Reviews (page 5 of 8)
Nice vocals.
Wry similar to other Liverpudlian bands - it’s a shame the others are more well known than them. Enjoyable.
A bit generic innit? 3/5
Decent Brit-pop. No big standouts for me. Occasionally the singer sounded like Michael Stipe to me.
New one for me, it was decent listen, fairly generic brit-pop, it just doesn't stand out from other albums from that era.
It was fine. Nothing really stuck out to me and I won't re-listen.
It was fine. Couple of the genre changes were jarring, not necessarily bad but not expected. But overall fairly generic. Not sure why I had to listen to it.
Honestly just pretty average and forgetful. Harmless late 90s rock but nothing stood out. As middle-of-the-road as it gets. 6/10.
Generic Britpop. Is it bad? No, i don't think so. Would i sit down and actively listen to it again? Also not really. It's great background music.
A bit more on the rock side of Britpop. Not many highs or lows, just fair to middling.
Good solid northern British rock with a shade of Oasis and Beatles
There’s nothing particularly outstanding about Shack’s “Hms Fable,” but it’s good enough to place itself right into the ‘90s conversations alongside contemporaries like Oasis.
Not bad by any means, it just misses the spark that would make it exceptional. 3/5
The first song I did not like the second song starts to warm you up a bit and I did enjoy Pull Together, Lend's Some Dough, Captain's Table, and I Want You. While the album overall is ok, it doesn't really leave me wanting to hear it again.
Eh, pretty bland. I don't recall ever hearing of this band and in 1999 my media bubble was far from impenetrable - did they have a very low profile, or are they just extremely forgettable? 🤷 "Cornish Town" actively pissed me off. Fave track - ehhhhhhhh... I think I checked the track name of "Since I Met You" so let's say that one.
2.5
It was fine I guess
Liked it, but just didn't have the something unique to take it over the top
3/5. Some really beautiful songs in this one but most of them are pretty forgettable. It’s a solid one, just some filler for sure.
started off decent, but fell off at the end, overall okay, strong 2, weak 3
A few fun songs but many just don't make much of an impression. I like the minor variations in instrument arrangements that they use, and I think they pull those off well. 5/10
It's alright. Nothing crazy interesting, but competent music.
hombres fomes
It’s completely fine britpop.pleasant enough.Nothing amazing.Not really memorable at all.Kinda completely forgotten only 2 minutes of listening to it.
Enjoyed it but not quite enough to buy the album.
Very nice, but can't see what makes it special. On one listen anyway.
3,5
Never heard of this before but It definitely sounds like a lot of other music released around the time. It's upbeat and fun but also kind of bland at the same time. The production is really good though and I enjoyed the variety of singing styles and songs. The last song was really interesting compared to the rest of the tracks. Score: 70 Art: 70
For a genre I really enjoy, this was incredibly mid. While I don't think the album is bad, I've heard this sound done better many times. It starts to come off as a parody at points. Best songs were Captain's Table and Daniella.
Bona descoberta. Brit pop de banda maldita arrastrada per la consumició de drogues, amb unes lletres que relaten l'adicció i unes melodies més que decents
Not bad
Enjoyable. If I had first heard this at a different time in my life, I may have been a big fan. Sounds a lot like that one La’s album, or some of Oasis. Typical Brit-Pop, I guess.
Pretty alright. I have nothing bad to say about this, but there's also nothing too special. The vocals weren't my favorite, but the strings were beautiful. Fave track(s): Lend's Some Dough
early britpop, sounds like a down tempo Stone Roses.
This album doesn't shout listen to me it shouts thank you for buying 2 for 1 chinos at the GAP on lazy Tuesday afternoon. Still good but unremarkable in most ways.
Wanneer je een relatief slechte film kijkt waarbij je op het einde de hoofdpersoon heel content met zijn / haar levens keuzes weg ziet rijden in een auto, de horizon tegemoet. “Natalie’s Party” vind ik echt een nummer dat je daarbij op de achtergrond hoort afspelen.
Would've probably given it a 2.5 if I could but it was just kinda unmemorable, not really my style but I didn't hate it
At the time of this little ditty, I was inching near a high rating. I then quickly realized that we had been getting so much garbage music in the recent days that this was just not horrible. Modernized sea shanties are a cool vibe, but not much beyond that. Can't say I'll be jamming out to Streets of Kenny on my way to work, but maybe if I was in the right mood I would revisit this.
Pleasant, but not exciting. Wouldn't switch it off, but wouldn't play it by choice, and I would not be upset if I never heard it again. I'm not surprised that I'd never heard of this band before today.
3/5 I didn't really love this album. I'm sad, but it seems like I don't like Britpop much. Maybe I just haven't found my band yet or something, but it just fades into the background. The music on this album felt dreamy but also felt fuzzy or out of focus? The best song was Daniella, obviously, because it was the most different sounding one.
Same score as yesterday's but I definitely enjoyed it more, BritPop WAS my era after all... Nothing that stood out but it ticked along in the background nicely so that's okay.
Lots of 90s rock sound here, mixed with the Liverpool/Beatles influence. Nice record.
Unmistakable sound of Liverpudlian jangly guitar Brit pop (La’s, Cast, Lightning Seeds, etc). A delight, but not necessarily essential!
mostly okay brit pop, some nicely arranged and layered songs, particularly the folky-sounding ones
I did enjoy this album! I'd never heard it (or this band) before.
Not bad, liked most of it. Would listen again.
I wasn’t impressed with the first couple of tracks, but the album did grow on me a bit. There’s nothing groundbreaking here. It is well made melodic Britpop and nothing more complete with Beatlesesque moments, occasional orchestration, and emotionally satisfying anthemic moments. The closing track is phenomenal though and ends the album on a melancholy and unresolved note.
A pretty average britpop album. We've already heard better ones than this, and there are plenty of excellent ones still to come on this list
i have listened before!
Decent listen this. Never heard of them before which is mad because they’re from Liverpool
Never heard of these which is baffling. I feel like if I heard this album on release it would have rated higher but now I feel I’ve heard this album so many times. Extra point for being scouse. Decent. Bonus points for having a song about Kenny.
24th January 2023 Listened throughout the day while working from home and gym and chill in the evening. Nice bit of indie, good songwriting meaningfully sung. 3.5 if I could.
good not great
Some nice folksy pop tunes
Pretty good light britpop. Saved a couple songs to Spotify, I'd never heard this band before
Didn't hate it but nothing made me want to listen again. One and done.
Not bad, and certainly not britpop in the Oasis/Blur sense; it’s more akin to The Clientele. Some strong tracks in here, but on average, not a standout album.
It's not a bad album, but it's kind of generic. Some of the songs have a nice change but besides that, I would say it's a very 90's British Pop Rock sound if you're into that you're probably going to enjoy it...
Was actually surprised by this album. I liked it more than I expected. Doesn't mean it was amazing just exceeded expectations. Had unexpectedly strange elements of traditional (Irish) music in the instrumentation/melody but still stayed true to that very late 90's/early 2000's English sound - the big, ringy drums, crunchy, almost shoegazey at times, guitars and unforgivable vocals. Reminded me of Oasis at times. Pull together was probably my least favourite track. Theres something weird about the vocal sound I couldn't get past. Too muddy and hard to understand or maybe too much compression? (which Jay Ray will find funny coming from me). Natalie's Party was the stand out track for me which was a little disappointing to have the opening track be the best one on the album; but, it picked up again for me with Streets of Kenny (which actually might be the better track of the 2 - very atmospheric, a lot of tension, the abrupt end. Feels like it would be great live.) Daniella was also a great closer, it was a nice break from how full on the rest of the album was and really made me focus on the lyrics. Overall with albums like this I find it hard to differentiate my modern day subjectivity from my nostalgia. I had never heard of this band before this but growing up in Ireland and around the UK its very much so a sound I have a soft spot for regardless of who it is. Unless it's utter dogshit, which, I don't think this album was.
Zwischen 2-3. Ich runde mal ausnahmsweise auf.
Sokay
I think I just don't care for britpop. This was a big nothingburger for me. 2.5/5
That had a couple of cool moments, but nothing I couldn’t live without. Not a bad way to spend 45 or so minutes, but hardly essential. C
Solid post-Beatles pop from a journeyman band with all the tools. This is the sort of record that you hear and think there must be lots more like this out there—just good pop music that’s not groundbreaking but has no serious flaws. But it’s not that common at all. The songwriting, musicianship, and especially the brothers’ harmonies are all strengths. That’s why you can listen to the record the first time and think these must be famous songs; I must have heard them before, even though you haven’t. Glad I heard it.
Pretty generic, but not bad
Most of this album was pretty mediocre, and felt almost like a more pop-y R.E.M., but I did enjoy some songs when they decided to change it up, and the last song was really quite good. I think the album would've benefited from more soft spoken songs such as that one. Other than that pretty middle of the road.
Cool bandje! Kende dit helemaal niet.
Hartstikke sympathieke muziek, maar ik vergat ernaar te luisteren.
Nice.
Good songs on this album, but nothing special
A very average brit pop with an interesting themeing
Teilweise sehr ruhig. Ingesamt weniger catchy Melodien. Nicht ganz mein Ding.
To all appearances (at first) a watered-down R.E.M. from across the pond. But about halfway through the record, the background arrangements reveal a kind of British-folk ambiance which sunk the H.M.S. Fable just deep enough into my mind's ocean. I wish there were more to read on the band and the record, but I guess the deep listening responsibility lies with the listener here.
I've never heard of Shack before but they got some catchy songs but not my cup of tea. I don't think I will go back and listen to this album again. Hms Fable still gets 3/5 from me as I can see the appeal.
Mixed reviews…I had never heard of this band and at the time the album would’ve resonated with me…now, though, the 90s alternative rock genre sounds weak if you’re hearing new music from the time.
mid album, 5/10
Pretty solid late 90’s rock but nothing that broke the mould or made it stand out too much
I didn't love it, but it was fine. Sounded like a generic British rock band but that's not completely a bad thing, the music was enjoyable but not very memorable overall. I'll probably forget all the music in a couple of days but it was fine for what it was
At the tail end of Britpop comes a kinder, gentler Oasis. Nothing truly exceptional, but the sea shanty influences make for an interesting listen.
Friends have banged on about Mick Head's bands for ages now, I've heard this and thought it was alright but I'd already been listening to Teenage Fanclub for years so just hear that in it. I'm told Shack had that sound first, I don't know, but Sparky's Dream existed for years before 'Comedy' and I can't help but hear the exact same chorus. Although, that is a delightful song. Beta Band vibes on the backing vocals of Captain's Table. Streets of Kenny is really great. With a really weirdly abrupt ending. So, to my ear nothing original, and tbh, after Streets of Kenny nothing really holds my interest (except Since I Met You). But it is really well done. Had I heard this back in 1999 I would very likely have been all over it.
Easy listening 90s rock vibes
Okasis?
This is a fun Brit pop album. I’d rather come back and listen to this than arctic monkeys or Coldplay
Never heard of Shack before. I like this genre, and this all felt familiar -- too familiar. A lot of sameyness on here.
Album passable de la voix française de Shark.
3 1/2
more britpop
Generally pleasant.
Enjoyable, but nothing I’ll revisit.
A solid album. My review may be skewing more positive since the last album I listened to was by the Incredible String Band. This was an enjoyable listen.
Swagg… ganska bra!
Fun, easygoing (with some exceptions). The strings arrrangements are well implemented. I especially like the song ”Streets Of Kenny”
This is a good album but did not resonate with me that much. Daniella is my favorite track and it is very different from the remaining tracks.
Pop
A ratos muy Oasis, a ratos muy James, este disco de 1999 captura muchos sonidos de la época aunque no siento que aporte mucho por sí mismo. Aún así, es un disco agradable con un par de canciones movidas (a-la-Pulp, pre-Kasabian) y está bien ejecutado. Sólido 3.
¿Es este en serio un álbum que debo escuchar antes de morir? O sea, no se me hizo malo, hasta un par de rolas tendría agreagadas, pero no le veo lo especial ni histórico ni nada. No lo bajo a 2 estrellas porque no es "malo" pero creo que sobra.
One of those bands I'd heard about, read about but never heard. I like this, there's some good stuff on it and yet I know there'll probably be a whole bunch of stuff from this late/post-Britpop era that's more deserving of being included in the 1001 (e.g. both of Mansun's first two albums).
Serviceable post-Britpop tunes from the end of the decade with some songs that are better than expected or anticipated. Favorites: Comedy, Pull Together, Streets of Kenny, Re-Instated, I Want You, Cornish Town.
3, generally good
Reminded me of Rhcp some.
Generic 90s indie
Solid indie/folksy brit pop. It's better than it doesn't go into britrock because they start sounding too much like the era that was dominated by oasis. It's not a bad record at all, but doesn't really leave much of an impression
Good album but not particularly interesting enough to listen to it twice
Solid late 90s Britpop/rock, good but not super memorable or anything. I have to confess though that I inadvertently listened to the whole album on shuffle, didn't realize till the second to last song. In hindsight I remember hearing at least one song that kind of faded out in a weird way, probably was supposed to fade into whatever the actual next song was. I just thought it was a weird production choice.
Good solid indie album, if they had been a few years earlier they would have sold thousands more copies. Fills the space between the Las and Embrace, which I never knew needed filled. Natalie's partly and beautiful ate my favourites, with an honourable mention for lend's some dough
Ship shape
Good enough alternative rock music. They remind me of The Wallflowers. There's also an REM vibe that has some Tom Petty roots. I like the basic sound they make; lyrically, it's pretty middle-of-the-road. I can see these songs showing up in a 90s romantic comedy movie in the background, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
A really solid, interesting album that delivers with every song
A little out there, but not terrible. Nothing I have any real attachment too, but it doesn't hurt me.
Inbegriff von geschmeidigen Pop.
Not to bad
This was enjoyable for a rainy morning drive
eh it’s pretty mediocre I don’t really know why it’s on here I’ll give it a 5/10, it’s not terrible but it’s really not anything special either
The third album by Liverpudlian band Shack, 1999. H.M.S. Fable was well received by the critics, but I'm not a critic. So this one was a bit boring for me. Not my type of music, but sounds good.
Buen disco. Interesante
It was OK. But I don't think I'll listen to it again.
Escuchable. Sin más. Un 3.
You know, Comedy is one of my all time favourite singles, and it really breaks my heart that the album doesn't get anywhere close to it. They set the bar too high, they did. So it goes.
This was fine but never quite gelled for me. All over the map stylistically; going from Beatle-esque to post-folkish to pretty standard alternative pop. Grabbed me in a few places but mostly faded into the background.
leggero leggero, apprezzabile l'ultima solo chitarra e voce
Sounded like the type of thing you'd hear on the OC soundtrack. Pleasant enough. Also profoundly uninteresting.
Was not familiar with them, this is a lovely album
bit of this, but of that, long been recommended but never quite got it
Good, inoffensive britpop. Not sure if I really love this or if I've just spent a lot of time with it, so a 3 feels right. I Want You is #realmusic tho Saved: Pull Together*, Beautiful, Streets of Kenny, I Want You
Pretty good!
This was a weird album for me. I heard the opening track, Natalie's Party, and thought..."okay, here we go." And then the next couple of tracks felt like severe letdowns. It's not that they were bad necessarily, Beautiful stood out to me, but it just felt like generic pop-rock. Certainly not an "Album you MUST listen to" material. You could get the same kind of experience from Goo Goo Dolls, Barenaked Ladies, etc. But then Captain's Table kicked in...and this album WENT places. A unique mix of sounds and exploration hit in the middle of the record. The direction went almost R.E.M in style and it really worked. Unfortunately when you hit Cornish Town, things start to slow back down and I lost interest. Certainly not a bad album, it probably sounded great at the time. It's just a little too fluffy and mixed to stand out now. Favorite Song: Streets of Kenny Least Favorite: Comedy
Decent enough, no bad tracks but also nothing especially memorable to push it up to the next level
Really enjoyed a couple of songs, but then some just sort of existed and did nothing for me. Average
Ya no me acuerdo pero malo no es
I was totally in the blank with this one and a bit reluctant at first. But turns out this is quite a good album, a hidden gem of Brit-Pop. At times, it made me think of a British REM of sorts (mainly because of the vocals).
I was staining a deck while listening, so I remember absolutely nothing about this album other than I was expecting sea shanties and was severely disappointed
Not really sure about this one
nice enough, pretty forgettable overall 2.8
Falls somewhere between Oasis and Third Eye Blind. Enjoyable enough, but it’s not something I’ll really return to much, as I think others have done the same sort of sound better.
Perfectly nice, and Perfectly forgetable.
Geen hele bijzondere rock. maar zeker niet heel slecht
Onestamente non l'ho ascoltato tutto, ma probabilmente lo farò. Mi è piaciuto molto lo stile fine anni '90. La prima canzone, anche qui, mi è piaciuta assai.
Enjoyable folk rock, nothing sounded really groundbreaking but I enjoyed the vibe and some of the more shanty-like tracks
Not what I was expecting from a Pop album. An easy listening Rock influenced album.
Sounds good. But isn't my style.
ik dacht ik krijg piraten muziek. was i wrong. Maar AAAARRRRR i like it.
Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Pull together, Beautiful
Yeah not bad.
This might be the most inoffensive Britpop I have ever listened to. It honestly is a nice listening experience, though it lacks a certain edge or memorability. Most of what you hear on HMS Fable has been done better by other artists, but none of it is done poorly here. Its a 3/5.
Undeniably well played, sung and produced. You can hear its obvious (and not so obvious) influences within the grooves. The record clearly wears its heart on its sleeve and rocks pretty hard in places too but ultimately there's not quite enough here to elevate it to classic status for mine.
Poppy
A good solid album, not really different from what I already listen too, but it's nice. It can get heavy at times especially at the beginning of the album, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. What I liked about this album is that it was weirdly real, I had a weird depersonalization session because of it. Usually when one listens to music they would imagine scenarios, or colors, but honestly I just sat in my chair, stared at the wall, and listened. Truly a blank slate moment. Most Memorable Song : Beautiful - It was such a stark contrast from the rest of the songs that I had to check if I was in the right album. It's really fun and feel good, and served as a refresher. Added it to one of my playlists ! Other moments : I enjoyed "Lend's some dough" and "Comedy" but they still really didn't stand out to me outside of this album. BUT CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE GUITAR IN "Since I met you". Jesus christ I added that bad boy into one of playlists solely for the conclusion. It was so so good I'm definitely just going to replay that part over and over again.
A good album from an underrated band. A few jangle-pop hits as well as some more interesting stuff.
I’m sure this hits someone’s nostalgia button. I was a little bored though.
Je connais pas ce genre de musique, la "britpop" Nathalie's party (opening) : effectivement c'est pop. Mais c'est pas mal, ça ressemble à une musique de film. On dirait de la bonne soupe, genre la musique de Shrek Ca sent le 2.5 : ça me laisse pantois, même si c'est joli par certains aspects. Finalement ça finit sur un 3 C'est un peu cucul mais ça se chante autour d'un feu. Fav : Lend's Some Dough (elle représente bien l'album), Daniella (jolie)
Turn of the millenia rock with 90's angst. This album clearly is setting the tone for what would be alternative noise for the upcoming era.
Kinda boring
Not heard of this band before which is surprising. You can hear the similarities to many of their related bands (lightning seeds, cast, the las), not bad but don’t know if I would choose to listen to them over others.
Slightly above average but certainly nothing special. Everything you would expect from this genre.
Not as bad as I thought it'd be considering the previous britpop on the list. That being said, it's very forgettable and I have no desire to revisit it
Some songs have a bit of an R.E.M. vibe to it and I quite like it. Full album is a bit much though.
Good. Jangly.
By the second listen I was really starting to enjoy it. ***
Strange but enjoyable.
I’ve never heard of Shack before and I’ve never heard any of these songs. Managed to listen 1.5 times through the album, and definitely liked it better the second time but I’m still not ready to do more than a 3. Gonna save “Pull Together” into one of my playlists though
Fine!
Strangely never heard of this band before. Quite good...
Nice enough. The songs have a sixties feel at times. I prefer the sparse, mellower tracks. The horns were a nice addition to Re-instated. Michael Head is a better song-writer than singer.
3
Pop un tanto optimista, alegre y bien elaborado. Canciones con algo de ritmo y fácil de escuchar, sin destacar en ningún área especialmente. Mediocre tirando a algo mejor
Why? 5
Album tres 90. Bon son en general mais se compare pas vraimment aveci les gros albums de ces annees. Quand meme une belle ecoute. 3.25
I liked some of it and didn't hate any of it. If I could rate 3.5 I would... it's not quite 4 stars though.
Solid
ei nouse mulle massasta, kuulostaa geneeriseltä brittiläiseltä kitarapopilta
Folky 90s altrock
this one was kinda sadly forgettable. i was psyched because i'd never heard of them, and they were from liverpool, which just seems like a good thing...Streets of Kenny was great, but nothing else really stood out here to me.
Decent.
Alright, bluetones-esque 90s fodder.
A lot of songs on here felt like they were mimicking the style of other bands; beatles, red hot chili peppers and even Blur. it was enjoyable but ultimately forgettable
Fun stuff. Nice driving music
Pleasant Surprise
90s british rock. Decent but not amazing.
Not really my style, but I can appreciate some heroin-fueled pop rock as much as the next guy. Has its moments... fleeting ones, but perhaps it's better that way.
mixed, it's pretty smooth but nothing too crazy. I have listened to other songs from them, not a bad band.
Levy alko ihan lupaavasti, mutta loppua kohden hyyty. Kuuntelin kahdesti.
Decent BritPop, but nothing special.
nice music to work to. didnt have to think about anything too hard.
Not bad. Not great. Not listening again. 2.5 stars
Not for me. It was like a discount REM, something that belongs in the background. Doesn't stick out at all. Rating: 3/10 Favorite Song: Natalie's Party
So when you pull up the Wikipedia page for an album before listening and pretty much all it says is "This album was made on (xxx date). It is featured in the book 1001 Albums..." and then goes straight to the song list, you can bet it is going to be a Britpop album that for whatever reason was nostalgic to the author of the book but nobody else really cared about it. Is that the case here? We shall see... Yeah kind of. It's sparkly early/mid 90s sounding Britpop, though maybe not the most Britpop-y Britpop out there. It actually kind of takes a turn toward folk towards the end which is not all that unwelcome I guess. But it is extremely dated, and oddly dated for like 5-7 years before it actually came out. I think they were a bit behind the times on this one. It's not bad but not groundbreaking or innovative in any way. I find it hard to justify including this on the list. I think I would rate this higher if I just randomly came across it somewhere but it being one of the 1001 seems a little much. 2.5/5 but rounding down because there's no way this belongs here.
It's ok its very this will be on the oasis boys label
Is this Britpop? Pretty dull. This is one of the few entries where I've never heard of the band, not to mention the specific album. I guess that comes with being from the wrong side of the Atlantic and all. Every now and then the band picks up a little steam but never really does anything interesting with it. With the exception of a few tracks, this album's not actually bad, just soggy and uninspiring. It's just barely good enough to keep me from rating it a 2 but it feels too generous to give it a 3, as there are much better albums that I've rated 3, and one I rated a 2 that was not good but still a bit more enjoyable. Well, now I've talked myself into giving this a 2. Sorry Shack. Essential listen: no, while it's not terrible, I wouldn't recommend this even in a casual way Desert island disc: uh, no
I apparently listened to this on May 3, 2026 and can’t remember the first thing about it. Not a great sign. Can I internalize anything new that isn’t Richard Hawley?
Groupe inconnu. Rien d’original dans cet album pop/rock. Il m’a paru très long avec ses 12 morceaux, et les morceaux s’étirent en longueur, même si ils ne sont pas désagréable à écouter. Bref, je me suis plutôt ennuyé ! Pas de seconde écoute donc. =>2/5
This was a fine album with some catchy tunes however I fail to see how it could be included on this list.
This is yet another testament of the brit-centered nuance of this list. The album itself is not bad, and I thought it was at least half interesting. However, as in many of the albums of the same style, I fail to see the significance that it could have to have landed in a list such as this one. 7/10 [DROP]
What a baffling inclusion to this book. A fucking 1999 britpop album. The bias for british new wave and britpop is insane. The genre was already dead by that point, this band dindt reinvent the wheel nore made something particulary good. They dindt include fucking Godspeed you! black emperor or swans but ofc this shit does. On top of bieng totally unwhorty of being on this book, its also not a good album at all. Great. Britpop/5
For some reason I bought this album when it was released. Having now re-listened cannot remember what attracted me to it. Must have been that at this time I was into the phase of Coldplay, Travis and the like. But in retrospect Shack were a very pale comparison to those two. The music is so beige and inoffensive that it should make you sink into a fluffy bed with a warm glow. Instead I just want to hit someone in the face. Another album which makes you think why the hell is it on this list? 2/5 8/9/26
I assume it's ok to try to be like Oasis... Shack does is ok!
#474 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ❌ Yet another Brit rock/pop band that sound utterly mediocre, but somehow is getting lifted to a pedestal by the local press. WTF. I'm getting so cross just reading about this that I'm having trouble listening to this even half way open-minded. Nah, I don't care enough. The second and third song cemented how much I do not care. It's really 1 for me, but giving it 2/5 due to decent production.
Shack was a band from Liverpool, which apparently is reason enough to include them on this list. In any case, their album “H.M.S. Fable” gives little reason to believe it had anything to do with their music. Britpop was one of those 90s genres that was already outdated by the time it emerged. Typically, there was one successful trendsetter (in this case, Oasis) and a slew of imitators that nobody needed. Fortunately, while Britpop is totally boring, it’s not as annoying as, say, Eurodance. In that sense, this album is quite tolerable, but completely irrelevant.
Cream of wheat type beat
Booooring.. absolutely nothing of note, almost soured my mood
I'm 678 albums deep at this point. Yet another band that sounds just like this isn't going to impress me at this point. I'm tired, man.
This album did nothing that any other British band before or after has done better
I'm struggling to figure out how I feel about this record... It's a fairly generic, tepid britpop album that's very forgettable. The lead vocals really stand out, but not in a positive way, and will likely be the only reason I ever remember this one despite really enjoying the instrumentation throughout. The guitar tones and playing sound pretty fresh for an album over 25 years old, the arrangements are great (really enjoyed the strings), the drums are bouncy, upbeat and tight, but Michael Head's lifeless vocals are terrible and sit way to up front in the mix. The lyrics honestly are kinda hokey and lame, but somehow sound exactly like you'd expect someone that sings like Head would write. I was very happy when this one was over so I could move on to something better to try and rinse this from my mind... I guess it's a 2/5 since the positives I mentioned above don't deserve a 1/5 even though the sum is less than it's parts.
This was boring. Britpop is a pretty uninteresting genre aside from some exceptions (Blur, Pulp, Suede [if you aren't Luke Haines!] The Auteurs, etc) - this isn’t one of them. It starts off with a couple decent tracks that aren’t anything special, but when you get about half-way through, it’s just impossible to enjoy! Nothing stands out and it’s actually bad at certain points. I didn’t hate this album, but I’d be very reluctant to revisit it.
Not a bad album, but just not my kind of thing. I was genuinely worried it was going to be a collection of sea shanties, so it could’ve been worse.
eminently forgettable basic late-2010s-sounding "rock."
Straight into the pile of British albums you absolutely do not need to hear before you die. They suffer from the added misfortune of being from Liverpool. 2.0
The guy who made this list absolutely loves British music. 1001 Britpop and Post Punk albums to listen to before you die. I want to strangle this guy more every day.
2.4/5
252. ok
4/10
Kind of middle-of-the-road dad rock.
why
Ok sure critics liked it at its time. But does this really stand the test of time. Is this really THAT historically memorable?
Yet another acoustic britpop album
p851. 1999. 2 stars. Average Oasis wannabees who missed the early 90s boat. Pleasant enough, but not essential listening.
I was surprised to see that HMS Fable was released in 1999. It sounds like an American college rock group from 1990.
Not bad or anything but just ok in my opinion, kind of a less dynamic oasis vibe
Another baffling inclusion that can only exist because of the bias of the British music critics who wrote most of the 1001 albums book. Being from 1999, this one hasn’t had long enough to sit in the collective consciousness to become a classic by 2006, and it’s definitely not in 2026 either. It’s derivative of oasis and other britpop of the 90s, and not much more. On Wikipedia, the only sentence in the “legacy” section is its inclusion in this book and a very low spot on British rag NME’s top 500 albums. It didn’t sell well, maxed out at 25 on the UK albums Chart, and had only two singles that charted at 44 and 63 on British charts, which, coincidentally were the last highest charting songs by this band, ever. So why’s this basic ass britpop worth including or remembering? ⭐️⭐️
Get this lukewarm Temu Oasis out of my face.
this album is nothing. maybe this is one of those "suffering from success" things where a sound becomes so popular that imitations swarm the space and it loses its uniqueness (god knows britpop was big enough for it in the late 90s, for some reason) but this shit really does sound like the kind of inoffensive soft rock stock music u might hear in the background of a commercial or a video showcasing the top 10 simple life hacks u can try at home. it's real copyright free music for use in videos or streaming shit, the type of thing u could probably find thousands of examples of in the youtube audio library. cc0-core, even. i'm not sure why this is on the list tbh. i checked the wiki article for clues on why it might be notable enough to warrant inclusion but all i could see is that it's apparently notable for being on the list....? so i'm baffled. again, i get that britpop was popping (lol) the fuck off in the late 90s but surely there's better examples of it than this? .....right? this album really does feel like it was designed to fade into the background while someone tries to sell me some kind of yogurt-based drink or whatever. it doesn't actively piss me off but there's no way i'd ever choose to listen to it myself, much less recommend it as some kind of required listening experience. the only thing saving it from a 1-star rating is that michael head lays the accent on so thick in "pull together" that i thought he was singing in french for a second, which is kinda funny at least.
Meh
4/10 Inoffensive to the point of being offensive. The fact this jangle pop wholly passed me by when when I was in my 20th year and a lover of all things Britpop shows how forgettable it was
S/O to the person who pointed out this came out the same year as Kid A. Jail time for Dimmery.
There are some decent tunes here. But there is quite a bitvof filler as well. Not sure how this made it to #2 in Uncut and the NME's 1999end of year list, with that year seeing releases like Blur's 13, the Peppers' Californication, Dr Dré's 2001, Macy Gray's On How Life Is, Beck's Midnight Vultures, The Magnetic Fields' 69 Love Songs, The Flaming Lips' The Soft Bulletin ... I don't flat out hate this, but it is a long way from good enough to be here. It sounds, at best, like a lazy Oasis effort but without the melody's, let alone the singing. Nope.
No me gustó, che. No tienen nada de malo, pero tampoco anda memorable.
Just a bit generic to me. Much more interesting Britpop out there that I'd rather listen to. Some decent tunes, but nothing I'd want to hear again.
Ok.
Tää oli aika geneeristä rockpoppia, eikä valitettavasti ainakaan ensi kuuntelulta jäänyt mitään mieleen.
Definition of a meh album
It was fine. Beatles -esque. It works for background music
This feels like some slow paced country bumpkin music, vocals by non-native English speakers mumbling and trying to produce weird al type music, but not ending up funny. I didn't hate it, but even actively trying, couldn't find my enjoyment of it.
I was right in the middle of the Britpop and indie scene in the 90s, but somehow HMS Fable by Shack completely passed me by. I'd never even heard of it, so I was interested to see what I'd missed. Unfortunately, I don't think I was missing much. HMS Fable can be summed up quite simply: bland, boring and largely uninspired. Very little ever seems to happen, and despite giving it my full attention, I struggled to find anything that really grabbed me. The songs came and went without leaving much of an impression. There are a couple of decent moments. “Comedy” and “Pull Together” are enjoyable enough, but they’re not enough to lift the rest of the album. Too much of it blends into the background and feels instantly forgettable. Overall, this is another album that left me wondering how it made the 1001 list. I know it has its fans, but it did very little for me and it's not something I can see myself returning to. Favourite tracks: “Comedy” and “Pull Together” were both enjoyable Least favourite tracks: Much of the album blends into the background and is instantly forgettable Album artwork: I do love a good ship, and the album cover is probably my favourite thing about the record
A guy eventually hears so many nth wave Brit rock albums that it feels like a real treat when one doesn’t totally stink. This is one of those, but it’s not like I’m gonna go crazy with the score or anything
2.5
Ok but uninteresting
like a warmer version of Cream/The Birds....not for me
why is this on the list? sounds like something i'd hear in an "irish" pub Would I listen again: no Deserves to be on this list: no 2.3
This is not something that should be on this list.
Boring 90s pop slop
Initially reminded of REM. Boring and bland. 2/5
Mediocre
If I have to listen to one more of these boring ass britpop albums I'm going to scream
Very much whatever. I will not remember a single song from this album even if it sounded Simon & Garfunkel adjacent at times.
There is nothing about this album that merits inclusion on the list.
Sehr mid 3/5
At times interesting but more of a bore than anything else.
Boring. British. Bullshit 2/5
Poppy crap.
Pre Listen: Haven't heard of these gents, but based on the "H.M.S." in the title, I reckon it's a UK band of some sort. No expectations. Notable Tracks: Daniella - My favorite track. The simple acoustic guitar contrasts the overdone nothing burger songs that fill this album. I really like the distortion effect at the end of the song, very unique. Lend's Some Dough - Least favorite track. Embarrassing. I would say this is AI Generated, if it wasn't for this album being from '99. Post Listen: UK Band of some sort indeed. It sounded rather generic to me. Like a watered down R.E.M. mixed with something else. I already dislike R.E.M. so I was pretty bored by this album. I don't have anything particularly negative to say about any one element, it just sounded meh to me. I couldn't understand the vocals from time to time. I normally enjoy albums with wide instrumentation, interesting vocal effects, harmonies, etc. This one though, it all felt almost corporate in a way? Hard to explain. This is background music you'd hear in a restaurant you'll never return to, not because it was bad, but because you were only passing through. Even still, if you were to pass through again, you probably wouldn't go here. 2/5
I don't know about this one man; it made me kinda sleepy. Pull Together and Cornish Town were really good but everything else was a bit dull. Kept checking to see how many tracks were left until this album was over. Might be worth re-listening to outside of work/driving (I can imagine Daniella is good for relaxing) as it was fairly good music.
Two random albums in a row. This one is a bit less "random" than the previous one by virtue of being British and there being a very obvious bias for British music. It is also a better album, at least I'm a bit more into this style of late-Britpop, but it's still nothing that I would deem essential listen.
Pretty boring
i really wanted to like this, as a fan of potentially-undersung jangle pop and proper-noun song titles, but god it's a shame about the production. Comedy has the structural grandeur to pull it off, and Re-Instated is stripped down and lovely, but the rest just feels like it's drowning in bad choices. there are more tracks here that have the sturdy, commendable bones of a Flying Nun band or a Go-Betweens song, but the songwriting is so consistently shouted over by horns and strings and two million guitar tracks that it all turns to mush. sad, was pulling for these guys for some reason :(
por momentos te entretiene pero por muchos otros aburre y satura, not my thing 5/10
Forgettable
Fine to listen to at 2am (which is when I listened to it… but completely generic and forgettable
This is remarkably forgettable.
Cookie-cutter pre-packeged pop rock. It's just ok, if not a little annoyingly dull. It's listenable but it feels like it wants radio play without doing something special, I guess it might just be the stripped down radio sauce that existed prior to that more iconic 2000s pop-rock sound. I find it hard to believe this album is a must listen, it's feeling pretty uneventful. 2.1/5
Nothing particularly bad about it, but it just did absolutely nothing for me. Just came off like a local band with a descent following that never made the jump to anything more.
Irgendwie zehn Jahre zu spät Und dafür nicht gut genug
Not a Britpop fan
Meh, pretty mediocre in my opinion. A little too boring
I was so, so bored.
For a long, long, long time I just kinda figured all British bands were a bit askew. If they were ever conventional - Oasis - it was in the direction of classic rock trappings. Otherwise, they could communicate emotions without being overbearing, usually carry a tune, not as much screaming, but still scanning as different, alternative, not “pop” exactly (but not not - part of championing alt and indie rock was a belief that this music should be perfect for radio etc). So to my surprise, when I was part of a britpop scene in late 90s/early 00s Boston, I found out there was plenty of straightforward, very basic rock and pop that hailed from the land of the Cure, Ride, and Blur. When the “post OK Computer” bands arrived, groups like starsailor or jj72 or even the more successful Coldplay and Travis, they had a built-in audience that liked Gene, Shed Seven, The Bluetones, Dodgy. Not bad groups, but not terribly remarkable and largely unheard outside UK radio. This is where we find Shack. A consistent part of the second and third wave britpop bands is that they were made up of lifers. They’d gone through trends in the 80s and early 90s and were still looking for a hit. This is not dissimilar from most of the grunge bands associated with the “Seattle Sound.” Go back a few years earlier and you’ll see STP and AiC flirting with hair metal and alternative funk, pre-Pearl Jam bands Green River and Mother Love Bone both more than happy to share a bill with Poison or Whitesnake if that would get them in front of an audience. The Pale Fountains were the pre-Shack band. This story is replicated all over britpop, bands ending and starting anew the same way attorneys go from firm to firm or a tech bro with start-ups. This isn’t entirely a bad thing. The music fan’s wish is finding a rare gem, a sui generis genre creation all via one song, but also, sometimes, a group that has enough talent and craft to evolve their sound, chasing trends, muses, an entire zeitgeist if they’re really lucky. Blur were a not very good baggy/indie band called Seymour and didn’t really hit their stride until album 2, Radiohead likewise. But you still have to retain that spark or what in acting is the impression of the first time - youth goes a long ways in disguising material that is rudimentary or basic because, well, passion and looks sell. That’s enough to get you in the door, but absent a songwriting team, the rest is down to luck, perseverance, deals with devils. Shack never caught fire the way even Travis did, registering a blip on American radio and MTV, doing theatre tours, opening for major label artists. Instead, they somehow made it into a compendium called 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. I had only ever heard of them by accident trying to track down a song from the aforementioned Boston britpop scene (years later: still looking). The HMS Fable is adult-oriented Oasis, perfectly fine to throw on at home on a weeknight maybe while you’re making dinner (like I did last night in Toronto). Well-made, workmanlike, 1 pretty good song, and a bunch of album cuts.
boring britpop. like why is this on here??
Big empty music. Attempts to sound grand and sweeping, but nothing about it ends up sticking. Everything is competently made but there's barely any standout lyrics, hooks, melodic ideas, instrumental passages. There were many instances where I assumed I was 5 minutes into a song's runtime, checked the progress, and discovered it was only 3 minutes long. It gets slightly better towards the end, I think Cornish Town, Reinstated, and Daniella are solid songs, but not enough to save the whole experience from being too boring to remember.
Ok but nothing to come back to
In which we learn that whoever wrote the book this is based on is British, because how else would this be here. "Those chaps across the pond probably never 'eard of SHACK - gotta put 'em on." I discussed with John while listening to this that a mark of a mediocre work of art is that the best you can say about it is that it purely evokes a specific time and place - and with this one can maybe I can somewhat grasp the feeling of being 10 seconds away from being carted off in a NHS ambulance due to being mutilated in Liverpool over soccer or some shit while piss drunk in the late 90s. A very saccharine, overwrought, and uninspired by anything but Oasis + strings 10 seconds. Good god, the chorus of one of them is "You and I .... gotta pull together!" C'mon. Any list like this is going to be impossible to get right but there's like one Coltrane album and here we are with some C - tier britpop. It has it's moments, it's got a novelty to it, and I wouldn't say it's bad, but wildly undeserving of such a spot.
Lameeeeee
Not great.
Worse than cold play
This album is easily forgettable.
I feel like I should like this because it’s folky, Beatlesque, Brit-pop, and the songs are all pretty distinct from each other, but it just feels very derivative. I like it when you can tell what artists influenced the album, but maybe there’s a limit to that. Or maybe the album’s just kind of bland for as much bells and whistles it has.
Don't get me wrong, the music is somewhat okay and not bad. It just does not belong onto this list as it does not offer anything new or special. It's standard pop without any extra. There are definitely better records that are there for the masses to play on the radio. 2/5
Boring 90s background music
At first I was like, this ain't too bad. Then the next track was meh, then again, and again, and again.
I so need a break from this genre …sigh
OK i guess but also pretty bland and boring.
I really didn't know what to do with this. I was excited about their listed influences but then I didn't really hear them. Liked the beginning the most and lost it as it went on.
Dimery's taste in 90s music beyond the obvious classics is incredibly suspect. To include this completely nondescript album over In the Aeroplane over the Sea is..... something
2/5. Ganska basic?
Було нудно, лише Даніела сподобалась
More brit-pop slop and this is worse than most. “Pull Together” has some kinda cool elements at least.
Blimey, Michael Head, whatever next RGP…not the best thing in his back catalogue, which touches on remarkable quality at times, but a very solid two stars. Tom.
Typical 90s pop rock record, very soft and relatively corny throughout. Ends with a softer and more melodic song, but overall the record is quite basic. Not my forte, but I don't absolutely hate it.
This started out strong but quickly faded and became dreadfully dull by the end. “Natalie’s Party” and “Comedy” are great songs, so I had high hopes. Unfortunately this album just couldn’t keep the momentum. This is definitely one of those “why is this on the list?” albums.
Sometimes you just gotta shake your head and laugh at how British-pilled the author of this list is. Shack is one of a hundred similar Britpop rock acts from the 90s; they don’t stand out over any of the others in any way. Most of the songs on this record had around 10k listens each, wow such an influential piece of music history! Shack is the rock equivalent of beans on toast, it’s gross and a bit soggy, but i guess it’s technically food. Fuck the author for this, at least the German guys banging on sheet metal were at least mildly interesting. 2/5
This ended up being an incredibly odd-feeling album. 'Coz looking at it from a distance, it should be something I really enjoy. Even through the groan of this being **yet another** British album from the 90's I'd never heard of before now, the melodies and instrumentation are all in place. As a soundscape — which is how I tend to judge albums over everything else — it fits the bill. It fits perfectly, in fact. Maybe even a little ... too perfectly? Even from track three, I was getting a weird feeling from this album. Like if I looked closer I wouldn't see actual humans, but instead manniquens. And, sure, yes, they're polished to a sheen and **look** great — but in the end, they're still plastic. And that's how this album feels: like the perfect, plastic general idea of Britpop. This is not Oasis blowin' the roof off, and it's sure not blur getting down in the muck and experimenting. If it's anything, it's perfect for the radio and people who aren't all too discerning. It's just not terribly authentic. And if there's anything I value more than soundscape, it's that.
I’m at a 2.5 that I’ll bump down to a 2. Eh. That really is the word to sum up the album for me: “eh”. This is just mired in mediocrity. Mediocre songwriting, often creating a feeling that the song has started at its halfway point with no context or buildup to create the emotional tissue each song is desperately trying to capture. Strong instrumentation that unfortunately loses all luster because all of its glitz & glamour feels unearned by the structure of each track. Once again, because the songwriting doesn’t really know how to paint pictures that lead up to the emotional release of the chorus as fruitfully as they’re expecting, the big solos here just feel like forced lifts as opposed to natural crescendos. They sound good, but without the investment towards the track, it’s impossible to really get into it. The real issue this album has, beyond the songwriting / structure of each track plaguing the emotional pull, comes in the production itself – listen really closely to this thing, and tell me; do you hear an ounce of natural room tone at any point in this album? It’s not there. There is no natural warmth in any of these tracks; whether it’s the wall of sound that permeates a lot of this album’s guitar work & muddying it up, or the reverb placed on the vocals & harmonizations that creates a bubble effect that compresses & insulates them, this album just feels artificial. It’s part of the reason why the instrumentation doesn’t work as well as it’s executed – the bubble around everything feels unnatural to the ears, and that cascades its way to the vocal delivery & the lyricism. There’s no connective tissue that makes this album feel as alive as it wants to, save for maybe “Comedy”, “Lend’s Some Dough”, & “Captain’s Table” as the only 3 tracks that really clicked with me on a first pass here. I just spent the vast majority of this album trying to get into it and never really clicking with it at all. If I only enjoyed 25% of the album on a first pass & can barely muster up even a loose admiration for certain aspects of some tracks past “it’s fine”, it’s just not worth bumping up to a 3. I do understand why it might click for other people, especially if some of the more localized references in the lyrics make more sense, but it really is just mired in mediocrity to me, and it doesn’t feel like it stands up with the other Britpop-adjacent albums on the list. For 1999, it feels like it’s 10 years out of date, if not a bit longer. It just did not click for me at all, and I feel inclined to bump it down to a 2. It’s not so bad as to earn a 1 but… damn, it just doesn’t feel like it needs to be on the list. Eh.
Ekkert spes. Skil ekki erindið á listann.
Favorite Song: Comedy
Pretty unremarkable. Seems like with so much amazing music in the world...
Very pleasant. Don't think there's anything here to make me come back though.
I’d rather listen to oasis 2
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.
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."
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).
pleasant overall. a bit of coffee shop background music vibes
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.
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.