moments, and while that variety keeps it unpredictable, it also makes it uneven. A few tracks have interesting grooves and flashes of strong writing, but just as often the songs meander or feel overextended. The biggest issue is that the record tries to carry too much weight. There are ideas about politics, the environment, and spirituality running through it, yet the music itself often struggles to hold attention. It feels more like a statement than an album you want to revisit regularly. There is no doubt Cope poured a lot of himself into Peggy Suicide, but the result is patchy and inconsistent, more admirable in scope than enjoyable in execution.
Not for me.
This was fine. Far too long, and the sound I wasn't a huge fan of, but it certainly could have been worse.
I'm just not a psychedelic rock fan. Not the worst in genre though.
This was definitely a bit of a grower, better as I listened more times. Varied sounds and instrumentation throughout that keeps it from sounding bland despite its longer length. Not connecting enough for a 5 but I think this is a solid 4.
I didn’t hate this, but being at just over 75 minutes, it’s just too freaking long. Sometimes listening to the albums on this list feels too much like work, and this was one of those times. After getting about halfway through the album, I skipped ahead to Beautiful Love, since I noticed it was by far the song most downloaded on the album. I can see why, as it was catchy and had some commercial appeal. But again, for me this record was work…not fun.
ONLY LISTENED TO THE FRONT HALF BUT SUPRISINGLY GOOD
10/10 what the hell this is so catchy and creative!
Soft indie rock with bluesy parts. Kinda Coldplay-ish in places. More folksy in others. Not much jumping out early in the album. Punk sound on Hanging Out and Hung Up On the Line Semi-spoken word on Safesurfer. I guess quite unique for a solo effort in 1990 but not much overwhelming today. Still has potential for a great track somewhere in the 2.5hr double album length. You... is interesting - it's like new-wave/ska/blues/jazz. Fun marimba in Not Raving but Drowning. Truly a multi-instrumental/multi-genre album Beautiful Love has nice trumpet pieces. The American Lite sounds like a very 80s new wave song. Who is Julian Cope? Sounds like The Stranglers? Disc 2 is 2009 deluxe edition only, so will not listen. Best track - Hanging Out, You..., Not Raving, Beautiful Love 4 stars, definitely a grower
Shit.
Meh. Nothing awful about it, it just seems to go on for quite a while
First I’ve heard of Julian Cope and looking at the reviews, I’m not too hopeful. Let’s see… …all feels a bit cheesy and self-important. I can almost see him listening back to the recordings, basking in self-glory. Just nothing particularly grabbing or skillfull. Lacking substance or heart. Actually looking forward to this album finishing and there is still SO much to go. Urgh. And the length only strengthens my views above. Get. Over. Yourself. Yeh, not gonna give you the play stats, my man - 2* and your lucky. As someone else said Julian NOPE.
Too long, another victim of the CD, like much of the 90s. Not bad music but it felt soooo bloated. Will not listen again
Listenable and fun, but a deluxe version with an entire 2nd disc is a treat too rich for my tastes
Best Song: You... The saxophone gave some well-needed energy to this otherwise stagnant album. Worst Song: Hung Up And Hanging Out To Dry. Everything that happens in this song sounds like it happens accidentally. Overall: Nothing against him, but this just sounds like a regular guy? This feels like a weekend garage project. He's got some decent, stock-standard dude rock, and I love that for him, but what about any of this is so important that it ought to be included on a list called "1001 albums to hear before you die?" Somehow, I feel like even the artist would be confused by his own entry. And for the love of Christ, 29 songs?
Not familiar with the singer. It was OK.
Еще один приятный и хороший альбом. Интеллигентный коктейль на основе попа 60-х и 70-х с психоделикой, фанком, панком, прог-роком и пост-панком. Много интересных звуков, при этом относительно ненапряжная атмосфера, отдающая некоторыми нотками изысканности. Не поставил бы этот альбом на пьедестал величайших, но рад, что услышал его.
This was alright. Maybe a little on the long side, but some of the guitar work was really good and the variations in style kept it interesting. Sometimes reminded me of Nick Cave. Favorite songs were Double Vegetation, Safesurfer, and If You Loved Me At All.
This was a pleasant surprise! Honestly maybe a bit too long for me, but I enjoyed it.
I didn’t even make it through disc 1. This goes for 2 and a half hours and it just isn’t interesting enough to justify that length. Some decent little bits here and there and I’m sure there are more as it goes on but I just don’t care enough to find out.
++*: If You Loved Me at All ++: Pristeen, East Easy Rider, Promised Land, Hanging Out & Hung Up on the Line, Soldier Blue, You..., Not Raving But Drowning, Head, Leperskin, Hung Up & Hanging Out to Dry +: Double Vegetation, Safesurfer, Drive, She Said, The American Lite +-: Beautiful Love, Western Front 1992 CE, Las Vegas Basement 8,5/10
Not necessarily something I needed to hear before I die, but not too bad.
67/100. A solid psych rock/pop record, though the last few tracks feel out of place stylistically. Otherwise, a nice and engaging listen.
This one was pretty good. It kinda went on for too long, but the variety of song styles kept it interesting. Glad to have heard this
These albums are all starting to run together - haven’t we listened to this already? Or is this another vaguely melodic indie alternative album? Is this good? Just not mainstream enough? Like something you’ve heard before but with a singer who is just slightly off pitch? Was this an important album you’re just a little too young to remember having made an impact? It was fine.
Sprawling, shambolic, and varied - this is the classic statement double album that veers experimentally all over the road. Grounded principally in a merger of 60s art rock (Velvets, Leonard Cohen) and the dance grooves of the Madchester scene (Inspiral Carpets, Happy Mondays), it’s an album that is of some distance from Julian Cope’s more new-waveish work with The Teardrop Explodes and on his earlier solo records like Saint Julian. The backing band here is truly terrific, and as a whole while there are some inevitable missteps (Pristeen is a bit of a limp opener, and East Easy Rider is just groove without much behind it), it’s a truly masterful creative work and probably the best thing Cope has done.
Not bad, light rock sound. Very long album
Щось дуже дивне. Я слухав слухав і не зрозумів взагалі що це.
Toward the second half of the album I found myself tapping my foot along to the beat. I don't know if that means much, but there it is.
The best part of this album is that I could tune it out. 2 1/2 hours is just too long, and most of the tracks just seemed like noise.
It wasn't bad, but will I listen to it again? Nope. Will I even remember the name "Julian Cope"? Nope, I had a hard time remembering it even while I was listening to the music. Still, the music isn't terrible. Forgettable, but not terrible.
Never heard of them before, not sure I'll listen to them much more again.
Sounds like every warm up band I ever saw. Fine to bob along to but otherwise nothing that really engaged me
Way too fucking long. I actually don’t hate the vibe so it would be a 3/5 if it was actually edited!! Pristeen & Hanging Out and Hung Up on the Line stood out. But 2/5 because it wore down my soul.
I feel like there was a mediocre album in here trying to get out but it was smothered in too many songs - if ever there was an argument for bringing back vinyl and limitations of that as a format, it’s this cacophony of indulgence.
A very cool album with an interesting feeling to it - it didn't set my brain on fire but was very good music! Hope to go back and love it on another listen or two
Nope, not for me. I kept thinking a track would have potential until the weird echo/synth and the vocals would start.
Just not my thing. Don't think I'll be back to give it a second chance either.
This is nice, and I could see it growing on me, but I don't find it interesting enough to continue investing nearly an hour and a half to find that out.
I imagine the vocals/words sound even stranger if you're new to JC. For me, I'd been a fan from the Teardrop Explodes albums in the early 80s, and really enjoyed his later 80s solo pop stuff, particularly the St Julian and My Nation Underground albums; I saw him live around that time. (Fried, I'd enjoyed less.) There was always a lot about him that was unusual and outspoken, too, making some of his output challenging - Reynard the Fox, Bouncing Babies. Anyway. I bought this at the time, and remember really trying to engage with this new double album spinning around on my turntable (and I remember the long sleeve notes) but feeling challenged by a lot of the confronting, rambling lyrics. I basically used to listen to Beautiful Love and a couple of other tracks, but the album largely stayed on the shelf. I subsequently acknowledged that he'd now become a bit too weird for me, and I never bought another of his albums. So it was really interesting to hear it again - it was actually far better, musically, than I remembered. That brilliant Pink Floyd-esque intro to Safesurfer! The guitar and rhythm section, especially, are fantastic throughout the album. It also frequently sounds *really* of its time - so many of those dance-y rhythms are joyfully reflecting the NW/Madchester sound that was massive in 1990. But. I'm still struggling to go on the emotional journey with him. I'm glad he's angry about organised religion and the state of the planet. But he sounds quite disturbed, which is hard. Sorry Julian. I'm still giving it a four though - he's an artist, and the music is great. PS I have a colleague who still always catches JC's live shows - I gather he's pretty much a performance poet these days? Apparently, it's always a great evening. Hmm. I'm not sure I'll go along.
huh. Guess I'm glad he's out there taking it easy for all us sinners, but nothing weird is weird enough, nothing not weird is essential enough.
This album has so many moments when it was almost good, but then kept ruining it.
2.5 hours... Every time I see this I think that the artist is some kind of experimental person that could not limit themself to fewer songs. This album aligns with that theory. It's too much for me... Some songs I could not finish as they got too annoying, others were okay again. But letting me go through 2.5h of that is borderline torture.
Ok not the Beatles Rolling Stones or Pink Floyd
Thoroughly great double album. It manages to maintain a wide variety while also still feeling like a cohesive work. I’d say that everything included is deserving of being on the album. The compositions are fantastic and the lyrics are pretty good with a few exceptions. The singing could be better in places, but the main draw is the amazing music. 4/5
Um belo disco. Soa quase temático, a despeito de conter peças tão distintas esteticamente entre si, e o traço de união é justamente a versatilidade vocal de Cope que passeia por diferentes estilos (funk, rock barulhento, baladas e rock'n'roll) mantendo preservada sua originalidade. Um álbum climático com ótimos momentos de guitarras e teclados. Seu pecado é se estender em demasia. Alguns faixas, como a sequencia de "You", "Not Having But Drowning" e "Head", pouco acrescentam, além da colagem sonora "Western Front 1922". Mas mesmo assim é um ótimo disco.
First few songs I wasn’t feeling this at all and was starting to tune out a bit. Then Hanging Out And Hung Up On The Line came on and I really enjoyed it. After that the album clicked with me and I ended up really liking it. Gave it a second listen later on and it clicked with me from the start. Top Track - Leperskin
After the first two tracks I thought I want going to be able to finish the album. Having never even heard of this artist I figured fuck it, how bad could it get? Well I'm glad I stuck with it. His weirdness isnt a caricature of himself, loud and done for shock and awe. It's strangely honest and relatedable and I must say by the end of the album I was a fan. Is it perfect? Not even close but tracks like "if you loved me at all", "you" and"hung up and hanging out to dry" certainly caught my attention. Unique yet weirdly straight forward.
2.5 hours of this? No thank you
Not quite sure what you call it, punk, rock,????
Low 4 I think, covers a wide range of genres and all generally pretty well, some interesting stuff
8/10
Meh
Horrible
Surprised this made the cut. Nothing memorable here
196/1089 - "It is generally seen as the beginning of Cope's trademark sound." Sounds like generic furniture advertisement music most of the time. Competent but nothing is exciting to me. Between a 2 and a 3 on this one. I liked the sax solo in "You..."
A ridiculously long album of mostly pale attempts at art rock with a guy who can't sing and can only slightly write lyrics that are marginally better than his singing. The album cover is atrocious. I don't listen to music to hear the anyone's meditations on anything. I listen to music to have a momentary escape from silence. I don't want it filled with inane pretentious ramblings. OF the course the hipsters love this album... I really don't think anybody needs to worry about missing out on this album. To think there are great albums not on this list to make room for crap like this. Still feel like the best lyrical album by a male British artist in 1991 was THE SOUL CAGES by Sting. His TEN SUMMONER'S TALES also belongs on this list instead of this nonsense. But, you know, this listmaker has a grudge against actual great British musicians who albums actually mean anything to the masses.
Whiny, out of tune singing and mediocre instrumentals. As background music ok but come on, this must be a troll right
It was okay
Best Song: Pristine This falls into the category of why. I don't see any reason that this is on this list. It isn't bad per se, but there is nothing ground breaking, interesting, or even special to this. I don't see myself ever listening to it again any more than I ever see myself jumping out of my seat to turn it off. It's not as much good music as it is background music in a strip club in an 80's buddy cop movie. 3/3.
This started off on a bad foot for me, but wow did it ever redeem itself. This album is great. The range of styles, sounds, and influences is impressive. It’s part Neil Young, part REM, part psychedelic… the list goes on. I also like the lyrics overall as they tend to be on the deeper, more thought provoking side. Excellent listen.
his voice is kinda odd but he is like david bowie. very underrated gin id never heard of him before
Not quite
Maybe about 60 minutes too long, but the remaining moments are surprisingly decent.
There is an interesting album in here. This is not that.
*British voice* what a wanker Just barely a 2. Consider yourself lucky Julian Cope
Kind of interesting but definitely not for me
Difficult to finish. Might have been 3 stars if it weren't over two hours long
Nope
Nothing super impressive but I liked it.
The second half of the album is certainly better than the first. But that is a low bar. I do give credit for having a variety of different styles and sounds within the album. But I really didn't care for it.
This album surprised me a lot. There were a few strange tunes on it but for the most part it kept getting better and better. Who is this guy, he’s like a poor man’s Iggy Pop or David Bowie. Can’t give it a 5 because of some of the ridiculous tracks, but it’s a solid 4 in my book.
Sometimes I hear Nick Cave. But then sometimes I hear like - Del Amitri or something.
I'm so over this album I don't even have the words to say how over it I am. 2/4
Julian Cope - Sometimes a genius, sometimes a charlatan. Peggy Suicide finds Julian straying into the pompous charlatan side of the divide. There's nothing awful here, but it just needed editing and more attention.
Need more time with the album but first impressions aren't good.
A disturbing amount of people assuming that the deluxe 2 disc edition on spotify is the actual length of the album. As for the music, it's fun enough. College rock, some avart garde stuff. I don't know much these songs will stick with me, but it was a fun listen.
This was mostly tolerable but sometimes annoying. A high 2, but not quite a 3. I’ll round up to be nice.
This just isn't my jam. It's like a poor man's Nick Cave
I was only familiar with World Shut Your Mouth before this so I was pretty blind. I might check it out again when I'm in a different mood. There are some points where it sounds very Nick Cave.
Not a fan. Favorite track: Safesurfer
Idiosyncratic, eclectic and experimental rock. Well performed and produced.
Good
interesting. felt a bit like i'd rather be listening to nick cave. 2nd disc was boring.
Slow repetitive and bad lyrics. Good combination for a bad album.
Sound very generic 90s so i guess it was leading in that. Never heard before but the deluxe version was waaay too long and it sounded like he got more drunk at the end for some reason.
Dumb album for dumb-dumbs.
Don’t hate it, but can’t imagine I’ll listen to it again. Too long tbh
really enjoyed listening to this album, Julian had slipped past me at the time. some good tracks and a few very special on disc one, disc two made me feel like I wanted to be in a rave and enjoy some party chemicals. this album made it in to my personal library and i am awarding it five!
This album left a huge mystery in my mind throughout its duration. I couldn't quite define what I was listening to, whether it was post-punk, goth rock, alternative rock... when an album leaves you with this confusing atmosphere and still gets you going... you have to give it some credit. 4 stars is fair.
This was a very tricky album to rate. There were some very good parts, but also a whole load of not so good parts, so 3 stars seems about right.
Монументальний реліз від знакової фігури в британській музиці, що починав свій шлях в нью-вейв гурті The Teardrop Explodes. У 1984-у він почав займатися сольною творчістю та грав популярний тоді джангл-поп з великим впливом психоделічної музики минулих років. В такому стилі він випустив піднесений дебютний альбом World Shut Your Mouth та більш пасторальний Fried, але потім трохи змістив акцент у бік комерційного поп-року. Не дивлячись на цю зміну, психоделічна складова не зникла з його музики, хоч і доносилась у простішій та зрозумілішій більшості формі. Згодом, Джуліан вирішив переосмислити це рішення та повернутись до своїх початкових творчих поглядів. Результатом цього й став довжелезний подвійний альбом Peggy Suicide. Альбом повністю будувався навколо концепції психоделічного року, звертаючись до різних його інкарнацій. Є тут і ліричні речі на кшталт треку Pristeen, і краутрок, і політичні висловлювання, та й зрештою старий добрий рок-н-рольний присмак епохи 60-х, як то в треку Drive, She Said. Впродовж його слухання, у мене постійно виникало відчуття, ніби я дивлюсь серіал про якусь сюрреалістичну подорож свідомістю, а відчути цю подорож глибше, допомагали запаморочливі та гіпнотичні гітарні партії. Чи виправдана була така велика тривалість альбому, що його умовно було поділено аж на «чотири фази»? Напевно ні, адже навіть цей розподіл нічого не значить, адже тематично альбом немає окреслених етапів та навіть якоїсь загальної теми. Проте, для мене ця тривалість якраз і дозволила відчути Peggy Suicide як епічне полотно, що спочатку дає тобі звикнути до свого вайбу, а потім запрошує на чудову повільну екскурсію у світ психоделічної музики.
Meh I like the Teardrop Explodes a decent bit but this one was just alright. It started to win me over throughout the second half but still doesn't feel like a necessary inclusion on the list. Also unrelated but it astounds me how many times I see a review complain about the bonus tracks thinking they are part of the main album. Do some people not even read the wikipedia pages with the track lists before listening? Rating: 2.4
That Safesurfer song makes me want to rip off my ears.
Quite an experimental rock album. I am not so sure, I enjoy it 2/5
I do not care for this. Long. Boring. Feels insanely pretentious. Not for me.
I dislike performatively deep male voices like this. It's a poor substitute for being an interesting vocalist. This did nothing for me and I think I listened to the dreaded Expanded Edition by accident.
It's a pretty easy listen, I found it to be kinda average art rock. Not bad by any means, but not noteworthy for me. It was also way too long for my taste. Instrumentally it has nice moments, some nice solos and some interesting compositional ideas. Cope's vocals weren't my favourite, I found him a bit underwhelming. Some instrument selections were really underwhelming too, like the "trumpet" synth on "Beautiful Love", which I found way too cartoon-ish and honestly it sounded awful. Lyrically, Cope delves into several different themes and isn't afraid to get political, but honestly, none of it really struck me or I found particularly memorable. In terms of specific songs, I have to commend "Safesurfer" because it's pretty interesting musically, a nice epic composition even though I didn't like much the chorus and the singing. "Leperskin" was nice too. I also really liked "Hang Up And Hanging Out To Dry", has a nice drum beat and I liked the production, maybe also because it was mostly an instrumental?
JC is an acquired taste, and this album certainly demands a lot of the listener. He's a bit mad really, but I'm here for the experience. There's some Nick Cave similarities in the songwriting and delivery too. I count myself as a fan, so it's good to reacquaint myself with this release which doesn't get much airplay if I'm honest. Heard before ✅️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ✅️ Own ✅️ Solid ★★★☆☆
It’s Julian. It’s ok
This is one of the most forgettable good albums I have listened to on this list. All I remember from it is that I enjoyed it, but I can't think of any song or even a section that stood out/was memorable. I don't even know why I liked it. I guess that's a skill as well, so good job Julian, it was nice while it lasted!
I don’t know
Tellement dense, j'ai eu ben de la misère à le finir. Je comprends l'attrait mais je pense pas ça s'adresse à moi
Wow la belle découverte! Je ne connaissais rien ce homme, et ça tombe complètement dans mes cordes. À 1h15 de long il me faudra d’autres écoutes. Mais j’aime sa voix profonde, la variétés d’ambiances (parfois ça rock, parfois c’est presque un crooner), le son general. J’aime le post-punk, sorry!
Its a long album split into 4 parts but I'm not too sure about why the parts are split the way they are. There isn't much to differentiate each of them with this album being pretty stylistically consistent throughout. The music itself is decent/competent all the way through, though for 75 minutes of runtime you have to bring better than that to justify its length. Half of the runtime could be cut without any real loss in my opinion. There is nothing here I would call outright bad but nothing that really made me have any desire to listen again.
I would love to hear the justification as to why an album like this has made its way onto 1001 albums i need to hear before i die. I needed to hear this before i die, really? I need to hear insufferable singing that is the vocal equivalent to being dragged over hot coals? Every word is so unconvincing and aimless. I need to hear a F tier level of generic 90's rock? And why is this thing so damn long? I only listened to disc one, which was enough of a challenge, you can forget about enduring remixes and left over tracks. I don't dislike this album because it's bad, i dislike it because it's bad and we're memorialising it on a list like this. So many other albums deserve this spot, not this bloated piece of shit.
I feel like I should have liked this album in theory. Some of the sounds were cool, it none of the songs really grabbed me
The fact this is a 3 despite its length is meant to be a compliment. Really do think it came alive in the back half
this guy is called cope lmao this album was okay. you'd expect way more from a project that fulls under so many subgenre umbrellas (psychedelic rock, surf, neo-psychedelia, alt and space rock) but it never quite delivers, which makes it that much more exasperating. this is the musical equivalent of blue balls.
Despite having never really listened to his music, I’ve got a certain appreciation for Julian Cope. His love of psych and krautrock is well documented and you can tell from the production here that he is a fan of Brian Eno. I think he’s a pretty cool guy in that regard. Musically, I’m not sure this album knows what it wants to be. It’s a little all over the place and I’m not sure the blend of experimental/psych rock and pop-ish songs always works. I enjoy it musically - a lot - but his vocals and delivery don’t really work for me most of the time. This record feels really long at 76 minutes.
2.2 Come on now. 75 minutes is extremely long for an experimental album. Just comes across like a rambling mess. Some brief moments of enjoyment, but brief being the key word.
Favorites: Pristeen; Drive, She Said, Las Vegas Basement A mixed bag quality-wise, but I found this to be a really interesting mark in the turning point of psych as a form of rock. Peggy Suicide works as a bridge between 60s psych rock and what's associated with psychedelia today. Very interesting stuff, even if it isn't really my thing.
I sometimes use these opportunities to review or make notes about an album to ramble on about what an album means to me or if it triggers any special memories etc. This album does none of those things but whilst I was musing over that and whilst listening to this album a thought did occur. This was because prior to today I had no idea that this album existed. I knew of Julian Cope having Teardrop Explodes albums and also a single by him Charlotte Anne which is a very charming song. So I thought that I’m 72 now and been collecting and listening to music seriously for 60 years. The fact that I did not know this album made me think how many other albums exist which I know nothing of. This led me to conclude that despite my age and the vast amount of music I either own or have access to, at the end of the day I’m just scratching the surface and know very little. I wonder if folks who review music for a living, who will have obviously listened to more music than I, but are they also ignorant of the vast majority of music ever composed and produced? An imponderable just like the meaning of life. So back to this album. How did it escape my attention when released? I like it and would have probably bought it. Shocked also to see that Julian Cope has quite a big solo back catalog. Do I now research them now or accept that life is not long enough to consume every bit of music and that we will all go to the great gig in the sky having missed an exceptional piece of music. But I suppose the contrary is true that we’ve all by accident stumbled across a great piece of music which if not for a freak moment we might have otherwise missed. Hmmmm, makes you think doesn’t it? 3/5 26/6/25
Okay, pretty dreary for such a meaningful topic. Similar sound done much better by other artists. Still a good album, couple cool songs
Honestly not terrible. The quirkiness reminds me of Beck but with a rawer/punkish vibe.
This shit kinda awesome, but slow paced. Maybe just a rough day for me
I am really not sure why this album is getting so much grief - it's really strong for it's era. I enjoyed the versatility and the creativity quite a bit.
Good god what a boring slog. Literally felt time slow down and my life force drain away
I've never heared of him before and I got quite surprised in a positive way. But although I listened to the standard edition the album is a bit too long. worst: "If You Loved Me At All", "Hung Up And Hanging Out To Dry" 2,5
I only listened to the original album, not even the deluxe edition, and I got a say, this album is about 12 songs too long. The music itself is fine, nothing special, very 90s. I think I'd view it more favorably if it hadn't felt so interminable.
A perfect example of a bloated double album that could've been a really good single album. At times poppy, psychedelic, naval gazing, dull, monotonous, catchy, groovy - and sometimes all at once. I've never really understood the love for "cosmic shaman" Julilan Cope; he was always just a boring acid head as far as I'm concerned. This album has done a little to really dispell that. Supposedly a concept album about Mother Nature and Earth, but being vague enough to not be, shows the courage of Cope's convictions. This album is as long as getting stuck with someone having a boring acid epiphany and you've nowhere to go - entertaining in places, but you end up just wishing it was over. Best Tracks: East Easy Rider; Hanging Out and Hung Up On The Line; Beautiful Love
I did not like this album. Safesurfer had some interesting stuff going on, as did You.... Not a fan of the vocals, or the music for the most part. 2
Experimental. Sometimes it worked for me, sometimes not.
I've found this to be a pretty genuine attempt to make some good music, but it fell short of resonating with me. The lyrics could have used a song writer. Weird and interesting stuff.
Meh
ok, ok, ok, ok. Kirk its only 75 minutes, you 5/5'd nervous young man. you can handle this. Just listen to the album as the tracks are listed on rym, its not that difficult. Its a lot more bearable then the previous album i can tell ya that much, like the vocalist sounds like he isn't screeching every bar, and trying to do a dying bird impression in fact its quite the opposite. Its a quite palatable album, and one i don't think i would've been gravitated to if it werent for the generator, though that doesnt make up for the hellhole (jeff rocenstock ref???) that the last album unfortunately ended up being. The piano was very enjoyable to me, and so is the louder stuff seen in tracks like Hanging Out And Hung Up On The Line and Safesurfer. The electric guitar and guys vocals go amazing together. If you loved me at all sounds kinda like radiohead, honestly a lot of this sounds like a worse in rainbows (the best you can get from me is sounding like in rainbows and being the same quality (ignore the part where sounding like the normal album and being better, though not attainable to my knowledge is a better achievement)). Drive She Said has an amazing hook. I think i could prolly find smth to say about every track off this if given enough time, because this album certainly isnt smth like loveless where either im not getting it or it grows on you. I like the horns in you, part of me just wishes they were quieter then the vocals. overall this is a really good album just not something id come back to.
Sophisticated arrangements and unique musical talent, just not my thing
1/2
YABA (Yet Another British Album) "Turning point as a maturing artist" WTF is this amateur hour shit where the moment it's mildly ok, it deserves to be on this list? Meh, it was fine, not bad, 3*
I never bothered checking out Julian Cope because I guess I assumed I wouldn’t like him. As it turns out, I was right!
Ehh, I really did not care for this. Sounds like Julian is his own biggest fan.
Never heard of him - very good, will have to investigate more of his stuff…
Not necessarily my kind of music but it has something nonetheless. The sound is somewhat like The Doors and the bands of that sound and in that era. Psychedelic and with s lot of guitar
Terrible voice, mediocre music. I think he loves the sound of his own voice too much
Surprised. I didn't know you actually had a decent British rock album in here.
Boring folk and rock songs about sex and cars, but with knowing winks at the audience to assure us that it has a satirical edge and if we think it's bad than we have just missed the point. Happy for this to whoosh over my head.
i’m tired
There might be some good bones here but I’m not sticking around to figure it out
Hella long, i hope it's good It was meh
10/06/2025 So long, so weird, so bloody boring.
Cool
Meget bedre end jeg frygtede. Ret interessant stemme, engang i mellem lød han som Nick Cave, andre gange som ham fra INXS
Kan godt være det er dumt langt, men jeg synes egentlig det hele virker! (I modsætning til mange andre dumt lange indie plader fra 90erne)
This was really nice! Awesome psych rock
Ничего не понял. Но ещё послушаю.
Driving, funky beats at times. Kind of a whiny voice at when singing high. Petty good band overall. Long crazy album.
Interesting Album.
A decent album, but it's too long.
Has enjoyable moments but very bloated and has its low point but an okay listen but not great
“How much can you take” screams Julian in a voice I don’t recognise as his! It’s a good question for the first song and I’m already wondering how much can I take? But guess what? I’m still listening and I’m intrigued to say the least. It’s one of those albums that will take repeated listens to fully appreciate and I’m willing to give it a go.
3.5/5
Thank you, next!
One of those cool 90s albums rooted in rock but doing pop, dance, funk, trip hop, space rock, kosmische music, jazz even on the B side! Has it all and is mostly missing the odd weak track that you'd expect on a double album, though it doesn't quite stick the landing which I think is pretty important on a double album. I would give it a solid 8/10 but feels like it could be a 9 or even 10 with a few relistens.
a wide-ranging exploration of different sounds that allegedly kickstarted Julian Cope's trademark sound after 7 previous albums. It's definitely got a lot of unexpected twists and turns that still form a relatively cohesive work.
Still need to finish but I think I get the general gist. It's interesting but not something I'll probably revisit unless any of the songs work their way into my brain.
Kinda good, not my fave but kinda good Will I listen to again: 16%
Disc 2 was an upgrade from the 1st
It’s been years since I thought about Julian Cope. What wonderful journey this is. From psych to krautrock to dirge and all forms of rock. So many great tacks and tracks, maybe Drive She Said is my favourite
Арт-психоделик-регги-гараж-панк-хип-хоп-рок на, судя по всему, эко-тематику. Очень странное сочетание, очевидно. Скорее всего требует несколько прослушиваний, но пока. Лучшая песня - Hanging Out & Hung Up on the Line.
Really cool sound but the vocals are a drug induced disaster.
Ok
Julian certainly had a lot to say and as such this album doesn't suffer from CD bloat as many did around this time.
This album was huge for me at 20 when it came out. One of those ones I dont need to listen to any more because I know it inside out. I'm loving how many of the reviews are hooked first time listeners. I'm also amused by the number of people who think they have to listen to the 2.5 hour Deluxe Edition cos the website has linked to that version.
weird. voice is somewhere between jim morrison and nick cave while hitting neither vibe. music is the worst and best of 90s alt rock simultaneously. all averages out to uhh average
I’ve tried writing songs of my own before and self-doubt always creeps in thinking the lyrics are shit and I’ll sound like a twat, but I don’t think I need to worry so much about that. If I keep it under an hour, nothing can be that bad. I can probably count on one hand the albums that are longer which don’t grate on the nerves.
Aside from a couple solid solos (guitar in Safesurfer, sax in You...), I thought this album was kind of bland. Slightly psychedelic, mostly forgettable.
Just because you're good at playing guitar, doesn't mean you know how to create good music.
I'd heard of Julian Cope before starting this project, but I can't remember the context in which I'd heard of him. However, I reviewed The Teardrop Explodes' Kilimanjaro earlier this year, and I thought it was a really good. I'm not sure how I'm going to feel about this album though; the user reviews aren't very favorable, and it's pretty long too. However, I'm going to keep an open mind, and hopefully I'll be surprised! This album wound up being a pleasant surprise, and I enjoyed listening to it. It did go on a bit too long for my tastes, but it had a really great rock sound that was fun to listen to. There was a lot to take in terms of the total sound, but the guitar playing provided a great foundation, and the other musical elements, like the keyboards and synthesizers, did a great job of building on top of that foundation. This album felt experimental, especially for the early nineties, and while not everything landed with me, the majority of it felt really accessible to me. When I was listening to the leadoff track, “Pristine,” I wasn’t wowed (I think the vocals were a bit of a turnoff), but I could feel that this album was probably going to go places that I would enjoy. There were some great songs peppered throughout the album: “East Easy Rider,” “Safesurfer,” “Beautiful Love,” and "Hung Up & Hanging Out to Dry” were among my favorites on the album. Even the worst songs on the album were still okay, and nothing on here stood out to me as bad or grating. I wound up listening to this album about three times before writing this review, because I wasn’t sure what all I wanted to mention, but I’ll wrap things up and by saying that this was a really good album, and I don’t think I would have found it without going through this list. If you like some unique guitar rock built upon some postpunk roots, then you’ll probably appreciate this album.
The second half of this album was actively bad. Like my ears hurt listening to it. It was completely unenjoyable and ran on for far too long. I feel like I’m not fully justified in giving this album the dreadful one star however because there were also parts of this album I actively enjoyed and even thought were really good. But heck if some of those tracks didn’t make me want to fill my ears with concrete so I wouldn’t have to live anymore with even the possibility of hearing that pile of crap again. Yeah, one star seems appropriate.
really didn't connect with this
Not for me, couldn't get into it
really, really did not enjoy this. almost a 1.
some of this was fun but i said "what the fuck" a lot during it, and he sounds like jv nick cave often. "enigmatic storyteller, contrarian, mystic, and hallucinogen enthusiast" yeah sure man
Did not expect to enjoy this as much as i did. 3.5
Am I glad weird little dudes are making weird music? Yes. Did I like this? No. 2.5 rounded down because some of it was repetitive in a way I disliked and I didn't really like his voice. Yes it's subjective but I am subject to my personal view and interpretation of the world!!!
Enjoyed this quite a bit. Could do with trimming.
4 - got so into it that I didn't realise it restarted
No patience for this crap. So boring
bad bad bad bad bad bad what happened to teardrop explodes
If you loved me at all you wouldn’t make this album over 2 hours long. A prime example of why you shouldn’t put every song you’ve ever written on the album, nothing special, pretty boring
Excellent
2.7 1x delux edition 2h34m catch up on 5/21/25
A little too experimental for my taste!
4.5/10
Fine album, not that interesting to me
nice
One of those artists who must have a cult following but I've never heard them. I'd like the music if I hadn't already heard a ton of other albums just like it.
It took me a while to get my head round this album - there’s a lot going on and its length doesn’t do it any favours - but after a couple of listens I realised there’s plenty of good stuff here. I think it’s quite a successful blend of alt-rock, slacker rock, baggy, pop and numerous other genres besides.
Had never heard of this guy. Incredible early 90s alt-rock.
Far too long 2/5
Wow amazing album of an artist I barely know anything. Post punk and from 1991 am album that kept the integrity of the early days of the genre. Great he kept the sound for a newer generation of punk-pop
Shite
Imagine if Jim Morrison impersonator of the doors met up with a group of guys that want to be REM, but their talent was never there. This is what this album reminded me of. 1 star might give people hope to listen to it. DON’T!!!
I cannot wait for this album to be over. The music is somewhere in the middle, but I really don't care for this lead singer's voice. They're like a 90s knock-off version of The Doors, trying to do psychedelic music the best they can, and screwing it up completely. Also, clocking in at 76 minutes, this album was WAY too long. This is uninspired hot garbage wrapped in a turd-filled burrito serviced with a side of diarrhea dipping sauce.
The music was average to meh. The vocals were overly distracting.
Cool album artwork, musics not bad, but this dudes singing is shit 1001 album worthy: no - 81/146
obviously i have stumbled into a genuine maverick here, previously unknown to me, and who's history is too complicated for me to immediately grasp and summarize. still all things point to this being his moment of full Arrival as an artist following entirely their own muse, and if its not quite a masterpiece for me on one casual listen i can imagine it will stick with me a lot...prob too long and some of the more overtly pastichey moments make me roll my eyes, but i have to respect something this self-indulgent because i respect self-indulgence in general. a strong melodic sensibility (almost folky?) and what feels to me like a sour and disillusioned emotional thread do a rly good job holding together most of the material, very song-oriented and style-ambiguous enough to remind me of everything from R.E.M. to frank zappa, at varying points. idk when ill return to this, or this massive discography, but i can certainly imagine both being v rewarding
I *almost* really like this. Every song has something that irks me, though. What's interesting is how each song is different in how it rubs me the wrong way. Sometimes it goes too long, sometimes it's too repetitive, sometimes the lyrics are dumb, sometimes the music is weird. There are moments within each of these songs that I enjoy, but then something new arrives that throws me off. Like a nice photo where there's something in the person's teeth.
Wow. What a pleasant surprise. I had not really heard of Julian Cope before and the album cover didn't make me optimistic. There are a couple of songs on this album that didn't sit with me, maybe they were too rocky or bluesy, but a lot of them where gems. The vibes often reminded me of REM and the instrumentation was on point. Will listen more.
This album is like a huge box filled with packing peanuts and somewhere in there are some really nice pieces of jewelry. It's too big with too much filler to have to root through to find the few good songs Check out St Julian or his singles collection
Odd
03:26 Oof! This is going to be a long 75 minutes. 14:41 Maybe this isn’t so bad. 23:36 Can’t be much longer now, surely? 41:46 My supplies are starting to dwindle. I’m not sure how much longer I can take. 55:36 I miss my family. Is there no end? 66:41 Please, if you find this, tell my wife and children that I love them. 75:53 Oh thank god, it’s over! I made it! Wait… no… it can’t be… what do you mean there’s a disc 2?! *gunshot*
I liked this more than I thought I would to be fair.
another mid album by a british man
Well, it's not bad, more often than not actually quite good. But, to my regret, nothing would even occasionally listen to.
ever wondered what it would sound like if nick cave covered emf's unbelievable?
The two most important things I can tell you: 1. Do not listen to the over 2 1/2 hours contained on the Deluxe Edition. That includes a bonus disc from 2009. When the album first came out the last song was Las Vegas Basement, so aim for that stopping point (if you get that far). 2. Despite what even Julian Cope himself has said, a previous major release - My Nation Underground - is a much more enjoyable album to me and ages just fine. The opening track to that album merges two different 60s songs and then infuses them with 80s Cold War angst - amazing. One of the most interesting and ambitious covers I’ve ever heard. I know you don’t have time to listen today but keep that in mind for the next time you are stuck with electronica. Back to the album at hand… The music here is strong… favorite songs are “If You Loved Me At All” and “Beautiful Love” (don’t miss that one…maybe even spin that first). But it does feel too long, and the whole feels a little less than the parts.
This is a vast and ambitious album that features Julian Cope as a Willy Wonka of composition taking you through his musical factory. There are lots of treats, but you have a quirky guide that sometimes gets lost and distracted by his own vision. There are vibes of Elvis Costello and even Leonard Cohen, and when the tracks are good, they are really good and translate well. But even when the tracks aren't quite as accessible, you get the feeling that Cope bought in 100%. This makes it all very listenable and memorable.
Surprisingly nice. The title and cover art were off-putting, but then I liked this.
Nog nooit van gehoord. Ik vreesde het ergste, ook door de slechte beoordelingen van andere gebruikers op deze site, maar ik ben nu halverwege (bij "Not Raving But Drowning") en dit is gewoon een uitstekende plaat vooralsnog. Genesis en dat soort bands mogen een voorbeeld nemen hieraan. Dit is hoe je een dubbelalbum interessant houdt. Het heeft elementen van de Happy Mondays, maar ook het repetitieve van Kurt Vile. Behoorlijk mijn straatje dit, al springt niks er echt uit. Een om in de gaten te houden op platenbeurzen.
I approached this one with trepidation because not only is it an artist that I've never heard of before, it's also from my teenage years. That feeling got worse when I saw the run time. There's some interesting and enjoyable things happening here, and also some self indulgent wank along with repetitive lyrics. This grew on me a bit with each listen. If some restraint had been shown, cutting a lot of the chaff out this, it would have been a much better album.
I was prepared not to like this. I thought, ok, another British artist from the 90s. But man, this is great. Each song is brings something new to the table. The lyrics are powerful and vulnerable. I actually want to relisten to this. I've never heard of this artist or album, but I'm really glad to have done so now.
Safesurfer’ — brilliant track. The album as a whole "Safesurfer" is a brilliant song and encapsulates the album as a whole. The album's kind of all over the place, but I like how it plays with different musical ideas. When you mix such opposing styles, it’s not always gonna work — but I respect the attempt.
Thought I would like this a lot more but found it kind of lacking. Not to say it was bad it just wasn’t that good.
I warmed up to it. Not a relisten for me though.
I thought this was fine. I liked some of it, some of it was too arty for me. May listen again in the future, but not soon.
6/10
A rather enjoyable romp of rock songs that have earnest thought behind them https://open.substack.com/pub/richcain/p/project-1001-peggy-suicide-by-julian?r=4ztyq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Good for Cope (lol) for being included in this list I guess. Liked Safesurfer.
i was immediately put off by the first track but as i kept listening this album slowly won me over
This is what a hip corporate executive at Nike would listen to in 1992.
i thought this was fun and original and i love his voice. it’s inventive and impressive and it bums me out that taylor swift has a higher rating than this
Not saying all music needs to have point or a purpose, but what the fuck was the point of this? What is the intended response from the listener? And who is the intended listener? This was all over the place and honestly I’m trying to figure out what Julian Cope was even trying to do here. I’m sure there is an audience for it, but I’m not in it, and honestly my life would have been perfectly fine if I never heard this. I’ve heard worse, but I’ve heard a lot better.
Pristeen had me dreading this 2.5 hour album. Double Vegetation got me stoked on this 2.5 hour album. East Easy Rider caught me off guard and had me confused about where this 2.5 hour album was going to go. Promised Land had me wondering if I was going to make it through this 2.5 hour album. Is the ending the Promised Land? After that, there were definitely some interesting songs in there but man 2.5 hours is way too long. I think I really appreciate the weirdness and the variety in this album.
This was brilliant. Really cool post punk melodies, but he also takes really obscure and unique liberties throughout. Sometimes it’s akin to Talking Heads while other times Jane’s Addiction. I just listened to the original track listings and not the remixes, but it was still 3 songs too long.
It is long. But even worse, it feels long. Julian Cope does his best Jim Morrison impersonation, which is fine, but half of this album should have been cut and left on the studio floor to be trampled on. 2.9/5
Julian Cope’s sprawling double album, *Peggy Suicide* (1991), is a wildly ambitious and often enjoyable trip into psychedelic rock and protest music, offering plenty of groove-heavy highlights like "East Easy Rider" and "Soldier Blue" that capture a distinctive, energetic madness. However, its sheer length and Cope’s indulgence in certain stylistic ticks mean the experience is frequently uneven; for every inspired moment of trippy melodicism, there are prolonged stretches where the music feels repetitive or overly theatrical, resulting in an album that is intermittently engaging rather than consistently great.
He intentado terminar este álbum cuatro veces hasta que por fin he conseguido sentarme a escucharlo con tranquilidad. Y la verdad es que preferiría haber invertido este esfuerzo en otro álbum, porque este tampoco es que me haya causado gran impresión. Tiene una amalgama de estilos curiosa, siempre orbitando alrededor de una estética sureña, pero con ciertos toques experimentales/psicodélicos o incluso post-punk. Probablemente "art rock" sea la mejor forma de etiquetarlo. Los temas suelen ser simples, pero con pequeños toques que los hacen interesantes: un cambio de estilo, un instrumento inesperado... Por su parte, las letras son aún más abstractas que la música, poéticas y de temática muy personal. Pues bueno, no está mal. Un álbum más de otro cantautor británico excéntrico pseudo-punki de alma libre. Podría haberme muerto sin haberlo escuchado.
This was weird. I don’t really know what else to say but it was little on a longer side and just like ok!
Hoping to like this was my first mistake. Continuing to listen was my major mistake. The music overall could maybe have reached a low 3 - even if a lot of it carries a dated cheesy sound - but *holy jumpin* these vocals and repetitive repetitive repetitive repetitive (and annoying) lyrics almost seem like an intentional sandbagging. What the hell?? I can't remember not being able to finish so many songs on an album in years. Woof. This sucked. 3/10 1 star
There were point where he wasn't trying to be Jim Morrison, I like them bits.
4 - Some of the songs were sick, others were a bit too cheesy. Overall really like it though
2.7/5
It was fine, I guess. A lot of Suicide/Nick Cave influences in here. Quite enjoyed it in parts but it's too long.
The first song pretty much says it all. It asks, "How much can you take?" And the answer is "not too much" as I quickly gave up on this one. DNF as I could barely get through five songs, let alone two and a half hours of this rubbish.
2.5
Stylistically it's all over the place. There are some interesting moments scattered throughout, but over 18 tracks those moments are spread too thin. Overall it feels like a record of half fleshed out ideas.
This would be a decent album if it were half as long (and I even only listened to side A)
I liked this way more than expected.
This is like the serious version of Flight of the Conchords. This guy is the lead singer from The Teardrop Explodes, another terrible album on this list. East Easy Rider and Promised Land are improvements. It's growing on me. Safesurfer is both the best song and the worst song at the same time. Is that possible? The sci-fi noises are not adding to the song. This is like a shitty Oasis album. The length of this album is a major issue. It doesn't feel like a coherent album either. Lenny Bruce clips set to vaguely reggae music probably felt edgy at one time. You sounds like the music to a cheesy spy series from the 60s. Not Raving but Drowning is the best song, the music is actually pretty cool, but the lyrics are nonsense. Jemaine Clement definitely loves Julian Cope. Urge Overkill too. This album cannot end soon enough.
Started thiniking it would be a 2, endes up being a high 3
Eugh...
This album mostly sucks. However, if you listen to the two hour long deluxe version, the tripped-out second disc is actually really good. I wasn’t expecting that. In fact, I’d give the actual album a one and I’d give the deluxe bonus material a five. So, this comes to a three. This really shows how an artist can be either excellent or dull depending on delivery. I truly wasn’t expecting to come around to Julian Cope after the first few songs. The second half is just so dramatically different, and perhaps more to my taste. I’m suspicious about that toy car collection though… I bet this guy’s a real creep.
I'm not quite sure what I think of this album. It's not bad, but it isn't really grabbing me either. I'm going to listen to it again before submitting my rating. I don't have to listen to it again. I just don't like it.
This album tests what a person wants out of a project like this one. Do you want the Rolling Stone top 500 doubled? Or do you want an interesting collection of albums which go into mainstream and subgenres highlighting the best on offer? I could choose either but I would prefer the latter. However I struggle to define what should be a 1 star album for this list - personal taste versus should it be on the list? It could have been 'Come Away with Me' but I can argue against as it was part of a zeitgeist moment whether I liked it or not. Might it be 'Peggy Suicide'? It achieves the stated goal but has deficiencies. It's experimental but not enough. The songs are competent but not blazing new trails. Many bands did experimental music or recording techniques and also wrote a banger song. None of these songs are bangers and mostly forgettable. I feel no need to revisit any of them. His vocals are uneven and generally just average without daring to be interesting. I had to break up listening into 2 parts due to the double album length. The second half did not catch my interest like the first. As a result, I resented having to sit through this much self-indulgent bloat. This guy was good enough to get a major label deal but not good enough to really break through. I'm not saying this album shouldn't be on the list. But I am saying good enough isn't good enough.
I knew nothing bout Julian Cope when I heard this album. First off, it’s very long and a bit exhausting. The first song of interest to me was Promised Land, I enjoy how it slowly builds to soaring guitars. I’m not interested in type of music so I’m not to spend much time here.
01) Pristeen - 6,0 02) Double Vegetation - 5,5 03) East Easy Rider - 6,5 04) Promised Land - 6,0 05) Hanging Out & Hung Up on the Line - 5,5 06) Safesurfer - 5,5 07) If You Loved Me at All - 5,5 08) Drive, She Said - 5,5 09) Soldier Blue - 6,0 10) You... - 5,5 11) Not Raving But Drowning - 5,5 12) Head - 6,0 13) Leperskin - 5,5 14) Beautiful Love - 6,5 15) Western Front 1992 CE - 4,0 16) Hung Up & Hanging Out to Dry - 4,5 17) The American Lite - 6,0 18) Las Vegas Basement - 5,5 TOTAL: 5,61 (56/100) This drags on forever. The album cover is terrible, the songs aren't that terrible but they're not that special either. I don't know what this album did to deserve to be one of the 1001.
2 hours of self indulgent nonsense. Not every album by a British rock band has to make the list.
So Julian Cope is just a student of Jim Morrison huh. Way too long and indulgent. Way too up it’s own ass. “East Easy Rider” was groovy…
often i think double albums could be markedly improved by cutting out the rubbish tracks to just leave the really good stuff, but this album is just all kind of okay
The creator of the 1001 List has a weakness for the spoken word, songs, bad jazz, and long albums. I found the lyrics of Peggy Suicide very repetitive. Best song is Solder Blue followed by Drive,She Said then a few of the instrumentals down the stretch. Julian appears to be a weird guy throughout this long experience. (2.9*s)
This album had me on the fence a lot, I listened to it several times through and I didn't like it right off the bat. It runs a bit long and it has no cohesion whatsoever. It's like each song is inspired by not just a different artist, but a different genre and time period completely. I don't love the first track, it's too repetitive, but then it goes all U2, Nick Cave, The Who, Phish, Nirvana, REM, The Smiths on me and I'm starting to be intrigued. It's weird how Julian's sound can be groovy but also folk, grunge but also glam, thrash but also jam band. Then he'll scream, hit you with some raspy horns, very clearly say "throw the kid away" and then leave you just so confused that you're rocking. It definitely matches his vision of Mother Earth throwing herself off a cliff to her death. So I guess I like it for the variety and the whirlwind. There's def some good tracks on here but it should be trimmed down. Overall a great discovery and a very fun listen. I need to check out his other work and his books for sure. It's an easy 3.55 for the cosmic shaman.
Very interesting album. It has a wide range and a plethora of instruments sprinkled throughout. I think I even heard some John Zorn on sax! A lot of styles and different artist vibes (Nick Cave, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Jim Morrison, Beck, Gorillaz...I can go on and on). Long album but I was in for all of it. It never really lost me; each track brought freshness. Not sure Deluxe Edition was intended but the album cover shows it as such and I'm not mad. Disc 2 is also great with groovy mixes and collabs. Julian took several hallucinogens (maybe a few too many at the end there) and put out a really cool album. "Peggy Suicide" and JC are unknowns from left field for me and a gift from the list. I'm diving deeper into the psychedelic journey from here. Also a good album for this month with Peggy Day coming up...solid 4.0.
Not sure exactly what to say about Julian Cope or Peggy Suicide. It's a decent psych rock album I guess. It almost feels like a support act or someone who would tour and play side gigs with Phish or similar jam bands to me. There's couple groovy songs on Peggy Suicide but also some filler. I feel like this would have benefited from trimming some fat and releasing a tighter 45 minute album instead of the 75 minute album we got. Julian Cope seems like an artist that I would enjoy catching midday at a festival. A low stakes set where I could just lay back, enjoy some vibes then move along to something else. I have a fondness for this style of music but I wouldn't begrudge anyone who says its not their thing. 2.71 stars
My only point of contact for Julian Cope was as the vocalist on SunnO)))'s "My Wall". Imagine my surprise when we get slightly left-of-center 80's pop/rock, along with drones, psychedelic rock, Madchester stylings, Mod-era rock if it were played by Beck; Cope routinely demonstrates that he has his finger on the pulse of contemporary trends and the ability to anticipate styles and trends that would become typical in the 90's. You have to appreciate Cope's willingness to experiment, and that his experiments all turn out well! Psycheldeliic tto varying deegres
This shit sucks so hard.
A couple songs were kinda catchy but this was all over the place
It must be nice to have so many musical ideas rolling around in your head that you feel you must put them all out into the world. At first I thought this was a little too straight-ahead, but the weirder and trippier it gets, the better it is.
It's quite readable. The music is somewhat diverse and there are beautiful fragments. 6 out of 10.
Timeless psychedelic music. Going to have to dig into his other stuff. 4/5
90's psychedelia
this album is sooo mid. the opening track was solid and hooked me into the album but everything else afterwards just was okay and not all that great. just personally not for me. julian copes voice is just so boring to me personally. and nothing really stook out to me. the whole time i was just waiting for the album to over. but i was glad to hear something new. also the last song on the album was also not that bad but literally every other song was just sooooo just lame.
Repetitive and simple. His voice is weak and very flat.
Das war lang und es hat sich auch noch gezogen, die Lieder fand ich ziemlich langweilig und ähnlich.
While it was all over the place and very long, it was definitely a unique experience. Some very high highs (eg safesurfer) and some meh mehs. 3/5
довольно хорошее переосмысление психоделического рока 60-хх, да и в целом неплохой для своего жанра альбом, мне нравки, 5/5
Given my apathetic critique of The Teardrop Explodes, I walked into Julian Cope’s solo material expecting the very worst, especially when that means I’m confronting a 75 minute art rock record with conflicting genre descriptions. The name “Peggy Suicide” does little to appeal to the palette, honestly. Yet, I am very pleasantly surprised that I really liked this record! It has flaws, no doubt. The length is the most obvious of them all. If this was half the run time, it would be a much stronger record, even if there was no discernment about what tracks to cut. At 75 minutes, you’re kind of worn down no matter what style of Cope’s you prefer, and a harsh edit could’ve made that less of an issue. Still, I think I’m not the biggest fan of his psychedelia, which seems like a holdover from his time with The Teardrop Explode. The acid-fueled songs do clog up the back half, and are what made me consider removing another star, although I think they’re mostly forgivable. The bigger sonic issue is when Cope makes an attempt at funk and/or dance music; not only do these songs draw from the now-very-dated rave era, but they do NOT fit his style whatsoever. “East Easy Rider” is the worst of them. Honestly, any time Cope uses this excessive runtime to experiment and do hard pivots, this record starts to lose me. I’m all for weaves and bobs, but there needs to be some form of consistency. Thankfully, the most constant thing here is a foundation of solid post-punk vibes, with an emphasis on the punk. This makes the majority of these songs more energetic than post-punk normally is, and helps keep things exciting, despite the weaves and bobs and acid and length. Even longwinded cuts like “Safesurfer” hit heavy because they have a punk energy behind them. The best moments, though, just come down to good ol’ fashioned songwriting, with “Pristine,” “If You Loved Me At All,” and “Drive, She Said” being infectious and undeniable ear worms anyone can love. Like many records of this length, Peggy Suicide has its problems. Sometimes, those problems feel so hard to ignore that I want to focus in on them. But that would force me to ignore how much good is on here, and I want to praise that. On the surface, track-by-track, Cope has more hits than misses. Like, a 60/40 split. That’s not the strongest amount of praise, but it’s still praise. I still do enjoy this record, and will continue to revisit it. I don’t know if everyone needs to hear it, but for my own taste, I’m glad I came into contact with it. Maybe if I explore more of Cope’s back catalog, I’ll find another album to include over this, but for now, despite its flaws, Peggy Suicide is a good starting place for me.
Bad. Long.