justcoolvinyl

I’m not sure that they can duplicate this record but this is a true punk rock statement. As a male, I was physically uncomfortable listening to this record. However, when combined with the live performance I could not stop watching. And perhaps that is the point. This record is a shared experience and I would imagine that how you connect with this record depends entirely on you. There are very few records, let alone punk rock records where you are aware that the music is truly trying to make a connection with you as an individual rather than an audience. If you have any doubts about your individual capacity for empathy and love, this album is a test. It is not a traditional punk rock record. It is very similar to how Minutemen’s Double Nickels on the Dime changed the trajectory of what it means to be both a punk and the sound of punk rock. This is that album in 2026. It is also not for everyone and I also get that. I’m from Vancouver originally and have followed bands from that town for 50 years. There are no predecessors to Piss. None. So, with that said, give it a listen. Then take a break. I took at least 10 days to revisit after the first listen. Does it get easier? Not for me, but the experience is unique for a record. Honestly, I am surprised it’s on Sub Pop. It’s a better fit for Neon Taste/ Drunken Sailor which have Bootlicker and Chain Whip. Ah well. Let’s see how the next year plays out. I can’t wait to see where this band goes. 9/10

If you are hearing this in 2026 for the first time you would probably think this was some warped version of Soft Cell. It’s just freaking weird. When it came out in 1977, I thought it was an amazing take on glam, proto-punk, psych-rock and a the then new wave of electronic artists which were the architects of synth punk including Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle, Kraftwerk, Can and Faust. The real mind blower was the use of then novel, delay to great effect. A couple of certified classics that influenced a ton of bands including The Slickee Boys, Psychotic Pineapple and The Fleshtones. Ghost Rider, Rocket U.S.A. and Cheree are such a classic trio of songs I legitimately never got tired of playing them. They are such distinct songs yet the similarities are what make them standout. Every once in a while you hear them being played in a bar or before a concert and they are immediately recognizable as Suicide. Then you get to side 2 and Frankie Teardrop blows your freakin mind. This you’d never play on repeat because it is such a powerful and disturbing song that when played loud it will disrupt your heart rhythm. You’ll understand this when you play the song. There is a repetitive pattern that underlines the track building tension as the song becomes darker and darker. It reminds me of the sound of a lightbulb being amplified. The shrieking is unsettling. Hence, I mostly listened to side 1. I’d forgotten that there was a track after, Che which also is dark. The sound of night with vocals. Hooray Hooray…Che Che…. Honestly, a brilliant record that is unique to this day. 5/5

Not another Neil record. Anyone who tries to see you that approximately seven Neil record belongs on a list of the 1001 albums you should listen to in your lifetime is both a liar and full of shit. If you go back and comb through my prior reviews you’ll get my thoughts on his entire catalog. Short version. I like the idea of Neil better than Neil. I like him because he’s Canadian. He is fucking whiny. This album has the only listenable tracks in his catalog - Powderfinger and Hey Hey My My - both halves. Two - it’s a small number. Does this album belong here. Of course it doesn’t but as all of you have observed by this point, half the records on this list don’t belong. My life would not have changed at all as a young teen today encountering these records for the first time without any prior musically experience. As I am at the other end of the musical listening experience- hindsight is a bitch. I’d have done things differently. I’d limit it to only one album per artist. There are only a handful of artists who have made two genius records in their careers. There would be no Dylan, Steely fucking Dan, Eagles or Red Hot Chili Peppers on the list. I’d be wary of anything a professional music pimp, I mean music critic has hyped because they are mostly idiots. You get it. Oh, and Neil in his myriad of forms littered throughout this list, likely wouldn’t make it either. So, whattabout this album? Well, it doesn’t suck but it doesn’t really standout except the two tracks I mentioned. Its average so 3/5.

I’m honestly a little mixed about this record. As records go it is the perfect mix of its influences (Blue Oyster Cult, Good Aerosmith, Good Kiss, and a dash of Def Leppard) mixed with Axl sauce and Slash Pepper to come up with a pretty listenable slice of pop metal. There are some punk undertones on a couple of tracks - notably It’s So Easy and Rocket Queen but in the main it’s a stadium ready rock album made to appeal to the masses and a surprisingly large number of strippers… I mean exotic dancers. When this came out on my numerous trips back home to Canada, when I hit the pub with my friends I heard the entire album so many times that you could associate various dancers with the songs they preferred. It was honestly a head trip seeing several dancers strip to Mr. Brownstone. That means a records good, right? Consequently, the record is actually a recorded cliche covering sex, drugs and rock n roll. But who cares, it’s great at parties. I’m not sure it belongs on this list to be fair as it really is not that revolutionary, influential or unique given the readily identifiable influences, but I’m not going to knock it down for that. 4/5

This is a pile of crap. Okay, not a big pile but still a pile. I get that there is a dedicated group of people who thought these shallow love songs were great. They are not. A Hard Day’s Night and Can’t Buy Me Love are catchy, energetic and lyrically shallow. I get this is the first album that is Lennon/McCartney but the majority of songs are formulaic - well played but all verse chorus verse with Harrison’s Rickenbacker doing much of the heavy lifting. I guess if you like folk rock, loved the Everly Brothers and generally were an aficionado of late 50’s rock n roll, you’d spend time playing this but I’d venture to say that most people can’t hum the melodies of more than half the record. I get that some say this is the Beatles zenith- their best record. Rational humans know it is not. It’s sugar with no substance and looking back which is often dangerous, highlights the weakness of this record. 2/5