Reviews (page 2 of 8)
all sounds kinda samey, myeh
Started with a greeat sound but that same exact sound repeated for the vast majority of the album
Even as a Brit I've come to roll my eyes each time I see an obscure British punk album on the list, especially when Wikipedia has little to say about it. But this time I was wrong to do so - this was really enjoyable. Definitely on the clean/catchy side of punk, rather than the dirty/snotty side, but that's not a bad thing and I can hear the influence on a few bands that followed them.
asca
Some unremarkable 70s punk, a good palate cleanser for the Emerson, Lake and Palmer shite I just listened to at least. Nowhere near The Clash or Wire, though.
Never heard of these guys but sounds like a bit ahead of its time punk rock. It all sounded kinda the same; it’s alright. (3)
Un album totalmente monotono, definitivamente el punk no es lo mio
I feel like I should like this more than I do, so that's always disappointing. I'm still glad I listened to it, but I don't think I'll ever NEED to hear this again.
Yeah, this is ultimately my favourite genre of music
There's a lot of 70s UK punk on this list. Admittedly, I had never heard of The Adverts. This is fine but I feel like it's on the list because someone listened to this when it came out or was part of that scene. It's not bad per se but it's not a standout album in any respect. It's fun and in my wheelhouse, making it 3 stars. But the lyrics are really basic even for punk, the songs all sound kind of the same and it's definitely not best in show for 70s UK punk.
The energy is great but the group kinda ran out of ideas quickly in my opinion.
꽤 신나는 느낌이 있었는데 전체적으로 평범한 느낌이었다. It felt quite exciting, but overall, it felt ordinary.
Another who cares album
Fine, a bit samey and nondescript
As far as punk records go, I appreciated that the instrumentals were quite varied - pretty impressive given the short overall album length.
Fine proto-punk
I can't believe I'd never heard of this band before now! There's a kinship with the Clash, but they're raw-er and more energetic, if a bit less musically diverse. I can hear the influence on future punk sounds.
12 solid karaoke options. I wish it was better. Just a bit better would good. But now I actually sort of like it.
I made the mistake of scrolling through the reviews, and I came away feeling like this album was hard done by. It became a target for many a grievance with the album book, such as too many UK artists, too much guitar music, and too heavy on the late 70s time period. These concerns are legitimate, but taking it out on The Adverts is unfair. This is one of those influential, slightly off the beaten path albums that deserve to be promoted in such a forum. It provides much more enrichment for the listener than even MORE Morrissey or dare I say it Bowie. Enjoyable three-star.
This is one of those albums that was probably unbelievable back when it came out. I would have eaten this up in the 70s. It's hard, got some catchy singalong choruses, and the lyrics are kinda interesting. It could probably hang with the other major punk acts of the 70s. That's where the good things end. It's kinda repetitive. I think there are a lot of similar sounding albums from this era on the list, so it kinda sounds like it's been done before. None of these songs hit me as anything I'd want to go back and listen to. So in the end, it's fine. A good listen, but not one that stands out. 3/5.
not really a big fan of early punk
Nothing wrong with this per se, but nothing great about it either. Some decent melodies, the singer is surprisingly competent for an early punk band but I think I actually prefer the bratty sneer of Johnny Rotten or Joey Ramone if I'm listening to stuff from this era. Gary Gilmore's Eyes was probably the highlight but overall a bit forgettable.
For early punk, this did not annoy me nearly as much as I thought it would. Certainly wouldn't go back, but I was so caught up in work that I didn't cut it off when the original 30+ minute album was done and let it play through the full hour-plus extended version. That is extremely high praise from me.
Didn't mind this at all. These guys sound to me like a mish-mash of lots of great bands - Husker Du, Descendents, Minutemen. I'll take this over the Sex Pistols any day. 2.51 stars, rounding up to three.
This is more or less what I hear in my head when I think of '70s English punk, even though I've never spent time with the Adverts. It's fun and heavy on the attitude, but not something I come back to often. "One Chord Wonders," "Gary Gilmore's Eyes," and "Great British Mistake" were highlights for me. 3.5 stars.
I wish I heard this album at 14/15 years old. Maybe i would have read Executioner's Song earlier in life Also, Nike's "Just Do It" motto came from Gary Gilmore's last known words, (which were "Let's Do It")
This album is fast and furious. The group fully encapsulates the punk rock sound, and plays it well. The guitar riffs and the drums just hit super hard. It doesn’t earn a 5 from me just because it feel repitious, as many punk albums do. But I do love this album.
all of the songs sound the same and the lyrics dont even make sense
Maso
This might be the most developed of the 70s punk albums that I've heard. Much stronger musicianship than I would expect from British punk of the era based on what this list has handed me. I think 4 overall but a 5 in the context of its peers.
A new favorite from a band I'd never heard of; I'd heard "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" before but gun to my head couldn't have told you the name of the band. Tremendous energy, strong songwriting, and a far better command of their instruments than you might typically expect from 70s punk. 5 stars might be a bit aggressive but I really really enjoyed this.
Decent old school punk album. This era of music was pretty dope.
Nice
I’d never heard of this album, but really liked a bunch of the songs. Glad I listened.
No fav song
Fulfillingness’ First Finale is another album with that unmistakable Stevie Wonder sound. It’s warm, soulful, beautifully produced and full of great musicianship. I enjoyed listening to it, although of the Stevie Wonder albums I’ve heard during this challenge, I think this is probably the weakest. One of the great things this challenge has done is properly introduce me to the absolute brilliance of Stevie Wonder. Before starting it, I knew the obvious hits, but listening to the albums has made me appreciate just how fantastic a songwriter and musician he is. There are some excellent songs here. “Boogie On Reggae Woman” is wonderfully funky and was probably the highlight for me, while “You Haven’t Done Nothin’” has a bit of that brilliant “Superstition” feel to it. “Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away” is another standout and shows the more thoughtful side of his songwriting. The slower tracks don’t always have the same immediacy, and there are moments where the album drifts a little. But even when it does, the quality of the musicianship means there’s always something worth listening to. It’s a good album rather than a great Stevie Wonder album. Again, I like Fulfillingness’ First Finale, and there’s nothing here I particularly disliked, but it’s never going to be my Stevie Wonder album of choice. When you’ve made albums as good as Songs in the Key of Life, the competition is pretty tough! Favourite tracks: I really enjoyed “Boogie On Reggae Woman”, “Too Shy to Say” and “Please Don’t Go”. Least favourite tracks: Nothing really. Everything on the album is worth a listen. Album artwork: Classic Stevie Wonder album cover. Simple, colourful and instantly memorable.
Malo dosadni moram priznati, same same wannabe pank. Ima par zanimljivih trenutaka, ali to je to. 2/5, 3/10
Some good ol' classic punk, good fun 3.5
Have to be in the right mood for this. Loud, punk, fin
Groupe inconnu. Punk assez dynamique typique des années 80, donc pas plus original que les autres groupes de cette époque. Pas de seconde écoute envisagée. =>2/5
Solid start maar liewe aarde dit het oud baie vinnig geraak. Hulle lieg nie wanneer hulle sê hulle is 'n one chord wonder nie. Dis nie bad britse punk maar boring by die 7de liedjie kyk ek of die album amper klaar is
n tava esperando gostar desse, achei mt bom
Adequate, punk but not too punky. Contemplated adding a track or two to a standard playlist, but not quite.
Quite enjoyable for punk. A little more tuneful than expected. Didn’t bother with the ‘single’ and ‘live’ versions of the same songs at the end of album as I didn’t think that they would make any difference to my final opinion.
Fantastic. This is a real revelation album and a 70s Brit punk act that are actually still listenable today.
Solid British punk.
X X
yeah no how am i just discovering this album? great bit of punk here.
This list is getting so fucking repetitive. Enough of the British punk
"Zwijg me van de laatste kutgroep uit Engeland, ole ola"
reminds me of the clash
you know what? I don't hate it. least objectionable 70s punk rock for me
The melodies are super strong on this, I love the sound
A very cool album. I thought that they were good, and not as “punk” as I would’ve thought. Some cool melodies.
Good: they tried to not write braindead songs. Bad: -despite that they somehow they still manage to repeat the same formula (have a hook, repeat it ad nauseum) -the mix is not holding up for the whole album. It's boxy, the relentless vocal doubling is annoying, the bass sticks out like a sore thumb in the solos. Makes a back to back listen difficult Overall, has some interesting moments, but the insistence on hooks really kills this album for me.
punk que no me dice nada mas de lo que dice el punk
Pretty good. I liked it.
I don't really love this genre, but this was surprisingly good for punk. Still not my favorite, but much better than I expected -- actually melodic and hummable. Three stars.
This was so painfully tedious...
It was described as the Clash meets Sex Pistols. Apt. Was very good, well produced and right along those lines. 20+ songs on an album is nuts.
heard some of these songs before but never the full album, i enjoyed it i thought it was cool
This is one of those bands where I know I’ve heard the name before, but never really thought twice about them. When I saw the album come up on the generator, I automatically assumed they were another UK indie or post Britpop band. But once I noticed the release date, it caught me by surprise. There was a time when old school UK punk, especially the kind with a power pop edge, was one of my favorite style, so I’m honestly shocked this never crossed my radar back then. Because of that, I’d definitely call this an underrated album. If you’re into the Buzzcocks, this falls right in that same vein.
It's fine. Never heard them before, nothing offensive. Raw, but nothing on the album does anything for me.
This reminds me so much of Jay Reatard. Listening to this album it really struck me how much of Punk or whatever this is classified as is mythology as is skill. This is a really competent fun, energetic album as good as buzzcocks or joy division to me. It seems what makes this genre timeless is all the palest women of each ethnicity wearing their merch. So maybe the adverts is just a bad name or they have bad merch, but I feel like they belong up their with their peers.
trevligt
Not for me
I'd only heard the singles before (Gary Gilmore's Eyes remains a banger), and although they were the highlights the rest of the album was a decent, fun listen
New to me and good! First side better than the second.
New to me - never been a huge fan of punk but this breezed along nicely and had a good energy about it.
New to me and unconvincing in the main, although I quite liked “Great British Mistake” and the first couple of minutes of “Bombsite Boy”, so just about 2 stars. Tom.
Acceptable as music
Crossing the Red Sea With the Adverts The Adverts 1978 Genres: Rock, Punk Styles: Hardcore, Post Punk 1. One Chord Wonders (★★⯨☆☆) -Contexto: Manifiesto punk donde la banda se presenta como un grupo de aficionados que apenas sabe tocar, defendiendo la idea de que cualquiera puede hacer música y desafiar el rock profesional. 2. Bored Teenagers (★★☆☆☆) -Contexto: Retrato del aburrimiento adolescente, con jóvenes atrapados entre la escuela, trabajos mediocres y una vida que parece no ofrecer futuro. 3. New Church (★★☆☆☆) -Contexto: Sátira sobre la necesidad de nuevas creencias y comunidades cuando las instituciones tradicionales ya no proporcionan sentido ni pertenencia. 4. On the Roof (★★⯨☆☆) -Contexto: Sensación de aislamiento urbano; estar en el tejado simboliza observar el mundo desde fuera y sentirse separado de la sociedad. 5. Newboys (★★⯨☆☆) -Contexto: Historia de los recién llegados a la escena punk y de la búsqueda de identidad, pertenencia y un nuevo comienzo. 6. Bombsite Boy (★★⯨☆☆) -Contexto: Imagen de una generación criada entre ruinas físicas y sociales, usando el paisaje destruido como metáfora de una sociedad rota. 7. No Time to Be 21 (★★★☆☆) -Contexto: Rechazo a la adultez convencional; cumplir veintiún años se presenta como entrar en un sistema laboral y social sin atractivo. 8. Safety in Numbers (★★⯨☆☆) -Contexto: Crítica al conformismo y a la falsa seguridad de seguir al grupo para evitar riesgos personales. 9. Drowning Men (★★☆☆☆) -Contexto: Sensación de ahogo emocional y social, con personajes que se hunden mientras el entorno permanece indiferente. 10. On Wheels (★★★☆☆) -Contexto: El movimiento constante aparece como forma de escape y búsqueda de libertad frente a una vida que asfixia. 11. Great British Mistake (★★⯨☆☆) -Contexto: Cierre amargo y sarcástico que cuestiona el orgullo nacional y denuncia una sociedad que abandona a su propia juventud. -TOTAL = ★★⯨☆☆ (2,45)
Finally! A punk/post-punk/new wave album on this list that doesn’t suck. I love The Adverts! No surprise, really; John Leckie also produced XTC’s first two albums, their pseudonym The Dukes of Stratosphear’s EP (25 O’CLOCK) and LP (PSONIC PSUNSPOT) and The Stone Roses’ debut album. 3-1/2 stars
I'm not a huge punk fan but the songs on this album had melody that I typically look for. Nice base riffs and high energy.
Mhhhh 1+
Blind album and artist. Honestly some cool catchy hooks and choruses. Im learning to like English punk.
Quintessential punk, very fun and energetic. However, not my cuppa
Meh
Standard 70s english punk album.
Didn't mind this initially, but rapidly tired of it as the first 6 or 7 songs were all pretty similar. A bit more light and shade towards the end of the album, but by that stage I was a bit over it. Not terrible, but not great either
3.5/5
The bucket is back. Same effect as Slade — vocals compressed and shouted until they sound like they were recorded inside a metal container. Except Slade had platform boots and glitter and knew it was a party. The Adverts are 1978 UK punk, which by now I have established is not a genre I have any use for. The Damned did this to me in July. Same three chords, same tempo, same shouting, same conviction that volume counts as an argument. Their first single was called "One Chord Wonders." They named the criticism themselves before anyone else could get to it. I would respect that more if the album didn't then go on to prove it. There is one real idea here. "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" is sung from the point of view of a man who receives a corneal transplant and works out that the donor was an executed murderer. Gilmore was shot by firing squad in Utah in 1977 and did donate his eyes. That is a genuinely good idea, and it is attached to a song I do not want to hear again. 1/5 — awful. Bad punk, shouted into a bucket.
Very simple punk music. Simple isn't automatically bad, but here I find very little that engages me. Or in other words: I was bored pretty fast. I could listen to 1, 2 or 3 of these songs and even enjoy it a little. But a whole album... no thanks. 2/5 - below average
Great, another Brit punk record no one gives a shit about.
Also can't
This album is like being seventeen years old, and still having no direction in live while your parents are trying to force you to think about your career path. Honestly, you don't give a shit about your career. You don't feel passionate about any subjects at school, and no jobs really speak to you as being something you might be interested in. At school you go to see your careers advisor who offers no help at all. You're not sure if he is qualified to be a careers advisor. Actually, you're not sure how anyone becomes qualified to be a careers advisor. What the fuck is a careers advisor? This guy doesn't know you for shit, how can he possibly suggest a life that you might want to live? You fudge your way through it, and grab a couple of bottles of scrumpy on the way home. Your friends Trey and "The Mutt" are coming round later, and you're each gonna drink two bottles of scrumpy in the garage. There's no tv or anything out there, so you'll probably just end up having an impromtu wrestling match. Was fun last Friday, why wouldn't it be fun this Friday?
Nice simple punk music done well.
Old school punk really just isn’t my thing That being said it isn’t bad album, it just doesn’t wow me so much I think there were better albums out at the time that had a bit more edge to them than this does.
Another early punk album, the adverts, they came, they saw, they left, Gary Gilmore eye, classic, ( The Executioners song)
It's just another British punk album. "Crossing the Red Sea With The Adverts" has some nice songs, but nothing stands out. At least it doesn't have any of those stereotypical punk songs with an annoying chorus. If I had to pick one track on "CtRSWTA" to call my favourite, it would be "Great British Mistake". I guess The Adverts saved their best song for last. 3 stars for "Crossing the Red Sea With The Adverts".
good stuff
Oh good another 70s British punk album surely this one will be good.
Mr. Dimery, I highly disagree that Crossing the Red Sea With the Adverts was an album I needed to hear before I die. I have gained nothing and lost an hour having listened to it. It's definitely an album! It's definitely music that you can listen to! It's definitely also British, just like every other album I supposedly "must" listen to!!!
It’s always a treat to discover a new artist. I can’t believe I went nearly 50 years without listening to The Adverts. I’d known the song “Gary Gilmore’s Eyes” for ages, but had no idea who performed it. I enjoyed this album so much that I even listened to the bonus tracks.
I gave this one a spin and it was alright. The Adverts know their way around a power chord, that's for sure. But after the initial adrenaline rush, I found myself checking in on other tabs. It's got this cool early punk vibe, but it lacks that staying power to keep me engaged past track six. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions - One Chord Wonders - Bored Teenagers - Gary Gilmore's Eyes
I’ve heard individual tracks off this album on the radio, but never the whole thing before. This is excellent early punk rock - some of it’s like the Clash, some a bit like Pere Ubu, some just sui generis. I love stuff like this. It isn’t just a solid mass of speedy yelling - I mean it’s speedy, and he’s yelling, but is varied enough to keep my attention; makes me want to jump around and yell too. Yeah, I will always give records like this a 5 star review. While I love prog and some of the other things that this stuff was created somewhat as a reaction to, I’m grateful to punk for giving rock music a bit of a reset in the late 70s. Their big song “Gary Gilmore’s Eyes” wasn’t on the original release, but I listened to it anyway, so there. It’s a great song. 5 stars
Kinda interesting getting this the day after the Le Tigre album; gotta say I enjoyed this one more despite it coming out 20 years earlier. 3.6
Och nee, nicht schon wieder eine UK Punkband die keiner kennt. Aber was soll ich sagen? Gefällt!
eh it's not the worst kind of rock but and there's a good energy but I'll never come back to it.
Fine! Got a little history lesson about the death penalty in the US on the side.
Hmm. Rare case of understanding how this got on the list but not so much enjoying it.
This album felt a bit like drinking a lacroix, it reminded me of something I’d had before, but I needed a bit more flavour
It was ok for a “punk” album.
2.4/5 For a band I'd never heard of before I quite liked their sound. A few average songs and the album dragged about but some good solid songs that if I were too listen them would become part of my regular rotation
I really liked the vive
Buen punketo se mandaron con este discazo, en 1978, en plena explosión británica del género. Pegadizo, con varios detalles pop. De acá siento que Bulldog toma mucho de ellos en cuanto a estilo. 7/10
Nice and catchy from a band I've literally never heard the name of, reminded me at times of Replacements and even weirdly Idles in the vocals on one track
Fine, that era of punk music where the song is just pick a title and then scream the title over and over as a chorus for every song 2
I guess it didn’t actively offend but otherwise made zero impression on me
Este punkcotio rockanrollerito siempre va a ser una delicia. Todo muy bien hecho y bailable, pero como album es un poco plano.
Interesting. Never heard of this group and actually enjoyed the raw early punk sound.
I had never heard of this band. The description made me think this would be a bit more aggressive style of punk but it really was pretty easy to listen to and melodic. Would like to listen again.
Good 70s punk
Ok this was fine but it sounds exactly like the other UK punk albums i've already heard on this list. All I can really say about this album is that when it was over I was humming Teenagers from Mars by the Misfits. A much better song by an infinitely better and more interesting punk band. And why the hell is there no Misfits on this list anyways? or any of the hundreds of other punk bands more influential and deserving to be heard before you die than yet another forgettable 70s british punk act?
A fun pop punk record! Really enjoyed this 4 stars
The Adverts were contemporaries with The Sex Pistols, The Clash, and The Jam but their legacy lies in unfortunate obscurity. Crossing the Red Sea is a riot from start to finish and will be part of my punk rotation going forward! This one has been a fun discovery.
Of all the punk albums ever released, this was definitely one of them
I saw this as a fan of punk. Most punk records could be an EP
The punk movement in the '70s was such a fruitful scene, that developed so quickly that it seems like the inception of the genre, establishment of it, commercialization of it, and ensuing mutation of it all happened at, more or less, the same time. So while the timeline is challenging to assemble, I can pretty confidently say that Crossing The Red Sea With The Adverts is kind of the moment in time when punk started reacting to it's own commercialization. In this regard, Crossing The Red Sea has a little in common with something like Derek Jarman's Jubilee, although, The Adverts feel, perhaps, *slightly* less cutting. But this is one of the first times when punks were singing about the paradoxes of being teenage rebels and outsiders, who also happened to be some of the most popular musicians in their country. The finger is also turned to society at large, but hearing such an early example of "punk about punk" is so interesting, given how common it is now. This note aside, it's perhaps more important that this is *really* good. Any time anyone significantly changed punk at this time, it feels like it became a new genre of music; be it post-punk, new wave, hardcore or no wave. But here, The Adverts bring some more dynamism and poise to the punk sound, while really maintaining that class of '77 feel. The result is honestly one of the better punk albums of the era (in the UK). Most days of the week, I honestly think I'd take this over Never Mind The Bollocks..., it's *that* good. And this may make Crossing The Red Sea With The Adverts one of the more underrated punk albums ever, at least in a modern context. I don't even know how *I* went this long without hearing this, but I'm very glad I did.
As far as straight-ahead punk rock goes, this is pretty damn solid! Especially towards the middle of the album, there are some killer bass grooves and wild guitar work. Another solid 7/10!
This was fine but probably something that should be removed in future versions of the book. Not remarkable at all. Not doing anything different or better than other punk albums on here to stand out. Just an unnecessary addition.
Robert.... Please, I beg you.... that's enough teenage British punk rock bands......
Hard to say much about this album. I liked it, but I can't say it stood out much from the other punk and post punk on this list.
Great punk rock. Dig it!
Not for me, pero hubo momentos que me gustaron.
Just another generic trash punk album.
Boring British rock. Why is there so much of this on this list??
Idk another mediocre British punk rock album. This list sure loves those. Not the worst I've heard but it still gets a strong meh from me as it wasn't the worst I guess.
Sucky mild brit punk.
I thought it got better towards the end but it was slog at first
Punk is good. I didn't know the Adverts, but they rock
More like 1001 British punk albums you need to listen to before you die. I'll be here all week. And the week after that. And the week after that until I finish this godforsaken list. Jokes aside, I quite liked this. Especially One Chord Wonders and Gary Gilmore's Eyes. The latter of which is apparently not on the original cut.
Punk rock female icon. Short lived bass career but noteable. I liked the recording as punk goes. Not your everyday music but good choice when appropriate. I liked most of it.
I’ve made fun of a lot of the 70’s/80’s British punk stuff on here but credit where credit is due; this album fucking rips. Gary Gilmore’s Eyes is an absolute classic and the rest of the album hold up great. 9/10
Early British punk
70’s punk vibe
One chord wonders
okay
Fairly repetitive but not a bad listen. High energy and blazes through the 2-3 minute tracks.
Welkom in de Wonderlijke Wereld van boze tienermuziek… Niet helemaal mijn ding, ik denk een 2.5…
Niet mijn muziek. Maar wel melodieus. Wat een woede spat er vanaf.
Prima, binnen de punk wel legendarisch. Het is wel veel van hetzelfde. Het is wat onrustiger en neurotischer dan bijvoorbeeld de Buzzcocks, die ik eerder deze week luisterde. Qua thema's is het wel sympathiek. Waar The Clash en de Sex Pistols vaak over grotere economische en politieke zaken zingen, blijven The Adverts in de kleine belevingswereld van adolescenten met persoonlijke thema's.
Ook weer stom, ik zal proberen uit te leggen waarom ik dit genre zo vervelend vind. Ik vind het allemaal zo primitief klinken. Muziek maken voor grote kinderen, lekker gillen, lekker op de trommels slaan, lekker raggen op die gitaartjes, alles in hetzelfde tempo met dezelfde soort energie, en heel origineel is het ook weer niet aangezien je miljoenen bandjes hebt die dit doen. T zelfde geldt voor the stooges
Some of the most toothless “punk” music you’ll ever hear.
I do not want to rate, I just want to listen.
Панк.
Never heard of this band before and actually pretty pleasantly surprised. I usually am fairly ambivalent to most punk but this was inventive, fun and pretty good on the whole.
This was pretty mediocre Brit-pop. Sounds like lots I've heard before.
Decent punk vibes and energy from finding I've not heard of. Could easily drive influence they had on a few future bands
Looking like Tommy Wiseau on the cover. 3.2/5
An unexpected surprise. I especially like the bass-lines on this one. Punkish rock at it's best with none song to really stand out for me. 3,5
At a certain point, these songs start to sound all the same…which isn’t very punk rock if you ask me. Likes: New Church; No Time to be 21
Disco normalito de rock, pero estuvo bien.
Mostly ok
Tough one to judge; is this objectively a 4? Probably not. I just like old school British punk
I kind of like this style of punk.
This sounds like another data point of 70s punk rock I didn't need. Also, British bias?
I don't think I can quite give this a 3, but I'm glad to have heard it, as it had previously escaped my attention, and it's not half bad. Not that I'll be likely to come back to it again. As punk goes, this is better than most, in terms of being musically interesting and listenable. A higher-than-average 2.
I don't hate it, but its unfortunately the type of music that shows up too frequently on this list. Decent tunes, not much depth. I can't be asked to analyze it much further. I'll give it a light two for being somewhat catchy and somewhat edgy
i like gary gilmore outta 4
This was very meh, I can see why it might have been interesting or groundbreaking back then but it just isn’t very good today. The songs are so simple and forgettable, listened twice and was just bored.
Another punk rock album in what seems like an endless stream
Nothing objectionable just standard punk rock. Hardly essential
much better than I anticipated. Quite a number of good melodic hooks and energy.
This was super solid! There would be 2-3 alright punk songs then WHAM an absolute banger. "Bored Teenagers" had to hit like a truck if you were in fact a bored teenager at the time. Anthemic and punchy and super well-played, especially for punk music. "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" was solid and clearly made with the aim of a wider audience in mind, but the following "Bombsite Boy" was the best track on the album. A little theater of the mind intro that breaks into a ruckus, unhinged track with a fantastic chorus. The way they bookend the choruses with the "bombsite boy! bombiste boy!" line is lovely. Substantive punk with one of the first women to breakthrough in the scene its a firm 3/5 probably higher on repeated listens
Just fine, and seemingly a little ahead of its time.
Not bad for punk, but it’s still punkI
хорошая панкуха, можно слушать
Right after I get an album where I say "straight punk doesn't do much for me", I get this and take back what I said. Sure you can make the argument that there's a lot of power pop going into this but it's got punk energy and that's what usually throws me off. This is killer though, slotting right next to Singles Going Steady in terms of proto-pop-punk. I can't believe how much I enjoy this, actually. Another argument for this site having half-star ratings cause this is a solid 9.
Medium as far as Brit Pop punk goes. Not my genre. Not my style. I gave each track a few bars but just couldn't listen any longer..
Punk is not my genre. Shouty, repetitive, and poorly produced. Gave up halfway through.
Probably the best example of 70s British punk rock there is.
Average British punk
Yeah yeah yeah thrash thrash thrash blam blam blam. Not into this.
Enjoying this (almost done) but it occured to me, we're spending an awful lot of time understanding the origins of punk, which is basically a sideshow/dead end of popular music. If punk never happened would the world be all that different? Is that nihilistic?
I like British punk
Mejor que otros, no tanto como ya sabemos quienes. Nota: 3.0
Early Punkish vibe - setting the scene. Punk, but approachable. Not sure what I think ... listened 2x but still ... vague ... *(I think my 3 is too high)
I'm genuinely bemused as to how this album could be included in a top 100,000 album list, never mind a top 1001. It was just a monotone of sameness, and bland at that. Shouting and a fast BPM doesn't make it interesting. Never again will I listen.
The singles are decent enough, but at times felt like punk by numbers. A bit samey. Also rans when compared to the thoroughbreds of the genre, such as the Pistols and The Clash.
Perfectly fine punk
The problem of time and place again; in the late 70s this was probably a little transgressive and interesting; now this type of sound has been played out so many times it's become dull. With nuance gone, the album is left with a few songs that would fit on a Tony Hawk soundtrack.
Old skool punk. Not the best lyrics or quality musicians and sounds dated now.
First punk album that really seized me. Made my Sunday gardening a real vibe
This seemed pretty standard. Not early enough to break new ground and not late enough to try new things. But still it's punk rock so how bad can it be?
British punk is not my thing, and this even less so. Only a few tracks didn’t sound just like all the others, and most carried the same or similar hard static and reverb guitar chord structure in the background.
Noisy
Hvor har vi hørt det her album mange gange
Catchy og super fed!
New wave |------X---| Punk
Takes me back to my youth! Adverts were one of the greats.
A pleasant surprise. Middle of the album is the best.
Just some solid 70s punk. It didn't blow me away, but I enjoyed listening to it a fair bit.
Decent with some good songs, but not essential when put up against so many other punk bands of this era.
Didn’t listen to much of this - sounds like the pop punk of its day and that original or interesting? Fun though.
pretty good
He pensado últimamente que puedo detectar si un álbum será bueno en el primer minuto. Esto no va en torno a este álbum. Sonó auténtico -lo cual aprecio-, pero al mismo tiempo, como un grito visceral que no tiene mucho que expresar.
This is like a perfect little time capsule of punk before it became more sophisticated. Musically it’s fun power chord ramalama with snarling vocals. Lyrically it’s fairly basic but Gary gilmores eyes does have a slightly twilight zone vibe to it. Like many time capsules we’ve moved on a lot but it’s an interesting picture of the past
Unheralded early pioneers! Gaye should be more well known. And the songs rip.
I generally don’t enjoy a full punk rock album as it doesn’t give me the musical depth I like , but crossing the redsea was a surprisingly fun listen I could hop my head too all day
o bom e velho punk ingles é bem parecido com todos os outros, por mais que não seja ruim
eh isso né. punkzim inglês dos anos 70. nada demais. mas eu gosto. eh bem melhor que metade dos folk meia boca que passam por aqui. portanto, é decente demais, bem divertido!
very solid but showing its age
In common with most punk albums of the era, when it nails it it's brilliant. But there can be lapses into mundane guitar stuff.
Already forgot what it was. I think it was kind of Brit pop punkish. 5/10
Poppy brit punk. Good stuff that would work a lot better at a different time in my life. Still dug it.
Have almost nothing to say about this one. Perfectly fine punk album that in no way moved me. I will never revisit. This is review 900 and I am getting tired.
I'd never heard of The Adverts till today. Did a little bit of reading prior to listening, but there wasn't much out there. I have enjoyed the British punk albums in the project so far, so I figured I'd like this too. And I generally did. There were no songs that blew me away, but there was a consistent sound that I liked. The songs weren't as grating as some punk can be, especially the vocals which were very easy to listen to. My favorites were One Chord Wonders, On the Roof, and Great British Mistake. Not sure if it'll be a three or a four, as it's somewhere in the middle.
no I won't be listening to all the edits at the end! 3
Some really catchy and fun songs on this album but the quality of the songs vary widely. The distortion and the singing is the same but some songs just don't stick as well in my head. It was fun having a punk album on this list that I enjoyed.
Run of the mill
Super annoying.
A decent British Punk album. I am just not that big a fan of Punk. 3 stars or C.
625/1001 2026.05.29 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
Listened before?: no One Chord Wonders - 4/5 Bored Teenagers - 4/5 New Church - 3/5 On the Roof - 3/5 Newboys - 3/5 Bombsite Boy - 2/5 No Time to Be 21 - 3/5 Safety in Numbers - 4/5 Drowning Men - 3/5 On Wheels - 3/5 Great British Mistake - 3/5 Average score: 3.2/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ normally i enjoy a good post-punk album, but i didn't enjoy this as much as i hoped. i think most tracks sound too same-y here with few standing out. you've pretty much heard all they have to offer after hearing one song
this may be the ugliest album cover i have ever seen in my life, music's fine tho
Overall: 4/10 Not a bad album by any means, but very generic and boring. Wasn't really feeling it at all and the generic punk sound got old pretty quickly. Fav Song: Bombsite Boy
Fun punk!
No, I don't really like this. Still, 2 stars...
Saai
ist das rock einf?? ok ne is schon eher so punk bzw punk rock i guess all in all… naja also habs nit nit gut gfunden aber hat mi 0 abgeholt leider. sehr neutrale 3/5
An okay rock album bordering on punk with some catchy choruses. Highlights: "Bored Teenagers" and "Gary Gilmore's Eyes"
pretty good actually
Just ok for me
Bass player had a great look but sadly the material doesn't rate.
This appears to be a seminal punk album, but it didn't do much for me. For a debut, it's surprisingly well-produced, tight, and at times even melodic, but it didn't really have much that helped transcend my mild aversion to the punk/garage sound. My problem, not theirs, of course. The best of the lot was probably "On the roof", the strangely controversial "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" (although I guess not technically part of the original album) and the somewhat haunting "Drowning men". And what a bummer that TV Smith couldn't have joined up with Television for the meta-irony, punk-style....
New to me and I loved most of it. The first song is one of the best, the second one should have been cut, and the rest is lots of fun and brought back memories of when punk sounded fresh and new wave threatened to soften us all.
This one tickled my wee British pickle in just the right way. It's shouty but measured, it's heavy but fun. It's Clash on Hives with some grungy garnish. Added the whole album to my regular playlist.
This was fine British punk. Nothing really stood out. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great.
There is nothing about this album that makes it stand out against other punk albums of the day.
There's too much punk on this list. Maybe I've been worn down, but this isn't so bad. At least it's melodic.
Meh. Not for me
While definitely a nice piece of early melodic punk rock, it really lacks a special track to bump it up closer to the classics. Still, a very enjoyable listen, even if it's more style than substance. Favourite track: On the Roof
It was OK
I really enjoyed this. Punk in the style of the Undertones or Buzzcocks, more tuneful and poppy maybe than classic punk. 12 or 13 songs, none of them overstay their welcome clocking in at a maximum 3 and a half minutes or so. John Leckie producer also produced Stone Roses and Radiohead and many others in later years so this is very well produced compared to much of the punk era.
Ok
No idea what I’m getting into with the Adverts today. I assume they’re from the United Kingdom because they’re called the Adverts. That’s how Brits refer to ads, I believe. Because they are THE Adverts, I assume they’re a band, and I was going to guess they were an 80s band, probably new wave, but I see the album came out in 1978. Still might be new wave, but maybe they’re more punk. We shall see. The original album had 11 songs and was 31 minutes long. Looks like Wikipedia has them as a punk band, meaning it could be fun or it could be crap. No matter, it’ll be quick. The album I found is, of course, some super duper ultimate expanded edition with 25 songs that’s over an hour long. I will be listening to the original songs that were released. Ultimate editions are for ultimate fans. I don’t even know these guys. Track 1 is One Chord Wonders, and that’s what most punk bands were thought of when the scene popped up in the mid to late 70s. This certainly sounds like a punk/new wave song. I like it. It’s not as sloppy as the Sex Pistols, but a little more raw than the Clash. The singer, T.V. Smith, is singing and not just shouting. He definitely sounds like the time. There are some good sing-along opportunities with this song. It’s a solid opening that hopefully is previewing good rock ahead. Track 2 is Bored Teenagers, which I assume is partly responsible for the punk movement. Oooh, the tempo has picked up a bit. The guitars are a bit jangly on this one. Again, it’s got a good sing-along chorus. That blast beat type snare is just driving the song. Oh, a quieter, slowed-down middle section. That was unexpected. I think if I’d had access to punk at age four or five, I might have been into it. My mom, who doesn’t seem to like any music outside of classical or gospel, seemingly only played pop radio when I was a kid. Any time spent with dad seemed to be country radio. I gravitated to Waylon, Willie, and Hank Jr. quickly. Though the Oak Ridge Boys and Alabama were also big. Track 3 is New Church, and it’s more of the same. A solid, uptempo tune with lots of jangling punk riffs. This song, rhythmically, seems a bit more squirelly, but that’s not a bad thing. Track 4 is On the Roof and it starts at a slower, almost sludgy tempo before ramping up to their usual speed for the chorus. It then slows back down again for the second verse. I really like this song. This album hasn’t been bad, it’s just not blowing me away thus far. But this song is really good. The truth is, this album sounds like something that could have been recorded at the turn of the century. I think that’s the first time I’ve ever used that term to refer to the 2000s. The songs on this album sound like they could’ve been written by the Strokes. Track 5 is Newboys and it’s more of the same. This song has a bit more guitar wizardry, if you’d call it that. There’s a riff in the background that you might easily miss, but once you catch it, you can’t wait to hear it again. I’m seeing now that all the songs were written by T.V. Smith. That’s interesting. I guess he is the mastermind. Track 6 is Bombsite Boy, and it starts off with the bass playing one note over and over, then as it builds, the guitars are squealing, before it bursts into the main song. I like this song. It’s got some layers. That was a great song. Oh, this album was recorded in Abbey Road Studios. That seems odd to me for some reason. The Beatles were many things, but punk? Well, maybe Helter Skelter. That was maybe the weirdest song the Beatles ever recorded. And the Beatles had some weird songs. Track 7 is No Time to be 21 and it’s a banger. It’s got a really sleazy rock and roll vibe to it. Kind of a punk Rolling Stones. This was a single off the album, and it got to 34 on the U.K. Singles Chart. The album reached 38 on the U.K. Albums Chart. The bass on this song is so good, and the guitar solo sounds like it was inspired by Ace Frehley. This one is going into my singles playlist. Just a great song and my favorite on the album. Track 8 is Safety in Numbers and it’s another really good song. It seems the songs get more interesting as the album goes on, or maybe that’s the Monster Energy I had. Again, the bass is really shining on this track. I know it seems like this album isn’t blowing me away, but it’s really good. I don’t know how it didn’t get bigger than it is. It seems it was critically acclaimed, but not enough regular folks got their ears on it. I’ve heard some bad punk bands and albums over my journey through this list, and this album is as good as the best ones I’ve heard. Track 9 is Drowning Men, and this one, like No Time to be 21, has a more old-school rock and roll sound. Like the Stones on speed, or KISS on meth. The guitar work is also really good. The riffs are fantastic. Wow! There is a breakdown in the middle of the song that’s really good. It lasts only about 20 to 30 seconds, but it makes me want to hear it again later in the song. And there it is. Track 10 is Drowning Men, and it has a bit of that 60’s Who-style rock rhythm. It’s not really heavy, but it’s hard. The chorus is awesome. “We’re the drowning men. We’re the drowning men.” It gives me chills. It’s kind of sang/yelled with a voice in a lower register underneath the louder yell. Great song. Track 11 is On Wheels and it starts with a foreboding bass line, then some heavy guitars. Yeah, this song has a mean groove. “What's left in the wheelchair? Who bothers what's in there? Who worries what life's like on wheels?” It’s a dark song, but good. I don’t know what the lyrics are about, but it makes me think it’s about heroin use. I really can’t find anything about it, but there are lyrics about him being a grade A scorer and sailing on the Lucky Dragon. Just seems like a dude who is resigned to the fact he’s end is near and it won’t be pretty. Track 12 is Great British Mistake and it sounds like it could be an Arctic Monkeys song. This song seems to be about how people are into blaming and banning things, rather than dealing with people who are actually causing problems. You know, books, music, social media....Well, social media is terrible, but it's bad for adults more so than kids, I'm starting to think. Great song with a good message. We live in a world where it’s certainly easier to blame problems on things that don’t really affect our lives, rather than look at ourselves or the people actually causing the problems. I digress. I really ended up liking this album. For punk fans and old-school rock fans, I think you’ll dig it too. As for being a must-listen, I don’t think it’s that high yet, but it’s a good time.
Esta graciosón, no es una maravilla ni te deja algo para replantearte la vida pero está bueno
I hear early post punk, it's punk rock mixed with a little psych. I dig T.V. Smith's vocal style and the music is high energy raw rock. Never heard these guys but I like it, can tell they came out with Joy Division and that scene.
good stuff. punk rock.
Not for me
It’s alright for Brit punk, but every song sounds the same
I have never been a big fan of punk rock, but this one is pretty nice - sound not that raw, not that brutal.
Decent enough, solid punk offering, but there are definitely better alternatives from the time, which means I would be reluctant to revisit. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★★☆☆ (6/10) Total reviewed : 317 Already owned : 70 Purchased : 15 To buy : 4 Nope : 228
I enjoyed this. It was new to me. I wanted to find my new favourite punk album. It wasn’t quite that, but I had a good time with it all the way through. Rating could go up over time.
I only knew The Adverts for Gary Gilmore's Eyes. This is a very solid punk album; not exceptional, but consistently good
Pretty decent. More interesting and musical than I expected, plenty of interest and each track sounded different. A pleasant surprise. Would listen again.
I knew just from the cover what sort of album I was going to get and it delivered. This is one of the first "new" to me albums that I am sad that they're new to me. This is definitely an album I'd have listened to more if I could. In fact I listened to it 3x yesterday. I liked it. Solid 70s punk. Good humour. All gas no brakes.
I liked this less than the other punk records we’ve had lately. I’m a little torn because I didn’t hate it enough for it to be a 2 but didn’t really like it enough to be a 3…. What can I say, I’m a harsh critic
Fine example of classic punk with poorly played instruments.
I'll search for detailed information about this classic punk album to give you a thorough review. # In-Depth Review: *Crossing the Red Sea With the Adverts* (1978) ## Overview *Crossing the Red Sea With the Adverts* is the debut album by British punk band The Adverts, released in early 1978 on Bright Records. Clocking in at just over 30 minutes, it stands as one of the most potent and underrated documents of the UK first-wave punk explosion. Produced by **John Leckie** (later famous for his work with Radiohead, Stone Roses, and XTC), the album captures a band at the absolute peak of their raw, frantic energy—despite, or perhaps because of, their limited technical proficiency. --- ## Lyrics T.V. Smith's songwriting on *Crossing the Red Sea* is defined by its **hyper-personal, ground-level perspective** . Unlike contemporaries such as The Clash or Sex Pistols, who aimed their ire at systemic targets (the monarchy, capitalism, the establishment), Smith kept his lens tight on the interior lives of disaffected youth. **Key lyrical themes:** - **Boredom and alienation:** The album's emotional centerpiece, "Bored Teenagers," distills the entire punk ethos into a single phrase. Smith writes about being "tied to the railway tracks," searching for "emotional rages" in a life of crushing routine . The lyrics speak to a generation that felt unseen and unmoored—"talking into corners finding ways to fill the vacuum." - **The terror of adulthood:** "No Time To Be 21" confronts the abrupt end of youth with panic and sarcasm, capturing the feeling of being forced into adult responsibilities before you've had a chance to live . - **Dark humor and shock value:** "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" (restored on later reissues) remains one of punk's most notorious songs—a first-person narrative about receiving the eyes of executed murderer Gary Gilmore via transplant. It walks a razor's edge between genuine horror and sardonic comedy . - **Social observation:** "Bombsite Boy" and "The Great British Mistake" offer broader commentary on post-war Britain, decaying urban landscapes, and national decline, but always filtered through personal experience rather than political sloganeering . Smith's lyrics are **economical and direct**—he rarely wastes a syllable. There's a literary quality to his writing that sets him apart from many punk contemporaries; he crafts narratives and characters rather than just shouting slogans . --- ## Music Musically, *Crossing the Red Sea* is **aggressive minimalism pushed to its absolute limit**. - **Guitar:** Howard Pickup's guitar work is all jagged, buzzsaw riffs and downstroke barrages. The band famously embraced their limitations—"One Chord Wonders" isn't just a song title, it's a mission statement . Yet within that simplicity, there's surprising melodic instinct. Songs like "Safety In Numbers" and "No Time To Be 21" feature genuinely catchy hooks. - **Bass:** **Gaye Advert** is the secret weapon of the album. Her bass lines are propulsive and melodic, often carrying the songs more than the guitar. She played with a "rumbling, but sprinting" energy that gave the Adverts their distinctive drive . As one of punk's first visible female musicians, her presence was revolutionary—she "blazed a trail for future generations of grrl rockers from Joan Jett to Bikini Kill" . - **Drums:** Laurie Driver's drumming is frantic and occasionally unhinged, perfectly matching the band's nervous energy. It's not technically accomplished, but it *feels* right—urgent and barely controlled. - **Vocals:** T.V. Smith's vocal delivery is less the theatrical sneer of Johnny Rotten and more a melodic, precise snarl. He sings with conviction and clarity, which makes his lyrics land harder . There's an earnestness to his voice that cuts through the noise. The album's sound is **tighter and more musical than many punk debuts** of the era. Tracks like "On Wheels" even hint at post-punk territory with its snaking bass line and tom-heavy drumming, foreshadowing the genre's evolution . --- ## Production **John Leckie's production** is a critical factor in the album's success. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios (a delicious irony for a punk band), the album achieves something rare for the genre and era: **clarity without sacrificing rawness** . - The mix is clean and crisp—you can hear every instrument distinctly, which wasn't common in punk production at the time. - The guitars have bite and presence without being muddy. - Gaye Advert's bass is given prominent space in the mix, where it serves as the rhythmic and melodic anchor. - Smith's vocals sit right up front, ensuring every word lands. As one reviewer noted, Leckie "brilliantly harnessed their strengths, making the sound clean and crisp" while preserving the band's "primal energy" . This production approach makes *Crossing the Red Sea* more listenable and enduring than many of its lo-fi contemporaries. --- ## Themes The album operates on several interconnected thematic levels: 1. **Youthful disenfranchisement:** The dominant thread. These are songs about kids who feel the future has been stolen from them, who are "drowning" in routine and expectation . 2. **Identity crisis:** "Bored Teenagers" explicitly deals with seeing yourself as a stranger, losing your sense of self in the monotony of daily life . 3. **Dark comedy as survival mechanism:** From the self-deprecating "One Chord Wonders" to the macabre "Gary Gilmore's Eyes," the band uses humor—often black as pitch—to process horror and absurdity. 4. **Post-imperial British malaise:** Songs like "The Great British Mistake" and "Bombsite Boy" reflect a nation in physical and psychological decay, where the optimism of the post-war years has curdled into resentment and boredom. --- ## Influence and Legacy *Crossing the Red Sea* occupies a fascinating place in punk history—**massively influential within the scene, yet largely unknown to the general public**. - **Pioneering female representation:** Gaye Advert's visibility as a bassist in a male-dominated scene was genuinely groundbreaking. She predated and influenced the Riot Grrrl movement by over a decade . - **Shaping punk's musical codification:** The album helped define what punk *sounded like* as a genre. As one critic argued, it was "a major milestone on the path towards the codification of punk as a sound—a musical genre—separate and apart from the attitude, fashion, and politics" . It proved that punk could be reduced to its most essential elements and still remain compelling. - **Influence on later bands:** The Adverts have been cited as an influence by **The Pixies, Devo, and Green Day** . Their combination of pop sensibility and punk aggression prefigured pop-punk by decades. - **Critical standing:** The album is included in the *1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die* canon and is frequently cited by punk aficionados as one of the finest albums of the era—"one of the finest albums not only of the punk era, but of the 1970s as a whole" . However, the band's **commercial impact was limited and fleeting**. They never broke through in America, and their follow-up album *Cast of Thousands* (1979) was a critical and commercial disappointment that effectively ended their career . --- ## Pros | Strength | Details | |----------|---------| | **Economical songwriting** | T.V. Smith distills complex emotions into razor-sharp, two-to-three-minute bursts. No fat, no filler . | | **Exceptional production** | John Leckie delivers clarity and punch without sanitizing the band's raw energy. Abbey Road Studios gives it unexpected sonic depth . | | **Gaye Advert's bass playing** | Her driving, melodic bass lines are the band's secret weapon and a landmark moment for women in punk . | | **Melodic accessibility** | For all its aggression, the album is genuinely catchy. Songs like "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" and "Safety In Numbers" have real pop hooks . | | **Lyrical intelligence** | Smith writes with wit, narrative skill, and emotional precision that elevates the material above genre clichés . | | **Historical importance** | A key document in punk's evolution from attitude to genre; influential on countless bands that followed . | | **Brevity** | At ~30 minutes, it says everything it needs to and leaves before wearing out its welcome. | --- ## Cons | Weakness | Details | |----------|---------| | **Limited musical range** | The album's minimalism, while effective, means tracks can blur together. Chord progressions and rhythmic patterns are sometimes recycled . | | **Technical limitations** | The band's instrumental skill is rudimentary by design, but this occasionally results in performances that feel constrained rather than intentionally raw . | | **Second-half dip** | Some listeners find the latter tracks less compelling than the opening salvo, with songs like "Drowning Men" and "On Wheels" feeling like the band is "flagging" . | | **Lack of clear progression** | The album captures lightning in a bottle so effectively that it's difficult to imagine where the band could have gone next. Indeed, they couldn't— their second album abandoned this sound entirely and failed . | | **Omission of "Gary Gilmore's Eyes"** | Bizarrely, the original pressing left off their biggest hit and best-known song. Later reissues corrected this, but it's a baffling decision . | | **Niche appeal** | For listeners not already sympathetic to first-wave UK punk, the album can feel "non-essential" or overly familiar within its genre . | --- ## Verdict *Crossing the Red Sea With the Adverts* is a **flawed masterpiece**—or perhaps more accurately, a perfect document of imperfection. It captures a band with limited skills but unlimited conviction, led by a songwriter whose intelligence and emotional honesty elevated them above the punk rabble. The production is exceptional, the bass playing is revolutionary, and the songs—while sometimes samey—are almost universally effective. It suffers from the inherent limitations of its minimalism and the fact that The Adverts essentially had one great album in them. But what an album it is. For anyone interested in the DNA of punk rock, this is essential listening—not because it invented the form, but because it refined it to its sharpest, most essential point. **Essential tracks:** "One Chord Wonders," "Bored Teenagers," "Gary Gilmore's Eyes," "No Time To Be 21," "The Great British Mistake," "Safety In Numbers"
This was really not good ☹️. Nothing stood out, it all sounded the same, and it was annoying. Overall, I would give this a 2.6/5! 🫤😐☹️😡🤬
It wasn't rocket science or high art, but then that's the entire opposite of what punk is supposed to be anyway. This scratched an itch that I needed scratched.
Didn’t hate it. But the songs started to really blend together by the end.
Oh my more British punk….
Mostly noise
White british 70s punk rock. Right. This fucking list has been on a generational run of shit from a butt recently. At least there's a woman in this one. But women can also make shitty music #feminism. Holy fuck I don't wanna sit through this. I mean it's nice I would've enjoyed it if I was an angsty teen at the time but like I don't gaf. I'm a bored teenager listening to this. Why do I need to have hear this before I die? Like at least with some of the bad ones I didn't enjoy them by any means but I understand why I should've heard it before I die they're singular. This is so boring and predictable and homogenous with the sound of the time. Wow you're a punky British rebel. I dont care. Get a real schtick. I'm too much of a hater to be doing this. Like sure man. Whatever. Favourite: Gary Gilmore's Eyes Least Favourite: On the Roof
not digging it
Some cool things happening here
You can really feel the influence on later punk rock this band had. Really solid late 70's punk rock.
Just recently they came up for something, other than that I have never heard of these guys. pretty cool punk rock.
"On Wheels" actually has a cool groove to it. I have learned from this 1001 Albums experiment that I really don't care for punk that much. This is more palatable than some others for sure, but it's still very British, very 70s and I don't enjoy it *that* much. That said, there's enough musical stuff here and there to keep me interested. Some metal influences, some stuff that sounds like early The Cure, and hints of gothic rock too. Maybe more of a foundational album than a truly great one, but I think that's about half the list overall.
Probably wouldn't listen to this again
Offensively boring and generic
Fine. Boring. Somewhere in between maybe.
Best Song: One Chord Wonders. This might just be because it was the first track in the album, and I hadn't yet soured on the sameness of the whole album. Also, there is a sliver of revolt/resistance in this song that is lacking most of the rest of the album. Worst Song: Drowning Man. The chorus is far weaker than they seem to think it is. Overall: Old punk that sounds so dreadfully old. There are some vaguely interesting tracks, but it feels very dull and slow relative to more contemporary forms of punk. There is still a through-line of pop in a Ramones sort of way that I wish wasn't there. Mostly, it's just kind of boring.
That'll wake you up in the morning, boy!
What makes this better or worse than other punk rock bands at this time? I have no idea, but this was actually decent. I didn’t mind listening to it. Maybe this list is starting to wear me down with all the punk. FYI, Gary Gilmore was an American criminal who gained international attention for demanding the death sentence for two murders he admitted to committing in Utah.
The Adverts remind me quite a bit of the Ramone’s with uptempo music led by a raw guitar sound and edgy, in your face vocals. The songs got monotonous after a few tracks but I’ll give them partial credit for mostly holding my attention with Punk music.
Words like rap and punk cause automatic responses in these reviews that seem to make everyone gravitate to either love or hate this music and defend that review based on personal taste. This album is great example of something that belongs in the middle. It’s not great, it’s not terrible - it’s a fun, upbeat album of clean, stylized punk rock that is a good listen.
Old school punk done well, I'll crank up the volume on this stuff everytime. The opening track was clever, I enjoyed the wit. The rest of the album was great, no complaints from me. That said, there isn't anything particularly special about it. Just a really cool punk album.
This one from the golden canon of the formative punk dynasty had honestly slipped past me before. Glad this list tipped me to it. I don’t quite (yet?) agree with Trouser Press and AllMusic that it stands on the same level as The Clash or Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols… maybe I just need to spend more time with it. Yes, there are the undeniable bangers such as “Bored Teenagers,” “New Church,” and “Drowning Men.” On the first couple of listens, I’d say it also has a few potential skips that don’t really bring much to the table aside from being “good” punk tunes (“Newboys” and, oddly, the successful single “Gary Gilmore’s Eyes,” which was included on later editions but left off the initial release—which makes total sense to me, because it doesn’t quite fit the flow). But overall, Crossing the Red Sea with The Adverts definitely has the same intense energy and addictive hooks as those debuts by The Clash and the Sex Pistols. What sets it apart is how it occasionally drifts into much eerier territory (such as the early standout “On the Roof,” as well as “New Day Dawns” and “On Wheels”), and that suits the album perfectly. At the apex of punk, already pointing toward the nihilistic post-punk era, but always just as things are about to tip over, The Adverts shift back into high-octane mode and deliver a killer chorus (“Safety in Numbers”). One to behold - essential listening indeed.
Best Track - "Gary Gilmore's Eyes"
All the negative reviews for this album are complaining about how it’s their 9th British punk album they’ve had to listen to but for me it’s my first so I’m riding high baby!
Favorite track(s): One Chord Wonders, New Church, Bombsite Boy Additional shoutout the single Gary Gilmore's Eyes.
I think this stands above some of the other 70s punk for its songwriting and overall complexity. Very solid vocals and the production feels ahead of their time.
short and pretty simple but completely rocks. favorite song is Newboys. very soft 4
Rating: 6/10 Decent UK 70's punk, not much more to me. None of the songs particularly stood out as great but it was mildly fun
Pretty cool with good energy and rhythm, and I like the vocals as well. A little more variety than the comparable Ramones as well 6.2/10
British 70s punk, which is better than I expected.
This was okay — regular old British punk Playlist add: "New Day Dawns"
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Fast sounding punk album, not my typical selection but don’t dislike the sound! Recorded at Abbey Road Studios is a fun history tidbit! Not likely to revisit the album personally.
Woop, 300 albums down! And I've got a good one to mark the occasion. This is precisely my brand of punk - minimalist, yet playful instrumentation, slightly erratic, bass-centric, sneery without veering into theatrical levels of anger, and, of course, it has that relatable working class British DIY attitude to it. The production is crystal clear for the time without dulling any of the album's charm, and each crevice of Crossing The Red Sea is packed with catchy refrains and a dependable vigour. This very much sounds like punk for the "thinking person", without wanting to come across as too pretentious, and the lyrics occupy more of an observational, self-deprecating and claustrophobic canvas. "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" in particular is a real highlight in how it taps into unconventional writing territory - it's not every day that you listen to a song exploring the perspective of a patient receiving a double eye transplant from an executed murderer. This is pretty much all killer for me.
458/1089 - Chuck Berry on punk: "These guys remind me of myself when I first started, I only knew three chords too." This is a bit more complex with all the planing minor and major chords and seems like a precursor to goth rock and dark wave but still very much on the simple side.
3.5 Had low expectations but thought it was a fun little listen. Uncertain if anything will stick with me
Punk good
It’s so hard to tell how much talent and creativity goes in to some punk music. Is it pioneering? Is it just a repetitive racket? How much do I like it? Who fucking knows.
Low 4 for me.
Perfunctory
This was great. I know that I know this band, but didn't have any of their music in my library. Will definitely listen to more
🎧Second side’s not as strong as the first, but yeah, this is a damn good British punk album
Pen og pyntelig britisk punk. Isolert sett bra, men for likt all annen britisk punk som fyller denne lista. Ekstra minus for at Qobuz bare har en utgave med et helt ekstremt dårlig live-opptak som ekstraspor.
ура ещё один панк и те же аккорды! научиваюсь ценить скилл в барабанах... в принципе норм, борд тинейджерз заставляет задуматься про жанр в целом, но слушать сама я такое конечно не буду
Crossing the Red Sea with The Adverts has energy and sharp riffs, but the whole proposal feels unfinished. Too polished to be raw, too hesitant to be radical, it ends up stuck halfway
It's pretty good, just not my taste. Love the album cover, though.
Season: True Summer Favorite Song: New Church
A bit more mellowed out in comparison to the White Stripes era, I don't know the solo stuff before this (if there is any) but quite enjoyable. Extra points for the vulture on the cover.
I'm not usually that into that punk (I like one off songs here and there but find a lot of albums tend to blend together/sound the same) but this feels like it's got enough variety musically that I'm enjoying it. ETA: I have come back to listen to my favourite tracks again because of how much I enjoyed it the first time, not something I expected. I am loving how many new artists I'm discovering through this project!
3/5