Pelican West

I just didn't vibe with this at all... Maybe it was because I listened on a Sunday, maybe not. Nearly scraped a 3 at points but otherwise came across flat.

This album started promising, with Boy Meets Girl being quite a good song - unfortunately, even the other singles (love plus one, fantastic day) didn't rise to the same level. Frankly this has gained a star as I quite like both new wave and the album name.

Haircut 100 is considered to be a new wave funk band, which makes the jazz and rock elements in their debut 'Pelican West Plus' a welcome addition. Scattered across the tracks are pleasant musical intricacies, with almost engrossing guitar riffs and brass instruments. Sometimes unnecessary for what's it worth, the funk elements are executed well and doesn't leave a lot to be desired.

This doesn't sound as old as it is. I enjoyed this album! I wish I had heard it sooner.

First album I didn’t listen to all the way through. It isn’t bad, it’s just determinedly undistinguished. Brings nothing new to the table. At best, an example of common-or-garden variety Synthpop circa 1982. Fungible to the nth degree.

Opening track has a Duran Duran meets Spandel Ballet vibe. It's very poppy in a way that I would have liked a lot more once. Kingsize (You're my little steamwhistle) is particularly Rio-esque, though the lyrics seem to say "You're the little fat one" which is great. The whole album has a sort of Club Tropicana feel and it loses charm really quickly. It is upbeat, but it's also just kind of dull and repetitive. The good - Kingsize.

New wave, maar dan een stuk opgewekter. Leuk, maar geen uitschieters op dit album

Meh

Man kan säga mycket bra om 80-talet men det som producerades i musikväg tillhör inte den kategorin. Love Plus One, Fantastic Day och Surprise Me Again har ngt men resten får mig bara att vilja fly saxofon-tramset,stänga av och slå på Dexys Midnight Runners

Inne på låt 3 och jag vill skjuta mig själv. Låt fem och det skulle kunna vara EN låt hittils, för det låter likadant. 100% ointressant och olyssningsbart. Stängde av.

While no more inspiring than any of the other new wave albums we have encountered, it is probably the best produced one, with songs closer to Kool and the Gang than anything new wave.

Decent album, typical british new wave, nice electro sound but fails to leave a lasting impression

This rules. I had never heard of them and I loved this

Love Plus One is not only one of my favourite songs but in my opinion, one of the most perfectly crafted pop songs of all time. The rest of the album is good, but not great. A post ska, afro ear-lite sound that blends into Level 42 and A Certain Ratio fails to keep my interest for the full album

It was decent. I'm a sucker for a good horn section, so I liked that aspect of it a lot, but the album felt a little long, and a lot of the songs all kind of sounded the same. I'm also rather tired, so I'm not sure how fair I'm being.

191120 14:34 3

Quite funky but not gonna go outta my way to listen again

Lot of new wave recently, and I still don't really understand what the genre is. This one's less interesting to me

I probably have a Jones for this for sentimental reasons, but it's still a great listen. I was four months from being graduated, we danced, wore ties & topsiders. Aaaaaaaanyway - added to my library.

This so isn't worthy. It's generic 80's new wave. It's fine and that's it. It shouldn't be on the list.

first weekend album!

Really liked this more than I thought.

The sound is very much of its time, but as a debut album it's impressive

Bland and boring

OK, so I really don't understand why this one is on the list. It's an early 80s pop group that I had never heard of before with a barely distinguishable sound and an extremely dorky image. That said, the music is completely inoffensive and rather pleasant at times. They do have that sax-thing going for them as well, which is somewhat nice. So while I'm puzzled as to why they're on the list, they're certainly not the most unpleasant band on it.

Otra de las grandes sorpresas. Uno de los mejores discos de pop de los 80.

I really enjoyed this mix of fun and Britpop.

Liked it, didn’t LOVE it.

It had its moments, but it was pretty long and it was a bit of a slog. I'll give it a 2.5, but since multiple albums I liked better got a 3, I'll round that down to a 2 for this site's star system. Favorite tracks were "Love Plus One" (naturally- the one hit that makes them a one-hit wonder, as well as Surprise Me Again and Nobody's Fool.

Prehistoric eurotrash from the 80s. Saxaphone, funk, reggae and preppy white kids in sweaters. There's a reason this never made it stateside.

I'm glad didn’t write down my initial thoughts on Haircut One Hundred after reading that it was yet another British new wave band, or I would be digesting that piece of paper right now. The idiom eat my words dates back to at least the 1570s, but no one knows the origins of the phrase. I'm envisioning some 1300s pre-printing press monk writing something blasphemous and being ordered to chew that vellum up. Kind of like jerky? Except they didn't have any good flavor or spice in Europe in the 1300s... But I was wrong. Haircut One Hundred is not your average new wave band. In fact, I think new wave is a bit of a mischaracterization of their sound. The singer's voice does fit in that genre, but that is where it stops for most of the tracks. The tight collaboration of saxophones, trumpets, drums (even bongos!), and rhythm guitar set their sound apart, and create a fun dance vibe. The horns sometimes veer too far into poppy island/yacht rock territory, but when it’s funky and jazzy, it’s quite good. It's almost good enough to make up for vocals that very much fit into British new wave. But this was way more interesting to me than most new wave, largely thanks to the aforementioned jazz and funk influences.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would based on the description of them as "new wave"; less synth-y and more jazzy. Really liked the almost a bossa nova sound on Lemon Firebrigade.

I think participating in this project is developing a taste in me for new wave, as that was a lot of fun! Upbeat, light, poppy and funky - they sound like an earnest, humorless They Might Be Giants. Fave track - "Favourite Shirts", maybe. I like "Kingsize (You're My Little Steam Whistle)" too, but damn that's a bad track name!

80's talking heads kind of a sound, but not as good.

pretty cool

Fun!

Love the album. Love New Wave. Love the use of congas, sax, and other strange instruments that give the album a jungle aesthetic. First three tracks are amazing. Next four are pretty good. But beyond some highlights, the rest of the album is uninteresting, even if you exclude the bonus tracks. I mean, I like New Wave and it has the combination of synth, punk, and pop that I love, but it's not something I would listen to actively. Just for dancing to or playing in the background. You start to pick up the repetition later on, and it starts to ruin the magic. Also those vocals sound like some other New Wave band or two but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe I'm thinking of David Byrne but less weird? Duran duran but less enthusiastic?

Rating: 5/10

I remember when this came out. I bought it in a bargain bin year's later (90's sometime). I've listened to it a few times and it's fine but in no way do I think this is critical listening for anyone LOL. This is coming from an 80's kid who still unironically plays a lot of 80's music. Not sure what the fuss is. I'm assuming they were a much bigger deal in the UK than in the states and so the creators of this list maybe had more nostalgia attached to this or the songs were more cultural touchstones there. For me-- meh Standout tracks: Baked Bean - Like Talking Heads with more horns

Soft pleasant new wave pop. The guys certainly had fun. (6/10) Favourite Tracks: Love Plus One, Love's Got Me in Triangles

Baked Bean is a nice song. All the rest is funky, but i don't like the style of singing

Most enjoyable

I listened to this a very great deal in situ, as it were, an LP sincerely bought by one of my siblings when it was released, and I don’t think I’ve heard a bit of it since (maybe the odd throwback radio play of Love Plus One or Favorite Shirt a time or two across the ages). Playing through the whole album for the first time in certainly 30+ years found I remembered it quite well, B sides and deep tracks as well, and it holds up - breezy and lightweight though it (very much by design I think) is.

Один трек был неплох, а так просто обычный альбом.

I was entertained

A lot going on, and a lot of fun.

What a strange beast this is - lots of chicken scratch white boy New Wave funk like 'Favourite Shirts' and 'Calling Captain Autumn', the latter of which almost tips over into Oingo Boingo territory. Liberal use of congas and daytime TV saxophone, which I don't mind - and smack bang in the middle is 'Fantastic Day', one of the most wonderfully uplifting examples of indie pop to emerge from the era. I do like it, quite a lot in fact, but a mildly puzzling experience.

Haircut 100? Huh. I genuinely cannot decide if that’s a good band name or not. Is it? Maybe. Then again, maybe not? I’m stumped. But I kinda enjoyed the tunes, overall. At times, it felt like an inferior version of Tears for Fears with more saxophone, but that’s also not something that sounds terrible in theory to me to begin with. “Love Plus One” is a song I’ll listen to more than twice. So, I’m happy I heard this if for no other reason than that.

Didn't really jump out to me as anything special, but mostly competent.

Not memorable at all, as over the weekend I forgot just about what they sounded like

Favourite shirts

All a bit new wave for me, hopping between styles and sax overload. I can see why people would be impressed with the album without potentially actually liking it. Lemon Firebrigade grabbed me for a bit.

This album was quite interesting. The band merged Ska, Jazz, Latin, Funk, Pop, and dare I say a bit of Punk to pretty much every song. One of those albums and groups that didn't fit with the genre they were unfortunately placed. Good album.

Just the right amount of funk, pretty cool!

Love Plus One is a 5, and I like some of Nick Heyward's solo stuff (Whistle Down The Wind is a 5). This is their only album, so intrigued to listen to see if it's list worthy. And...its just OK. It's like the Brit version of They Might Be Giants, or an edgier Spandau Ballet. A few good songs, but a bit puzzled why this made the list. It's truthfully a 2.5. Might mark it a 3 just for the first 2 songs. Frankly I prefer either of the first 2 Culture Club albums over this.

Not sure how gamechanging or great this album is, but it's fun and funky as hell. Think 4 would be too generous, but 3 does feel harsh

I had written out an actual review but forgot to post it and can't remember it. I like it, there's a song (or some?) With the glockenspiel thing that gives little mermaid vibes. Would rate 3.5 if I could

Saxofonigt. Festligt ändå, jag tycker om det. Passar väl till det roadtripsläge jag befann mig i under lyssningen. Lite sköna gitarr-riffs i högt tempo som spelar mot blåsinstrument och hela tiden en lagom pampig intrycksfull taktpinne i form av trummorna. Låtarna flyter ihop lite när jag inte har full koll på flödet när jag kör och det är heller ingen låt som sticker ut alldeles extra. Bäst:"Milk film"

Meh

Pretty random 80s pop. Totally fine but not something for a 1001 albums list in my opinion

I enjoyed this alot more than expected, kinda felt like what the 90s would put over the Charlie's angels TV show

Incredibly interesting album. Really enjoyed the selection of instruments on a lot of the tracks. The whole thing had a very in-between feel, in a way. Not entirely new wave but a progenitor of a sort.

Undeniably dated, totally 80’s, almost tacky, extremely top heavy. Still such a lovely listen, I danced so much 🥰.

groovy 80's pop. kinda fun but not super memorable

Kinda good actually

What the hell is this?? UPDATE 1: V Talking Heads inspired. Not a bad thing, it grooves. UPDATE 2: Eh, this was okay. Nothing I'd ever return to but not upset to listen to it once.

Great!

British white boy jazz-funk/pop complete with chunky sweaters and knitwear. This is super groovy music for the body and dancefloor that doesn't take itself too seriously, and is a hell of a lot of fun.

Completely new to me. I love it when a band is made up entirely of rhythm instruments. Really digging the bongos, horn, and rhythm guitar. 4.0

That sucked

Funky and stylish. Very enjoyable

Love the singles - the sound of (somebody's, not mine) youthful summers - happy, outdoor music to have in the background - but the three singles are head and shoulders above the rest, though I can't explain to myself why, given that all the songs sounded the same, especially the guitar sound - a sort of Nile Rodgers-type vibe going on - except not in the same league. The rest I can't remember. Why is this an important album? It clearly isn't, it's just pop music, good as singles but nothing else. What next - Boney M? Yes, all right, I loved them too, but I'm never going to sit and listen to any of their albums. Incidentally, I am still listening to Rush and getting worried that I may have contracted some sort of illness. Is there a support group? (no, not that sort, the psychological sort)

I couldn’t listen to this whole album, the 80s repetitive beats just got too annoying for me.

In a list of bands I wouldn't have expected to find on the list, Haircut 100 might be right at the top. How are they here? It's actually a quite pleasant album, airy and light, full of smiles and nostalgia. Not a terrible listen, nice background noise, but really, how are they here?

I was surprised to really enjoy this album. It was what I'd imagine plays at Club Tropicana all day and night. Very easy to find yourself dancing along to it! Feel good 80s yuppie music.

Incredible guitar / horns work - really forward thinking and catchy. Definitely needs a re-listen

Fun. The Duran Duran of UB40s.

Really enjoyed. Reminds me of Duran Duran

Does it get any more '80s than this?

British New Wave pioneers. The album seems to oscillate between new wave sounds and proto-emo, to jazz fusion for longer jams.

Another blast from the past. I loved this album I was 10 when it came out!

"They were first known as Rugby, then as the Boat Party, then as Captain Pennyworth, and lastly as Moving England, before finally becoming Haircut One Hundred. " usually when you find out what a band was previously called their old name was shit. i would be happy with all of their old band names, rugby is a bit shit but Boat Party is phenomenal. music wise, enjoyable - a bit too many tracks but some excellent bass. ocassionally it strayed away from club tropicana and got a bit close to copacabana but never went full manilow. fuck it, i'm learning to 80s dance. gonna get some slacks, some boat shoes, a polo neck, put some old top of the pops on and study the moves.

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.

New Wave funky y jazzy. Sin haberme gustado nunca mucho ese sonido esta gente consigue embelesarme. Instrumentación de locos, desarrollos larguísimos pero totalmente en su justa medida. Suenan modernos y el disco es del 81. Descubrimiento, me encanta.

Excellent! Also very different and mostly upbeat Jazz rock infusion

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.

Hot

There are some positives and negatives imho. Positives: The lads know how to play and they lay down some very good rhythm.  Negatives: Some of the songs didn't age very well  and were probably a little to "pop-ish'' to start with. Marine Boy is a good example. The rhythms are reminiscent of a Carlos Alomar led rhythm section blended  with very capable horns, woodwinds, bongos / congas, and other alt percussion that Talking Heads brought to their sound around this time. But when the singing comes back, it sounds like music you might expect on a Love Boat episode. Fortunately, only half the songs suffer from the  "vocals jealous of the rhythm section" condition.  It was impossible not to love the New Wave since it was such a relief from all that disco crap that overstayed its welcome.  The sound was fresh and fun when it started but some of it did end up being pop that didn’t age well. Notwithstanding my Love Boat reference, I enjoyed the listen.

OK, but nothing special.

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.

Sounds like a budget Duran Duran at times. I approve of a budget Duran Duran

I ended up liking this WAY more than I thought I would. Went in negative, was "meh" on the first couple of songs, but Lemon Firebrigade won me over and I enjoyed it from there on out. Why? I don't know. Probably because it reminded me of 80's movies - more fun, less serious. We can all use that from time to time.

Toeters, best een leuk plaatje!

Verrassend leuk bandje. Ik kende dit totaal niet, maar vond het wel lekker catchy en vrolijk

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!

Geweldig! Dit vrolijke getoeter past precies bij het weer.

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.

Fun radio

Poo

I listened to this with Sue and the experience went through three phases. 1) we loved the horn hooks, funky beat and scratchy guitars 2) we were surprised that we recognized so many songs and accused the other of having owned the album 3) We grew tired of the lack of edge or diversity. Pop music isn’t meant to be consumed in album format, I guess. A solid 5 on the 10-point scale.

4.5

Nope

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!

Breezy summery songs for the early 80s. I'm surprised at how many of these songs I recall, I must have played Fantastic Day a thousand times in my yute when hanging out with my Uni girlfriend. I really could use the half star rating system here, so my 3.5 becomes a 4 purely for nostalgic reasons.

Booo

Wow. I got halfway through this and have no interest to finish it. The 80s are so bad.

Some upbeat bops, fairly jazzy stuff but no staying power for me

eh. Not my style, but can see how this was a huge hit.

Talking Heads Lite ™️

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”

look at those respectable young men tears for fearsy with brass interesting 4 starts for calling captain autumn alone!

funky but quite irrelevant

Unremarkable 80s rock where all of the songs blend together and say nothing memorable.

Pretty good, sort of prototypical 80s new wave. I like the horns, but overall not super excited about this. 2.5 stars.

This has got that kind of 80s pop music feel to it. Like…I imagine smiling people bopping their heads to it when it came on in the car.

Meh. Light 80s

Totally fine, bit I've "heard" this before. Every pop band from the 80's sounds the same to me and they're all not that great. Bonus point awarded for the great sax play.

Album cover: Tired. Disco riff that kicks the album off: Wired. They are kinda Talking Heads-ish with a sexy sax backing, ands more of a standard groove set-up.

This has some damn good funk and groove to it. The kind of music you can just chill to and have a damn good time.

Slick, funky grooves from a group I've never heard of before. Definitely saving this album for later...

It was fine

With a name like "haircut 100", how can they be good? I feel a bit dirty liking this as much as I did. Favourite song: Fantastic Day

Heerlijk funk albumpje, lekker vrolijk

Very "polite" new wave band. Nothing special, just ok.

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.

This cover does not tell you how FUNKY this album is. I really enjoyed this, new wave with that funk influence. This reminds me a lot of Orange Juice. The instrumentation for a bunch of white boys from England was a pleasant surprise. Dug it, will listen again. Favorite song: Favourite Shirts (Boys Meets Girls) Least favorite song: Calling Captain Autumn

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.

Helt ok

Dig the 80s vibes. Fun and dancey.

Probably more of a 3.5 than a 4

In a list of bands I wouldn't have expected to find on the list, Haircut 100 might be right at the top. How are they here? It's actually a quite pleasant album, airy and light, full of smiles and nostalgia. Not a terrible listen, nice background noise, but really, how are they here?

Love me some new new wave

Exciting fun album

I was glad when this album was over. Not that the music was bad, but it was so much saxophone.

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

This album, like the last one, is very tough to rate. I enjoyed parts of it, but sometimes it didn't hold my interest that well. I could envision a situation in which I would come back to this album and really like it. There are a lot of cool elements to it. They clearly have some of the same influences as The Clash (or else were heavily influenced by The Clash themselves) 4/5 Second listen better than the first

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

80s crap with horns. did not like.

cool instrumentals but got bored

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

The opener's inclusion of funk is quite promising. Unfortunately (I speculate), that genre is very difficult to get onto vinyl alive. Combine that with a pop form which is highly dependent on tools for sound and you get a fusion which, while fun, contains too much clear artifice. The good cuts (make a list by adding Kingsize and Love's Got Me In Triangles (absolutely the title highlight of the album) to the song mentioned above) are very good, but not parts of "essential" album listening. I suspect Haircut One Hundred would have been a fun live show.

Excellent summer album. 7.5/10 FT: Favourite Shirts

Strange, but a fun listen

Un banger de funk pop

closer to a 3.7, 3.5 ish

ugghhh this is going to suck, I'm guessing poppy new wave type stuff looking at the cover. It's quirky looking, the name is dumb.... aaand I'm not wrong, it's basically exactly what I had in my head lol. No idea why this needs to be bookmarked in history. 2/5.

Good.... well slick 80s pop. Sounded a bit wham in places!

Catchy, inventive and fun. Seem slightly too mainstream and poppy to be labelled 'indie', which is perhaps why they don't seem to pop up on other lists of 'most influential/important' records, but at the same time, they steer well clear of the stereotypical synth driven sound I associate with bands of this era. A good find that I would never have listened to if it wasn't for this site.