Crossing the Red Sea With the Adverts
The Adverts
1978
Album Summary
Crossing the Red Sea with The Adverts is the debut studio album by English punk rock band the Adverts. It was released on 17 February 1978 by record label Bright. Crossing the Red Sea with The Adverts was recorded at Abbey Road Studios. The album title was coined by Jane Suck. In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Dave Thompson called the album "a devastating debut" and "one of the finest albums not only of the punk era but of the 1970s as a whole". Trouser Press said that "in its own way", the album "is the equal of the first Sex Pistols or The Clash; a hasty statement that captures an exciting time". In March 2003, Mojo magazine ranked Crossing the Red Sea No. 17 in its list of the 50 greatest punk albums. The album featured in The Guardian's list "1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die".
Wikipedia"Crossing the Red Sea With the Adverts" is an utterly perfect example of peak UK punk. There's not a bad track on the album. Everything you love about punk is on display PLUS great vocal performances and a higher production value than is usual for the genre and time. What a great album.
Did you know that British people call chicken sandwiches "burgers"? As if the bun is what makes it a burger. Wtf, England. They also abbreviate advertisements as "adverts" instead of "ads," because I guess they don't understand the point of abbreviations. Finally, their punk bands are typically pale imitators of the format, soullessly checking boxes on a form as if punk is a series of requirements rather than an attitude. Thankfully, that's not the case here, even if they still call them "adverts." Best track: Great British Mistake (I assume this song is about the burger/sandwich thing. Please don't @ me if that's wrong, because in that case I don't want to know)
Sprightly, zingy post punk. Surprisingly clean sounding but plenty of bounce and bite there.
Surprising. I'm not a fan of punk and had definite trepidation on getting this, fearing truly one chord wonders with lofi production. Wrong! There's a ton of melody here, with frequent unexpected rhythmic twists and turns. Is it...crazy to say that maybe some very early Iron Maiden took some cues from this album? Seriously - there are hints of the Paul Di'Anno era of Maiden here and hey, who arrived first? It's raw without sounding garage-y. I like the twin guitar spread and simple yet effective and not distracting mix. I'd say the second half falls off from the excellent first - nothing bad, but suffers from a bit of same-ness. 7/10 4 maybe generous stars but this is an album that is a big crossover for me that held my attention
This is enjoyable british punk... clean, raw sounding with a pop-punk energy. One chord wonders and no time to be 21 stood out for me. Good listen.
This is as good as any of any it but I'm sick of British 70s punk in this list. It's a very shallow sound.
Ah, the adverts… typically where one might stop watching for a few minutes to re-enter the real world. Get up, walk around, make a cup of tea, use the toilet, anything to pass the time before the next part of something more interesting comes on. A bit like how I felt with this album. It’s not necessarily “bad music”- in 1978 in the UK, it was probably a breath of fresh air alongside its peers- but it felt non-essential, and didn’t seem to offer anything new or innovative. At its strongest, the album feels like a perverse take on the British Invasion era from the disillusioned generation who came afterwards. “Gary Gilmore’s Eyes” (a single not originally on the record) holds this up the most, with an ascending chord progression against a vocal line harmonising in opposite directions. It somehow sounded like an alternative 60s record to me. I enjoyed T.V Smith’s vocals throughout- less shouty, more melodic and precise than the stereotype “punk” voice. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for me, and the inspiration seemed to run out quite quickly. Chord progressions were reused, lyrics came off as vague variations on the same ideas, the arrangements and rhythms didn’t have much to separate them, and by “Drowning Men” and On Wheels”, even the band sounded like they were flagging. To its credit, it kept proceedings to a half hour listen and they saved one of the best for last, with “The Great British Mistake” having fun sardonic lyrics, several different sections musically, and a really catchy outro. It’s not too surprising to me that The Adverts broke up shortly after this album- listening to it, it’s difficult to work out a direction they might progress in. Lightning in a bottle… and then the bottle smashed.
i dunno what to say about this one. i love the adverts, and have since i got my copy of burning ambitions, and heard gary gilmore's eyes for the first time. sooo...having it appear twice on this album was awesome, and the whole thing made me happy.
I only just started listening to the Adverts this year, although I'd heard a few of their tunes on some punk playlists before. It's really solid, punk vibes with high-level lyrics, instrumentation, and hooks. I've listened twice already and will probably do so again.
What a powerhouse of an album. Fast, clean, and cheap is right. Songwriting is thought provoking, sound is clean, while 3 chord music blisters in the background. This is what ALL punk should aspire to. Highlight tracks: ALL (especially 1, 2, 6, 11). Gary Gilmore's Eyes my favorite track of the whole review process so far.
Awesome! I LOVED this! Such great songs, such great lyrics and melodies. So sophisticated for seemingly simple punk music. Brilliant. How did I ever miss this band?
The Adverts only made two albums. I usually go for album number two, Cast of Thousands ..always found it hard to understand that that album was not well liked at the time. In contrast to Crossing the Red Sea, it is more new wave and less punk rock. But that is not say that CRS isn't great too.
Ah Gaye Advert and TV Smith. Gaye was my Teenage Heartthrob back in 77/78. A feisty female bass player, what's not to love! "One Chord Wonders" "Bored Teenagers" and on the Ultimate Version but not the original Album "Gary Gilmores Eyes" The humour of which was totally missed by British tabloids at the time. Absolutely Loved The Adverts and this album which is rightfully on this list. Listening to it again took me back to the heady days of 77/78 when anything was possible and Gaye, Wherever you are now, know your great influence on this teenage boy! Thank you!
The Adverts is a band that I've never heard of and I've never listened to their songs. When I read that they were a 70's UK punk band I got excited. I got hooked on after the first song. They're really good and mu first impression is that they equal the Clash and are better than the Sex Pistols. Great production quality for being punk from this era.
This was an excellent album. Front to back great songs. A lot of power.
This is pretty rad. A lot more distinctive than a lot of the punk bands I've listened to.
Awesome punk rock album from a band I had never heard of until today. The album sounded like one long song, but not in a bad way. It was totally cohesive and the energy felt sincere. Great guitar solo in “No Time To Be 21”. You don’t often see those in punk albums.
Delightfully tight and catchy early punk, this was a very nice treat today.
I really vibed with this album for whatever reason, awesome stuff. Just great punk rock. Crazy to contrast this to all the prog rock around at the time.
I’ve really been getting into the origins of my favourite genre lately. Especially the UK stuff. I’ve had Bored Teenagers on my playlist for a while now but wasn’t familiar with their other stuff. Really dug this Top Tracks: “Bored Teenagers” “Gary Gilmore’s Eyes” “New Church”
I've spent ages relistening to this to get a handle on it - it's an access drug to punk with a fascinating back story - read up on them. Album named by Jane Suck who's disappeared, band lasted only 3 years - but delivered so much
Seemed a bit more nicely produced than a lot of the punk albums, and as per most punk, i loved the energy.
Schön schrabbeliger first wave punk mit genug Spaß am Hall über düster verhangenen Bridges und gar nicht so shouty-tumben Songwriting. Etwas überhöhte 3.5
I was familiar with "Gary Gilmore's eyes" but hadn't heard the rest of the album. I feel like the Adverts are underrated in the history of punk rock and new wave.
Nisam očekivala da će mi ovaj punk album biti toliko slušljiv. Većinom mi nije žanr od kojeg bi slušala albume jer mi nakon duljeg slušanja postane malo iritantno, ali je ovo bilo iznenađujuće dobro i ne naporno.
What a great punk rock album. It really captured and embodied that teen/early adulthood angst. With shredding distortion and punching lyrical delivery, this is one I wish I had heard earlier. Best: No Time to Be 21 Worst: Bombsite Boy Note: Spotify had all the 2002 release with Single Edits & Live performances. I only listened to the original 13 tracks.
Bored Teenagers would have been a great song as a bored teenager. Gary Gilmore’s eyes, woof. Safety in Numbers maybe birthed new wave? Fun stuff.
this album was completely average. i liked some of the songs but nothing totally stood out to me that really made me enjoy
This is an interesting early British punk album. It came on the heels of the first slate of punk albums that were released in 1977. This album is more melodic and poppy than the Sex Pistols, though not quite as fun and strange as the Ramones. Overall, it's a really good early punk album. The Adverts share a lot of sonic similarities with the Buzzcocks, though the Advert's lyrics are a little more in the traditional punk mold. Overall a really fun album that slipped through the cracks of history while the Sex Pistols and Clash went on the become mega-famous 4/5
Had never heard of the Adverts before but I really dug it! Classic punk, a very fun listen although it does get a bit repetitive. Did not need to hear Gary Gilmore's Eyes three times. 4/5 stars
This is as good as any punk band I've ever heard which means it's bad according the punk fans I know. Whatever, I really liked it.
I might grumble about the book this app is based on, but I have to admit this project also allows you to discover great stuff. I thought I knew the most important names in original British punk rock. I was dead wrong. This album is great (and the one after that is not bad either, as misunderstood as it was at the time). I still have to find my way as to what choice words I could use to convey how original this band was while still retaining the basic ingredients of punk. In the meantime, I'll merely highlight "One Chord Wonders", "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" (originally a single) or "Safety In Numbers" as the true punk gems they are. But mostly, I will finish this very short review by praising how f*cking epic closer "Great British Mistake" sounds, even today. Thanks, Dimery and co. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 891 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 57 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 29 (including this one) Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 24
Great punk band in the apotheosis of this movement. To the usual punk energy and craziness, The Adverts adds a touch of nice melodies that makes the album attractive.
This album surprised me with how thoughtful it was. The music was for more interesting than other British punk and the lyrics were better than expected. I hear moments on this album that would later be brought to fruition by the Clash the next year on 'London Calling.' The Adverts were definitely on to something here and managed to make good punk that was true to its roots while looking forward to post-punk.
I just love the 70's UK punk sound- so fresh and raw. Reminds me of playing 7" vinyl singles on the portable player in my bedroom at top tinny volume until my dad started kicking the door and telling me to turn it down. After a while it's kind of samey but great nonetheless.
Call me stupid, but I really like this. Never heard it before. Will listen to it again.
I enjoyed this pretty well. Had not heard of them before so it was a good listen.
Awesome album...crazy energy from start to finish. It would have been a treat to see these guys live in the day. Starts off with a bang with One Chord Wonders and it just never lets up. Gary Gilmor's Eyes - classic. New Church - unrelenting. 4.5 stars
High energy, great sounding late 70's punk! Just what I needed to drown out the bland, commercially, overrated albums from the 80's & 90's in the last few posts. An often overlooked band, I apparently overlooked them too and I love the era. Kind of Buzzcocks-esque, with some mighty fine snotty lyrics and fast guitar. Glad to finally listen to The Adverts, highly recommended!
Pretty fun album with a comfortable upbeat yet dpur vibe. I dunno maybe it was my mood today, but this album can really blend in with the background and just be the groove for a whole day on repeat. Unexpected for a band ive never heard of or abput. Surprised to say 4/5
A good catchy 70s punk album Stand out tracks - Bored teenagers No time to be 21 Great British Mistake
Never heard of The Adverts before. Such a cool sound. Impressive album.
I'm totally fine with donating my organs, or whatever is useful, after my death. I would also be totally fine with receiving the donated organs of someone else, if I had the need. But donated eyes is a bit weird. Eyes are organs, but they are a bit unique as far as organs go, what with being partially on the outside, and being instrumental in a sense that allows us to perceive the world. Plus, watching someone else's eyes get poked or touched or injured or anything affects me in a way that manipulating internal organs never does. But Gary Gilmore wanted to donate only his eyes. In fairness, he thought that would be the only part of his body that remained useful, after his execution by firing squad. He chose firing squad over other options, and also asked not to have his execution stayed, following his conviction of double murder in 1977. He was the first person executed in America in 10 years, after the Supreme Court decided in Furman v. Georgia that the death penalty was cruel and unusual punishment. Most of The Adverts' debut album was fun and irreverent punk, but "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" certainly has a different edge to it. Regardless, it was a raucous and enjoyable album.
Oh wow I am liking this a lot! I guess this is kind of that English punk new wave sound, but a band I've never heard. Like it right in there with the Specials and the UK Subs. Band totally fits the time. Overall, the sound is perfect, harmonious and not to gratuitously angry, good lyrics, sweet guitars, short songs, and more than one chord per song. Baseline for 'On Wheels' is pretty sick. What a great band. Nice to find a new one I actually like!!
I thought I was completely fed up with punk after getting so many punk albums on this generator in such a short period of time, BUT this one really was enjoyable- loved the catchy melodies and not too aggressive sound.
Nice snotty B level punk. The band is good - the record is good too - but it’s not Never Mind the Bollocks, Ramones. Dead Kennedies or the Clash. It stands proudly in the hall oh oh m though.
An energising and driving punk album, it has those early days bunk vibes like The Clash that I love. Never heard of these guys but will be added to the list of re-listens for sure. Favourite tracks - One Chord Wonders, On the Roof, No time to be 21.
Gary Gilmore's Eyes was the last song I listened to as a single man. My iPod shuffled it up randomly as I drove to my wedding. Good album, but it runs out of gas a bit towards the end.
If someone asked to show them punk for the first time I would show them this album I would have loved to go to one of their shows in the 70s and 80s
I had never heard of this band before but I enjoyed their music quite a bit. Would definitely check out more by them.
I had outright never even heard of this band before it came up. And I thought I was pretty up on my early UK and NY punk! I don't have a lot of specific thoughts about this album other than it's right in the wheelhouse of some of my absolute favourite punk. I will be revisiting this one for sure!
A solid, energetic Brit punk album. I don’t think of heard of these guys before and glad to have listened to it.
Sorely tempted to make a snide comment hinting at James's Little Richard review and say "all these songs sound the same" (which made me laugh out loud cuz it's not WRONG) but it equally misses the point with the Adverts! Cuz just like Little Richard, these songs are a quintessential example of their genre, which happens to also feature 4-on-the-floor relentless shouting energy that sound great in shitty speakers and rarely surpass the 3-minute mark - 25 songs but just over an hr (I stopped after the original 13 due to time constraints). Interestingly I definitely hear some parallels to something Bowie leans into later (think On the Roof here in 78 vs the lyrical phrasing in Modern Love off Let's Dance in 83). Enjoyed it more than I expected to being an extremely casual fan of Punk music. 4
Possibly a good album but a bit too raw. And I know several albums of that time.
Pretty enjoyable to listen to while listening, but now it's over I've already entirely forgotten it.
Seemingly way ahead of its time. Production could have been better but overall early great early punk that could have easily fit in with early 2000's music.
3 stars. This ain’t for me but considering it came out in the 70s it’s definitely ground breaking. Very punky
Good early punk - one of the better late 70’s efforts I’ve heard. A more genuine angry teen vibe than early Who.
Short and consistent, some cool ideas and great energy, but hard to get super excited about it. The Great British Mistake is pretty ironic these days.
Fun, angsty punk. A bit samey throughout the album, but no bad songs. Like. "Newboys" and "Safety in Numbers" the most
A lot of fun, can be a bit samey at times but has enough changes in rhythm and sound to keep it from being too repetitive. The songs are short, straight to the point and seemingly quite literal most the time. Gary Gilmore's Eyes reminded my of my childhood fear about transplanted body parts. Did they predict Brexit with 'Great British Mistake'? haha (Don't take that joke too seriously).
Standard 1970's British punk rock. Fast and fun. Nothing stands out to me but I'm fine with that. I don't think punk rock was ever meant to be groundbreaking. I could listen to this album more than once but I don't think that I need to even though I probably will.