as i've grown and my tastes have moved more towards pop than rock i've started to think that "12:51" is actually the best song on this album, but since it's a single i'm not going to vote for it
"what ever happened?" is a fav for the being a kick-ass album opener & for having maybe their best guitar solo, "under control" is probably one of my 5 fav songs by them
i used to think the middle songs ("you talk way too much" thru "meet me in the bathroom") were kinda weak but they're real hooky & kind of have a great tossed off quality about them
the last three songs are also mad underrated two, "the way it is" & "i can't win" kind of have this... it's not a sheen to them necessarily but they're definitely much "brighter sounding" (i know) then lots of strokes songs, esp the end of 'is this it'
― rather shipped (J0rdan S.), Wednesday, 30 September 2009 00:37 (fourteen years ago) link
i voted for 'whatever happened'
― rather shipped (J0rdan S.), Wednesday, 30 September 2009 00:38 (fourteen years ago) link
you can really trace all the shitty vague conspiracy theorist/wack political lyrics on 'first impressions' back to "the end has no end"
― rather shipped (J0rdan S.), Wednesday, 30 September 2009 00:39 (fourteen years ago) link
really it's a shame that they tried to become a big & famous alt rock band with their third album (this is funny too seeing as it happened to king of leon which is a weird 'the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog' turn of events) because they really should've just become the cars & done a fun, summery album with keyboards cuz the songs on 'room on fire' with guitars made to sound like keyboards are all amazing
― rather shipped (J0rdan S.), Wednesday, 30 September 2009 00:43 (fourteen years ago) link
597,000 sales and certified gold in the US as of October 2006.
does anyone know how many copies this album has sold to date?
― Bee OK, Wednesday, 30 September 2009 02:51 (fourteen years ago) link
597,001 copies.
― Roman Polanski now sleeps in prison. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 30 September 2009 02:55 (fourteen years ago) link
haha
― Bee OK, Wednesday, 30 September 2009 02:58 (fourteen years ago) link
Hoo boy I absolutely hated this album.
― Mr. Snrub, Wednesday, 30 September 2009 03:01 (fourteen years ago) link
man this is pretty tough, great album.
― Mewtwo-er if you want this encore, pikachu until your bulbasaur (M@tt He1ges0n), Wednesday, 30 September 2009 03:45 (fourteen years ago) link
lol i think i've posted that exact post in like 120 album poll threads.
my fav album of theirs. probably automatic stop, especially for the "waaaait, ima gonna give you a break" part.
― rent, Wednesday, 30 September 2009 03:55 (fourteen years ago) link
"reptilia" slightly over "under control" but there is a lot to love here
― skeletor, Wednesday, 30 September 2009 04:02 (fourteen years ago) link
Glad someone finally said Reptilia.
― Popture, Wednesday, 30 September 2009 04:12 (fourteen years ago) link
end has no end
― spiny doughboy (baaderonixx), Wednesday, 30 September 2009 07:23 (fourteen years ago) link
4:51
― just sayin, Wednesday, 30 September 2009 08:11 (fourteen years ago) link
what ever happened
― kornrulez6969, Wednesday, 30 September 2009 09:59 (fourteen years ago) link
You Talk Way Too Much for the VU riff. Great album though, incredibly underappreciated.
― Samuel (a hoy hoy), Wednesday, 30 September 2009 10:25 (fourteen years ago) link
Yeah love this album, voted for Reptilia. First Impressions of Earth was fucking unlistenable. What happened?
― nate woolls, Wednesday, 30 September 2009 10:27 (fourteen years ago) link
i guess they thought they had to change?? would have been so happy if they'd just kept on putting out the same album
― just sayin, Wednesday, 30 September 2009 10:45 (fourteen years ago) link
They're a minor band, always were? To me it's a miracle they coughed up two excellent albums. I didn't expect much from them.
― Roman Polanski now sleeps in prison. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 30 September 2009 11:10 (fourteen years ago) link
Reptilia
― modescalator (blueski), Wednesday, 30 September 2009 11:49 (fourteen years ago) link
Reptlia or You Talk Way Too Much.
I like this album best than the first one. Now let me listen to some Little Joy
― Shin Oliva Suzuki, Wednesday, 30 September 2009 11:58 (fourteen years ago) link
I still have hopes they can put out another good record soon. Just see that FIOE was a giant fuck-up and just bang out some more tunes (maybe with added keyboard but 'lol experimenting away from solid formula' should not be allowed again anytime soon.)
― Samuel (a hoy hoy), Wednesday, 30 September 2009 12:01 (fourteen years ago) link
maybe with added keyboard
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/video/offbeat/2009/05/06/moos.keyboard.cat.cnn.576x324.jpg
― Shin Oliva Suzuki, Wednesday, 30 September 2009 12:08 (fourteen years ago) link
'Reptilia'. Obviously.
― Ismael Klata, Wednesday, 30 September 2009 12:21 (fourteen years ago) link
it's "12:51", "between love&hate" and "end has no end" for me.I loved the synth/guitar sound and riff on "12:51" and "end has no end" has a personal meaning but listening to the album for the first time in years recently, the one I had the most pleasure hearing was "love&hate" which I had kinda forgotten, so maybe that one.
― AlXTC from Paris, Wednesday, 30 September 2009 12:29 (fourteen years ago) link
Under Control
― a wicked 60s beat poop combo (Pancakes Hackman), Wednesday, 30 September 2009 12:35 (fourteen years ago) link
What happened?
A musician friend of mine said the rumor was that First Impressions of Earth was their "democratic" record, where they all had a hand in the songwriting. Before that it was all Julian Casablancas songs.
― kornrulez6969, Wednesday, 30 September 2009 13:44 (fourteen years ago) link
also, diff producer from the first two recs, which i think made a big diff - i hate the more generic rocksound production of that third alb
as for the poll, today im going to pick meet me in the bathroom, but i love almost everything on here apart from under control, after someone (correctly) said it sounded like the red hot chilli peppers
― Ward Fowler, Wednesday, 30 September 2009 13:49 (fourteen years ago) link
JC's new song btw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtlpAGs04Dg
― modescalator (blueski), Wednesday, 30 September 2009 21:11 (fourteen years ago) link
I liked it when I heard it; sounds like old Strokes.
― Roman Polanski now sleeps in prison. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 30 September 2009 21:14 (fourteen years ago) link
i cant win.
― piscesx, Thursday, 1 October 2009 02:26 (fourteen years ago) link
its not your fault, thats just the way it is.
― Josh L, Thursday, 1 October 2009 14:40 (fourteen years ago) link
some things'll never change
― Mewtwo-er if you want this encore, pikachu until your bulbasaur (M@tt He1ges0n), Thursday, 1 October 2009 14:46 (fourteen years ago) link
finally had a chance to listen to this today and it wasn't as good as i remembered. it was just alright...
voting for "The End Has No End."
― Bee OK, Saturday, 3 October 2009 04:36 (fourteen years ago) link
Is This It went platinum? Really?
― billstevejim, Saturday, 3 October 2009 05:09 (fourteen years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Saturday, 3 October 2009 23:01 (fourteen years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Sunday, 4 October 2009 23:01 (fourteen years ago) link
Two things I don't understand:1. Reptilia winning this2. Under control sounds like RHCP????
― 2009 Nominee, Best African (Whitey on the Moon), Sunday, 4 October 2009 23:45 (fourteen years ago) link
Ignored this record at the time, but heard it the other day and thought it sounded pretty damn good. Not quite as fresh & immediate as Is This It?, but not far from it, either.
― That's not just me saying that, that's the Pentagon. (contenderizer), Monday, 5 October 2009 00:02 (fourteen years ago) link
Jadedness is part of the appeal imo
― Niles Caulder, Monday, 5 October 2009 00:14 (fourteen years ago) link
so pissed u did this while i was on holidays btw
― plax (I know, right?), Monday, 26 October 2009 11:20 (fourteen years ago) link
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wiA1Mqv-XMA/TVmBJWvPWiI/AAAAAAAABis/7SqDQwjc7F4/s1600/The_Strokes-Room_On_Fire-Trasera.jpg
― piscesx, Sunday, 20 March 2011 04:42 (thirteen years ago) link
<3
is that new york in the background?
also i think i'd def say this is my favorite album of theirs now, but it's v close
― blingee cummings (J0rdan S.), Sunday, 20 March 2011 04:47 (thirteen years ago) link
mm my fave picture of them i guess it's NY? i still bloody LOVE this record. LOVE it.
― piscesx, Sunday, 20 March 2011 04:53 (thirteen years ago) link
Jules sounding a tad T. Zedek on "Whatever Happened"
― Raymond Cummings, Wednesday, 29 February 2012 13:26 (twelve years ago) link
still holds up. almost as good as the debut IMO.
― piscesx, Monday, 2 March 2015 11:03 (nine years ago) link
agreed and because of this bump i'm going to get out the old CD and play this tomorrow.
― Bee OK, Wednesday, 4 March 2015 04:24 (nine years ago) link
Agreed also, though it is let down by the very boring last three songs. "Under Control" = their finest moment.
― Freedom, Wednesday, 4 March 2015 08:31 (nine years ago) link
the strokes look right knackered on the back of room on fire
― flappy bird (spazzmatazz), Wednesday, 4 March 2015 09:07 (nine years ago) link
boring last three songs? "the end has no end" >>>>>>
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Wednesday, 4 March 2015 11:27 (nine years ago) link
best strokes album
the riff on reptillia >>
i got lost looking for the rap thread
― joeyshoshoshabadoo, Wednesday, 4 March 2015 12:00 (nine years ago) link
Surprised automatic stop didn't do better. This is a good album
― Treeship, Wednesday, 4 March 2015 12:39 (nine years ago) link
Brilliant album. Easily my favourite of theirs.
Agree with Freedom that Under Control is their finest moment. The only song that isn't great is The Way It Is.
― Kitchen Person, Wednesday, 4 March 2015 14:17 (nine years ago) link
"meet me in the bathroom" is also not great. i agree about "under control", though, and about the goodness of this album.
― brimstead, Wednesday, 4 March 2015 22:38 (nine years ago) link
i really disliked 12:51 at first but it grew on me, maybe due to hearing it in the context of the album or something
― brimstead, Wednesday, 4 March 2015 22:39 (nine years ago) link
Same here. I remember listening to it for the first time and being so gutted when it ended. Love it now though but still don't think it should have been the first single.
― Kitchen Person, Wednesday, 4 March 2015 23:18 (nine years ago) link
I wore out Is This It, but I can always listen to Room on Fire. However, on the rear occasiouns when I'm okay with ITI, it's obviously the best thing they ever did.
― Frederik B, Thursday, 5 March 2015 00:47 (nine years ago) link
Rear Occasions sounds like a great unreleased REO Speedwagon album.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 5 March 2015 00:56 (nine years ago) link
wouldn't it be REO Occasion?
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 5 March 2015 00:58 (nine years ago) link
'Reptilia', as a backing track/piece of music, is better than anything on the first LP. Unfortunately, the vocal melody/vocal in general is so unremarkable I can never remember anything about it.
― The Anti-Climax Blues Band (Turrican), Tuesday, 25 July 2017 18:18 (six years ago) link