Reviews (page 6 of 7)
British New Wave pioneers. The album seems to oscillate between new wave sounds and proto-emo, to jazz fusion for longer jams.
better than i thought it would be, wider array of instruments though the sincerity of singing is a bit overblown for my taste
Interesting that an album from a group I considered a one-hit wonder showed up. The album wasn't bad and definitely captures an era. It also showcases the quirkiness of this band in their instrumentation and melody.
Good, enjoyable new wave. It's too long, something I fixed by skipping the repeat last song, but I liked the soft tunes and often instrumental-dominated songs Saved: Lemon Firebrigade
Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Love Plus One, Lemon Firebrigade, Milk Film Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: Probably the most shocked I've been to see an album on this list. I've heard of Love Plus One before from all the 80's one hit wonder lists I've read, but never actually listened to it until now. New wave with congos and saxophones. Never amazing, but pretty good. Don't fully understand what this is doing here but it's good stuff. I don't know if I'd go as far as to say artsy Duran Duran, but I liked it.
Beige cable knit jumpers and tucked in, short sleeve shirts with ties suggested this would be fun. It was....mostly. Sean Lock in the bottom corner there too.
Toeters, best een leuk plaatje!
This was fun, but nothing special.
Not bad. A lot brass, which I liked... probably won't listen to them again
Werkelijk nog nooit van deze band gehoord, maar helemaal geen onaardig album. Lekker 80's met veel blaasinstrumenten - altijd goed!
It was good 80s synth-pop, but at the end of the day that isn't so spectacular to me. I liked it tho, overall.
Das ist also rechts von Devo los. Why not.
Viel Licht, viel Schatten. Da sind tolle Jangly Guitars, anzüglich schnarrende Bässe, treibende-fluffig Percussions, aber wie im Fall von „Lemon Firebrigade“ ist es mir ein Rätsel, wie das alles so vielversprechend beginnen und so schwuppig belanglos enden kann. Dabei hat es Tracks („Ski Club“), die so gut altern, ja sogar an !!! oder Out Hud erinnern. Zwiespältig mein Befinden auf dieser Party, die nicht ganz meine ist, bei der ich aber irgendwie hängen bleibe und die zum Schluss, sogar Spaß macht. Mittige 2.5
Bei dem Wetterchen gestern hab ich mir sofort die Haare schön gemacht, den Pulli übergeworfen und das Golf Cabrio aus der Garage geholt. Und mit Haircut 100 hatte ich den perfekten Soundtrack für ne kleine Spritztour in den Frühling im Cassettenfach! Auch Theo sagte: "Ach, lass ruhig an. Für mich ist das so Papa-Musik." Bekommt jazzfunkywhitenordlondonige 3,4 Punkte von mir. Und jetzt ein schönes Raffaello!
I mean.... it was an interesting listen that is for sure. Very interesting blend of pop and Island and.... 80's. One of the most unique in this journey so far. weird out of 5
It started off fine, but then everything started to feel the same and it got monotonous. Still, there are some decent singles on here Favorite tracks: “Favorite Shirts and “Love’s Got Me In Triangles”
Meh. Light 80s
It was fine
Heerlijk funk albumpje, lekker vrolijk
Some kind of 80s new wave jungle jazz funk sax fusion abomination that I couldn't stop bopping to. I don't think it drops below 180bpm the entire album.
It was ok! nothing insane tho
The funky jazz beats and sax rifts are great, but the vocals disappoint. Would be better as an instrument album.
It's like a poor man's Duran Duran
Klingt wie Talking Heads mit mehr '80s-Saxophon. Aber ein paar gute Tanznummern
I liked the music, but have to admit that the cover art looks a little like they're trying to be the early 80s new wave boy band. That aside, I'd listen to this album again. It's not quite as new wavy as I normally dig, but it was probably pretty far out there back in 82. 3 stars.
Ok
Lidt specielt musik. New wave. En blanding mellem Per Shop Boys og surfer rock. Flere gode pophits på. Men lidt for ligegyldig i længden. 3,5 stjerne
Not my style
Not sure what they fall under (new wave?) but I dig it. The bass tone and up tempo beats get me
Catchy 3 vibes
Strange, but a fun listen
Good.... well slick 80s pop. Sounded a bit wham in places!
Gezellig
2/5
Definitely another album that's far from essential to hear before I die. Haircut 100 were very much also rans in the New Romantic era when they were a going concern, and that's what this sounds like. Do you want Duran Duran B-sides with a slightly funkier vibe? This is the album for you!
4/10 Fun but not something I'll come back to
Best thing about this band is their name.
Bit Jazz, bit pop, bit morning TV. Inoffensive but didn’t too much for me.
Haircut 100 are very cheerful. Aggressively, relentlessly cheerful. The kind of cheerful that makes you check if someone put something in your drink. Several listens in and it all sounds like one long song — funky, brass-forward, handclap-heavy early 80s pop that sits in the same feel-good pocket as Kool & the Gang's "Celebration" and Stevie Wonder's "Happy Birthday." Not unpleasant. Not distinguishable. The saxophone is nice. It's always nice. It doesn't help. 2/5 — one cheerful 80s blob, warmly delivered.
Decent enough fast paced pop. I likely won't revisit this one though. Favorite track: Love Plus One
The same decent, unremarkable, funky, British 80s song, played 12 times in a row.
I am so sick of this British sound omg
Bof , rien de spécial et j’ai pas accroché
This album felt generic, mid and flat. Although i felt myself bumping along to some of their tunes I kind of felt embarrassed, they're trying so hard to be cool. Their use of Jazz and Bossa Nova throughout the record reminds me of Ian's use of Trap for his records today. It feels cynical. 4/10
Polished, over the top early '80s pop (I wouldn't call that new wave). It consists mainly of funky guitar riffs, a sax, and percussion in several iterations. Nice elevator music.
2/5 Favorite Song: Kingsize
One listenable semi-hit and this album makes the list? After recognizing the first two tracks, I was on track 8 before realizing that I'd actually listened to six different songs. However, they get an extra star for not being complete crap.
Decent sounding new wave but they can't seem to rest on a vibe of the album. Every song sounds different.
the 80s really just had bad music huh Would I listen again: no Deserves to be on this list: no 2.3
Just absolutely the most generic new wave pop rock I have ever heard. Top (or bottom) of the "Why is this on the list?" pile. There are more deserving entries. I can imagine getting into a conversation with a stranger, a barman or something, and he mentions, "Oh, I used to be in a band." "Oh right," you say, not really that interested. "Yeah, we were called Haircut One Hundred. We actually got into the charts." "Pretty cool," you say, "I might check that out!" You are lying. But several days later you pass by a barbershop and you're reminded of the band name. You open up Spotify and put them on. It wasn't worth it.
Sounds like theme music for non-existent early-90's sitcoms. 2.
A New Wave one hit wonder. They should have marketed as a disco group. That's the strength of the album and where all the fun and energy is. Although I can imagine how that might underperform in the early 80s. Love Plus One
Decently fun, but an unusually milquetoast inclusion for a book called 1001 albums you must hear before you die? Not sure I agree with it but I'm not mad! I stand by giving most things a chance at least once, and I'm definitely not an anti-pop snob (quite the opposite in fact). However, the pop has to catch me in some way and this album didn't have that clinching factor. It also runs unnecessarily long, and the songs started to blend together past the mid-way point :(
Another anonymous 80s British soft rock band? Another 2 star album.
Another British new wave album from the '80's? Pass. There is literally nothing noteworthy or memorable on this album. Maybe they were a little ahead of the curve on that distinctive '80's pop sound, but that doesn't make it worth listening to.
More brit pop, of the “look at my bop into my favorite haberdashery variety”. Upbeat but not interesting. A 2.
Only 1 memorable song but great horn section. Otherwise crappy 80s English pop.
Not a good way to start my day today. Or any of my days.
I could have gone to my grave without hearing this.
Hur mycket new wave kommer det bli? Nej.
⭐⭐ New wave + punk. Även inslag av jazz och samba. Funk ska ha en inbyggd coolhet, det finns inte här. Det är som om någon lånar någons snygga outfit men inte klarar av att bära upp den. Det låter på något sätt bra men det lyfter inte. Kommer inte lyssna på det igen så det får bli en 2a. Bäst är kanske Favourite shirt och Lemon brigade
How much mindless brit pop do I have to endure on this list. My god.
Not great
Kann mich nicht daran erinnern das gehört zu haben
Overall felt rather samey and forgettable. Not that I’ll give it the chance, but this does not strike me as something that gets better over repeated listens.
3/10
Some songs could be straight out of an 80s sitcom.
No lo sentí como un álbum que tuviera que escuchar antes de morir pero me gustó el saxofón en el disco
Cool talking heads with sax
Groupe new wave british. Leur 1er album. C'est différent, c'est pimpant. La trompette (je pense) rajoute un bon je-ne-sais-quoi. C'est différent. C'est pas incroyable, mais c'est pas mauvais. Au final, ils ont un style funk différent de ce que j'ai déjà entendu, mais je vais être sévère, car je perdais un peu l'intérêt durant mon écoute. Content de l'avoir écouté et découvert, mais ce serait clairement pas mon premier choix. Je dois avouer que ça fait de la bonne musique d'ambiance.
Recognizing the first song or two from late night 80s-New Wave theme nights at College dance clubs does not explain why this album is on the list. Not bad, just feel like there is better British New Wave music out there.
Number: 92 Date: 04/04/2026 Artist: Haircut 100 Album: Pelican West Year: 1982 Genre: New wave Rating: 2 Notes: Before: ======= Somehow I left this album completely out of my favourites songs from 1982 list. I think I need to include at least Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) and Love Plus One. During: ======= With the exception of Love Plus One and Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl), most of the album is totally forgettable. Rating Track Name 4 Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) 5 Love Plus One 3 Lemon Firebrigade 3 Marine Boy 2 Milk Film 2 Kingsize (You're My Little Steam Whistle) 2 Fantastic Day 2 Baked Bean 2 Snow Girl 2 Love's Got Me In Triangles 2 Surprise Me Again 3 Calling Captain Autumn ----------------------------------------------------- 2.66 WEIGHTED AVERAGE (accounts for song lengths) After : ======= 3 my personal rating 1 suitability for this list 2 impact ----------------------------------------------- 2 composite rating
Best Track - "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)"
Seriously? One of the top 1000 albums I need to listen to? Nope. Poppy Trash.
Meh it was ok. Standout song: Love plus one
This is new wave and that’s never totally been my thing. Sure there are some bands that are in this era, especially ones that matured beyond it like Tears For Fears that I really enjoy, but most of the time it’s stuff like this that just isn’t fully developed, or at least constructed well. This has a lot of elements that I should like, fast paced, guitars, slapping base, saxophone, and brass section, hell even the drums aren’t that bad. That said, it never really fully comes together to create something special or even significant. Two stars
I had totally forgotten about listening to this record. I guess that says all you need to know.
Annoying
Day801 - seems like they were a one hit wonder for a reason
not the 80s i would reach for
not my cup of tee
Not for me
No thank you, I'm good
Want more punk
More Brit pop from the 80’s, yay
Funky, hits of future styles 2
Had some cool grooves but nothing that special, kinda a knock off duran duran. Also, this is where I'm going to complain that there are no Electric Light Orchestra albums on this list. Discovery, A New World Record, and Out of the Blue are more essential than any album I've gotten this week.
While this album has new wave elements, it definitely leans more sophisti-pop, complete with jazzy-funk sounds. As I listened to this, I heard the sounds of a lot of different bands who did similar sounds dancing around, all mixed in here. There wasn't anything really wrong with this, but once again, just another pretty underwhelming album in the grand scheme of this project.
It was...below sub par. I'm not mad about it, but I realized just now I don't really remember the music. I remember I listened to it, but nothing stuck out.
Stort album for saxofon lydeffekten på synthesizere
Aldrig hørt om før, det var et ret sjovt lyt men ikke noget særligt. Er new wave overrepræsenteret på listen? Det er umuligt at sige.
Welp.. Another generic new wave album..
This sounds like XTC tried to make a Talking Heads tribute album as a weekend project
Mediocre English new wave. 2.5/5
This is kinda lame to me.
Favorite Song: Love Plus One
New Wave 🤮
132/1001 First listen. Never heard of this band. What a bad name. This sounds okay, just nothing to hook me in. Too many horns? 4/10
This album is pretty fly for some white guys. Was going to give it a 3 but it was way too long for my taste.
Not really for me stylistically, and it sits in the middle of a road of overly happy Tears For Fears using Talk Talk’s gear. Dancy, catchy and fun, but that’s about all for me.
Not sure how many generic pop albums can be on this list. The same guitar riffs on almost every song and bass lines left over from the disco era.
Classic New Wave sound. Singer at times sounds like the frontman for Duran Duran.
I get the feeling that this is one of those bands that were beloved in the U.K., but granted little more than a shrug from American audiences. They dropped "Love Plus One" on us and that was enough. This spot should have gone to INXS.
A pretty boring and repetitive but funky new wave album. All the songs just kind of sound the same with little to no variation 5/10 Favourite: Boy Meets Girl Least Favourite: Kingsize
Extremely down the middle 80s new wave stuff. Did very little for me.
some meh city pop
65
2/5
I have never heard of this band before, and while nothing about them is particularly terrible, I never want to hear them again.
2.5 ish.
I can see why people might like this. It's bright and upbeat, and musically interesting: that new wave blend of jazz-funk and pop. Unfortunately I hate all these things and find it bland, soulless and overlong.
This album makes me feel like I’m at a beach party in the 60s/70s. Disco dance vibes. Idk who captain autumn is but he seems like a groovy guy.
Pelikanye West Just leaving this here as a gut punch after you finish the album
I liked it way more than expected at times. Still not for me
PosaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaVASOS
Lame boring sameness
Isn't this a one hit wonder band?
Pleasant enough new wave, but not particularly memorable. Not a fan of this production style either.
I have been cutting my own hair for nearly 6 years. might not yet be at haircut #100 the trick to cutting your own hair is to accept mediocrity that isn't the trick when it comes to music.
All the new wave stuff on this list is at least pretty decent, but there’s a lot of it. Put this one on the lower end of the curve, but it’s still pretty decent. Maybe not enough guts or something. I don’t know.
Funk/Jazz 2,4
80s to the core again. Nothing noteworthy.
Early 80s pop that just wasn’t that astonishing or good. Never even heard this one
Clearly know their way around a pop hook but the sickly sweet “sophisti-pop” sound is a turn off.
Is this 1001 crap British new wave albums you must hear before you die? Seriously, I’ve had a wildly disproportionate number of albums from this garbage genre. 2 stars only because it’s not unintelligible.
New Wave drivel. Overuse of horns doesn't help.
Nick Heyward seems like a cross between Liam Gallagher and Jon Lovitz's Annoying Man.
Dull, and the singer is quite poor. Some great basslines though.
Big meh tbh. It's fine and pretty catchy but it's all so samey, there are no standout tracks here. I don't hate it but there were more interesting offerings from the 80s than this, surprised it made the list
Ganz nett, aber recht uninteressant
People have tried time and time again to be as good as Talking Heads, and every time their sound gets imitated I remember that their sound and style is simply too uniquely theirs for any other band to ever pull off.
If yesterday's album was very very 70s in every way, then today's album is pure 80s britpop af in every way. It's not bad and it's not very good either. Just okay, liked some of the songs and enjoyed listening to it. 2/5 —————————————— Liked: — Lemon Firebrigade — Marine Boy
Typical new wave, nothing particularly ear-catching.
This is almost the definition of inessential; what is Dimery thinking? Bubblegum 80s pop that didn't even stand out among its contemporaries at the time. A low two.
Cornier than Iowa, this is the Talking Heads x Kenny G mash up you don't know you needed (you didn't). XTC for band geeks, Orange juice for yuppies, it's all smooth funky artifice, a disco mirrorball synthpop sax jam session. It oscillates wildly between fun and God awful, even within each song, even simultaneously - very confusing.
It's a bop but altogether not very interesting. Another Brit biased choice.
This seems very much in line with something I WOULD like but it’s just not doing it for me. It’s got a nice blend of snappy rock with just tinges of funk and reggae influence; bouncy horn blasts; pop songwriting that isn’t too shallow. I guess it’s just a little too polite? I probably won’t be thinking about it much after a few days. I like the track “Baked Beans” which reminds me of “Electric Avenue” or Big Audio Dynamite (I think this was recorded around the same time as Eddy Grant’s album, I’m not sure which came first). But the rest of it wasn’t enough to bring it up to a 3.
Much 1980s.
The white pullover sweaters say it all. We need a new category for bands that fall between 80s New Wave and easy listening. Lite Wave?
meh
Kinda good kinda shit
Very standard 80’s new wave sound. I didn’t know this band or album existed, and I probably won’t remember them after having listened to this.
Nope
Pants
Not blown away by this
This one was a little rough, even though I am apologetic to these cute little new-wave British bands I cannot justify rating this highly. It just falls off completely after like the third song, and it goes on far too long.
This is Yacht Rock done very poorly. Ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-yah indeed.
Many songs sounded like the soundtracks to 1980s-era sitcoms.
Never heard of this band, and got nothing from this
Not very memorable
80s cheese. Catchy
The instrumentation was great, though it was dragged to the depths of hell because of the vocals. Favourite Track(s): Kingsize Least Favourite Track(s): Favourite Shirts, Baked Beans, Milk Film, Calling Captain Autumn
there was so much good here and also so much annoying
2.33
Not a fan of this one. A midpoint between new wave and jazz that was too long and did not work.
I’m just not an 80s kinda gal
The album cover pretty much gives it away - this is soft-pop pablum and not worth the time.
Classic 80’s sound. More horns than I would have expected.
Quite enjoyable, some new wave jingle and a lotta sax. High 2s.
Great album if you're looking to bring a little funk to your dentist's waiting room. A couple smooth basslines and fun vocal moments but I couldn't get into the mood for it overall.
Sounds like a mario kart soundtrack audition that didn't make the cut to be the actual mario kart soundtrack. I kinda think it'd be better without the vocals, but it was alright. The jazzier parts were kinda fire. This is the ultimate Yacht Rock. Dude on the sax is a lil nasty tho I'll give him that. I don't think the album cover helps their case. Kinda feels like these guys heard the smiths and thought "These Smiths guys are onto something here, but what if we swapped out the instrumental with the Donkey Kong soundtrack". Jokes aside though, they're great musicians on the instruments, and some of the songs have great grooves, but again. The vocals steal the show often in a way that doesn't make the song better. I'm somewhere between a 2 and a 3 on this one. Was a fun listen.
Forgetable.
Alt for pænt. Funky Duran Duran vibes. Det er ikke et kompliment.
Did you ever put a record on the turntable at the wrong speed, listen for a minute because it sounds kinda funny and interesting, but then after about 1 minute lose interest. That situation pretty much sums up this.
Early 80s Britain was bleak. Thatcher, Cold War paranoia,, economic and social failings of the state and all of it destined to get worse before it got better. Ripe times for something joyous and fun and light then. 40-something years on ithe album sounds dated and of it's time and but the current geopolitical shitshow being what it is it surely invites an update?
So very eighties. Fairly middle of the road with a couple of nice ska moments.
I do like the opening track, Favourite Shirts. The rest of the album has its moments, but overall feels drawn out and dated.
Haircut 100 came up with one great musical idea and squeezed it dry
GTFO with this. Look, I mean no offense to this album in particular. But this list has let me down time and time again with its repetitiveness, and it honestly takes out a lot of the thrill of finding new, left-field interests. Some positives here; the songs are easy, somewhat catchy, solid guitar throughout, and a few Beatles influences that poke through from time to time. But overall, it's highly forgettable.
Haircut 100! Really? It’s actually not as terrible as I expected but come on.
Веселый, но какой-то совсем неинтересный и безликий ньювэйв. Лучшая песня - Love Plus One.
Shiny funk-lite pop that doesn’t really do it for me. Not sure what makes this album essential listening.
Just another mediocre new wave album that's only in the book because of the author's bias towards British 80s bands that like horns. At least the bassist was solid.
17 songs of this is 15 too many. It’s not awful, it’s just too much of it. Rounding down to 2 because they named a song “milk film”.
Meh, didn’t really stand out for me.
80's sound utilizing a wide range of instruments. Wasn't for me at all
There is nothing unique about this
A bit boring. I suppose somebody likes it...
Really not into this. Maybe in a different mood I'd feel more charitable, as disco and pop are normally right up my alley, and I love Duran Duran. But I couldn't wait for it to end, and it took A WHILE.
Pretty average 80's synth pop.
Very Flock of Seagulls esque.
Very unremarkable 80s pop funk. I'd never heard of them before, and I'd never missed not having them in my life.
Not my bag at all.
snow girl omiljena na albumu nije nesto sto bih slusala inace
Kind of basic new-wave pop. There are some catchy moments on here, but overall I'm struggling to find anything incredibly memorable about this album.
Like, not totally my thing
Ik weet niet of het per se nodig is om een volledig album van iets wat duidelijk een one hit wonder was in deze lijst te steken. 2.4
I don't have a lot to say about this. It's perfectly inoffensive 80s new wave pop music. It's played very well... there's nothing particularly stand out on it and it just exists for its 40 odd minute length and then it ends. If you like your 80s pop with a bit of white boy funk and lots of sax (just don't bother @c1ydefrogemon ) then this is for you, but I found it severely lacking decent hooks. It's not an era of music I know loads about but as a comparison, **Duran Duran** would release _Rio_ about 3 months after this and that has some genuinely classic pop tracks on it. I've listened to this twice to try and get a grasp on it... I won't be returning for a 3rd
Poppy but with good funky arrangements and horns Fairly forgettable lyrics
Another classic ‘what the fuck is this doing on the list, Robert Dimery?’ Moment. It’s not terrible, but they barely made a splash even in the UK, so why are they here?
I enjoyed this sound in general but it was a bit of a slog, quite long.
Haircut 100 are Orange Juice with sax breakdowns and fluffy cloud pop hooks. It’s clean-cut jazz funk pop, nonsensical lyrics (albeit with an impressive list of vaccines), and very little substance. Fantastic Day was my favourite song when I was about 8 and everything on here is pretty much geared toward the indiscriminate ears of pre-teen girls and grandmothers. There is no way this is essential listening because it’s just not that good.
Mediocre British New Wave? On this list? Nooooo, surely not?!?
Zzz meh
habs nicht ganz angehört :(
Wasn’t my tempo. Didn’t get through the whole album, as I wasn’t in the mood for it. It sounded musically good
Seemed rather boy band-ish to me. Maybe my granddaughter would like it.
Another downy-soft new wave album to throw onto the pile. Some catchy tunes but nothing that really appeals to me.
Cover 5 This doesn't belong here. An ok album but no way a must listen.
Sorry, but this is just plain boring to me. 2 stars or D.
now where have i heard this before....
Not as fun as want an 80s album to be. Some of the music lent too easy listening and the lyrics felt a little uninspired
It was a bold strategy to make an album that’s basically the same song recorded 17 times.
In a world full of unmemorable albums this one really doesn’t stand out.
The saxophone on this album makes me feel like I’m in a dental waiting room. Cheesy with a side of new wave. At times, worthy of a terrible tropical oasis party held by Boomers. Would not revisit, though it’s not the worst I’ve heard on this project.
doesn't deserve to be on this list
Maybe not horrible, but definitely not good
For the first time every I have literally nothing to say about an album. It's fine, I guess. Not sure it needed to be included in this list, especially considering how many and much better 80's New Wave album are already on the list. Key tracks: Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) Surprise Me Again
soort van wham/duran duran light... verwaarloosbaar
Not sure that Haircut 100 is more important than Squeeze. There are a couple of good tracks otherwise this would be 1 star.
Heeft niet echt indruk gemaakt
Þarna voru mörg element sem mér þykja skemmtileg. Djassskotið 80s popp með hressum blásturshljóðfærum en mér fannst þetta samt aldrei ná nægilega vel saman. Allt varð eiginlega eins. Ekki leiðinlegt en heldur ekkert sem stóð upp úr. Mun gleyma þessari fljótt.
I have no real complaints, it just kind of got old.
picks: lemon fire brigade, love plus one, fantastic day
More British bias nonsense. Not the worst of the list but turned off at the start of song 6. Not needed on this list. 4.5/10 (2.25/5)
Very fun, and seems quite wholesome. It definitely has a strong 80s vibe, which is usually a turn off for me. All in all, I liked this, but not super much.
Nothing to note.
I admire some of the jazzy/funky elements but dear god this music has the edge of a butter knife. The lyrics are wet trash. I heard pieces of Duran Duran, Robert Smith on one occasion, and a sprinkle of Nile Rodgers on guitar. Generic British New Wave with some decent instrumentals. 2/5.
Just sounds like bog-standard new wave to me. I couldn't even get interested in it enough to get mad at it
This is Madness. Oh, wait, it's not. I don't really get this album. Music is fine, it's not actively offensive or anything. It's in a weird space where it's not really pub rock and it's not really college rock. I'd also not call it new wave. It's just soft rock/pop, I guess? I'd say this is the album that a crate digging DJ would find and end up using for a lot of samples and horn stabs. Fun for that, but not for much else. I won't be back to listen to this one again.
Play that funky music White Boys!!
i mean... it's fine
I am so sick of the mid Brit-pop crap that keeps popping up. This album was mid at best but I'm mad I even had to listen to it so it's getting a 2. Nothing about this album (or the band) is special. Stupid bubblegum pop music. Bleh.
This album is both really fun and really annoying. I think it's just the vocals that annoy me.
30/1001 I'm just about old enough to remember Nick Heyward being touted as the next big thing, a musical genius who was going to conquer the world. He did go on to enjoy brief solo success after Pelican West, but Haircut 100 faltered without him, managing just one further poorly-received long player, and it's fair to say neither really equalled the relative success of this debut album. Choppy, funky clean guitars, exotic percussion, way too much saxophone, cringe-worthy Brit-rap and a preoccupation with cliched early-80s themes are order of the day here - it was a strange time when skiing holidays, larking about on yachts and rolling around in autumn leaves wearing chunky, cable knit Aran sweaters seemed to be all anyone aspired to. Not as cutting as The Style Council, not as cool as Orange Juice, and not as unashamedly poppy as Wham!, Haircut's music seems to trickle into the cracks left by their contemporaries rather than claim it's own unique territory. It's all very lightweight stuff, the vocals tend to drift by rather than grab your attention, and the arrangements soon get repetitive. There's a surprising amount of subtle instrumentation on offer here, but variety of playing does not seem to translate to variety of end product, and sadly all you take away from the experience is the jazz-funk stabbing and and overload of brass. Which is a shame, because everyone else was doing that sound in 1982. That said, in Favourite Shirts, Love Plus One and Fantastic Day this album boasts three buoyant, if vaguely similar, hit singles which are very much of-their-time slices of enthusiastic pop fluff. I can't deny I've got a certain nostalgia-fuelled fondness for them - Nobody's Fool, included on later reissues, is a decent pop seven-inch too. The album tracks never threaten to match that same level of quality, but do improve a little on repeated listens, to be fair. I really shouldn't, but I'm going to give it two stars.
Felt very sorry for the rhythm guitarist in Haircut 100, the amount of muted off beat strumming required was immense. He probably has the biggest forearm imaginable, I'm sure he's sick of the jokes. It was sort of Talking Headsy on the face of it but it's missing all the quirkiness and most of the talent. The first couple of songs worked the best and then the quality just steadily decreased without changing the sound. It wasn't unlistenable but wouldn't come back, 2.5. but closer to a 2.
Gosh. Really boring 80s stuff. Not without merit, quite jaunty, but not for me this. It definitely spans New Wave and Pop, but doesn't really do either very well. I'm surprised this is on the list. Did remind me to go to the barbers, though.
Way too 80s for me. Not awful though
Like early U2 with no soul and only the cheesiest elements of Bowie. I most likely won’t remember their name.
Duran Duran meets Pet Shop Boys.
Haircut 100? The (barely) one-hit wonder from the early 80s? Essential album? I beg to differ, and I’m a fan of British New Wave. 2⭐️
Did not catch my attention
Kasarin torvi-innostus alkaa kyllästyttää, nopsaan käy vanhaksi tälläkin levyllä, kun eivät he alun jälkeen keksi oikein mitään uutta.
This dude is so hard to understand, like why we mumbling brother? Overall found the style kind of annoying.
When it's not leaning into "white dude funk", it's leaning into Steely Dan insipid yacht rock. With a voice à la new wave.
Today, this album is exactly 43 years old, and it's Just another British Pop album with some beeps, and bloops that gets old around the halfway mark. Favorite Track: "Favourite Shirts".
Love plus one is great. Not really my bag on the whole however.
Mediocre New Wave boring me enough not to think of what bored me.
yet another album that has had no major impression on me.
Some good bops but more filler
Generic but fun pop music clearly aimed at a teenage audience. Most tracks are fun on their own but suffer when listened to one after the other in an album context.
Again, an album that doesn’t do much for me. If I wanted the horns mixed with a new wave sound I’d go with some of that early UK ska sound like Madness or The (English) Beat. It felt like none of the big sounds they were trying to get fit together. It’d be interesting to hear later stuff to see if it blended any better in my eyes, but it seems like this is THE album unfortunately. Not offensive or anything, just felt like a big swing that mostly missed when there were better bands coming from the same era doing similar things.
This is the most generic album I think I’ve ever heard. Painfully so. “Love Plus One” is a decent song, but these dudes have zero direction and zero depth. I want to give them some credit for participation but this is just so booooooring. It’s a 1 for me dawg.
I kept imagining a bunch of suburban mums teaching their two-year olds the stiff dance moves they learnt in zumba class the previous week. The word 'groovy' is used a lot. Kind of cute in that context, but in all other contexts this is just a discount Talking Heads with some predictable horn sections.
This was just too much 80's-pop in one helping. Spotify only has the PLUS version with an additional 20+ minutes, and I really could have done without that today. It's not awful, just embarrassing and I have no idea what it's doing on this list.
Boring music and stupid band name. Next!
Seems like these guys' forte was a kind of jazzy disco-funk; when try their hand at straight-up indie pop instead the results, regrettably, aren't very memorable. Even more regrettably, I really don't much care for jazzy disco-funk. No matter how many sax solos they plaster over the top. Redeems some credit for the inclusion of the lyric 'Love Toblerones' on track 10.
Some fun moments, but it wasn't very remarkable or memorable.
Before this project, I thought I liked “new wave” music. Apparently, I don’t.
This is some smooth new wave.
blast from the past, the saxophone...so 80s. But not something I'd stick on now.
I get a "strong generic early 80s" vibe from this album. Not entirely certain why it's on this list. However, some of the more jazz and funk-inspired songs later on were pretty good, like "Ski Club" and "October is Orange".
Whatever
The soundtrack to any 80s movie with a cop
Completely forgettable and generic new wave album with like 2 good songs
80er-pop-gedudel .. muss man genau einmal gehört haben, dann ist aber auch gut.
New Wave und startet gut. Wird mir aber dann zu jazzig.
It’s okay - it’s a little too much after a while though. Not as strong as other bands such as Duran Duran. It’s like there are too many sounds/instruments going, where I would say that Duran Duran have perfected it and created really strong hooks with the same tools and genre
So... The instruments were cool, unfortunately the singer was not. Was this a group of friends all talented musicians, bar one, and they couldn't kick him off the band. They should have followed the lead of the B Sharps.
I've never heard of this album or artist before, but I do tend to like new wave music from this era, so I think there's a good chance that I'll enjoy this album. The user reviews do make me a little cautious, but I'm hopeful that these sweater clad gents will give me a new undiscovered favorite album! Well, fashion sensibilities aside, I didn't care for this album too much. There were some good rhythms on this album, and the percussion and horns gave it a little unique touch, but this was a bit of a chore to get through due to its repetitiveness. It wasn't terrible to listen to, but very little about this album jumped out to me. This album does have a couple of fun songs like "Love Plus One" and "Fantastic Day," but when you plug them into the whole album, they just fade away, like puzzle pieces where the picture is just a blue sky. I can see how this album may have influenced the likes of Culture Club or Talking Heads, but I definitely don't think this is required listening.
ça s'écoute, sans plus
Some good Some bad
#437. This is not an album you need to hear before you die. This is trash. This album would end up in the dollar or less bin at any record store, and then probably still fail to sell. 2/5: garbage
This did nothing for me. Generic 80s pop.
Ahh I dunno, maybe I’m being harsh. Simpsons: No
It's got more pulse than most other sophisti-pop with it's funk and new wave influences, but quite frankly I rather listen to other pop of this era, this one just came off as okay but generally just whatever
If AI made an 80s pop album
2.3 Im writing this review a week after I listened to the album and I cannot remember a single thing, even what type of music it is. Either I have serious issues or its not that great. Lets go with not that great for now.
Bit funky, bit shit.
Boring boring doo doo music
It's not bad at all, but I also don't see myself going back to it often.
As new wave goes, this is bottom shelf stuff. There is an orchestration to a lot of it that just doesn't seem to fit. Latin rhythms, lazy jazz, British sensibilities, and lots of horns. It's all a bit too much thrown into the blender. This just isn't for me.
I wasn't a fan of this style of New-Wave Jazz-Funk-Pop back in the day and I'm still not.
Not my style of music. I didn't like it in period and a re-listen isn't helping. If you like that sort of thing, it is well done. 2/5 'cos I "don't like it" rather than being "awful".
wanted to give this a 1, but I gotta be fair about that feeling being about new wave fatigue from this project, and not any fault of Haircut 100
I did not care for this British band.
Adding this to the list of albums I will never think about for the rest of my life and moving on. Just 50 more albums until the end. I better get some good shit tomorrow.
Too much 80’s Not interesting
Love this
Shit Day
Bet Greg loves this shite
This is so 80s. So so so 80s
First thought in my mind: Huzzah, more British new wave. Yeay. And this totally delivered on that expectation. Which means I'll never listen to this again.
An okay album, not really my style.
Just an 80s band. Sounds like stuff i'd hear while shopping at JC Penney with my mom.
Pure 80s. Love the Aran sweaters on the album cover.
I’m pretty sure it was the same song being played for the whole album…
2,5/5 I loved the first song so much that I believed this album was going to be one of the best albums I've ever listened to. Maybe it was my mood, maybe it was something else, I don't know, but I got bored so fast that listening to the album became a torture. I feel very sad that I couldn't love this album.
Meh
It feels like I've listened to this album many times already. I was bored to death by the songs. No highlights to be heard anywhere. At least it wasn't horrifically bad. The album was *slightly* better than "Headquarters" by the Monkees. 2 stars for "Pelican West".
Acceptable, not exceptional.
I don’t know how I feel about this one.
You know this isn’t an inherently bad album. I think I’m just fatigued with all the Brit pop stuff forced upon me lately. It comes in bunches here. This gives Duran Duran vibes but just very forgettable and safe. Genuinely sounds like 3 other albums I’ve heard on here.
2.5
Sounds like a failed copy of Talking Heads, with a pretty annoying vocalist. Couldn't get through two songs without a long break, and I gave up after 5. Not really interested in continuing.
I didn't think I knew this band until "Love Plus One" came on. I've definitely heard it somewhere before. Too bad there's all this other music on this record. Okay, it's not that bad. But it's not my thing. There isn't any kind of shared aesthetic concern here and there's way too much sax and steel drums (?) for some British boys. What don't I like: the lyrics, the instrumentation, the overall too-happy vibe. Unless it's jazz or a brass band, I'm a certified saxophone hater so... And that this streaming link isn't the original track listing but is "plus" I'm really not vibing with having more to listen to than the original tracks. It's very 80s. I'm not giving this band any extra time by editing my listening notes into a coherent review; they took the extra time all up with those bonus tracks.
Basic
Best Song: Kingsize (You're My Little Steam Whistle). Excellent solos and nearly entirely instrumental. Worst Song: Love's Got Me In Triangles. The instrumentals sadly sit as second fiddle to the man yelling "LOVE" and "TOBLERONES". Overall: Further evidence that most 80s bands would have been much better off being instrumental bands. It felt like with every track, what could have been some fun or interesting musical arrangement got torpedoed when Buffalo Bill got on the mic and the vibe instantly changed from "hot jazz club" to "afternoon cruise ship entertainment".
Dross but not unlistenable
Perfectly adequate in every way.