Crossing the Red Sea with The Adverts

It’s good, for what it is. Which is 70s punk, which means the bar is low. Theres very little on Wikipedia about the band or this album, except a quote that calls it the equal of the Sex Pistols debut.

I will simply say that although I do not like 70s punk very much, I have heard of the Sex Pistols, and their debut. I have never, until today, heard of the Adverts.

I’m not saying this album doesn’t belong here, it’s better than many I’ve heard, but I don’t know, man. No Deftones? No Tool? But this?

Wanted to like this a lot more than I did. I usually dig this style/era, and I definitely didn't *dislike* this, but it felt like a lesser version of much better bands and records. Smith's writing is pretty strong - "Bombsite Boy" and "Great British Mistake" were lyrical highlights - but I think his vocals are a bit lacking, and there was little from a melodic or instrumental standpoint that stood out to me. I'll revisit it eventually, but on first listen, I'm not sure it holds up to Buzzcocks, The Undertones, or a slew of other groups from this scene, let alone the Clash or Sex Pistols.

3/5

This is fun classic British punk. I think the first half is better than the second. Favorite songs were One Chord Wonders, New Church, Newboys, and Gary Gilmore’s Eyes.

Pretty run of the mill

Brit punk is okay!

Really fun and energetic listen, classic Punk. The first few songs are incredibly and really pull you in right away. It doesn't ever really lose steam. Sometimes albums like this can get a bit tiresome because its just fast and raw songs one after another, but this one didn't really feel like that. Gotta spend some more time with this album but I really enjoyed it.

Perfectly serviceable punk, but yeah, just more British punk in the list. It's really interesting because this is the second punk/post-punk album I've got recently where the music's fine, but give that bassist a raise, lol. Gaye Advert's got some great basslines on this.

The highlight is Safety in Numbers. It's got a darker vibe to it compared to most of the album, which I like.

I dig the more melodic, emotional edge it brings to punk. Lyrically it's pretty solid too. I found it pretty enjoyable.

One of the better late 70s UK punk albums. Unusual in the fact that that the singer can sing and most of the band can play their instruments (though the drummer is totally out of his depth).

It's alright late 70s British punk, which has pop leanings. Unlike some American or hardcore stuff, less experimental as well, more produced and less DIY sounding. There are exceptions on both sides of course. Thematically this stuff is more like what I understand "pub rock" to be, a little violent and reflecting a lower economic class' attitude as a reaction to the last ten years of hippie infused prog nonsense.

But The Adverts are leaning to pop more than even The Damned, maybe not as much as The Stranglers. "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" has a spooky feel, I want to call it proto-goth. Overall well done with a couple of snoozers and nothing really exciting or outstanding in a genre crowded witgh interesting and important music.

Crossing the Red Sea With the Adverts is a pretty decent album. It is a late 70s British punk album so it has all the bells and whistles you would expect from an album with all of these characteristics and in my opinion, its done pretty well. The songs all have that fast paced and rebellious energy that you would expect to see from a punk album like this making the album rush by and really never getting all too tedious. Granted, this album is very samey and also very cheesy as it does have all the quirks of late 70s british punk rock albums but i still enjoyed this album for being a fun, inoffensive listen.
Best Song: Safety In Numbers
Worst Song: Bored Teenagers

It is 70s punk. That is about all I can say.

Pretty good 70s British punk. I knew a few of the songs from before but liked listening to the whole album.

Started kinda weak, but I ended up enjoying it.

OK, there's certainly better albums of this era but enjoyed the listen

Don’t like punk? Try this! It’s punk lite!

I will not include "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" and "New Day Dawns" in this review, as they were bonus tracks added in subsequent reissues of this album. I'm also not including the live tracks and radio edits tacked on at the end.

I listened to The Adverts from their single "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" earlier this year. They were a short-lived UK punk group founded by frontman T.V. Smith and bassist Gaye Advert. They were one of the first to achieve mainstream success, and Gaye was one of the first female punk stars. I'd say on the historical significance, they're worth a mention on this list.

As for their debut album itself, Crossing the Red Sea is an enjoyable, frenetic affair where the whole band played with tenacity for these youthful rebellion anthems. From tackling blind faith on "New Faith" to staying defiant with certainty on "Bombsite Boy" and control of thought on "Great British Mistake", T.V. Smith snarled with such conviction as Howard Pickup laid down fast guitar hooks and Gaye and Laurie Driver matched with their tight rhythm section. Probably my favorite song was "No Time to Be 21" with the most prominent guitar lines, as the lyrics embodied pure defiance of societal norms.

I know there are plenty of UK punk acts that this list pulls from, so it may be hard to justify another one of them for inclusion. Also, I probably would have appreciated more visceral detail and varied subject matter, as most of this album can be boiled down to general angst against perceived authoritative figures. But as one of the first genuine punk albums from the country that broke out in a short time with an album this good, I'd say they're worth digging up.

Trapped in the 70s... the opposite of the land of milk and honey. This band is new to me. They're punk alright. They're British alright. Songs are short. They all sound pretty similar, but that's typical for a first listen, I suppose. The idea of eye(part) transplants always unnerved me as a kid (and adult?), so I guess they tapped into something with that Gary Gilmore joint.

Highlight: 'Bored Teenagers'

It's pretty alright. Decent punk, but nothing that stands out, and most of the tracks blend together.

It's a good album....