Customer Reviews

Crossing the Red Sea

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the finest single album to come out of the '77 school of brit punk rock...and there were some darn good ones, for that matter. The production sounds a bit tinny, the drumming is stiff, the instrumentation is amateurish...but in spite of all that the songs convey desperation, excitement, anger, strangeness, and energy like few othe records I've ever heard. Plus the songwriting is great...tune after tune, each song sounds totally original and is totally -stick-in-your-head catchy. Brilliant. Buy it.

This is a seriously under-rated album.It was in 1977 and it is still tragically now.There are no bad tracks and loads of early punk classics.TV Smith can actually sing which is a bonus and the album flows from start to finish.Get an Attitude find what it was all about.Go on I dare you!

The Adverts are by far one of the greatest punk bands to emerge from the whole 70's scene, and yet are so overshadowed by other "big" name punk bands. If you like old punk you have to own an Adverts album, however, I would recommend buying Cast of Thousands if you're going to pick one. The songs are more varied (in my opinion) and pretty much every song on the album is indispensable and brilliant.

One of the best albums of punk rock and the 70s as a whole. Few punk bands have managed to make such catchy yet still punk songs as this British ensemble. TV Smith was a true punk frontman, equally adept at writing songs and singing them. And like all great punk bands, the Adverts can have a sense of humor if they want, albiet a very dark one, as shown by the classic and contorversial single "Gary Gilmore's Eyes". That isn't the only classic included on this album. It's no wonder why the Adverts were amoung the most popular punk bands of the time. They knew how to reach out to their audience without becoming angsty. "One Chord Wonders" and "Bored Teenagers" perfectly show this. You may want to track down some live Adverts stuff also, because they manage to improve on the already great standards. As much of an essential as "Damned Damned Damned" or "Singles Going Steady".

the reviewer from south africa is an idiot! He obviously didn't take time to listen to the album (bah, who needs to? just writing a review of the damn thing). How can I tell? He refers to gaye advert being a "vocalist". All she does is play bass, you moron. Who can confuse TV Smith's vocals with a womans?? Go ahead and play this album next to never mind the bollocks. What will you notice?? Smarter lyrics, more complicated timings, and no ridiculous over produced "anarchy".

This is the finest single album to come out of the '77 school of brit punk rock...and there were some darn good ones, for that matter. The production sounds a bit tinny, the drumming is stiff, the instrumentation is amateurish...but in spite of all that the songs convey desperation, excitement, anger, strangeness, and energy like few othe records I've ever heard. Plus the songwriting is great...tune after tune, each song sounds totally original and is totally -stick-in-your-head catchy. Brilliant. Buy it.

Yes, this is vintage British punk but quite frankly, the album as a whole doesn't make for a great listening experience. That's because the songs all sound the same. Sure, they're fast, loud and defiant, and the female vocalist Gaye Advert looked so cool, especially with her vampish mascara, but some of the songs lack proper tunes and distinguishing features. Just compare Sex Pistols' "Never Mind The Bollocks," which has the same energy and anger but where the different songs are easily recognisable. The only reason I'm giving it 3 stars stars is because of the classic "Gary Gilomore's Eyes."