Fly Or Die

This one is hard to pigeon-hole, which is a good thing - its a mix of hip hop, jazz, prog, and rock. Truly eclectic and original. We need more modern music that's hard to label and pushes the envelope like this on this list. Plus it was a pleasure to listen to.

One thing I've enjoyed about this exercise is discovering music that is new to me and interesting to listen to. This fits the category. As in, some guy named Pharrell is on the drums, Lenny Kravitz is featured on a couple of tracks, and one guy on the cover is giving the vulcan salute. Live long and prosper.

I feel like I really like this album in theory. It has a unique sound that crosses a lot of genre lines with even some 2010s level production near the end and Pharrell is in his prime but for some reason I just couldn’t get into it. I honestly thought I was listening to the same song for the first like 20 minutes and I was just mildly bored for the rest of it. The second Lenny kravitz feature was probably my favorite but I doubt I’ll remember this album by tomorrow.

Remember back in the early 2000s when everything sounded like The Neptunes or NERD or Pharrell? I really didn’t like that homogeneous and generic times in pop. A lot of it sounds really sleazy to me. Well turns out these lads were capable of much more and have some very jazzy ideas. I guess if pop stars keep turning up at your studio, offering thousands of dollars for the next sleazy, generic hit, who can blame them for grabbing the cash?

I'm not sure what this album was supposed to be.

Can’t believe this was made by a man made out of legos

Pharell is my enemy

"Don't judge a book by its cover" was my first thought after listening to the first song. The cover, after all, is horrible. Based on it, I was expecting a 1/5 album. I appreciated the first song and that's it - unfortunately, the longer I was listening the worse it got. Don't give me hope and then take it violently!

It's a catch 22. His voice doesn't work for the music they are playing. And I think he knows it. He tries to hide how smooth and soulful his voice really is when he tries to growl out some of these lyrics. But at the same time without his voice it would just be a generic band. It's. Ok.

not my bag but alright. Real good melodies, not abrasive... just nothing special to take away from the listening experience

Can’t believe we used to let these wallies make all the music back in the 2000s. Load of shite.

wtf is this? I'm offended I wasted time on this half-arsed mediocrity, what's next - Macklemore? Utterly shit, one of the very few on this list I've skipped through without finishing (and I listened to the Lenny Kravitz album in full). I've heard better Kidz Bop compilations.

NERD’s first album, In Search Of…, deserves to be on this list, it’s excellent. At a push, The Neptunes’ album Clones could make it on the list too, if only because it signifies a time when their productions dominated pop and rap music. This album, on the other hand, is woefully bad. I actually get irritated listening to it - my first one star.

2004 must have been a year reviewers where smoking crack and taking bungs. How this is rated is beyond me, let alone in this list Absolutely terrible.

I never really knew NERD beyond She Wants To Move and this album was a delightful surprise. Fave tracks are probably Breakout, Wonderful Place / Waiting For You. I look forward to spending more time with this.

Almost jumping into guilty pleasure territory, but you know what? Guilty pleasures shouldn't exist. Enjoy what you enjoy. I enjoyed the hell out of this. It's a mix of a few different genres, and it was GREAT.

Some great song... The front half of the album slays with a slight let down on the back half but still great

Rating: 10/10

A fun album through and through. I have no real reason not to give this 5-stars, other than it doesn't FEEL like a 5-star masterpiece. Just good music. The bonus tracks are a bit annoying - I wish they would just make them their own tracks.

What a great record. I’ve always liked Pharrell, but knew nothing about his part in this outfit. This is not a hip-hop album. It’s high-quality pop. Full of great hooks and totally interesting music. Particularly love the opening track, Don’t Worry About It, Backseat Love, She wants To Move & the epic Wonderful Place (with hidden track Waiting For You) - so personal & unlike anything else on the album. And special mention to Maybe, which features Lenny Kravitz & Questlove - a quality ballad. No duds here. They even get away with the repetitive refrain of the name Mildred in the final track. That’s good going.

I played this a few times while doing different things with two of my adult kids. They knew it and also knew Pharrell’s other projects. I never heard of them. I was also told that NERD stands for “no one ever really dies.“ We were hiking and cutting through a graveyard when I was told this so I had a hard time getting it. When I first saw the album I mistakenly thought it was another hip hop offering. Glad to learn that I like rap rock more. There’s some fun stuff on this. I’ll round up.

I don't think the sound has aged super well. Some songs like Drill Sergeant sound super corny - maybe they always did. But generally the hooks are undeniable, the Neptunes production chops are there on full display. The early 2000s feels like the new 80s. Catchy songs with a sound that has aged badly, rife for guilty pleasures. Fave Tracks: Fly or Die, She Wants to Move, The Way She Dances 3.2/5

I listened to this entire album and I'm not sure what to make of it. Does it blend genres? Yes. Does it bring anything new to the table? Not necessarily. Was it memorable? Not at all.

T.U.R.D. …just kidding, a bit. It’s not bad, but it’ll wear your patience thin.

Much more boring than I thought it would be.

There’s really nothing wrong with this - it’s an interesting mashup of genres that often works well - it just wasn’t clicking with me today. I can’t put my finger on it, but there was something about it that reminded me of the Elvis Costello albums I’ve listened to in this project, and it irritated me in the same way. Too upbeat, maybe? Hovering between a 2 and a 3…

Never heard of this outfit and listening i know why. Music not made for my age group so cannot comment. Do not like at all. 1/5 18/5/34

Like his gigantic hat, I think this falls into Pharrell's "questionable choices" category. The chords and syncopation felt really at odds with the vocal style and fuzzy guitars. Tonally it feels dated and emotionally immature with stuff like Jump. I feel like the idea had merit in exploring whatever intersection there may be between rap rock and jazz and but the execution fell steeply short of being an enjoyable listen. It felt like the sort of thing your friend who definitely should keep his day job would foist upon you, saying he's hit on something truly unique. I started to feel embarrassed listening and did not finish. On the other hand it was good to be reminded that even the greats can take big swings and miss, and it doesnt invalidate the great other stuff theyve made. Will not be revisiting.

Genuinely shocked by how much I hated this. Pharrell just doen't have the vocal talent to elevate his cheesy ass lyrics. The drum sounds are mixed so lound in each song. Drill Sergeant is one of the worst 'protest' songs I've ever heard and sounds like it was made by a 15 year old who has never read a book but has heard of a few. 1/5

This was honestly a slog to get through. I found I was constantly checking how many more songs I had left before I could tick this off. Safe to say I will not be listening to this again.

Wow, did I hate this! It's just so aggressively mediocre - why is it on this list?!? I can't figure out the audience for this and the vocal style is just so weird and underwhelming

I was not expecting this low on 1001 albums. My time has been wasted

I’ve definitely heard of N.E.R.D before, but I’ll admit I knew nothing about them. I didn’t even know that Pharrell Williams was in a band before going solo, so perhaps I live under a rock. After seeing that a super-popstar was involved, I didn’t expect the album to be as rock influenced as it was. It’s a fascinating mashup of rock, pop, with some hip hop tendencies too. The only other person I can think of with a similar sound to this is Lupe Fiasco, which is definitely high praise. I liked this album much more than I expected to.

Yeahhhhhh. This shit BANGS. Also Pharrell invented tyler the creator damn.

Perfect album for a sunny day

PHARELL WILLIAMSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Oh my God. I love this album so much and did NOT expect to see it here. What a great surprise. I didn't know that anybody really knew about this album. Pharrell's funk rock album. It's just awesome. It's cool to see other people recognize it as special.

Liebe das Album. Backseat Love immer noch ein Hit.

N.E.R.D. will always have a space in Hip-Hop lore because of their versatility. The way this album has so many different genres flowing through it is what makes it so great. They did a lot of different things very well on here and they also made it make sense. I understand the low ratings because people in general have a hard time with things when they can’t find a box to place it in. So they reject it because they just can’t compute it. I implore you to put what you usually think something of a certain genre should sound like and try to listen with an open mind. It might sound way different to you plus that’s what this project is all about! Fantastic album, legendary collective, 757 forever!

Exceptional rock rap infusion. Very well done.

Amazing, never heard it before, was enjoying every song

I think I really liked this album a lot. I ended up listening to it on repeat about four times while on the computer just unwinding. There is an era of music I think this fits neatly into and that 2004 date does not surprise me at all. Its hard to get into the technical aspects because it overall just took me such surprise. I read some reviews which I don't want to do for any other album but something I saw the idea of these musicians subverting the expectation by creating such a different style of music than they normally do. I don't know if it was that exactly or the lack of sleep but I greatly enjoyed this album all the way through, I mean my god, Lenny Kravitz. Amazing.

Immediately hooked by the funk and the vibe keeps hold. So much talent in this group making cross-genre songwriting and instrumentation seamless and groovy.

Ah, so this is why Pharrell is a star… Enjoyed this one a lot. Big fan.

Very nice.

actually kinda fire ngl, wasn’t expecting to love it but every song hit and i could for sure return to it. it isn’t necessarily perfect so i don’t think it’s a sure 5 star, but it’s closer to a 5 than it is a 4.

NERD is a great band that is hard to categorize. It has a touch of rap, rock and jazz. There's a technical genius in this music as well as a casual vibe ("Every once in a while there's that same asshole / Try to swing and hit, 'cause the things he can't control"). I'm an old fan of this band and this album and it's a pleasure because it never gets old.

enjoyed this a lot

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this album as much as I did. Great album.

a great surprise!

I had this album when it first came out, although I didn't listen to it loads. I think it is good background music - music to listen to while driving

nahhh this is my favorite album of all time! omg! it’s already getting 5 stars!

11/28/23. I have to give Pharrell his due here; this album flows really well and diverse! I love hip hop albums that push the boundaries. Will add to the rotation.

Unfair, because this is an album I listened to for months whenever I was on the train to school. Happy to report it still holds up after all these years, but that might just be nostalgia and memories talking. Who cares if it does, though?

Emo

vai nerdola

Not bad. I didn't jive with all the songs, but I think they had some good instrumentals with some decent vocal work. 'Breakout' was my fave.

I liked this. The dog bark at the beginning of “She Wants to Move” made my irl dog bark.

Real good fun, with likable buoyancy and fluidity keeping this out of many of the usual sins of rock-rap. Also the risk of Pharrell aiming be to too clever is largely avoided. "The Way She Dances" is great.

Much better than I expected. Bursting with early 2000s sounds while still coming off as original.

It's been a long time since I listened to this album. I really liked it when it was released, although I admit a lot of the attraction was Alicia Dixon, who never looked so good, dancing on the video for "She Wants To Move", which is probably still the best track. The album stands up. I have a lot of respect for Pharrell's talent and N.E.R.D. is where the Neptunes production is brought to a more rock/pop genre. In this album I can hear influences from artists I love - Prince and Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, The Zombies, Isley Brothers. I liked listening to it again and should give the more recent reunion release a listen.

The second half of this is stronger than the first. I enjoyed it but perhaps for nostalgia reasons more than the musicality. There was a time when pharell was all over every song in the charts. Remember being at Rhythm and Vines music festival in new Zealand on new years eve 2010/11 and NERD were the headliner. It was class, so bonus point for that

As cool as you may imagine

Pharrell Williams is such a renaissance man. 🙏

Güzel yani okey

I think I like this album. It is definitely a sound of a time, and I appreciate it. I actually love more experimental hip-hop, but I’m not sure I would listen to this again. Still, I think that’s a personal taste issue (not my style of experimental hip-hop), and I can’t fault NERD or the album for that.

Pharrell is cool and this is a great album. It's unique. It's fun.

Love the variety of musical styles

This caught me completely off guard. I think I'd maybe heard of N.E.R.D at some point but I couldn't have told you anything about their music. I definitely couldn't have told you that Pharrell was involved. Now that really caught me off guard. This was such an interesting journey. I do mean journey. It's its own kind of trip through genre and attitude, moods and messages, seriousness and levity. There's rock, hip-hop, rap, funk, soul, R&B, and more all crammed into one album. That makes this so hard to compare to something else, to find context to fit it into because it differs so much from other things that I have personally heard. The closest things I can think of are the Beastie Boys (for the joining of genres) and a group like OutKast (for the fact that they truly seem to be a group, maybe even a band). There's some stuff here I really liked, stuff that scratched the rock itch but did so with enough innovation and variation from cliches and the norms of the genre that it made it interesting. Even on tracks where I thought the lyrics were lacking, the instrumentation never, ever was. It always gave you something to bop to, even if it started to feel a little repetitive by the end. Overall this was great, but I do still find myself lacking anything amazingly insightful to say about this. A second listen is warranted and necessary. Four stars. Standout Tracks: Don't Worry About It, Fly or Die, Jump, Breakout, Drill Sergeant

80/100. Fly or Die by N.E.R.D is a great album that seamlessly fuses neo-soul, R&B, and rock into a unique and energetic sound. The production is top-notch, and the album flows effortlessly from track to track. The genre-blending approach keeps things fresh and engaging.

Gostei

This was a jam, very clever and innovative stuff IMO. Also reminds me of 2004 which is always a good time.

Favorite Track: Breakout

I'd never heard this album before and it's genuinely unique in sound. The rock blended with the lyrical flow is very different. But still not mind blowing for me.

As a Tyler the Creator fan I really enjoyed this, as I see bits and pieces that influenced some of my favorite songs by him, like "Okaga, CA" It is a eclectic album, as I hear rap and r&b, but also progressive pop. Very good definitely will listen again.

Really really good, not what I was expecting

Never knew how Pharrell got his 'start', but I am not surprised he is so widely respected and acclaimed after listening to this gem. N.E.R.D I have heard of in passing, but I've never actually heard of their stuff until now. Super cool, exactly what I would expect from a younger Pharrell. The songs tell stories in more ways than one - Pharrell's vivid lyrics, the constantly changing tempo, wide variety of instruments, etc. I liked it A LOT, from beginning to end. No one song really jumped out at me... but still, good times.

Was familiar never heard now I have not too bad

This isn't an album i would have chosen to listen to but glad I did, that's the good thing about this album generator. It takes you out of your comfort zone by getting you to listen to stuff you otherwise wouldn't. I thought the album was very well put together both musically and vocally

Absolute vibe.

If you don't like this you hate fun.

NERD, the band that refused to be "genrerised" (is that a word?) Similar to Outkast, echoes of Prince, shades of Hendrix, shades of Flaming Lips...in it you find you've got jazz, you've got rock, you've got hip hop- just so layered with all sorts of music, noises and gear shifts. Pharrell obviously going on to pretty big stuff since.

Never heard of this band (collective?) before. Was not expecting much but I liked almost every minute of it. It has an indie/soul (is that a thing?) feel to it. I can't imagine this made it to top 40 radio in my market but I don't know that for sure. Harkens back to old school soul music from the likes of Al Green, The Temptations or Curtis Mayfield; all great touchstones for me. Very enjoyable. 4 stars

Masters of production, they likes girls

C'est peut-être pas un album révolutionnaire, mais j'ai trouvé sa fusion de rock/hip-hop assez intéressante pour un point bonus

I think I first heard N.E.R.D on a sampler album from Adidas that I got from a mall shoe store. Remember malls? I liked the single well enough to buy a couple of their albums. I basically never spin them up in their entirety these days, but I enjoy it when the songs I've liked come up on shuffle (particularly "Fly or Die" and "Thrasher"). The whole album holds up a little better than I was expecting. Good stuff. 4.2

I liked it a lot. Worth listening to several times and added some to my faves playlist. It was a surprise find. I’d heard of NERD but had never listened.

She wants To move 🕺

Chad and Pharrell were always fun to keep up with back when these N.E.R.D. albums were coming out. Plenty of nostalgia when going back and listening to the first three ground breaking albums. As time has gone on Pharrell seemed to embrace Curtis Mayfield’s vocal delivery and songwriting style, there’s only hints of that on here. These songs have plenty of originality and forward thinking creatively while wearing their influences on their sleeve. A lot of Pharrell’s production style is on full display here. He always chooses dryer mixes reminiscent of Stevie Wonders albums. Tight drums, dynamic bass, guitar and keys with lots of movement. Rarely are his songs anywhere close to being overly lush or ambient or beaten up with compression. 4.5

Eclectic, energetic, fun, party music. Strikes a balance between creative and slick.

Obviously afflicted by the same early-00s hip-hop shirt drought that hit Outkast on the Stankonia album cover. Casual sexism aside, this is pretty good, just three guys goofing around and having fun with beats and guitars.

Not my favorite N.E.R.D album, but still solid.

Before listening to this, the only NERD song I knew was Lapdance, so that’s what I was expecting from this album. It was way catchier than I expected and to nobody’s surprise, my favorite track was the one with the guys from Good Charlotte. 3.5 rounded up to 3.

The André 3000 x Andy Samberg collab the world didn't know it needed

Lyrics and grooves were good. Kept me interested throughout the whole thing.

Classical Pharrell - hip hop w/ rock and pop

This is way more varied and interesting than I was expecting. There's some funky tunes in here, some laid back grooves, and a great array of instruments. The album as a whole is generally pretty cool, and it's well put together.

Very nice

It's a weird album, and I've enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Funky, R&B vibes with heavy rock. 4/5!

Cool