Hms Fable

Perfectly listenable but also the blandest second tier britpop imaginable. Baffling inclusion

I was enjoying this. Probably need to revisit.

I actually checked this album out fairly recently on the insistence of one of my pub-goer mates who described it as a "lost classic". I don't really get the hype personally. Another perfectly pleasant and listenable but not especially memorable album. Surely to be included in a list such as this, it must have made a notable impact or at the very least quietly influenced later musical developments, but to my ears it just sounds like mid-tier Britpop.

Classic 90's alt pop rock sound. Good amount of variation. No single song that stood out. 3/5

sympa mais super générique

I don't know why, but this shit sounds & looks & feels American, almost tho not quite Americana e'en. Britpop, not really, more like Brit pop country, or something along those lines. But it's not good Americana & well, that's b/c they're fucking Brits. In another way, this actually sounds like an American band doing their best imitation of Britpop & failing. What I mean to say is it is a big mess. I had hope w/ the first track - 'Natalie's Party' has a hook & a bounce I sorta kinda like - but as the record progresses, it stagnates utterly & spectacularly. In other words, I don't think I've heard potential collapse so rapidly. This is a bad album w/ bad songs, bad vocals, bad melodies, & bad vibes. Nowhere near The Stone Roses, The La's, Suede, Oasis. Shite.

This is one of the most redundant albums on here. Music wise ok, there are loads of indie guitar bands with some roots/ folk influences. Many of these albums are in my most played over the last 30 yrs but I wouldn’t suggest they make this list. Though they have more credentials than this; popularity, predate this, influence. It is a pleasant enough listen but that’s where it ends. Don’t think it is even that category that gets it here, more likely the Britpop angle and even there it’s still a second or even third tier of a, let’s face it over represented genre on the list. There is a reason I am guessing this is likely new to the majority on here, there is no definition to suggest this is need to hear. A relationship with the editor, or the editors band? Musically a 3, but in context of must hear - 2 stars

Mediocre Brit Pop

2.9 It was fine, if I wasn't sick of the excessive brit pop on the list and you said this was a Wilco Album, I could probably go a bit higher

never heard this or heard of it. But sure seems like I like it! I'm excited to dig in even more...thanks 1001 album generator lololol

3/5

Didn’t hate it like a lot of other Britpop…wait let me clarify. I didn’t hate like, 5 of the songs.

Last track is great, the rest is ok.

Meh

Beatlesque in many ways but still its own thing.

For the type of music this is, I think the album cover does a great job. The stitched trading ship is a great touch. British (pop?) is a tough genre to nail but I think they did alright. Nothing too memorable here, but it didnt make me want to rethink my lifes choices. I will say, this artist should just not be on this list. 22k monthly listeners at time of writing. And the vocalist Michael Head (who is now dead as of July 2026 RIP) is nothing too special. Head had severe drug addictions and dabbled in heroin. Respectfully, I do not think that because this guy had a tragic life, does it NOW mean his music is good. Yes his best friend died from a brain tumor. Yes this led him to becoming a drug addict. Yes his tale is tragic. But No, that does not make him a good songwriter. Do I hate his music? No. But this album gives me absolutely no emotions, which (to me) is the entire point of music. Again, RIP but I cannot rate this any higher than a 3. Best Song: I Want You. Worst Song: Comedy.

Enjoyable sound, mildly catchy. Natalie’s party, Captain’s Table and Danielle are all easy listening tunes, each bring a unique rythum. Respect ✊

Hm… I wonder what to rate this album hahahahaha I’m such a loser. Hms Fable by Shack is a britpop album with clear Oasis inspiration. Their guitar chords and singing can be catchy and quite enjoyable. I feel like it can be both one note and bipolar, generic and interesting at the same time. The first few songs, along with a couple sprinkled in, are wonderful anthems with all the right melodies. However, there are a couple songs in the middle and the end that are basic pop songs but with a british voice; these tracks taint the record slightly. Specifically “Daniella,” which leans into the slow pace too much, and feels out of place amongst upbeat pop-rock songs such as “Natalie’s party,” “Comedy,” and “I Want You,” all great listens. Overall, I truly love some of these songs, most of which are good, but generic melodies, cliche lyrics, and missteps in pacing hurt the complete album’s rating.

Dans le grand design de la vie, ses évidences et ses mystères, cet album est une perte de temps. C'est pas que c'est mauvais, c'est juste que c'est vraiment pas bon.

Experience transcendante, on peut ressentir le feeling qu'un clochard doit avoir en mangeant ce qu'il trouve dans un vieux sac de vidanges. Bravo pour le son du snare, c'est dégueulasse.

Never heard of these particular Liverpudlians. They had some fantastic instrumentation with a ton of variety to their sound. Overall, it was kind of a middling album experience. It was pretty bog standard British indie music. The lyrics weren’t ground breaking, the vocals were fine to unimpressive, but musically, it was nice. I don’t see how this made it on the list. There are many other bands and albums that have been omitted that blast this out of the water.

Never heard of them. Probably because they made a slightly dull indie rock album that has no place in this list. It picked up towards the end, but by then it was too late.

Listening notes: It's rather dull and probably doesn't deserve more than 1 or 2 stars. Final verdict: Just learned they are from Liverpool, no one needs to know this but that's why I'm giving a one extra star, so 3 stars it is.

Boring pop wonderwall

Another new-to-me band and album and, surprisingly, one that I like. I need to give this band more attention. This was a pretty decent alt/indie album that was easily listenable and enjoyable a couple times through.

I really expected to hate this and enjoyed it a lot.

Wer so lange gegen die eigene Geschichte anspielt wie die Liverpooler Brüder Michael und John Head, hat an einem Album wie diesem schwer zu tragen. Nach den Pale Fountains, nach dem Brand im Londoner Star Street Studio, der die Masterbänder von „Waterpistol” vernichtete, und nach Jahren der Funkstille fand Shack 1998 mit Ren Parry und Iain Templeton wieder zusammen. „H.M.S. Fable” erschien am 21. Juni 1999 bei London Records. Produziert haben Hugh Jones und Youth, aufgenommen wurde unter anderem in den Rockfield Studios in Wales und in Londoner Studios wie Britannia Row und Townhouse. Das Genre-Etikett Britpop passt nur halb. Gitarrenpop steht hier neben Folk, und die Arrangements bekommen Platz: Geige in „Streets of Kenny”, Celesta in „Since I Met You”. „Natalie’s Party” und „Comedy” eröffnen das Album, „Comedy” kam als Single auf Platz 44 der britischen Charts. „Pull Together” stammt von beiden Brüdern, „Daniella” schließt das Album. Die Texte drehen sich um Sucht, Armut und Aussichtslosigkeit, während die Melodien so freundlich bleiben, dass man den Dreck darunter leicht überhört. Die Kritik hörte ihn trotzdem. Der NME vergab 9 von 10 Punkten, in den Jahrescharts von NME und Uncut landete die Platte jeweils auf Platz zwei, hinter „The Soft Bulletin” der Flaming Lips. Im Verkauf reichte es für Platz 25 der UK-Albumcharts, Shacks beste Platzierung, aber weit entfernt von der Größe, die man dem Album zugetraut hätte. H.M.S. Fable bleibt Shacks beste Platte und war 1999 zu leise für die Charts.

Not very good by britpop standards. But still palatable unfortunately, not unlistenable but I didn't enjoy it really.

Peak Indie Rock

Was okay, I can see how this was the same era as Brit Pop - has a similar sound. I prefer the hits, and not a genre I need more of.

bland dull radio music i can't see how this should have anything to do with oasis

Mwah

Not bad. Melodic. A couple of good tunes. Kinda boring.

Sounded fine, couldn’t pay too much attention to lyrics tbh

Me: Mom, can I have Liam and Noel? Mom: No, we have Liam and Noel on the HMS Fable.

This would be high on the remove list for a new edition. But alas, not this time 2/5

Lame

Good stuff. But not great stuff. 3 stars

Natalie's Party - 76 Comedy - 79 Pull Together - 66 Beautiful - 68 Lend's Some Dough - 78 Captain's Table - 54 Streets Of Kenny - 67 Reinstated - 70 I Want You - 62 Cornish Town - 63 Since I Met You - 72 Daniella - 64 H.M.S. Fable - 62

It has an indescribable 90s vibe. It feels like a blend of all the best things that were played on the radio back then.

Day 71 I was prepared to hate this with the Oasisisms. It picked up steam at Captain's Table and Kenny but not enough. With that said, enough of the Britslop... Fav track: Streets of Kenny

Ironically, this album picked up steam once it slowed down. I enjoyed the slower, more ballady tracks that started after about 5 songs in. Even with those, this album fails to keep my interest as a whole. But the softer songs bring it up to a 2. I do like the album cover though! Favorite track: Captain’s Table

nuffin crazy in either sense

Pretty serviceable Britpop.

The first third had me considering whether being an oasis knockoff is something that scores you points or loses them. The lyrics are less relatable though. By the second half, more folk sensibilities have snuck their way in and I just can't help but be only mildly whelmed by this. Brits and their folk...

1999 Britpop Comedy Streets of kenny Since i met you

Perfectly pleasant and enjoyable listen. Nothing for me to come back to

Unmemorable.

it's ok, nothing really stands out to me.

I don't have anything really bad to say, it's just most other music is better than this. Nothing popped and nothing made me go, ahh, that's why it's on here. I guess this is the representative for all lackluster middle of the road British pop.

I have to be in the mood but I enjoyed.

A really hidden gem. I would buy and listen to it again. First 5 songs were really good but then it lost some steam. Regardless, I really enjoyed it.

Natalie's Party - 2.5/5 Comedy - 2.5/5 Pull Together - 2.5/5 Beautiful - 2.5/5 Lend's Some Dough - 2/5 Captain's Table - 2.5/5 Streets of Kenny - 3/5 Reinstated - 2.5/5 I Want You - 2.5/5 Cornish Town - 2.5/5 Since I Met You - 2.5/5 Daniella - 2.5/5 Britpop was a plague brought the U.K. and we were all forced to suffer the massive weight of the battle between Oasis and Blur. Meanwhile these guys sound like some average band you'd get at your pup and chances are you will forget what they sounded like once reality hits you the next morning. But for some reason, critics think that this should be worth our time because they're tangentially related to the whole Britpop movement and therefore must be good. No, they're not. They're actually very bland and utterly forgettable. Overall: 2/5 Favorites: They all blended together

3.5

This was fine? Forgettable 90’s rock

I quite liked this. Jangly and catchy. The vocals lean into their Englishness. Solid effort.

This album sounds like an episode of Friends.

I’m going to guess that whoever made this list was born after 1980 and really started feeling feelings in the late 90’s so the albums that hit them the hardest may not have been very good but they landed at just the right time.

Halfway between REM and Oasis. Not sure why I've never heard of this prior given when it came out? Feels like it should have been a smash at the time? The REM part thrills me. The Oasis part is a noper.

This is awful. No reason to be on this list. The best example of a 1 star album The best example of "Critics don't know shit." The best example of this being a colossal waste of time. The best example of "How did this band even get signed?!"

Grat album - like it very much.

bland

solidan britanski pop rok album, stoun rozes s 10 godina zakašnjenja, tj. kinksi s 40 godina zakašnjenja. u načelu dobro i na trenutke baš lijepo (zadnja stvar!), ali meni ipak nedovoljno dojmljivo da bi zaradilo četvorku mjesto trojke. ljudi na ovoj stranici treba da se ščilaju: kao što sam već jednom rekao, ispodprosječan britanski album i dalje je umnogome bolji od prosječnog američkog sranja [odslušano i napisano 9/10/26]

Production: 4 - sounds complete, lovely production and eveything sounds layered - great vocal layering - balanced musically in general - Great instrumentals Enjoyability: 1.5 - its alr but idk, not something I’d get obsessed with, kind of boring - Was looking forward to finish the album Songwriting / composition: 3 - imagery-rich writing but again quite simple - Good use of repetition - Nothing really profound Cohesion: 4 - uses consistent instrumentation and similar mixing styles and sound like they come from the same body of work Songs liked: 2/12

Bien.

The 90s gave us Nirvana, Ice-T, Alanis Morissette, Blur, Pulp, Oasis (I guess), underground classics like Lisa Loeb and Body Count—but it also gave us a Friends theme that sold over a million copies. Unfortunately, Shack sound like some crappy hybrid of Hootie & the Blowfish and The Waterboys, the “I feel like I want to dies.” There are a few decent tracks, but they’re buried under an ocean of mundane songs.

Meh…

The songs are banal and forgettable. And the production is terrible! On "Beautiful" the violins are turned up to 11 so you can barely hear the vocals. What a weird choice. I vaguely remember "Natalie's Party," from back in the day, but that's it. I'm utterly baffled as to how this album made it onto this list.

Unfamiliar with this band but I’ve had a handful of 90s era Britpop bands so far so I will see how this sounds. It’s a solid 90s/2000s guitar heavy Britpop alt rock sound. Enjoying it early but it does seem very Oasis inspired and it’s not really jumping out as anything particularly original. Don’t think I ever realized how many of these Oasis type bands emerged after them. And there’s a reason I wouldn’t hear of this band even though Oasis way more stands the test of time. There’s also not been a single out song that stood out from the rest. There’s a defined sound and it’s all fine but nothing is really sticking with me. A lot of it I’m liking it though. Just all feels too generic to me. Didn’t hate anything about it and it was pretty good at times. Thought about going up to a 3, but the longer into this list I get, the more likely I am to rate down when it’s between numbers for me because I want something that stands out more.

Who knew the 90s could sound so shitty. And why couldn't they all sound like that last song? It was so much better in terms of songwriting than anything else on the album.

The dough song is pretty good, otherwise everything else is generic Brit pop that I could’ve lived without

A decent enough listen.

Pretty enjoyable. I kind of tuned out in the second half, but would definitely throw this album on as a mindless listen while I’m doing god knows what.

What a little gem. I didn’t know this album existed. I’m glad it does

ok

Really don’t get why this album is on the list. Such middle-of-the-road rock music.

another new album for me and a really great one. it has a bit of a slow burn. the first couple of tracks weren't working for me. by track 3, it's pretty much non-stop great tracks

I'm starting to get Britpop-ed out from this list. A lot of these albums are starting to sound the same to me. They're all the same cheery-ish, acoustic-ish, kind of hard to remember anything that happened after the last song ended kind of albums. I mean, this one's about pirate ships and whatnot, and I still think it's a pretty good album, but I'm pretty sure feeling like this when I'm only halfway through the list is a sign of things to come in the second half.

Unremarkable

Very bland

Excellent - saved the whole album to my Spotify account

Я щось не дуже зацінив. Майже весь альбом така собі дефолтна музика для радіо. Навіть cow bell в Pull Together не рятує ситуацію

Доволі посередній брітпоп альбом. Є непогані пісні (Pull Together наприклад), але більша частина просто ок, тому знов-таки дивно що він тут робить. десь між 2.5 і 3, послухав і забув.

2.5

Forgettable

i just couldn't qet into any of the songs. it's not bad, but, it sounds like a hundred other albums. did it pioneer any kind of sound? because i don't know why this should be in the list of 1001 otherwise

Never heard of them, but I enjoyed it more than I expected to. ★★★

It's 1999 and we are still getting must-hear BritPop. As expected, this band is English and this book loves English bands, so obviously this last gasp at 90's Brit-Pop must be heard...apparently. I feel like I type this on repeat, but this isn't a bad album. There are dozens of other artists who did what Shack is doing here and they did it (a) just as well and (b) earlier than Shack did. Pull Together is essentially an Oasis cosplay and plays like an outtake from one of their albums. I have heard dozens of comparable bands which could also deserve a place in this book. It seems this album was considered great because it was delayed and therefore highly anticipated. Feels like Shack got on the last helicopter out of the Liverpool 90's scene. My favorite tracks: Natalie's Party Comedy Pull Together Streets of Kenny Since I Met You

little odd

Day 411 Surprised to see this here even though they are a local band I like a lot. Highlights Captains Table I want you Daniella.

Ok

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

A perfectly pleasant britpop album, but definitely not essential. This one's a skipper for me. The songs are fine, but nothing is really sticky. I actually got annoyed at the ending of "Streets of Kenny". Who ends a song like that? Outside of that, it's not offensive, but not outstanding. My Rating: 3/5

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.

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

Wie ist die vielen Leute vor mir schon gesagt haben, ein gewöhnliches Britpop Album. Macht einen wütend das sowas auf dieser Liste ist.....

ganz nett

Werde mich morgen nicht mehr an das Album erinnern. Aber das Albumcover gefällt mir