Reviews (page 3 of 8)
This gets lost in the sea (geddit?) of late 90s jangly, indie pop and as a consequence, sounds like many other bands of the time. Captain's Table is great song but not enough to lift the album above 2 stars.
Bit like the Las. But not quite as good
Very pleasant. Don't think there's anything here to make me come back though.
I’d rather listen to oasis 2
Pretty good.
Vraiment sympa
This is #day615 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… what the shack is this, and why should you hear it before you die? I'd never heard of this band before, but listening to this record now, this has to be some of the most generic Britpop I've come across. Is it even Britpop? By 1999, the genre was already on its last legs. If I were to pick something from this era to hear before I kick the bucket, this wouldn't be it. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day616.
I'm not sure why this is the first time even hearing of this, but pleasant, but unadventurous britpop. As times reminded me of the later Ride albums
Little better than I was expecting. Uuuhh I don’t knoe
A true hidden gem.
Just 'meh.
Fav-beautiful 3/5
As far as a band goes, these guys are fine. They sound fine. But for 1999, this is super bland and mediocre. I didn't need to hear this before I died, unless the opinion was "Look what random middle of the road album was in 1999, so you can appreciate some real greats."
Aight
Usually it’s guitar rock, but this is guitar pop. Has a good good to this album. Favorite track: comedy other picks: natalie’s party, captains table, streets of kenny
Imagine wanting to be Oasis man. Even Oasis don't wannabe Oasis. Its fine. (copied verbatim since we've BEEN HERE ALREADY)
Not much to say here
This reminds me a lot of that Lemonheads album we got a year ago, it's pleasant enough to give it a reasonable floor and earn it a place to make it background while you clean the house but if this thing was an electrocardiogram you'd think the album was dead because the line was flat. No peaks. That said I'd take these guys over Oasis any day of the week. Fight me.
This album is the British food of pop: it's not offensive but is terribly bland. I guess if you have 1001 albums, you need one album to represent music from a given era, but I will never listen to this again unless it comes on in a pub (it'll be too quite and forgettable for me to notice).
Ah yes, more Britpop. Just what I needed. I don't even know what to say here. I feel like I've been grasping at straws to find interesting things to say about a lot of these albums lately. Shack's H.M.S. Fable is, say it with me now, a decently solid, albeit rather uninteresting, britpop album. We've been here before. The music is alright. I don't have any issues with it. There's some nice guitar parts in there. The vocals aren't my favorite, but I've heard worse. The writing lacks substance to me. There's really nothing in here that feels all that special or meaningful. I've seen people compare this a lot to Oasis in these reviews, but I didn't really think of Oasis as my primary Britpop reference point. I got more Suede vibes from this than anything. Dear God. I'm actually referencing britpop bands that aren't Blur or Oasis. I've gone too far deep into the britpop rabbit hole and it's entirely the album project's fault. 3/5.
This bored me. Just made me think: Off-brand oasis. To be fair there were some short (short! 5–10 second stretches) that caught my ear. Other than that this was very forgettable.
Great in Kazaam, meh on this album.
This is a textbook example of what’s clearly a band the authors love. Nothing wrong here but definitely nothing essential.
I liked it OK. Didn’t blow me away.
pleasant overall. a bit of coffee shop background music vibes
70
This album was a lot better than I anticipated. Whenever one of these no name English bands pops up, especially if from the 90s / 00s, they generally are terrible. This one, however, demonstrated a lot of musicality throughout this record. At times, it reminded me of some of the stuff that Mark Knopfler was doing around this time. To be sure, his Sailing to Philadelphia album is better than this record, but there are some parallels to me which drew me in. I particularly liked Comedy, Pull Together, Captain’s Table, and Daniella. All in all, an excellent album.
Yet another 90s Brit pop album that I dont like. I think England blew its musical load in the 60's and 70's and is being punished for the Beatles and Stones success with the most mediocre shite ever since.
I wasn’t sure what this album was going to be like. I admit I judged an album by its cover and assumed I was going to get some sort of folky album. I ended up LOVING it. Natalie’s Party was an absolute banger! It was everything I wanted out of an opening track. Comedy was an experience of a track from start to finish. Enjoyed it so much! Pull together was less of my thing. I felt that the vocals let it down slightly, but it was a well put together track. Beautiful had some great moments. Those strings were awesome, but I’m always a sucker for some strings. Lends some dough was super fun. Captains Table was more what I expected out of this album, but I thought it fit in well. Streets of Kenny was wonderful to listen to. It scratched my brain in just the right way. The horns in re-instated weren’t bad, but made me laugh. Cornish town had a very nice flow to it. Since I met you was interesting in starting out with the lullaby-like intro then. Daniella ended it well but I would’ve liked it to go out with more of a a bang. 3.5/5 ⭐️ 91/1089
It was something I had not heard before. Interesting but not something I will quickly return to.
Sub-Oasis drek.
H.M.S. Fable gets out to an impressive launch. She has a strong breeze behind her and improves for the several numbers, and peaks with Captain’s Table. Unfortunately, momentum is lost at the turn and the B Side is becalmed for the second leg. Daniella gives a flutter at the end, which is not enough to get Shack across the pond, but turns out to be just enough to get them above the mean tide mark. (2.6*s) Like ‘em enough to check out their previous album Waterpistol at some point in the future.
OK...so we have a 90s album from an English band. Pretty right down the middle with not bad, not great. Lead has a bit of a Squeeze Tilbrook sound which draws me to it a bit more. "Pull Together" and "Captain's Table" are best songs. Overall, not a waste of time album but not shacking up with the Head brothers anytime soon...2.35 stars.
I'm not sure what it is about this album but something about it bothered me. Maybe it's just the Liverpudlian accent or something about the arrangement but I didn't really enjoy any of the songs. I can't really point to anything specific that rubbed me the wrong way but on paper it shouldn't have been that bad. It's some softened alt rock with a pretty down the middle approach but it just didn't resonate with me at all. I'm shrugging my shoulders as to what it is about the Head brothers and Shack that bugged me. 1.73 stars
Bueno. Me ha recordado a Oasis
A cool aspect of Britpop with an interesting production, also the first album on this list by an artist I hadn't heard of yet
Pretty good Brit pop. Strangely bar-band-tinged.
Forgettable.
Eh... Comedy é uma boa música, de resto nada de interessante. Experimental mas não num bom sentido Destaques: Comedy
not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue
This was a fun listen! I liked "Natalie's Party" and "Beautiful" best
This feels like something I would have bought about 20 years ago (so not that far off from its release) because the cover kinda looks cool and I hadn't heard of them and maybe that would give me a little indie cred. I would have taken a quick listen on the headphones at the shop (album 4 of 6 at the new music listening station) on the Tuesday that this came out, and it would have sounded perfectly pleasant. Just pleasant enough to take it home. And after a brief stint in heavy rotation in the car with the other couple CDs I would have gotten that day, it would have found its way to a stack with the rest of my hundreds of CDs at home. And unfortunately, once it found its place there, it wouldn't have gotten played all that much because, while it was perfectly pleasant, nothing really stands out. And so it drifts into the background. I like it when I hear it, but I forget it when it's gone. And 20 years later, I'd still like owning it because the cover is still kinda cool, and it's not a hugely known band, so the little bit of indie cred maybe still applies. So, this is kind of a 3.5 for me, because it so clearly would have fit the mold of how I bought so many CDs around the time period that this came out, and knowing that if I had listened to it at that more formative time of life, it would bring back great memories locked into those couple weeks it was in heavy rotation in the car.
Nothing spectacular
This is the nineties equivalent of yesterday's inessential sixties record. Listenable but unmemorable.
Another one of those "Didn't hate it" type of albums. Like a poor man's Blur. 2.5/5 charitibly rounded to 3.
На таком сказочном корабле я бы поплавал
Внезапно очень зашло, настоящее открытие. Люблю такую музыку
Шок, но вижу их впервые. Хоть они и подписаны на лейбл Нобеля Галлахера, но никогда не попадался этот андеграунд антимейнстрима. Могу слушать такое 24/7 365 дней в году и чувствовать себя самым счастливым человеком. Моя база, мой лор. У меня не было и шанса. Понравилось с первых пяти секунд первой песни. Отличная музыка, учитывая весь минимальный набор ресурсов. Просто ливерпульские дядьки, которые любят писать хорошие песни под гитарку. Так и должно быть.
Лучшая песня: Comedy Худшая: Re-Instated Что? Бритпоп не на одной ноте и без повторения одной фразы 100 раз? Мелодичный??
странно видеть такой альбом тут в списке. глобально звучало неплохо, но вряд ли когда либо вернусь. 3
Ноль информации мною была получена об этом альбоме, кроме того, что в свое время он по версии ряда журналов занял второе место в топах за год. Видимо, составитель очень любит брит-поп. Карина, залогинься
llega un punto en el que todo el britpop de los late 80s early 90s suena exactamente igual. bye
first song "Natalie's Party" is amazing! The rest is far from it
music is love
"You can gild a literal piece of shit in gold leaf but it will still be a piece of shit". The same goes for Hms Fable: hiding derivative , generic, badly sang UK alt rock under layers of ochestral strings and horns. The best song at the very end, Danielle, could not redeem the experience of wishing the album would end for 45 mins. 1.2/5 -> 1/5
This is a perfectly fine, if not particularly noteworthy or exceptional, example of 90s Britpop with perhaps a touch indie that gives it a bit more color. I'm a fan of the genre and I like this record, but tend to agree it's a bit bewildering why it's on what is ostensibly an "essentials" list. Some good tunes, some OK tunes, and no new ground broken. The definition of "fine".
Pas grand-chose à dire dessus, c'est vraiment du rock anglais typique de l'époque, pas particulièrement mauvais, mais aussi très oubliable. C'est un 3 parce que c'était pas nul du tout, mais un petit 3, quoi.
In the spirit of full transparency, I went into this one with a full weight of expectation defined by my project partner’s derisive 1-star review filling me with dread. I was deeply relieved to find an album that was only bland, boring, derivative and whose inclusion in this list was only utterly bewildering. I did like the line in Captain’s Table “flying ‘neath the wings of a giant dong”. At least that’s what I heard.
I was booing so hard through this it made me look up Statler and Waldorf quotes: Statler: Do you believe in life after death? Waldorf: Every time I leave this theater. Statler: Can you sing tenor? Waldorf: What? Statler: Can you sing tenor, as in ten or eleven miles away from here. Statler: Hey, they weren’t half-bad Waldorf: Yea they were all bad HohohoHahahaHohoho
Nothing I'm hearing here is raising it above competent late-90s small club rock stuff. Burned over sound with a 47 minutes that felt like an hour.
Not bad but nothing very rememberable. Vocals are kind of rough on some of the tracks.
Mhhhh
This improved on a second listen but, ultimately, it was still pretty forgettable britpop that felt like it missed the right time and came out a few years after everyone else had moved on.
Good to know this was what he was up to in the offseason before winning three straight NBA championships
Just an incredibly likable pop/rock record. Sounds like some of the mid-tempo stuff happening during the period but with better songwriting, lush orchestration, and a more refined, gentle, British sensibility. A surprise gem.
I didn’t like this.
Ah yes, nothing beats celebrating St. Patrick’s Day than listening to none other than… another British band I’ve never heard of. In all seriousness, I’m not much of a Britpop guy at all, but this record had its nice moments. Decent songwriting.
Rock, 1999 -> 3
Solid but not spectacular
fine
Nice Sunday album
You can hear Liverpool by the third beat.
Britpop is pretty cool overall.
Almost a FOW vibe???
did enjoy the closer, the rest was somewhat forgettable– this one feels like a bit of a sneak 2.5/5
A lot more endearing that the cover would suggest. Started to lose me in the end but just still hardly a genre for me. Favorite Song: Comedy
Am I not British enough to get why this is here? Just seems like generic 90s britpop to me. Nothing offensive at all, but some corny lyrics and nothing special IMO.
Like a lost REM album. A real treat
britslop
It’s been a long time since I have listened to HMS Fable, but going ing this my recollection of the album was a positive one. This is immediately reinforced by ‘Natalies Party’ and the album generally flows along this line. Unfortunately the album never really raises above just being pleasant and therefore whilst good background for a sunny summers day (currently overcast late winter) it lacks anything to hook you in and stand out.
I remain as baffled by anyone else as to quite how much I enjoyed the first half of this one - it gave me the vibe of the very early 90s stuff that I like. “Pull Together”, especially, was just lovely. The wheels came off for me from the middle - just much later than I expected it to.
I was a British teenager who consumed a lot of music during the 90s and I have never heard of Shack. Reading the Wiki, I recognise basically every other adjacent band mentioned but them (I was surprised to hear one of them ended up in Cast, who I remember weirdly fondly). Under my "just because it's dull, that can't make it a 1 star" rating system, I think this gets a 2. It's fine, just not that interesting and I have nothing to really say about it. 2/5
Rock pop
Generic 90’s British pop rock
I really like this. Nice sound, a bit "raw", but overall something I'd listen to again.
English alt rock stuff. Can take it or leave it
Kinda boring. Every song sounds the same wtf. 1
I liked it a lot
I'd never heard of them but I dug it
Klingt überraschend frisch! Für mich eine der unerwarteten positiven Überraschungen in dieser Liste.
Another Britpop group here, but this one was decent enough, definite Oasis vibes. Clean production helps with level balance but also makes it a bit more boring at the same time. Overall 3.5/5
Skip
Malísimo. No se muy bien por qué, pero me parece repugnante, me dan ganas de sacar todas las canciones ni bien las pongo. Verga atroz
Competent but inessential
Pretty easy listening, not amazing but an ok listen
Uff que buen disco. Esta muy divertido, no cuesta nada escucharlo, tiene una energía y estilo muy típico de los 90's, y justo es eso, un buen disco de los 90's con ese sonido tan característico de las rock/pop bands de la década, con mucho estilo, divertido, armonías sencillas pero sumamente efectivas. Okey pero luego llegamos a la mitad y wtf, Captain's Table y Streets of Kenny son como un puente en el disco, dos pistas con estilo cinematográfico y con un gran cambio de humor, y de carácter. Se siente muy bien ese cambio en el disco, muy orgánico además. No se siente el putazo, como si cambiaras de disco. Despues de estas dos canciones volvemos a algo similar de la primera mitad pero se siente distinto como si el genero britpop de los 90's hubiera evolucionado, se hubiera convertido en britpop de los 2000's; muchos aspectos como los arreglos corales y de cuerdas dando un toque casi orquestal, los puentes de las canciones cuando modulan a una tonalidad menor, los solitos de guitarra super melódicos pero con su dosis de grunge y los coros que le dan más cuerpo a la armonía de la canción al estilo Weezer o Arctic Monkeys o Blur, entre otros. Bueno y luego llega el final con Daniella, WTF, que graaaaan canción. Llega para decirnos que no son cualquier banda, son verdaderos músicos y grandes compositores. Gran concepto, no se si era la intención pero al menos así la sentí. Muy buen disco.
Mid britpop
Very interesting album, it’s like if classic rock bands all got together and distilled their essence into one band with modern production, the vocals are very familiar but at the same time I’ve never heard this band before. I think that’s this albums biggest weakness is that it doesn’t really stand out to me with enough of a distinct sound. It’s good but that’s because the form they’re copying off of is good
New to me, some really interesting songs and overall a pretty enjoyable listen. No immediate stand out tracks but would listen again
I'd never heard of this band, and seeing that it's another Britpop album, I didn't have high expectations. I was surprised to find that I enjoyed listening to this one.
HMMMMMM
No me gustó, es más country que otra cosa y no hace parte de mis gustos personales. La verdad no fue una buena recomendación.
some aight soft alternative. feels perfect for scrubs.
Nice sound, with interesting lyrics, folky!
Before: I don't have a clue, I won't even hazard a guess. Oh what the heck. It's probably not rap, not country, not jazz. Maybe something in the folk-rock realm? During: Hm, jangle-country-pop-rock? It's not bad. The lyrics in the first rack are interesting, "when you walked in my face and my eyes were shining through". Five tracks in now. This is nothing special but it's not bad, I'll probably give it a 3. Reading some reviews now, seems a lot of people dislike this a lot. Apparently this is Britpop, I can see that now that I've heard 5 songs. After : I wouldn't mind if I never heard any of those songs again. I'll give it a 3.
7.5/10
I’m not sure why I needed to hear this.
2/5
Me: “Mom can we get Oasis?” Mom: “We have Oasis at home.”
It's pretty generic late 90s, early 2000s indie I feel like. I'm not hating but most of it is just what I hear when I think of that era of 'indie'. However, "Captain's table" and "Streets of Kenny" are really something special, especially with headphones on, which I had. I liked this well enough but especially liked those two songs. They were very floaty and whimsical and fun. Honestly this was another album I had a hard time listening to because the first time I tried playing it in my car and I've found that sometimes an album can't be really heard and understood by myself without headphones and actual focus. Given this, I think I just passed it off as some really boring album that I was gonna have to struggle through. In the end, it really wasn't that bad, although some songs albeit were quite boring, a lot of them were quite fun.
I honestly didn't get a chance to listen
This was an album
Nothing bad about this but definitely nothing to point out or come back to. Generic really is the best word for it. Britpop garbage for sure but also trying to rip off REM too. Confused how this made it on the list. Another album that could be replaced with Relationship of Command.
Bland '90s Brit pop. Nothing new or outstanding. Heard similar a gazillion times before.
maan Oasis can be boring sometimes but this just takes britpop to a new level. its not that bad. is a white wall bad?
This album cover doesn’t fit the music at all.
insanely generic
No private session used for Spotify. This was bland and generic rock, with obvious and hack rhymes. Background music for a sitcom. When I have to listen to an album that is so cliche on this site I start to question this endeavor.
Совершенно безликая музыка. Так брит-поп не должен звучать. Впрочем, финальная "Daniella" была очень милой. Лучшая песня: Daniella
Day778 - not bad but they sound like the opening act for a better band
Very pleasant listen.
First 3 tracks were TOTALLY meh for me, then immediately after it got REALLY good for a bit? I obviously didn’t love this, but what i liked, i really liked. What a strange thing! At times pretty plodding British rock, at other times a Spiritualized-esque super-freak-out!
A stunning album that I have played regularly since its release many decades ago. If you don’t know this album you need to go and check it out it’s iconic
Everything from the name of the band to the name of the record (H.M.S. Fable by Shack) suggested to me that this was going to be one of those inexplicable "England gets a win!" or boost moments, thanks to the bias of the 1001 list editors, and yet, even though this is exactly what happened, the music was surprisingly less cringe than I expected. However, it is a completely unremarkable britpop album from the late 90s that was hard to continue to listen to the further in I got. This record is for people who think there's little wrong with using "pleasant" to describe their favourite (with a 'u') music.
Dad rock, did nothing for me.
5/10… brit pop / indie / *1999
A bit forgettable…
The first thing I noticed was that the last song on this album is called Daniella. That is my youngest sister’s name, so already my interest was piqued! I had never heard of this band before, but I will definitely be back for more! I love the way their voices sound! I have already added their other 3 albums to my Spotify to listen to soon! Favorite songs: Daniella (obviously!), Pull Together, Beautiful, Captain’s Table Rating: strong ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
DIE HABEN EINEN SONG MIT HAFTBEFEHL??????
Chabos know who the Babo is
sorry Jungs aber die collab mit Haftbefehl wird wohl euer career peak sein 😭
When you consider the millions of albums that have been recorded and released since, say, 1955... To be included in a list of 1001 "must-listen" albums is a significant achievement, signalling a rarified level of artist merit. Then you come to this album, and you realise it's completely subjective and simply means someone somewhere likes it. There's nothing here to commend it. Unless you already like it, in which case you'll learn nothing new. It's just very, very average. But by dint of being on this list and therefore having had that expectation of quality established, very, very average is actually just straight up poor.
It's almost upsetting this album is on this list and proves its horrible bias. There is basically nothing special about the record, it is dime a dozen rock that shows there is too little variability in what is considered "a must listen" in the eyes of this editor and it is far too skewed towards pop music and Anglophone countries. Listening to music should be enriching, but this is no less enriching than entering a pub. Listening to this album is a waste of time.
These guys like The Beatles too much. Starts well but tails off a bit
Folk rock, some good songs but not anything crazy. Pretty mid
I really liked this one. It had some great songs on it, and seemed to pretty effortlessly go between a few different genres. Definitely something I'd recommend, and something I'd listen to again.
Niet onaangenaam om naar te luisteren, maar ook niet altijd mega interessant
2,75 prima, maar niet helemaal mijn ding
Sounds like Oasis.
Is this album generic and forgettable? Absolutely. However, I do think is tolerable, due to its clear sound, nice instrumentation, pleasant voice timbers and a little touch of folk in the songs "Captain's Table" and "Daniella", which are the only remarkable aspects in this collection of super standard britpop songs. So at the end, I wasn't that bothered about this record, but I still think it is not worth listening.
Formuliac and dull. I did like Since I Met You but the rest was a dirge.
I really liked Captain's Table. Some the other tracks were alright as well, but it just wasn't enough that I would want to find a put on this record again. Wouldn't be mad if it was playing though.
14/20 Sentiment partagé entre des morceaux qui ne plaisent vraiment pas (comme Comedy ou Nathalie's Party), et des musiques qui au contraire m'accroche beaucoup et que je reecouterai avec plaisir (comme Pull Together ou Daniella). Ainsi, l'impression globale de l'album est bonne et me donne envie de le réécouter, sans pour autant réussir parfaitement à me convaincre.
This is by far the best "never heard of it" album I've gotten from the site and I'm 402 albums in. Listened to it twice. A hidden gem or whatnot.
Got 4 songs in before I turned it off. Boring
Didn’t like this. so slow. Boring oasis. Couldn’t finish
Simply fine and listenable, unfortunately not quite what you want from an album You Must Hear Before You Die. Felt like it released sorely late - in 1999 the britpop ship had surely sailed? (pun intended)
one of the albums of all time for sure nothing offensive but very forgettable, really not sure why its on this list. sounds like a bunch of bad oasis songs but also if oasis were from liverpool #751 from 1999 on RYM is kinda hilarious, its struggling to make the 1001 albums from 1999 but its somehow on the 1001 albums list?? 2
Not one I'd listen to again. Pleasant enough but did nothing for me
Thought this was class! Surprised at the low reviews
You know, I actually really loved listening to this. It's perfectly pleasant, lots of great songwriting, and lovely vocals. But I have to admit -- lord, it's generic. Simple chord structures, simple melodies, simple themes. It's everything I despise about pop, but this time around it didn't bother me quite as much. Important album? No. An album I never would have heard of that I genuinely liked? You betcha. Fave tracks: - Natalie's Party - Comedy - Beautiful - Lend's Some Dough - Captain's Table - Streets of Kenny - Since I Met You - Daniella
I assume this is what people mean by shoegazing Brit rock. Seemed like generic background noise most of the time.
Okay, I've heard this album now. I would have much rather spent that 45-50 minutes listening to ANY album by Warren Zevon, but what are you gonna do? I already know that Warren has been left off of the list completely. This is not a terrible album, but almost certainly one that I won't remember within 24 hours of rating it.
Never heard of the band but thought this was a fine album. Will listen again.
I can't think of any reason why I would listen to this over a different indie/alternative album
????
-my biggest gripe with this album was that it was just. boring. pretty generic Britpop / alt rock sound and not much else. they weren’t terrible at it and it’s by no means a bad album, but all the songs just blended together to me -Favorites: Captain’s Table, I Want You
Nice album to listen to, nothing particularly stood out to me
Shocker. Another album that reveals the author's UK bias. This absolutely doesn't belong here. Would be somewhat tolerable in any other context. However, by the time it got to track 4, Beautiful, it's nakedly derivative of The Verve (who I can't stand.) Lend's Some Dough is pure Beatles worship. Pretty dull overall.
Gotta ride for the Liverpool boys
Why is this on the list? Best Song: Pull Together Rating: 4.0/10 Stars: 2
Horrible
Harmless pop. Will tickle some ears, but will not cause any pain or lasting impact. Like a breeze, will flow through your ears
this is such a nothing album
A good album, I liked Lend's Some Dough and Captain's Table the most.
'H.M.S. Fable' by Shack is another regrettably bland Britpop album that feels wildly out of place on this list, especially when so many more deserving artists remain underrepresented or missing entirely. The band sounds like they’re desperately trying to catch the last swells of the early-’90s Brit rock boom—waves that had already broken and receded by the time this record arrived. Instead of riding them, Shack drifted aimlessly, eventually washing ashore in 1999 like the remnants of a forgotten shipwreck, hoping someone would notice. I’m not sure why this review turned so nautical, but staring at the album cover probably didn’t help. In any case, this record stands as yet another reminder that music critics, even with the best intentions, don’t always get it right.
Are you looking for an album that's a Britpop Barenaked Ladies without all the happiness? Do you crave music that's neither fun nor particularly engaging? Are you eager for an album that drones on unendingly with near monotone vocal stylings? This is the album for you! It's nothing worthy of being on this list, but here it is Ahab.... your white whale.
Love it.
Never heard this one before but I like it.
I liked this album fine! It didn’t blow me away but it was pleasant and enjoyable to listen to. Overall, this was a good Alt/Indie rock album that I would listen to again if I was in the mood for it.
I did not care for this at all. There’s nothing happening here that interests me in the slightest, just bland pointless music. Maybe ya gotta be British? Maybe you gotta be a masochist? Yea, I hate this 1 star
Mum, can we have Oasis? Mum: No there is Oasis at home The ‘Oasis’ at home: [insert this album] Just a joke but there were a few songs which did sort of sound like they were ripping off Oasis’ sound. An alright listen and I didn’t completely hate listening to this album just felt quite meh. I do think however, that the instrumentals in all fairness were actually quite good, but I just really wasn’t a fan of the vocals and lowkey just gave me a headache. I do like the album cover though and was maybe expecting more of a folk sound paired with more acoustic guitar riffs and some good vocals, so was bit disappointed. Standout songs idk ‘pull together’ maybe, I would include ‘Daniella’ but only the instrumental.
Not unpleasant but didn’t rock my world. A bit clichéd and bland
Really cool find here. Don’t know much about these guys but I think there’s something for everyone here. Singer/songwriter vibe, lots of acoustic guitar, some other string accompaniment. Pleasant! Pull Together is the fave - 4/5
90s pop rock sound, catchy tunes.
So bad I barely listened to the first song and didn’t listen to the rest of the album
What the fuck? Was there like a wildcard spot on the list for an album chosen at random from the "USED CDs ONLY $.25!" box? I guess this wasn't objectively bad, but...like, why? Competent musicians, completely uninspiring music ⭐⭐.5
I had never heard of this band despite being from Liverpool, which I think kind of says a lot about their relevance for something like this. I did enjoy it but there are a lot better albums than this that aren't on this list.
Do I need to be on heroin?
Its like R.E.M but bad. Easily the worst album I have been assigned.
Quite generic. You can hear some (or a lot) oasis-influence
The bias towards UK music from 1980-2010 is beyond laughable. This is the second completely fine, completely forgettable, frankly boring album from a UK indie band from the 1990s...this week. This is an album very much behind its time. To be fair and to acknowledge my own biases, it is also too slow and mopey for my own personal taste. I frankly wanted to poke my eyes out listening to this, but I persevered in the name of science. I can see why someone else might enjoy this. I cannot see why someone wants to include this on a list of 1001 albums to listen to.
Another day, another "Why is this here?". I geniuenly get madder the more this plays
it's OK but completely forgettable
This was fine. Sounded like every other 90s band, but just a little late in the game so not sure what it made the list.
Ah achei bem meh, tipo musicas legais e algumas bem estilizadas. Consigo imaginar piratas "atuais" escutando isso, mas nada excepcional
Didn’t think it was that good. Cheesy cliche lyrics, every song was gimmicky, and the discordant vocals sounded bad.
Kind of boring.
A complete unknown to me. Really pleasant easygoing and enjoyable indie
I had never heard of this band even though I am of this age. Only being able to get through 3 songs, I understand why. A rap/Oasis mashup is a song you can record…..1 star for a cool album cover.
Very forgettable
mid AF
I have no idea why this album was included on the list. Every song is somehow simultaneously both boring and overstimulating. The lyrics are dull nonsense throughout the entire track list, and the vocals aren't much better. Overall, this album not memorable, it's not innovative, and I didn't like it. Two stars. (Favorite track: Natalie's Party.)
another Brit-pop band that wants to be Oasis (or probably the beatles). Of all the amazing music to come out of Liverpool, this album gets chosen. Shite
Albums like Hot Fuss, Get behind me Satan, Gorillaz and Hail to the Thief get bumped off the list - but this stays? MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!
Backlogged here. Read note for full analysis.
Yay! More second tier Brit-Pop!
This is sort of terrible
This was a cool surprise. I had never heard of this band before but the music was well composed and performed, and everything mixed together excellently. I was really impressed, especially having gone in with no expectations.
I was officially surprised on how good this album was, and even more surprised that I had never heard of it. I know heroin is bad, but this is once again proof that it really doesn’t inspire a good music. When was first listening to it, I was inspired to find out what the history of this album. In context when it came out, there was a flood of similar bands, such as Spin Doctors, Gin Blossoms, Crashed Test Dummies, and even Dave Matthews Band, that all fell into the same genre. The fact that Shack had such a tumultuous history and they were English made sense why this album didn’t succeed as well in the late-90s American market. But there is a lot to really appreciate about this album and its sound. Natalie‘s Party grabs you from the get-go with the upbeat tempos and interesting familial harmonies. My favorite track though was Captain’s Table. I’m gonna have to explore other Shack albums because if they were anywhere close to this, they deserve a good listen and their day on the radio.
Random thoughts: * I listened to this one several times as I enjoyed it. There were no great songs/singles in my opinion but it was an overall solid album. * It reminded me of "There She Goes" from So I Married an Axe Murderer. The version that has the horns. * It also felt a little more like what I would have expected the modern Beatles to sound like, way less Oasis and more like this. * Overall solid album lacking the hits. Nice sounds and a genre that was up my alley.
It's good album, but didn't Brit Pop peak around 1996? I really can't think of anything particularly influential or significant about a band clinging on a genre that was well on the way out by this point. Sure, there's a market for those who still wanted more Oasis albums and Shack certainly tick that box. But it's really a stretch to say that they deserve a spot on this list. But I guess if you close your eyes and pretend that it was a lost album from earlier in the decade, it's a pretty decent listen at least.
Very forgettable, no standouts or desire to listen again. Sad to think of all the amazing albums this took the place of.
I had never heard of this before and was quite intrigued by the cover as I'm partial to a bit of sea shanty / folk rock. But fuck me what a disappointment. So bland and limp - how an earth did this make the list? What boundaries is it pushing or who has it influenced. Its not offensive so should be a 2 - however I'm giving it a 1 given how disappointed I was.
Surprised I hadn't heard of a band from 1999. 'Comedy' came on and I realized I knew that song. And then listened to the rest of the album and realized why I don't remember the band. Nothing of any significance. Pull Together is decent tune, but lame lyrics. No reason for this album to be on the list - influenced nobody and no outstanding songs.
Like oasis rejects without the energy
I don’t have much to say about this album, a product of its time.
not sure why this album is on here personally, didn't click with me
Didn’t mind it, probably won’t listen to it again and not sure it belongs on a list like this
Ok I guess
Not really sure why this made the list. Nothing about it was inherently bad. It was Just kind of generic sounding?
Never had I ever heard of this band before. I was pleasantly surprised. It grew on me the more I listened. Kinda in that vein of The Waterboys & definitely made me think of The Blue Nile. It was so much better than a lot of albums here, probably a 3.5 rounded up.
Nothing I recognise, wouldn’t listen again
How can people learn to become proficient in music and then write such bland shlock. Where's the sauce boys? The opening chord is an Oasis style gambit and then it just becomes proto Snow Patrol. Sad. Which makes it the more surprising to learn they signed with Noel's label. 2/5.
Does not deserve so much hate, but then again it doesn't deserve being in the list either. Yet again, I had to put up with a lot of far worse stuff from the list, so let's call it a "meh." 6/10.
2.5 stars. Forgettable 90's alt-rock/Britpop. It's not awful but is pretty boring. Singers having somewhat nasally voices/accents doesn't help things. Strength is middle of album with "Captain's Fable" and "Streets of Kenny".
Average Indie at best
Well I’ve never heard of this before. Complete unknown to me. Which is weird given I was actively buying a lot of CDs around this time. Its very mid 90s, but then I found out it’s from 99. World had moved on when this came out. It’s ok, but no idea why it’s on the list. 2
its really hard for me to like this type of music (dad pub core) but there was one song within this album that really struck out.Daniella,wow what a nice song,listening to this i feel relaxed,my muscles no longer tense and Zen feelings all around. Peace has risen upon me. (only thing saving it and even then its not allat)
Its not unlistenable but its not amazing would of voted a 3 but I didnt add any songs bit too oldy feel like a sack of potatoes (Irish ones)
1st song - good but not for me 2nd - pretty okay i added to playlist 3rd - I like this one 4th - sounds just like the rest did not add 5th - I'm not lending you dough not for me 6th - idk something is off not for me 7th - its like in the middle not for me 8th - not for me dude they sound kinda funky 9th - again dude it sounds like the rest of the album and idk not for mee 10th - again it sounds funkyyyy not for me 11th - bro i swear this is the same song as the others but different lyrics 12th - not that bad its lowkey deep and for once sounds different abit too sad for me tho. 2/12 ( comedy , pull together) i wouldnt mind listening to this but abit too boring for me it gets very repetitive some songs have some distinct to them so i like those more . would of added the 12th song but i just dont see myself listening to this.
Definitely sound Liverpool! Quite tuneful. Clever. There were definitely sounds akin to Oasis in there, which is not a positive thing for me. Streets of Kenny was my favorite.
A couple good tracks, not super interesting
we have, erm, dodgy at home...?
This was pretty good, but I’m not sure it was a “must-hear,” especially when other, more notable 90s alternative bands are unrepresented on this list (Barenaked Ladies, Ween, and They Might Be Giants come to mind). I often liked the song better than the vocals. The use of orchestral instruments was nice. Overall, a nice listen, but a rather middling inclusion.
I have a soft spot for Brit pop indie but fuck sake, this hardly an essential album is it?
Well, it's got quite a bunch of good songs even but all of it just sounds so generic that I don't really know why would I listen to this instead of _those_ better britpop bands. So, a solid 3/5, but completely unremarkable and don't really see why it should be on this list.
Almost as pleasant a surprise as The Stone Roses. I had not (nor had my spouse) heard of Shack. Not sure at all what to expect and was really blown away. But I guess I'm a sucker for mid to late 90s, northern English/scottish indie bands. 🤷🏻♂️ Highlights: "Natalie's Party," "Re-Instated," and "Daniella"
Gear: Focalman Cleardara Artwork: ⛵☕💰 Production: 🌀💩😖 Music: 🌴@️🏠 Rating: 🆘(🆘)/5
Feels like substandard britpop.
Meh
catchy.
I did not realize this was a different album than the last one for WAY too long. Not especially interesing
Never heard of this band or album. Opened the link in Apple Music, very surprised it was released in 1999. As a teen in 99, I was obsessed with finding and listening to as much music as possible. How did this escape me? Two seconds in and I understand why. This album is bland, uninspired faff. I hate it. How the hell did this album make the list of albums I HAVE TO HEAR. Really didn’t. 1/5.
+
Nah, not for me. Maybe I'm just grumpy because my last 6 albums have been duds, but this was not good.
Surprised me! Im actually enjoying very much this album!
If the list is to believed, Elvis Costello and the entirety of Britpop is the most essential music to ever hit music.
did nothing for me.
The Pale Fountains Abre con los dos primeros y únicos sinlges: Natalie's Party y Comedy, esta última con un aroma a Jayhwaks. Beautiful baja un poco el nivel porque llega la gloriosa Lend's Some Dough, al nivel de los mejores Bluetones. Streets of Kenny, tampoco es de las mejores, demasiado pesada, o I Want You, Britrock del montón. Justo lo contrario que Reinstated, digna de Mojave 3. Since I Met You, suena radiante, como si lo hubieran firmado los mismísimos Boo Radleys. Jangle pop, Mereseyside, Britpop... lo que quieras, pero muy bueno. Por cierto este como el resto de su discografía y la de Pale Fountains fue ignorada completamente. Solo con Dear Scott ya en los 20´s el bueno de Head logró un merecido éxito. El problema es que ese año se publicaron titanes como The soft Bulletin o 69 love songs...
Super generic. Not bad. 2.5
Late 90s Britpop. Quite lovely, folk vibes.
This didn’t do much for me. Sometimes I could be swept up in the dreamy instrumentation but mostly I couldn’t get over how sometimes the singer sounded like he was sight reading the lyrics. 2.5/5
this is a perfectly ok album that I don't understand being on this list over so many other albums, but then again I think I wouldn't object if the list didn't fall over itself to both include so many britpop albums *and* overrepresent artists like dylan / the beatles / bowie / everyone in CSNY / morrissey / elvis costello / etc. like I would be way more open to this as a pleasant surprise if I didn't know that we had three steely dan albums too many crowding out other albums you actually should listen to before you die. so you know what actually, I take it back. I'm fine with this album being on the list. no point getting mad at these dudes when the real problems are running around with nine full albums anyway this is fine. I'd listen to it again. call this a high three.
Pretty good, some of the songs seemed derivative of Oasis and Blur, but maybe it's just a trend of music that time. I liked some of the more interesting tracks, but I probably won't explore the rest of this bands catalogue. Standout Tracks: Pull Together, Daniella
Not bad but too long
Jeg har aldrig tænkt over det før jeg begyndte på det her projekt, men ved nærmere eftertanke synes jeg faktisk Oasis skal for retten i Haag
Endnu en af de der "hva faen laver den her egentlig på listen?" plader, men det var helt ok
What a bunch of junk.. I cringed hard at the ballad with autotune.. What a shitty choice of song to sing when your voice can't handle it.
Pretty forgettable.
Enjoyed this. I've absolutely never heard anything about this band. Apparently they were the phoenix that rose from the ashes of an 80s cult indie pop/new wave band called the pale fountains. This album kinda reminded me of britpop decemberists but that might just be the album art mostly.
I was not familiar with Shack before listening to this album. It was a pleasant surprise. I listened to the whole album straight through which is my benchmark for a good album. I could hear influences from the Beatles, Crosby, Steals, Nash and Young and also maybe some Gordon Lightfoot. Overall, a really nice album.
Had never heard of this band. Would have guessed it was a 70s band from the sound so surprised to learn this album is from 99
Annoying and extremely mid britpop, the dude cannot sing, instrumentation is boring and uninspired. This ain't it. Lacks the je ne sais qoi of oasis, the strings in the background suck, the lyrics suck, it's not even good when drunk. Guitar solos also suck, basically pentatonic scale runs
Meh
Alt rock
Pretty unremarkable really...
Really? This was an album I needed to hear before I die? Yeah alright.
Gemütliche Album mit „Natalies“ Album. Ein bisschen Songwriter, etwas Wave und eine Priese Rock.
I understand that the list (and the list maker) has preferences in choosing what to include. Chalk this one up to the Britpop obsession. Bland and uninspired. Wished I was listening to something else almost the entire time. 1999 had so many better albums and artists that could have been included. For example - Fanmail by TLC, First Love by Utada Hikaru, A Prince Among Thieves by Prince Paul, or The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner by Ben Folds Five? Or if you’re looking for something that was insanely popular in 1999, but not so much now, how about Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds Live at Luther College? Anyway: 2⭐️
Oasis lite
Boring Britpop. Not for me.
Вполне приятная, ненапряжная музыка
Totalt kedeligt
Normally with albums like this I’ll look at when it was released and it will be a prototypical decade sound but 10 years ahead of its time. This album is that, but 10 years behind and rather unremarkable.
It’s alright ig
What is this? This sounds like someone’s middle-aged uncle’s bar band.
Music should never be boring.
It's fine. Here is my note from10/4/2022 on this album: blah
First impression was "sounds like someone blended R.E.M. and Oasis." It does get out of that shadow a bit, and the theme resonates with this old seaman's heart. Pretty good musicality, and if I don't know those other bands I'm not left with much to disparage, especially since they were contemporaries.
bleh
Nah
This was so drab
Reinstated, Comedy, Cornish Town, Since I met you my fav Okay wow on a first listen this is really great!
Какой то вялый брит-поп
- greatttt start damn - And to think I almost skipped this! - I love the strings on comedy - I want you was a vibe - The whole album is a vibe! - The outro to since I met you is great
This album is why I signed up for this generator. It's a 3 but this is a true deep cut and a hidden gem of an album. I'd give it a higher rating if I had just absolutely LOVED one song, but alas, I just liked most of the album. Captain's Tale might be my favorite song but I really enjoyed Streets of Kenny. You can just hear the Liverpool-ness in the music, and it's quite charming, especially since the city's nautical roots inform the album cover and some of the lyricism. Very pleasantly surprised.
I just don't really see how this is much different than other Britpop from the late 90's. In fact, the genre was pretty much already on its way out by 1999. Kind of late to the party I think. The big names had already innovated, succeeded, and evolved. I understand that this particular group had a released a few albums prior so I can't comment on the quality of their previous work. But here, I can't help but file this into the "Unremarkable Britpop" folder that I've curated from this list (and am continuing to add more to...)
Nothing wroywith that.
Shack made this list? Fucking Shack? They're barely a level above the worst busker you ever heard, and even the best song on this album, "Natalie's Party", sounds like the shit theme song for a shit 90s sitcom starring Samantha Janus
Average
listened while sick but this album is decent nothing crazy
Yet another boring and annoying British Pop Rock band from the 90's. I swear... It's at least listenable, but I wouldn't mind never hearing this again. Why this album is on this list is beyond me, but after rating 400+ albums, I kind of get what the author's deal is. Introduce us oblivious Yanks to unknown British Pop rock garbage! Yay! (Not). 2.3 / 5 stars (I couldn't give it 3 stars, it was just blah and bland)
Blind album. Kinda generic indie rock for me. Opening track was decent too.
soort slechte kruising tss Oasis en Elbow (die alletwee op zichzelf al niet veel voorstellen) hopelijk vaart de HMS Fable eens naar de Bermuda driehoek
I had never heard of this before and was quite intrigued by the cover as I'm partial to a bit of sea shanty / folk rock. But fuck me what a disappointment. So bland and limp - how an earth did this make the list? What boundaries is it pushing or who has it influenced. Its not offensive so should be a 2 - however I'm giving it a 1 given how disappointed I was.
HMS Fable I wasn’t kind of interested in hearing this for the first time in 25 years. I’m not totally sure what prompted me to buy this out of nowhere when it came out, but I guess it was something to do with Noel Gallagher liking them. I liked it a decent amount then, and I enjoyed it well enough now. There’s no doubt he can write good melodies in the vein of cosmic classic rock scousers in the vein of The Las, Cast, The Zutons etc and lots of Beatles and Love and a dollop of REM make it a very pleasant listen, even if it does start to run out of the steam by the end of the 47 minutes. Still it starts nicely with Natalie’s party, Pull Together and Beautiful, all nice Sgt Pepper/60s influenced indie pop, before peaking somewhat with the suitably seaborne Captain’s Table and the Irish inflected Streets of Kenny. I’ll go 3, I’d revisit if I’m in the right mood for some nostalgic easy listening 🚢🚢🚢 Playlist submission: Captain’s Table
There's nothing innovative or radical here, and the appeal lies in the songcraft which is generally of a decent quality, if often underwhelming. That orchestration often ties back to the 60s ('Since I Met You' is most Beatlesque), and by association, is firmly rooted in 90s nostalgia. Owing to the lack of originality different tracks sound like different contemporary bands. 'Natalie's Party' a dead ringer for the Charlatans. 'Beautiful' is Dodgy. 'Captain's Table' owes a debt to The Las, and this one is if superior quality - excellent folk-tinged number with a great bassline. And credit where it falls due, they have paid it forward with the likes of Elbow (acoustic, strings-driven anthems), The Coral (the fingerpicked 'Daniella') and Gerry Cinnamon (the catchy 'Lend's Some Dough') having taken much from this, often more successfully. I'd love it to be a lost classic like The Las' album, but what it is is a decent collection if songs, a couple very good, and otherwise being reasonably unmemorable and uncharacterless. It just passes to three.
Uhh. Yeah. Yep. That's some britpop. Yeah it's alright. Not bad. Has some real bangers near the middle to end. Probably the last time I'll ever listen to this in my life though
It's fine, fairly standard late 90s rock.
This is unique.
Meh
More generic samey britpop; at a certain point I question why so many of these albums are included on this project. Nothing bad but nothing noteworthy, sounds exactly like everything else in the genre. Top tracks: Streets Of Kenny, Daniella
I guess this is another album that won a lottery to be included in this list. Can't say it has improved my life dramatically but I quite enjoyed it in a somewhat detached way.
I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.
I was prepared to hate this on account of being "misc rock" but you know what. I enjoyed it. I will promptly be forgetting about it, but I don't think it deserves the hate it's had in the reviews.
Solid product by the Wallflowers here--oh, wait. Nope, just more radio-friendly junk for idiots with middling tastes. Belongs on a list, but not this one. Fuckin' Britpop.
Wishy washy soft rocky stuff
New to me, and at times, pleasantly surprising. Worth your time!
Proof that being from Liverpool isn’t a musical gimme.