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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Youth And Young Manhood

Kings of Leon

2003

Youth And Young Manhood
Album Summary

The album was recorded at Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, and Ocean Way Studios in Nashville."Molly's Chambers", "Wasted Time", and "California Waiting" were released as singles. "Red Morning Light" was featured in a Ford Focus commercial and used as the opening song in the video game FIFA 2004 by EA Sports. "Spiral Staircase" was featured in the PS3 game MotorStorm. "Holy Roller Novocaine" was featured in the film Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and included on the soundtrack. Critical reception for the album was generally favorable, as evidenced by its score of 79, based on 21 reviews, at Metacritic, a website that assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics. Many appreciated the band's punk- and garage rock-influenced revival of the southern rock genre, with NME hailing the album among the "best debuts of the past 10 years".

Wikipedia

Rating

3.14

Votes

13518

Genres

  • Rock

Reviews

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May 22 2023
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4

I recently saw a reel that described Kings of Leon as โ€œSouthern Fried Strokes.โ€ I thought it was a stretch. Then i heard this album. It is not a stretch.

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Oct 02 2023
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3

I feel like Jeff Winger when he found out the study group was abbreviating Barenaked Ladies' name. Wow, three albums for Kings of Leon, really? They're so fundamental that we're celebrating their debut album? Call me a selfish, jaded ass, but that's too much. Best track: Joe's Head

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Dec 22 2023
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1

There is a received wisdom that KoL were good in their early days, but declined when they went mainstream and got popular. This, their debut album, blows that theory out of the water and proves they were pretty bad from day one. Rating: 1.5/5 Playlist track: Red Morning Light Date listened: 21/12/23

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May 24 2023
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3

I feel like I should have enjoyed this more than I did. It was fine, but something just felt off for me which causes me to like it a lot less. Maybe it's the vocalists voice which I find just a little bit annoying. 2.5/5

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Aug 03 2023
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1

Painfully boring. Annoying vocals and cliche instrumentation. Feels like the mix between Lynyrd Skynyrd, The White Stripes, and The Strokes went rancid in the fridge. And those were all, at best, 3s themselves. Cold garbage, solid 1.0

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Jan 05 2024
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1

Bland guitar rock with grating vocals. Never understood the appeal of this band and this album only made my opinion of them worse.

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Nov 12 2023
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5

This is the Kings I remember before they got pretty and had their sex be on fire

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Jun 05 2024
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4

Is this a true 4 or does it just remind me of a happier time in my life? I guess we will never know.

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Aug 20 2023
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3

Very generic mid-2000s rock. I'd heard a few of these, you know, they're fine, but I can't see how they've achieved a billion streams on one of their tunes. The singer had the sound of a less committed Damon Albarn.

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Jan 04 2024
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2

If you actually like rock, you wonโ€™t like this.

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Aug 27 2023
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1

Go to your dad's car and find his CDs. I guaranteed you can find something better than what's in this album. You've heard this kind of rock before in bars, parties, and festivals. The lead singer has the voice and charisma of a goldfish with the band providing filler instrumentals. There's no passion to it; one song leads into the next and some do sound different (especially the pop sounding songs on here). It's by the numbers southern rock about the sad things in life. It's not enough to get a recommend from me though. Spend your time with something else.

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Sep 08 2023
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5

This album is fucking awesome, I am bias and I will fight you if you disagree.

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Jan 05 2024
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2

Dull as heck. Why recommend this one when it's neither their best nor their most popular album?

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Jan 03 2024
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1

I've never really been the biggest fan of Kings of Leon, this album definitely backs this statement up. I felt each track sounded very similar to the last, making my listening experience rather boring. Not to mention, I cannot stand the frontman's vocals; it sounds as if he's screaming with a bunch of marbles in his mouth. Long story, short, this album is just a bunch of distorted noise.

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Oct 13 2023
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5

I wondered if this might make the list. I long for the days of old KoL.

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Jun 28 2023
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5

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: Red morning light, Happy alone, Wasted time, California waiting, Mollyโ€™s chamber, Holy roller novocaine

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Jun 26 2023
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5

23rd June 2023 Listened while driving to camping with Joe and Adna outside Leicester. One of the cornerstones of my teenage years, an absolute stone cold banger.

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Jun 08 2023
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5

Hands down their best album. I mean COME ON these songs are so EXCITING! They captured a raw energy that was still present in their second album, but by albums 3 and 4 had shifted into something else - not something bad, but something different and less magical that what they captured here on their debut. I watched some YouTube video the other day where they attributed the shift in sound to opening up for U2 on tour, which made a lot of sense to me. They were new to big arenas, and after listening to U2 play mid tempo rock arena jams night after night, how could their sound not change? So what they captured on this album was a specific moment in time in their development, and I'm glad we have it. I love ALL of these songs and will continue to come back to this album as I have over many years.

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Jun 07 2023
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5

I think it says a lot about an album when the final track makes you want to listen to the album again. Red Morning Light is a great start, Joe's Head certainly grabs your attention, California Waiting, and Molly's Chambers are great tracks but there's something I really love about Talihina Sky.

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Feb 27 2025
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5

Kick ass album. Never really listened to this band but this groovy. I'll bet this was a good time live when they were young and hungry. I enjoyed this album a lot.

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Jan 29 2025
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5

I was expecting more pop along the lines of Use Somebody, instead it was down and dirty grungy rock, absolutely delightful.

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Jan 17 2025
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5

A fucking blinder seemingly from left field. Still a brlliliant record today

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Jan 17 2025
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5

Huh, they have multiple albums. Who knew? (apparently lots of people) First 30 seconds: ooh some interesting vocals. This could be a more interesting approach to post-punk(?). Yeah this album is fun and fresh. Love so many of these songs: California waiting and Joe's Head are a blast. Like the Modern Lovers with less grating of sensibilities. This is a great artist discovery; how did I never listen to these guys?!? Huge.

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Jan 15 2025
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5

This is what we need, And when she get into your head you know she s there to stay

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Jan 11 2025
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5

I'm really glad this was an older album from Kings Of Leon. I know a few older tracks and I like them all so was looking forward to hearing a full album. I'm glad it wasn't the newer more popular version of the band, with songs like 'Sex On Fire' and 'Use Somebody' which I really don't like at all. If I could try and describe it accurately. It's as if you took the garage rock sound of The White Stripes, mixed it up with the faster tunes of very early Bon Scott era AC/DC and sprinkled in some country vibes. It's a great sound and I don't think there's a dud track here. Some people won't like Caleb Followill's vocals but I enjoy them a lot. They sound a lot better with this type of music than they do with later Kings Of Leon stuff. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this but I'm very glad it was on the list and it makes me want to check out more of their earlier stuff.

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Jan 06 2025
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5

Classic. Always been a favourite and their best.

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Dec 28 2024
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5

Wasn't really looking forward to this album due to being burned out on the hits that came with the following album. This album was a pleasant surprise, they seemed to be a little looser and having more fun with this album, maybe they were more youthful and experimental, I don't know, but the music seems more playful and fun.

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Dec 27 2024
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5

i havenโ€™t really listened to too much of kings of leon but i know this first album feels a bit different from their โ€œsex on fireโ€ era to me so this was cool to hear !!! I LIKE THE ALBUM COVER n their cute hairdos they were adorable in 2003 :)

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Dec 03 2024
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5

I love this album! super southern, a bit grungy, really really good. To be fair I am an early Kings of Leon head. The sound hits my ears just right! Whole thing hits, but especially love: Red Morning Light, Happy Alone, California Waiting, Molly's Chamber, Talihina Sky

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Nov 19 2024
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5

Great album. I haven't returned to it for a while and I'd forgotten how good it is. Not as good as Aha Shake Heartbreak, but still far better than anything else they have produced since. There was an intensity and a rawness to their sound that they lost when they became more polished (and when they began to sound more and more like a Strokes tribute act).

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Nov 13 2024
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5

No private session used for Spotify. I have this CD somewhere, used to listen to this album a lot while on road trips or getting pumped up at the gym. Note to self, listen to this album more. This album just rocks.

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Oct 28 2024
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5

Maybe Iโ€˜m boring, maybe Iโ€˜m nostalgic but this one is awesome! Never heard it before but it got the typical 2000s rock sound and is completely different to the KOL that became mainstream.

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Oct 14 2024
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5

Good album, really liked all of it.

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Oct 13 2024
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5

A wise old sound engineer once told me there are two things a great album can be made of. Great songs or great memories. And sometimes both. Well, the songs on Youth & Young Manhood are regularly great (Dusty, Trani, Holy Roller Novocaine, Red Morning Lightโ€ฆ) but the memories are what make this an easy 5 for me. I went to university in 2002 believing nightclubs to be somewhere you went reluctantly so as not to be the only one home on a Saturday night, danced ironically to bad house music and tried desperately not to waste all your CD money for the month on sickly alcopops or horrible lager. I left in 2005 with great memories of nights at Fuzz Club and the Leadmill spent in my ripped jeans, t-shirt and tie, listening to great indie rockโ€™nโ€™roll and drinking (horrible AND sickly - but I didnโ€™t care) snakebite til the early hours. It only takes the opening chords of Mollyโ€™s Chambers to transport me back. Yes, I grew out of those days around the time KoL grew out of them too and became a shit U2 tribute act without the tunes. But in those heady days of my own youth and young manhood, this was a firm favourite.

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Sep 13 2024
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5

Joe's Head is their best song

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Aug 07 2024
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5

01) Red Morning Light - 10,0 02) Happy Alone - 8,5 03) Wasted Time - 10,0 04) Joe's Head - 8,0 05) Trani - 8,0 06) California Waiting - 10,0 07) Spiral Staircase - 8,5 08) Molly's Chambers - 10,0 09) Genius - 8,5 10) Dusty - 8,0 11) Holly Roller Novocaine - 10,0 12) Talihina Sky - 10,0 TOTAL: 9,13 (91/100) Current ranking: 22/267 Kings Of Leon are one of my favorite bands from the early 2000s, this album is one of their better ones. "Molly's Chambers" is my favorite song on the album, and I had the opportunity to listen to them live twice.

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Jun 28 2024
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5

Don't care what anyone thinks about KoL but this album is so good

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Jun 09 2024
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5

This was a big album for me when I was 15 so itโ€™s impossible to hear objectively. I used to turn my stereo balance all the way to one speaker so it would cut out one guitar part (that had been hard panned to one side) and play along on my guitar for hours. I never really got the strokes comparison, in my teenage brain this was more a mid 70s credence style sound rather than late 70s post punk sound like television, that the strokes seemed to be going for. I love the live sound of the album and the short impactful guitar solos. Itโ€™s an easy 5 for personal reasons but I do wonder why itโ€™s on the list.

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May 23 2024
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5

Great debut album from the Kings of Leon. It is a much rawer bit of southern garage rock and much less polished than their later efforts

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May 22 2024
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5

From when KOL kicked ass! So much energy. Red Morning Light one of the top 3 all time uses of a cowbell! Surely? Canโ€™t argue with that. Calebโ€™s vocals occasionally scream like a mad lunatic, sometimes completely incoherent but I still love them. The album captures all of their live energy - simple party rock and roll.

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Apr 05 2024
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5

Fucking love their early work. So many bangers

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Mar 22 2024
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5

Fun album. Still their best.

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Mar 09 2024
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5

I don't know what my problem was with the prior Kings of Leon album we listened to but this one was totally my jam. Well, one of my jams at least. I dug it start to finish.

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Feb 23 2024
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5

Like being a sophomore in college all over again.

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Feb 07 2024
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5

Oh hell yea Kings Of Leon were my band for while in the 2000s into the 2010s. Come Around Sundown was maybe the last new album I bought on CD (at my beloved MusicWorld). Wild how they were a band that didnโ€™t really last past that era though, even though they are putting out new music and are seemingly trying to build an audience on TikTok. This album is amazing. I go back and forth on which of their four albums are their best. This pretty much keep the momentum throughout so this is a likely winner.

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Dec 17 2023
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5

I like this one. Had heard a few of their songs before. Really liked this.

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Oct 16 2023
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5

So much better than I expected this to be. Wow. Great rock and roll that sounds classic yet modern, and a totally different sound than their poppier 2009 smash (which I also like). His voice was awesome and this just fun to hear.

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Sep 01 2023
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5

My favorite Kings of Leon, when they were raw, hillbilly-sounding rock. Everything later was more polished and produced. Still great, but this first album is the most fun.

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Aug 04 2023
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5

Yes yes yes. No nonsense, full energy, distinct style. Came through like a breath of fresh air at the time. I saw them live after this album, then after then album that followed. The first gig they literally said nothing between the songs. Absolutely loved it. The second gig you could tell they hit the big time as they had a glitter ball on stage and I think they may have introduced themselves!

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Jul 15 2023
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5

A fantastic album, been listening to it for years. Favourite tracks are: 'Red Morning Light,' 'Molly's Chambers,' 'Holy Roller Novocaine' & 'Talihina Sky'

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Jun 29 2023
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5

Really liked this album. It had me wanting more and had me going to Only By the Night. I think its a 5

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May 16 2023
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5

So many classics! I didn't know they were all on this album. Feels like Bob Dylan crawled into a punk basement in the UK in the 80s/90s.

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Feb 26 2025
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4

That's a Fine Album! One of the best things that the 2000's rock got to offer. That was the first time I ever listened to this band, and it was a great experience. Not perfect, but great! I'm gonna leave 4 stars today.

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Feb 25 2025
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4

I always forget how good these guys were before they became super lame. 4/5

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Aug 24 2024
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4

I gave my friend some serious side eye when he recommended this album to me a while back. "Kings of Leon? Seriously?" But to my surprise, it was a seriously great album. And I still really enjoyed it on this listen. So much better than their later stuff. More bluesy, more punk rock, grittier. IDK, just better.

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May 31 2023
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4

Enjoyable but his voice is just so affectedโ€ฆ

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Dec 06 2024
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3

It's ok. Don't think I could pick out any single song that stood out. Only By The Night was much better.

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Feb 27 2025
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2

For what reason does there need to be three records from this band, on this list? Theyโ€™re not that good. This is some fanboy bullshit.

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Dec 05 2024
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2

Most of the songs sound the same but not in a way thatโ€™s exciting to me.

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Dec 01 2024
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2

Overall it still sucked but I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would

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Aug 14 2024
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1

Yoโ€ฆ.this shit suuucks.

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Mar 07 2025
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5

WHAT ON EARTH? You mean to tell me that Kings of Leon was actually good until they morphed into that "Sex on Fire" trash????? I cannot believe I'm giving Kings of fucking Leon 5 stars but this was legitimately highly enjoyable.

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Feb 28 2025
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5

Great band. Great sound for the whole album.

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Jul 04 2024
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5

Na al die jaren blijft het een topalbum, veel lekkere nummers, echt een goede sound

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Feb 26 2024
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5

Very nice album - I like it. Great debut!

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Dec 06 2023
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5

nรฃo tinha direito de ser tรฃo bom. Quando bandas fazem um รกlbum simples com bom rock, nรฃo tem muito erro. Aรญ os cara vรฃo e me meter umas mรบsica pretensiosa como Sex is on Fire num รกlbum futuro e acaba com a reputaรงรฃo

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Mar 29 2025
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4

Kings of Leon is NOT an important enough band to get three albums on this list. Theyโ€™re certainly not more important than Weezer. THAT BEING SAID: this is probably their best album on this list. Definitely better than Aha Shake Heartbreak. I still donโ€™t think there needs to be more than one KOL album here, and the one that deserves the spot is still the one with the hits.

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Mar 21 2025
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4

Me ha gustado mucho. Buena combinaciรณn de garage/indie rock de principios de los 2000 con mucha influencia sureรฑa (country, blues) y derroche de energรญa. La voz carrasposa encaja perfectamente en el estilo del รกlbum, y su producciรณn es simple pero mรกs que suficiente. Un รกlbum muy autรฉntico y un soplo de aire fresco entre el indie de su รฉpoca, que sonaba todo igual. El hillbilly indie deberรญa haberse hecho mรกs popular.

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Mar 20 2025
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4

++: Red Morning Light, Happy Alone, Joe's Head, Trani, Spiral Staircase, Genius, Holy Roller Novocaine +: Wasted Time, Molly's Chambers, Dusty +-: California Waiting, Talihina Sky 7,9/10

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Mar 19 2025
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4

I loved this album then and itโ€™s still wonderful now

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Mar 17 2025
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4

I fucking loved this way too many times I caught myself bopping and partying to tracks like โ€œHappy Aloneโ€ and โ€œGeniusโ€. Just damn good rock music for the era that it came from where everything seemed to lack that edge.

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Mar 07 2025
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4

Very cool 70s sound. What I enjoyed most about this was the guitar work; while it was reminiscent of bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival and the like, thereโ€™s a lot of originality in it as well.

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Mar 05 2025
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4

Better than I expected! I only heard their popular hits and didnโ€™t really like them that much

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Feb 28 2025
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4

One fully endorses the mumbly vocals on the opener โ€“ they read authentic to one's ears. The middle of the record is strongest โ€“ "Joe's Head" and Trani" and "California Waiting" are all strong, with a touch of melancholic vibe overarching the tight hooks and compelling riffs. Last two cuts means we leave on quite a high note. Though one prefers the glittier and more tuneful later rectords, the template is clearly in good shape on this one. Their tendencies and techniques and general approach have an impressively large amount in common with the Stones, and are certainly more authentic in terms of a weirded-out, countrified, substance-abusive background. That's doubly true of latter-day Stones imitators (e.g., the Strokes, Franz Ferdinand). One admits being late to KOL party (and totally ignored them in real time โ€“ foolishly so, one should add), but is making up for lost time by digging them fully now.

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Feb 19 2025
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4

โ€ข 4/5 โ€ข good debut, though I like the refinement of AHA Shake better

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Jan 31 2025
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4

Suprisingly like the album more than I thought. Knew KoL later stuff but never heard their first album

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Jan 30 2025
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4

4.5 stars. This debut is more garage-y rock (with the southern/blues influence) than their latter albums and I personally like it. Rolling Stones influence (tuning of the guitars in leadoff "Red Morning Light"). Had only heard "Molly's Chambers" before this listen-through but "Holy Roller Novocaine", "California Waiting", and "Joe's Head".

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Jan 28 2025
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4

I've a soft spot for Kind of Leon, because my former flatmate Tim loves them so much. Laid back and rocky Americana.

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Jan 27 2025
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4

Red Morning Light // Joeโ€™s Head // Trani // California Waiting // Mollyโ€™s Chamber // 3.5/5

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Jan 27 2025
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4

Made me feel like I was 15 and ready for a show at Maxwellโ€™s; i.e., really enjoyed this! Muuuuuch prefer it to the stuff that came after (thinking mostly the singles off the 2008 record), which Iโ€™ve always found extremely annoying. Also feel like the music supervisor for The Hills licensed the crap out of this ๐Ÿ˜‚

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Jan 21 2025
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4

Nothing too creative, but good rock music.

๐Ÿ‘
Jan 20 2025
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4

Leon has no king. Leon NEEDS no king

๐Ÿ‘
Jan 17 2025
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4

this album slaps from front to back. it's missing some catchy classics but it's a banger all the way through

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Jan 17 2025
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4

What a stunning debut! I rarely use exclamation marks in my reviews. The first track is a classic. It is such a shame that "Only by the Night" wasn't as good as "Youth and Young Manhood". The latter album has a great hidden track at the end, a very rare phenomenon. 4 stars for "Youth and Young Manhood".

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Jan 17 2025
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4

Very much playing into southern rock which I enjoy more than later albums. Good energy. Can imagine listening to this at an outside bar in the summer. Or watching rally cars. I can see this one scoring low if you donโ€™t already like kings of Leon or this genre. Nothing jumps off the album but I think would be really fun to listen live. Standout track genius.

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Jan 17 2025
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4

Very nostalgic album for me. Early KoL was a major component of my intro to alt rock. I recall enjoying their next two albums more than this one, but given this is the OG record it deserves extra credit.

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