Moss Side Story

It’s not bad but it’s weird.

This was very interesting. Not exactly what I was expecting. It felt as if I was walking through a horror movie for 53 minutes. Some cool musical ideas, just not the greatest thing for casual listening. 3/5 ⭐️ 288/1089

I was dreading this but it made for pretty interesting listening. It's really atmospheric. I will probably never listen to it again.

why?

it's certainly doing a bunch of different things, but i don't think any of them are particularly robust enough to survive a detailed go, and the overall package isn't quite weird enough to land

2,5

Eerie soundtrack music for a film that doesn't exist. It's like I'm starting to tell you about a novel by Don DeLillo in which the reader/listener is increasingly drawn into a noir of musical pastiche. Barry Adamson's Moss Side Story is a tightly plotted mystery, but it's ultimately an exploration of the nostalgic search for meaning amid a paranoiac, conspiratorial system of competing surfaces. An interesting first listen, and easily one that I could throw on again if looking for some tense background sounds while I bang on the keyboard anxiously.

theatrical.

So Barry made this to get some work writing film scores, and he succeeded so good on him. However the sleeve is a tragedy and at times I thought I was listening to an Casio keyboard demonstration. If this is all 1001 has to offer I might look elsewhere.

This isn't the kind of album you want to listen to on a Saturday morning. Maybe I was just in the wrong mood anyway, because I didn't get into it at all.

The list of 1001 albums to listen to before you die has to have some rules, and one well established standard is the exclusion of compilations or film soundtracks (with a few notable exceptions). Ergo, I posit that this shouldn’t have been included because: a) it’s a film soundtrack (even if said film is made up) b) it’s not worth listening to

Warmed up to the album as it progressed, quite enjoyed it

Don't know what to make of this, but at this moment I would say this is ok.

I quite enjoyed the idea behind this album

Quase dois álbuns seguidos desse tal Barry Adamson. Nunca tinha ouvido falar dele antes, interessante, não esperava que ele teria dois álbuns na lista. O primeiro que ouvi foi interessante e curioso, então cheguei nesse com uma certa expectativa. Esse aqui possui um foco bem mais instrumental. Aparentemente, ele possui o conceito de ser uma trilha sonora de um filme que não existe. Já ouvi essa história antes. Então os poucos vocais presentes aqui são só curtos fragmentos. Algo que eu elogiei no outro álbum de Adamson que gerei foi a maneira que ele prendeu minha atenção por toda sua duração de quase 1 hora. Aqui em sua estréia o mesmo não acontece. Esse álbum aqui é bem menos interessante e intrigante, e em vários momentos ele me perdeu. Poderia ser melhor. 2/5

Interesting choice. It's cool that Adamson ended up contributing to Lost Highway, and a few other films, but why this was selected is beyond me. Musically it's solid, but it's still a noir score to a film that doesn't exist. Feels more like a vanity project rather than a defining album. I don't understand why a knock-off film score made this list of albums you have to listen to before you die. It's fine, even good at many points! But nothing more.

meh instrumentales de peli

Niin kuin elokuvan soundtrack. Etäisesti tuo mieleen Fatboy Slim tyyliset artistit Sample pohjaisella musiikilla

Sounded like some scrapped James Bond theme songs mixed with some repetitive bits and really jarring weird stuff. I enjoyed parts of it though

"A soundtrack to a nonexistent crime film" ey? Think that's just an excuse to justify why the music doesn't stand up on its own. Id say it was more like rejected songs from the phantom of the opera. A bit creepy at times but largely in a camp 80s way. Sort of getting towards interesting times I suppose which I think gets it to at least a 1.5 but no more.

What a strange album, a completely instrumental soundtrack to a non existent movie..... What? Why do I feel like we've had another album which did a similar thing?? I didn't hate it musically, but I'm never going to choose to listen to it. In fairness I did think some of the tracks matched their titles in how they sounded 2

What on earth is this… come on?! Not into the faux, weirdo movie soundtrack vibe on this record whatsoever. Without the grounding context of an actual film this makes no sense. It's odd, over-engineered and quite frankly a bit jarring to listen it. How this made the 1001 albums to listen to before you die list I'll never know.

Si quisiera sonidos ambientales mejor veo una película.

Track 1 "On the wrong side of relaxation" - I gotta say, this is weird as fuck. Weirder than I ever listened to, but not more experimental than I listened to. It really does sound like a soundtrack, and yes, it was not relaxing. 8.9/10 Track 2 "Under wraps" - this sounds like the scenes where the detective is either walking around an active bar, asking around, or a fight scene in said bar. 8.6/10 Track 3 "Central control" - detective found clues 8/10 Track 4 "Round up the usual suspects" - interlude na/10 Track 5 "Sounds from the big house" - a chase part of it, I guess, or like finding clues, walking around, driving around. Nice jazz. 8.3/10 Track 6 "Suck on the honey of love" - slow, fun, 7.8/10 Couldn't finish it in time, but will listen to it in full one day, it's weird, very weird. But good

This album is not at all what I was expecting. I guess I didn't read past the first line of the Wikipedia?? I got hung up on "who is this guy" and then I went to his Wikipedia and I was still like "... Who???" Anyways I digress The important point to be said here is this was great! The concept is good and the overall storytelling is phenomenal. No, I couldn't always tell what it was trying to get across without reading the title of the song but that's not anything abnormal! The only thing that takes this down from a five for me is just that the mixing could have been better and I can't see myself listening to this album again

cool ambience, didnt really grab me. maybe just not the right time for this for me.

It is an album bound to the premise of making a soundtrack to a non-existent film and there is an atmospheric quality to it that satisfies that notion. However, it is a bit of a nothing burger in that it lacks the gravity to make it truly a relevant error. 7/10 [DROP]

Enjoyed it more than I expected - definitely one to give more time to

I thought this ended up ok, a little all over the place at times but I didn’t turn it off like some of the other recent entries….

This is weird and I don't understand why it's on this list.

Nope, too high concept. But suffers from the 80s bad electronic instruments and production

It reminds me of a soundtrack to one of those straight to VHS movies.

Wasn’t sure what to think of this from the title and track list alone. But dang! This was awesome, a soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t exist. It’s atmospheric, moody, brassy and quite frankly, just fucking cool. Very pleased with this, if my life were WAY more interesting, I’d want this to be the score.

Look, if I was auditioning for someone to do a soundtrack for some low-budget noir, yeah it might be worth a listen, but otherwise what is this for? What's his next big idea, a book without the words? Salt and pepper without the steak? I give this a rating without the stars.

cool soundtrack mr gauy

Very cinematic, great album for daydreaming specific scenes. Almost had an anxiety attack though.

What was that?

This was a commendable effort! The premise of "Moss Side Story" being a concept album soundtracking an imaginary crime film is a very fun idea to attempt to bring to life. While the execution didn't grab me, the potential is there. I think I'd appreciate it a lot more if I knew more about classical music and music theory.

Of all the great music from Manchester. Buzzcocks, The Smiths, Joy Division, New Order, Stone Roses, Oasis. You give me this.

This is an interesting challenge as a music project. I'm not sure it's entirely successful but I applaud the ambition!

I think when an album says it’s industrial I gotta be prepared for ehhhhhhhh music

This album needs a few listens to fully take it in.

Ugh. I don’t love this. I could swear this is not the first soundtrack for a nonexistent movie that this list has churned out. Almost certain there was another.

I’m feeling generous and rounding up my review. I can’t say I dislike it but doesn’t quite make it an OK album either. Dumb premise.

At this point I wish this book was about albums that don’t exist so I wouldn’t have to cringe so often 🫣 absolutely pathetic

Interesting record. Don’t know if I’ll ever listen to it again. Can’t help but respect.

cool i guess

I found this interesting at times, but overall I did not like it. But i do wish I understood more about music as I suspect this knowledge would enhance how I experienced this album.

If you listen to movie soundtracks I automatically assume you need mental help, let alone listen to a soundtrack to a film that doesn't exist. 1/5

Musical scores to film serve a purpose, but only the truly great ones stand up to be listened to in isolation or without a strong attachment to the film. Obviously you cant have an attachment to a film that doesn’t exist and this is far from great. This has to be one of the most annoying listens i’ve had on this process and there have been some bad albums!

“On the Wrong Side of Relaxation” pretty much sums this entire album up.

One of my most hated things is albums where essentially nothing happens except atmospheric droning for the first minute or so. I didn't know that about myself before starting this project, so thanks I guess? When would you ever sit down and think "You know what I fancy listening to today? That album that starts with the sound of a woman clearly in distress as she's stalked and then murdered!"? The whole first track made me anxious., and I hated pretty much everything that came after. The worst thing about this record was discovering he has another entry on the list I'm going to have to listen to. 1/5

Not really much going on here. Adamson shows her can write music that sounds very close to various styles typically heard in movie scores or soundtracks. But they don't really add up to a unified whole.

Playing with sounds, huh? Perhaps this sounds better with a hangover.

Interesting and a bit different, the vibe for an imaginary film that doesn't exist but works for this album. Moody and a bit shadowy, which is fun, glad I got to listen to something I would've never come across on my own perhaps.

A soundtrack to a film that doesn't exist. I liked it as a soundscape, and I could see it in a movie. The issue I have is slightly that it's designed to be background music, and it is. It's not striking by design, and so it's an implementation of something that sacrifices impact. It's good, but it's good in a genre that isn't world-shaking. It is what it is.

3/10 You know when you have a OST with loads of proper music you enjoy, interspersed with inconsequential tracks that you could do without? This is a collection of those tracks. Garbage

When you were a kid did you have one of those orange Halloween cassette tapes that had the whoooos, stomping, random screaming, and noises of stuff being dragged across the floor with the heavy downbeats? This is like that

It sounded more like a video game soundtrack than an album. But it was alright at that.

Horror? Suspense? Thriller? I'd watch the movie that goes with this soundtrack. I really enjoyed listening to this.

This is a lot better than his other one on the list. More vivid, more timeless.

3 sterne

I get the concept and some of the rhythms are great, but the album in general is annoying as hell.

Is this really one of the top 1000 albums of all time? A fake film soundtrack? It feels like someone put this in to make a point - but I have no idea what that point was. I won't be listening again.

How is it that I have never listened of Barry Adamson before? This record, as well as Oedipus Schmoedipus, is delightful. Such a great album, and with a strong remark on the album word. It truly is a sensorial and immersive experience, with so many layers and sonic directions. Adamson in this record does not make just an album, but, actually, a very innovative conceptual album. And, even in that sense, he reinvents the idea of the album by sticking to a very important concept: creating a whole, a story, a link between the songs. And, with this in mind, this album evolves to become a story, an even cinematic experience. It is not just the story, it is the environment, the atmospheres that surround this album, the feelings it projects. And, overall, a narrative, that is also guided through the titles of the songs, as if inside a noir film you were introduced. It is brilliant. The decision of the sounds, the Hollywood kind of acid jazz influences, the tape recordings that give this album a dimension of being also filled with field recordings... it really traps you inside of a story. And, then, the music becomes part of it. The album is not just a compilation of songs, or a concept explained through different songs, it is not just about cohesiveness, it is all about creating a story, the album as a book, as a film, as a narrative self. And the music is the channel for this story, not a narrated one, an explicit one, but rather a sensorial one. It is the ambient, the sonic associations, the disturbance of sound to confront our confort. It is how the songs first conceptualise and build an environment to play with. And how certain effects disturb the peace, how those sounds create an oppressive and claustrophobic environment. Barry Adamson really explores the limits of music, or, on the other side, all of its possibilities. It is strange, and certainly sometimes not easy to listen to, but the music is great, and it just adds more to an album that is more a concept, a solid narrative than a list of songs. Sure, the songs do not work separately, and it may seem like a flaw, but it really understands the nature of the medium. This is not for the songs, this is for the album. The final piece, the final stage of a project. And this album is wild and fantastic, and something really unique to listen to.

it has a different concept, and I liked it.

I like the concept and the variety of sounds...reminded me of Chris Bowden's Time Capsule, which I love.

Achei bacanudo, músicas loucas e me lembraram muito trilhas sonoras malucas de algum filme do David Lynch.

Intriguing concept (a score for a film that doesn’t exist), and very evocative, but maybe not the easiest listen

I loved the concept of this album but not enough to sustain my enjoyment for the whole runtime.

I know this artist from the Lost Highway soundtrack and it makes sense because this was pretty ambient of an album. Didn't think the album was all that great or necessary to listen to, but the concept behind the album was at least a little interesting.

Lots of fun. Will probably garner a re-listen or two when the right mood hits.

coolt koncept men inget man lyssnar på

Despite spending a lot of time there. Len Houmous always said Moss Side was the only place he wouldn’t go. 1.2 1/15 On The Wrong Side of Relaxation

Gear: SIMGOT SuperMix 4 Artwork: 🤵☂️🔲 Production: 😌👂🧈 Music: 🎬🎭🛗 Rating: 🎞️🎞️(🎞️)/5

weird and maybe thr music isn't like the best, but i like the concept idc

mislim da za ovaj album mogu ponoviti sve što sam rekao i za prethodno preslušan album barryja adamsona: "sasvim ugodno slušanje, nisam baš nešto slično prije imao prilike čuti... nije da mi se sasvim dopalo, ali svakako mi je drago što sam preslušao ovo, a ne neko generično rok sranje kakvim vrvi ovaj popis... tako da u konačnici lijepa trojčica"

bleh

This sounds like the score to a bad late 90s sci-fi mafia video game. Turns out it kind of is. And an uncanny similarity to nobuo uematsu and koji kondo.

Reading the background of this album, I really wanted to love it! But, just not weird or entertaining enough be on this list.

I couldn’t handle the first track of building dread and women screaming. Not for me

Soundtrack of a non-existent movie has to be the worst prompt for a concept album. I can’t understand why anyone would choose to listen to this outside of going through this list.

A soundtrack for a movie which doesn’t exist?Inspirational. I’ve just set the dinner table for a delicious meal that doesn’t exist. Shut up and eat your imaginary greens kids or there’ll be no imaginary pudding,

1.3 The music was well made but it was a little too goofy sounding for me to take it seriously. I did not get it. After reading the wikipedia, i understood it a little better but i dont think it was executed that well and not something for me either.

Aha dat t een track voor een niet bestaande film moet zijn verklaard wel wat. Ik heb em (nog) niet afgeluisterd, of ik dat nog ga doen? 2,5 ster

Uitdagend om naar te blijven luisteren. Het concept van 'soundtrack voor niet-bestaande film' is heel erg passend, maar het is mij te fragmentarisch en ik mis nummers met een lekkere groove

It was fine for a soundtrack

Oooooooh

It is a movie soundtrack, what else can you say. I get why the guy made it, but no way it is a top 1000 album of all time. 3.5/10 Top song... Alfred Hitchcock presents

Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. Very much a soundtrack and you really need to be in the mood for it. 2.5

Remember, it’s called “1001 albums to listen before you die”, not the 1001 best albums necessarily. This must be one of the oddest picks in the list, as well as one of the most obscure (I read it only charted in an Indie UK chart?). I was surprised it even had a wikipedia page longer than 3 paragraphs. I mean I don’t know how to judge this. Because it’s quite good for what it is (it’s listenable, it has some interesting and weird moments musically wise, though on the first listen there were some boring moments in which you just tune out), I’ll go with a 4/5. I don’t think I’ll find myself listening to this ever again though.

What is the point of this? Old mate puts together fake movie soundtrack pieces so he can maybe get a gig doing a real movie. A bit like me putting a collection of job application letters into a book and calling it a novel.

Some of these tracks on cool on their own, and if it were in a good movie I might notice it, but honestly this seems just a bit too abstract to be included on this list. There’s already one for a movie score, and it’s for a real fucking movie.

Too much per me

This album start with 2 minutes of nothing and it basically sets the tone for what your gona hear on this album. I dont really understand whats going on here. Ok I just read the wikipedia page. Its supose to be like a movie soundtrack for a movie that doesnt exist. Wich sounds cool in concept but the actual music is just boring as all hell. Theres no lyrics, just vaguely audible vocal sample. Nothing happens most of the time. I tried to imagine a movie in my head (wich ig is how he wanted you to listen to it ?) but its really hard because the music give you litlle to no context on whats happening. Same for the song title. Idk how to rate this. Failure/5

There's too much filler ambient stuff here but I did like the industrial jazz type stuff quite a bit

This concept album fails to deliver. It has all the tropes of scary mystery movies, but needs significant editing. All those tropes can’t appear in one soundtrack, sometimes at cross-purposes. Just not good. A 1.

A kooky start to my morning - if I was a DJ Producer I'd be clipping these tracks up

This was fun, and a nice break. All instrumental albums are usually my favorites.

Surprises around every corner, a great (scary) soundtrack for walking home late