Moss Side Story

Is it over yet?

Love the mood this album gives rise to

Sheit

Well it does sound like a soundtrack so props for capturing that spirit. Although it does sound like a direct to tv kind of production

strange that a record with a supposed theme seems so pointless. some good sounds but why??

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

what the hell is this

Jazzy noir horns and horror movie synths. There are nice moments but not much that’s particularly memorable. Apparently the shtick with this album is that Barry Adamson made a soundtrack to a made-up crime film. That’s definitely what it sounds like. Apparently this helped him get work as a film composer including David Lynch’s “Lost Highway.” That makes sense because Lynch was one of the first names that jumped into my head when I wondered what kind of movie this music would actually soundtrack.

Despite the intro being a little too long, I actually felt like I wanted this record to be more of a slow burn. The concept is really cool, and I felt like some of the action could have been more of a climactic piece itself, instead of having moments of excitement and moments of lull. I love the subtext on the album cover. It actually made me excited to listen and gave me just enough information to want to hear the album full through and to learn more about the premise. This was cool! Execution could have been better overall but I enjoyed this.

This is absolutely insane, but this is also why I’m here.

Pretty cool, I'd had enough by the end but it was cool

Original idea but fairly unlistenable. i guess it is on the list for being so unique but that doesn't make it good.

Not my style.

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.

I was uncomfortable with the first track, although I was intrigued by the concept. The rest was very interesting and kept my attention. I struggled with a lot, but it was very good.

I love the concept and I liked it best when there was a familiar melody for my brain to latch onto (Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Man with the Golden Arm). This probably would have been better on headphones in a darkened room but I had holiday baking to do... I'd like to say I intend to revisit it when I "have time" but I don't actually think that will happen.

This was a bit of something different. It did sound just like a soundtrack, although a little bit of a loud one to just sit and listen to without an accompanying picture. And I kept wanting to like this more than I did. I suppose it made my workday a bit more dramatic…

This album made me reflect on how I approach these albums: I always try to listen while doing something else that doesn’t demand too much focus, but still feels productive to multitask with. I can’t truly experience this record with that strategy, and I decided upon reading what the concept was beforehand to acknowledge I wouldn’t give it a fair shot; I had to come back to it over a couple days due to inability to engage with it appropriately. Still, it felt like it had a good balance of harmony and discord, which to my ears was purposefully and skillfully crafted and if combined with a visual narrative as styled (a short film or animation), I would be pretty entertained with what sounded like suspense, romance, and plot twists. (Also, I noticed a two-note sequence that comes up at 2:40 in Chocolate Milkshake sounds like the beginning of the beat on THANK GOD by Travis Scott.) 5*/10

kind of interesting but also less so than oediupus schmoedipus. low 3

Video game music says another review. I concur. Except that some video game music can be memorable at times, and this one isn't, generally speaking (except for a rare cut here and there, such as "Intensive Care", for example). Maybe this failure stems from the fact that there is no real film to go with this score (I hear there's some sort of script, but why should I care about it?). The problem is that the "cinematic" goals of such music often falls flat. I *see nothing* while listening to the wishy washy meanderings within that album--except from vague blurs related to film noir aesthetics. Er... Okay. I don't think "illustrative" music is a very exciting genre anyway. Especially when there's nothing tangible to illustrate. By the way, I really like Barry Adamson's contributions for Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, or the music he's composed for *real* film scores. David Lynch's *Lost Highway* comes to mind here, even though it was just for a couple of tracks and most of the original score was written by Angelo Badalamenti... But come on, let's be honest for one frigging second! This particular project is just a footnote written in microscopic letters compared to 90% of the other records in this list (including some I actually don't like that much myself). Feeling generous and giving a 2/5 grade to this album, because it's not as if listening to it was some sort of torture either. In a list having more general purposes than this one, *Moss Side Story* could maybe reach a 7/10 grade (5+2). But for a list of "essential albums"...? Nope. Number of albums left to review: 348 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 296 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 156 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 209 (including this one)

The first couple of songs were alright but I don't think this album has any right being on this list at all. It feels as if I need to be watching some sort of noir film to appreciate it more.

Really enjoyed

I probably need to research this a bit to understand what the hell was going on in this album but I haven't got time soooo... I did not get this. A hard listen I'd say

This was like the soundtrack to a jazzy cyberpunk style anime TV show. Specifically sounds like the soundtrack to Cowboy Bebop. Top 1001 albums of all time though? nah,

Kao muzika za film ali wot?

Prima

This was a pretty cool instrumental album. Ill round up to a 4⭐️.

Very interesting sound effects, almost psychedelic in response

I love this film!

Just a strange pick for a list of albums you "have" to listen to. Son of the tracks were listenable, but this album is filled with weird music with background chatter and other noises. 1/5 Won't listen again

Really is very cinematic, and deserves a second listen

OK, i handn't heard of this guy or his album before... and now that I've listened to it, i understand why I had never heard of it. So Ok, it's supposed to be a conceptual experimental album based on a soundtrack to a film that doesn't exist... but it still did my tits in with all the wandering introduction of noises and this kinda industrial machinery thumping... nah... its for the birds this one. Yet another album that I've no idea why I had to listen to this? I like to enjoy my music, not disect it into critical review about genius composition that just sounds crap.

Act One: The Ring’s The Thing 01) On The Wrong Side Of Relaxation - 1,0 02) Under Wraps - 7,0 03) Central Control - 5,0 04) Round Up The Usual Suspects - 1,0 Act Two: Real Deep Cool 05) Sounds From The Big House - 3,5 06) Suck On The Honey Of Love - 4,5 07) Everything Happens To Me - 5,0 08) The Swinging Detective - 5,0 Act Three: The Final Irony 09) Autodestruction - 2,0 10) Intensive Care - 1,0 11) The Most Beautiful Girl In The World - 3,0 12) Free At Last - 1,0 For Your Ears Only 13) Alfred Hitchcock Presents - 1,0 14) Chocolate Milk Shake - 3,5 15) The Man With The Golden Arm - 7,0 TOTAL: 3,37 (34/100)

A lot of variety in texture and sound in this album. An atmospheric opening, some colourful tracks, then a pretty mechanical and gritty change in Auto Destruction. The Most Beautiful Girl In The World has aspects of its composition that could have come straight out of a Nintendo track. Clearly an imaginative and forward-thinking album, despite not necessarily being all that evocative or enjoyable. The last track goes pretty hard though.

Is it porn music? Is it a moody 80’s thriller soundtrack. Fuck knows.

I get the idea... and it succeeds in that it'd be a good film soundtrack. But there's a reason film background music isn't topping the charts....... it's background music

Ambitious but pointless

2/5 something was off for me in those sounds

Very interesting concept and Adamson executes it brilliantly. Even without any visual aid, it’s easy to see what the story would look like.

Not bad but I'm not sure who is this made for.

4/5

First off this isn't a rock album it's a free style jazz album and my God is it boring

This reminds me of the score I wrote for a non-existent movie except I haven't done it yet. That being said, it was a decent thing to listen to while driving and trying to imagine the cheesy late 80s early 90s B movie this would soundtrack.

Cool concept but it’s not music I’d listen to on the regular

Noir-ish and cool, cinematic in feel. Really interesting listen, but obviously not something I would want to hear every day. This is a more successful album I think than the other Barry Adamson album I've heard on 1001 Albums (Oedipus Schmoedipus), which I found to be a bit overwrought. Here, Adamson shows proper restraint on all the added sounds so that they add needed ambiance, without tipping into kitsch. There's also a real sense of movement through a plot, even if the plot is something that doesn't actually exist. Fave Songs: Everything Happens to Me, Under Wraps, Central Control, Autodestruction, Intensive Care, Sounds from the Big House

Banda sonora de film inexistent. OK, fa la seva feina, ja que els ambients estan força aconseguits. No m'ha tornat boig, però

Falsa banda sonora de una película de cine negro que no existe. Está entretenido. Un 3.

May require a few more listens!

Interesting concept album

Seems like it was fun for the artist, but I wouldve been perfectly okay dying without listening through this album

Spooky film noir music for a film that was never released.

Brani Preferiti: - "Everything Happens To Me" Note: Inizialmente sono rimasto incuriosito dal genere di questo album, mai avevo sentito il termine 'Dark Jazz' prima di adesso. In genere mi risulta complicato valutare album strumentali perché la voce per me gioca un ruolo fondamentale, però non mi è dispiaciuto questo album, ha dato l'impressione di essere stato creato per un film noire... ma allo stesso tempo ben poco mi ha colpito, ho avuto la sensazione che ci fossero spesso stessi suoni e poca diversità, che ascoltare per quasi un'ora non colpisce per niente.

Interesting Album

Very good atmospheric jazz?

If I was watching a movie and this was the soundtrack, I would likely make a comment like, “interesting soundtrack.” But this isn’t a real soundtrack, is it? There are some interesting moments but overall not something I was that into. 3 stars.

Weird pseudo-soundtrack music. Might grow on me through multiple listens.

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

fine? a little too distracting to have on the side, a little too atmospheric for active listening

#30. How did this make the cut? I wish some pretentious know-it-all had gatekept me away from this. 1/5: terrible Song added to playlist: Suck On The Honey Of Love I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link

Ahhhh, worth listening, but still not quite my type.

One of the weirder listens, personally was a waste of 50ish minutes, a couple of songs were okay but got very bland and white noise quite quickly

Can't say I have ever heard of Barry Adamson before this. This album sounds like it belongs in a film noir or even Cowboy Bebob. Not a bad album, but not something I was hugely into.

A really cool concept (a soundtrack with no accompanying film!) that builds up some really rich and evocative soundscapes, but eventually wears out its welcome. Definitely a unique album.

I mean it would be a great soundtrack but there’s no movie!

The music is good, but I need words.

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..

I mean... There are a lot of good things here. I'm not seeing whatever it is that made it stand out enough to be included on this list. Feels like something that shouldn't be here, and I enjoyed it. I don't know anymore. 3/5

interesting but I still like words

Possibly the most interesting album I heard today.

Ruidoso, caótico pero agradable

Painful, pretentious, art school crap.

Probably pretty good for what it is, but not my cup of tea at all.

What the hell is this nonsense? It's a fake soundtrack? That's not really that cool of a concept. Maybe if the songs were better or painted a picture of an actual movie it would be. That's the orst problem though: none of this is enjoyable. Get out of this list.

A soundtrack without a movie

Shit. Absolute garbage. Waste of time and energy to listen to. Just a random collection of noise and mess. Another example of why 0 stars should be an option.

Pretty interesting concept album. Some good, some not as much.

I know not what to expect. Opens with effectively radio fuzz for the first minute and a half before some ominous strings start to creep in and take focus. Oh its spooky season, we have a sample of a frightened woman and some ghostly vocals. This is deeply unsettling out of the gate. Under Wraps ditches the atmospheric mindfuckery of the opener for an almost dance-inspired song with bright keys and a circular brass rhythm. Working for the last number of songs, but overall this has a very cinematic feel to it. Largely unsettling and dark in tone, I came back to focus for The Swinging Detective, which features a saxophone soloing endlessly over an ominous backdrop. This isn't something I would go out of my way to listen to, but it is an interesting and deep listen that evokes emotion. Lots of interesting textures employed and mostly clean production work throughout. I come away a little confused as to how to treat this. In some ways it feels like something like Mr. Bungle; but in most others it feels less eclectic and more purposefully built. All said, I'm a low 4 here. Unique concept piece.

Interesting album that could be interpreted as a movie with just a soundtrack. There are definitely some highs to this, but overall I don't really understand the style of album it is trying to be. Most of the songs blend together so it's hard to remember which songs were the standouts, but there are a couple of them sprinkled throughout. The Man with the Golden Arm was a solid end. It's not all that bad, but I wouldn't do drugs and listen to this album.

I felt like I was changing between being in a nightmare then into a good dream then back to a nightmare this whole album. The Swinging Detective was my favorite song. Sounded like it was the intro to a James Bond movie. This album kept me on edge the entire time and I had no idea what was coming next. You would have to be really messed up to want to take drugs and listen to this album. This might be the hardest album to rate so far. It was so strange but I also kind of appreciated it for what it was and found myself enjoying it in the background. I'm going to have to put this at a 3 because there were parts that I loved but then also parts I hated. Such an interesting concept to make a soundtrack for a non-existent movie.

This one seems pretty weird to be in here but here we go. Very strange that this is a soundtrack to a non-existent film. I really do like Under Wraps. Can't put my finger on it but it sounds like something I've heard before. Sounds From The Big House has some bomb and ominous keyboards. The Swinging Detective has an anxiety inducing sax in the best way. Also a solid guitar. This is my fav song so far. This album was a whirlwind. Fuckin weird. Want to go 3.5 here but bumping up for the uniqueness of it. Also the man with the golden arm rules.

Sounds like listening to a movie (without watching). Might be a good concept album but it’s a weird and unpleasant experience.

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.

5/10. You know, this doesn't sound bad. It's actually kinda cool for what it is, which is apparently a soundtrack for a pretend movie because the guy couldn't get hired to make an actual movie sound track. Absolutely baffling why this is on the list, until you realize that he worked with Nick Cave at one point, which automatically makes all of his work so amazing and worthy of inclusion. Still, better this than another album where I actually have to listen to Nick Cave sing.

Why? 3/10

D+ On the Wrong Side of Relaxation 2 Under Wraps 3 Central Control 2 Round Up the Usual Suspects* 2 Sounds From the Big House 2 Suck On the Honey of Love 2 Everything Happens To Me 2 The Swinging Detective 2 Auto Destruction 2 Intensive Care 2 The Most Beautiful Girl In the World 1 Free At Last* 2 Alfred Hitchcock Presents 2 Chocolate Milkshake 1 The Man With the Golden Arm 2 Barry, once again you were weird but interesting enough. I didn't hate this. One song even garnered a 3!

Interesting concept, and well executed. I don’t know what I think about it being on this list though.

Whatever movie this hypothetically goes with, I don't really want to see it.

Good stuff, but not my fav of his.

I am reading Up Above the City, Down Beneath the Stars at the moment so a nice coincidence to get this album. I never could get into the music, maybe a little too cinematic and a bit boring but the albumcertainly has its moments.

So weird. I was going to argue that this soundtrack album does not hold up on its own, without the movie, but that movie does not even exist! It is not terrible, but I will not listen to it again.

Maybe this could be nice music for a movie.

Not good.I have no idea what’s the point of this album.Nothings a real cohesive sound.Or a real song.It’s just bad

I have a weird niche for weird music like this. While monotonous and not that interesting at times, I found most of it good and having a nice atmosphere.

My second Barry Adamson on this list. This was a really interesting album, I always love some new instrumental music for my working playlist. Chocolate Milkshake was a favourite.

Interesting concept but someone tell me if he was just sad and mad, cause no one wanted to do his movie idea so he just went along with this thing.

Soundtrack to a movie i haven't seen? Wow, an amazing experience

It’s definitely trying to do something?

??

Really unusual, different album!

Not a fan.

This sounded like a film soundtrack when I started listening to it and I was intrigued but then it got a bit boring and I wasn’t in the mood to listen to the last couple of tracks. Consequently I don’t know what to score it ?? High 2*

It was a bad day to have an album like this and listen with the kids. Was not received well...

I mean it’s a fake soundtrack. Fine, but why?

Yikes

This album really didn't do much for me. Reading about it it's a cool concept for an album but I just didn't really connect with the music. Maybe I would have preferred the fake soundtrack for a different genre of fake film but a lot of these types of noir vibes in the songs didn't reel me in. Cool concept but not something I could find myself coming back to ever. Standout Tracks: Under Wraps

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!

What a strange concept for an album. A concept album that is based on a made-up soundtrack for a totally non-existent noir movie or book. Initially didn't really buy into it, but listening throughout the album made me believe that it could be the soundtrack to an actual noir film. Best: On the Wrong Side of Relaxation Worst: Everything Happens To Me

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.

It's like a dark version of a Pink Panther movie soundtrack.

meh

Cool in concept. It definetly feels overdone. The Swinging Detective is pretty rad. But the issue is that this isn't a movie score. It is desperately trying to be one, but is not. So it feels the need to add on this extra cheese layer. It feels more suited to a video game soundtrack if anything.

What an odd idea. I'm a fan of odd ideas, but I'm not really sure that this works properly. Something about the production is a bit off and it lacks the story to tell that it needs as a soundtrack. Yesterday's soundtrack album - Shalimar - was better. This was interesting, but I'm not sure I'm listening to it again. Somewhere between 2 and 3 stars, but it can have 3 for being odd.

Some pretty cool dark jazz or something

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

It was rather boring in parts but had interesting elements. Don’t think I’d listen to most of it again though

2nd album from this guy on the list and just like the last I don’t hate it but I also don’t love it. On the plus side, the music is dramatic and ever-changing. He can certainly create a mood. But the flip side is that you desperately want some singing or dialogue to help it all hang together. Music by itself is not a storytelling medium but serves to enhance the lyrics. You do wonder how well this might work with a Nick Cave or Scott Walker on vocals. As it is, this score for a film that does not exist is like going to see a flea circus in a really, really interesting theatre. Ultimately, you’d rather there was more on stage no matter how grand the setting

Great concept

not a fan. big noodlin

I just don’t get it. You can’t even argue the song writing elevates poor music because there are no lyrics. The music is fine but nothing special and downright weird at times. If I want to listen to a soundtrack, I’ll just listen to one.

No idea why this is on the list

pretty great, but maybe you need to be watching the movie for this to really shine

Just instrumentals

Pas détesté, c'est assez original. Ça sonne vraiment comme une trame sonore. Ça a ses pours et ses contres, car souvent ça sonne comme s'il manquait des images pour accompagner ou quelque chose. C'est quand même avant-gardiste par contre. 7/10

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.

An audition tape for a murder film OK but trying too hard

No quiero escuchar soundtrack ambiental

weird as fuck

No voy a escuchar esto.

Maybe there aren't actually 1001 records worth hearing before I die...

Po-mo music

WHO MADE THIS LIST? WHAT A MESS! This is giving the soundtrack to Michael Scott's Threat Level Midnight. No doubt the guy's talented, and it was mildly amusing but I won't get that hour back....

Listened Before? N I have never encountered him or his music before. This is a super interesting concept album. At times creepy, sometimes retro sounding, sometimes like an electronic album. It was pretty nice background music. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: The Man With the Golden Arm

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

This was OK, but it wasn't particularly memorable. A few decent tracks (I liked "Under Wraps" especially); maybe it would grow on me.

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.

The premises is its an album about a fictional crime that happened. The reality is its lots of obnoxious noises, punctuated by the occasional scream. It's really uncomfortable to listen too even though it's all instrumental and I've no clue who it's made for.

Cool concept, af en toe ook best wel vet, toch net niet. Ook iets te veel matige nummers.

Barry's lucky I got past track 1 which made feel like I was in a modern art museum looking at an art installation of a traffic cone. It got better, if you like cop themes, but, sorry Barry, my dinner was ready so I turned you off for Gogglebox.

Looking to achieve a soundtrack sound, Barry does something quite special. Very film noir. Cool listen.

A soundtrack to a made up movie, this hardly even consisted of music but was mainly just noise

This album is trying to be high-concept, but ultimately collapses under the weight of itself. Making the soundtrack to a noir film that doesn't exist is an intriguing idea, but this album isn't interesting, and it's not even a good soundtrack. It relies almost exclusively on themes on suspense which is not a balanced way to soundtrack a film. Furthermore, it just isn't doing anything musically that is forward thinking. Barry Adamson is an accomplished musician, but this album just doesn't accomplish anything.

Some sort of weird show reel. Not sure why I am having to listen to it. Not that it is unlistenable... but it is not that super.

Almost not worth listening to. I was intrigued at first. I thought, "This could be interesting" let's see where it goes... Nowhere. That is where it goes. There is not even one thing that can be said as to why this is on this list. Best Track: The Man With the Golden Arm I've heard worse... but this is just above those... 2.5/5

very interesting chaotic sound, would like to listen some more.

Absolutely hated the first track, which I know is probably by design. Clearly a lot of this music is designed to elicit emotional responses. I found it weird to listen to such dramatic music without context. Although as I read that back, I guess a lot of classical music is equally dramatic with a lot of what would come across as hack-y to those who listen to a lot of it. Maybe this sounds hack-y to me because I've seen films before. lol. Idk. I vascilate between "the world does not need this art," and "I can definitely see how a "film guy"(gender neutral) would find this compelling."

My opinion is pretty much the same as for the other album we've had by this guy. It's pleasant background music. No idea why it should be something I needed to hear before I die though.

I can't even get high enough to make this interesting.

I really wouldn't recommend listening to this album while drunk in bed. The vibes are just clashing

Cool, cinematic score

Musically not horrible. Concept is a bit interesting, but you could make the argument that a lot of albums could be film scores. Overall, not a significant or meaningful enough album to warrant my time.

Oddest album yet. Cool idea

C'Est pas si bon m mais en meme temps il y a quelque chose de quand meme vraiment orifinal et c'est vrai que j'avais l'impression parfois qu'il me racontait un film ou une histoire. c'etait une belle écoute un peu bizarre. 3.25

Almost an interesting enough concept to warrant it being on this list, but I've heard both far better soundtracks and far better ambient albums than this. 2.5/5

No. Just no. Why the random insertion of background noise mimicking an audience? Why the ruin of a perfectly-good Alfred Hitchcock theme with off-rhythm feedback noise? Why ANOTHER concept album for a fake crime movie from this guy? But more importantly, why is this considered influential, good, or noteworthy? I exercised every bit of my self-restraint to not fast-forward through the entire album. I want to give zero stars.

a soundtrack album to a non-existent crime film, medium exciting

Came into this with a curious mindset based on the description. But left disappointed. It’s just too eclectic and lacks coherence. Music fitting different film genres stacked on top of each other. It’s also often over the top and would be a hard fit as soundtracks for most films. I’d hoped for a more coherent approach and not just a portfolio/showcase. And as history shows, Barry never became a prominent scorer of movies (although he has some tracks on the soundtrack of Lynchs great Lost Highway, I’ll give him that).

People see "soundtrack album to a non-existent crime film" and freak out. But there are hundreds (thousands?) of albums that tell a story without words or visuals. But it is his first album and it really just sounds like he's playing around. Not sure why it's on the list, or why it was even released in the first place.

A soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exsist is a wierd premise, and it's not really much of anything

oh wow! I did not expect such a great album! I get why people don't like it. All the songs are instrumentals and sound to me like something Bowie and Brian Eno would have made... But I love the dark sounding instrumentals... 8/10 (4/5)

Err... what's the point of this album It's not bad, it's not good, it's not anything It is, almost literally, background noise. The soundtrack from a B movie, you wouldn't remember the movie and would be surprised to know it even had a sound track

I’m sorry, wonderfully named album, but this is a haunted house sounds compilation you get in a Count Chocula box.

Gick mig helt förbi när det begav sig. Inte så tokigt.

Ingenious. The Swinging Detective is fantastic.

No lo conozco mucho, he escuchado un par de discos de él y hay canciones geniales y otras que me dan igual. Este disco empieza regular, no sé qué estoy oyendo. Es injusto meter este disco entre los 1001 este autor tiene cosas mejores. Le voy a dar un 2 pero podría ser un 1 sin problemas.

I hadn’t heard of this album before, but I don’t live too far away from Manchester (and Moss Side) so my curiosity perked up at that. A quick Google says it is the soundtrack to a non-existent film which sounds quite fascinating at a concept. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Everything Happens To Me I’ll start by saying that this album feels like one where you need to listen to it a lot over time to appreciate it, so listening to it for one day before moving on to the next album might not really do it justice. However, that how every review has been so far so it’s only fair that it gets the same treatment. I did enjoy this while it was on, and it was fun to imagine what might have been happening in the scenes. The music is quite jazzy but without being too strange to be hard to listen to. That being said, it didn’t hook me in to the point of wanting to keep coming back to this. It was an interesting concept, but I don’t feel the need to keep it on rotation.

Interesting idea, scoring and recording a film soundtrack for a nonexistent film. Definitely has that feel all the way through.

It was exactly as described. A soundtrack for a non-existent film noir movie. I liked the callbacks to the Hitchcock theme and in some of the song titles. Probably would have likes it more had I seen the movie first.

When I read "scored a David Lynch film" in Barry Adamson's bio, everything made sense. Delightfully creepy and weird.

Que sea un álbum conceptual en el que entiendo el punto y la idea sin haber previamente leído ni buscado nada sobre este es lo que me hace puntuarlo relativamente bien, pero no es un álbum que escucharía por gusto

i liked this one a lot

I can see the merit of this album as a film soundtrack, and maybe in one of my more avant-garde moods, I can appreciate a soundtrack for a nonexistent movie. For now, it basically just reintroduced the city noise my headphones were actively trying to cancel out.

one of those really cool ideas in theory that just doesn’t play out very well. closest to ambient music, but lacks the ability to appeal to multiple attention levels — there’s exactly one that works, everything else is either incredibly boring or incredibly distracting. for all that, this is an incredible swing, and the fact that it’s a miss doesn’t take away from it being very cool. i just don’t really like listening to it

Ciekawy koncept, czegoś mi brakowało, ale powiedzmy plusik za inność

Some really interesting ideas and executions on this album. But it's still the fact we're listening to a few film-score tracks for different non-existent movies. Lots of sound that might be better if they were, indeed, used in movies instead as music on an album

Good career inspiration! Want to join a punk band? Stay up all night learning to play the bass, audition, and get it! Want to start making movie soundtracks? Make a soundtrack to a non-existent movie and then turn that into a new career. Both things that Barry Adamson did. The music is also pretty good and totally different than most of this list. It's fun to read the title tracks and imagine what is happening in each of the 4 tracks. Nice find 1001.

som interessante, trilha sonora de um filme de crime nao existente

More token instrumental bollocks. No thanks

A bit of an oddity really ....it does sound like a soundtrack album. Not sure when I would want to play it but I see he went on to write soundtracks for real films so it was a bit of a gateway job application U guess. Sombre, dark and interesting.

What a cool concept witch excellent execution.

interesting mix of instrumental music, sound effects, and sound bites. various emotions evoked from the songs, including anxiety, suspense, and nostalgia. an adventure in listening. highlights: “on the wrong side of relaxation”, “suck on the honey of love”, “the most beautiful girl in the world”.

As far as concept albums go, this is pretty solid. I'd never heard of it before but the artist did a great job of making a soundtrack feel that was still very musical. Even the sound effects have a rhythm to them tying the whole thing together. I may even listen to this album again.

For what it was, I actually liked this album. A soundtrack to a fictional crime/horror film in Manchester, England. Not sure if I’ll ever listen to it again but it has its place in a list like this, for sure.

Like watching a silent movie but I create the images in my head

Nice and moody

Interesting instrumentals. I probably just don't get it, but I was relieved when it was over.

5 stars because the concept and execution are perfect.

I probably should have read a little bit about this one first, but oh well. It was alright. I'm picky about vocals so instrumental music is always welcomed. I didn't dislike this but it wasn't very interesting and it was hard to pay much attention to.

Fine enough for what it is, but not my cup of tea.

So this is one seriously interesting album, and i absolutely love the back story to it - it's the debut album for this artist, it's an instrumental soundtrack to a noir film that doesn't exist. Who the hell greenlights this thing?! Someone was happy to fund this. I just love that an artist was able to express their vision. There are some really interesting sonic ideas on this, but its super slow and I'm not mad about the production/mastering. It leaves alot lacking. I have to appreciate what they were doing though

Cool idea but couldnt help feeling it was missing an actual film

An instrumental soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t exist. On the face of it it seems a pointless pretentious idea. funny I actually enjoyed this. Wouldn’t rush to listen to again but glad I listened to it once.

Moss Side Story is pretty good, but I'm not sure it fully works. Film music is always about being good but not drawing attention to itself, but these tracks feel more like conventional "songs." Great production though.

Sounds like one really bad movie 2

4.0

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

Usually a fan of concept albums but this one misses the mark a bit in the balance between cinematic diegesis and musical structure. Without a real film or even general story to give context to the many screams, spooky tritones, and other world-building elements, there’s not a whole lot to drive interest in a 1D soundscape not tethered to any deeper lore. Maybe I’m just not imaginative enough - would’ve loved to see a musical experiment like this succeed, but the effort here just doesn’t resonate with me.

Mögulega mest "out there" platan hingað til. Kvikmyndatónlist við kvikmynd sem er ekki til. Töluvert um gler að brotna en oft flott stef, töff og skemmtileg. Ég gæti alveg hlustað aftur.

So many excellent soundtracks out there, I don't get this Bizarro pick of a pretend soundtrack featuring music of inconsistent quality.

Pretty interesting and complex from a former punk bass player.

Years after Magazine's heyday, their bassist Barry Adamson decided to try something new... composing a soundtrack for a non-existent film. Hoping to seat himself into the film composer's chair, Barry scores varying storylines into chilling, at times boisterous degrees and mainly succeeds in the interim. Not a bad first start in the business of show. Favorites: Under Wraps, Central Control, Sounds From the Big House, Suck on the Honey of Love, The Swinging Detective, Auto Destruction, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, Chocolate Milkshake, The Man With the Golden Arm.

Started off as really good, but IMO it doesn't have enough satisfying moments to compliment the Avant garde

I love a good movie score

It was okay.

What is this first song? Really weird... Is this music? This is video game music.

Garbage music

Film-muziek, interessant idee, maar uiteindelijk kut. 1.5

Peculiar!

first listen whatever this genre is, i like it

I'm honestly a bit miffed that a concept this good is wasted on an execution this mid.

I like the concept, and the songs are not bad necessarily. But having just listened to the Shaft soundtrack, this feels like it really misses some of the character necessary for a soundtrack.

Ah, some more Barry Adamson. This is an absolutely wild album to have come out in '89! Dark jazz/Sound collage type stuff. I think I prefer Oedipus Schmoedipus, but this guy really nails a weird and (mostly) dark atmosphere. I dig it well enough, but I'm not exactly gonna throw it on for a pleasurable listening experience, it's weird as hell. 3.5 rounded up because too many of y'all obviously don't appreciate Angelo Badalamenti either. 🙄😆

What did I just listen to?

DNF. I've never felt so much stress listening to music.

I’m glad I was exposed to this genre, but definitely not for me.

A film score for a nonexistent film. Interesting.

È la colonna sonora di un poliziesco che non esiste. Interessante.

I admire his creativity and the idea to make a concept album/movie soundtrack. But I can not keep up with the story and it starts to bore me. Music is great to sleep on, but that’s not why I am on this website rating albums.

Some big band era sounds. Some really cool horror movie vibes. An eclectic album. 3/5

Flawed but effective, Moss Side Story brings an experimental spin to the movie soundtrack. It sounds like the other fork of a creative process that would sand off the sharp edges of a first draft into something slick. At its best, the music is still slinky, but that draft contained a little too much downtime. It's quiet music, though, of an almost-genre, so the listener had better take note.

INT

This was so boring and awful

Really interesting album, probably the most experimental one I've encountered here so far. It has elements of dark jazz and tape music and it plays like a soundtrack to a movie that never existed.

Don't know what it's doing on this list, but still a very refreshing experience compared to all the boomer rock bullcrap contained in here.

Interresting even tho I’m not really into this genre usually

It was a pleasant listen, fine dark jazz with very good experimental moments. That said, I would have wished a shorter album. One hour of instrumental crime jazz could become a bit boring.

This is a very strange selection for the 1001. Barry has done lots of interesting things in his career, and this is the least of them.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.

Meh.

Mira, no estuvo mal, pero no entiendo su inclusión en el listado

I liked it a lot

hum

Tf is this

Well, that happened. Can’t fault a guy for having an idea, but I can fault him for his idea being terminally boring. Oh and let me just obnoxiously attach my name to one of the most famous musicals of all time because I’m a parasitic creature with no actual originality of my own. Just very very boring.

The concept behind this record (the soundtrack to a noir film that doesn’t exist) is more interesting than the record itself. Several tracks do conjure up a nice spooky vibe, but not nearly enough yj warrant a repeat listen.

A soundtrack for a movie that doesn't exist, but if it did, it would be bad. Is the novelty the reason why this album was included? Because I'll be honest, it's not doing it for me. Movie soundtracks work when you go back and listen to them because you have something visual in your memory to associate the music with. It plays on the emotions you felt watching the movie. Here you don't get that, and it just doesn't work.

Not as bad as I thought it was going to be, but I still don't get the point of this. Most songs had more of a noir feel than horror, but my main criticism is that the songs were very uneven in tone. If he was really trying to create a soundtrack, I think it would have worked better if each song was about the scene it would supposedly be playing under even if it wasn't that long. I also noticed most of the songs on this album would abruptly end instead of a fade out or an ending progression as they might in a film.

Interesting

Just noises, dont get these

Like trip hop, but worse.

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

Reminded me of a school music class project, an interesting idea perhaps but not enough to justify an album. Overall it was a bit tedious and self indulgent.

Lovely dark atmospheric stuff. It has no teeth though.

I'd definitely go see this movie!

Instrumental??

Sleazy listening.

Great soundtrack music with a heavy dark feel - love it but not sure what situation would prompt me to play this music as a backdrop....

No thanks

It was cool and weird.

O.5

What are we doing here? Is this music? Is this the history of the vinyl record?

An interesting idea for an album but it didn't really hook me. 2.5 stars

I probably discovered this too late, could be something I would have enjoyed some years back but doesn't do too much for me nowadays.

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.

If this was a team competing at the controversial FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, it'd be Netherlands. Cody Gakpo is the GOAT.

Música instrumental y un tanto falta de chispa. Bien producido y con buenos sonidos, pero falto de energía. Muy bien pegaría como música ambiental.

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.

More enjoyable than I expected

It was hot garbage.

I feel like I watched the movie

This was a really fun listen. Not sure if I’ll ever give it another go, but unique.

I really like the idea of this, and tbh it was pretty well pulled off. Problem is it's pretty heavy on the ambient noise over music, so by about halfway it ran out of steam. But novel idea so 3/5.

really interesting idea, very good and entertaining.

Typische filmmuziek, maar niet meteen heel leuk om naar te luisteren. Misschien niet mijn soort film.

Avant-garden high concept art music that comes up short Sounds like an movie playing in the background but not one I care about. Albums by John Zorn, David Holmes, Cinematic Orchestra have done less conceptual albums with the same idea but are worth repeated listening

What a unique story for this album, that it's a soundtrack to a film that doesn't exist. Smart of him to manifest his career this way, create a proof of concept for exactly what he wanted to do. I wonder how this made it into the larger public consciousness.

Love the idea of creating a soundtrack to a hypothetical movie as the driving concept, but I find the results here somewhat lackluster and unfocused, especially when he throws on covers of things like the "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" theme, then the concept doesn't even hold up.

An album that's a concept album, a soundtrack album to a non-existent crime film. Conceptually I am 100% in. I love the idea that he made this partly as basically an album as a CV to folks saying "See, I can do this. Hire me!" Looks like it worked considered he worked on a few movies later. Only part that is kind of meh is the screaming of women which is pretty damn cliche, but then again maybe the time period this supposed movie would have been made would have been full cliche. I wouldn't say I loved listening to it, but nothing was bad and it was a decent background listen. Rated it high for the concept and execution, it definitely sets the tone well.

This album is both fascinating in concept and very well executed. This is what I come to this list for, albums that I've never heard of that expose me to cool new musical ideas. Yesterday, my album of the day was a Limp Bizkit album that I think was called "Buttholes and Hot Dog Water" and it was the worst goddamned thing I've ever heard in my life. This album was a tremendous palate cleanser after that, and it helped give me the will to go on living after hearing two different versions of the song Rollin' on the same album. Lots of cool bits of music on this album interspersed with sound effects and ambient music. I think it would be easy to fuck up this concept, but Adamson did a great job with it. Considering that this was made in 1989, I would describe this as a real achievement, and I'm surprised that it's not more well-known. I guess everyone was too busy listening to Whitesnake to care 4/5

The soundtrack to a murder mystery thriller film that doesn't exist. This mainly begs the question, 'why'? Leaving that aside, the first half of this is a convincing and atmospheric soundtrack. It tails off towards the end, but Act 1 in particular conveys a clear sense of what would be happening in the fictitious film and evoces visualisations of dark, murky streets. Perhaps things will come full circle and someone will make a film to accompany the soundtrack one day. Rating: 2/5 Playlist track: Under Wraps Date listened: 01/11/22

Movie soundtrack/murder story

Absolutely pointless

Jazz. Instrumental. Coñazo

Instrumemtal. Some interesting ones. I liked the spy type music

Moss Side Story is a sountrack with a film to connect to. It's what it is, there's nothing really that stands out. 1/5 because it's boring without that context.

Not unpleasant, but very strange. Can't justify giving it any more than a 2, really don't get the purpose of it. A film soundtrack is supposed to elevate and add to the film it's supporting, how on earth are you supposed to judge it if there's no film attached to it? 2/5.

Interesting without being great

Soundtrack feeling, some nice songs amongst it, didnt dislike it but still not a discovery.

Decent soundtrack type album, definitely got some Angelo Badalamenti vibes from it. Sax got a little grating at points.

i don't understand why this album is on this list

the fuck was this? some weird ambient album. i hated it.

Interesting instrumental album

I read a review that compared this with The Avalanches. Expecting something between meh and really irritating. It was slightly above meh. Some reasonable sounds but I still fell asleep. Not going back to hear what I missed. Why is this in this list?

He should have stayed in the Bad Seeds

This is pretty cool

Very strange, but also very compelling. It really works as a soundtrack to an unfilmed noir flick, which I love the idea of. It kinda inspires you to make up your own movie while listening.

its like a musical soundtrack album but without the lyrics 2.5

Weird and surprisingly great

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

Making music for a movie that doesn’t exist is like sex without a partner: it’s fine but ultimately joyless… …and don’t be passing off an *actual*soundtrack track by covering Elmer Bernstein’s magisterial The Man With The Golden Arm theme. Point docked.

very ironic timing

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

Absolut nicht meins, random sounds aber sehr funky

No

First track - what pretentious bilge wank is this? Second track - OK, this is a bit of jazzy Propellerheads, and who can ever dislike a Hammond organ? Other artists have done film soundtracks, both the obvious ones where there's an actual film, or people like The Real Tuesday Weld who do soundtracks to novels. I guess it's an interesting idea, but by the time we reach track "Sounds from the big house" we're forced to conclude that this is the soundtrack to a shitty 80s film, probably starring a very badly cast household name actor as the drunken and off-the-rails detective lead. Russ Abbott, or maybe Guy Siner. Whoever the lead actor is, the director is clearly gurning towards Michael Winner.... Actually wait. Did Tony Maylam hear this before directing Split Second? Ultimately, this might be "a good idea", but in concept it's meh and in execution it is just a bit rubbish.

Good Soundtrack, a little unorthodox and off but very fitting. Trent vibes

I can see and appreciate the concept, I just don't have any desire to listen to it.

Very talented, great musician, but too experimental for me.

24/08/2022 Barry Adamson – Moss Side Story 3/5 I’m not going to comment this album song by song because of its peculiar context. Moss Side Story is a soundtrack of a film noir that doesn’t exist. It is quite the experience, original, and it is successful in creating the atmosphere it wants. I think that it handles the composition, using both of music and other sounds like screaming; very well. However, it is a one-time only experienced, at least for me. It is built to be listened in its complete length as a whole; and it is not enjoyable as a traditional music album which has quasi-independent songs (with some exceptions, like Under Wraps, or Everything Happens to Me). And it’s something I don’t think I will come back to listen again, at least on the short term. The thing is that albums that are not pleasant to listen to because they transmit unwelcome feelings, like this one in some instances, or Everywhere at the End of Times (a masterpiece about dementia and old age by The Caretaker); are not something to enjoy, are something to experience.

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.