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?

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!

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

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.

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

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

Much more boring than I thought it would be.

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

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

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

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

The lead guitar and drums make this album incredible. The songs on the surface level seem very standard early 2000's but the drums and lead guitar bring everything to another level and keep it groving throughout the album

I liked this album way more than I thought I would. I don't usually listen to Pharrell and I'm not as familiar with the other band members, but I liked multiple songs from this album. I do think the first of the album is stronger than the second half, but I didn't hate the second half. Sorry not sorry 'Jump' is an absolute banger. Going to look up their other albums and listen to more by this band for sure.

Good album, I enjoyed the funk style

I don't think I've ever heard of N.E.R.D. before, but I'm familiar with Pharrell's production work. This sounds like it could be an interesting album, so I'm excited to jump into it. This album was a pleasant surprise. I didn't listen to a lot of current music when this came out, and this isn't the type of thing I'd gravitate towards today, so I was shocked that I enjoyed this. I think Pharrell is an excellent producer, and his skills were on display here. This album had a really unique style, and the deeper I got into the album, the more I enjoyed it. I wasn't a big fan of the lyrics, but musically, the songs were really catchy, and I never found myself getting bored with it. This isn't the type of album that I'd probably go back to, but I appreciate its unique sound and the quality of the production work.

It’s funny because I’m really familiar with the vocals on this album from hearing all the remixes over the years, but I’ve only listened to the original tracks a handful of times. Overall, this is a fun, enjoyable album if you’re looking for something light, easy, and surface-level. It’s upbeat, playful, and full of unpredictable shifts, crossing over lots of genres and keeping things danceable throughout.

Diverse, funky, captivating

Catchy, smooth, and cool. Much better than I expected.

8/10. It was very interesting, and not what I expected in a hip hop album at all. The first half was really interesting, and cool, while the album wore off as it progressed. :)

At first sight, I judged a book by its cover and thought I would hate this album, by track 4 I was hooked I knew some of these songs, fly or die and she wants to move. Massive tunes!! This album has it all. Hip hop, Jazz, pop and even more. Favourite song: she wants to move Least favourite song: all good Album cover: Good cover

I'll admit, I'm pretty shocked how much I enjoyed this album. Pharrell Williams may be a bit of a laughing stock in the general conscious because of his work on many a pop song in the mid-2010s to a ridiculous degree, not to mention his close work with Illumination, but can the man produce. This is obvious to anyone who has heard a hip hop album in the last couple decades, but it is clear on this record as well, where it really makes a lot of the tracks. Kudos to Chad Hugo as well. I think the album can be great when the listener is just stewing in the vibes, which is why my main flaw with this album can be such a dealbreaker: the lyrics. Some of them are just plain bad, and most of them make you kind of just wish there was solely harmonizing going on. The lyrics add nothing, and most of the time they're just so weird and a special brand of 2000s uncomfortable, it can really take you out of it. There is enough good instrumentally for it to be ignored and allow the album to glide through to the end with no major hiccups, and in the end I can call this album good because of that, but just be prepared for a few eye rolls. Otherwise, a pleasant surprise.

Really was surprised by this. Also Pharrell??

Hey, even though some of this is a little loose musically, I love the fact that they are trying to do something different. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but it jumps around and has different styles and personalities throughout which makes it fun. It kind of reminds me of Pixies in terms of its complete disregard for convention. Like, they're just doing their own thing and for the most part, that works for me!

So fun

It's like their 3rd best album. N.E.R.D tells us that you can make even the cringiest lyrics tolerable if you sing them with enough conviction.

Who knew rap rock could be so dynamic, buoyant and fun, while flashing with bits of intelligence? One digs this to such an extent that if one listened to this genre, one would definitely listen to more N.E.R.D.

I kinda miss when Pharrell wasn’t afraid to get experimental. This mishmash of genres works much better than it should.

Another good album from the 2000s. I really liked the mix between the indie rock sound and elements of R&B. It's also very interesting that the album's sound seems to be at least a decade ahead of its time. Very good discovery!

Layered and simple rock/funk hip hop album. There's just not much out there that sounds like NERD. A great album, but not quite as impactful as the debut. Awesome overall nonetheless. Pharell's vocals will always be unique, fun, and soulful.

Love it, especially the top half. Maybe my favorite of this genre I've been given so far.

Enjoyed a lot more than expected. Cover looks like a 1 or 2 stars.

A pleasant surprise

Fun album with a hip-hop pop vibe. She wants to Move is a classic

I love the diversity of this album and it may be the only album featuring Lenny Kravitz that I can listen to. Its variety is impressive and also makes it a little hard to latch onto as well.

Good shit

Bij het zien van de hoes sloeg de moed me al in de schoenen, maar in plaats van een boze rapplaat krijgen we relaxte funk, die af en toe lekker rockt en waar inderdaad soms wat doorheen wordt gebabbeld. Best leuk.

Voor het eerst in drie weken weer eens een plaat die ik al kende voor deze lijst. N.E.R.D. had namelijk een paar flinke hits in het begin van de 00s, en toen stonden ze ook op een festival waar ik ben geweest, uit mijn hoofd zeg ik pinkpop. En een feest der herkenning is toch altijd een stuk fijner qua luisterplezier, dan wanneer je nieuwe muziek moet gaan ontdekken. Qua muziek is het een vrolijke fusion tussen R&B, hiphop en funky rock. Het is lekker catchy, met een lekker uptempo ritme. De teksten zijn op het geile af, die gasten komen iets tekort blijkbaar. Als je dingen kan bedenken als "her ass is a spaceship I want to ride", dan "ben je een hele grote" (om maar eens een berucht criticus van gitaarmuziek te parafraseren). Qua album biedt het verrassend veel afwisseling eigenlijk. Zonder dat er vervelende nummers tussen zitten. Het is allemaal uitstekend gebalanceerd: het begint met een knaller, er komt op het juiste moment een hitje en er is even tijd om wat gas terug te nemen. Ik word hier best blij van.

Fun

Surprised by how much I liked this!

Nice rock! Much better than I expected.

Super fun, will definitely listen again.

Great fun album will listen again

okay. So most of the time I was listening to this I was thinking it was a 2. Then, since it was accidentally on loop while I exercised, it somehow ended up as a 4 after a second listen. There was something dissonant about everything, but the guest spots and the rock element added so many cool things to the rap element. So interesting.

I have never heard of them. After listening to the album I added it to my favorites. Very creative while still being accessible to me. Definitely going to be listening to this one again.

I was completely unfamiliar with NERD before this and had no idea what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. This is an interesting mix of many styles that created something unique. They blended R&B and hip hop vocal stylings together, then mixed that with a slightly funky and rock instrumentation to create a cool vibe. I could definitely hear Lenny Kravitz on “Maybe,” and although he was obvious, it still flowed with the rest of the album. Still not sure how much I’ll listen to them again, but it is definitely something that will be on my radar.