Moss Side Story

Who is this for? Who is sitting around listening to this? People who listen to this need to be on a registry.

I have neither the time nor the inclination to listen to the soundtracks of movies that do exist, let alone ones that don’t. An absolute chore.

This sounds like what it is, a soundtrack for a film that doesn't exist. Some nice bits but fairly pointless

👎

Weird album. Weird in the best way though. I might not revisit this album in a long time but it definitely left an impression on me. That is a big contrast from other albums on this list that I forget about after I click on the 3 stars.

la musique d’ambiance du purgatoire

Didn't really "get" it. Sure, nice enough concept, but one of the best 1001 albums ever?

My initial reaction to this was 'why haven't I ever heard of this?' closely followed by 'what the hell am I listening to?' The longer it went on, the more I enjoyed it. This album is like nothing I've ever heard. 'A soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist' as one article put it. It's probably no coincidence that upon further exploration I discovered this guy used to be in the Bad Seeds, who I love. I'm not sure I understand this album. It's definitely something you could only listen to as a complete album, it would make no sense at all to pick out individual tracks. It's more like an hour-long soundscape than music. I'm not sure why, but I think I love it.

Fuck me, another Barry Adamson record on the list? This surely has to be the last. This one is starting off promisingly enough, very avant-garde and soundscape-y, but I’ve got my trench coat and fedora handy, ready to skulk through dimly lit alleyways. The second track brings us into more familiar Adamson territory: repetitive lounge music layered with experimental sound effects and vocal samples. …and there it is! By track three, the trench coat comes on and we’re in a darkened alley, likely there to meet with a foxy dame who’s in over her head or maybe witness a jewel heist gone wrong. Ok, I’m gonna curb the shit-talk, this time. Wait… one more…”Suck on the Honey of Love” is giving “Set Controls For the Heart of the Pelvis” (from Adamson’s 1996 record, Oedipus Schmoedipus) a run for its money as worst song title on earth. Here’s the thing, Barry Adamson isn’t a bad musician. He is clearly talented and you can tell a lot of thought went into his records to make them cohesive, storytelling instrumental records - that’s no small feat, in my opinion. He creates an overall mood and I don’t think it’s stretch to call them “soundtracks”. If these records are supposed to be soundtracks for imaginary films, though, I’m not sure they are films I’d want to see (and I love David Lynch, who Adamson would later collaborate with). I mean, I never heard of Barry Adamson prior 2 months ago, when I reviewed Oedipus Schmoedipus, and I knew going in to this record exactly how it would play out. This one’s better than Oedipus Schmoedipus, but only by a little. Honestly, they’re basically the same record, just 7 years removed from each other.

They never made the movie to go with this soundtrack just in case the movie sucked as badly as this garbage.

Loved the idea of an album created as a film soundtrack

I don't know, is this pulled from a clips of a movie or something. It doesn't belong here, it belongs at a 20 year old art students weed party

Verging on hints of The Avalanches, what would be perfectly acceptable background music to a moody train ride is elevated to a straight up five star rating purely due to the involvement of Dave Graney in writing the accompanying short story in the liner notes of the album. Hell yeah Dave so happy to see your new pop up in this list.

Oliver Blunt, Archangel City's best detective, is a man motivated by one thing: revenge for his son, Charles a.k.a Chucky, killed by the mafia, the heart of the city's hideous underbelly. Blunt won't rest until he's put Don Carlo, the mysterious leader of the city's shadow underworld, behind bars - or killed him with his bare hands. But at the center of the case that Blunt thinks could lead to Don Carlo's destruction once and for all is a teenage boy with striking similarities to Blunt's dead son - even the same name. On his quest for revenge, Blunt will be forced to confront both Archangel City's all-powerful underworld and the turmoil that sits deep within his heart. honestly, huge points to this album for the concept and theme, even though i didn't enjoy all the songs i still love the idea. super fun to listen to while walking around at night and think of fake noir plots to. in terms of theme, a definite five, but obviously this is a music rating too so it'll be a four. fun fact: the wikipedia article for this album lists just one professional review.

Would watch this movie in a heartbeat. Started out creepy on the wrong side of relaxation and settled into classic Hollywood scores. Interesting listen.

Pretty banging for an album with no words

Weirdly, I never knew of the existence of this before (despite knowing Adamson's work). Some interesting ambience. Disturbing and creepy, but sometimes becomes a bit hackneyed. Some amazing production work. A bit like a classic noir / Hitchcock soundtrack as presented in the mind of someone genuinely disturbed.

This guy again? My first thought is how the fuck did this guy get two albums in this list when there are thousands of other artists who deserved at least one! Anyway, another soundtrack to film that doesn't exist? So postmodern. If the music was actually interesting then it wouldn't be half bad. The music isn't however. I bet he sniffs his own farts. Best Tracks: Under Wraps; Everything Happens to Me; The Most Beautiful Girl In The World

No

Insoutenable.

A soundtrack to a movie that was never made, which is a win for modern day society since it sounds like a movie no one in their right mind would want to watch.

I'd like to image I hadn't wasted 54 minutes of my life listening to this soundtrack to an imaginary film. Unfortunately I did and I regret that. It has no redeeming qualities at all and completing it was a chore. It sounds like a music student's composition project. And not a good one. Never again.

ummm this is so good??? i'm OBSESSED i wish this was a real movie soooo bad omg

This fellow's schtick is so odd, but I think the "soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist" idea works much better here than on Oedipus. The back half of this album is straight up full of jams. Disappointed it's not an album about Maurice Moss.

This is intriguing! A soundtrack to a crime movie that does not exist. This concept isn't new anymore, but maybe Bazza was the first to ever do it. Moss Side Story is at its best when it doesn't feel like a straight film soundtrack, when instead it takes the tropes and upends them. Like "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" with its pizzicato strings turned up to 11, evoking such stresses of emotion, before turning into flowing streams of love - but that's flowing like hot lava. You know what I mean? This soundtrack doesn't need a film - it creates plenty of cinematic drama on its own.

So he wrote a sound track to a movie that was a figment of his imagination. imo,  that means he should go on a vacation to a place where all the people he talks with will be wearing lab coats. 

What is this? Why does it exist? It’s a curiosity, and not in a good way. The person who thought “a soundtrack, no, the score, to a movie I’m not clever enough to write, but without the movie,” should be jailed. Next to that person, whomever participated in placing this garbage on this list. It degrades the entire thing by its presence. It’s the first record I couldn’t finish. You couldn’t pay me. A just world would delete all copies this and pretend it never existed.

Really difficult to contextualize an album like this. But after reading the Wikipedia blurb about it, it is exactly what he tried to do. It sounds uncannily like a soundtrack, which is amazing given that it is not a soundtrack and that it was produced in the 80s. Of course, they were capable of doing cool stuff then - but you gotta have one hell of an imagination to make this come together without a plot or the world of YouTube OSTs and movie streaming available. This isn't even mentioning all the production techniques that I'm sure are harder to achieve as one man without a big-budget movie behind you. Incredible feat. Would I listen to this regularly? Absolutely not. But great work Barry.

Lovely discordant darkness

I'm curious to see how others rate this one. One of my favorites so far. It's like David Lynch and Trent Reznor made a record, produced by Richard D James with just a pinch of Brian Eno

As another high-concept brutalist art-jazz soundtrack to a detective story that never was, this mostly reminded me of Bowie's Outside. And if you know me, you'll know what high praise that is, I am Vibing

Incredible, unexpected genius. I’m a new fan.

Sick!! Really good for sampling

best new-to-me album I've heard in a while. Love love love it--very clever approach and a lot of fun.

I have just basically watched a fascinating movie without through the music medium. Great album, much better than the other Barry Adamson record on the list. Another contender for the surprise of the year.

This album took me by surprise in the best way. I was expecting a straightforward jazz album, but instead, I got a jazz-driven avant-garde experience, which I'm a total sucker for. I love experimental and avant-garde music, though it often demands a specific mood and setting to fully appreciate it. However, "Moss Side Story" stands out because it's accessible and can be enjoyed in a variety of contexts. I also love that it's a soundtrack for an imaginary film that doesn't even exist in real life. It's definitely not for everyone, but I'll be revisiting this one for sure.

Horror electronic jazz fake movie soundtrack…give this a proper chance and you will be rewarded, holy shit.

So unexpected and weird, I love it so much.

Never heard of this album or artist, so I'm going in blind. I don't even want to read the wiki for a change. Very unusual/atmospheric intro track, almost like a film soundtrack. I think I recognise the second track though, "Under Wraps", not sure where from. I'm enjoying this overall, however it does fade into the background a bit. It feels a bit disjointed, like a collection of tracks from different film soundtracks. Very interesting in places though. Ok, so after a second closer listen, I think this is actually quite cohesive. It would work very well as a soundtrack to a lot of films. I love the blend of old and new styles here; this could easily soundtrack something like Casablanca, or something like Se7en. I can hear the influence of this album on music from throughout the 90s as well - particularly David Bowie's "Outside", some elements of NIN, the Prodigy, and (especially) the jazzy drum and bass that Amon Tobin released towards the end of the 90s. Overall, this is a very interesting, unique, and experimental album. Probably one of the most interesting I've discovered from this generator so far.

Utterly delightful, very noiry.

This is the kind of stuff I signed up for

5/5. Not quite a concept album, but I've listened to another Adamson album before and it's always a banger. The mood creation from the music alone, and the expertise in doing so as a debut is impressive. An epic cacophony of sound, truly an awesome experience of music. Best Song: Under Wraps, Sounds From The Big House, The Swinging Detective

Why haven’t I heard this before. So good

God dang it I've had this thrust my way before in a poll although for the life of me I can't think what the category was. This is one of the strangest and compelling albums I've come across- strange noises and tunes that predated Portishead's 'To kill a dead man' (although they DID make a short film for that). There is no such film created apart from one in Barry's head. Genius.

Definitely can feel the influence in terms of cinema and scores - moody, creepy, unsettling at times - effective!

J’ai adoré cette fausse trame sonore qui préfigure son travail avec David Lynch. J’hésite entre 4 et 5

Excellent soundtrack to imaginary movie. Varied instrumentals.

As opposed to yesterday's album, this one was quite perfect for driving to. My usual boring commute was filled with emotions, thrills, and intrigue. Exciting and fun, I enjoyed this imaginary soundtrack very much.

Very good atmospheric jazz?

Never heard of Berry Adamson before this. I did not know what to expect but it was fantastic!

Elokuvissa on se ongelma että niissä selitellään ja tehdään virheitä. Musiikissa ei taas välttämättä ole virheitä, kaikelle löytyy syy ja artistin visio. Elokuvissa visio peittyy yleensä tuotantoon liittyvien ongelmien takia. Suuri paha on myös kuluttajille suunnatun sisällön tuotto, jota on ollut elokuvissa aina. Elokuvista harvoin tulee kauniita kun kuvataan leikataan ja käsikirjoitetaan palkan takia. Musiikkialbumiin artisti voi taas itse vaikuttaa enemmän jos haluaa ja kykenee. Joskus ei tarvitse ajatella nykyhetkeä, ja voi itsekkäästi tuottaa musiikkia josta itse pitää, ja tehdä se niin hyvin kuin vain osaa. Nykyhetki voi kuitenkin piirtyä teknologian takia ja joskus eivät ajalliset tyylisuunnatkaan pääse karkuun itse artistia. Joskus artisti syö sisäänsä näitä suuntia ja paskoo niitä musiikkiinsa. Kuitenkin kun artisti itse ne paskoo pönttöön on se parempi kuin toisten pökäleiden keruu ja niillä herkuttelu. Omat pökäleet ovat kallisarvoisia. Tämä albumi on magnifisentti pyyttoni, oikea kuningaskobra. Tästä tehty elokuva olisi varmaan sekasiittoinen mätä paska. Mutta tämä.. hyvä paska..

Possibly the most interesting album I heard today.

Wow! What an incredible album! Barry apparently wrote this album to be a business card for anyone looking for movie scores, and boy did he succeed. I can easily imagine the movie this goes to, and the baseline under the tracks are absolute bangers. I didn't expect to have a faux-movie soundtrack be a workout power song, but The Swinging Detective really brings it. Same with The Man with the golden arm. Auto Destruction and Suck On the Honey of Love are incredibly evocative songs for me. My music tastes are driven by a search for novelty, and that's what has drawn me to electronic music in the past. I did not expect a movie score album featuring standard instruments to scratch that itch so well, but it did. I said it before, but man what a cool album - from start to finish I feel like I experienced a murder mystery and I'm glad I heard this album.

First thoughts: Noise? Now on Central Control and I'm intrigued as ****... what is this?? Need the back-story to this. Sounds from the Big House: Sax! 😎😎 I'm all in. The piano in Everything Happens to Me! Glorious. Autodestruction, no. Lost me for a bit but finished strong with Man with a Golden Arm. Well, that was a piece of art, I don't care what anyone says!

Wasnt sure what this was when it started. It sounded like I was listening to a horror/film noire movie. Sure enough, I read about it after listening to it and its written as a soundtrack to a nonexistant noire movie. Awesome and unique concept. Its experimental without being too avant-guard-y. Im a sucker for anything noire, will revisit this for sure.

Both Moss Side and West Side are very important to me.

I caught glimpses of the Matrix and NiN. It's interesting how the Noire type aesthetic ties into the sounds of Industrial music. Replace the instruments with more synths and you're basically there. Alfred Hitchcock Presents is pretty trippy. Great example of an album that belongs on this list.

I really enjoyed this. He did a good job capturing the noir feeling. Would definitely listen to it again.

5 stars because the concept and execution are perfect.

10/10 Barry Adamson is easily one of my favorite musicians he is just so incredibly talented and diverse, it’s crazy I love all these songs so much, it’s very difficult for me to choose a favorite, but if I had to choose one, it would probably be The Man With the Golden Arm just because it’s such a beautiful and crazy way to end the album

Never heard of this guy but loved it. A blend of weird and wonderful sounds creating a funkscape so precious and beyond, spent all day listening to his music. Wot a ledge

this has completely sideswiped me. i had no idea anything thoughtful or conceptual came out of moss side but it turns out in 1989 before it gained its guns and gangs reputation it was a place where someone wrote a film score to a nonexistent noir crime film and accompanied it with a conceptual short story.

I feel like I watched the movie

One of the greatest soundtrack albums for a film that will only ever be made in our imaginations

This album is incredible. Always have just kind of known this dude's name more for being adjacent to Lynch contributing to "Lost Highway" and know he's worked with a lot of rad people. First time I've sunk my teeth in to one of his singular works though, and it's absolutely incredible and rewarding.

very cool

5/5 dope ass soundscapes!!! amazing in surround sound. Very eerie

Great soundtrack to no movie. Does sound like it could easily fit a mike mann movie.

Brilliant. Gets a bit saxy about halfway through.

En algún momento me topé con la música de Barry Adamson hace muchos mucho años y desde el inicio quedé enganchado. Creo que cualquier persona que tenga alguna apreciación por la música ambiental/instrumental/soundtracks puede encontrar cosas interesantes aquí, incluso si no se le hace brillante. En mi caso siempre me ha fascinado la manera en que trabaja y el tino que tiene en crear historias y narrativas enteras aun cuando los guiones e historias no existan. Este tipo de trabajo de hacer una banda sonora de una película inexistente, aunque no es lo único que hace, lo ha realizado un par de ocasiones y siempre con efectos en mi opinión espectaculares. Todo un arco, desarrollos, elipsis, un climax y una resolución totalmente imaginarios y en perfecta sintonía con la temática.

Pretty cool album.

I really like the thumping industrial drums on Sounds from the big house.

Really enjoyed the weirdness.

Absolutely amazing

Pretty excellent background/soundtrack music, Jazz devil is great!

Great instrumental concept album

The first album in the project that I bought when it came out, as an LP! Came to it via Nick Cave and blind bought this and Crime and the City Solution. Pleased to report that I still like it! Soundtrack for a film noir that was never made is spot on.

Increíble el paso del tiempo durante éste año. Por momentos, lentísimo. Por otros, con el cambio en quinta. Estamos en el penúltimo miércoles de noviembre y toca artista desconocido, que veo ha trabajado con mucha gente muy grosa. Me recuerda a los proyectos de Mike Patton, en especial Fantômas, pero sin tanto estruendo y bizarreada. También, algunas vibes a Morphine y a NIN: todas cosas que me gustan, básicamente. Disco de buenas atmósferas oscuras, me trae también a la Argentina con algunos sonidos similares a Los Redondos (los saxos en The Swinging Detective, muy Willy Crook). Como siempre, agradecido por las sorpresas. Hasta mañana.

Pues me está dando bastante miedo el disco. La primera canción la tuve que pasar. El resto las pude escuchar. Tiene la canción de la intro de Alfred Hitchcock presenta.

Imaginative, moody, yet energetic. I loved the Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Who doesn't love a fictitious crime film concept album???

Not an easy listen but the talent is undeniable. Both of a moment and completely outside of it. A soundtrack in search of a movie that is doesn't actually need. Not all atmospheric music is beautiful. Some is more like the city that birthed Adamson - to reprise another native - Manchester, so much to answer for.

If you're a fan of this album, check out the Secret Agent station by SomaFM. You can listen online at their website.

I would not recommend This album to anyone of an anxious disposition. Having said that, I’m loving it. The first track starts as an Autobahn ripoff, but then goes darker. Just had a thought - if you’ve ever played the board game Mind Management, this is the audio version. Or that might just be me.

It's great background music, and you've got to give credit to the conceit of "I really want to write film scores, so here's a film score for a totally made up film to show how good I am at writing film scores, so may be you'll employ me writing film scores"

I was not at all sure what I was about to listen to (went in blind) and had to figure out the whole "soundtrack for an imaginary movie" angle after the fact. Probably because I didn't have that information beforehand (which, I admit, makes it sounds very pretentious), I was perfectly happy listening to this soundtrack for a movie I had never seen. I did actually enjoy this album quite a bit considering it's low rating on here. I guess I'll be an outlier on this one.

Evil Cartoon Circus Music

Hard to say why I enjoy this. A touch of Pink Floyd in track one, maybe?

Alright I'm not coming into this one knowing any more than jack shit on this release. I read he scored an actual David Lynch film after this imaginary film soundtrack though and I can certainly hear why. This is weird, ethereal, jazzy, dark, even downright spooky at many points. Just in time for Halloween. I read he has worked with the band Magazine & Nick Cave.. which checks out. There's loads of talent heard here and it's all a bit left of center and a bit dark. Judging on its own merits, this is a pretty successful endeavor, although I'm not sure who the demographic is for it. Kind of makes you wish this guy put this effort into making the movie happen as well because.... at every turn you feel there's more to the story. He clearly had a storyline in his head and beautifully illustrated it with sound, but my man I need more information!

I knew Barry from his time with Magazine, Buzzcocks, and The Bad Seeds, but this album escaped me. A concept soundtrack album based on a non-existent crime film. Quite unique.

Actually I liked this. Weird. Wasn't sure what it was at first. It's not really anything. Just a collection of sounds arranged musically. But still. I felt like I was able to get a lot of work done with this on in the background.

Moss Side Story is one of the most interesting albums i have ever heard. It was apparently a concept album for a crime movie that never existed and i do kinda wish this film existed because i would have liked to see the context for all of these songs. This album is still really good on its own though, it was dark, morbid and creepy in all the right spots. This is also an album that had songs that were different sounding enough to keep me on my toes but still felt like they all were connected mostly due to having that crime movie style sound. I really like this album for what it is but i feel like i would have liked it more if this film had actually existed. Best Song: Auto Destruction Worst Song: Central Control

3.6 1x didn't think i would like it as much but the second half is interesting

The first couple of tracks are very good. Act 3 and 4 are not that good, but still not bad.

Nice. Noy dissimilar to the Tortoise album I had 2 days ago, I like movie soundtracks, and it's clear thatthe movie needn't even be real. Excellent.

Me gusta mucho, efectivamente suena mucho a BSO de Badalamenti. Tiene un montón de guiños evocadores.

A young dame, mid 20s, from The Wrong Side Of The Tracks gets caught up with a local crime ring. During a heist gone bad, a wealthy couple is killed, but who’s to blame? Dame is brought in (Round Up The Usual Suspects) by a handsome cop who is just doing his job but believes she is innocent. She is convicted and sent away to The Big House where she falls in love with a fellow (Suck On The Honey Of Love) inmate. One night, while feeling sorry for herself (Everything Happens To Me) the handsome cop (Swinging Detective) breaks her out of jail. During their narrow escape they are discovered. A car chase ensues, ending with (Auto Destruction) a horrific crash where she is ejected from the vehicle shortly before it explodes; we can’t be sure what happens to the handsome cop but it doesn’t look good. She is rushed to Intensive Care where they barely save her life but she lapses into a coma. While in the coma, she has spiritual dreams and visions of a higher power. After she wakes up two years later, she’s a different person; much wiser. She looks in the mirror to see she has a scar from above the corner of her right eye, down her cheek, across the center of her mouth to the lower side of her left jaw. She feels lucky to be alive and that this prominent scar somehow makes her even more beautiful than before (The Most Beautiful Girl In The World) She feels Free At Last, but the suspense continues (Alfred Hitchcock Presents) when her prison lover returns! They go out to the local malt shop to split a Chocolate Milkshake and discuss the future. The handsome cop (Man With The Golden Gun) arrives on the scene with the intent to whisk Dame away. The listener is left hanging and has to decide if she goes with her prison lover OR the handsome cop… Rated R (remarkable 3.9*s)

Honestly, I know why people don’t like this, but I actually found it pretty unique and enjoyable. This is an album that you need to listen to when doing something, though, because it’s just kind of weird to sit down to listen to something like this.

Initially crafted as a soundtrack to a crime thriller that does not exist, but could pass for a horror movie at times.

I always like weird concepts like this. A soundtrack to an intense crime movie that doesn't exist is such a fun idea to me.

Very trippy, did not know what to expect, felt like being in a horror movie.