Reviews (page 6 of 8)
Good but wack
It’s ok.
I didn't even make it through the first song. Not for me.
Thoughts before listening: I've heard of this guy, but know very little about him or his music. Just one of those artists that got covered by music magazines in the 90s and in general were around the alt-rock scene. I don't know what to expect with the sound on this album. Review: Ah, so Julian comes from an underground British 80s band which likely explains his inclusion on this list. I'm not sure this necessarily rises to the stature of of the 1,001 greatest albums of all time, but its pretty enjoyable. The first song "Pristeen" reminds me of Velvet Underground circa VU and Nico, especially a song like "Heroin", as do some others on the album. Slow, chugging music that builds to a noisy peak. "East Easy Rider" has a cool funky rock vibe to it. "Hanging Out and Hung Up On the Line" is a flat out rocker. "Safesurfer" is a guitar freakout type song with some pretty killer solos throughout. All in all there are some really good songs here, and I'm glad I got a chance to hear it. 4-stars
Listened to this a 2nd time and still undecided. Some good songs and some strange stuff. Overall too long
Had no idea what i was walking into here, but i was pleasantly surprised. I've said it before and with another 500 albums to go on this list, most likely i'll say it again, but...no album needs to be 80 minutes long. jesus wept lads
Pretty dope
Pretty chill and catchy but nothing spectacular and definitely not worth 2hr34min of run time.
There were some very good tracks in here, but like other albums this length the majority bogged down the good ones
Maybe edit some of these tracks down a bit, you don't need to add everything
Chill vibe, would listen to it if it came on but wouldn't search it out
Molto banale e poco significativo , non ho ascoltato tutto
ok "how much can u take" not much more of this julian.
very uneven
Too long this took my whole morning
Jesus Christ. There’s nothing absolutely terrible about this, but there’s nothing notable about it either. I haven’t liked plenty of the well-known and loved albums on this list, but I’m fine to listen bc they have significance. This is just, ugh. Excuse me while I go listen to the new Taylor Swift. 2.7
Reminds me of something - Nick Cave, maybe? It's decent. Sounds like the early 90s in most places, but not so dated it's unenjoyable. I'm not familiar with Cope or his work, but this was okay. Not something I'd turn to, but an alright listen. 3.4
Not bad at all
interesting
I found parts of this that I liked, but overall, I don't know if I quite got it. Still, I'm going to file this for some thing to listen to again in the future, as it was definitely some thing that caught my attention.
Still not a fan
TWO HOURS AND THIRTY FOUR MINUTES.
Okay, so I recommend sticking with this past the first few songs. All the best stuff is in the middle of the album, starting with Hanging Out and Hung Up On the Line through Head. And that little run of songs is quite good. It’s an interesting choice putting your best work in the middle
Musically a very good and intricate album. I thought it was wayy to long though.
Actually pretty cool overall, but unfortunately none of the songs really wowed me.
Some great songs but no album should ever be this long
Why is this 2.5 hrs?!?! Didnt do anything for me
I've never heard of this artist before and I struggled to get through the 1st disc. This album is not my style.
Vähän säikähdin kun luin että levy on art rockia, mutta tämä oli ihan hyvää ja kuunneltavaa. Vähän tulee joku 90-luvun grunge mieleen tästä. Parhaat: East Easy Rider, Hanging Out And Hung Up On The Line, Drive, She Said, Head
This is the album of a boy who didn't get enough attention from his mommy -- or got too much. It starts and ends pretty well, but in the middle it's pure self-indulgence.
oof this one's tricky to rate. it's probably not something I would listen to regularly. but it's a good concept album and actually interesting enough to merit a place on this list. all in all, 3.5, but 4
Liked the diversity & there are ingredients throughout that I thought were pretty cool, just no particular song quite came together as a whole for me.
Pretty long, especially when you take the extra tracks into account, but the quality and variety justifies it for me.
It was all good for me. Your time will be time well spent.
Julian Cope is an English musician who champions obscure and underground music. His album "Peggy Suicide" is an art rock album - a broad assortment songs, covering a wide number of topics, with a variety of feature instruments. Cope's deep voice has a very cool aesthetic and is probably the best part of the album. While this album is lauded as Cope's best work, this artist and album have been unable to escape the UK.
Have you ever read any of Julian Cope's books? Fascinating. I sometimes wonder if he is better writing about music than actually creating it. But then you come across something like Peggy Suicide, where Cope comes over as a mutant, scuzzy Todd Rundgren - restless creativity and musical flexibility blasted through the respective prisms of their own individual eccentricities. There's lilting pop, neo-psychedelia, grebo, a splash of Bowie, a rather disturbing piece called 'Western Front 1992 CE' and a whole bunch of other idiosyncratic stuff. Godspeed, Julian. Carry on writing books about stone circles whilst swaddled in those unwashed leathers. I'm glad that the world has space for such a singular visionary as Cope to prosper.
When I started the album I was very skeptical, but 2 or 3 songs in it grew on me, or just got better. I will say it's a little repetitive and a long of the songs sound the same. With this being a double disc of 2 and a half hours it does get a little old. I do agree with another reviewer that said "it sounds like something you would hear playing in a record store."
Really enjoyed the vibe and energy! Favourite track: Safesurfer.
3.5 lot of weird variety. Most songs were ok to pretty good with only one stinker in hung up and hanging out to dry
Peggy NOOOOO 😳 I dunno, I see the appeal to this, and if I actively listened enough times I could find the enjoyment in it. But I don’t think I should have to do that much legwork to meet this album where it is, especially when there are more albums of it’s time that execute its sound better. Respect, but not enjoyment
Better than I thought
This certainly pulled itself together at the last second to become something I can at least say was alright, but for most of this album I found myself bored of Julian Cope's impression of Iggy Pop performing Velvet Underground songs that plagued the first half, and the more out there stuff on the second half, while better, often struggled to gather my attention more than a simple head bop, but at least it started to do something that didn't feel like britpop's response to the more avant-garde, and I'd even say I enjoyed a bit of it by closing time, but it just took far too long to get there, with very little happening that you could just achieve by listening to any other musical artist, most of which made said better songs and albums two decades or more before this. It isn't bad, just unnecessary really, and the CD era strikes again to hammer that feeling in further.
Kinda silly and meandering. Not bad, but really not great.
Experimentelles Album mit ein wenig Sound of Smith’s aber fast wütender Versuche künstlerische Aspekte zu setzen. Das Album hat von allem zu viel, von der Länge, der Experimentierfreudigkeit, der Wut, der Unruhe und der Musikstile. Gute Songs sind “Double Vegetation”, “Promised Land”, “Beautiful Love” & “Wester Front 1992”. Man hört das Bemühen im gesamten Album aber es reicht nicht zu einem überdurchschnittlichen Gesamtwerk. Wiederhören erlaubt.
Quite enjoyable, 3.5 stars
Did not convince me
It's okay. Has its moments both good and kinda bad. I guess it's a 3?
Cool stuff going on but I don’t care for the singers voice :3
Surprised how much I liked this one
It’s pretty cool. Post-punk somewhere in the vicinity of Nick Cave and The Gun Club with a dash of Can and Frank Zappa. Very sonically inventive. I enjoyed some tracks more than others but found the entire experience stimulating.
Came into this one completely ignorant and finished smiling for the most part. Loved some of the soundscapes and spot and vinegar lyrics but it drags a bit toward the end being over an hour and fifteen minutes long. Could’ve benefited from a bit of editing, me thinks.
In most cases on this list, versatility is a good thing. In this case it's a curse. There are some good moments, good tunes, but a lot of the music is weird compilation of guitar play and average singing. 2.5/5.
Some cool psychedelic guitars but those can’t really save this giant pudgy slog of an album. Overlong and self-important.
Another record that is completely new to me and that I have no expectations for. Eh. Kind of weird and good. Not amazing or mind-blowing or especially interesting. Sometimes I really wish I could read why albums are on this list becuase I wonder if it would ever change my mind.
At points soft and reflective and in other there’s a palpable anger, frustration to Copes lyrics. His voice never to gruff for the material but his words cut and carve a story of being pissed at the state of the world.
Ok.
Groovy and unexpected! A nice listen for a Monday morning!
Psychedelic with lots of other genres
what the fuck am I listening too. this is so messy. also how pretentious do you have to be to satthat you sincerely, at the bottom of your heart like this? like there are a few good songs like "head", but this is so bloated and incoherent.
“By 1984, Cope's love of hallucinogens -- as well as a toy car collection that occupied nearly an entire year of his life -- was at an all-time high.” I rest my case, your honor. :D
interesting choice...i figured if a julian cope record were represented here it would be the one with world shut your mouth or charlotte anne on it. i've never been a big fan of his, but at least those singles are better than...east easy rider and beautiful love here. i can appreciate the ambition here, but outside of safesurfer i barely even liked most of the songs here. 2.5/5
Awful.
pink floyd but lacking any creative direction or cohesiveness
safesurfer was decent, rest of it was ASS
Wow! A monstrously enigmatic album, idiosyncratic, wavy, jangly, artsy…and desperately crying for more than 1 session.
Not a fan.
I feel like the phrase "Don't judge a book by it's cover" is perfectly applied here, except sort of the opposite way it's commonly used. I find that phrase is mostly used to say that something (like a book cover) may look boring or something unappealing isn't an indicator of it's contents; it could be amazing just with a dull exterior. I feel like it's the opposite here. The cover here is really neat; it makes you think you're in for a crazy or experimental album, or something that has a lot of creativity baked into it. Or something you've never heard before. Then you open this album on Spotify and see the profile picture of the artist Julian Cope, and he's wearing a wizard hat and butterfly wings, and is perched on a rock on what looks like Mars. And then you read he is apparently, according to the Spotify bio, a writer, historian, and COSMIC SHAMAN (what?) and you think "oh this is gonna get wild, let's go" And then it's just *another* bland, alt rock album. It may dabble with some off-the-beaten-path ideas or concepts here and there, but if you told me this was just an album picked out of the vinyl store bargain bin that was forgotten about for being too bland, I would have no trouble believing you. So let this be a lesson; just how a boring outside can hide something stellar on the inside, the same is true that something wild or exciting on the outside can be as boring as a plain rice cake on the inside.
The first couple songs did nothing for me, but Safesurfer saved this album for me. Funky with a cool baseline and the guitar is really solid. Average album overall with somr cool peaks.
A pleasant background listen
not too sure about this one. OK at times and tedious at others
Kannte ich bisher nicht. Aber ich mag es
Not awful, but nothing memorable about this that would make me want to listen to again
I cant Cope.
Almennt ekki grípandi tónlist en fullt af pælingum sem ganga alveg upp samt.
Safe surfer caught my attention pretty good, as well as the Dave Graney stylings but you're kidding if I'm ploughing through 2hrs 34min
Enjoyed
Moments I liked and moments I didn’t, not very motivated to finish even disc 1. Maybe 2.5 or 3 star.
At times seems like music they would play at cult activities and rituals. Started somewhat mellow but also trying to pull you in with all the terrible stuff out there. Safesurfer felt like something they would play or chant as some creepy ritual was occurring. Then the end was like you were brainwashed and stuck in a weird dissonance. Guitar and actual instrument parts were good but overall it made my insides feel icky and kind of sad.
It's OK. Instrumentation and song writing is good but none of the songs especially grabbed me. 18 songs is too long and I got bored of it.
This album is too long, yet the songwriting is superb, so it never really overstays its welcome. Very early DIY 90’s sound. I’ll definitely come back again!
I’m always a mix of cautiously optimistic and mildly wary when I see artists I’ve never heard of pop up. Especially when I see their roots are in the post-punk genre. This album was a pleasant surprise. Such a variety of song compositions, instruments and interesting lyrics. Dug it!
4/10 meh? 1001 albums is a lot of albums it seems. 3-12-2024
Weird
2024-03-07...
Tis fine. Esp liked war into hung out to dry (and thought the sound on war was awesome) and loved the whole thatcher bashing on leper. Strangely thought the back of the album was better than front. In another life i think i would love 5/7
Maybe 2.5 - a lot of the production has aged quite badly but it's interesting - reminds me a bit of the Velvet Underground in places?. Hanging Out and Hung Up on the Line goes pretty hard too
I've never heard of this artist before, so everything on this album was new to me. Some songs sounded like REM, some sounded like Phish, other songs reminded me of one of the Doors long meandering acid trip songs. Overall the entire album was a mix of post new wave alternative music, but more on the experimental side. It wasn't bad, it just all kind of blended together into one long song.
Langweilig und keine schöne Stimme.
Kinda liked the British Jim Morison.
Blech
It feels like an album people trying a bit too hard to come across as tragically hip tell everyone they like even though they've never actually listened to it. Not me. I could tell I wouldn't care for it before even listening.
I was up and down with this album, especially with the vocals. Some of it I liked and others I didn't like at all.
Not my jam.
I liked it. It's weird. It's strange. It reminds me of Adrian Belew, particularly his work with King Crimson. I feel like I should know who Julian Cope is, but for the life of me, I don't know why. It's a weird cognitive itch I can't scratch.
Dit is muziek, maar niet heel mooi en zeker niet bijzonder. Soms is de zang zelfs een beetje vals. *
2.5
Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Safesurfer, The american life
I can’t listen to it anymore…he can’t decide if he’s Leonard Cohen or Lou Reed or somebody-the-fuck else, and the arrangements, and playing, are all over the map…it’s not pretty
Wenig interessanter Art Rock.
Excellent luatsn and some superb tracks. Now on my vinyl wantlist and will be getting many more plays for sure.
TWO HOURSSSS i like the vibes though (3.5)
appreciate the new music
Yuck
I had no idea Julian Cope was in Teardrop explodes! Totally makes me want to revisit that band and the rest of Julian Copes catalog! But this album didnt do much for me.
Really not sure how to feel about this one. One would hope that in a 2 hr long album there would be at least some songs you like, and luckily that is the case. But not sure the length is justified. Some real draggers on here, but i appreciate it trying different things? I guess
La voce non mi piace particolarmente, ma tutto il resto sì
Unfortunately, this does nothing for me. Not the fault of the artist ofcourse. It's mine, for being a silly goose.
Not sure how to classify this UK rock? Not for me though.
Isn't it nice to get something from the '80s that doesn't scream '80s? Restrained use of synths, no gated reverb, just good musicianship. A surprising gem.
There's some things I like or find interesting in this, lots that I don't. I'm rounding up to a 3 because I haven't heard of Julian Cope before, and most of the Brits I haven't heard of on this list so far have been really dull. music: hated. (⌐■_■)
Hard to land on a score for this one. On one hand there was a lot of Psychedelic Rock Moments that made me roll my eyes, but on the other hand there were a lot of moments where a song lands in a groove that made me say “Hell yeah”. I also liked reading about the weirdo liner notes, and the guy himself. I have a feeling that one day I will give this a second listen and wish I had bumped it up a bit. But for now I will call it a very good, but quite uneven one.
Very cool
Day46 - sounds like if the doors made 90’s music
Hard to get a clear purchase on this one, much as it is with most of Cope's oeuvre. Feels like fairly standard, bright shiny indie rock at times and then gets considerably more experimental (and interesting) as it goes along and really pays off with some excellent songs at the end ("Beautiful Love," "Hung Up," "American Lite" and "Las Vegas Basement"). Strong overall, but maybe a slight vibe of wanting to like slightly more than one actually does, though the closing sequence of songs makes for a high-quality end.
Unexpectedly good. Bit long though.
That’ll be the deicide.
i prefer his stone circle period
not my cup of tea but could understand why some ppl would relate
The first track asks “how much can you take?” My answer: not 154 minutes. I listened to disc 1 all the way through but only the beginning of each track on disc 2 because I’d had enough.
I own his previous two albums (Saint Julian and My Nation Underground, both for sale on Amazon) and remember liking them. This one was unfamiliar and I liked it a lot. A wide variety of styles, tempos, melodies, etc. A bit lengthy at 76 minutes, but can’t see much I’d want to cut. A solid 4.
This was totally unfamiliar to me: hadn’t heard of artist, album, or any song. I didn’t listen to the deluxe stuff, just the original album. But it was fine. At no point did I desire to turn it off, but I wasn’t hungry for any more either. A solid 3.
"Safesurfer" is by far the best song here, I like it a lot. It would be even better if at least 1 unit of effort was spent on writing proper lyrics. 3★ just because of this one song.
bit rubbish
Getting some Phish vibes on this one, especially Soldier Blue. This felt all over the place as far as style was concerned. Some songs missed the mark for me, but others were pretty good.
No idea who this guy is, but I was really close to really liking this album. I like his voice and the overall vibe. Cool beats throughout. Overall it's a just miss for me, with some songs being a bit too odd or tiresome in their repetitious chorus. I'd give his other works a try though.
Good listen. Some of the lyrical choices were baffling, but the guitar work was excellent
Came into this with zero expectations. This is an artist I felt I may have heard of but really knew nothing about. Really like the mix of punk, funk, and overall originality.
I liked this album a lot. The range of musical styles and lyrics made it an interesting listen.
The album cover doesn't really fit the sound and I was skeptical. I could hear mild punk and some funk and rock in there. All good. Total surprise to me. I'll be listening to this again.
It was alright? I didn't like some some song, but most weren't bad. His singing changes quite a bit from song to song. Liked the music, though, for the most part.
I have never heard of Julian Cope or any of the music on Peggy Suicide. I liked this album. There were moments on the album that reminded me of James, and the instrumental opening to "Leperskin" reminded me of the Soup Dragons, but I think that Cope has his own sound and I'd be interested in hearing more of his music. "The American Lite" was my highest rated individual track. I found myself tapping along to the music as it played. "East Easy Rider" was another favorite track. My lowest rated track was "Hung Up & Hanging Out to Dry" becuase of the vocals that start around 3:30. I do like some oddities, so the vocals on that track or the lyrics about an exploding head ("Head") might have room to grow on me if I gave the album a second listen. Peggy Suicide seems firmly in the four star rating. I'd come back. instrumental opening reminded me of soup dragons - divine thing not sure about the vocals that start at 3:30 rhythm got me going
This one was a behemoth. Had all the elements that I love. Sounds a lot like what BJM went for later. Influences from all over the place. Definitely a starting point for me and Cope. I'll be diving into his other stuff.
No, makes me uncomfortable, noodly and slightly.off.kilter
Interesting to hear something new. Some good rock beats and guitar riffs. Not convinced about the songs overall, look lyrics and melodies.
Pretty long.. not sure if I like it
Listened to part of it. Grew on me a bird but not really my thing. Feels like a slightly evolved version of Jim Morrison.
Didn’t make it through this whole thing. I don’t like the singing or songwriting and the music is nothing special either.
Why? What is special about this?
Really disliked this album. First one that I started skipping tracks as they were grating on me. I give this 1 star.
Ty for bringing this psychodelic artist! pleased to meet him =D Maybe the overall experience was a 4, but i give a 5 because i listened others albums and read his bio and it was delightful.
Excelent álbum! Innovative and fun, a nice journey!
I found this album confusing - which is no bad thing. First play through I thought it was just a fairly messy mish-mash of different styles. Which it is. But reading the backstory and delving more into the lyrics made me delve a bit deeper, and I found myself admiring the ambition and intent, if not all of the tunes. A grower, probably.
Usually artists focus on one style, rather than try and knit them all together in one song. You can’t beat a surf / Afro funk / post punk mash up. I don’t know how he gets away with it. No one else could.
I’d heard the name Julian Cope many times, but really didn’t know what to expect going into it. Not bad at all. A bit of psychedelia, but a good bit more post-punk and Berlin-era Bowie, with a strong Velvet Underground feel coursing through the whole thing. Pretty solid.
Not for me
2h34 minutes? Gtfo. This album was not nearly good enough to justify it, soured me on the whole experience.
Immediately angry because this album is 2.5 hours long! The first song "Pristeen" asks me "how much can [I] take," and honestly, after listening to this song, I don't know if I can take much more of the whining. The album redeems itself slightly with the song "East Easy Rider." Its groovy. The song "American Lite" with its "haha hehe" line got me giggling. I am SO bored of listening to this album. I can't wait for it to be over.
Why is this album 2.5 hours long? I mean it's fine but that's just too much.
Not my cup of tea
Liked the first half of the album but the second half lost me. It became too out there in a way that did not grab me.
generally an interesting and enjoyable listen. feels disjointed at times. and the cover, well, speaks for itself
This is a super long album. A double album. The first disc was pretty solid. Experimental rock/psych that sounds like something Nick Cave would make if he was so inclined. The second album is a lot of remixes and electronica heavy experimentation. This second disc drags the whole album down pretty bad. It's like an electronica themed reimagining of the first disc. He should have just cut it off at one disc and left it alone. It doesn't help that the total runtime for the album is 2 hrs 34 mins. It definately over stays its welcome. Especially given the fact that it descends into fucking electronica garbage around the same time you are starting to get sick of the album. It's a Shame, because the first disc is easily a 4, but this God awful second disc drags the whole thing down to a 2 at best. Favourite songs: Hanging Out and Hung Up On The Line, East Easy Rider, If You Loved Me At All, Beautiful Love Least favourite songs: You..., Hung Up and Hanging Out To Dry, Ravebury Stones, Love (L.U.V.) - Beautiful Love Remix, Dragonfly, Heed: Of Penetration and the City-Dweller - Head Remix, Safesurfer - 1991 Tour Single, Butterfly E, Straw Dogs, Anyway At All (basically the whole 2nd disc is shit) 2/5
Excellent album, one of my first CD purchases
I liked this album a lot. Never heard him before...that I remember. Psychedelic, punk, brooding, odd. I need to listen again.
Music was good, the vocals were okay but some of the lyrics not so much.
I just got bored halfway through it.
Aesthetically / conventionally puzzling. Maybe it belongs to the same genre-defying genre as Beck, Bill Fay, Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa...
Really cool, groovy album, just not for me. 3 stars
I am usually in for the super weird stuff. But this was weird in a boring way. There just wasn't anything in there for me. It felt like a REM cover band in a few moments. And those moments were actually really good! There were other good moments as well. But no good entire songs. Which I would think would be crucial for a record to be successful even if half of this list is trying to prove otherwise.
Really not my interest...
This was shit.
Unfortunately, while I can respect where Julian Cope is trying to go with his avant garde music, most of this album falls flat for me. It also feels very disjointed, and while there is 75 minutes of it, I don't think most of it is very memorable. There are some good songs on the album, and I think the last song may be the best, but I feel he needed to cut out a lot of it to just keep the best songs and give it a better flow. I listened to the three Teardrop Explodes albums last year, and I liked those better, though I didn't know, at the time, that Julian Cope went on to have such a long solo career.
It Ok. Its just OK.
not really my thing
I think this album would grow on me with multiple listens
Tracks that are way too long and repetitive...didn't really like it
Musically it sounds good. But it is not my taste at all. Can it be pretentious if he's very sincere about it and really lives the life? It's like Andy Warhol for me - I see what he's trying to say n and he's interesting about it, but none of it connects to me or engenders any feelings.
Really good start to album but slowly fell off towards the end. Way too long at 2 hours and a half. 3/5
Mehhhh
Disrespectful & vulgar album cover so I don’t even want to hear their music.
Very experimental. A lot of great moments.
This thing is over two hours long. The first half was just inoffensive brit rock, but the rest was just confusing and weird. I just can't understand why it was so long. I should be compensated for sitting through that much of dollar store Mick Jagger
i am not listening to 2.5h of an album i'm not interested in. track 10 was alright. would be better without the vocals though.
you really expected me to listen to TWO AND A HALF HOURS of this bullshit no thanks
Really wasn't my thing
Among forrest of fluff, there are actually a few gems to be found in the odyssey of a record. I didn't really dig the first few tracks, and was kind of worried about having to sit through all of this, but I think there's enough here that challenges musical norms of the time while managing to capture my attention. I like albums that take sharp left turns, and we have that in spades here on tracks like 'You...' and 'Safesurfer'. But I also like being brought back down to Earth on some of the groovier jam-based tracks. That said, there's a bit of garbage as well, like 'Beautiful Love'. I felt the urge to skip quite a few times. Overall it was a fun surprise I didn't expect to vibe with.
While ultimately something I'd deem inessential, there was enough eclecticism and experimentation in the songwriting to keep me engaged.
I really liked this one. Especially Safesurfer
Yes!
Fun little album. Interesting.
Meh. Some of these songs have a serious wannabe-Doors vibe to them.
Oof, no thanks.
I remember reading interviews of Julian Cope in magazines during the nineties. It looked like he was a totally bonkers shamanic figure, and it made him... endearing, in a way. I didn't have the opportunity to listen to his music until now. So I have to thank this app and the 1001 Albums book for this occasion. What I didn't know was that Julian Cope was also a TV host of sorts, hosting a game show named "Spot The Influence" (the secret name of *Peggy Suicide*). "Welcome to the show ! Today we have Cyril, a player hosting from France ! How do you do?" "Fine, Julian. Thanks for having me here!" "Sure, Cyril! Now let's play the game. Spot the influence! What's the influence on track 1 of my album?" "... Er... Let Me Think... Velvet Underground? Except that the production values are stemming from the late eighties. Which is... I don't know. A little weird for that type of song." "Ah, but you can still feel the nineties coming, can't you?" "Yeah, well, a little..." "Anyway... That's one point of view and that's one point FOR you! You can applaud Cyril, ladies and gentlemen (*The live audience applauds*) Track 2, now..." (*A very cheesy song is now heard on the PA*.) "Simple Minds!" "Ah, quite good. Two points! And quite a jarring jump between the two cuts, right?" "Er... Right. Guess the eighties aesthetics are the only common denominator here..." "Track 3, now!" (*A formless jam on a very dated *Screamedelica*-like type of rythm section ensues*). " ... Beats me. The Stone Roses and Primal Scream on *more* drugs?" "Well, I won't give you the correct answer now, Cyril. But you're not so far off the mark. About the drugs, I mean. Track 4!" "This one's not so bad. Pre-Brian Jonestown Massacre and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club by way of 60's psychedelia!" "And that's one more point! Yeah, you can reverse the influence thing, I guess. Track 5, now..." "Lame attempt to imitate Iggy Pop circa-*Lust for Life*?" "Oh, that's just very mean! What's so wrong about my voice?" "I don't know... The overaffected pretense, maybe. And the lack of conviction in the middle of it all..." (*The crowd boos the unhappy candidate after his jab at the TV host*) "Er, Okay... Now let's go to track 6. Maybe Cyril will gain the points he just lost when he said that inappropia..." "Excuse me? Julian?" "Yes?" "The thing is, I've listened to *Peggy Suicide*, as long as it is in its "deluxe version"... And it was quite a drag, to tell you the truth! The thing is, I could name all sorts of other influences I haven't quoted yet, from Nick Cave to The Doors, from John Cale to David Bowie, and from folk to funk and kraut, or new wave/post-punk. Yet I don't see the *fucking point* of this piling of influences. Especially when *nothing* in this record is up to the level of its obvious models and inspirators. I get that your lyrics are topical and/or metaphorical, which is fine. But the overall mood of this LP is so *dreary* and sloggish and dated. At least musically speaking. No offense, OK? I just tell it like I feel it. Besides, Julian, there's one thing you didn't tell me... What will I win if I give the maximum of correct answers in this game?" "Well, there's nothing to win. Apart from listening to my fine, fine album, said to be the start of my *more mature* period by prominent critics of the early nineties." (*The crowd cheers and bursts into a riotous applause, prompted by the TV host's assistant.*) "Ah OK. Goodbye, then." (*And on this, without any other word, the unhappy candidate gets out of the studio*) -- What? What do you want me to say? From my memory of those interviews, I thought Julian Cope's music would be as wild as the public figure he seemed to be. Turns out this record is both tame and overlong, filled with "exercises in style" that don't even have the charm such endeavors usually have. There are *some* good moments in this record, (and maybe even one *great* moment, the mantra that's repeated in the middle of "Safesurfer"), but they're drowned by the vapid meanderings found everywhere else. I just can't believe one of the reviewers in here compared this album to The Soft Boys's *Underwater Moonlight*. *Underwater Moonlight* is a neat, catchy, vital affair from start to finish. That's how you make very *different* influences coalesce, folks! The very contrary of what happens in *Peggy Suicide*. Since starting this equally meadering review, I've read stuff about Julian Cope's life online, and believe me, I have nothing but sympathy for the political activist, wild philosopher, and music erudite that he is (that book he wrote about krautrock would certainly interest me, even with those "factual errors" in it--his humble words, not mine--ones that made him refuse to publish it again). If only for this, because Cope's heart seems to be in the right place--just as it seemed to be for *Peggy Suicide*--I won't give him a 1/5 grade. Yet if we're talking about "essential" albums here, I honestly can't see this record being part of them. Maybe the problem with music erudites is that they know so much--or at least, are open-minded to so many different influences--that it becomes impossible for them to make all those influences cohere into a single pot. Maybe another album by Cope could convince me in the future. But as of now, I feel quite dumbfounded by what I've heard here. 2/5 for the purposes of this necessarily subjective list of "essential albums, translating to a 7/10 grade for more general and "objective" purposes. Next, please. Number of albums left to review: 327 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 301 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 163 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (including this one, many other records are more important to me): 218
Standouts: Pristeen, Easy Easy Rider, Promise Land, Hanging Out & Hung Up on the Line, If You Loved Me at All, Safesurfer, You..., Beautiful Love, Las Vegas Basement,
What a wild trip. I knew nothing about Julian Cope coming into this and wasn't sure how I was going to get through 29 tracks but it really did grow on me. Faves: Drive, She Said, Soldier Blue, Love (L.U.V) Remix.
I haven't listened to any Julian Cope before - I was kinda expecting some new age woo, but maybe that comes later in his discography? This was an interesting listen! Given that it came out in 1991, it prefigured a bunch of things alt rock that didn't go the grunge route would go on to do. Fave tracks - "Hung Up & Hanging Out to Dry" sounds like it could be a Beta Band track! Liked the atmosphere of "Western Front 1992 CE", and "Safesurfer" had a certain psych proggy vibe I dug...
It's fine, kinda weird, but I like some of it, a couple of glimmers of hope.
Started off slow I think, but picked up somewhere in the middle with a decent run of tracks. Some good stuff here. Feels a bit long though, and that's before getting to the extended edition...
Pristeen - 7/10 Double Vegetation - 8.5/10 East Easy Rider - 8/10 Promised Land - 8.5/10 Hanging Out and Hung Up on The Line - 8.5/10 Safesurfer - 7.5/10 If You Loved Me at All - 7.5/10 Drive,She Said - 7.5/10 Soldier Blue - 7/10 You.. - 8/10 Not Raving But Drowning - 7.5/10 Head - 7.5/10 Leperskin - 7/10 Beautiful Love - 8.5/10 Western Front 1992 C.E - 7/10 Hung Up And Hanging Out to Dry - 7.5/10 The American Lite - 8/10 Las Vegas Basement - 8/10 TOTAL - 139/180
I listened to the whole album, but its just not grabbing me. Its reminiscent (derivative?) of a bunch of other artists, but it never does anything that stands out as exceptional. Its not bad, but its not good either. Also, I really think that this list is making me biased against british music. Theres just far too many mediocre albums being held up as something better than they are merely because of their national origin. 3/5
This was a very long record haha I actually enjoyed this quite a bit. It could have done with some editing maybe but I see this as a really impressive achievement. Nothing in particular stuck out, but I didn't run into a track I didn't enjoy.
Never listened to him. Will check out more.
Muy aburrido
What a great find. Super album
Not bad, not great. Hard for me to get past the vocals - just not vibing with me. Some of the instrumentation throughout the album is impressive, but pretty underwhelming overall. Fave tracks: Hanging Out and Hung Up On The Line, Beautiful Love
I have never heard of Julian Cope, which is kind of surprising because I enjoyed this album quite a bit. I found there to be quite a wide variety of sounds (within the rock framework) included on this. I could pick out influences of David Bowie, Neil Young, Iggy Pop and even The Beatles to name a few. The songs were generally well executed and the album was quite cohesive. The one negative for me is that it is a little long and there are definitely some filler songs that could have been removed, especially around the end. Fav Tracks: Hanging Out And Hung Up On The Line, Safesurfer, If You Loved Me At All, Beautiful Love
Sort of reminded me of Nick Cave - an artist I can't work out if I think is a genius or don't like. Dark but with a knowing nod. Decent listen
Bom som, achei que seria mais um punk genérico mas vários fados, alguns marcantes
Pristeen // Safesurfer // 1.5/5
Long!
A bit strange but not 1 star bad. Some songs remind me slightly stoopid. His vocals aren’t horrible.
Already on the first song the only thing I can think of is how much I hate everything about this. I went into this journey with the intention to listen to all albums in their entirety. As it turns out, this will not be possible I gave this album about 40 minutes before giving up entirely. The music was so awful that I suppose the artist found no other way to make listening to the album more miserable other than to make it nearly three hours long.
Hippien metkuja. En minä näistä kosmisista shamaaneista niin välitä. 2/5
Ei ihan huippubiisejä, mutta hyvin kantoi tuplalevyn.
Ihan jees menneen ajan kitaramenoa. 3/5
A few songs in, and my first thought was: "Mom! Can we get the Tragically Hip?" "No son! We have Tragically Hip at home!" And mom shows me this artist. After surface researching this artist, I see he is before The Hip but it's still funny. Gord Downie must've taken a few recipes from Julian Cope and added his own spice to it because there are some coincidences for sure. Even the music has a bit of a similar sound. Perhaps it was the year. The album was alright. I enjoyed it. Unfortunately there was only the 2 hr delux album on spotify.. So that wasnt what I wanted. I don't want a delux anything until after I have heard the initial vision of an album. Delux versions are cool! And I do love them. But like I said, I want to hear the original intent. Even if they recorded it wrong the first time... And in the delux, they fixed soemthing. Or remixed it. I want what was presented at first. But after 2 hours plus of this album, I probably got the gist of it. Decent album. Lyrics are odd. Not in an intriguing way... In a weird Jim Morrison way. Poetic but kind of far outfield.
I don't dislike this. Kind of a happier Nick Cave or a Brit-Pop Jim Morrison.
It’s okay it was just way too long!
Why is this 2 1/2 hours long? DNF due to length. Damn. I didn't hate it but didn't live it either. 2.5
2.5 FINALLY gotten around to listening all the way through this after three attempts over maybe three of four months. it genuinely prevented me from listening to any more of these albums because i was just so unmotivated after listening to the first few songs. he is annoyingly now one of my top artists because of this so i'm just generally displeased and glad it's over. however, this wasn't the worst i've listened to on here and i did like a few of the songs, i was just confused by the overall vibe(s?) and it was far too long in my opinion (and that's without listening to the second disc). to be honest i think my expectations were just set too high by his spotify description starting with "musician, writer, historian, and cosmic shaman ... An enigmatic storyteller, contrarian, mystic, and hallucinogen enthusiast". the music would have to do a Lot to live up to that description.
Good energy without being too distracting. I'm enjoying having this in the background while I work.
i reallly liked this, it was long so i only got 19 songs in yesterday but i just finished it and yeeoawza !!! this is good!! really goo d !! looking forward to listening to more julian and all his interesting sounds he makes such birdo type beats ! 4.5 almost 5 maybe 5 if i listen again !! but it is so long give it a break brother
Safesurfer is absolutely epic. I was initially a bit dismissive of this and ready to be disappointed, I didn't particularly like East Easy Rider, too similar to the generic rock groove of the time. What I want from Cope is difference. Standing out from the field, paying little attention to the music scene around him and doing his own thing. And that is very much what the rest of this album brings you.
Entering Julian Cole with only "World, shut your mouth" as lubrication, I knew that this pegging probably wasn't going to be suicidal, but the album title and cover art did mean that I started gingerly, anticipating the need to work for the reward. At 2h34m, I knew I was in for a long, long session and that takes stamina for anyone. Cope opens up, so to speak, with Pristeen. Which is repetitive, clunky and has undertones of sexual violence against a virginal ("pristine") and dubiously aged (it's spelt Pristeen, ffs) lover. When I say clunky, I really mean it. There's nothing artful or adept about the lyric "coz your lying to me was your first mistake and your trusting in me was your major mistake". It immediately sets up the subject as a naive that the older, more cynical party can use. And use they do - "how much can you take" seems pretty explicit about that, and the imagery presented asking how difficult it is to go down on someone you hate cements that, tied closely into the subterfuge and cynical exploitation of someone looked down upon, disrespected and by absolutely no means equal. I have seen suggestion that the song is allegorical, and actually about human exploitation of the natural world, but I find that rather a stretch, personally. Only Cope could tell us, I guess. It's a tough opener for two and half hours to come. But. As the album opens out, it funks up considerably, and Cope"s proficiency as a lyricist is cemented firmly by the time "If you loved me at all" comes around. I'm not going to spend too much time digging into the rest of the album in this review - nobody has time for that, and I certainly don't have the talent - but Cope dances around styles that please me greatly, folding freeform jazz, noise, synth and electronica into the broader themed rock in a way that's complimentary and sympathetic. I mean, apart from the appalling electrosynth trumpet in "Beautiful love", that is. I don't even need to get to volume 2 before I realise that Cope is a straight up and out musical genius. Remembering that he's also a best-selling author and renowned expert in antiquity and neolithic archaeology, it might be that's he's a straight up and out genius full stop. Great stuff, and I actually regret leaving this in my "mop up" list of albums I didn't get round to at the time, because I could have had another year and a half of this album in my life.
Another basic, boring British album on this list. When will it stop
Blandad konfekt. En del bra, en del dåligt.
Nope
It was okay
I was enjoying the album until I had about three or four songs left, then I was just thinking when is this going to be over.
Couldn’t put my finger on this one, some acid house sounding tracks similar to Happy Mondays, jam band vibes like Phish, and the evil and angry undertones of Pixies. Had to listen a few times to really get a grasp on it. Overall it’s an interesting listen and Cope is definitely a talented and a clever songwriter. Nothing about this blew my mind to the point where I’d say it was anything close to classic, but still a solid and enjoyable album.
2.5
songwriting is boring
Agradou sem deixar muitas reminiscências.
Next 5 songs played by my Spotify Algorithm: Frank Black - ( I Want to Live on an ) Abstract Plane Morrissey - Billy Budd The Astrals - Lenny Valentino XTC - Grass - Edit Gene - Still can't find the phone
😐
I had never heard of Julian Cope before and was expecting the worst. But this was a lot better than I expected. For a while I thought this may be a 4 star album but it's way too long at 76 minutes and you can definitely get a bit lost in the sauce. 3 stars feels right.
Me recuerdan a James, Divine Comedy...
This album was LONG. A lot of the songs were long. And I was ready to done with this long before it was over. I ended up skipping through songs on disc 2 because I was just done. However, I did have 2 Songs I liked: Beautiful Love and This American Lite.
M’eh
Only two key tracks stood out to me - Hanging out and hung up on the line, and Safesurfer. Which is honestly disappointing for a 2+ hour album.
Feels like the writers were grasping at straws to fill the book and asked random people on the street what the final albums should be and one of those people happened to be Julian Cope. 3/10
Interesting album. Good find. I enjoyed the instrumentals the best.
Really good songs but an albums can’t be longer than goodfellas.
Did not care for it, not my thing.
Impossible d'être heureux
certains morceaux m ont plu mais comme trop souvent c'est beaucoup trop longggggggggggggggggggggghgzhzriiiwk
Pretty long but well varied, definitely going in a rotation, I likes some of the more angst tunes
Just did nothing for me. One and done.
I liked this. Kinda trippy, really long album but enjoyable all the way through.
It was weird in a good way but too long
was ok but a bit too long... still, not feeling too harsh
HL: “East Easy Rider”, “Safesurfer”, “Beautiful Love”, “Las Vegas Basement” The sound collage in ”Western Front”, the Beatles energy in “Beautiful Love”, the furious sax in “You”, and the marimba of “Drowning” all imply an album I should be interested in. SHOULD. But it’s not doing it for me today (or yesterday either, since I kinda broke it into two halves). “Leperskin” and “Pristeen” are some examples of songs I was bored with on the 1st listen. Maybe I goofed by playing a Teardrop Explodes song before the album to prime myself on this unknown-to-me chapter of British post-punk. The difference in enjoyment between that single and the first couple tracks of Peggy Suicide was stark November 2nd, 2023
This was a trip! Never heard of Julian Cope but it was arty and rocky in a fun way. I stopped at the regular album, but I might circle back to the deluxe later.
I seem to be struggling to get a whole album to play. What I can get is frantic.
Album 207 of 1001 Julian Cope - Peggy Suicide Rating : 3 / 5 Good listen. Didn't know much about him going in. He spreads it around a bit. Great guitars, good songwriting. One to go back to. "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. "
Luova
I just don't know. It seems like an AI generated early 90s rock album. Nothing here is catchy or memorable enough to stick with me.
Interesting artist. I never heard of Julian Cole before and this album was quite a ride. Music was very psychedelic and all over the place. I highly recommend if this is your style.
Wow
How is this on the list? My god.
Dont remember
Sonoramente me gustó, siendo la primera vez que lo escucho podría quedar ahí, me gustó, no se me hizo difícil, podría ponerlo de fondo un día cualquiera, pero no me pareció algo grandioso como para calificarlo como dentro de los mejores álbumes
What?: I don't really understand what the point in this album was. I didn't come away with anything other than 'that wasn't very good'. There just isn't much to say other than, bad. It felt uninspiring and just could've been so much more. I think Cope needs to go work on this some more.
This one sounded a bit like The Doors to me, but like a cheap knock off with some 80s elements mixed in. Kinda psych, but more on the drone side. Not very impressed. Couldn't get into the dude's voice.
For this project I only listen to original tracklistings. Safesurfer is really cool. This album has some varied moods. I wasn't expecting that when it started.
Very average rock music that doesn't really rock, nor get stuck in your head to any degree. Not particularly bad, nor particularly good. 2.5 rounded to 3. How did this album become one of these 1001?
weird and captivating. 4 stars.
i hate double albums. just make two better albums with more of a throughline.
Its yom Kippur and I have listened to half this tripe and already I feel like I've atoned for my sins. Just total wannabe eccentric trash.
Not good, not bad, forgettable
Lots of variety in musical styles on display. Not too gripping, and a long album overall.
This album contains none of Julian Cope's most well known songs...but, it still has some good ones... Standouts: Pristine Others: Beautiful Love, Head, If You Loved Me At All, East Easy Rider, Soldier Blue, Promised Land, You..., 3.5/5
Never quite got a handle on this one. I kept thinking it reminded me of other things. Now I'm not sure at all.
Definitely interesting. Had never heard of this fella. I really like one or two of these, might give this another spin.
Nothing at all special about this. Dull and forgettable. The fact that so many music critics gush over it just proves how pretentious and worthless most music critics are.
Weird and surprisingly enjoyable
It's obviously some kind of neo-psychedelia, with some weirdness and experimentation. But I'm not sure I really like his singing plus it does meander. 3.5
Long and dull.
Doesn't always work, but when it does this is brilliantly weird fun.
Pretty crap. I stopped listening hard and was weirdly enjoying it by the time it got to the extended edition remixes, which made me want to go back and listen to the originals again, and then they were still crap. There's something in it, but it does sound a lot like a talented, burnt out, crusty going on and fucking on.
Jaysus Jules, two and a half hours?! I struggled to get through both sides of the album. There were some good songs, but I spent most of it wondering what the feck is going on? 2.5
Had some Frank vibes
interesting, I liked Safesurfer
Was mostly boring and annoying (I can not take much more). I didn't really like his voice either, I liked the lower parts but I just didn't really get much from the rest tbh. Experimental I guess but not for me.
I'd never heard of Julian Cope before. His description on Spotify piqued my interest but didn't leave me optimistic that I would enjoy the album: "musician, writer, historian, and cosmic shaman... ... enigmatic storyteller, contrarian, mystic, and hallucinogen enthusiast". The unusual cover art, 75 minute length, and terrible pun for a title also didn't increase my expectations. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. This is a work of genius. A meandering and eclectic tapestry of sounds and genres that frequently change between, and within, tracks. Styles range from beautiful ballads of longing where understated strings pop up at just the right time, to sample-based political sound collages, post-punk, garage rock, calypso, and noodly pseudo-prog. Despite the variety and length it does feel like a piece and no track strikes as being out of place - perhaps all being tied together by the incredible attention to detail and intricacy. Whilst I prefer the more accessible first half to the more experimental second, I can't help but admire the ambition of this extraordinary piece of work. Rating: 4.5/5 Playlist track: If You Loved Me At All Date listened: 19/08/23
I tried to enjoy this album as Julian Cope pulls out all the stops with sounds and styles I usually love. This just felt bloated, directionless and weird. I not the the let your freak flag fly kind of weird, more the I am changing carriages on this train to get away from this guy weird. Some good songs and I can see the influence he has had on other artists
Quite good
Another album that grew on me as I listened. A balanced amount of politics and spacious post punk. Some especially grabbing moments, but nothing mind blowing. I'm glad to have gotten the chance to listen, this is not the kind of genre that's easy to find. Also very cool to learn about Julian as an artist
At times I felt Nick Cave vibes, but never as good. I appreciate this record, but I don’t anticipate another listen.
A few songs really grabbed my attention for good and bad reasons, including Promised Land, Safesurfer, and Western Front 1992 CE. I am starting to resent having to review new music by comparing it to other music I know, but in this case, the way he reminded me of Velvet Underground, Sugar, Morphine, Bowie, Henry Rollins.... some wide variety and usually a positive comparison. And now learning he's a paleolithic scholar on top of this, I'm really intrigued and will return to this.
I remember Teardrop Explodes and lost track of Julian so was suprised to see him pop-up here! It's interesting to listen to although I can't say it's catchy but certainly worth experiencing.
7/10. I quite liked this album, not sure why. I was definitely dreading the length of it at the start.
I guess there were some good songs on this. It was too long though. And definitely a bit boring. 6/10
Weird, not always in a good way. Absolutely no need for this to be on the list, I can only guess the editor is a friend of, a fan of, or actually is Mr Cope.
Je crois que Robert nous provoque, là. Fais très attention Robert.
Mais qu'est ce que c'est que cette merde encore Robert, t'as pas bientôt fini de te payer notre tête ?!
I didn’t listen to the album in it’s entirety but it reminded me of Nick Cave or Iggy Pop and I’m not great fans of either. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it better if I felt better? Anyway, 2*
I wasn't sure at first... I'll be honest I'm still not sure but I do want to listen to it again so that must be a good sign.
Wild ride. Wasn't sure at first but grew on you.
Feels like a totally random selection of mediocre songs that go on and on and on. How'd this make the list? Or am I just completely missing what he's doing here? Either way, I didn't have a good time.
The second track is good but the rest was boring and way too long to be an entertaining album.1/5
Not a bad way to spend the afternoon. Got a lot of Jim Morrison / Lou Reed / Iggy Pop vibes throughout. Not bad, not great, I probably won't come back to this album but I wouldn't be opposed to listening to it again either.
3.5 stars. Strange and eclectic, meandering at times. Varies in genre from fast-paced to slow and drawn out. Enjoyed disc 1, but disc 2 was too experimental for me. Standout was "Hanging Out And Hung Up On The Line".
I do not what to make of this album, it's an easy listen but nothing really stands out
I had not heard of Julian Cope or heard any of his music before. I enjoy this album. He's an excellent performer and the compositions are interesting. I also ready the Wikipedia article on him and he sounds like an multifaceted person who pursues his interests with a lot of passion. I always like that. The tracks on this album are varied in style and approach, and executed very well, and I found some to be really quite catchy. Some highly skilled playing by the musicians who appear on this record. Good stuff.
Es un álbum, a mi gusto, un poco excesivamente largo xd. Es bueno, pero tampoco creo que sea la gran cosa, no está mal pero no suena como algo que escucharía en repetidas ocasiones, sobretodo por lo largo que es y lo monótono que se vuelve. Meh.
Tried. Nope.
mismash of different styles, nothing to remember this thing
-this first song isn’t really giving anything -never heard of this guy before, like the album cover -double vegetation is kinda crazy -pop off with those cries king -OH THIS ONE SOUNDS COOL -i do really like the guitar in all these songs but sadly thats the only part i Really like -these lyrics sure are interesting! -this album was definitely weird but in a fascinating way
I can't even begin to describe what, exactly, I just listened to, but I really liked it. The percussion especially stood out to me throughout the album. A solid 4/5. I will be listening to more Julian Cope.