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)

"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.

Sound like every other English punk band

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 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

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?

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

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.

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.

great

I love punk, but man this is exceptionally mid.

It was pretty good. Kinda sounded like garage rock in a good way. Will I listen to again: 60%

Not bad, will listen again

Pleasantly surprised by this one. I had never heard of the band and am not always a fan of the genre, but the music was pretty good!

I heard it once or twice before. I remembered some of the songs. Good sign. Or very bad. Good in this case. I don't like all of them, but the best ones are really good despite the mediocre singer. Favorite song: safety in numbers.

Insanely good classic brit punk

I was excited to hear this album, as I had heard positive things about the Adverts and thought this was an album I would want to hear. It didn't let me down even though I am not sure I would keep this record in my collection. I think a third or fourth listen may change my mind. Really good strong punk rock and it's not really that far below the more mainstream and accepted punk bands who arrived in the mid-to-late 70's. Gary Gilmore's Eyes is a pretty clever track and also a little disturbing to think about. I'm glad I found this album overall.

If I half-points were possible, I feel like this is the first one (that I can remember right now, anyway) I'd give a 3.5 to. See, on the one hand, I like this quite a bit—this kind of snotty 70's British punk does it for me. I mean, heck, I still like the Sex Pistols' album despite a lot of their... Y'know, problems. (I don't need to hear "Bodies" ever again, and we'll never forgive them for necessitating the Dead Kennedys to record "Nazi Punks Fuck Off" years later.) The sound of the guitars, the shout-singing, the pace, the energy... That's what I come here for. On the other end of things, however, there was the problem that I've run into with a lot of albums on this list from more obscure artists: what makes this thing so special, anyway? 'Cuz as much as I like it's British punk-ness... Yeah, it's sure British punk. What exactly sets it apart from all of the other British punk that I presume is on this list? 'Cuz it doesn't have the prestige of the Clash's debut, nor the historical impact and infamy of NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS. It's just... A good punk album? That's it? That's all it takes to get on this list, over innumerable albums that're just as, if not more worth? And I don't wanna turn this into another one of the endless million screeds on this website about the fact that MADVILLANY or whatever isn't on here. Again, I wanna stress: I **like** this album. Enough to tip that 3.5 over into a 4, even. Jus', I'unno. Maybe if I had the book in front of me to explain what makes this album so important to listen to before I die, I'd get it. But in the absence of it... I enjoyed my time with it, yeah, and I might revisit it in the future. It's not like I'm gona to my grave, though, feeling like I missed some important part of music history because I never heard The Adverts.

I just love me some good Ol' British Punk, even if it's a bit simple on this record. 4.5 down to 4.

I’m at a 3.5 that I’ll bump up to a 4. I don’t think this album does anything super special, but it certainly doesn’t do anything wrong; this is a pretty quick 31 minutes that’s full of pretty quality tracks, but as an album experience, I feel like there’s not much of a sense of direction for the band to firmly plant itself on as a debut album. Individually, I don’t think there’s a bad track here – a few mediocre ones, sure, but nothing ever reaches outright bad. The instrumentation is pretty entertaining, and the vocals know when to switch between calm, angry, and forceful. The lyrics are sort of where this album falls flat; not that they’re bad, but there’s never really a super catchy hook here to really hang your hat on as a signature song. However, in terms of the album, it just sort of felt like going track to track without a direction, and while Odessey & Oracle was sort of the same way, it worked because of the consistency in the stylings of each track – this album can’t really decide if it wants to be super heavy, a little light, or somewhere right in the middle. It jumps between each tone, and it makes the album experience feel just a little bit too dissonant at times. Regardless, what’s here is super fun, and most of the little nitpicks I had don’t take away from the overall quality of each track or the album; it’s got a lot of great energy, and when everything is clicking, it feels a little unstoppable in a charismatic way. It just doesn’t click as often as I’d like, but it clicks often enough to bump this up to a 4.

Hell yeah, I could listen to 1001 British Punk albums and still be satisfied. Keep ‘em coming!

Reminds me of the Buzzcocks. Amazingly good British punk in the old school sense.

Yeah, well. I knew what this was going to be like before I played it. Oh shit! No didn't this is really good. I knew I'd heard of them but couldn't think of anything they'd done. But as I listened it became apparent that they could actually play their instruments, and when 'Gary Gilmore's Eyes' came on I realised who they were. This is not an album I will go out looking for, but if I see it I will definitely get it. A solid 4.

Excellent original UK punk. Really enjoyed it.

Great punk album

Oh, good. Over its runtime, not quite up there with my other cool Punk discovery on here, X-Ray Specs' "Germfree Andolescents", but "One Chord Wonders" and a few other songs are simply great. With stuff like this around, how and why were The Ramones a thing? Seriously?

punk rock banger 🗣️

Didn't really like it much on first listen, but subsequent lists were ace. Favourite tracks: Bored Teenagers, New Church, Newboys, Gary Gilmore's Eyes, Bombsite Boy, Safety In Numbers.

Really liked it, one of the best punk albums we've had on here I think

Enjoyed this. Nice and punky

A delightful 70's UK Punk album, that captures the period so well, I would have people listen to this as their introduction to the style.

3.5