Crossing the Red Sea With the Adverts

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.

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)

Sound like every other English punk band

"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.

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.

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

Why on earth would you ever want to listen to the Ramones when this came out less than two years later and is just superior in every way imaginable?

This is some really good punk music. It isn't particularly angry, it's just punks having enormous fun and playing music really well. I get the feeling that I've listened to "the ultimate edition" or something, because with 25 tracks, some of them 3 versions of the same, this is too long. Great music, but unless you're really really into it, just stop the playback after track 13.

My first time listening to or hearing of the Adverts, and it was a pleasant experience. I'm not entirely sure how much punk needs to be listened to once you get outside of the main contenders. Crossing the Red Sea sounds like typical punk and shouts the same message, but an all together good listen. 3.5/5

samey

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.

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.

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!

A real treat. "One Chord Wonders" and "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" are among the best punk singles but it's all good and fairly varied and inventive for early punk. Lots going on below the surface, shame they petered out after this. And, John Leckie ffs! What a career..

Pretty damn good punk.

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.

Sprightly, zingy post punk. Surprisingly clean sounding but plenty of bounce and bite there.

Excellent tight punk record

Who the fuck is Gary Gilmore? Anyway, not a bad punk album I guess, just nothing to write home about.

I can’t do it man

Despite really liking the single, "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" at the time, I didn't listen to this album until I did a deep dive back into punk in the '90s. I loved it yet it has been years since I listened properly. It still holds up. Good songs, unusually high production values, a really enjoyable half hour.

Awesome punk album from what continues to be my favorite year in music. This has all your favorite punk beats, but the difference maker on this album is the singing is quite good, which is not normally present in these albums. This is right up there with The Ramones as my favorite from the genre, probably edging out The Clash. I haven't got the Sex Pistols yet, so we will see if it holds that spot. My favorite here was Safety in Numbers and Gary Gilmore's Eyes.

5 out of 5. Though it may have that basic early punk sound this album stands with others released during the late seventies.

Now that's some good punk. Energetic, making something out of nothing and somehow melodic

Really enjoyed this early punk album.

fun and punk

Not often I find early British punk I haven’t exhausted. So I enjoyed this.

Excellent

One of the most nuanced and varied punk album from the initial British explosion. More tuneful than the Sex Pistols, as energetic as the Damned, as varied in their influences as the Clash. This album is a blast of fresh air from bored teenagers already looking past punk rock at what else is out there. Their second LP is even better!

I'm giving this a five because it's great and I've never heard it before.

A vital and important punk cornerstone that I had never listened to in full before - pretty much the point of doing this! It doesn't need all the flummery of the 1hr 9min expanded edition; the original was less than half that and better for it. Up there with the best UK punk, and the best work John Leckie has produced - both of which are impressive company to keep.

Cool vibes, I dig it.

Crossing the red sea with The Adverts requires an acknowledgement of a sense of urgency, a kind of awareness for what's going on that colors the past, the present and the future and a overt feeling of surging rage flowing through the veins. Whether or not there is time to be a particular age, what is for sure is that, for the brief time that they were a part of the scene, The Adverts were very much amongst one of the best of the first wave punk bands. A pity that their clarion call didn't ring loud enough for the world to hear.

Perfect early punk album!

Urgent, angsty. The epitome of this era of punk. Astonished I've never heard it before, astonished by how good it is.

Bardzo przyjemne, lubię punk(rock). Safety in numbers trochę brzmienie jak The Clash. Naprawdę dobry debiut. 5

Man, this was excellent. The evolution of punk over the years is really, really interesting to hear--this one feels like an artifact all the way through. Favorite track: Great British Mistake

Eine tolle Neuentdeckung! Melodisch und komplex genug, dass es nicht langweilig wird. Trotzdem der ganze Drive des Punk. Gary Gilmore's Eyes kannte ich schon - wahrscheinlich von meinen Peel Sessions - aber die Band nicht.

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: One chord wonders, Bored teenagers, New church, On the roof, Gary Gilmore’s eyes, Safety in numbers

This was true punk 🤘 five stars

Now this is a punk sound. Unpolished in just he right way. It feels like the Ramones in a very good way.

Really good. Felt ahead of its time for a punk sound.

This is incredible! 1978! So timeless. One Chord Wonders and Gary Gilmore's Eyes are great songs but my favourite is Bored Teenagers. I also love the way that the live version of No Time to Be 21 ends. :mic-drop:

cool

This is pretty rad. A lot more distinctive than a lot of the punk bands I've listened to.

This was an excellent album. Front to back great songs. A lot of power.

Fucking great.

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.

pretty great punk, honestly - 9/10

Very Ramones in a very good way. SHIT these songs are catchy.

Cool punk sounds from l that era

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?

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.

Pure punky, angsty-fun! Hidden gem to find!

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.

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.

That's some top tier 70s punk right there. Really enjoyed it. Can't believe I've never really listened to The Adverts before, apart from Gary Gilmore's Eyes.

Never heard this before, and I liked it a lot. Reminds me maybe a bit of early Pretenders. I don't know. I just liked it.

There’s a serious case of the Seinfeld Effect™️ going on with this record, and it took me a while to get over that. ‘70s punk isn’t really my thing; sure, I respect the classics– Ramones, Buzzcocks, Bollocks as an album, and I’ll even give it to London Calling despite my gripes with it– but when it comes to pre-hardcore punk rock, especially out of the UK, it just feels a bit same-y to my ears, and I don’t really seek it out during my daily normal listening. And once you get to the second-tier bands, I have a hard time seeing the validity. I’ll take “Kiss Me Deadly,” but a whole Generation X album isn’t happening. So Crossing the Red Sea With The Adverts was already a test before I pressed play. On first listen, it really felt a bit bland, and I’ll admit, it fell flat. I could see how they were a bit different, how they blended post-punk and classic punk into their sound, and there were a good number of stand-outs. But I knew my brain just wasn’t able to absorb it properly. The thing that made this click was reading about The Adverts and their influence. If you’re like me and grew up on US punk, bands like The Adverts can get lost in translation, literally, and I feel like the oral history nature of early punk left this band under-emphasized on this side of the pond. But their impact on punk overall is hard to deny. Whether it was as one of the main bands to play The Roxy, or Gaye Advert basically setting the style template for every female punk bassist to follow (including myself, unbeknownst to me), or opening for every band I had heard of, it was hard to claim that The Adverts weren’t a key piece of connective tissue. Plus, unlike the other B-tier bands I was lumping them in with, The Adverts had songs that actually were punk and actually did piss people off, like “Gary Gilmore’s Eyes,” a song I skipped over because it technically wasn’t on the original release of this record. Now, you could argue all this history isn’t important, and I should be judging the music on face value, but for me, it’s a two-fold, mutually exclusive issue. Punk sometimes *is* a genre where context matters more than content, and often, that context makes the content sound better. That is the exact situation that happened to me. When I returned to Crossing the Red Sea after educating myself, I realized I was misinformed. What felt basic now sounded like source material. The ironic “One Chord Wonder,” the pop-punk seedlings “Bored Teenagers” and “No Time to Be 21,” the politically charged “Great British Mistake” and “Newsboys,” and again, the post-punk approach of “On the Roof” and “Safety in Numbers.” It certainly helped that a lot of these tunes got stuck in my head during the interim, sure. Still, knowing that these were the originators, not the imitators, it all worked now that I could see it in a different light. I also think that the two songs I skipped for not being on the original release– “Gary Gilmore’s Eyes” and “New Day Dawns”– add something to make this feel more flesh-out as a whole record. While I’m not the biggest fan of the more trad style or even the more post-punk style, this record really grew on me. I can see the value of this both as stand-alone music and as a representative icon on the UK punk scene toward the end of its first run. It’s not the brightest new find, but it’s one of the ones that has grown on me the most, and that’s almost more valuable. So hell yeah to The Adverts, an undeniably important band who made a very good punk album that still can be rewarding, as long as you take the time to peel back the layers.

21

hmm some more punk type stuff. Diggin it! 4 stars

Never knew them. This music had some 70s vibes going in to the 80s and beyond. Good job.

A pleasant surprise!

Angsty punk that feels similar to Ramones. A few of the songs were catchy in their vibe

This was pretty nice - I think worth another listen…

I like punk, and this is definitely punk, but it’s punk with surprisingly high production values. Good album.

Never heard this before. This wasn't really on my radar, but I'm glad it's on the list. Great early punk rock. Well-played, listenable, and with a good amount of variety. Should be better recognized as a great early punk album.

Gran graan punk

An excellent early punk album that needs more love. My only wish is that it would've been recorded a bit more crisply. The Great British Mistake was not featuring this band more at the time.

As an apprehensive to the genre, I did enjoy this. It’s not overly noisy. The music is controlled and creative. The chorus’ are often fun. If I were to approach the genre with open arms, I would allow this to guide me. It gets a 4 considering my view on others in the brit punk scene.

didnt have the highestttt expectations tbh but this is rly vibrant and creative actually! prob the closest 70s uk punk comes to being candy-flavored, lots of great and shiny anthemic and melodic ideas while still feeling nice and handmade. the production is just rly rly good tbh, almost lush but with no sterility whatsoever, was delighted to find out it was the work of john leckie who was also behind the stone roses (and the bends funnily enough). kind of a hidden gem as far as records famous enough to be on this list, very fun and memorable, will have to make a note to come back to it sometime cuz i can imagine v occasionally being in the mood Specifically For this weird v specific little thing

Thought this was another trash British punk album that this list is rife with. It kinda was... but a little better than the others.

Creative and artfully executed. At times I was reminded of Queen. Delightful guitar shredding

8/10

Fast, tuneful, streamlined rock from a band that you could point to if someone asked you to recommend a straight-ahead punk record. I’d like more strangeness and ambush, but that’s me looking forward to post-punk. Cute to see this is one of the first albums with John Leckie in the producer’s chair. I misheard “Bored Teenagers” as “Faulty Agents”, which ought to be used.

7/10

Some more pretty solid punk I never heard of.

Never heard these guys before and it was a ripper of a good time.

Pleasantly surprised with this album. It sounds remarkably fresh and like proto-pop-punk without being obnoxious or corny. The production is raw, which can be endearing but jarring to hear drum fills that are just out of time. It feels like an album made by young people, for young people. And has the fun and energy to match. Top tracks: Newboys, Drowning Men, On Wheels

Punk-y vibe-y goodness

Beautiful punk record

Although I was familiar with Looking Through Gary Gilmore's Eyes, I had never listened to this full album. A nice peak into the early days of punk. A bit more polished than the UK punk that preceded it, the album is a fun time.

Прикольно, хорошие лайв версии

Another punk band I've never heard of. Another punk album I've enjoyed. The vocals have sort of a Queen-like quality to them. Several songs had a familiar sound, especially "One Chord Wonders." What does it sound like? "Wild World" by Cat Stevens? Favorite track: New Day Dawns

Good punk sound. Would listen more

Yeah, it's punk I guess. It's good?? Not TOO fake.

Kovaa alkuvaiheen brittipunk-ajoa!

This a fantastic debut punk record. Everything you'd want from late 70s punk.

This was a real jam, with solid tracks throughout, good grooves, melodies and solid production. 3.5 rounded up.

I'd never heard of this band, but they are a great early punk band.

Great album. I like these 70's sort of underground punk-ish albums. There's something raw and exciting about it knowing they were so fringe and creating a new sound.

4/5

WOW PUNK AF AND HITS AT THE PERFECT TIME. This is my next obcession. I love the vocals and the riffs it drags towards the middle but thats okay it is short and iconic

This was edging up to 3.5 for me, but the last track pushed it to a 4. So cool, love hearing good albums I had no idea about!

nawet spoko 4-

Great punk album. Listened to it several times through and would happily listen to it again.

Probably the least annoying British punk rock album I've had to listen to. It falls short of bring an officially great album because just about every song sounds the same, and there's not a whole lot of substance, but they're decent musicians. They can actually play instruments really well and create musical harmony, which I realize sounds like a bare minimum for music, but most punk rockers don't even get this far. The average punk band is too concerned with rebellion that they don't even bother to make something that resembles music, but the Adverts are able to balance their rebellious spirit with actual music. It's fun to listen to, and it's not something I have to force myself to find positives with.

3.8 goes pretty hard, a better recording would do justice to the quality of the compositions

Some old school british punk i'd never even heard of. It's exactly what you'd expect it to be, which is perfectly fine with me.

Sorpresón, muy buen disco! Casi le doy cinco por inadvertido.