Reviews (page 3 of 8)
Crossing the Red Sea With The Adverts doesn’t sound all that different from almost any other UK punk band from the same era. Or maybe that’s just my untrained ears—I guess I wasn’t pre-programmed to enjoy punk the way other people are. There’s definitely less anarchy here than with their contemporaries, but either way, I’m indifferent to this album and fairly certain this wasn’t something I needed to hear before I died.
Filler week continues with this unnecessary entry. This is punk music without any hard edges. It's polished and orderly and doesn't seem to have that fuck you vibe at all. It's fine to listen to, but nothing special or worthy of inclusion on this list.
Ik vind dit een album wat zo gewoon ok is. Heb sterk het idee dat ik dit al een keer of 50 heb geluisterd. Het is een beetje een punky rock album, het instrumentale valt me positief op, maar de zang is niet heel erg bijzonder. Ook is het niet perse een lang album, maar voelt het alsof ik al 3 uur aan het luisteren ben... Nee, ik ben hier geen fan van, ik kan gewoon niet onderscheiden wat dit specifieke punkrock album nou zo ontzettend bijzonder maakt dat ik deze absoluut ook moest luisteren. Hebben we dit niet al gedaan? Jawel toch? Waarom moest dit nog een keer? Bizar eigenlijk, de muziek is best stevig, maar ik voel me echt alsof ik zo in slaap zou kunnen vallen met dit album. Dat krijg je denk ik als letterlijk elk nummer hetzelfde voelt. Is het al af..? FAVO: New Church
Loved hearing this early British punk. A handful of great songs on here
Sounds like a repetitive version of the Ramones
Just overtly mid, I mean, sure that's exactly what postponk should be in the late 70s. And the rhythms are nice, the vocals are adequate. It seems like the songs are really just kind of about being a punk band or living the life that the adverts live.I don't know it's just mid
Much to think about...
Enjoyable jangly guitar 70s punk. Sounds like a lot of jangly guitar 70s punk. Didn’t need to be on the list, but I’m adding to my favourites. 4/5.
was alrightt
Good punk!
Gave me an odd nostalgia, unsettling
marginal
Solid enough punk, short and to the point.
Fine. Similar to most of the other punk albums I've heard so far.
Recht eintöniger Lärm
The Buzzcocks but less memorable tunes. Could be a grower though.
Ratings are way too harsh on this one. Easy 4 stars.
Uhhh... happy Easter to those who celebrate it! I'm not religious but I've always liked celebrating Easter with nice dinners and egg related activities. I'm padding out this review because I really don't have much to say about this Adverts album. It is a good, albeit fairly unremarkable, early punk album. There really isn't anything that this album does that you don't get from other British punk bands of the time like the Clash or the Sex Pistols, but there's also nothing in particular that this album does wrong. Dare I say, it's actually quite good. The singing isn't annoying. That's always good to hear. The musical compositions aren't completely one-note. There's some neat moments here. The writing is a little confusing for my liking, but it's not bad or offensive in any way. This is just a solid time. It's the kind of album that you listen to, enjoy it, and then move on with your life. Not bad at all. High 3/5.
Went to school with TV smith (Tim Smidmore), he was a couple years older in a band with a friend of mine. Thought Gary Gilmores eyes was a great track. The rest of the album is of its time, a few good songs, but most just pass me by. Quite a raw basic sound.
Kind of punkish, quite good!
I didn’t go to school with any of the band. This is just a solid punk album. Not bad but nothing special.
Good, not great
Not bad, but it’s just another punk album. Maybe a little more polished than most other punk outings.
This was surprisingly good. One thing that I've learned from this project is thatbI really hate punk, but this was more than bearable but enjoyable, the lyrics weren't too bad as well. I'm pretty sure I've got the deluxe album because it was way too long, but it seems a good album without the extra fillers. And as many people said here, better than many standard punk bands 4/5
Its fine
Decent. I grew up with lots of American teen angst punk, plenty of which was worse than this.
3.5
Wanted to like this, but it’s tough. One Chord Wonders, Great British Mistake and Gary Gilmore’sEyes are OK, but otherwise it’s quite repetitive and basic.
Not bad, although I suspect there are plenty of punk groups like this band with similar sounds. Why was this one picked for the 1001 list? At best average.
Yeah starting to realize I’m not a huge punk fan The sound on this one honestly isn’t awful, I’m used to punk sounding a lot crunchier so for being a record from so early in the genre it sounds fine. There’s some decent guitar work in there and it was in an uptempo music kinda mood today so it sorta hit the spot There’s still a lot I don’t like about the album; there’s some parts that are a bit too chaotic that just kinda annoy you, vocals are just bad enough where it’s something I have to bring up, and the variety kinda sucks. Also I don’t think there’s a single song I can point to and say “yeah that’s a good one” I liked it more than some of the other punk we’ve gotten on here but it’s nothing too special. Pretty easy 5/10 album for me
There's this irony that if you took the time to write a song about how you 'don't give a damn' then it implies that you, on some level, did give a damn. There's some actual variety here, little breaks in the punk mash-the-drums-as-fast-as-possible sound, but the songs blend together too much. Everytime a new song started, I thought it was a bridge before I looked at the song title and saw it changed. You can tap your toe to it and there's definitely worse punk out there, but I just dislike this genre. Too repetitive, too samey.
Completely and for all intents and purposes not memorable. Not bad, not great. Closer to 2 than 3.
I don't know how to feel about this album. it's interesting to say the least, but I didn't really like it. I was told that this album is my kind of vibe and I just didn't feel it.
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.
So lala
Nothing all that memorable on this one. It was ok, for a so called punk band it was a little overproduced for my taste. It was more new wave sounding than punk, but I guess new wave gets lumped in with punk sometimes so who’s to say.
I never heard of this or them before but I loved it!
One of the better punk albums I've listened to on this site. Still didn't really excite me.
Honestly, this feels like this album has nothing to offer. Everything they do here was already done to death by the debut albums of both The Clash and Sex Pistols in 1977, the year prior to this release. This just seems like an also ran. Just your typical chugging repetitive power chord late 70s punk. Become tedious pretty quickly. I wasn't able to determine what differentiated this album from the previous acts mentioned. It might be a tad more listenable than most of the other punk albums of the era, but certainly not an essential entry to an all time list. You don't need more than the Sex Pistols, The Ramones, The Clash, and maybe Blondie, to illustrated what late 70s punk was all about, to make the point and move on. There simply wasn't much sonic depth to punk at this point. For those still confused by the Gary Gilmore reference, he was a killer convicted of murder and sentenced to death. His was the first death sentence carried out since the death sentence was reinstated in the U.S. in 1976. He chose a death sentence by firing squad over death by hanging which Gilmore feared could be botched. It was the last such death sentence carried out by firing squad in the United States when it took place in 1977. Gary Gilmore's brother, Mikal Gilmore, was a noted Rolling Stone reporter at the time and it contributed to more music artists being aware of the situation and feeling inspired to write songs about Gilmore and his death. Gary Gilmore requested his organs be harvested and transplanted to needy people. Someone ended up receiving his corneas.
really british
It's as good as any punk from this era I've heard. Second half of the album falls off but it started strong. 3/5.
Decent punk record, nothing too special about it.
This was a hole in my punk knowledge that I’m glad to have finally filled
Cross it and stay there.
It's old school punk rock but back when the bass parts were allowed to be interesting and funky. It's cool. It's not something I'd listen to a lot but I like it. 3.5 stars.
Pretty good simple punk album. 4/5
A fun, simple 70's British Punk album. Liked it fine, may listen again
fun, clever, surprisingly tuneful little record - it's easy to see how new wave grew out of bands like this when early punk was so arch and jangly. it's probably not gonna blow any minds if you're, like me, knocking on the door to your 30s, but these Adverts are good hangs! extra significance for being the first completely new to me artist so far - was fun to have no concept of what to expect
Dit is voor mij een genre waarin precies alle nummers gewoon hetzelfde zijn.
Great discovery good sound! 👌
Das Debütalbum der Londoner Punkband The Adverts entstand im November 1977 in den Abbey Road Studios unter der Regie von Produzent John Leckie – ein auf den ersten Blick unwahrscheinlicher Ort für rohen First-Wave-Punk, der aber dem Sound eine erstaunlich klare, druckvolle Präsenz verleiht. Bright Records, damals im Vertrieb von Anchor Records, veröffentlichte das Album am 3. Februar 1978 und katapultierte es umgehend auf Platz 38 der britischen Charts. Elf Stücke, überwiegend Neueinspielungen bereits bekannter Live-Nummern, bilden ein kompaktes Gesamtwerk von selten erreichter Konsistenz innerhalb der Punkbewegung. T. V. Smith liefert mit Tracks wie „One Chord Wonders", „Bored Teenagers", „No Time to Be 21" und „Great British Mistake" ein Songwriting, das weit über den üblichen Parolen-Punk hinausreicht. Seine Texte – sezierend, lakonisch, mit literarischen Verweisen bis hin zu Bradburys Fahrenheit 451 – treffen den Nerv einer Generation ohne Aussicht und ohne Illusionen. Gaye Advert hält an der Bassgitarre alles zusammen: unspektakulär, aber unfehlbar präzise. Was das Album auch Jahrzehnte später so zwingend macht, ist sein Gleichgewicht aus roher Energie und melodischem Gespür. Wo viele Zeitgenossen entweder im Lärm versanken oder ins Poppige abglitten, hielt die Band ihre Spannung bis zum letzten Akkord von „Great British Mistake". Persönlich gesprochen: Kein Punk-Debüt dieser Ära klingt so, als hätte eine Band genau gewusst, was sie wollte – und es dann tatsächlich geliefert. Ein Album, das die erste Welle des britischen Punk nicht nur dokumentiert, sondern auf Anhieb überragt hat.
Raw, passionate, shouty, tinny, but lyrically sharp and very catchy - a vital debut, with a singular charm, full of short, sharp, urgent songs. The guitarist, Howard Pickup gave this timeless piece of advice for guitarists learning their trade - "If you make a mistake in a solo, play it twice - that way nobody knows it was a mistake". 4 stars
Super average. Also they padded out like half the album by having the same songs multiple times.
Decent punk record. Sounds like it might reward repeat listens
Very generic British punk.
Album 139. Crossing the Red Sea With the Adverts (https://open.spotify.com/album/7Lwhf0KIxKSRnwyrQqhp7H?si=rdkRwRuARROgY0_ZRFO88w) — The Adverts (1978) It's a fucking barrage of endless shit. Pile of nauseating punk rock songs. I'm suffering after the album and on the edge between living and dying 1/5 No liked songs
Punk
They could obviously write a hook, but the Adverts are a bit like their namesake - good for grabbing your attention in short bursts, but after a while, you start to tune out.
Goddamn this is one of the greatest albums ive heard so far
Aside from The Clash I’m not much of an English punk fan.
DNF LIFE is too short for totally average Brit punk rock
Punk is so boring and I’m tired of pretending it’s not
This was a fun surprise; not familiar with The Adverts bit I liked this a lot and looking forward to checking out more of their stuff! 4/5
Really good album by a band I've never heard of. I listened through the album twice and was like "huh, why don't I know this really amazing 70s punk band?". Sometimes people don't tell you to check out the right bands. 4/5
no
Early punk is not my thing. Too much slamming one chord and manic drumming for my likes.
I dunno. To me it sounds like every other late '70s punk album. It's just... meh. Not bad, but not anything I'd search out again.
These punk bands overstay their welcome. What happened to quick and punchy albums?
Wow, I had forgotten all about this group! "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" really took me back to those far simpler days of 1978. Comparisons to the Sex Pistols or Clash are largely hyperbolic, but style-wise they are certainly in that neighborhood. I would rate them mostly harmless fun.
I’m torn. Punk isn’t supposed to be this good, this polished. “Gary Gilmore’s Eyes” has innovative chord progressions and hit the UK top 20! It could be a little raunchier and amateurish, but I’ll take it.
Some individual songs that I enjoyed but overall this was very meh and oftentimes annoying. I don’t really see why this is such a lauded album.
Proper no-frills punk, definitely more than one chord wonders
cool, early punk
1978 was when I woke up and Gary Gilmores Eyes demonstrated music could be more than boy meets girl. Still love this stuff, although filler seems easier to spot these days. 1. Bored Teenagers 2. Gary Gilmore’s Eyes 3. The Bombsite Boys 4. One Chord Wonders
One long and boring song, everything sounded the same and it’s not to my taste.
Kinda mid but it helps me understand that punk and rock weren’t that different to begin with ig
I hate punk
1978. British Rock in the punk era. Shortlived but pretty fun to listen through until the lack of diverse sound drones on too long.
I hadn't heard of the Adverts prior to today. This wasn't bad, per se, but there didn't seem to be much special about it. A high two.
Singer sounds a lot like Jay Reatard. Solid UK pop punk.
Their first album is gangbusters. It brought me back to the first time I heard the Ramones live at CBGBs, or the Clash storming onto the scene. Pure 70s punk. Glorious!
Brzmi jak manifest, tylko 15 podobny do innych xD
A lot of filler again but some really good tracks and overall a consistent sound. Whether that’s a good or bad thing, not sure
Long and trying
Not bad for a punk rock album
Pretty okay but not my favorite style of punk
Did I enjoy this? Yes Shall it be remembered? Shall what be remembered?
It's alright
I listened to the album, then read the wiki. "a devastating debut" they said. [Crossing the Red Sea With The Adverts] is the equal of the first Sex Pistols or The Clash." Then why the fuck is the first I'm hearing of them? I can understand buried treasure, but The Adverts aren't it. They play the right chords and sing punk, but they're a second rate. Nary a decent lyric or memorable song amongst the album. I'm constantly disappointed by what this list tries to pass off as "essential" punk, and this is no exception.
Another mid album. A positive is that it inspired me to listen to Motörhead All the Aces album. 1.5/5
Enjoyed this one. Decent early punk. Reminds me of split enz in a way. Wouldn’t go back to it but fun lil record
Liked this a lot more than i thought i would, very hooky
Just not in the mood for punk today - seemed fine.
3/5. I don’t have a ton to say about this one honestly. Solid enough early punk album. Better than the Sex Pistols, not as good as the Ramones.
I've loved all of the new (to me) punk bands that I've been exposed to in this project. Especially those that straddle punk and new wave. This album really had a lot of great moments on both sides of that straddle, although I don't think I needed that 3rd version of "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" on the extended edition of the album.
Absolutely bursting with energy, this is all the best things about punk music in one album. Brilliant vocals, tight rhythm, gritty guitar, dark but danceable. Lots of quirky and funny lyrics. Love it! Probably a bit long and repetitive, as an album to listen to straight through, but any song from it stands proudly alone.
A good Punk Album which, although a knew a couple of songs, I hadn’t heard before
3+
brit slop
Meget godt, og ret lige til. tidelig punk unden for meget skabelon.
Punk. Godt. Det starter ud ret standard. Men bliver lidt mere interessant som man kommer ind i albummet.
i didn’t even try to listen to this….
ENOUGH WITH THE PUNK PLEASE
I had Gary Gilmore's Eyes as a single (out of a charity shop) when I was a teenager, so yep, liked this.
Really like 70s British punk, even though a lot sounds the same. This made me check out more bands from the genre though, so that's good. 3/5
Early punk esque yelling rock. Not bad but a lot of it sounds the same
Late 70s punk rock. Debut. Considered one of the best punk albums. Very full, layered sound, great energy. Very long album, but very catchy and well done punk.
4 really good songs. One chord wonders, Bored teenagers, Gary Gilmores eyes and No time to be 21
I really like the sound of this album, and the A-side is packed with classics. After «No Time to be 21» the standard drops quite a bit, so I can’t go all the way up, but it’s a solid album which I’ll revisit when I get the urge
Oi oi fuck off
Not unpleasant but at the same time it becomes annoying and you're happy to be done. 2.5
Pretty fun. A great first track and some cool moments throughout.
Old school English punk
Album Review 073 Crossing The Red Sea With The Adverts by The Adverts (1978) Rating 3.5/5 Crossing The Red Sea… is fine example of the first wave of UK punk and is often cited as being one of the best and most consistent and coherent albums of the genre. There are some good songs on here and the albums is brimming with the energy, anger and disillusionment of 1977/78 UK teenagers. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for it today and need to give it another listen (with more volume and more cider next time), but it’s the old adage of the tallest dwarf or the prettiest pig: it’s a really good UK punk album, but ultimately it’s a UK punk album.
Another British punk album. However, the Clash they are not. This is just okay, nothing mind blowing or particularly special.
Wow! Another completely average record! I'm amazed at how aggressively mediocre everything about it is! This is certainly one of THE albums EVER released! It has drums, a bassist, guitars, and even some guy singing... unbelievable! This list has uncovered another album I had never listened to and won't ever again! Two stars!
The Buzzcocks are calling, just to laugh at your pathetic attempt to rip them off. Buzz off wankers!
I didn't really get a chance to listen to all of this but what I heard was ok, but kinda boring...
First listen the songs blend together but a decent album
Very British, very punk. Not bad, but without the brit-bias this would not have made the list.
I want to like this but it's too monotonous.
Decent brit rock (/punk perhaps?) album. Nice sound and decent grooves. Best song was On Wheels.
Decent. Catchy chords, understandable vocalizations, and not a harmonica in sight. Tracks are only a few minutes long; album is just over half an hour - everything a competent album should be. If I stuck with this long enough, I think some of these tracks would make their way into my long-term memory, but it's not quite interesting enough to inspire that effort.
I’m giving the a generous score. This didn’t stand out bad or good. I did like the overall sound, and vibe.
Quick and punchy punk. Has "that" sound. But it feels more like a stylistic choice than a philosophical one, since the songs themselves don't seem to have much to say. Some tracks are just amateurish. Not sure why I had to listen to this before I die.
Pretty good
Not my genre but think this is pretty good
Yet another new age British rock album that sounds the same throughout... how fun....
Fun punk without being too in-your-face. If I could give half stars, this one would get an extra half, but ultimately it’s not memorable enough to get a full 4.
Good punk album or whatever. I mean it’s not personally in a genre where if I lost it I’d mourn night and day over it but I mean it’s an alright album. Will I ever come back, nah. Will I revisit the band without being forced to by 1001, nah. Will I remember anything about this, nah.
solid punk
pretty nice
makes me angry (in a good way) Best Song: Bored Teenagers Rating: 6/10 Stars: 3/5
Great example of what’s good about this list. I’d never listened to this before and probably won’t again. But I’m really glad to have been exposed to this. Really solid British punk music. They played nice role in the scene. I’ve learned something and better for it.
Another of my reviews didn't save for some reason. Well, I'm not rewriting this one. I said some things about what makes a great punk album great and what makes a mediocre punk album mediocre. But I'm not wasting my time with all of that. This is a two-star album; it's mediocre at best.
British pop punk like this is never a sound that has resonated with, so after a certain point this album was hard to pay attention to. That being said, now I am replaying a few of the songs, there’s definite quality in here, with danceable melodies. New church for example, i’m playing now. and it is enjoyable. Nothing here is of low quality. If i was more partial to the sound of classic punk, I’d probably love this album, maybe this sound will grow on me as i listen to more albums like it.
Todas as músicas são iguais
honestissimo
This is one of the holes in my early punk listening. The short songs are definitely in my wheelhouse so with open ears here we go. I vaguely recognized "Bored Teenagers", I'm sure I've heard it on a mix tape or in a bar or both. Mostly fun stuff and if I'd heard it in the late '70s I'd have bought the album.
Just not THAT interesting
This is a solid example of late 1970s British punk, but not much more. It’s a decent listen, but it doesn’t stand out compared to similar bands of the period. As with a lot of albums on this list that seemed subversive at the time of release, they just don’t impact in the same way today.
I imagine this album might’ve been more impactful when it was first released, especially played live. Listening now, however, I hear pretty generic 70s British punk, with little to mark it out from myriad other (better?) bands of the era. There was also little to distinguish the songs from each other, which meant they did largely blur into one for me, and the best song, ‘Gary Gilmore’s Eyes’, wasn’t even on the original release. This sameness wasn’t helped by the washed-out, reverb-heavy production either. My overall impression is of a decent album that hasn’t really stood the test of time.
This was another fun album I didn't know about, and I was very impressed with the sound that wasn't as aggressive as a lot of other punk from the period. It sounds like it was building the post-punk sound that would evolve well into the 90's.
very punk, really enjoyed
Good punchy British punk rock. At first I was afraid it was going to be yet another noisy album, but it came together alright overall.
American Clash?
Old skool punk rock. Gary Gilmore's Eyes did not feature on the original. One of the memorable punk anthems.
This was significantly better than I feared after the first chord of the first song!
Difficult to remember how imaginative this was in '78, but it now sounds like just another punk album. Gary Gilmore's eyes definitely doesn't have the impact it did at the time and the punk format is just too limited to allow an album of this length to be interesting. 2*
This album had it's moments. Can't say any song really stood out except Gary Gilmore's Eyes. Have no idea why I know this from memory, but Gary Gilmore was the last person to be executed by firing squad in the US. Utah. His last word's were "Let's do this." Some say that's the inspiration for the now famous, Just Do It. Nike motto. F Phil Knight and all his slave shops. F Oregon too. I didn't mind this album overall. Enjoyable for the most part, but nothing really that stands out outside of Gary Gilmore. The last things his eyes saw were guns aimed at his heart. Rightfully so. 3
3.5 Back when I was a young, anarchy-preaching, glue-sniffing 12-year old who had recently discovered the Internet and YouTube for the first time, I remember embarking on a mission to listen to every punk band ever, in ode to my personal favorites at the time, The Ramones. I stumbled upon some Wikipedia article that attempted to list every notable group in alphabetical order, so I worked my way down from the top. I don’t really remember much from that experiment (to be honest, I don’t think I ever made it past the A’s), but two songs still stand out to me now - Stand and Delivery by Adam & The Ants and Gary Gilmore’s Eyes by The Adverts. Lord knows I had no clue who Gary Gilmore was or what his eyes had to do with anything, but boy, did I have this song on repeat - when it came time to getting my first mp3 player and iTunes gift card, I’m almost positive it was one of the first songs I purchased with it. I don’t listen to the song as much now, but it’s certainly still one I have saved on streaming and that pops into the shuffle every once and a while. However, it struck me when this album showed up on this list that I don’t think I’ve ever actually heard anything else by The Adverts since that day in like ‘09 or whatever, and after listening now, I kind of see why. Look, a punk album is always going to get a good score out of me, and I enjoyed my 31 minutes with this one here, but it’s far from a standout in the genre. Topically, there’s really not much being said anywhere, and production-wise, this was pretty rough (which is kind of insane if you look at the guy’s other works). Don’t get me wrong, overproduction and sanitization is the enemy of good punk rock music, but this doesn’t give that raw, visceral feeling, it just kind of feels garbled. That said, if you’re a fan of that first wave, British punk sound like I am, you’ll still likely enjoy this album - that charm is still very much present, though perhaps a bit quieter as compared to similar releases from the era. To bring this review full circle, I went and saw The Damned one night after work last year and made it in time to see their opener, TV Smith. Having never heard of them (I assumed it was a group), I was pleasantly delighted to discover that it was actually the singer of this band, sans his fellow Adverts (I think he lost the rights to the name or something). Regardless, it was a mostly Adverts set - at least as far as I can deduce given the lack of setlist online - and he closed with Gary Gilmore’s Eyes. I can’t say it was any kind of all-time concert performance, but it was a bit of a watershed moment in my ever-growing musical journey. …wait, what do you mean the song wasn’t on the initial pressing of the album?
not my taste
Not super my thing again. Live would probably be cool but all the songs kind of sound the same to me. Just not really my style of music.
Average punk.
A solid punk album, loud, angry, and vaguely catchy.
I did not like this album. It’s not bad but it seemed like something was off in the music. Something was missing. The it factor was missing in this music. You know when a band has it and doesn’t. Even with the bands that were less famous. I was wondering why I had never heard their music because I listen to a lot of late 70s and early 80s punk. It’s just not that good.
On a first listen, I was pretty unimpressed. I didn't dislike it by any means, it just felt like extremely mid early British punk (and it is VERY British). I warmed to it on a second listen. It is indeed profoundly British and of its time. Aside from the occasional bridge or pre-chorus, every song is structured pretty much the same, and the drum and bass is pretty interchangeable. But it's also a good formula. I'd never heard of this band, but I suspect that if they had stuck around, they'd occupy a sub-Buzzcocks space in the annals of early punk, and especially early British punk.
Great British punk, and a fun listen overall. My neck hurts from head bobbing so much.
Not gonna lie I was starting to get a bit bored of 70s-80s Britpop on this list - there's just way too many. However I really enjoyed this one. Bit more energy than expected and I appreciate that.
This is just as solid as lot of the other punk on the list, so unfortunately (or fortunately, depending upon your point of view) I don't have much to say about this album. There's a few really good tracks, though. Favorite track(s): "Safety in Numbers," "On the Roof"
Wow, this is good!
It was fine. Standard British punk from the late 70’s
Where has this been all my life?? This is exactly what I wanted from this project, a band I'd somehow never heard of and instantly loved.
I’m beginning to sense a pattern in the author’s biases…
bunch of guys who don't know how to read learned how to play their instruments from a book
Only 40 albums in and I'm already sick of British punk bands.
The most generic punk rock album you could imagine. It sounds exactly as I thought it would. Basic guitar work, slightly exaggerated vocals and juvenile lyrics. Absolutely forgettable.
angry teenage boy typa music eh
Not bad!
Mid 2.5/5
I'm just a basic bitch. Give me something like this and I'm happy. Straight ahead, not too much faffing around – although surprising amounts of style and skill on show. This is a pretty important album in British punk I guess, although I'd not listened to it as an album before. I'm caught between a 4 and a 5. Heck, it can be a 5.
Kult, aldri hørt om! Var fett
Tbh impressive sound for the 70’s. Sounds ahead of its time.
Too rough
These guys are one-chord wonders, gotta appreciate how creative they can be within such narrow limitations, and their fierceness is authentic. But damn it gets old quick so an compelling album it does not make.
I enjoyed the album surprisingly much. However, you can tell how old it is. I probably won't listen to it again. 3/5
Some real punk rock. I like the vocals though, and it's a surprisingly anthemic opener. The next couple tracks are good too, especially New Church. This is straightforward, fast and loose, and it's definitely not overproduced. It's melodic though and the bouncy bass and speedy tempos will keep you nodding along. I can imagine screaming out some of the choruses if I'd been a young concert goer in 1978 (I wasn't born yet, which made it hard to go to a lot of punk shows). No Time to Be 21 even has a solo, but Safety in Numbers is probably my favourite, aggressive riffing and more fast bass work. Great British Machine is a great closer too. This is a tight little package.
pretty good
very basic, very standard, very borin
i liked how at the very first melody i instantly thought abt how rodrick heffley would enjoy this and how its also giving such an anime music vibe straight out from k-on
It's alright I guess. Some of the references are missing me, the music is fine. It's just kinda forgettable. Maybe their other albums are better?
Not bad UK Punk has some decent bass lines.
I liked this more than Goldie/Timeless and in fact liked it more than I expected to for a punk album, though will probably never press play on it again--still not my thing.
Formative as I expect they were, they scan as another bland Punk album. Not helped by a Wall of Sound style of production, which sounds suitably vinyl, but fundamentally unremarkable. While it gets 3 stars, my own capacity for scanning and appreciating Punk probably deserves less.
I will be seemingly with a smaller majority here and say this is a 3 out of 5 for me. Mostly because I normally don't listen to a lot of punk, but found this more enjoyable. I'm still not sold enough to purchase the album, but I feel like I'd join the unwashed punks and jump around for this.
Some fairly average punk. Didn't mind it but not sure what makes it list-worthy really.
бодрая панкуха!
Never heard of this band so it took my surprise. Wicked rock and roll.
Sounds like generic punk, nothing special about it. Didn't hate it but... meh.
One Chord Wonders: 7/10 MBPW Bored Teenagers: 6/10 MBPW New Church: 5.7/10 On The Roof: 5.3/10 Newboys: 5/10 Bombsite Boy: 5/10 No Time To Be 21: 4.8/10 Safety In Numbers: 4.6/10 Drowning Men: 4.3/10 On Wheels: 4/10 Great British Mistake: 5/10
Never heard this before but I like it and have added a bunch of these songs to the rotation. Nice upbeat poppy punk.
I wouldn’t call it bad, but it doesn’t sound like anything new. Sounds like anything else in this genre without any nuance.
It's punk so sounds the all tracks sound the same
Listening to this list has really made me realize how much I dislike British punk in particular... Some solid ideas both musically and lyrically, but in execution it's just hard to listen to. A shallow and homogenous sound imbued with all the angst of a teenage boy from the suburbs.
it’s not good for me
It was a regular Brit Punk band, nothing stood out in particular.
Time for the monthly, unpleasant dose of British punk.
So much of this was familiar but I think I just thought it was The Damned or something. Great fun album. Love the angst of youth.
Hyper and catchy.
I don’t think it’s for me, got kinda boring
Infectious and found myself toe tapping along.
I like it - nice solid 3 (borderline 4)
Spirited and youthful. Honestly not something of return to.
A fun, energetic band who wants you to know exactly how young they are. They are very self referential, clearly understanding that the music they are making is powerful and arresting, if not exactly complex. You’re unlikely to have a bad time with The Adverts.
Crossing the Red Sea with The Adverts is getting a high 3 from me. Some if it passed me by but a fair bit of it directly sounds like it’s had a big impact on some of my favourites, the rhythm section reminds me of echo and the bunnymen, and I like the overall vibe.
*1978. English punk. *Quick 36 minutes of fun punk. *Not as frantic-sounding as most bands in this genre, much more melodic. *Never heard of these guys before, but I'll revisit this album. RATING - 7/10
Pretty standard '70s British punk, but also lacking something to make it truly great. 2.5
Супер энергично
It’s standard, middle-of-the-road, English punk.
I've never heard of The Adverts before, but the description compared them to the Sex Pistols, who I can't stand, so I was somewhat dreading this. Majorly pleasant surprise - quite an enjoyable listening experience. The lyrics weren't too special, but the music was fun. Little bit generic as far as punk goes, but there were moments where it did something different and played around with rhythm and tempos in a cool way. Feels like a really obvious influence of Kaiser Chiefs. Random additional thought... Electric Six - Gay Bar has the clapping from "No Time to Be 21". Low 4.
gary gilmore's eyes - in 1977 gary gilmore was the first person in ten years to be killed by the death penalty in the US (firing squad). He was convicted of murdering two people and he, himself, demanded the death penalty. Gilmore also requested his body parts be donated. Two people received transplants of his corneas. The song supposes these recipients are stigmatized and facing a tormenting dilemma by receiving the cold blooded killer's eyes: "The doctors are avoiding me. My vision is confused. . . . The eye receives the messages, And sends them to the brain. No guarantee the stimuli must be perceived the same... " Kinda like that Simpsons's Halloween episode "Hell Toupee" where Homer gets a hair transplant from Snake after he's executed. Post-transplant the hair causes Homer to kill Moe and Apu for revenge, becomes sentient, etc. Classic Americana!
I love a good punk album and this is a great punk album. Just classic British punk from the 70s. It's punk, but all the songs don't sound the same like they can on some punk albums. Loved it!
Never heard of these guys, after one listen nothing really stood out very much and it seems like very average 70s UK Punk. Not sure why this is on the list, 2, perhaps 3 stars but that's pushing a bit.
Crossing The Red Sea definitely a seminal album in the British first-wave punk scene. I have wanting to listen to this album for a long while, as I'm a bit of aficionado for first-wave punk, even though the runtime is a little over 30 minutes I just for some reason never bothered. This was definitely worth the listen,. I prefer the album cover with T.V. Smith (?) against a dark background then the one here. I also wish "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" was on here it would only add to the already amazing release, the other singles are here but not "Gary Gilmore's Eyes." Highlight Song/s: "Bored Teenagers" and "No Time to Be 21"
Zippy and fun
Felt repetitive and a bit of a chore to get through. Not awful but too few right spots
3, but a very very low 3.
Never heard of them before but this was amazing
Decent but not a standout
Scrappy, high-strung songs built from buzzing guitars, sharply punched bass lines, and brisk, no-frills drumming, with vocals delivered in a brittle, urgent yelp that sounds perpetually on edge, move this Punk album like sprinting across thin ice, raw, tense, driven by nervous momentum rather than finesse and about to break. Unfortunately not available in Deezer. Listening trough YouTube is always such a pain.
ще один британський панк гурт
Pretty cool old punk. Never heard of them. Keen to listen again and read the lyrics
One chord wonders amei parecia um pombo a abanar a cabeça New church, vamos criar uma nova religião i guess Gary Gilmores eyes - wtfff Amei a transição entre a gary gilmores eyes e a bombsite boy Eu nos meus 20 a ouvir no time to be 21 🤡 Foi bue vives abanar a cabeça pombo style
One of the better punk albums I've heard thus far in my life. They ain't no Clash or Ramones, but they're not that far off, either. If the album ended a few tracks earlier, probably a 4star album, but towards the backhalf I found myself routinely checking to see how many songs were left, as it dragged into generic territory.
Never heard of this or this band. Pleasantly surprised! 4/5
My first time listening to or hearing of the Adverts, and I was pleasantly impressed. I'm not entirely sure how much 1970s UK 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 a good listen. 3⭐️
Not obnoxious punk, but not really amazing either.
Pretty kick ass Britpunk.
It was ok … it’s a shame the best song on the album wasn’t on the original release
I want to thank Robert Dimery for making me realise how much I FUCKING HATE punk music. I abhor British punk with a passion, actually the British as a whole. EUROPE IS MORE THAN THE UK. I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE. This list is making me hate the Brits more and more each day; they're gonna end up as my sworn enemy by the time i finish this.
Good British punk. Not great, but has it's moments. Favorite track: Gary Gilmore's Eyes
I hadn’t heard this before, but it’s pretty bog-standard 1970s punk. Inoffensive. But not—in any way— essential.
That was a lot of fun. Great early punk.
3.5 bien correcto punk rock ochentoso
7/10 Nice driving tracks with some novel melodies that scratch an itch 12-29-2025
One of the better punk albums I've heard. Thanks.
The British punk rock groups are starting to blur for me, but I thought this was pretty solid.
really liked this album faves: one chord wonders and bored teenagers
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 was fine I guess
I’m sure that during this period, The Adverts were an exciting band. Nowadays, their sound is definitely raw and to the point. Still, I wasn’t blown away by this record. The band lacks the edge that made other bands sound so great during this era of punk. Every song sort of blends together with their fast paced instrumentation and the fuzziness of the production itself.
I’d never heard of the Adverts before this, but this turned out to be a solid little punk album. It’s fast, sharp, and gets in and out without wasting time, which I always appreciate with punk. The songs have bite, the energy stays high, and it never feels bloated. Nothing flashy, just good, straightforward punk done right. Definitely a cool discovery and an easy album to enjoy front to back. Favorite song: One Chord Wonders
Early punk - I can hear the sounds they inspired over the years.
not bad that 7/10
Not bad but to be honest the songs all kind of sound the same to me and all sound (to me) like every other punk song I've ever heard. Which I guess is fine if you're into that. I'll give it a three because it's not my thing but is maybe objectively decent?
Another triple blind. Pretty garden variety British Invasion type stuff. Not that impressed…
Feels like standard punk fare to me. Not bad, good for skateboarding to!
The challenge with 1000 albums is that a huge portion are not bad, but they dont stand out. This one is one of the many. A good rock album, not much to say. Favorite track was Gary gillmores eyes
ugh
Pretty basic punk rock nothing special. My favorite song was Great British Mistake.
Pretty bland generic punk
Liked it overall, but missing a really standout track!
I won’t make a habit of playing this, but quite enjoyed the album. An energetic example of late 70s British punk, if you’re looking for it.
This is like listening to your friend's local garage band, recorded in an actual garage.
Great punk album. Nothing standing out as particularly memorable but I dig this
gary gilmore's eyes is crazy I love it like a 3.5 - every song is good, but every song is also really similar
I enjoyed this never heard album a lot. Had an edge along with humor. Gary Gilmore's eyes is a great song.
GOING IN: No strong feelings LISTENED WHILE: Walking the dog, am. FAMILIARITY: New to me SKIP RATE: Skipped half of it REPLAY VALUE: Once was plenty DISCOVERY CURVE: Never happened ALBUM ARC: Pretty even, consistent VERDICT: Fair enough BODY'S VERDICT: Toe tapping situation My Rating: 1 Very tame "punk"
Same, same British Punk
I mean... it sounds like punk rock to me. 3/5
Hmm. I'd never heard of these guys before. Shame! This is quality 70's British punk. I was definitely in the mood to hear this today, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Nothing groundbreaking, but I'll likely listen again.
I'm not a hugr fan of early British punk, but this was pretty good. There's some nice riffs and interesting lyrics, and I generally enjoyed listening. I probably won't ever revisit this, but it was good for one listen.
I had never listened to an Adverts album but I knew a couple songs from a 70s punk compilation called No Thanks! That compilation included Gary Gilmore’s Eyes, the charming story of a man that receives an eye transplant from a serial killer. That was on my Halloween mix for awhile. I enjoyed this album and liked Bombsite Boy especially, but if I’m going for this era and groove I’m probably still listening to the Buzzcocks.
This is really a 3.5, but I'm being xmas-generous and also trying to give fewer 3's. Pretty good but could use more variety. The guitars reminded me a lot of the more melodic subset of Clash songs (Death or Glory, say). Which is a good thing.
4/5 - Wasn't familiar with these guys at all. Probably dozens of UK punk bands that I could say the same about, I suppose. Production here was better than expected. Overall, good stuff.
I'm probably biased, as a 50-something Brit, but since I had to interrupt my evening listening to Christmas carols for something a bit more frenetic, then I'm very pleased that it was tuneful British punk and that, hooray, there was even a woman in the band. This had a lightness to it, and some proper tunes. It's not my go-to genre these days, but I really enjoyed it. I guess it was, literally, part of the soundtrack of my youth, hearing this sort of thing pop up on Top of the Pops, alongside ABBA, Althea and Donna, Rose Royce and Sweet (I looked it up; that's from a real episode). The seventies really did offer everything, for music. In a world where I generally don't understand genre descriptions, this sound, to me, exactly sums up "punk" and it was great.
Fun listen.
Moses making everybody cross the Red Sea BUT you have to watch 3 unskippable 30 second adverts? Terrible idea
Definite solid punk vibe going on here. One Chord Wonders has to be one of the best rock song titles ever. Silly shit, I like it.
This started off pretty interesting but settled in the more anecdotal. I didn't have any song I wanted to listen to again without it being necessarily being a duff album. Worth exploring a bit more maybe?
1. chord - 1.5 2. teenagerz -1 3. church - 1.5 4. Roof -1.5 5. Boys - 1.5 6. Eyes - 0 7. Boy - 1.5 8. Time - 1 9. Numbers - 1.5 10. Dawns -1 11. Men - 1.5 12. Wheels - 1 13. Mistake -1
Basic British punk rock but I’m a sucker for this stuff. I love how raw the vocals are, feels like something I’d listen to when I was 15 getting into harsher music.
Standouts: New boys Great British Mistake Insane album cover I can't name you a single song but at the same time I was jamming to all of them. Great British Mistake was amazing and showed how much potential these guys have if they experimented more with their sound Guilty Pleasure 4
A lot better than I would usually give an album like this. But it's pretty good in places
Lots of short songs, but they all sound kind of the same. Sounds a bit like The Ramones or many others in their neck of the woods. I've heard Gary Gilmore's Eyes somwhere before.
Never heard of The Adverts prior to this album; having no expectations before listening has always made this project a hell of a lot more fun. This may be the first punk rock artist on the journey so far. Always struggled to grasp the lyrics with Punk Rock and, with the first song 'One Chord Wonders', it's no different. 'Bored Teenagers' is slightly better on that front, but I got lost in the bass too much to care. As the album progressed, I got further lost in the instruments and how contrasted and distinct the "punk sound" is from other genres of rock that it didn't matter if it's lead singer spoke English at all; I just didn't care about, what I assume to be, some anti-establishment/ disenfranchised youth crap. For it's sinister droning bassline alone, "On the Roof" became an instant favourite. Throughout the album, there are a number of tracks that have great basslines, which single handedly kept my attention through the album; tracks like "No time to be 21" and "Safety in Numbers". Despite this, the composition at the start of "We Who Wait" grabbed me immediately, then I was lost again as soon as the lead singer came in. Between a lack of musical vocabulary and being unable to understand the lead singer on my part, as well as a lack of distinction between songs, I felt there wasn't enough here to break down each individual track. Despite this, I did enjoy my time with this album and possibly just need to be exposed to more Punk Rock.
This had some bangers
There are some really boring Americans in the reviews who seem to think that 'British' is its own genre that only has room for a few bands. This is great
Heavy British Punk influence
Underrated British punk.
Ho-hum UK punk rock from 1978. Singer T. V. Smith lacks a distinctive voice, putting him in the company of the dozens of anonymous punk rock shouters of the time. The band's sound is also pretty generic three-chord distorted rama-lama with no memorable tunes or hooks.
Yet another punk period angry album.
>Be British in the 70s >Starts a punk band. I can name like 20.
Nice short punky tracks - decent
Alright
This is #day482 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… here's something from the late '70s again, right? I'd never heard of this band before, but I'm pretty into this era (especially early post-punk), and this record feels like one of those documents that capture its fleeting spirit. "On the Roof" and "Bombsite Boy” are probably my favorite cuts. Also fun to learn about Gaye Black, "one of punk's first female icons." The bass is really prominent throughout. This is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day483.
This was ok. It all kinda blended together, but there were some interesting songs. I've never heard of The Adverts, but I was 2 when this came out, so I guess that makes sense.
Empieza bien el disco y luego parece la misma canción con distinto título. A ratos tiene uno que otro chispazo para recordarte que aún lo escuchas.
de este sí no sabía de su existencia. de esas bandas que solo tienen una rola y lo demás son variaciones sobre un mismo tema. y es una buena rola pero alch sí se me hizo pesado, que para un disco tan corto no es buena señal. la primera y la última canción x mucho las mejores
Noises average
Had potential but didn't love it
Its punk, but there's better punk.
j'ai l'impression d'écouter toujours la même chanson.
Rockin’ punk album. Only gave it one listen, will 100% be revisiting. I know it’s technically not on the OG album but man Gary Gilmore’s Eyes is so good.
When I played this album at the office, I was told right from the start that I was supposed to play middle-of-the-road music. I continued listening at home. Much of the same, the songs are full of energy.
Gary Gilmore’s Eyes is one of the best songs of all time
Yeah, pretty much every song sounds the same. British punk kinda sucks. Is this the definitive british punk album? not a fan.
Good punk album, but somehow feels a bit less timeless, and more of its time, than some of its peers. 3.6 stars.
More same-y British punk from the 70s. Like I'm sorry, but this list has too many omissions for me to give this the benefit of the doubt. If the Clash are on this list, The Adverts don't need to be.
Not bad actually, would give this another listen
Shame the band didn't last longer, it's raw British punk at it's finest.