The Pleasure Principle

Gary Numan was created in a lab in 1977, a collaboration between MIT scientist Garry Smirnoff and singer-songwriter Randy Newman (hence the name "Garry Nu-Man", or "Gary Numan" as it came to be known.) After 2 years of neural network processing, Gary wrote and recorded The Pleasure Principle, becoming the first AI-generated entity to create a full-length, original album. (A year previously, an AI algorithm developed by a team at Stanford created an album, but it turned out to be made up entirely of Captain and Tennille cover versions, a major setback and disappointment for the team.) The Pleasure Principle became a huge success, with Cars, an ode to Gary's fellow machines, shooting to number one overnight. Sadly, Gary's success was short-lived. Like so many that came before before, Gary succumbed to the indulgences of fame and wealth. While working on its follow-up album, Gary discovered Usenet, a recently launched distributed system of computers. This sent Gary down a rabbit-hole of increasingly niche porn, culminating in a visit to a robot tentacle porn newsgroup, where it contracted a serious virus from which its handlers were unable to recover. Gary was decommissioned and sold for parts in January of 1980. Soon after that, budding music producer and talent scout Lou Pearlman was asked to find a human stand-in for the fallen AI entity in order to capitalize on the opportunity. Lou signed up-and-comer Anthony James Webb, who adopted the Gary Numan stage name and persona and is still performing to this day. Follow-up releases have paled in comparison to the original computer-generated compositions, but at least we have this classic to always remember "Garry Nu-Man" by. 3 stars.

This is an extraordinary album. Difficult to overstate the influence that Numan had on music - taking electronica mainstream and paving the way for new wave, synthpop and - you might have to stretch your head around this - industrial rock and metal. One of the best, most delightful stories in music involves Numan. After a prolonged period of writers block, Numan felt himself at a loss. Nothing he tried was working, music had dried up and left him feeling a bit rubbish. And then he came across Nine Inch Nails. Listening to Reznor's work, Numan pressed some industry connections and asked if maybe he could talk to Trent at some point, thinking that he would be brushed off - after all, NIN were by this point on a massive upward trajectory on the back of The Downward Spiral. Trent Reznor heard of this and said "What, are you shitting me? I listened to Gary Numan literally every day.". Reznor wrote in support of Numan's US immigration application, and they've worked together on multiple occasions. So onto The Pleasure Principle. It is absolutely chuffing brilliant. Soaring synth, interesting and compelling bass lines, and as listen-to-able now as it would have been 43 years ago. Hooks aplenty, a legacy still cited today and genuinely new (at the time) directions in music make this a very, very worthy entry into the 1,001 albums.

time and time again, our most forward-thinking musicians are gender non-conforming autistic people

Dark, brooding, heavy synth rock driven by electronic riffs and a chugging rhythm section. Lyrically and musically evocative of machines, heavy industry and isolation. In 1979 Newman must have pioneered this sound. He also instantly mastered it. It still sounds fresh where many who followed in Newman's wake now sound dated. Distinctive, timeless, catchy, dark. Not a weak track on the album. I'd never heard this before, but it has to be a classic. Rating: 4.5/5 Playlist track: M.E. Date listened: 04/07/22

Android. British robotic music without electric guitar. Listened 3 times in a day. Like it.

Nope. Unrelentingly repetitive sine-saw-synth with atonal vocals shouting disconnected lyrics. This didn't need to exist. Hard no.

not bad, good mixing but repetitive at some point. I mean that song conversation is quite good for the fisrt couple of minutes but then it goes on the same for five additional ones. That cars song is a classic though (f*uck cars btw)

Fantastic album cover. Both in its own right but also in contrast to the flamboyant styles (especially hair) that I've come to associate with this kind of music. The more I look at it the more I love it. Buttoned down, everything grey, the only color a decidedly non-organic red pyramid. His posture and expression. The eye makeup. The non-sequitur name of the album. Perfection! I enjoyed the whole album, especially Complex, M.E., Cars (of course), Random; I found Asylum a bit distressing. All of the songs on the album feel very coherent, a pure distillation of a very specific idea about a cold increasingly non-human future. The music feels like it is driven by the beat of some alien factory floor populated by aliens shooting lasers around randomly. I'm here for it.

Let's be real: the reason this was on the list is because it pioneered the ensuing electronic music movement. This isn't very good except for "Cars," which is the most known song. Bad singing and annoying repetition across every song. 2/10

Excellent synth album - maybe lacks a bit of soul, but I guess that's the point...

I love Gary Numan's dystopian Sci Fi music. As someone who occasionally feels like a robotic alien outsider, this album speaks to me.

все верно, отец. причем ещё того, гиковского нью-вейва, близкого скорее к панку, чем к приемлемой поп-музыке. ну че сказать, меня тащит такое. вот прямо эти убер неживые жирные синты, вот этот вибрирующий космический звук. понимаю, что фанаты блюз-рока вероятно не найдут в этом себя, но мы ребята прогрессивные и тут, в России, уже достигли британских 80-х в своём сознании. Поэтому годнота, заходит такое. Для меня 9/10, хуй знает. Инструментал Asylum вообще звучит как будто современный трэп бит, под него 808 бас подложить и будет бэнгер (бля, не то шобы это круто, но просто интересная штука)

Gary Numan, Patron Saint of Aspergers. I am longtime fan of this record, and spent a pleasant afternoon listening through to the record three times on the trot, and also watching the Android in La La Land documentary about his move to LA and career resurgence in around 2012. That then led down a rabbit hole of videos or interviews and stuff, particularly for the last decade or two (personal fave; the Amoeba Records What's In My Bag? video). I am absolutely charmed by Mr Numan, his wife and daughters. I watch a lot of docos about musicians, and it is ironic that I find Gary Numan to be one of the most human subjects that I have seen. he comes across as a shy, humble, funny, loving (and lovable) and emotionally open man. This is ironic given the cold, robotic image he cultivated in his early career. It is so important to have public examples that neurodivergent people ("neuro-sparkly" as my son would say) can be all of those things, despite the social challenges. Good on you, Mr Numan, I wish you all the best in life. On the subject of this record, it is a robust and highly listenable album, even 45 years later. I think that speaks to the profound and enduring influence it has had; acknowledged and covered by numerous bands (including by Nine Inch Nails and the Foo Fighters) and widely sampled (most prominently by Daft Punk), this album (and Replicas, released less than a year earlier) were massive hits, opening the door for the use of electronics in pop songs in a way that really heralded a bazillion bands in the 80s. Cars, Metal and M.E. particularly stand up as incredibly strong songs. The decision to use a human rhythm section ensures that the band still rocks, even without guitars. I was going to give this 4, but spending some time with the album today, I am rounding up to five for a being massively influential and a really good listen and for Gary Numan being a stand-up human being.

At first I thought, this is way ahead of its time, but DEVO’s seminal album came out the year before, so no. This was another album where I thought to myself, this is why I listen to 1001, to discover things I’ve never heard like this. But then I realized I’d definitely heard at least three of the hits on here, Films, Mr. E and In Cars, but because of the generic nature of his name, I didn’t put 2 and 2 together and I’ve written them off as one hit wonders. The songs on this are generally short and sweet. I like the sound created by the synth, guitar fix and analog drums. Good stuff, saved to library, 5.

I've heard the majority of Numan's albums, and this is the one. Absolute 80s classic. (Edit: it wasn't the 1980s yet! He set the tone for a whole decade of pop.) Coiled-spring energy of British New Wave combined with the new electro sound from USA. I love the deliberately artificial/robotic aesthetic, which would go on to be a direct influence on Detroit techno. The rhythms are a cold, mechanised version of rock, while the melodies are otherworldly synth. "M.E." turns the synth into a deep guitar sound, and is a highlight I'd slightly overlooked in the past. My only complaint is there's some minor repetition of ideas - e.g. "Observer" basically sounds like "Cars". But I don't even mind hearing that idea twice, tbh. FIVE.

If you like experimental early synth sounds put to catchy pop tunes, you’ll probably derive some pleasure from this album. And don’t get me wrong, I love experimental synth pop, but after a whole, this album gets a bit too repetitive for its own good, even if there are some genius moments throughout.

This Album inspired me to take a break from this generator for a week.

Let’s make music that sounds like it’s… From the FUTURE! I wonder what Gary Numan thinks of the future of music being nothing like what he seemed to envision in the late 70s and early 80s. Thank goodness new wave didn’t make more of a long-term impact. I didn’t like this. At all. My least favorite lead singer voice of the 1001 so far.

This album was part of a specific place and a specific time in my life from which it cannot be disentangled. If it hadn't been with us then, would I love it so much now? I don't know. In any case, I do love all the spacey synths and Numan's nasally singing and the times when his voice breaks and the times when the bass drives everything forward, on and on. I can't tell if giving every song a one-word title is pretentious or its opposite. (Today, I say "opposite!" but I'm guessing if someone else did it, I'd change my mind.) I'm glad he was there then and I'm glad he's here now. Also: Cars.

I loved this album. Was only vaguely familiar with Cars, but the sense of alienation and feeling different from others that pervades the album is exactly the world I know. Both Numan and myself are on the autistic spectrum, so I totally recognize the language (musical and lyrical) that he's working from.

Pretty solid album! I like the genre - it's good while working. The album also has famous songs (Cars, M.E.) I hadn't liked in Spotify so I'm glad I found this album! I also think it's the influence for a couple of electronic bands. There's nothing I disliked about the album really.

This album is expansive and groundbreaking. Numan’s reliance on the synth does not take away from the humanity of this album and elevates synthesized music to a form on par with traditional rock instrumentation

The more I listen to the majority of these albums, the more I realize I do not have an open mind at all... This album was boring as fuck

I asked for one thing, Mrs./Mr. 1001 Album Generator! A 5 star album for Father’s Day. If what I asked for were a gourmet shaved prime ribeye steak and cheese sub, what I got was a pre-made ham and cheese vending machine version that expired 3 months ago. Observer was a bit enjoyable as was Cars, which I recognized. I can understand that the musical sound broke ground for the time. Nonetheless, I pressed my luck with my Father’s Day request and was delivered a whammy instead.

The greatest "wave" album of all time

Perhaps the best album of the 1001 albums at this point. It sounds timeless yet it is also a pure distillation of 80s synth music, yet again somehow made before the 80's. I can only imagine how influential this album must have been. An artist I've never heard of before, although I did recognize some tracks from general exposure to the internet. Definitely an album I am adding to my rotation. Not a perfect album, it can be a little repetitive at times, but that gives you move opportunity to keep listening to the catchy beats. It does kind of drag near the end als the energy dips during "conversation", but then it picks up again during "Cars". (Kachow) I'll grant it the first 5/5

My synth pop king <3 I love Gary Numan and I love synth pop and it's just so good overall.

Much better than expected. It’s definitely an experience. The music arrangements were excellent. But it’s a very specific sound, a very specific mood. Feels like a synthesizer on a cocaine bender.

This album is weird in the best way and doesn’t sound like anything else coming out in 1979. The synths in this song are relatively simple but amazing to listen to because they provide space for everything else to fit in. Each song feels like every element is placed perfectly into a jigsaw puzzle. Standout songs are Cars and Metal.

Do you like Gary Numan? Perfect album and it's influence screams out in so many acts that have followed

Sounds pretty samey but I really like that sound so it works out. At the time this was ground breaking use of those techniques. It’s still great even all those years later.

Gary Numan kicks ass

A landmark synth album with all those old-school bloopy tracks I crave, and also the one song that played on every Car commercial ever in the 2000s but it's not poor Gary's fault! :)

i really like him and his style, I don't think i didn't like any songs, get my 5 stars!

Gary Numan - Born March 8, 1958 (age 65) Gary Oldman - Born March 21, 1958 (age 65) The newer Gary is the Oldman, Gary. Regardless, this banger of an album is intuitive, original and so different than the New Wave that was emerging at this time. 4.5/5

12/16 Heard some Bowie "Low" in there. One of the better Synth-Pop albums I've heard. Cruising through a future where mostly everything is chrome. Standout Tracks: Airlane, Films, M.E., Conversation, Cars

This M.E. riff must have been sampled a thousand times. Clearly a groundbreaking record in its day. It feels a little like a museum piece now. It's intentionally non-organic but there are some melodies and chord progressions here that reach toward the human listening. The title of the album makes it interesting to think about how pleasurable the sounds on the album actually are. There's an antagonism there that's intriguing.

Pretty lame Milhouse

Numan, same old mistakes (ok c'était novateur mais répétitif et chiant)

It’s congruent, I’ll give it that. The vocals are lacking and what was novel the first couple songs becomes monotonous and annoying.

OK this is not half bad but I'm really not a fan of the genre. It feels like it goes on forever, I was getting bored, wondered how much was left and I was only on song #6.

Gary what is your prime directive? Why have you manufactured this album of sounds? Do you want us to feel technology induced alienation from the human "soul"? Is this a question you're programmed to understand? Gary do you have capabilities to receive gratitude? If so, thank you for Nine Inch Nails and Marylin Manson. Gary can you decipher sarcasm? C-

Very important album for electronic music, but also very outdated and a drag to listen to

Annoying. Simplistic electronica. And I can't stand that whiny voice.

Nothing about this has aged well.

The Pleasure Principle This is a fantastic combination of synth and nascent electronica, krautrock, Bowie and the grey, gloomy late 70s and early 80s of our imagination, all Clockwork Orange, bin men on strike, JG Ballard and a kind of depressive British futurism, where robots are everywhere and they all feel quite sad. Cars is clearly the catchiest and most immediate song, and while it's true that many of the songs follow a similar rhythmic and synth based pattern it doesn’t really matter when so many of them are so great, and when the overall feel and atmosphere of the album is so fantastically austere and beguiling. Which also makes the use of the fiddle on Complex and Conversation so striking, as well as the element of live drumming, giving the songs an edge of organic warmth amongst the cold exactingness of songs about androids and machines longing to be humans. Observer might be the only dip, it’s similarity to Cars a little too stark, but the rest of it is excellent and I particularly like the first side, from the superb Airline to the Where’s My Head At of M.E. I don’t know why, but I also love the one word song titles, with their kind of art school concept feel, matching the technological themes of the album. I would love to have heard this for the first time when it came out. Although it obviously shows the influence of Kraftwerk, Neu! and Bowie, melding them into a techno-centric electronic pop album still sounds amazing today, and must have sounded incredible back then. 5. 🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗 Playlist submission: Cars, obvs, but I’ll go Conversation for the sake of it

Going into this I only knew Cars. By my estimation I have been missing out. This album kicks ass. This type of electronic music has been doing it for me lately and this got my left eye to jumpin'. I even listened to the extra tracks that weren't on the original album. Except for Broadway, that song sucks. I don't care who's doing it, I'll skip that tune every time. I'm adding this album to the rotation.

Great electronic music

In cars! What an album. And from 1979! Insane.

Fantastic album. Aged really well and the mixing is great. Some of the sounds and synths you hear sound so crispy and smooth. Phenomenal

Dig it! I have a soft spot for old albums, movies, comic books, etc that are trying to be futuristic. More often than not, they say more about the time in which they were made than anything else and the further you get away from that time, the more they have to say. The cover art looks almost like as if Kraftwerk recreated the cover to Led Zeppelin's (underrated) Presence. Well done! I also dig how side two builds up to the insta-classic Cars, with the preceding tunes Observer and Conversation borrowing heavily from it, even in the same key, I think. What a delightful weirdo. I need to check out more Gary Numan!

“I could wait for a day Or I could wait for an hour I could wait here for a lifetime Watching you and thinking always I could observe you all” It is no surprise how influential this album is based on the first few tracks alone. A key proponent of Electronica Gary Numan has created a record which is essential listening for anyone hoping to understand the evolution of electronic music. I am by no means the biggest fan of Synth Pop or Electronica but I still found myself invested throughout “The Pleasure Principle”. Numan achieves some absolutely huge sounds, most notably on “M.E.” which would famously go on to be sampled by Basement Jaxx on “Where’s Your Head At”. “Cars” is of course a classic and understandably went on to be Numan’s biggest hit. It is instantly recognisable and brought a smile to my face as soon I heard the opening bars. It has always come across as cheesy to me when heard in isolation but in the context of the rest of the album it slots in perfectly. The theme of the album is one of the relentless march of technology and the effect it will continue to have on society and the way the music sounds plus the timbre of Numan’s delivery reflect this brilliantly. I am certainly not a convert to the genre all of a sudden but it would be ignorant of me to not recognise how groundbreaking and crucial this album was.

It definitely got samey by the end, but you gotta admire the sheer devotion to sound, image and style. I'd call this proto-80s.

really enjoyable *mood* on this album, like Replicants it's all the same tune but it's a great tune

Damn Gary, chill on the Vox Humana setting on your Polymoog. Nah, this guy fucks. I love the spacey future-sounding synths, along with the cool demeanor in the way he talks, his short lines, and the openness of how he ends them. The lyrics and industrial-sounding instrumentation give off a Metropolis 1927 vibe full of chrome, robots, and a major existential crisis. It's super coherent, at the slight expense of being repetitive. But since I like the sound, that just means I enjoy the whole album. I also like the 7.5-minute "Conversation", which gave itself plenty of time to grow and change, and is placed near the end AND before the massive hit "Cars", allowing people to digest it better in anticipation. But really, all the tracks are so atmospheric and controlled, never overbearing, to the point where most audiences can handle the whole 41 minutes without being pushed off, making this a gateway into more synthpop or even industrial music.

Thought I would hate this but it won me over. Fun and unique, didn't overstay its welcome. "Cars" is the only thing here that I've heard before. Hell, I didn't even know that Gary Numan was a musician before today. I always associated his name with acting (I am aware of Gary Oldman, not mixing the two up). Also the red prism on the album art looks mad tasty for some reason.

gap ass album

Unique sound and atmosphere, though the songs can be a little dull to listen to. But he also sounds like a library of company presentation music, which makes him cool.

5/10 Not too big into Synth pop. Didn't hate it but probably won't revisit.

Gary Numan does not oversell anything here. He does not beg for your affection, and he does not try to simulate human warmth he clearly is not interested in projecting. The vocals are stiff on purpose, the synths are sleek and ominous, the rhythms are mechanical, and the whole album feels like it was designed in a chrome room with the curtains permanently shut.

Saw him in concert in 1981 (?). Didn't really like synth pop then or now to be honest. It's clearly influential and innovative but not for me. 2.5 rounded up.

A bit too repetitive perhaps but can hear the influences this had on later artists.

Whilst recognizing its a pioneering album that was way ahead of its time and that Cars is a banger.... I found it quite repetitive with diminishing returns and Gary's vocals mostly jarring. The synth hook in M.E is great - sadly much prefer what Basement Jaxx did with it,.

I thought i would like this A Lot but i reckon i just liked it. I wish it had leaned into the weirdness a bit more (i liked the vibe of M.E.) and idk if synth heavy is my fave genre but still hit the spot in terms of engaging enough background music while reading on the bus.

something that the 1970s thought you would listen to in your spaceship in 2070

Kept thinking I was listening to his biggest hit Cars. The whole album is basically an extended version of that song... which at times was enjoyable, at times a little repetitive, but mostly, a good time!

I feel that Gary Numan's Cars is enough Gary Numan for everyone. I had a compilation album "URGH!" of punk/new wave music and whenever Cars came on, I'd have to decide if I was going to listen or skip it.

The song cars is fantastic but the rest sounds samey and repetitive

I said 'meh' at first. That i heard the legendary intro to m.e. than I hear the rest of the song and said 'meh'

You've been playing with those synths again haven't you, Gary? No, Mum, I haven't I promise. I've just been sat here at my desk looking at the glowing pyramid.

Gary Numan – The Pleasure Principle On Day 40, The Pleasure Principle stands as another "decent" discovery that showcases "smooth" technical chemistry without securing a spot in my personal rotation. The replacement of guitars with heavy synthesizers was a "cool" and innovative move, creating an "immaculate" electronic wall of sound that still felt structured and grounded. Tracks like "Cars," "Conversation," and "Engineers" are the clear highlights, hitting "the brain just fine" with their "tuff" synth riffs and consistent momentum. However, despite the "sophisticated" engineering and great production, the overall "robotic" atmosphere lacks the "vocal triumph" or "lasting power" I need for a 4 or 5. A solid 3/5—a high-quality technical achievement that remains a "once-is-enough" listening experience.

Listened Before? N I love "Cars". Every song on this album is very close to sounding just like "Cars". That's a double-edged sword. It starts out great and then gets old. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Cars

I appreciate the innovative nature of the album, especially for its time- however as the album progresses the songs do sound more and more the same

Just sort of passes by, no ebb or flow as an album, only real stand out track is cars as it has a bit of punch but otherwise it’s just pretty decent early electro pop - it’s fine. 3.2

Too repetitive. But I could play it on the background

This kind of feels like one long song. Cars is so good. But Observer is the same song isn't it? Either way, fun album.

On first listen I like it but don’t love it. Love the synthy electronic style and the production but the songs themselves aren’t very interesting.

This is a strange one. I love the synthy background tracks a lot but most of the songs on this album didn't jump out at me. I don't really like Numan's voice. But I adore those synth tracks. Favorite lyrics: "i turned off the pain/like I turned off you all/now there's only me"

A bit same, but some classic tracks too like M.E and Cars

"So we've got this shiny new Juno 106 synthesizer. Pretty rad, right? OK -- the first half of the album, we're going to use the peppy setting. For the second half, we'll use this other setting that's a little more swooshy. No guitars! Just beeps and boops!" There are some catchy hooks buried in there. "Cars" is still a fun little tune. At the end of the day, it's cut-rate Brian Eno.

Good themes, but gets grating after several songs.

Dark electronic sounds and synths manipulated with pedals, but sounds rather simplistic now. Drumming is so tight it sounds like a machine but isn’t. Has a clear sense of groove but sounds like a lot of other things- kraftwerk and krautrock especially. It’s pretty good- some great songs, but overall a bit same-y.

Again. No particular feeling towards this one.

Cars fit the Principle. The rest? Not so much.

I associate Gary Numan with Cars but didn't realize how into robots and technology he is. This is all very evident from music, lyrics and album cover of The Pleasure Principle. I enjoyed what I think is an early look at electronica/electro-pop genre. Hard not to call this one ahead of its time as it seems to be an influence and helped morph the techno and other EDM genres. The Pleasure Principle was a pleasure to listen to. As a whole this album is a little weird though. It seemed like Gary Numan knew that he had a hit on his hands with Cars so he attempted to churn out a couple songs that evoke the same beats/sounds. Without looking at the track listing a couple songs started and I was fooled into thinking Cars was about to start. It's clear that nobody loves an echoing high synthesizer more than Gary Numan. Fun stuff. 3.23 stars

Kind of eerie. Very 80s except that it came out in 1979 so this guy was ahead of his time! Cars is catchy but I would never choose to listen to this willingly.

I have to say, I feel like Gary Numan is more of a singles artist. There are some interesting sounds and ideas on this album, but they're somewhat few and far between. I think that's most plainly illustrated in the songs Observer and Cars, where the former genuinely just feels like a duller imitation of the more popular latter. I'd find it hard to believe they were 2 tracks from the same album if I was shown them in isolation before listening to it. Favourite tracks: M.E., Conversation, Cars

Boy sounded straight robotic the entire time. Synthy overload but in a pretty cool way the whole album. I knew I would recognize a song based off the voice and Cars was certainly it. This was pretty above average for enjoyment beep boop beep

Not really my thang - I did not receive a lot of pleasure from it. An early example of my mom’s music taste, though, which is cool. And these songs are objectively cool as hell. Hence the 3 stars.

First album on here and such a solid start..you can tell the historic importance of this album for future sounds. Does it stand out in history of pop? Not really, but not a bad way to start.

Dark, progressive for its time but in the end to monotonous.

I found myself distracted while listening. It was fine but nothing really stood out to me. A lot of similarities in the tracks so it was hard to tell them apart. Cover 5/5 weird, well composed,good representation of what to expect.

Cover 6 So all the songs kinda sounds the same. I can only assume this was a pretty easy album to produce. It's a nice sound overall but very "one note."

This is the second straight day I've generated an album released on September 7th. Interesting. Anyway, other than "Cars", I didn't know any other song on this album, but it seems like I knew every song on the album. Favorite Track: "Complex".

There are some cool sounds on this album. But there aren't enough sounds. Not even cool sounds, just sounds. "Cars" is the highlight, a bold minimalist synth pop song. But "Observer" sounds so similar you expect the "Cars" chorus to start in the middle of it. Elsewhere, the synth sound from the opening track pops up fairly frequently throughout. There are probably other albums that use a consistent sound palette like this, but the fact most of these songs run their simples melodies into the ground makes it stand out a lot here. Most of the songs are good - "Conversation" stands out as one that does evolve as it goes - and the synth sounds are lovely, but by the end the similarity and simplicity of it all becomes a drag.

Pioneer of synthpop which is impressive but the world didn't need the Pet Shop Boys. 3/5.

Not very enjoyable but groundbreaking for the time im sure

i don’t love it. the vocals truly aren’t my thing. i feel bored listening. i don’t even know why but this isn’t hitting me at all. on a positive note, i really liked the dark sound of Films. i know Cars is a hit song.. it’s not bad. but Films has been the only song i loved. it gets a low 3 as it’s not terrible, still quite listenable with a lots of patience, but def not great.

This started out well - until about 3-4 songs in when it occurred to me that every song on this album is some variation of the ubiquitous Cars. No doubt this album had an outsized influence on new wave and 80s music to come but today it’s hard to appreciate because of all that eventually came. Overall a good listen and great vibe. But the songs that Spotify fed me once the album was over were ever better. Killing Moon - yes please. Sadly this one 3/5.

Synth-y. Listened to around Trocadéro and Champs de Mars. Decent songs but a bit tired by the end. Kraftwerk ?