Reviews (page 7 of 8)
It's like the La's, but on a budget. So that wasn't great, and this is less interesting.
forgettable britpop, the faster tracks are okay but some of the slower ones can get really annoying
It really isn‘t bad quality. Also the songs differ with having a real core. But the Vanille style of uplifting Pop-Rock lacks something I can‘t put my finger on.
Mitäänsanomatonta menoa. Näin yhden kuuntelun perusteella. Laulajan ääni ei myöskään itselle toimi.
It is pleasant background music but I find it too banal for active listening
Generic softer rock album, nothing special.
An album that was designed for the word 'meh.' Not to be too harsh here, but I don't think you'd be missing anything crucial by skipping this album. The ideas are not new or original and have been perfected by other Britpop bands. Is it outright offensive? No. Is it memorable? Again, no. One of those albums that's no one's favourite. Not sure it inspires that much passion. C+
As others have pointed out, it's quite Homogenic with Oasis, like a Mezzanine within their proverbial building. Weezer very confused by the addition. I suppose there were no other albums from the 90s that could have been included instead.
Sounded like the house band at Applebees.
For once I'm with the Americans on this, it's just bland Brit 90s with nothing new to add.
Un sin mas
90s leftovers for sure. The singer is just so boring. If they had someone like Niall Quinn from The Cranberries it'd be so much more interesting.
Meh
Pretty bland, but not dreadful
Captain’s Table is the only song that I cared for.
Who sucked whose to put this here? :(
idk how to really explain it but they sound like a fake band in a bad movie
I don’t really know, this was fine… a couple songs that actively bothered me, some were more pleasant but it was consistently shy of satisfying me. Kinda sounded like REM but not as good… probably not the best Liverpudlian band out there…
Pretty unremarkable! Kinda nice at times
i do not understand this album or why its on this list and I wish i never heard it
Not my type of music at all.
bri ish uhuehue pop rock i feel? i like the outro to comedy too bad the rest of the song is slow why are the songs so bland nooooo it started off good my favorite song: natalies party
now I know who sings that first track-I remember only that one - not a bad listen, but nothing to write home about - decidedly dated early 90s sound to my ears..
Very average 90’s Brit pop not sure why this needs to be on the list given how well Brit pop is already represented
i am so frustrated at this album, and i am so frustrated at myself why do i give valuable time to people with a snot filled whine
This definitely wasn't a bad album, but it didn't feel different from a lot of soft british rock made in the 90's/00's. None of the songs stood out to me on an individual basis and a lot of the music just turned into background noise. Probably won't come back to this one but wouldn't care if it was played where I am.
A little bland and instantly forgettable attempt at Brit pop. You can easily hear the sounds of other bands of the time in the tracks, particularly The Lightning Seeds
Blimey. I blame Oasis, they've got a lot to answer for. Hope they're proud.
Do one.
This one does not deserve to be on the list, I’m afraid.
Oasis?
I listened to this yesterday, and have forgotten it already...
I dunno why HMS Fable is on here (yeah it's another one of those albums). This was recorded in 1999, well after everyone was doing this sort of thing and being interesting with it, so their particular brand of underwhelming britpop-adjacent alt rock doesn't stick. Vocals are just there without really doing anything, music is unremarkable with efforts to elevate it with poor Oasis imitation riffs and stylings. I'll give it a 2 because it's listenable enough and Comedy is a good song, but really, did we need this?
Yup, another substandard offering from the list. Very beige, gentle alternative stuff that doesn't have the oomph to qualify as rock, the fun to qualify as pop, or the tunefulness and soul to qualify as folk. 2/5.
Oh my god, this is so boring
- Why? Perfectly competent; completely uninteresting; so not vital. -
Sometimes I think I'm being punked by this list. This is just adult contemporary Oasis. Is it bad? No. Would I listen to it again? Maybe (if I remembered it existed after an hour). Is there anything unique or special about it that makes it deserving of being on an all-time must listen list? Absolutely not. Vertical Horizon and Travis both put out albums just as good as this in 1999. Are they on this list? Nope. Should they be? Also nope, as much as I enjoy both bands. (Wait, what's that? Travis *is* on this list? Lol, oh boy...) The bias of this list toward British artists, particularly Britpop and electronica, continues to be incredibly frustrating when so many artists from other countries who should have a place on it are left off. 3.5 for the actual album — it's catchy, it's pleasant enough to listen to, but it's nothing special. 2/5 in terms of this list, because what the hell, man? (I won't give it a 1 because it's not unlistenable, just unworthy).
moze byc, ale po 5 utworach sie nudzi
Forgettable, no idea why it's on this list.
Perfectly pleasant but also unremarkable and unmemorable.
Perfectly average and inoffensive. It's a 3/10 but in the top 1001 albums ever made it is not.
This is incredibly forgettable. I can't figure out why this is on the list. Glad to hear some violins and other instruments show up a bit.
Listened through one and one third times. Some nice trumpet at times. Mostly just bland. A ghost of music past. Doubt this will ever come back around for me
Oasis spawned some of the most lame, beige sounding Brit pop albums ever in the 90’s bro. I’ve genuinely NEVER seen this record at any store in my entire life and that’s essentially all I do in my free time. Once again, another “we have “insert name here” at home album. Just sounds like a culmination of everyone else at the time. Nothing sticks out or is memorable here. Next.
This reminds me alot of belle and sebastian. I like this very easy listening but not that much meet to it. I can hear the modern indie influence here in like Alex G or Tame Impala. It has a lot of good singing and background vocals, just a fun time. I also have to ask why is this here kinda weird how much Britpop is here and how little electronic music there is
Nineties pop rock, not too deep.
Overrated and Underwhelming! So this is another one of those albums that got published in a book of 1001 albums to hear before you die. Only God knows how this ended up on the list, while so many other great albums were just passed up. With that being said, it wasn’t horrible music, but there wasn’t anything standout about it either. It was just a basic, middle-of-the-road Britpop album that came out about eight years too late. By 1999, all the bands from the late ’80s and early ’90s that were the flag bearers of Britpop had already moved on, forming new projects and exploring new sounds. While there’s nothing really bad about this album, so it probably doesn’t deserve to get dragged through the mud, putting it in a category of the top 1001 albums really sets a very high bar for it.
Hitless BritPop.
the total opposite of fabulous
Questionable inclusion in the list for sure.
As stated in almost all reviews, this is bland pointless rock that belongs on a list of 10,001 not 1001
Who cares? I really didn't need to hear this before I died
It's like the Bluetones, but without the one Bluetones song that everyone loves. It's inoffensive, but it might as well be any other 90s indie/britpop album.
it's fine
Average indie from the 90s
This album was just "OK" and definitely doesn't belong on this list. Mediocre brit pop at best but offers nothing novel or interesting aside from 1 or 2 decent tracks. Standout Tracks: Comedy, Daniella
Ok, but I couldn’t get interested in it at all.
I had higher expectations. I guess it's not really the type of songs i like. Cover: 5/5 favorite track: Daniella least favorite track: I want you Would listen again: no
Meh
Standard power pop and jangle pop at the time. I am hearing their influences, from Britpop contemporaries (mostly Oasis) to the Beatlesesque power pop artists of the 70s (e.g. Badfinger, Big Star), overlaying a modern electronic noisy background. Too many weak songs that sound too much like generic 90s alt rock. Their techniques are not articulated as well as similar sounding artists. For example, Elliot Smith would have done the lo-fi "Daniella" better, The Verve would have done the shoegaze "Streets of Kent" better, and Teenage Fanclub would do background distortion against bubblegum vocals in "I Want You" better. The first 2 tracks are a strong start. There are a few other decent tracks here, but most of it is at best ok, often junk.
Not memorable. Decent and standard music.
Je commence à être tanné d’avoir autant d’albums de centre dentaire, mettez moi au moins des albums weirds qui essaye de quoi de spécial
I had not heard of this band or album. I didn’t dislike it or love it. To me it was average or slightly less than, mostly forgetable. I saved one track on my 1001 playlist, “Lend’s some dough”. 2.25/5
If The Cult album we just heard was the epitome of Dad Rock, this album is the epitome of Pussy Rock. Don’t get me wrong, I can fuck with some Pussy Rock. But today is not that day my friends. I’m being generous and rounding up to 2*, but I’ll never purposefully listen to this band again. 1.75/5
How much did they pay to get on this list? 🤔
It's not bad, but not essential at all. I'm absolutely sure there's over 1000 more important records than this one. The songs remind me of Oasis and Train. As I said, not terrible, but nothing special and not trend setting. I don't understand why it's on the list. Favorite song: Streets of Kenny
normal rock. nothing special
1.5/5. Very 90s and not good.
Not objectively bad, but pretty boring. Wished i was listening to the stone roses again tbh.
The album was okay in that it was enjoyable and not annoying, but the significance of being on the list is somewhat lost here. In trying to stay true to the project, there is a just a bit of expectation that when an unknown album/band is encountered, that they bring something that makes sense as to why they are here. Maybe there is a piece of history in the band itself that lends to this album's inclusion, but this largely has nothing to with the band as much as the music of the album. Expectations are not believed to be unreasonably high here, but the lack of anything remarkable and the accompanying disappointment in this album calls that into question.
When I saw the album title and cover I got exciting thinking this might be an album full of sea shanties. Sadly, it is not.
Empty, soulless
Shades of Oasis, Spoon, R.E.M, Blur. Just a bummer that all those bands are better. 2.5/5
Another new artist for me. This was 'ok.' Doubt I would listen again. Nothing grabbed me about it.
Boring
Extremely mid britpop. The vocals feel amateurish which are only further contrasted by quite accomplished instrumentation. There are occasional poingant quieter moments that definitely shone brighter than the rest. A lot of it feels grabbing on the coattails of Oasis and the like. It's trying.
Fairly vanilla Brit pop. 2 stars. 2 stars
Why is this here? The '90s was a great decade for music, but not EVERY ALBUM was amazing. This is a nothingburger. So many artists were doing this type of music during the period too, and it's not like Shack did anything amazing with the sound. Why is this album here?
tapped out not me
Bit boring
To me this album sounds like really easy listening 90s radio music. I'm a bit confused why this album out of all albums made it on the 1001 albums list. It sounds very basic and like all the other music in the genre that came out around this time. It's crazy that this artist only has 18k monthly listeners on spotify too. Streets of Kenny was a pretty cool song though. Probably my favorite on the album except the ending of that song was so abrupt and terrible. Like why did they end it like that?????? Since I Met You was also a decent song. The psychedelic nature of it was kind of a surprise.
This album is incredibly "meh". I'm very surprised that it's included on this list. It didn't seem to ever get much commercial success, and the album doesn't do anything creative, musically.
Not offensively bad... just why? Did the guy who made this list know someone in the band? Just no context as to why this would be included.
Completely forgettable. Not bad, mind, but I see no reason why it is on this list.
It was just OK.
Sub-LAs stuff I'd never heard of, and I liked this stuff
Melodic but generic rock. Nothing jumps out impresses. Ok for background music, I guess
1800s British sailors but if they make music that was boring to listen to
Mediocre britpop, did not enjoy it, plus I don't like the cover art
Awful…generic Brit pop
That I haven’t heard of this is foreboding. And I listen. And it’s not bad. But must listen? Not even close.
I am underwhelmed.
Borders on yelling (not singing). I like the album cover! Reminds me of Traffic's John Barleycorn album cover
Typical britpop, nothing else tbh. Imagine listening to Oasis in 1994 and going to coma the same day, then waking up in 1999 and creating this album. Sounds so outdated, even for 1999. Honestly can't say anything about this album, shit, only info about this album on wikipedia is that the album was included in 1001 albums list. Favourite(listenable) song(s): Natalie's Party, Comedy, others songs are unlistenable. I won't give this album 1/5, but gonna give 2--/5.
I got about half way, then tapped out. I'm sure this album is fine for someone, but not me. Super boring.
most of the songs on this album sounded like an off brand version of oasis. and i don’t like oasis, much less a cheap clone. pass.
This was boring. One song was alright but I’ll be darned if I remember which and I’ll be equally assed to go back and find it.
A perfectly okay alt rock album from the turn of the century. It feels a bit too late for 99. Hadn't we sort of moved beyond this sound by then? 94 maybe, but this just sounds outdated for its time. There's nothing on display here that Oasis hadn't already covered. Why is it on this list?
The first few pints better be free if this is your pub’s entertainment for the night.
Fuck Britpop. 1.91
I went in blind (deaf?) but within 5 seconds I predicted exactly what kind of album this would be: jangly guitar pop that’s just melodic enough to enjoy at the time but far too bland to leave an impression afterwards. Probably benefited, critically, from being released in that post-britpop, pre-00s indie black hole where not much else was happening.
Didn't love the sound
Not Shaquille O'Neal. Was quite boring, nothing special at all. Thinking about the time, 1999. Would have been crap then and crap now.
Bland, boring brit pop.
Britpop, kannte ich noch nicht, ok.
Ganz okay, nicht schlecht aber halt auch nix besonderes iwie?
Nothing stood out in this album
I enjoyed it. It didn't grip me in a way that makes me feel compelled to come back to them or explore their other music, but it's well done.
not that interesting, 4/10
This is pretty dull I have to say. It's not bad, just bland and uninspiring
I finished listening to this a couple minutes ago and already can't remember shit of this generic piece of crap.
Milk toast. Just milk toast.
"Hey 1999, remember that album NME listed as number 2 on their album of the year? Don't you just think you HAVE to hear that before die" "I mean, not really. Nothing better 25 years later? Is NME still a thing?"
It was okay. Very forgettable and did not stand out to me at all.
this better not be pirate rock. ok cool. what is this boring crap grrrrr stfu. srsly why is this on here this is pissing me off. lend some dough has some interesting vocal moments but then it does the do-re-mi shit and i cringe out of my skin. yeah i kinda hate this
Honestly I went into this with an open mind, hoping it would be something new and interesting but I think I am just disappointed. I’m not the best at identifying autotune so I could be wrong but at some points his voice just sounded so fake and weird. Autotune or not it wasn’t up my alley. I did like the calming aspect of it but overall just kind of a let down.
Not sure what the significance of this album is. It’s British. It’s ballads and pop music. It is lesser than most other British pop. It’s nothing unique or exciting. All in all it didn’t seem all that great and it’s on to the next one. 3.6/10
It's like They Might Be Giants meets Bob Dylan.
I liked Comedy, im glad I listened to the album and got introduced to the songs. Its an ok album if youre in the right mood. I added Comedy to my playlist. Good song.
Some really catchy songs here towards the beginning (especially Captain's Table) but teeters too much on the bland side to rate higher. Especially finishing with a song that contains the lyric "I know you love meat"
Mellow rock mainstream sounding
I can see why when this was released it was received warmly; it has well executed guitar licks and dreamy chorus’. However, the pop quickly subsides and it’s clear that this is just a poor imitation of their Liverpudlian predecessors.
#1 - Upbeat sound, but forgettable. It feels like I've heard it before somewhere from another album from another artist. Is that going to be a recurring theme of this album? #2 - Jangly. Are you sure this is "britpop" and not bad modern country? It borders on mediocre and ok. #3 - The chorus is fine, but the rest of the song wasn't interesting to me at all. #4 - No. This was a skip after a minute. #5 - It's not bad and compared to what I've heard so far, it's alright. I felt it had a decent tempo and lyrics. Instruments worked well here. #6 - The intro starts of pretty haunting. What are we going to get? ...oh look, more of what you expect. Similar sounding vocals and instruments. I did stick it out for this one and.. well, it's not bad. #7 - Not awful. The lyrics were good with this one. Music fit well here. #8 - Eh. I was pretty done with the album at this point, but I'll soldier on. #9 - Again, the intro makes it sound like this could be something weird, but interesting? Then it launches into the album you were experiencing. It feels incredibly uninspired; they should have stayed more with the intro to it. #10 - I try to stick it out through as much of the album as I could, but this one was a skip too. Nothing was doing it for me here. #11 - Uh, weird? Most of it is bad, except for maybe the bridge of the song. #12 - If the vocalist could sing better, this could be a decent track actually. I was okay with the guitar rhythm here. I can see why this one may have been placed in the list, but considering my notes, it's tepid at best. Nothing really hit with me in this album and I ended up having to skip a song or two. I wasn't a fan of the lead vocalist. I also disliked that there was a tonal whiplash in my experience (like in #6 and #9). If we could give half points, it'd be a 1.5/5, but I'm going to be generous and say 2 since it's more lukewarm than outright mediocre.
Not another run-of-the-mill britpop band... just waiting for this one to end.
I'm over brit-pop.
Nothing special
I'd never heard of Shack before and not a single song from this album jogged my memory. It was pleasant enough stuff I guess, but it all felt a bit like a pub band who were five years too late to hit the curve. Got to the end and felt no reason to ever listen to this again. Dull enough to drop to 2 stars for me.
Nice enough, but nothing special
This album is an insult to the merit of 1001 list. Tacky, forgettable, pleasant-sounding britpop for the sake of britpop. Shame it took place of some worthwhile album.
I'd rather be stuck in a shack.
enjoyable but nothing spectacular
Weak.
That right there was some fairly "dime a dozen" 90's brit alt-rock, that I would've been just fine with not hearing before I died. I mean, seriously, why did the British music producers of that day think they could simply stick a string quartet behind any mediocre band off the streets and start printing gold records!?
SHACK
The overall sound is not bad, but the songs are very weak and boring, and there are moments where the singing is rather grating.
Like butterscotch angel delight
An early 200s movie soundtrack.
mid brit pop album. nothing stood out here, but it could’ve been worse.
It's like Oasis and R.E.M wanted to record togeather but had a series of uninspired days in the studio resulting in the most boring super group record of all time.
5/10
I really liked the first four songs, and if they were their own separate EP it could have been a quintessential britpop release. Unfortunately the album continued and, while there were some nice ideas here and there, it was mainly very dull and uninspired for the next half hour
an Ok album. I'm not sure why it's on the list though. That being said, I love the last song 'Daniella'.
Highly produced pop that treads no new ground. Pleasant to listen to but completely forgettable.
2.5
This album might be a grower. Might be that this, after repeated listens gives away its depths and amazingness. But after 4 listens, one during work, one in the car, one while walking and one with good headphones, I kinda doubt it and am left with the feeling I'm either missing something, or this is just a real unremarkable album.
Incredibly, incredibly mediocre. Definitely not an album you have to listen to before you die.
A perfectly fine brit-pop album in the vein of the many that came before it. Probably doesn't really need to be here. Favorite track: "Streets of Kenny"
Don't hate it. Don't love it. Don't really feel anything. Just an empty void where feelings for music should be. It's not terrible. It ain't great. The best thing about it is the cover and yet the cover doesn't really do anything to me either. This is a 3 star album and I have to take one star away since nothing broke through.
Liked the first song, but on the whole it all feels a bit like a band you’d stumble into seeing live at some bar and go, “Hey they weren’t bad,” and then probably forget about for the rest of your life. Also, “Shack” is an awesome band name but in no way should it belong to this band. Some hardcore kids need to reclaim it.
Meh
Unremarkable.
Never heard of this, and not sure why it's on here, but it's fine. Not essential listening, or even essential britpop listening. The obvious comparison is Oasis, but I think they do enough to distinguish themselves. As you may guess from the cover, there's a good dose of nautical themes, often revealing themselves in the more folk-leaning tracks. The band has good melodic sensibilities, and I enjoy the variety of instrumentation and orchestral bits. The moments of electronic sounding effects strike me as odd and ill-fitting. The band can write a good track, but there are some duds too, and tunes can verge on corny. "Lend's Some Dough" comes to mind. I like the way some tracks grow and develop throughout, such as my favorite track, "Streets of Kenny." However, as layers of guitar pile on, and the soundscape becomes more dense, the track comes to a sudden, unsatisfying stop, which made me briefly think my audio cut out. I think I'll end my review in a similar fashi
sounds like a band trying to make that late 90s early 00s sound and not doing anything impressive with it.
This album didn't evoke much for me, but I didn't actively hate it.
2.1 kind of album that would have been more impressive 35 years earlier, its fine, definitely not top 1001 though. can hear some stone roses and some simon and garfunkel inspirations but it's just not quite right faves: captain's table
Britpop
Hoping for sea shantys, was disappointed
Too much going on at once here
Inoffensive Britpop and utterly forgettable. Will not get a repeat.
One of those albums that you instantly forget about right after finishing. Unfortunately nothing remarkable stood out to me on this one. Like i can't remember a single song to write a decent review
Shack sound like the average you'd get from adding Oasis to Manics to Stone Roses to Lightning Seeds and dividing by four. It's a good job I never heard them in the 90s, because I would probably have really liked it, which would have been a wrong opinion. An enjoyable enough listen in a nostalgic way, but but there's absolutely nothing original going on here. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: Natalie's Party Date listened: 25/04/23
Didn't need to listen to this that's for sure. Bland britpop.
Impossible to see how this is one of the 1001 albums I must listen to. Pleasant? At times. Cloying? More often than not. Enjoyed the vocals and was never offended. But far from essential. Two and a half. Fave track: Daniella
Honestly, a pretty unremarkable album - I guess they needed some padding when creating the 1,001 albums list. Not the most offensive record I've ever listened to, but just seems fairly unoriginal and bland, especially for a Britpop record in 1999. Just kind of 'been there, done that'; but this sound and style has been done by much more interesting bands. Probably will fade away in my memory somewhere - two stars. Fave track: I Want You
Good listening but I don't really know where to place the album. Nothing really stands out and it doesn't have a lot of vigor. 2/5
its okay not my jam
this felt like it was made by ChatGPT.
It was fine. Inoffensive and easy to listen to but zero staying power. It’s been 10 minutes and I barely remember what it sounded like.
wow, look: britpop
Power pop is how I’d describe this. Pleasant but nothing special.
Know the period well. Never heard of this.
Normally I feel like I need to really dislike something to give it less than three stars. It is pleasant enough, but I paused it halfway and forgot about it entirely by the time I picked it back up. Whenever I find myself thinking "is this the last track then?" several times in a row, I know it's not really for me. Again, nice enough, but just incredibly unremarkable.
I think one of the most interesting things about this album is that it's impossibly mediocre.
Like The Flying Dutchman never able to make it to the shore, some trajectories in music history seemed to fall under some sort of curse. Those trajectories are the ones of generally talented protagonists who seem programmed for unmitigated success, and yet somehow never manage to leave their mark the way everyone initially expected them to. Michael Head seems to be one of those characters. Jinx, missed opportunities, personal addictions and even tragic deaths around him were the rubs he had to face, and one can only sympathize when you read the details about the latter online. In that context, the story behind *H.M.S Fable* is one that deals with a resurrection that's been a long time coming for Head, and given all that he went through to reach that point, one can only feel happy for him. As if it mirrored that optimistic state of affairs, the first two tracks of Shack's third album start on a very promisory note: "Natalie's Party" is an effective opener where the mix of lively strings and fragile vocals actually add a lot of emotions to the proceeding. And if the quite long "Comedy" overstays its welcome a little, it's an instantly catchy cut that can linger in your memory for quite some time... With such a nice way to leave the harbor and set out to the indie nineties seas, it seems that we're on board to spend some great moments with Shack during our voyage with them... Well, the thing is, not exactly. Contrary currents and hostile weather soon play tricks with our sails: the next two tracks "Pull Together" and "Beautiful" indeed bear the marks of utter disaster, and this for several reasons. First, what were the producer and mixing engineers thinking on those ones? The vocal mix in "Pull Together" is indeed terrible, and some other details are just laughable (what the hell is that cowbell doing, so loud in the mix at some point? Why are the levels of the different instruments so unstable?). Yet those flaws wouldn't be so critical if the songs themselves were a little more interesting. And for this latter point, your mileage may greatly vary, unfortunately. Released a few years after Britpop had its most timeless successes, *HMS Fable* indeed sounds like an afterthought. To be perfectly fair, and beyond any production issues that plagued them, the two songs we lamented about up there are mostly insignificant because they sound as if they were composed by your local band playing in the pub around the corner--that band desperately trying to imitate Oasis's hits at a time where the latter were already out of fashion, saccharine layers and fake epic choruses included. The result is more *Be There Yesterday* than *Be Here Now*--and this without even taking into account the already involuntary irony of the latter's title. Next, "Lend's Some Dough* uses another (and actually *older*) influence to better effects. The Kinks' long shadow indeed looms over this cut, which also takes its sweet time exploring chiaruscoro modulations and surprising chord progressions. At this point, one can hope tracks 3 and 4 were only early missteps... Alas, the album's titular ship then turns in circle in "Captain's Table", and the "Streets Of Kenny" lead to nowhere--or at least, not to any truly *memorable* destinations. Shacks alternates between different styles and moods in a very competent way, from mariners' tunes to folk to britpop again, but it all seems pretty pointless melody-wise. Besides, one can't help feeling that there's something a little tired in the vocal perfomances on the LP's second side, as if Head was himself a little unconvinced by his own songs. It takes the barebones final track drawing almost exclusively on his voice and acoustic guitar--with quite an amazing picking work and a poignant chord progression in it--to reconcile us *a little* with this record, at the eleventh hour. But it's not enough to let our sails pick up some needed wind, and it's far too late in the game. At this point, one wonders if the production choices for all the other tracks didn't distract Head from infusing enough *moving* elements into his songs. The last one clearly shows what could have happened if he had and his band had done so. Another missed opportunity, unfortunately. Some ships never return from their trip. All we can hope for them is that they're in a better place than ours. But mostly everyone knows that Flying Dutchmen stories or Bermuda Triangle legends usually cover up a far sadder truth: those ships are at the bottom of the oceans now. 2/5, for the four cuts actually still making this record worth the effort it takes to explore it. But of course, this can't be enough for a list of stellar, truly *essential* albums. What a cruel game this app triggers us to play... Number of albums left to review or just listen to: less than 700, I've temporarily lost count here Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: approximately a half so far Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: a quarter Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): the last quarter (including this one)
This is Warm 106.9 plain yogurt served with 8-grain toast and a glass of 2% milk. A very 2.5/5
This is what happens when you type in “music” into an ai music generator.
Shack? More like shat. Album is as milquetoast as they come. But it was pretty easy listening and some neat arrangements on a few of the songs so I’ll give it a 2.
I wasn't too impressed, nothing really caught my attention. Didn't turn me off either, but there aren't any songs I can point to as standouts
Didn't really do much for me. It was pleasant and there were a few songs I particularly liked.
It's another Brit Pop album. It isn't great. It's unnoteworthy. Not the worst album on this list. No need to listen to it again.
I am forced to agree with my friend Jim on this one
Boring Brit pop
This is one of those albums that makes me wonder how the 1001 Albums list was conceived, and what possessed the writers to put this on it. The album isn't bad by any stretch! Just fairly middle of the road. A stalk of grass among many, cut to exacting length. It's hard for me to get past the production, which seems very, very safe. Which leaves me with questions! Why is this on here? What cultural, historical significance does it have beyond the music? I must be missing context here. It certainly is hard to find in the music.
I dont get why this was highly regarded. It was fine but didn't seem extraordinary.
I used to have this album and gave it away in a pile of seldom-listened to CD's. Now I remember why. Utterly uninteresting and undistinguished, with nothing to separate it from hordes of other mid-90's offerings. If there are indeed only 1001 albums on this list, HMS Fable does not belong on it.
Mais um britpop que não me convence e assim me lembra que 1001 discos é muita coisa mesmo.
Oasis but no
It's fine, I guess? I dont see the particular appeal or why this would be an album that everyone should hear. 2/5
Thought this just sounded like the early 90s. Nothing really stuck out but nothing was bad.
Ok but totally forgetable britpop album
Absolute Brit Pop dreck.
Another album that sounds like a missed opportunity for a “Garden State” or “Good Will Hunting” soundtrack. Another wispy voiced guy faintly singing his songs, in an Elliott Smith vein that didn’t really elicit much enjoyment for me over the course of the album. It was by no means a terrible album, it just sounded like an acoustic singer sometimes singing over electronic instruments. If you like this sort of music, you won’t be disappointed!
Te weinig tijd vandaag. 1e nummer vond ik niet echt boeiend
Vlees noch vis, toedeledokie!
Wat was dit nou eigenlijk? Ik kon er de vinger niet achter krijgen. Beetje Brit-popperig, maar ook weer een beetje middle-of-the-road jengelrock. Heb het zelfs 2 keer geluisterd maar blijf vooral met veel vraagtekens zitten.
No serious complaints but again not sure why this made the list. Not very excited by anything on this record
Another album that I can't fathom why it's on this list. It's not bad I guess, but it certainly isn't good or memorable. Do people cite this band/album as being influential? I don't get it.
Britpop, catchy-rock
Sound like a British RHCP cover band. Funky but Just a bit much of the same. Some bangers though
Just a mediocre britpop album. Not atrocious by any means but nothing worth mentioning. The musical equivalent of stale donuts at a convenience store.
No thanks.
Unremarkable
It was okay, but kind of on the bland side. It seemed to take the typical 90s Britpop genre and infuse it with folk of yesteryear. But even then, I'm not sure what makes it a standout album of its genre and era. This is an obscure album that feels like it really doesn't have any strong reason to be brought out of obscurity.
Ok, there are 1001 albums on this list, it's acceptable to have some absolutely generic albums from time to time. I'll rate it 2-stars.
I underestimated how many Oasis knockoffs there are out there. Granted, Britpop is a style that a lot of bands did in the 90's/2000's, but this album feels particularly derivative and tame. There's some folk twang here and there and “Captain’s Table” has an interesting dreamy quality that sets it apart. But nothing jumped out at me that would make me remember this band. Pleasant but forgettable.
I thought it was OK. Not really groundbreaking or doing anything incredibly that really warrants it to have a spot on this list in my opinion. I found parts of it boring and felt myself wanting more.
Most songs sound taken straight from an early 00s feelgood movie, or the intro to that scooby doo movie. Nothing particularly memorable, or offensive
As I was listening to this I forgot it was one of my 1001 assignments and said to myself "what the fuck is this?" At which point I knew I was going to give this album a shitty rating...
2.5
I feel like the name of this band could be "Kinda Boring Oasis" There are no bad songs. But there are no great songs. Completely average music.
Enjoyable. But not much more than that.
Boring, generic and there is nothing exciting or memorable about this album. Just not the type of music that I prefer.
Completely unremarkable. Not bad, but also not particularly good or notable. Just a completely regular album that definitely exists. They play the instruments, they sing some lyrics - that's about it. Good for them. The earlier songs were better than the ones near the end. My favorite song was probably "Beautiful". It's a pretty standard feel-good pop track, but I enjoyed it.
INSERT FART NOISE HERE
No idea, why this is an album I should listen to before I die. Didn't hurt, but nothing special....
HMS Big Fucken Whoop, more like.
Not great, nothing really grabbed me
It's not that the music is bad as much as it is so unremarkable!
2/5. This was a nice tone and pleasant and great but I don't think ill listen to it again.
Eine Platte wie ein gewöhnlicher, eher langweiliger Alltag: keine superben Highlights, eher kleine Erfreulichkeiten, keine großen Ärgernisse. Und irgendwann ist sie rum.
Was ok. Bit generic
never really did anything special. did enjoy it more than the album cover led me to think i would
Won’t be listening to that again.
Generic, unimaginative & completely forgettable
Brit pop by numbers.
I love uk indie rock but this ain't so loveable ( to my ears anyway).
No thanks. Did not enjoy
It’s… fine?
Nothing special 90's music.
Baffling inclusion on this list. Nothing especially memorable or outstanding on this album. I can think of at least three Teenage Fanclub albums superior to this for a similar but superior sound.
Boring brit pop, weridly mixed. Comprends pas pourquoi c'est sur la liste
Largely forgettable last gaps of britpop. Seems to be composed almost entirely of Elbow filler album tracks.
The entry in the book for this album made it sound really gritty and interesting, but this is the blandest Britpop album yet from this list. You know, I didn't really have a problem with Britpop before starting this project, but I'm really growing to dislike it now.
This only mildly sucks, but I think that's what's wrong with it. It doesn't even manage to suck with any conviction. It just exists for 47min and I didn't hate anything, but also didn't like a single bit of it. A strong opinion is impossible. Just sounds like a really boring version of Oasis.... 5 years after Oasis. 2/5.
way too many british 2000's bands
Well, yeah, it's britpop. I guess it's not the worst for what it is, but I didn't enjoy it and was glad when the album was done.
Didn't really register for me, I wasn't wowed by it. Kind of sounded like standard 90s alt-pop
“H.M.S. Fable” by Shack (1999) This work is another offering from the UK that doesn’t quite capture the world’s attention. It lacks groove and soul. With lyrics that are mostly one side of a conversation without reference, forward movement, or resolution, these songs don’t say much (exception: the closing track, “Daniella”, but poorly performed). And, as might be expected, they are haphazardly arranged. Sibling vocals (Michael & John Head) have a nice duet/dubbed blend, with some highlights in the relatively standard harmonies (“Comedy”, “Beautiful”). But it ain’t The Beach Boys. You could play these songs in the background while doing something else, but it would enhance neither your interest nor your efficiency. There are some interesting Liverpudlian moments (e.g., a haunting try at the chantey genre in “Captain’s Table”), but not enough to raise the record to the level of worthiness. This album desperately wants to be expansive, entrancing, profound, and popular. But it misses the boat. 2/5
Bored for me
I probably won’t listen again but I wouldn’t be offended if it was on as some background music
Like a folksy oasis, not amazing not awful
reminds me of ben folds but not in a good way
Niets speciaal imo
Nah
2!!!!! why is this on here
Sounded very middle of the road to me.
nothing too remarkable here, at least to me.
normal
A couple of really good songs ("Captain's Table", "Streets Of Kenny") but largely generic, forgettable late 90's modern rock (1998). Not bad, not great.
Just not a Triffids fan
Who is Shack? Some of the songs at the top of the album are genuinely good but it kind of falls apart towards the end. If we are comparing these albums to the 1001 greatest albums ever I have to give them a 2
Fine. Feels like peak 1999
Kind of lame and British wuss rock. Not for me. 1.5
It's not a bad album, but I'm not totally sure why it's on the list of albums you should listen to before you die.
Starts off strong but the arrangements quickly lose creative steam and blend together. The unearned bombast of the horn section is grating as well.
I, for the life of me, cannot understand why this album is on this list. Just sounds very generic to me.
Ned rock, albeit well crafted. Musical, but entirely uninteresting. Got bored, didn't finish.
Huoh
Incompreensível estar numa lista de 1001 para ouvir antes de morrer. Tem trocentos discos e bandas assim nos anos 90, várias mais representativas e melhores. É legalzinho pra quem curte esse rockzinho pop, como eu, mas não me passaria pela cabeça inserir numa lista dessas.
[Vibe review] I wasn't caring for it, and every sound became annoying when I realized that Operation: Doomsday (1999) isn't on the list but this 1999 album is. It was probably a banger in 1999, but it doesn't have much lasting power, imho.
These songs sound like AI version of songs by Oasis, Dodgy and Elbow etc., and i have to say that all of those names above should be on this list before this band. Quite generic 2nd tier brit pop from this era and it's hard to understand why this album has been selected to this list instead of one of the many better one's released this era.
I've never heard of this album, nor this artist. I made it through 2 times, and not one song stood out as memorable or interesting. Liked songs on Spotify: 0/12 Rating: 1/5 (should be zero)
I believe it was the philosopher KRR that once said on 19/08/2026 "I dont really mind it" and I fully agree. Nothing to see here, sadly just another Oasis/Beatles imitator... A lot of attempts at singalong choruses, strummy guitars and identifiable lyrics. I would highlight "I want you" as it sounds REM-ish, and "Lends some dough" is ok except for the ending. Overall this did nothing for me
I honestly can't say I was to impressed by anything done on this album. It's the most generic lackluster pop I think I've ever heard. I guess that's why it's on this list, it's just an embodiment of the hundreds of albums that sound exactly like this. Instead of having multiple albums on this list that are basically Shack's "Hms Fable", this album takes the full brunt of the scrutiny and criticism of every other album of this era that sounds like this. I'm glad it's over but I feel like I got my time wasted by listening to it. 2/10
What is this? This list keeps inventing new British bands nobody's ever heard of. Worst case of being inspired by Kinks/Beatles I've heard in a while. This is so unserious. I imagine them wearing suits and terrible bowlcut wigs while singing. Not good 1/5
1001 reasons to question why we even bother with this project in the first place. You’re telling me this deeply boring and dated-at-the-time third LP by fucking SHACK is something I need to hear before I die? Brother, I wish I was dead.
Holy FUCK his voice SUCKS and I fucking hate britpop, there is no singular universe or timeline where this shit belongs on a must hear list. Fuck off.
We have Oasis at home
A noisy obnoxious album. Will Brit pop ever end?
not good
Blegh almost right off the bat. Generic quasi-rock. It didn't improve like at all, there's no new ground being broken here, there's nothing exciting going on here at all. Blegh!
I am too dejected by England's capitulation to Argentina to enjoy this, but I feel like it was sub par anyway
Pull together was my fave.
TAKE THIS ALBUM OFF THIS LIST I feel bad for the band, but this music is mid at best and only on this list because the author loved this album when they were 16. I listened to this album less than a week ago and cannot remember anything special or unique about it.
Generic indie guitar pop whose main influence seems to be other generic indie guitar pop bands. A real shame, also because Shack's bandleader Michael Head made a truly great record (*Pacific Street*) with his previous band The Pale Fountains. Do yourself a favor and go dig that one up instead.
Just so dull and generic. Why is this on the list?
Never heard of these guys, wish it had stayed that way. BLAND.
Recycled rubbish!
sau öde
Ok, generic Britpop album #267 appears! I don't expect it to be that much different than any of the other generic Britpop albums on the list. It isn't. It's mostly just boring pop with bad vocals and nonsense lyrics. There is some hookiness and songcraft here, but the vast majority of it is uninteresting. I genuinely can't see why this is even on the list, which has been the case far too often. "Essential listening" does not mean "random shit that wasn't even good when it came out and was completely forgotten". This is legitimately bad music because it's just there. It does nothing for the listener, and that's perhaps the most damning thing you can say about an album.
Hadn’t heard of them before and had a hard time connecting to the album. Not for me.
What is this random British slop clogging up my generator
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VINtwoyaF_8
I KNEW this run of incredible albums was ending soon. This is Britslop. This is Fauxasis. Fuck this shit. edit: don't mind the last song actually. 1.5 anyway. fuck you
to quote skydawg: britslop. (although he never clarified if that was a play on britpop. cause libertines aren't. but this is.) to quote joi diddly: fauxasis to get original ideas down: the musical equivalent of "break in case of be here now being good enough to keep the 'cool britannia' soft power train rolling on." alternatively, BTEC NME (as it turns out they Still think it's a top 300 album of all time; maybe they're just) rubbish. the ending of comedy (+ beautiful {although that song has the added benefit of being perfectly designed sync music for simon cowell and co. to do schadenfreude on the mentally ill [as it turns out the string arranger also worked on x factor themes. ladies/gentlemen/theys i DO this shit]}) sounded nice. add even more cowbell to pull together. that'll fix it. useless fucking shitey blarney merchant geezer wasteyutes. coincidentally this demographic would've loved streets of kenny. music that helps you and your mates cope after realizing "chucking a whitey" isn't just overwrought EDL propaganda; it's also what (probably) happened to richey edwards. since i met you has a nice descending violin line. all the good stuff on this LP's from the violinist's detritus. daniella belongs on a better album. with a better verse chord progression. ultimately we didn't need baggy/shoegaze to beat the gallaghers. what we Really needed was (for copyright purposes) the london suede to pull it out. to end the world's first compliment big mac: captain's table isn't terrible. 0.8-1.4.
Generic Brit Pop. Nothing to really hold on to. It’s been a few hours since I listened to the album, and I’ve largely forgotten it.
Not my style
So boring
Увидев совершенно незнакомое мне имя, и прочитав про этот альбом ничего не значащее описаниие в Википедии , я ожидал, что прослушивание пройдёт незаметно и не оставит никаких впечатлений. Так и получилось. Завтра я и не вспомню названия этой группы.
Yesterday I got The Coral who were innvoative with their jangly scouse pop. Today I get Shack who are derivative with it. Massive difference, don't like this at all.
A very generic 90s Britpop album that’s too late to the party. Mostly dull and bland - while there was nothing specifically offputting, I had little interest and expect I’ll never think about it again.
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.
Sub-Oasis drek.
not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue
"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
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
Kinda boring. Every song sounds the same wtf. 1
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
HMMMMMM