Reviews (page 5 of 8)
Ок, но как альбом ну такой себе опыт. После первых двух треков я ожидал чего-то более... Странного. Лучшая песня - Under Wraps.
There's good stuff in here but it feels more like a parody of a film noir soundtrack than the actual "soundtrack to a film that was never made".
I get why it could be interesting for someone that likes soundtracks but I generally never listen to movie soundtracks so listening to one for a pretend movie just does nothing for me.
Best part of the listen was when Angelo Badalamenti from the “Twin Peaks” soundtrack auto played after the album finished.
Uhhhhh I really didn't like it listening to it on its own but in a 1,001 albums first, i put this on with a podcast playing over it. It worked a lot better as the soundtrack to some dumb conversation about Tom Cruise, but it still wasn't great. Marrying these two ideas together, I will just say this guy writing a soundtrack to a fake movie ON SPEC to hopefully get hired as a composer for a real movie one day is INSANE. BUT THEN ACTUALLY GETTING HIRED as a composer because of it is.... MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE (Bonus thought: track 10 "Intensive Care" sounds like it came directly out of Hans Zimmer's Blade Runner 2049 soundtrack, which for 1989 is, I think, a huge compliment)
absolutely detested the opening track and then it didn’t quite pick up for me like some cool tracks like everything happens to me and swing detective are beautiful but ultimately kinda noisy and not the casual listen i was hoping for
I mean, if we're not going to get into classical, I don't see why this gets to be on the table. Also, didn't move me.
I listened to the first half of one song, so hard to judge...but I immediately wanted to get off this ride.
Ok
good music to listen to while working on the horror script I’m writing, bad music to listen to in literally any other environment
What is this music, how is this on the list?? What a mess!
4/10 - another very strange album. Kind of fitting for Halloween as it had spooky vibes for some of the songs.
There were parts that I did like and parts that I did not like
Klart att Nick Cave-relaterat är bra.
Really experimental and very immersive. Pretty cool!
Fun little english jaunty version of a 1930s gangster/detective soundtrack. Nothing crazy but has good sampleability. THR!
Very interesting jazz album: Fantastic! The Man with the Golden Arm jams! 1001 album worthy: yes - 82/149
Interesting. Fine. Cool that he worked with David Lynch. But why are there two Barry Adamson albums on this list. Maybe the algorithm doesn’t actually represent the book
yikes
It's really amazing how well the concept comes through on this album despite being essentially wordless. There's a story preserved within these songs. Favorite track: "Sounds from the Big House"
This was pretty out there. I didn't expect it all from the album cover. It was interesting to listen to the entire time and I enjoyed it. Felt like pretty active background music. Don't need a ton of this but something like this on this list is a tough one. I get that it's unique vs what else is on here but 1,001 cuts out a lot of stuff. I'm rounding up to the 3 but it's fighting a 2 to 3
Something about this reminds me of the Earthworm Jim soundtrack
Glad he got a job out of this, but if we need to include a soundtrack, why not include a legendary one to an actual movie?
I thought this was a soundtrack for a movie I wasn’t going to watch
I actually really liked this. way different than what I usually listen to
What the fuck was that, a whole new genre. What people don't seem to get with art is that it's goal isn't for you to like it, it's made to inspire thought and to cause emotion. This album certainly manages to do that. Haven't heard something like this before. Researching the album I found out that there are genres like "dark jazz", "crime jazz" and several film related genres. The album is mostly instrumentals with rare voice clips taken mostly from movies, or made to sound like that. It's intense, right from the first track you start to get a feeling of what you're getting into. Most of the tracks are crime/mystery inspired, nervous and designed to keep you on the edge of your seat. Every now and again, there's a lighter track. It's a concept album, so it's meant to tell a whole story, and it really does manage to sound like a story, a soundtrack to a story to be more precise, since it manages to convey the emotion it intends too with ease. While it's certainly one of the best from the list, it is one of the more interesting and unusual ones.
I did not really care for this, a concept album and soundtrack to an imaginary movie. Totally not my scene. I'm sure it's someone's.
So, this isn’t bad, and it’s a helluva lot better than Oedipus Schmoedipus. There’s often a blend of more traditional jazz instrumentation with industrial percussion, which makes for some interesting contrast. But, while it’s a passably entertaining listen, why would anyone need to hear this? What makes it essential?
Quite fun. My grandparents lived a couple miles from Moss Side. I like the 60s-tv-theme-song sound with horns and bass.
How did this guy earn two spots on the list? Where is Built To Spill? Modest Mouse? Neutral Milk Hotel? Like them or not, they at least influenced musicians who came after them and are way more deserving of everyone’s time than whatever the fuck this is and all the endless triphop and britpop I’ve had to endure or ignore. I really am not enjoying this project much anymore.
Boring
Writing a soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist is a fun experiment. I could feel the cold streets where a crime was unfolding. I am unfamiliar with classic crime films but I could hear some similar sounds from Blade Runner 2049's score. "The Swinging Detective" was my favorite track.
Why?
Cool but not something I would listen to again
Sounds slimy. Yuck.
I probably won't revisit this again, but It was interesting. It had a few good pieces of music and was not boring.
Not really sure, feels quite unique for the time, although it feels a bit too 'serious' for some reason. Other than the really goody woodwind and marimba bits which feel like a cartoon clique. Some of the creative effects are quite cool, like the drums seemingly being recorded playing in a really reverberant room, and the tape loops and samples. Overall feels creative, but that's about it. Favourite songs: sounds from the big house, everything happens to me, the man with the golden arm, they are all pretty good though. Overall around 6/10
Brilliant
I've got another of his albums (Oedipus Schmoedipus) that I quite enjoy but this one I find kind of monotone.
Goes from experimental video installation audio to low budget horror movie soundtrack. Pass.
This shit just pissed me off
Not as good as I thought it could of been.
A touch pretentious?
1 - did not enjoy
I’m not really paying attention to the story this album is telling, which is likely important because it’s a concept album, however, the instrumentation is so unique. Gorgeous at times, disturbing at others, it does a phenomenal job of making you feel a certain way and guiding your emotions along the journey of the story they are trying to tell (even though I haven’t really paid attention to that story lol. I’m just letting myself listen and feel). So far probably a solid 9-9.5/10
i really appreciated the random screaming and noises…
An interesting concept for a concept album but other than that, I'm not sure why someone writing a soundtrack album for no movie just to peddle around to get work as a soundtrack writer is worthy of a place on this list.
I don't get it?
Insane vibes. Feels like inspiration for a lot of scene setting music now. I was getting the white lotus energy from this.
It’s a good soundtrack for what it is, honestly not my style. I appreciate the work and everything that went into it, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to it again? Not sure what makes it different than any other soundtrack. Two out of five.
I just could not engage at all with this.
if Lynch effed with you, I eff with you.
No purpose, no good. Sorry.
Different. But in a good way.
Odd. Not sure why anyone would need to listen to this.
Sounds like a mediocre movie soundtrack. I do like the last title though.
I had never even heard of the artist. A nice experimental instrumental album.
3.2 Funnily enough I've recently grown a very fond affinity of soundtracks to films which don't exist after being blown away by Uncles Acids latest release. Such an interesting concept. Whilst no song here is good enough in isolation to put on any type of playlist, as a collective it works pretty well, enjoyed having this on in the background whilst working. A lot better than some of the absolute cross on this list anyway.
This was an interesting experience on this list, but I’ll never go back to it or seek out anymore from him. Even with it being interesting, I’m baffled why it is on a list like this
A soundtrack to movie that was never made. A menu for a meal that was never cooked. Soil for a seed that was never sowed. A name for a child that was never born.
Re divertido, literal me imaginé secuencias en donde podrías usar estas canciones. Nice
no
I suppose the concept of a fake soundtrack is an interesting one and he can clearly write atmospheric and moody music. But i don't find it that engaging to listen to. I don't listen to soundtracks of films that actually exist, let alone imaginary ones
Complete
3.5 stars
Torn thoughts on this one. On the one hand, if they wanted an album with this vibe on the list, why not go with Angelo Badalamenti's score for Fire Walk With Me. Arguably the best film noir soundtrack on existence. On the other hand, as I listened, it did begin to grow on me. I started to see scenes from a movie that does not exist play out in my mind. It does a great job of playing with tropes and expectations to create visuals from nothing but music. And that's pretty neat. So I can see why it would be on the list from an experimental point of view. Doubt I will go back to listen again but I did have fun with it.
Maybe would’ve enjoyed this more if it was actually set to a film
eh
A really odd album that starts out sounding like Gollum's torture, thankfully it goes uphill from there but not by too much. Something I could just about tolerate, although there were several songs I seriously considered skipping.
Very awesome. It felt like all the good parts of a gritty crime drama film OST. I know that is a specific itch to scratch, but this album scratched every bit of craving perfectly. It has the perfect run time and flows like butter with impressive confidence. It also sounded like this album was a blast to make, thus it sounded fun to hear. Overall, great example of a weird music idea executed with more talent and care than I expected.
I think this album isn't supposed to be listened to. It's meant to get film companies interested in a product, as Wikipedia seems to say, and I agree. -1 star for the "concept" and the story. 1 star for the actual music, which makes an okay background, but isn't exactly a thing of beauty. This whole album left me wondering why no one ever made a movie.
The concept of making a fake soundtrack is very intriguing.
I found some good moments on this album, but, with a few notable exceptions, I find movie soundtracks are best listened to as part of the movie-viewing experience. This is not one of the exceptions, so sans movie, it's just unremarkable background music.
Bueno
On the Wrong Side of Relaxation is aptly named. Some good stuff on here, but on the whole a little strange and difficult to engage with.
I skimmed through this one. It's fuckin' weird. Read the description before you waste your time. 1/5.
3/5
1001 ALBUMS- # 24 Moss Side Story by BOSS MAN BARRY! Former bassist of Magazine and Bad Seeds performer Barry Adamson creates quite an intriguing gritty conceptual dark crime drama soundtrack to a film that doesn't even exist...what a brilliantly inventive approach to craft this impressive work of art. I really had no idea what to expect going into this album blindly, having never heard of it or knowing much about the talented musician behind its songwriting and what I heard was beyond refreshing! Going completely against the grain without any core subject matter to compose from, Adamson delivers the perfect imaginary soundtrack that is just screaming to be adapted. How has this work of such rich cinematic texture gone so overlooked? Well not entirely without recognition of course, otherwise it would not have been included on a list of must hear albums. This is by far the best surprise listen I have enjoyed so far and what I truly love about experiencing new or unknown music, a reminder of just how original true art can be. Foreboding, cunningly melodic, ambient, jazzy, industrial and tense in its story, all without any lyrical element as being distinctly instrumental. 100% deserving to be on this 1001 list (regardless of all the naysayers), do yourself a favor and listen to this phenomenal gem from start to finish, which you will likely enjoy more than most actual movies these days. Click the Thumbs Up icon below if you enjoyed my take on the album :)
Wow! I loved this!! Never heard of this artist and was totally surprised!!
Background music
Liked this more than I thought I would. The concept is cool; I mean I’ve listened to multiple film scores without seeing the movies they’re attached to anyway. Probably won’t be coming back to it very much, but it did make me feel like the Trader Joe’s I was in was about to get robbed
At first I was like damn this is a nice film soundtrack, this movie probably slaps. But then I looked it up and it’s a soundtrack for an imaginary film, so I feel like I have to discount it.
For me this album really took off at Everything Happens To Me, which had me mentally floating among billowy…never mind, I like it. The explosive Swinging Detective has these crazed Wagnerian screeches, fantastic. After you catch your breath comes Auto Destruction, screeching metal, doom drums, and schoolyard chants result in an excellent industrial freakout. Intensive Care gives you two minutes to calm yourself when boom! comes the swirling, pulsating, cartoonish The Most Beautiful Girl. Oh, don’t miss the Sounds From the Big House which creates impending doom by pounding big things while a jazzy organ dances in the background. Buy it, play it, love it.
I'd not heard this though I do remember it coming out. I was very much focused on Kraftwerk and Tom Waits I recall. Still not a bad record.
Delightfully creepy, otherwordly and evocative
Cool concept and unexpected vibes
This is really a soundtrack for movie that doesn’t exist. Terrible idea, but admittedly solid execution. The music is pretty good, but its inclusion here seems pretty pointless. Favorite song was The Swinging Detective.
Really interesting album. Deserves a bunch of listens to get what's going on
It took me a while to get used to it but in the best moments it reminded me of some Neofolk/industrial like Der Blutharsch. I still don’t know what to think of it.
The album reminded me of Fantômas' "The Director's Cut." I get the concept, but I wish the songs were: a) a bit longer. There was a feeling that there could have been more development there b) had better sound levels! Listening to songs like "Sounds From The Big House," the levels were boosted way too much. NEXT. Top tracks: "On The Wrong Side Of Relaxation," "Under Wraps"
I'm sorry, why should I listen to this album before I die? They don't really do soundtracks, though this one is more a score and a faux soundtrack. Still, there are many more acclaimed composers with incredible scores than this, if we want to count something like that. The first song reminded me of the old Max Payne video game, with a slightly creepy sound and annoying whimpers and screams. I guess it's not awful but it's also not anything to write home about. A real head scratcher and wasting space that another worthy album could occupy.
With all the albums that could have been included in the 1001, they picked this one? There are REAL soundtracks worth hearing before you die that they didn't include. Plus, it made virtually no impact outside the UK, showing again the UK bias in the 1001. Its inclusion is just plain ridiculous. That said, it wasn't BAD, per se. It made for good background music and had a few tracks that caught my attention (Under Wraps, Sounds from the Big House, Intensive Care). I'm just flat out annoyed it was included and that absolutely colored my view of it.
I enjoyed the other Barry Adamson album on this list, but this one did very little for me after a couple of listens. Sounds like it’d be a decent soundtrack, and I know that’s the point, but as a stand alone listen I couldn’t get into it.
I would love to say that I understood what happened here, but I can't. Not a bad album, but not the best I've ever heard.
I am conflicted about this, it reminded me of twin peaks and thats a good thing but as an album its difficult to listen to because its unsettling and beautiful at the same time, weird mix.
An odd one. An album made to be essentially a soundtrack. I think it does a good job at creating a feel and mood.
Well I do enjoy a good soundtrack and this fits the bill. I'll have to have another listen to Lost Highway with my newfound knowledge.
Damn, what's with all the low ratings? This stuff is catnip to me! If you can listen to something this out-there and consider it to be a waste of your time, then I'd question why you're even doing this project? 🤷 Is it just that some people have a really narrow use case for music? They want upbeat songs they can dance to, and maybe songs for one or two other specific moods, and then anything outside that is just noise to them? Or, an idea I've been idly mulling over the last year or two - is it an aphantasia thing? I'm a 4 or 5 on the aphantasia red apple test, so this album absolutely lights up my internal cinema screen. Every track suggests new scenes and images, it's a pretty wild ride! I guess if you're mostly aphantasic you don't get that. Sad. 😔 Fave tracks - doesn't make too much sense to talk about tracks in isolation on this one, but "Suck on the Honey of Love" was the point I thought "damn, this is a five" on my first play through. On my second play through, "The Swinging Detective" stood out as being particularly badass. I'm definitely going through the rest of Adamson's back catalog after this! 😎
An interesting album. I find the idea of composing film music for a movie that doesn't exist funny. Apparently Barry Adamson has often made this joke. It was good to have heard this album. But I probably won't be doing it again any time soon. 3/5
Dude this is fucking awesome!! The last few tracks of this was too circusy. But i enjoyed the creepiness in the beginning. I'll give it 4 stars. The song that came up after this song was another by this guy called Something Wicked This Way Comes. I have heard that one before.
Too experimental
Concept a bit strange, but not a bad listen.
British concept album, soundtrack for non-existent crime film. Lynchian. Instrumental, fascinating exercise. Creepy and scary. Often chaotic. Interesting but not pleasant.
Not for me
Een soundtrack voor een film die niet bestaat. Het concept vind ik niet eens heel dom. Het is niet dan ook niet compleet kut, maar ik vraag me toch een beetje af waar ik nou eigenlijk mee bezig ben. Dus wat krijgen we nu precies? Aardige stukjes muzikaal thema, afgewisseld met gekke industriële geluiden, wat herrie en chaos. Ups en downs, onrust en ontspanning. Qua laagjes allemaal prima tot een mooi beeld gekleid. Op track 11 klinkt het alsof je op de Gamecube bij Bowsers kasteel naar binnen loopt. Maar hoort dit nou echt thuis in deze lijst? Nee. Er is geen hond die zegt: De beste albums ooit zijn Sgt Peppers, Nevermind en Moss Side Story. En dan blijkt dat deze man er 2 keer in staat, waanzin. Qua cijfer is het enorm lastig. Het is een keer wat anders en ik vermaak me er daarom wel mee. Ik hou het zonder het te ingewikkeld te maken gewoon op een 3.
Beetje flauw dat er in de lijst geen albums met filmmuziek mogen, maar dan wel een concept-album met muziek voor een film die niet bestaat. Barry Adamson en zijn maffe invallen hebben bij mij de gunfactor, maar er is toch wel betere filmmuziek dan dit, dacht ik zo. Dus dit album toch maar beoordelen als popalbum. Ik mis Adamsons prettig gestoorde stem, de instrumentale tracks beklijven niet zo. De volgende keer toch maar weer meezingen, Barry.
De auto in met het gezin. Zet voor het gemak het eerst volgende te luisteren 1001-album maar op. Dat houdt het wel heel kort vol. Wat rare ruimte-geluiden en ik ben niet alleen mijn gezin, maar eigenlijk ook mijzelf al kwijt. Thuis kijk ik wat ik eigenlijk heb opgezet. Een wanna-be-soundtrack blijkbaar. Normaal zijn dit soort soundtracks al niet los te luisteren, maar nu heb ik er ook nog eens geen enkel nostalgie-gevoel bij wat mij zou kunnen helpen. We noteren weer een hele dikke 1.
Ik ga moss side story straffen denk ik. Dit is echt overbodig, er zijn veel betere soundtracks die de snoblijst niet gehaald hebben en Berry staat er al een keer in. Bovendien heb ik alles al een keer eerder gehoord, en dan beter. Het eerdere album dat we al van Berry hebben gehad, beschrijft eigenlijk alles en was leuk om een keer gehoord te hebben. Ik denk dat ik die ook beter vond, dus ik heb geen enkele moeite om dit een 1 te geven.
On the wrong side of relaxation is (an aptly named) unsettling yet intriguing start. I was not in the right headspace for this album and couldn't finish it. Ranking is tough... On a personal experience level it's very much 1 star, I did not enjoy it. But at the same time I get the sense that's rather the point and there is a lot of interesting things going on.... In the end I'm just not able to appreciate them at this point in time.
I could close my eyes and imagine movie scenes to accompany each track, and doing so was novel. But the music itself felt cheesy and wasn’t particularly enjoyable.
Way better than I expected. Super atmospheric.
I do like Barry Adamsom and these are pretty nice cinematic soundscapes.
Album 707 of 1001 Barry Adamson - Moss Side Story (1989) Rating : 3 / 5 A soundtrack to a non-existent movie. Odd concept, indeed. It drug at points but by the end it was really cool jazz that made me want to see this fake movie. Nice surprise.
I did not enjoy this at all.
Very avant- garde. Kinda reminded me of Mr. Bungle.
Apparently, he wanted to create movie soundtracks, and according to Wikipedia, he made at least one for David Lynch's movie. I'm happy that this album helped him on his way to his objectives, but it is not much more than it... an imaginary soundtrack. It's not bad, but I guess it could be better accompanied by the movie.
Oh my god. A soundtrack album to a non-existent crime film by the bassist of Magazine (who was also in Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds AND Visage)? Yes please.
An interesting concept here: a soundtrack for a movie that doesn't exist. The result is essentially a varied sort of soundscape. It's not so much an album as it is a listening experience. It's actually quite varied. There's some rather bombastic jazz at some points, and at other times there's this very harsh noise. This isn't something you just put on on a whim, but at the same time, it's something that you can't really intentionally focus on either. You'd go insane. It's almost as if you have to be specifically dedicated to listen to this in the background. It's ridiculously niche. I can appreciate it for what it is, and I'm glad I experienced, but I probably won't be listening to this again. Fav tracks: Under Wraps, Sounds from the Big House, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World
This is a very confusing album, it doesn't have really good songs but they're decent for just leaving them playing in the background while you're doing something. The whole thing felt like a movie soundtrack because there were all these sounds and they weren't really going anywhere. It wasn't necessarily bad but just a bit confusing. There was a bit of piano and a bit of saxophone at times, which made things a bit better, but that's pretty much it.
Not doing it for me. Like a mediocre movie soundtrack.
This was wildly uninteresting
It's.... very filmic. A great soundtrack to a film that doesn't exist, but putting on this record brings scenes to mind. It's really quite clever. Not a 4 or a 5 because it's not something I'd put up an enjoy, but as Art music it is nice to have. A bit like some modern art, to be admired for the idea rather than just the thing at face value. A 3 it is.
I stole this because it fit perfectly.....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.
The first song has a very appropriate title. I’m definitely not relaxing 😂 Did not know what this was or what to expect and now I love it. How have I never heard this before?
Most Shite Story.
why does no-one ever make the imaginary film for an album
Very creepy, a bit scary. Not my usual thing, but I can see the brilliance.
Why is this label as "Rock"? It's more like some strange form of Jazz fusion of random stuff. Weirdly enough I did like it, it was weird but in a way that I found entertaining, not always good but entertaining.
This clearly wasn't meant for casual listening. Unfortunately, you and I are casual listeners.
Majorly disappointing, given how much I enjoyed Adamson’s other record on this list. Frankly, neither of them should be here, but if at least one had to be, it shouldn’t be this one. Dull dull dull. 2/5
Holds up as well as the Dick Tracey movie remake.
flott bakgrunns. ekki kaffihús. best eru samt tökulögin. bannsett næturkulið.
Puh, hab's nicht gecheckt
4-
Huh………..I- …..huh………………okay, well, yeah, huh…………….do I……like this???….Huh………….. So, let me get this straight. A noir film score, but the noir film doesn’t exist? But it ✨feels like✨ you’re watching a noir film while you listen? Yeah, actually, I get that. Like, I totally got that while listening to this. Obviously, the concept is cool as hell, but I was a bit concerned about the execution. But honestly? Adamson killed it on the execution, too. Call me a weirdo, but I think Moss Side Story is pretty great! The jazziness of it is a tiny bit restrained, and there’s a bit of kitsch soda shop sounds on the last leg that take me out for a brief moment, but if this were a literal soundtrack, it would have to be restrained because that’s the point of a soundtrack, and maybe the kitsch textures would align with what I’d be seeing on screen. And like a soundtrack, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts; I’m not going to be listening to individual tracks from this on their own. Also like a soundtrack, chances are, I’ll probably only listen to this in full once every couple of years, although I could also see this turning into a Work Focus Hour™️ album for me just as easily. Really, Moss Side Story is an album about atmosphere, and it definitely creates an atmosphere, albeit an extremely Lynchian one [see: Lost Highway]. So if you want a Lynchian vibe in your home for some reason, I definitely recommend giving this a shot, because I also sometimes like to make my apartment feel a bit Lynchian for some reason. The eternal question that’s always hard to shake with this list, though, is whether or not I needed to listen to this before I died. I enjoyed Moss Side Story, in concept and in practice, and whether or not I relisten to it frequently, I still rate it highly. But would I deem it essential? What exactly does it add to the canon of popular music if it were to be omitted? Could this album change your life? Is it influential, even in concept? Could I imagine someone labelling this their favorite album of all time? For context, at the time I’m reviewing this, there are literally 51 people on here who have rated this 5 stars– that’s LESS THAN HALF OF A PERCENT of everyone who has listened to this record on here!!!!! Obviously, every album has its fans, but that is incredibly weird, especially for someone who the editors thought needed to be included on this list twice. Idk…..Idfk, really. Who the hell am I to say what belongs here and what doesn’t, especially when I actually vibe with this a lot? So fuck it, nothing matters, and I’m really fucking into this. Like, REALLY into this. So let’s make it 52 people who rated Moss Side Story 5 stars. Trust me, no one is more surprised by this rating than me.
Barry Adamson's *Moss Side Story* (1989) is a groundbreaking debut album that merges cinematic storytelling with experimental music. Positioned as a "soundtrack to a non-existent crime film," the album is a conceptually rich and sonically innovative work that explores themes of crime, noir, and urban decay. Below is an in-depth review of its lyrics, music, production, themes, and influence, along with an analysis of its strengths and weaknesses. ## **Lyrics and Narrative** While *Moss Side Story* is predominantly instrumental, the few vocal elements—such as spoken word snippets, screams, and choirs—play a significant role in shaping its narrative. These elements are not traditional lyrics but serve as fragments of dialogue or emotional cues that deepen the sense of mystery and suspense. For instance, tracks like "Under Wraps" use voice samples to evoke a detective recounting tales from the underworld. The absence of conventional lyrics allows listeners to construct their own interpretations of the story, making it an interactive experience. The album's narrative is further reinforced by its descriptive track titles, such as "On the Wrong Side of Relaxation" and "Round Up the Usual Suspects," which suggest scenes from a noir film. The inner sleeve even includes a short story by Dave Graney, adding another layer to the storytelling[1][2]. ## **Music** Adamson's background as a bassist for Magazine and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds is evident in his ability to craft atmospheric soundscapes. The music on *Moss Side Story* blends jazz, industrial, ambient, and orchestral elements to create a dark and immersive experience. Key tracks include: - **"On the Wrong Side of Relaxation"**: Opens the album with eerie strings and foreboding rhythms, setting a suspenseful tone. - **"The Swinging Detective"**: A standout track that combines sultry saxophones with soft percussion, evoking smoky bars and fedora-clad detectives. - **"Free at Last"**: Offers a brief moment of levity with an upbeat tempo and twangy guitars while retaining the album's melancholic undertones. - **"Cool Green World"**: A haunting mix of jazz and ambient sounds that conjures images of rainy streets illuminated by neon lights. Adamson's use of instrumentation is masterful. Strings, horns, bass lines, and percussions are layered intricately to evoke specific moods and settings. The influence of film composers like John Barry (of *James Bond* fame) is palpable throughout the album[2][4]. ## **Production** The production on *Moss Side Story* is meticulous. Adamson recorded the album with the intention of showcasing his skills as a composer for film scores[1]. The sound design captures both the grit of Manchester's Moss Side district and the stylized drama of classic noir films. The use of stereo effects, reverb, and dynamic shifts enhances the cinematic quality of the music. However, some tracks exhibit an unmistakable '80s aesthetic—such as saxophone parts by Gary Barnacle—which might feel dated to modern listeners[4]. Despite this, the production remains cohesive and serves the album's overarching concept effectively. ## **Themes** Thematically, *Moss Side Story* delves into crime, suspense, urban decay, and existential dread. Inspired by Adamson's upbringing in Manchester's Moss Side neighborhood—a place known for its socio-economic challenges—the album captures both personal and universal struggles. The title itself is a play on Leonard Bernstein's *West Side Story*, but instead of romance in New York City, it presents murder and intrigue in Manchester[1]. The noir aesthetic permeates every aspect of the album. From its shadowy atmospheres to its fragmented narrative structure, *Moss Side Story* feels like an auditory equivalent of films like *Casablanca* or *The Third Man*. It also touches on themes of identity and self-investigation, as suggested by critics who see it as part of an "inadvertent trilogy" exploring personal crises[4]. ## **Influence** *Moss Side Story* has had a lasting impact on both music and film culture. Its avant-garde approach to blending genres paved the way for artists like Portishead and Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), who similarly explore cinematic soundscapes in their work[5]. Adamson would later contribute music to David Lynch's *Lost Highway*, further cementing his reputation as a masterful composer for dark narratives[1]. The album also influenced how concept albums are perceived. By creating a soundtrack for an imaginary film, Adamson expanded the boundaries of what an album could achieve artistically. ## **Pros** 1. **Innovative Concept**: A soundtrack for a non-existent film is both unique and engaging. 2. **Cohesive Atmosphere**: The music successfully evokes noir themes through its instrumentation and production. 3. **Narrative Depth**: Even without lyrics, the album tells a compelling story through its titles, samples, and arrangements. 4. **Musical Diversity**: Blends jazz, ambient, industrial, and orchestral styles seamlessly. 5. **Influence**: Pioneered approaches that would inspire future artists in both music and cinema. ## **Cons** 1. **Accessibility**: Its experimental nature may not appeal to all listeners; some might find it too abstract or unsettling. 2. **Dated Elements**: Certain production choices (e.g., saxophone parts) feel rooted in the 1980s. 3. **Lack of Lyrics**: While this adds to its uniqueness, some listeners may miss traditional lyrical storytelling. 4. **Pacing Issues**: The dense atmosphere can feel overwhelming if listened to in one sitting without breaks. ## **Conclusion** *Moss Side Story* is a remarkable debut that showcases Barry Adamson's talents as both a musician and storyteller. Its innovative concept—creating a soundtrack for an imaginary noir film—is executed with precision and creativity. While its experimental nature may not suit everyone’s taste, it remains an essential listen for fans of cinematic music or those seeking something outside traditional genres. The album’s strengths lie in its cohesive atmosphere, diverse musical palette, and narrative depth. However, its abstract nature and occasional dated elements might alienate some listeners. Overall, *Moss Side Story* stands as a testament to Adamson’s vision and continues to influence artists across multiple disciplines decades after its release.
I have this secret musical that I've been arranging in my head for the last twenty years. I have the first hour or so mapped out, with a mixture of show tunes and a little bit of dialogue. The only difference here is that this guy decided to share his inner musical soundtrack, to mixed results. I didn't hate this really, so it should get 3 stars just for being entertaining from time to time, but I'm knocking it down to 2 stars, mainly because it out stayed its welcome by about 30 minutes or so. It never really goes anywhere, and there's a lot of "incidental" music that I could have done without.
An interesting cinematic feel to it, but kind of eerie and distracting in the background.
fine. Honestly good sounds. I like the concept. This rating is low just because I will never listen to or think about this again.
Before the generator I didn’t even know what a Barry Adamson was. I still don’t, really, but now I’ve heard two of his imaginary film soundtracks (I listened to this one a stone's throw from Moss Side, which is neat). I do like the general spirit behind this and there are some cool, spooky vibes going on. Buuut there's not a lot of replay value, and I think the main argument for including an album like this among the 1001 is that it provides something different to the others. That argument falls down a bit when a similar album by the same artist is already included. 2.5
Listened to the whole thing and couldn’t almost say a word about it. Was it music or was it silence? Surely has to be considered enjoyable if it whistled 45 mins through without knowing it was there? Strange, enigmatic, brilliant, terrible? 6/10
Very interesting artist and album. It sounds like a movie soundtrack - come to find out he's done a lot of soundtracks. I'd listen to this again, good background music.
An album that is a soundtrack for a murder movie that isn't real? Dumb. Which just about sums up this album lol. I didn't get the story AT ALL and I understand that the titles of the songs tell the story but...I still don't get it. Props to Barry Adamson because he was able to use this towards a portfolio to later make soundtracks to real movies, but this is a dud. Half the songs just gave me anxiety because I had no idea what was going on, but it sounded tense **cough cough** "Auto Destruction" **cough cough**. I will never return to this lol. Some songs had MOMENTS, where the tracks were very jazzy, but....eh. "Everything Happens to Me" was a pretty beautiful track tho. I'll give this a 1.5 for its moments. Liked Songs: "The Swinging Detective" was cool until the end, "Under Wraps" was good but never went ANYWHERE, and "Everything Happens to Me"
liked songs: Under Wraps I like the concept; make a soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist. I don't love the execution. Too much of this is just noises. 1.5
atmospheric as hell. definitely a bit difficult to enjoy at times, but adamson nails the vibe he’s shooting for.
Didn’t gel with me.
I will revisit this whenever I want to imagine a David Lynch movie that was never created.
I dig the concept more than the music. I love picturing someone in a basement composing music for an imaginary movie 😂 2.5
Starts a little haphazardly, but boy when it gets going make sure you have ticket and passport. An often propulsive journey that pauses for reflection and side trips into eerieland. A great landscape. Love this.
I’m a sucker for a dramatic film score… Once Upon a Time in the West is one of the best and I can listen to that incessantly. I’m not sure this reaches tge heights of Sergio and even though it’s a completely non-existent film I appreciated the whimsy. It probably should be a 3.5 but it was more enjoyable than I expected.
I wasn't sure where to go with the rating on this one, but it's a dense and well-crafted set of songs — every arrangement is meticulous and massive, but it doesn't feel overdone. Early on, I was ready to point out perceived excesses, but I realized I was being unfair, and taking this on its own terms, it's an impressive work – song by song and taken as a whole. A lot of ideas on display here, and a real knack for songcraft, production, and arrangement.
I was into this at first. A little Henry Mancini, a little Quincy Jones. But I don't love original motion picture soundtracks for real films (not counting soundtracks that have existing songs on them, like Guardians of the Galaxy), and this one got a little old. it's quality stuff, just not my bag.
I came in cold. Didn't read the short blurb or even look up the year. Took me a minute or so but by the end of this I was so into it. Psychic shuffle went on to play more Barry Adamson and this is one I'll continue to explore.
Almost pissed off that we got some niche indie film soundtrack until I read about the concept of this album not actually having a real movie to go with it. I needed the concept to understand this record, then it instantly became cooler. Perfect? No, not at all. But really cool. I’m reminded of a few other musicians I really like when I listen to this. First, the concept reminds me of the M Machine Metropolis EP series, where there was some loose conceptual lore written down to build up the world of the music. Second, in MSS’s haziest, craziest moments, like “The Swinging Detective” I’m reminded of DJ Shadow’s “Endtroducing” with how music like this can be greater than the sum of its parts when you give it the time and space to develop. Lastly, I feel like I can draw a direct line between this album and some of the stuff Onehotrix Point Never was doing in his best years. “The Most Beautiful Girl In the World” is my highlight on here and super reminds me of OPN soundfonts with that touch of surrealism. Neat stuff, worth a listen, won’t go back to it, but can be appreciated in a vacuum anytime.
Great idea of a soundtrack for a fictive noir film, and an equally great execution!
An insane idea that for some reason works. My initial thought is a ⅘. BUT - is this list really the right home for this imaginary soundtrack? I don’t think so.
Listened to this while playing Imperium: Legends. I lost super hard. This was ok. Some parts were super enjoyable...I'm looking at you, "The Man With the Golden Arm." Other parts reminded me of musique concrete experiments i had to listen to in college, and not in a good way. A very low 3.
I didn't understand this album and I was not interested in it, it started out weird and never got better lol
Interesting that this is the soundtrack to a fake crime film. It's not something I'd want to listen again, but it is creative.
I did really enjoy the techno / bass lines in this. However, not a thing I'm coming back to, so it gets a 2. 2/3
I don't really get it. The last track is nice. But it just seems like fragments of soundtracks to movies I wouldn't really like either.
Yesterday I had the score to The Virgin Suicides by Air, and it was awesome. I don’t know what this album is, but it sounds more like a soundtrack than that album - which is an actual soundtrack. It’s not unpleasant. It’s catchy in parts for sure, but there are a lot of moments of ambiance and background sounds that make sense if it’s a soundtrack, I guess, but kinda weird if not. Turns out tabs concept album intended to *sound* like a soundtrack, because the artist wanted to get hired to make soundtracks. Gotta say, that’s pretty cool. It definitely earns 3 stars musically because it’s a bit of a bop, but I’m gonna grant it the fourth because making a soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t exist - and still being able to make it sound cohesive - is pretty bad ass.
The first “song” set a horrible precedent for the rest of the album. I had to check if my ears were clogged and that the volume was up. Dead air for about 40 seconds followed by Barely perceptible sounds is terrible. The rest of the album was fucking trash.
This was really interesting and would never have been something I would have otherwise chosen to listen to. An intriguing experience and a great premise. Feels like it deserved a film to accompany it!
Worse than the Beatles. Why is this on here
So cool. Incredible combo of jazz and ambient
Sucked
Yeeaaa, I mean, i can see why it's on the list but I don't care to ever listen to it again.
I understand the concept, but the execution didn't work.
It is a stretch that this album is on this list.
Dit was fucking raar. Blijkbaar een soundtrack voor een film die niet bestaat. 1 ster voor de moeite
Generally, I'm not a fan of most soundtracks or concept albums with the occasional exceptions. Often the project is too unfocused and doesn't compliment the content or the concept is so out there no one besides the creator understands the meaning or reason or why we should care about their idea. On paper, Moss Side Story sounds like a weird concept, a soundtrack album to a non-existent crime film. My thought was, what the hell? Imagine my surprise when the music is actually pretty good! In fact, it's better than most real soundtracks. Through the music, it helps to visualize the atmosphere and concept of the "film" and really a good soundtrack doesn't need the film to stand on it's own creatively. I actually enjoyed the listen and though it's gets a bit over the top sometimes, it was a good backtrack to my usually chilling, thrilling day sitting at home alone.
Really enjoyed the more jazzy aspects of this album. A few new-wavey feeling parts that were a bit a nice spice mixed into the overall sound.
Fun score to a non-existent film. I always enjoy a concept album of that nature. Some things reminded me of "Lost Highway" only to discover this artist did work for that soundtrack. It all makes sense now
Woof
Haha creepy. Kinda cool I guess. Weird
Some really nice melodies held back by an absolutely terrible mix
Organized noise. Groovy at times, but mostly unpleasant.
As a soundtrack to a non-existent film, it does a great job of making you hope the movie never gets made so you don’t have to listen to this again.
I kind of get why this is on the list, as Adamson manages to create atmospheres and scenes in my head. But as I'm not an A&R person, nor somebody who's looking for somebody to write the soundtrack for my next movie, it's a fairly pointless album to me.
Mood music
i have to give credit where it's due - this is a cool idea! it's not always fun to listen to, though. have you ever tried listening to a movie soundtrack and gotten to all the ugly bits that play during fight scenes and thought "eugh, i only really wanted to listen to the big emotional track, actually" - because that's what this album is to me. a little *too* much realism lol. the parts with the sax were far and away the best. very creative, love the initiative, probably not something i'll listen to again.
this was fine i guess but isn't one "soundtrack" album by this guy enough for this list? the gimmick of the album gets pretty insipid after a couple tracks and it all feels samey, including to oedipus schmoedipus. hard to say which album i liked more because they're practically identical. both are 2.5 stars at best and i rounded up on the other one, so sorry, barry, this one's getting a two. glad you got that career in film composing like you wanted from this demo tape. favorites: under wraps, sounds from the big house
ganz interessant
What a unique album. It’s described as a soundtrack to a non-existent crime thriller, and that’s exactly what it sounds like, goal achieved. Very dark atmospheres at times, sometimes very upbeat almost to reflect a chase of some kind. Some of it is actually very good, and at other times I was scratching my head. Never heard anything like this before, still unsure of how I feel. 3 stars it is.
Tells a very clear story, and I was surprisingly able to follow along. Cool concept, enjoyed it!
Very cinematic. Not really my style.
Oh wow, fake music. Oh wow, BAD fake music.
I definitely felt like I was experiencing something other than an album. The movie feel was there. The bombastic sendoff gave the album a much needed ooomph. Reminds me of when we donned masks and attended Sleep No More at the McKittrick Hotel in NYC.
Sadly disappointing - the concept behind it was interesting but the reality less so
Day 14/1001 of One Album a Day / listened to whilst: working from home Unique and interesting concept but even with consideration of the fact this music supposed to resemble a film score, it's not anything particularly special in my opinion. Some nice little moments but underwhelmed overall
How to rate this? I think it is good, but I don't like it.
Not sure if I get it..,
Fav song: Intensive Care Seems like it's written for as an OST for a movie right? Either way, I really love the sweeping ambient pieces a lot, but I feel like there's a lack of consistency of both quality and general aesthetic for me to really enjoy the flow of the entire album. Really cool production elements for the time period though - kinda reminds me of Portishead or early Massive Attack in places.
It's obviously going to be of niche appeal, but for what it I was, I can't say I didn't enjoy it.
Sort of interesting thing I wish there was more of in this crap waste of time project
Cool concept and I think if there’s a movie it could be nice movie tracks. But I feel it lacks personality/ uniqueness from pure musical perspective.
2.75
All albums will be 1, 3 or 5 stars, with no further commentary or explanation given. Played via streaming, first time listen.
2.75 Unique but not especially replayable other than the covers.
I like the idea of this, soundtrack to an imaginary film, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Interludes of reasonable good music with some fairly manic parts. 1.5*
So unmemorable Süße Idee mit dem Soundtrack aber mehr nicht
It’s like combining Twin Peaks with that Dementia album Look, it wasn’t bad, but nothing much to pull me in. I just wanna know the type of weirdo who goes out of their way for this music
1. zide - 1 2. under - 1 3. control - 0 4. round - 0 5. houze - 0 6. honey - 1 7. me - 1.5 8. detective - 1 9. auto - 0 10. care - 1 11. girl - 0 12. free - 1 13. hitchcock - 0 14. chocolate - 0 15. man - 1
I had a film soundtrack before in the challenge and it was Air’s Virgin Suicides. It’s quite nice but felt like without seeing the film you were missing a bit of context to fill in the blanks. So what about a soundtrack to an imaginary film? Here, I know I’m not actually missing anything as it doesn’t exist. So Barry Adamson has a bit more of a job on his hands, painting all of the imagery sonically where there is none visually. And to be fair, he does a decent job; before reading about it, I figured this sounded like a film and he creates some great moods and atmosphere. There are also a lot of sections that feel like a GCSE music student got a brand new keyboard for their big project and want to try everything out. I admire Barry’s creativity and imagination but ultimately decided on a B minus. It was interesting but I’m not that likely to come back to it again.
Spooky vibes, inventive sounds. I dig.
why doesn't the 'concept' ever seem to be "songs that are any good" it'd have to be a hell of a resume for a job application be on a list of great literature. this is not that. hated. (⌐■_■)
That’s a big “🤷ok?” from me.
Can't even finish this, not because its bad or anything but who listens to soundtracks for a nonexistent movie? Glad this was generated on a day when I couldn't listen.
A soundtrack to a movie that was never filmed. Some of this is good, but it's all a bit unsettling. Very hard to describe the sound. I don't think I want to listen to it all again, yet... I'm drawn to it somehow despite that. ** 1/2 Favourite part: The Most Beautiful Girl In The World
Wenn ich Straßenlärm hören will, fahr ich in die Stadt.
Kuulostaa leffalta, tarina tässä selvästi kulkee. En kuitenkaan vain yhden kuuntelun perusteella saa siitä kiinni. Paikoin ihan nättiä. Paljolti kuitenkin vain hiljaista kilkatusta. Rakentaa pelottavaa tunnelmaa, joten jazz lopussa on Twin Peaks -kuumottava, tahallaan varmasti.
Onkohan tämä nyt semmoinen "main character moment"? Ykkösen katku on ilmassa ensimmäisistä sekunneista lähtien.
Weird.
Freak
Not, my thing. I sometimes like soundtracks, but this one really doesn't make any kind of story come to life inside my head while im listening.
I have no idea how to rate this. Conceptually, fun. I like the idea. Musically? Ehhhh....soundtracks are such a specific thing that it's almost impossible to judge one without the context of the accompanying visuals and story. It's technically fine, I just don't...care...about the music, and it's trying so hard to put a picture in your head that it actually wouldn't work super well as a soundtrack. Idk. 2 stars for exectution, 4 for ambition, so we'll go even 3.
I mean, sure, it's an interesting little bit of musical history, and parts of it I liked, but a must-listen album rather than odd curio?
Weird. I don't get it
A concept album, a soundtrack album to a non-existent crime film (set in Moss Side, Manchester, UK). I thought that it would be pretentious, but it wasn't, it was actually quite good, reminiscent in places of Brian Eno's "Music For Films" and Pink Floyd's "More".
The fake soundtrack to a fake movie that you’ll get bored and promise to finish another time but probably won’t. Some interesting sounds, but lacking cohesion, and less than compelling.
If you made a list of must hear albums back in 1991, I can see including this in the mix if not just on the edge of making the cut. However, if this list was made in 1992, then I can almost promise you a dozen or so albums more deserving were released so this could fade away into obscurity, never to be heard again.
Super interesting concept, but lost my interest in the listen.
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.
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.
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: A Pretty middling album This album is just okay. Nothing about it is bad, but I don’t find it particularly interesting either. I think it captures what it’s going for quite well, and using the track titles to tell the story is pretty neat. But I generally don’t find my attention being grasped in any meaningful way, and there are other instrumentals I would sooner put on before this. Good on him for making something he’s passionate about though. Best - The Man With The Golden Arm Worst - On The Wrong Side of Relaxation
I can see the merit in this as an exercise, but as a piece of music to actually listen to it didnt do anything for me. It seems well written and produced and met the described brief well. But i did not enjoy anything in it.
Interesting, but a little boring at parts. I like the concept of a noir film score.
Eh.
I didn’t like this album. It was a bit intense.
Whacky weird sounding atmospheric tracks
Cool idea, but 1) it doesn’t actually sound like a soundtrack, and 2) it’s not particularly interesting anyways
Just terrible
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.
Interesting background type music
Sorry but no
Cool concept. Cool experience. Not something I would put on, except maybe to work to in the background.
Falsa banda sonora de una película de cine negro que no existe. Está entretenido. Un 3.
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.
Interesting and cool concept which bumped it up to an ez 3. The last song is Chad.
I like the concept, music is fine
Oh gosh no. I don’t like soundtracks at the best of times, but when there’s not even a film to accompany it? Hard pass.
Interesting concept, but won't revisit.
Lovely discordant darkness
Quite frankly, a bizarre album. Definite film soundtrack vibes and wouldn't be a bad score, but with no film, it all feels a little pointless as a standalone album.
Not sure why this is a must listen album. Sounds like the score for a Hitchcock movie or a campy spy movie. Interesting experimentation with sound but not anything I would want to voluntarily listen to unaccompanied.
sounds a bit like scenes from a movie throughout, especiallly with the 1st track - 60s crime thrillers for 2 and 3 (I can just see them theatrically tip toeing around lol) .. so this album kind of reminds me of the Avalanches in how sample laden it is. I appreciate the musicianship, but not feeling this one too much
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.
Very movie music like album, Very eclectic choice for the 1001 Albums.
Not sure what was going on here but a music-only album that was not very interesting.
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
If you're a fan of this album, check out the Secret Agent station by SomaFM. You can listen online at their website.
Wow. This is a truly terrible album. The only reason I can think of for it to be on this list would be as an example of when a concept is so awful that you want a physical piece of evidence as to how shit it can be. 1/5
This album, although nice to work along to, wasn’t very mmm great to me. I feel repetitive by saying I was bored but I was. It felt very unnecessarily long and just ugh.
This is your talented friend's demo reel he's sending out to the Vancouver Film Board to get some post-production work. It's impressive and a creative audio C.V. but so who's listening to this as entertainment? "Hey Quinn! Put on Moss Side Story, willya???" - not bloody likely. 4/10 2 stars.
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
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"
The most milquetoast alt jazz forgettable album
Interesting
It's a (fake) movie soundtrack, but not like any of the good ones like Morricone, Poledouris, Zimmer, Williams, or countless others. Weird album.
This was perfectly pleasant to listen to. Some tracks on there that I recognised but I’ll never rush to it again!
I listened to Moss Side Story on Halloween so the first track, On the Wrong Side of Relaxation had me excited with how fitting this album was. The remainder of the album had some spooky undertones but not quite like the opener. It was an interesting listen nonetheless, with some jazzy theatrical tunes. I understand this was written as a soundtrack for a movie that doesn’t exist but if it did, it seems that movie would be a noir crime film. Decent stuff, something different. 3 stars
Very cool soundtrack but I'm not sure I'd choose to liusten to it by itself. I wish there were longer versions of the tracks so I could use them in my D&D game
Tough one. I'm not sure what to say but this is what it is. Theatrical albums were nothing new when this came out but it's not something I want to listen to. Musically the guy seems very talented.
Someone’s high school music/film project does not need to be on 1001 albums you need to listen to.
The tension/fear is abundant in the first track The Wrong Side of Relaxation. Overall, the whole album felt like being in an old Hollywood movie. Especially with the culmination boss fight heavy track The Man with the Golden Arm at the end.
A weird experiment. Not a fully successful one.
Might be fun to play on the porch while kids come to the house to trick-or-treat.
on the wrong side of relaxation- is there a song? 5 or 6 under wraps- 6 or 7 central control- 6 round up the usual suspects- 5 sounds from the big house- 7. bro was cooking suck on the honey of love- 5 everything happens to me- 5 swinging detective- 6 or 7. i like how the horns sound like ominous birds. auto destruction- 7. yooooooo. type shit intensive care- 5 the most beautiful girl in the world- goddamn. 6 or 7 free at last- 5 alfred hitchcock presents- 5. this would play when youre in a cutscene in a zelda game chocolate milkshake- 5 the man with the golden arm- like frankie? 7 or 8 goddamn this was a little odd but i enjoyed it, ill return to it again
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.
They could have picked the lion king soundtrack but picked this instead
Evil Cartoon Circus Music
According to Wikipedia the dude that made this album was looking for work in making film soundtracks so made this as proof he could do it. I’m less mad at the album than I am at the person who put it on this list! It’s a freaking demo album and a LOOONGG one. Honestly one track isn’t that much different than the next. Not that they are bad, but by the half hour mark I had gotten the point and was well ready for it to be over. Each track is too well composed musically to give it only one star, but it’s so dragged out and repetitive that it is almost getting me annoyed enough to go there.
It's a good soundtrack, but as far as soundtracks go, it doesn't stand out to me. I'd like to give it 5 out of 10, but I have to round up or down for a 5-star scale. I'm rounding down.
Quite interesting concept album, a soundtrack album for a fictional crime film. It's something different than other albums - though there were some interesting bit, but overall it isn't something I would listen to again because it's a bit too directionless. It was an okay listen.
Very different. 2 because I'm not going to listen to the album again.
It’s not the worst instrumental album I’ve ever heard, it’s just unbelievably boring and somewhat pointless
I mean it's a neat idea but absolutely not essential.
Hard to say why I enjoy this. A touch of Pink Floyd in track one, maybe?
Concept album / Soundtrack of a non-existing crime movie. It sounds a bit like a lineup of music samples.
Neat idea. Soundtrack to a non-existent movie. Fun listen, but probably won't ever revisit.
I do not want to listen to movie soundtracks, much less non existent movie soundtracks. Stand-out: The Swinging Detective
When I was a kid, I used to borrow sound effects LPs from the library and record them on to cassettes to make mini audio dramas. This album is a little bit like that, except it also adds in a musical soundtrack for an imaginary film noir with the track names hinting at the unfolding drama. There are some nice nods to the genre with the Hitchcock tune and a stab at a Bond theme. I could imagine using this as a soundtrack for a seedy spy rpg. Cinetastic!
I don't really care about the weird back story of this album (score for a non-existing movie), what I hear is weird instrumental and somber music with an interesting atmosphere. Of course the result is pretty cinematographic, but as many instrumental albums. It's hard to put your finger on the genre(s), which makes it also interesting. A bit anecdotical, far for the best instrumental album I ever heard, but decent nonetheless.
???
An interesting concept, but I have neither the time nor the inclination to listen to the soundtracks of movies that don’t exist. But even more so when a lot of it isn’t great music. Another album from this project that I’m quite certain I didn’t need to hear before I died. 2⭐️
A soundtrack for a non-existent film. Started off weird and wonderful but couldn't sustain my interest for the whole album.
I don't really like listening to soundtracks. Not sure how i feel about fake soundtracks.
A truly cool and unique-sounding album - though its cinematic tone and aesthetic didn't do much for me when we're talking start-to-finish. Some epic highlights though, like the saxophone-driven 'Sounds From The Big House'. 'The Swinging Detective' was an ominous track here that sounds like it could soundtrack a James Bond movie or something - especially when that horn ensemble kicks in. It's one of my favorites here. Again cool stuff especially to throw on in the background - though it does just feel like a soundtrack, and like a piece is missing. Sounds good but isn't ideal for active listening.
I enjoy an unusual concept, and Moss Side Story delivered. As a soundtrack to a movie that does not exist, this album contains descriptive and colorful song titles. Because noir movies contain a distinct sound, Adamson chose his fake plot smartly. The instruments like the organ or the horns helped sell the plot and also helped to distinguish each song on an almost entirely instrumental album. Still, because there is a story behind the music that I don't know, I feel like I'm lacking something valuable. But for what it is, I enjoyed Moss Side Story--and its pun-y title.
Artistically, I can appreciate a concept album for a soundtrack to a nonexistent film. But practically...what even is this? The music is only marginally interesting, and without any lyrics or much storyline to go off of, there is no context here. It just becomes an instrumental album. This wouldn't be my idea of "must hear before you die" material.
Strange one, and not necessarily in a good way. Felt like it wanted to be like ‘War of the Worlds’ in places. Not sure who the target audience for this would be. Certainly not me!
If you have NOTHING to do this day, then this is your thing.
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!
As a younger person, I had this friend I admired. He was a musician. A really good musician. His parents paid for any lesson for any instrument he wanted. I was a poor kid who taught myself on borrowed gear. He was so good, and I wanted to be good like him. He also loved soundtracks. Couldn't get enough of them. I would come over to his house, and he would play me this track or that from the latest soundtrack CD he bought, and I listened with my full attention because I wanted to perceive the brilliance he was sharing with me. He would record his CDs to tape for me, and send me home with copies. I would put them in my second-hand stereo and listen to them while doing my homework. I tried. Really, I tried. I never could quite hear what he was hearing. Soundtracks without the movie were just dull and meandering. No context for the swells or the dips. On the odd chance that he gave me a tape from a movie I actually saw, I could sometimes visualize the scene that the music went to, and that helped a little but not enough. And now you give me a soundtrack for a movie that doesn't exist. What the actual hell, man? Conceptually, I understand what you're going for here, but let's never forget that context matters.
I have said before, I like that music has space for albums like this. I just think the conceit has been executed better by other instrumental albums.
Noises, mostly.
Incredible, unexpected genius. I’m a new fan.