Pelican West

Entraînant !

Nice jazz album, but not my usual listening. Don't think I'll go back to listen to it any time soon, but enjoyable as background music.

jako dobar album koji mi se baš dopao! nemam nekih posebnih komentara, osim da ću još slušati. možda mi se najviše dopala predzadnja stvar, ali svaka je na gotovo istoj razini, dosljedno je dobro. [odslušao i napisao 24/10/26]

The more the list goes on the more I appreciate non post-punk; new wave music. Also has some funk stuff in it, cool!

You must have a strong wrist to strum that much, rhythm guitar go brr, it scrapes a three

I thought this was very good, and this artist was completely new to me. The Energetic rhythm guitars steal the show, but the bass playing is also quite enjoyable, and the horn section is also very nice. The first listen intrigued me enough to give it a second listen, this time the 40th anniversary version, which had a much nicer mix, and by this point I had grown to like the vocals as well. Assuming we are just talking about the original release, there are really no weak tracks on here, which attempts me to give this a light five to be honest. It's easily a strong 4

Very happy to see this one pop up. Brit bias of the good kind. Is there a more British New Wave album than this? They never quite reached (for me) the top tier of British artists I loved back in the 80s (e.g., XTC, Elvis Costello, Squeeze, Billy Bragg, etc.), and I didn't own this album in the 80s, but at some point since I remembered how much I liked the 3 biggest hits from the album (tracks 1, 2, and 7), and bought a used copy of the album (which I still have). The rest of the album isn't at the same level for me, but still at a good quality level (if perhaps a bit similar-sounding?) - EXCEPT, I love track 11, "Surprise Me Again" (feels like that could/should have been a hit, too). Frontman Nick Heyward had a great solo song in 1993, "Kite," which is worth checking out. I noticed on his Wikipedia page that he was influenced by singer-guitarists Andy Partridge of XTC and David Byrne of Talking Heads (pretty good influences to have!). So, to rate this: clearly a 4, for me, but I don't think I can give it a 5, so 4 it is. And a solid 4, at that.

RHYTHM GUITAR slap BASS it's funky, fresh, and fun. But I question why it's on this list. Doesn't seem too essential

Really not that bad. Wasn’t expecting the funk, but it is welcomed.

This is just the optimal song structure repeated 12 times. Verse, totally awesome solo, totally awesome solo, chorus, totally awesome solo, totally awesome solo, chorus, totally awesome solo. Sometimes they even eschew verses and just do solo-chorus-solo-chorus-solo-solo-solo, like on Lemon Firebrigade. These guys know that they have the tightest jazz combo on their half of the UK and need the audience to be just as aware as them, and the result is what Aja by Steely Dan would've sounded like if it didn't suck ass. This one also gets way more saxophone bonus points than Aja.

This album is basically just one big kinda shitty song.

I have no desire to ever hear this again. Totally forgettable.

Meh

Please listen to October is Orange at 1 minute in, then listen to the F-Zero SNES soundtrack for the Silence race track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJCmbipfnyA&list=PL4fZ-kST2ONghyN7PDu_Dtb1G4SXG0VJ8&index=11 Also the deluxe version is 3 hr 9 min long, I am 40% through, I declare victory.

A solid 3. It was fine. I'm a bit worn out on sorta-ska post-punk new wave at this point though... this list is just FULL of that stuff

Favorite Track: Nobody's Fool

This is one of those albums that i don't understand including on this list. Its 80's pop campy music. But nothing is iconic, different or special. Just a bunch of 80's guys singing slightly silly lyrics trying to act really profund while likely dancing a lot like Carlton. Its weird how cookie cutter this 80's sound was of the time, yet if you hear one song from one band now a days it sounds so different. But this was just another 80s band doing their thing and their thing was just okay.

This feels like it came from a cookie-cutter 80s new wave brit pop band factory. Not sure what they're bringing to the table that's new or interesting, and this all sounds largely the same. It wasn't awful, and I enjoyed the first couple songs, but it started to feel more generic as it went on.

fun

Wow the 80s were camp. Hard to distinguish this from Wham, Culture Club and their ilk. Very poppy and a bit wet.

Loved them then and love them now. Fun stuff.

Some songs remind me of Niles Rodgers, some remind of the Beach Boys. Has an upbeat vibe. Overall it’s enjoyable, with a couple of standout tracks. 3.5, may up to 4.

Man as much as I want to hate it I do like Britpop I thought this was way better than I thought it’d be at first glance; it has some great variety (I love those instrumental tracks on the second half, really shows the band is at least a little talented), vocals aren’t awful, and I just think it’s a pleasant listen all around Even though the floor is high I’d say the ceilings pretty low and I honestly don’t think there’s any standouts. It’s also pretty shallow from a lyrical perspective, which is kinda expected I still don’t love it, but I enjoyed it enough to give it a low 4. I really gotta do some soul searching to figure out why this genre works so well, but it just does

It's funky and interesting! But it's definitely going to fade from my mind in a few days.

honestly really clean and enjoyable music. not sure if i'd declare this as a must-listen, but it's definitely something i'll be returning to highlights: favourite shirts (boy meets girl) love plus one lemon firebrigade snow girl

Very funky, very danceable, a little post punk, a little alternative… I loved the variety and vibe of this. This album is a good time.

I have heard Love Plus One before, but other than that song I'm not sure why this is on here. It's fine and inoffensive, but nothing super special. Also, the lyrics are a bit vapid at times, I mean WTF is loveplus1 even about? 2.5 for me

Very funky for a new wave album almost reminding me of more yacht rock and funk stuff in the period and a couple years before and that’s personally something I really like about it. As the album goes on it does begin to become slightly dull but a good album nonetheless. Fav tracks: love plus one, lemon fire brigade, marine boy, kingsize, and baked beans

I like a couple of these songs but they have a sound and they stick to it. Not sure that's to their benefits. I feel like Special Beat Services would cover this genre just fine.

A couple of great hits from the 80’s

Early new wave Duran Duran sound

Review - why on earth is this on the list? Bland bland bland. It would've been called sophistipop. It's soshittypop. The worst part is the production and instrumental performances are fine, they're just in service to such trite, nothing music that it makes it worse. Score - 2/10 Need to listen? NO

i like what i like, and this is funky and fun

Meh. Recognised one song and assume the whole album is on there because of it. Bland.

Didn’t like it the first time round. Nothing has changed.

I really want to be kinder but it just does NOT hold my attention at all. I find it so hard to care

Came in expecting new wave, left with funk? Certainly not a must listen, but I had a very good time. The album felt a little front loaded, but it had a very strong start Favorite Songs: Lemon Firebrigade

Really eclectic

Marimba? Take my 5

Very chill very nice, added to iPod instantly

Having Haircut 100 on the very next day after Heaven 17 has me feeling very 1980s. I enjoyed this one a bit more than the Heaven 17. Gonna go with a 3, but it’s barely there.

Jeszcze nie spotkałam się z połączeniem new wave z funk'iem i odrobiną jazzu, bardzo ciekawe potraktowanie gatunku. Nie wiem czy zostanie ta płyta na dłużej, ale na pewno jest to coś nowego, zwłaszcza w muzyce z którą najczęściej jestem.

3.1

These guys are sweet, it’s hard to hate them. Remember Love Plus One being on an 80s compilation that I ate up when I was 10. Sophistipop isn’t my favourite genre, there’s a few here that were slightly boring, but generally this was enjoyable. 3.5 but can’t quite give it a 4 unfortunately.

Classic 80s album. Nothing special. Not offensive.

I really wanted to like Pelican West, but it just wasn’t for me. The songs are catchy and the band is clearly talented, but the whole thing is just a little too bright, polished, and cheerful for my taste. There’s lots of sax, funky guitars, and that very distinctive early-80s sound, and I think I’ve finally accepted that I just don’t like the 80s as a genre. Nothing wrong with the album itself—I just didn’t enjoy listening to it. Overall Not for me. Well made, undeniably catchy, but I think I may simply have a 1980s problem.

High and tight.

I love this kind of music. Its not a kind that I have listened to before today but straight away it put a smile on my face and I started bopping a long. The album had my full attention throughout and there were so many solos that I loved that I stopped counting. Definitely music I will come back to.

Underwhelming overall. Not bad to listen to, but veers into the type of new wave that is a tad too poppy for my liking. Some more engaging moments towards the end of the runtime, but nothing to write home about

This was a fun one

Very enjoyable R&B (?), Funk (?)

it is ok and gets quite fun and funky in places. There are a few notable songs, and perhaps an album i might have had if i came across it at the time, but I honestly cannot see what makes this standout to be on the list. standout song was maybe Milk Film. 3 stars

This album is the one I have pre known most songs from so far. Enjoyed 80s music

01) Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) - 7,5 02) Love Plus One - 7,5 03) Lemon Firebrigade - 7,0 04) Marine Boy - 7,0 05) Milk Film - 7,0 06) Kingsize (You're My Little Steam Whistle) - 6,5 07) Fantastic Day - 7,0 08) Baked Bean - 7,0 09) Snow Girl - 7,0 10) Love's Got Me in Triangles - 6,5 11) Surprise Me Again - 6,5 12) Calling Captain Autumn - 6,5 TOTAL: 6,92 (69/100)

I mean... I ain't mad at it. Level complete.

Big old meh, just can't get into this 80s polished new wave "rock" 2/5

boring stuff! it`s time that i get a real banger album again here

Favourite Songs: Lemon Firebrigade

Fairly forgettable New Wave. An okay listen.

Sure. Whatever. Not offensive.

Meh

2.5 for this nerdy Temu Talking Heads.

I did not like this.

Poundland Devo ahh band

Nothing particularly offensive about this. Pretty bopping.

Good in its day

Some good new wave fo sho

Actually a very tough rating because I liked this way, way more than I thought I would. It's new wave alright, but one of the better examples I've listened to. Tons of funk influence, and those horns are freaking solid. Part of me wonders though if it takes it closer to yacht rock than something better. And new wave + yacht rock = no thank you. Yet I like this a lot. So what gives? I guess I'm going to be cautious and give this a 3. But it's a very strong 3. Tons of great tunes on here. Maybe it'll go up if I ever relisten.

Not bad

On the plus side - horns. And a little funky stuff going on. On the negative side - it's long, and gets a little redundant. Doesn't take itself seriously.

I had no expectations of this, but I really dug this likeable combination of pasty-faced English crooning and tight blue-eyed soul-funk. I can see where some of the funkier Smiths tunes (Barbarism Begins At Home) got their inspiration from - although in all honesty it's probably just a common root in Nile Rogers. The tight funk of "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)" could almost be a Gap Band tune, "Lemon Fire Brigde" is a beautiful, melancholic disco melody, "Kingsize" sounds like Duran Duran + Spandau Ballet (and that's definitely a good thing!), "Snow Girl" for obvious reasons, and "Fantastic Day"'s soaring melody. It's GREAT stuff - like a combination of Orange Juice, Dexy's, The Specials, with straight-up funk and rare groove like Average White Band, The Gap Band and Kool and the Gang. Definitely a keeper.

This is just Duran Duran but not catchy

Not much going on here to deserve a spot on this list. Everything sounds good, but it all feels like a riff on something else, and I tired pretty quickly of the rhythm guitar playing the same pattern on 75% of the songs. It made me want to listen to the first couple Vampire Weekend albums.

..

I have not heard this before. I recognize a few of these songs from the radio when I was a kid, and I’m surprised I haven’t heard them since, because they’re some pretty good new wave pop. Some other songs have more of a new wave funk feel in the Duran Duran direction, with the singer’s voice being very similar to Simon Le Bon. Then there are some more standard 80s pop with schmalzy saxophone solos that drag things down. There aren’t enough of these songs to ruin the record though. Altogether pretty solid.

Cool 1st 2 songs. Rest of album not too shabby

Was a bit leery at first, but actually pleasantly surprised. Not bad.

Wish I got this during the summer. Would've been a perfect album for driving along the coast on a lovely sunny day. Those horns are immaculate

Fine.

jolly 80s bops but not groundbreaking. rating for enjoyment not importance to music.

I appreciate their restricted tonal palate: chattery-jittery guitar, smooth clean creamery drums, active and agile bass, sax. In particular, I appreciate the commitment to rock sax in what passes for cool music, as distinct from Glenn Frey or Kenny G. Overall, they seem like nice guys who you would wish success on and not mind hanging out with - like e.g. Wolf Parade or Del the Funky Homosapien - and not insufferably up their own ass - like e.g. Arcade Fire or Common, né Common Sense.

Meh. Sounds like a poor replica of every other 80s new wave/britpop band. Predictable and samey. 2.5/5 rounded down.

This one was an alright listen. Nothing particularly had me sitting there like "wow!", but the overall experience was solid. A lot of fun sounding songs.

No idea why this is on the 1001 list really. There’s nothing particularly wrong with it. It’s a proficient pop album with a horn section which makes it stand out a bit from the usual Smash Hits pop stars of that era, but it’s not really exceptional in any way for me.

What if I told you that you could start a band with only middle school saxophone lessons, two guitar strings, and a toy drum set and you would still be more interesting than Haircut 100?

Once again so grateful that I wasn't alive for the dreadful new wave wave in the early 80s. This is a little bit redeemed by some good bass guitar work and the occasional bit of nice funk guitar riffery but this whole style of singing and production just gets me like nails on a blackboard.

I never really warmed to Haircut 100 found them a bit twee. They were the group mothers liked. Too much brass in there to make it really enjoyable.

Fun. Enjoyed it. One of those that would have been better at the time, but really quite enjoyable for 80s pop. A couple of songs sound like they're from 10 years later than they are. I hope they play one of those summer has hasbeen festivals near me next year. They seem the type.

80s New Wave. This genre just isn't doing anything for me. Slightly quirky pop rock. Percussion. Delivery like every other new age band.

I can’t get over how many random new wave bands there were and how many of them show up on this list.

It's not bad I guess, fairly easy listening but I really don't like the style particularly the bass lines and I think they're meant to be the best bit

Enjoyed this one!

It's not even that this is a terrible album. There's a lot I can enjoy about this thing's summery vibes, and I am more of a sucker for that saxophone than I'm not. I just fail to see what's so special about this album that I apparently "needed" to hear it before I die. Being real, this is only barely escaping another accusation of Dimetry and his contributors' obvious UK bias, and in large because I promised my group I'd stop bringing that sort of thing up.

While these tracks do feel samey, it's still some pretty good New Wave, regardless. 4.5 bumped down to 4.

I’m at a 3. I think this is a solid album. There’s no bad tracks, just a lot of totally, utterly fine ones. This is an album that thrives far more on its instrumental vibes than any lyrical depth or soaring vocal energy, and that’s totally fine if you can at least make the tracks compelling. I can’t really say that many of them are. I liked them, sure, and I’d listen to a good chunk of the tracks again. There’s just nothing about these tracks that truly leave an imprint in my brain. It starts with the soundscapes; this is drenched in brass on a lot of tracks, and while the saxophone solos kill from track to track in the moment, they don’t really anchor anything past a nice groove. The sax at the start of Careless Whisper, for example, is the ultimate tonesetter to compliment George Michael’s seductive vocals afterward. The sax here is… just kinda playing for the sake of it. Same with the vocals, & same with the lyrics. It’s an album without a modus operandi, and that lack of a more specific purpose from track to track leaves me without much to cling to. This album’s only saving grace is its bubbly energy keeping me entertained whilst listening to each track, and like I said, I really would listen to a lot of these again. With more time, perhaps there’s parts of the tracks that would stick more in my brain & make this a bit more fruitful. On a first pass though, it just feels like an album you can stick on at a party for good background noise that might occasionally catch the ear on some of its peppier parts. It’s a solid set of tracks. It’s just not a very compelling album experience. Hence, a 3, and one that I’m not entirely sure needed to be on the list. I liked hearing it, don’t get me wrong, but this isn’t “1001 Albums You Might Like To Have a Listen To Before You Die”, this is “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die”. This is #977 for us. I’m just not sure I NEEDED to hear that.

AWESOME

The most “2” of two-star albums. Utterly forgettable, but some just won’t let it be forgotten.

This is yet another addition to the list that’s very clearly influenced by its UK curators. However, this album is actually pretty fun. The songs are really high energy and convince you to move your body. And unlike a lot of other 80s outings, this album is heavy on the real instruments and light on the synths. An absolute shocker from a band I had never heard of, and didn’t expect much from based on the name and description.

Loved this album so much at community college era

I'm sure with 1001 albums to put in this book there comes a time where you put random bullshit to fill in the slots