Real Life (studio album) by Magazine

Real Life by Magazine
Year: 1978
Overall rank: 1,059th   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
79/100 (from 241 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 20 albums of 1978 (19th)
Award Top albums of the 1970s (224th)
Award Best albums of all time (1,059th)
Product Details
Availability

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Magazine : Real Life CD
Condition: Very Good


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Magazine Real Life Vinyl LP A1 B1 Pressing - EX
Condition: Used

$135.70


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Real Life by Magazine (CD, Virgin) Holland
Condition: Good


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Magazine bestography

Real Life is ranked as the best album by Magazine.

Magazine album bestography « Higher ranked (-) This album (1,059th) Lower ranked (2,955th) »
No album foundReal LifeThe Correct Use Of Soap

Upcoming concerts

Jul
05
Sat
19:00
JAM Magazine presents: REWIND
House of Blues Dallas , Dallas, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Aug
09
Sat
20:00
Jessica Pratt, Peel Dream Magazine
Ventura Theater, Ventura, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Discover more upcoming concerts

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Real Life track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 83 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Track
Rating/Comments
1.
Rating: 85 (63 votes)Comments: 1
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2.
Rating: 83 (55 votes)Comments: 2
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4.
Rating: 79 (46 votes)Comments: 0
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5.
Rating: 80 (45 votes)Comments: 0
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6.
Rating: 83 (47 votes)Comments: 0
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9.
Rating: 84 (47 votes)Comments: 0
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Track pick Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Real Life rankings

Real Life collection

Real Life ratings

Average Rating: 
79/100 (from 241 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 241 ratings for this album.

Sort ratings
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
90/100
 Report rating
05/06/2025 00:41 ForARide  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 3588/100
 
70/100
 Report rating
02/20/2025 13:08 SomethingSpecial  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,32282/100
 
70/100
 Report rating
02/12/2025 14:19 Daredevil42  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2,31873/100
 
85/100
 Report rating
11/27/2024 04:51 slatsheit  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2,02481/100
 
70/100
 Report rating
11/22/2024 12:01 Dingerbell  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 3,79562/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 2% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 78.7/100, a mean average of 77.7/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 79.0/100. The standard deviation for this album is 15.9.

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Real Life comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 12 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
90/100
From 02/27/2023 18:53
Great track after great track after great track, but yeah the vocals are a bit harder to get into.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
15/100
From 09/08/2021 17:13
This comment is beneath your viewing threshold.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -3 votes (0 helpful | 3 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 02/15/2020 00:17
Glad to know I'm not the only one who consider this album as an underrated masterpiece. Howard Devoto envisioned a unique sound right in the middle of the punk glorious days and delivered with his band one of the first statements of post punk. A circus atmosphere makes me feel the album as a true performance on stage although this is a studio album.

If I have to encourage you to listen to one song only, please give "Burst" a chance. It sounds like a dark and intimate post punk act by Ziggy Stardust. My favourite in the album closely followed by "My Tulpa" and "Shot by Both Sides"
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 07/23/2019 18:42
Favorite Tracks:Shot By Both Sides, Burst, The Great Beautician In The Sky
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 05/11/2019 17:53
This is in my top 100, a truly unique album.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 05/24/2018 21:41
Ex Buzzcock's frontman Howard Devoto hires a punk guitarist, prog keyboardist and funky bassist then adds his own idiosyncratic vocals to create something that really shouldn't work - but actually still sounds great today.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 05/18/2018 12:30
I liked this more than I expected. Definitely some weaker songs, but very solid as a debut.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 02/14/2016 05:52
Nice, it's a little bit funky but that's what makes it good
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 10/28/2014 13:36
Very enduring album.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 04/17/2013 17:38
Under-appreciated classic. Deserves to be as beloved as "Chairs Missing"
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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Best Albums of 1978
1. Darkness On The Edge Of Town by Bruce Springsteen
2. Parallel Lines by Blondie
3. The Cars by The Cars
4. This Year's Model by Elvis Costello
5. Die Mensch·Maschine by Kraftwerk
6. Van Halen by Van Halen
7. Some Girls by The Rolling Stones
8. The Kick Inside by Kate Bush
9. Music For 18 Musicians by Steve Reich
10. More Songs About Buildings And Food by Talking Heads
11. Dire Straits by Dire Straits
12. Hemispheres by Rush
13. Outlandos D'Amour by The Police
14. 3rd by Big Star
15. Chairs Missing by Wire
16. All Mod Cons by The Jam
17. Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! by Devo
18. The Modern Dance by Pere Ubu
19. Real Life by Magazine
20. Powerage by AC/DC
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