Youth And Young Manhood

Like this album. Raw and fast beats. Good songs in this album.

Did not think I would enjoy this one, but someone described this as being Southern Strokes, which is fitting. 4 stars.

Decent album. Kings of Leon’s early stuff I have enjoyed a little bit just with how raw and unpolished it is and this falls right into place there. 7/10

Still my favourite Kings of Leon album. Love the rawness, the amateurishness of the vocals, the cowpunk feel. Reminds me of Jason and the Scorchers. This is KofL before they went all arena rock. 4 stars

Man, this guy's voice stinks. I mean, it certainly has a draw (or should I say drawl) to it that makes me keep listening, but only in a "can't look away from a car crash," sort of way. That being said, I still enjoyed my time here. I find this to be more monotonous than what I remember of Aha Shake Heartbreak, and the sound of garage rock revival bands I do like is absent more than that album, too, but there is just enough rocking southern anthems to keep me engaged, and I quite like the softer, almost folksier stuff, even if they are still going in too hard sometimes. A different singer and some better, more understandable lyrics and I think this band would've been just as critically liked as commercially. Not LOVED, just liked.

This is actually quite good- assured in execution and distinct in sound.

another chunky album from a not yet revived area of history - some very good songs on here

Kings Of Leon are one of my favourite bands. I’m not sure I’ve ever told anyone that. They were one of the first bands that I discovered on my own as a teenager, and I’ve awaited and bought all of their albums since Mechanical bull in 2013. They were one of the first bands that I actually listened to critically, picking out the rhythm and lead parts, listening to how the rhythm section played off each other. I think Caleb Followill is one of the most underrated lyricists of the 21st century, and I absolutely love his vocals. So I’m much more sympathetic to their albums being in this project than probably the majority of people are. That being said, I don’t think Youth And Young Manhood is their best album. It’s still pretty good, but it’s all pretty raw. Caleb’s vocals are rawer, his lyrics are less mature, and the music is simpler. The rawness is certainly appealing as a countryfied cousin of the contemporary Indie Rock scene, and so in hindsight, I could see the case for Youth And Young Manhood being quite influential, Indie Country being one of the more dominant trends in Alternative music at the moment. But on the other hand, as a fan this is the album that I return to least, and while I admit that I’m maybe not the typical KoL fan, I think that that counts for something. They haven’t quite found their footing yet

Ich kannte diese Band nicht finde sie aber mit ihrem erdigen Sound gut.

Enjoyed this. Red Morning Light is a pure FIFA banger so that helps. Simpsons: No

Ég er brenndur af tónleikunum í Laugardalshöll sem voru hreint út sagt leiðinlegir, og þessi rödd gerir ekkert fyrir mig, en annars er þetta merkilega skemmtilegt. Já, mér leiðist næstum að segja það, en samt ekki.

I liked Kings of Leon when I first heard "Use Somebody" and "Sex on Fire" - they have a unique sound and I like his voice. It's different. I had never heard their debut album (I also never knew they were all related). It did not disappoint. Even not knowing a single song going into it, I found myself really into it.

Nice Rock album.

4.5

“Youth and Young Manhood” is a great debut, but Kings of Leon needed a bit more time to refine their sound and find their identity. Caleb Followill’s vocals have always been one of my favorite parts of KoL, but here there is a little too much Bob Dylan in the vocals. Some bands catch lightning in a bottle with their debut and are never able to reach those heights again. KoL, debuting as teenagers when some members hadn’t even learned their instruments yet, still had time to grow and develop.

Really liked this when it came out. They went very badly to shit but this is still pretty good

4 - Enjoyed, I think these early albums deserve to be here. However who else is missing out because they take up album numbers in the list

It's alright, better than average but eh

This was a nice coincidence, since I just saw this band live in Dublin a few nights ago. I was a big fan of their first 3 albums as a teenager, so this was quite a nostalgic listen for me. In their early phase, their records captured a very youthful and debaucherous energy, which I understandably identified with strongly at the time. From their 4th album on, however they started writing very hook-driven songs with football chant style choruses. Sex On Fire was particularly offensive - it almost sounds like a different band from the one that recorded this album. Apart from an occasional song on the 4th and 5th album, I pretty much lost interest from then on. They still put on a surprisingly good live show though. But this first album still really holds up, it's a fantastic debut. I guess it could be considered a bit derivative, since it is so rooted in 70s rock, but it was all new to me at the time! Some of the songwriting is a bit immature, which is to be expected, given the album title. But they improved on that massively on the 2nd album. I think people will be listening to the likes of Red Morning Light, California Waiting, Molly's Chambers and Holly Roller Novocaine for decades to come. Even if the only one they played live on Saturday was Molly's Chambers.

Take me to a bar and play this music

This is a cool album. And I don’t really like these guys. Or do I? I’m definitely no fan of Sex on Fire. Hate hearing it actually. How can I like these guys? I can’t. I won’t. But I like this album. Oh yeah, I’ll spin it again. Go figure.

Album 457 of 1001 Kings of Leon - Youth And Young Manhood Rating : 4 / 5 Their debut album. Other reviewers seemed to want me to not like this album/band. I'm slightly familiar with them from radio play but never picked up an album to listen to. I enjoyed it. Nothing that made me not want to go to the next song. I think they have a few albums on this list. I'll look forward to the next one. I like what they're putting out there.

Can’t understand lyrics. 4ish

Based on this, I’d say these guys were a lot more interesting early on. Later stuff is formulaic.

I'm a fan. First albums can be great or stupid. This one isn't stupid. However, I think this is the third KoL album I've seen.

Definitely a great bar band sound. There are lots of tracks here that are engaging. Really like Red Morning Light, Joe's Head and Holy Roller Novocaine. Really enjoyed.

Brilliant debut album from the band I once described as “Like The Corrs, but with beards.”

Album cover looks like four moist criticals pretending to be Queen. Good album though!

Red morning light is one of my faves from back in the day, the album version of California Waiting is very very rough and the album is good overall although I can see why it isn’t featured on the list anymore

Ah lovely, such a shame they lost their way. Saw them tour this album in a sweaty 3rd room at the Carling Academy in Brum - a few years later there were teenage girls screaming about their Sex being on Fire in the National Indoor Arena and it was time to let the band go

Just a good album.

Just great – the Strokes of the sticks. It blazes and edges and roars and one hears deep pathos and authentic yearning in the singing, too – hard to believe how wizened they sound for being so young, plus the crispness and directness of the delivery. One was late arrival to the KOL bandwagon but thoroughly digs the output the last few decades. Later records are every bit as good. One is moderately outraged that all three of their included records have been exed. That's decidedly unwise on the part of the editors.

The lyrics are mostly unintelligible and the singing is problematic for me at times but the musicianship and music are great!

Really surprised me, enjoyed most of the tunes on here! Best Song: Red Morning Light Worst Song: Dusty

Old Kings of Leon is so damn good.

1000 times better than the turgid repetition of Only By The Night.

I love the blend of eras on this one. A spirited effort, some songs came off better than others but they were trying things

Very pleasant surprise. Love the swagger! I had avoided these guys for years under the mistaken belief they were a southern rock jam band. Pretty psyched to be wrong, and a good lesson about what you might miss with mental shortcuts.

Never listened to them before and really liked their style and sound. I'll be listening to this one again.

Sweatier than a teenager’s gym socks. Raw and scruffy and full of life. I followed up by listening to their recent release which sounds sad and defeated in comparison.

Super fun album. Souther gothic adventures about murder and dodgy preachers. This band is having a great time. The lead singer kind of sounds like Mick Jagger at times.

Awsone

Another 4/5. Easy listening

Very raw and bluesy, with a couple of absolute stand out tracks. Not much hint of the juggernaut they would become, but an interesting snapshot of a band on the rise.

As good as the Strokes in terms of clean consistency but never quite matches them in terms of style or substance. Side B is far stronger than A, no bad songs from Molly's Chambers onward which (almost) secured five star status

Back when this band had an honest proposal.

Thigh slapping, lasso spinning slice of indie rocking yee and haw.

Really really liked that one! Fun listening to! Great sound.

Hairy tastic

Terrific debut album, which I’d not heard before. Eight of the twelve tracks are full-on southern-influenced rock’n’roll. The first three singles released off the album are all real winners - the opening track, Red Morning Light, a full-on rocker, sets the scene; Molly’s Chambers is moodier, poppier, not as quick as most of the album, but not a ballad; and Wasted Time is somewhere between the other two. I feel like there’s a lot here that reminds me of songs I knew as a youth - specifically during my Allman Brothers’ phase (Musically, Joe’s Head is so Allman Bros. it ain’t funny). Dusty is a fine, bluesy ballad & the hidden track, Talihina Sky, is more like a laid-back country ballad, with Floyd-Cramer-like piano accompaniment. This band is one of the real finds for me from this whole process.

I’d forgotten about this album but when KoL were first on the scene one of their promoters sent me a copy because I was involved in the entertainment business. I was sworn to not share it with anyone. I had this on a loop for a long time in 2004/2005. Along with Eagles of Death Metal. Laugh. It’s cool. I do as well.

I only became aware of Kings of Leon when Sex On Fire alighted on the charts. In the early 2000s this guitar-heavy southern punk-ish style was very much outside the mainstream of what I was listening to, so that might explain why I wasn’t receptive to something like this in 2003. I like this! It’d be just the ticket to watch this performed in a bar somewhere…kickin’ back with a pitcher of beer.

I read another review that referred to KoL as southern-fried Strokes, and I love it enough that I'm adding it here for posterity. I definitely see it in their shared penchant for a great hook. The southern influences and the garage rock sound pair up beautifully. This album is full of great hooks, all spastic and erratic. They later cleaned up their sound a bit, but the dirty, energetic sound of this debut is what I associate with Kings of Leon. And I still dig it.

7.5, This could be on the level of something like the Strokes but quite simply put the vocal freakouts aren't _quite_ there yet. I know Kings of Leon made some fantastic hits later in their career so I might listen to one of their later albums to see where they developed to.

This record kicks off with a bang, the energetic “Red Morning Light”. Very fun rocker, nice clean sound. And it keeps on going in the right direction. This reminds me a little of looseness of the Stone’s “Exile on Main Street”, with a bit more Black Crowes feel. But higher energy. Not a huge fan of the singer, but it doesn’t detract. Would like to hear a bit more bass and a bit less snare drum, but that’s just me. This’ll rate another listen. 4/5

Definitely a high point for me for Kings of Leon. Much more raw and rocking than their later stuff. Only downside is the lead singer sounds like he has a mouth of marbles for many of the songs.

Enjoyed this more than I expected. Easy listening vibes but upbeat and fun. Nothing overly memorable but the album was a great backdrop to some chores and a dog walk. Just faded into the day really easy. Jumping back and forth between a 3 or 4 since nothing jumped out but really enjoyed.

This is really a band finding themselves. You can hear the influence of The Strokes and The Modern Lovers. It's pretty good, but they definitely developed their own voice better on later albums.

I guess I've never actually heard Kings of Leon before. I've only heard OF Kings of Leon. Because I didn't realize that they didn't have a singer, just a... talker. I gotta be honest, at first I was really put off by these punk-style talk vocals laid on top of mostly chill, but intricate instrumentals. But it grew on me. To the point where I went back and gave the whole thing a relisten. The second time through, I was struck by how incredible the musical performances are underneath these weird vocals and bumped my evaluation up a whole two stars. There is some really great stuff here once you get used to the oddness of it.

Groovy and rocking. 4 stars.

This feels like the Kings of Leon I know well (Only By The Night) but with a little less refinement. My listen tracks perfectly with the timeline of their albums too. Still really enjoyed this! 4.5

GREAT ALBUM

Well, consider me a convert from the 'Good music hasn't been made since before 2000' club. Kings of Leon 'Youth And Young Manhood' is a refreshing, fun listen. 4/5.

Youth and Young Manhood caught me off guard with how much I enjoyed it. I was familiar with Kings of Leon’s more prominent radio songs off their Only by Light release and wasn’t too into it. This release still has the polished sound Only by Light has but seems to carry more raw energy and fun jangles that would fit right into a venue with sawdust on the dance floor. Lead singer Caleb Followill really won me over on this release, he has the swagger of a true rock frontman and this release is not lacking jams, the band is tight all way thru and the energy doesn’t dip. Great rock album 4 stars

Great trip down memory lane. Loved their early sound.

Great album

Very lively. Nice sound. The lead singer doesn't have a range, but he has a quality. Very guitar heavy.

Just a huge series of bangers

It was okay, would give it three stars but then the last song came and now it’s four after all

This album is some nice southern rock that is the south’s equivalent of The Strokes. I used to hate the vocalist when I listened to Sex on Fire, but now I kinda think his voice fits more with the vibes of this album than that song. 4.4/5 Fav: “Happy Alone” Least Fav: “Trani”

I hadn’t heard of KoL until sex on fire. Very interesting to hear their early work which sounds a bit less refined but more rockier. I really liked it.

Sort of Southern rock's equivalent of The Strokes. The aesthetic is loose but the overall effect is actually quite tight and polished. Spawned quite a lot of pale imitations but this is a very good, consistent record.

I wasn’t really sure where this band came from when they had gotten as big as they did - but I always enjoyed listening to them as I did this album. Solid rock and roll that leans on the band’s southern rock roots. Will listen again.

8/10 versatile and interesting

4.5 :)

What an incredibly surprisingly album, really it's average rock with an odd singer but infectious energy pushes this up. If I wasn't in the mood this would be a low 3. When in the mood songs like "Joe's Head" really hit for me. 4

Garage rock. Me ha gustado. Un 4.

Super fun! Definitely good ol' indie rock with a Southern influence. I liked the energy and song writing. Definitely want to revisit more of Kings of Leon.

Don’t think it was Wasted Time listening to this album in the Red Morning Light. I liked it, but not as Genius as some of their other albums.

Decent debut.

Actually way better than I expected, not a fan of their later stuff as much, but this rocks!

Full of energy, probably from amphetamines, this a genuinely great debut. Some of the lyrics are a bit dated these days. The music has a redneck jangle that is irresistible in the right setting.

Young rock from the 2000s. Nice and energetic. Not perfect but pretty cool.

Liked this, had only heard a few kings of Leon songs before this. Good stuff

If I wanted to listen to Absolute Radio I just would: jokes aside this wasn't that bad. I have to say the vocals do start getting slightly jarring towards the tail end on the album but it felt just like a solid all-round album. The songs sounded familiar and they just kinda banged. Yk what I have to say I weirdly enjoyed it.

I had never listened to Kings of Leon before, and they were very different than I was expecting. But this album is great - I really enjoyed it.

It stands up pretty well, but Im sure he's putting that accent on!

Wow this album was a real surprise treat. This is not the Kings of Leon I know! The “Use Somebody” / “Sex is on Fire” overplayed and overhyped pop rock band has its origins in some really jammy 70s-rock-esque tracks that I really enjoyed. I would absolutely put this album into my rotation, and I particularly loved “Holy Roller Novocaine,” which I do feel like I’ve heard before but it was great to re-experience here. I’m sad this band on this album did not end up becoming the Kings of Leon that exists today, because this shit rocked.

Hard one to rate. On one hand it was a simple and normal rock with a lot of country influence, but on the other hand it's quite an achievement from a bunch of teenagers. Couple nice solos, good flow of the album, perfect summer record. Well, let it be 4 stars, why not.

I enjoyed it way more than I thought it would!

A lot different than I expected. Greta debut. Reminded me of Dylan folk.

Pretty solid album for its time. They were better before they went commercial

I need to listen to this again but for now it gets a light 4 mostly based on how strange it was. Not at all what I expected. Pretty cool though.

I expected this to sound much more like their later hit album that put them on the commercial map. This rocked harder and with more of a southern edge to it (although some of it did remind me a bit of the Strokes). Liked it enough to download.

Ik mag die gasten wel.

Liked this band a lot around 2004-05 but after that the vocals quickly became very irritating. Vocals are not great on Youth And Young Manhood either, and after the previous 1001 album (NYD debut), the album sounds rather boring. But overall this is still a very solid southern rock album of course. score in 2004: 9/10 score in 2023: 7/10.

Overall, I liked this collection of very catchy upbeat southern rock tunes. There are one or two less compelling songs, though, and the vocals are getting a little too screamy in some places.

Thoroughly enjoyable album from the early years of this brother-band.

Good rock'n'roll

Overall it was ok

Not what I expected by a long shot. It's a cool mix of like Velvet Underground, Oasis, The Ramones, and even some AC/DC. Really dig it.

Ok, nothing added to the playlist

Great first album. Shame they went down hill quickly from here and just became a commercial band focussed on money making

Definitely not bad. Most surprising find so far

Overall decent album but absolutely loved Red Morning Light. First song I’ve downloaded so far! Insanely good intro to the album but nothing really matched it subsequently.

great job then, almost last good

One of my favorites back in the day

Garage rock. Me ha gustado. Un 4.

Who would have thought that a bunch of country boys that had been the backing band for their holy-rolling Dad's revival tent tours, would one day break out and make a dixie punk band!? Their sound has matured and evolved over the years, but what an exciting debut this must've been for them.

I almost couldn't bring myself to type the name of the album into Skype. Who named this? Anyway, better than I expected. Moved right along in a sprightly manner. The band is spot on. The singer is ... a bit much. 3.5 rounding up for energy.

This is much better than the "Aha Shake Heartbreak" I received some months ago on the 1001 list. It's still not so remarkable, and it will be lost in the history of indie rock from the 2000s, but it's unfair to rate it with three stars when compared with the "Aha Shake Heartbreak." I'll rate it with 4 stars, but with some effort and considering the best songs, it's a 3.5 album.

J'ai trouvé ca super rafraîchissant même si c'est une recette plus à l'ancienne Je ne croyais pas que ce bande faisait ce style 5 4.90

Such a great album! I wish they'd kept up with this feel more in later years. Just so much more fun! Upbeat and solid rock, but still airs of pop that would be accessible to a lot of people.

Definitely the best Kings of Leon album. Such a belter. Before they got really bad, this is such a nice fresh, simple sound.

A timely reminder that the Kings of Leon didn’t always suck.

Such a solid record

Quite liked this one.

Way more enjoyable than their follow-up album, inexplicably on this list. An entertaining southern rock album full of energy and a bit of grit.

Not as bad as I was thinking that it might be. 3.5 bumped to 4 because I went in with a bad attitude towards the band and got humbled

As someone that’s only listened to the biggest hits of kings of leon, this album was more interesting from the perspective of being a blueprint for the magnum opus work later in the decade that they would come out with. Outside of that, this is an unapologetically early 2000s alternative rock album that has a couple of duds but is still a fine listen. Holy roller novocaine is probs my favorite.

“California Waiting”, “Red Morning Light”, “Trani”, “Talihina Sky” Heard Kings of Leons songs on the radio for 15 yrs, accepted I’ll never understand anything he sings without a lyric sheet It rocks and it rolls, I had a good enough time (though sometimes I got a craving for a Tom Petty song while listening) June 29, 2023

They were a band that came to prominence at a time where I was busy with work and schooling and didn’t have time for new music. I like what I hear here so probably missed out on something I might have loved.

The “sheltered religious brothers and cousins who finally hear a rock album and form a band” narrative when this came out was an overly-referenced and cynical marketing ploy. But that doesn’t take away from what a great album this is. The next one is pretty good, too, but it’s a bummer that everything after is terrible. The “southern Strokes” or “punk-y Credence” labels were easy shorthand to describe them; at the time this was a really exciting and cool sound. There’s a jaggedness and also a jangle to these songs that are great, and that is missing on the blandly pleasing “arena rock anthem” albums they’d eventually make. I never think to play this album anymore. I’m glad this website led me back to it. 4.5

Rock

Iets meer rockabilly dan ik dacht dat ze waren. Goed album met een paar toffe riffs

Not my fortè, but was still a good album. I can see why it is under “essential”. Gives me almost punk-folk vibes. Very jumpy, great guitar melodies and vocals to match up with it. My personal favorite from this album is “Dusty”. Great sequence.

I really like the description "Southern Fried Strokes" one of the other reviews mentioned - that's spot on! 😆 Fave track - "Molly's Chambers" or "Holy Roller Novocaine"

Kings of Leon, what a great debut album, Youth & Young Manhood is a fantastic testament to early 2000s alt-rock/garage-rock. There are so many great singles on this that you can't help but do at least a little head-bop to. With songs featured in TV Commercials, in Movies and as part of the FIFA games soundtrack, it's easy to see why this album is part of this list. Best: Red Morning Light; Molly's Chambers Worst: Holly Roller Novocaine

I've never heard anything from them before the Only by the night album... It is pretty different. Not bad.

These guys started out so well. Forever tainted by the sex on fire phase. This is a good listen though

I've always really liked their album "Only By The Night" but hadn't ever gone back to listen to their first album. I liked this one too, just a little less. Sounded a bit less polished than some of their later stuff. But still love this dude's voices and the style they play

Too much hate here. Absolutely loved this album, so quite possibly the rating is driven by nostalgia. But from the moment I read the review that Caleb's vocals sounded like "a man gargling rocks" I knew I was in. So much better than the polished stadium rock band they became.

This was a good more modern rock album. I prefer Only by the Night but enjoyed this album as well. Unique voice without being annoying to listen too.

Listened

Wouldn’t mind listening again, but didn’t love it. I like Use Somebody better

Really, THREE Kings of Leon albums on a list of 1001 I must hear before I die? Even taking into account that one of these might have been replaced by their later efforts in later editions, this seems excessive, especially from a list that includes ZERO Warren Zevon albums. This one in particular seems like an album where the group is just starting to find their voice . . . but isn't quite there yet.

Rollng Stones in a garage. 3.5

Saw them headline the NME stage at V Festival on promoting this album. It was interesting and I bought the album on the back of it but it was about the shortest headline set I've ever seen. They only had this album to draw on. The album is mid with Molly's Chamber being a stand out.

Decent

Don't really care for the vocals or the cliche cowbell but it's not that bad

Mid

It's a fine garage rock style album. I really don't like the big hits from KOL, but this is a fun listen. 3.12/5.

A cromulent rock album. The singing isn't good, but it kinda works. Sounds a little too old for a 2000s album though. 2.5 stars.

⭐⭐⭐ Lyssnade på den mycket när den kom. Vet att jag tyckte att de kom med något nytt och för den tiden lite fräschare rock och så var det nog också. Tycker fortfarande albumet är helt ok, bra mycket bättre än 'Aha shake the heartbreake' som kom efter som jag tycker är skräp. Har dock en lite mer nyanserad bild av albumet nu, det är ok, jag kan tänka mig att lyssna på det men inte mer än så, så det blir en 3a. Bäst är Red morning light, Happy alone, Joe's head, Spiral staircase, Mollys chambers

This means there are at least 3 Kings of Leon albums on this list... What on earth? Who decided this? I like Kings of Leon fine, this is a solid debut album. Not sure it's a must listen, but it was a better 40 minutes than a lot of other albums I've listened to lately.

This is kind of a weird album. There’s definitely a transition from this first album to their mainstream success stuff. Kinda feels like they wanted to be a bit of a successor to CCR which this record. The guitars and tones are heavily blues inspired and everything feels really raw. The vocalist has always been an interesting facet for Kings of Leon, and this style of music definitely suits his voice.

I think Kings of Leon get a bad rap, and having three of their albums on this list probably doesn't help their case. That said, this album is about as average as a rock record can be. There's nothing offensively bad here, and the band already shows flashes of the sound that would make them successful. The problem is that very little stands out. The songs come and go without leaving an impression, and by the end there's not much pulling me back for another listen. It's a perfectly competent rock album, but that's about the highest praise I can give it. Not bad, not great, just squarely in the middle.

eeeeeeOkei.... mientras escucho esto pienso ke l a pasaria mejor escuchando velvetUnderground o strokes, en un caso desesperado lo pondria en el auto

Pretty okay overall. I liked a few of the songs, really disliked a few as well, but overall I could listen to it while working.

Heard these guys but never really cared for them, generic indie

I tuned this app pretty much immediately

Hard to get through

😎

I love the old photos of Kings of Leon. Those literal children are a vibe, this album is, too. ✅✅✅ Trani ✅✅ California Waiting

I’d never heard this before. Interesting!

Ça va

Sympa mais je m'attendais à mieux. J'ai bien aimé Molly's Chamber et sinon assez plat comme album

This album feels pretty dated to me... not sure if it's the production or what. Would have given it 2 stars but the fact the the wikipedia page for this album mentions the Ford Focus commercial I edited that uses "Red Morning Light" (a song I picked myself from my iTunes list and earned the band $500k, btw) bumped it up a star.

This is.. decent? Fun? Not that important, but fun?

Leon’s king of feces

Actually a pretty nice album. I didn't expect it to be after the year 2000. Overall, it was pretty good and there were even some nice songs.

I'm a fan of KOL, seen them live, appreciate their music, but if I were to pick a Top1001 album by them this would likely have been my 5th option not my first. Maybe it got the nod because they went on to become an arena band and this was the first step towards stardom? "Red Morning Light" (best song on the album) & "Happy Alone" are fun songs. A few songs border on annoyingly repetitive ("Wasted Time", "Spiral Staircase") and just annoying ("Trani", end of "California Waiting", "Genius"). "Molly's Chambers" had 103M listens, it's just not good enough for that kind of airplay. "Holly Novocaine" is the second best track. Their early sound was different, thank god they refined their sound. Caleb wasn't nearly the singer he would become. The guitar isn't nearly as front & center as it is in later releases. There are none of their signature slow burn songs with memorable guitar solos on this album. You can see they have promise, but this album is not must-hear Top 1001 worthy. None of these tracks would make my Best Of Kings mix. If they piqued your interest, try their middle catalog (specifically Only By Night, Come Around or Because Of The Times). 3 stars is generous, it's more like 2.5

nice 3.9

I used to like this quite a bit but I hardly think about it now!

This is not bad! I guess they got a lot worse later.

Pretty fun album. I've only listened to Sex On Fire from the band so I tohught the album would be like that but its not even on this album soo... Trani and California Waiting were my faves. 6.9/10

No me gustaban,pero este disco si.

Lidt meh. Måske fordi det kom lige efter The White Stripes.

another new savior of rock and roll type band. they later went arena rock and sex on fire is a huge bop. yet their debut could just be considered as mid. 3/5

Not at all what I expected; doesn’t sound anything at all like radio play tracks like ‘Use Somebody’ or ‘Sex on Fire,’ - it’s more… Modest Mouse-like alternative…? Prolly more like a 2.5, but rounded up to maybe come back and give it another listen.

This style of "indie" has never been my favorite, but this wasn't too bad. It sounds like a lot of other music I've heard though, so I guess that's not the best thing. Anyways, not much to say about this, but it was okay. Favorites: Red Morning Light, California Waiting, Molly's Chambers, Talihina Sky

Kings of Leon have become a joke, so hard to remember how exciting they were as a kind of Southern rock rejoinder to the NYC scene that was dominating indie rock at the time. "Hey, look, The Black Crowes are back!" essentially. Solid record, was a promise that they could not/would not deliver on, don't know how crucial it is for anyone to listen to this, but boy did my college roommate LOVE this record.

They sound like they are trying to be both the Strokes and Tom Petty to varying results

I like some of Kings of Leon stuff, this isn't, in my opinion their best work, it was ok.

Should this be included on the list? That’s what I was thinking while listening to this. It’s not bad, it’s pretty good actually. But, I wouldn’t say that this is required listening. I remember this at the time mostly for the Volkswagen commercial. And they seemed to be mostly a Strokes-inspired band. Sure they had the later hits, but they seemed to fade pretty quickly. I don’t know, it was an enjoyable listen but not something essential, in my opinion.

Kings of Leon did not do it for me. I appreciate the rock they are doing, but I couldn't help of better acts like Tom Petty for this style of music.

Meh. No es un dos por lo que construyeron después

Not too bad. But it won’t stay with me.

I guess it's fine? I wouldn't choose to listen to it on my own but I don't hate it? Sometimes it's a little fun? I don't know what to say about this album.

First listen to this in at least 15 - 18 years. It’s still a decent debut album. Favourite track: Molly’s Chambers

It’s ok I like parts of this

It was alright. Might just not be for me.

Okay, so this takes me back! I remember loving this when it dropped in 2003. It was such a cool, raw sound, all Southern garage rock with Caleb's voice. Tracks like "Red Morning Light" and "Molly's Chambers" had this awesome, scuzzy charm that stood out. But listening to it now? It's a bit mixed. That Strokes meets Lynyrd Skynyrd thing still has some nostalgia, but it feels a bit generic. The songs blend together, and it's just a mid-2000s garage rock album. It's a snapshot of those particular days, but it's not quite as essential as I remember.

Number: 110 Date: 04/22/2026 Artist: Kings of Leon Album: Youth And Young Manhood Year: 2003 Genre: Southern Blues Rock Familiarity: Aware Rating: Before: ======= I know of them but have not listened to them very much at all. I think I gave them a shot once or twice but didn't find anything that compelling about their take on music. Oh wow, they have 3 albums on The List? I'm thinking that's probably 2 or 3 too many. During: ======= Four songs in now...overall, I'm finding it pleasing to listen to but not very original considering this was released in 2003. Probably would not mind listening to it more than once. Maybe this could be a candidate that both me and the wife could listen to and both find at least moderately enjoyable? 3 Red Morning Light 4 Happy Alone 3 Wasted Time 4 Joe's Head 3 Trani 4 California Waiting 4 Spiral Staircase 4 Molly's Chambers 4 Genius 3 Dusty 3 Holy Roller Novocaine 4 Talihina Sky --------------------------------------------------- 3.54 WEIGHTED AVERAGE (accounts for song lengths) After : ======= Overall, an enjoyable listen but as I said before, nothing very original. I don't see a compelling reason to include them on The List. Seems like they are or were pretty popular though. 4 my personal rating 1 suitability for this list 3 impact ----------------------------------------------- 2.7 composite rating

I mean it wasn't terrible but the vocals were grating and pretty off putting

Ikke noget særligt, men heller ikke dårligt. Ikke ønske om genhør. Lillebitte 3'er, fordi det trods alt er ok at høre på.

Sounds very late 90s/early 00s garage rock. Raw, punky, fuzzed up guitars but nothing life changing. Vocals are pretty unique though. Good decent album.

Fine instrumentals, if a little boring. The vocals are awful though. Listening to more than two KoL songs in a row is pretty tough as a result

This was good at what it does, - I really like Caleb's vocals and this album was way more rock n roll than I expected from (in my eyes) a radio-approved pop rock band. Definitely prefer this kind of stuff to their big singles. Don't think it converted me though.

Only Kings of Leon I knew was Sex on Fire so this was a fun little discovery! Based on that song this was a different vibe to what I was expecting but I was pleasantly surprised

Ugh, fine, I'll listen to a third Kings of Leon album. Look, I don't hate Kings of Leon, but why the fuck do they have three albums on this list? That's three too many! And you know what? This might actually be the worst of the three! Then again, it has been over a year since I heard Aha Shake Heartbreak, but I feel like this one and that one are around the same level of quality for me. Of course, this album isn't horrible. Hell, it's not even bad. It's just not really my thing. I still don't like Caleb Followill's voice. It sounds shot at times on this album. Not a fan. The writing is fairly repetitive here. It's like, "Wow, an album called 'Youth and Young Manhood' has a bunch of songs about sex? Who could've seen that coming?" Once again, the instrumentation is what saves this album from the 2-or-lower dump, as it's actually quite solid. I've seen some people praise this album as being among their best for the more rustic production style, but I'm honestly not huge on it. I think it only makes the singing more apparent in its not-so-good qualities. Then again, this is the band's debut album, so it makes sense as to why things would be a bit less refined than on later albums, but that only makes me wonder why this album was included along with the other two. I don't get it. This album's kinda whatever. Not bad, but I don't care for it. Low 3/5.

I wish one direction had covered spiral staircase too

Enjoyable, only ever heard their two very pop songs so this was more country then I expected. Drum work was nice

Sounds fairly generic to me, but not at all bad.

I like this better thank anything else they’ve ever done but some of this is not great. Still some cool songs tho

I’ve got weird nostalgia about this band, but this one was never my favorite.

Not a big fan of the vocals, butI like the songs quite a bit. 3.5 stars

Nobody told me this band was good

i found the vocals were questionable a couple times but there were some tunes

Normally, I don’t mind “unconventional“ vocals. But for some reason with this band it detracted from my overall enjoyment of the album about five tracks in.

Decent but not that catchy and the songs just didn’t do it for mw

Ive never heard anything of this band other than the record with use somebody and sex on fire. Those tracks were inescapable back in the day. And they are decent songs to boot. But going back further I can hear and feel more soul. It just is plain more interesting than that later record. Im still not crazy about it but its much closer to what im looking for than the new stuff. I still wouldn't say im into the singer much at all. Hes either boring or kinda screechy but still les so here. I liked how there was some more down home stylings here than the smoothed over pop stuff from later. I had a good enough time with this one but im still not 100% sold on these guys. This may be their peak for me, and maybe thats all I can say for. My standout track here was California waiting. It had some more pep in its step than others hete and that moves it up for me. Decent record in the end yet still not mind blowing in any real way. Just solid and good

This could have been shorter, having lopped off a few songs, and I likely wouldn't have noticed much difference. I like Kings of Leon, they make me smile, but their songs are all awfully similar.

When this album game up for this challenge, I was pretty excited but also nervous. Kings of Leon is a band I got into just after their breakout hit single, but I only loved their early albums, including this debut album. I was wondering how well it would stack up in my memory and the fact is that there are a lot of favorites on here that still hit, but definitely hit less-so. It's definitely a matter of my taste evolving but I was obsessed with garage rock as a teen and those days are past me now. Still, it was nice to revisit this band's debut--before they got into fuckin' NFT albums or whatever the shit else they're doing now.

As mentioned before, Kings of Leon have the distinction of being the band with the most albums removed from subsequent editions of this list. Maybe it says something that they kept being added though. The music is kind of cool and you can see where the label of the "Southern Strokes" could have come from. But also, not. The music is fine but it doesn't stand up to too many repeat listens. There's not quite enough variety to keep them up at the level of The Strokes, who had at least one classic album. It's in the same vein sure, with the Southern twist. And there is absolutely a loyal audience for this band. I do kind of like it. But I don't know that I like it enough to ever revisit it or any of their others. But maybe a greatest hits collection...

I liked this

gritty debut

Real old school Kings of Leon - they have a slightly different sound here, which was interesting to hear. We enjoyed it as we cruised through the Lakes.

Not bad. Not really a fan of the vocals, but the music was at least decent. 3/5

i feel so so about this album.

I’ve already listened to this three times in the past couple months. It gets pretty repetitive at times but good garage rock vibe to it.

Not what I was expecting, not bad at all, but nothing mind-blowing in the modern context.

I was around when they came up, I think they were part of the garage wave of the early 00's but carved out a space for themselves doing the whole southern blues rock niche they were in before going commercial even though they always were pretty big since the start. It's slightly repetitive, but very fun. Saw them live by this time and I remember not being able to tell their songs apart from the singles Red Morning Light and Molly's Chambers. My favorites have always been Wasted Time and Spiral Staircase.

A little too basic southern rock to me, but they were figuring things out

the top of 3/5

alright

run of the mill stuff, reminded me of Chili's at times. I think they have better albums later on in their discography - when you see yourself being a particular favourite, Walls also being good. Come around Sundown is one I listened to extensively on release too. Come to think of it, I've been listening to them for a long time now, didn't even know this album existed, and honestly a fairly average beginning, but showing potential!

If the Black Keys met George Thorogood

I think I might just prefer this over Aha Shake Heartbreak which I got a mere 9 albums ago. I thought this was better musically and the vocals weren't as grating

actually pretty fun.

Not the best work this band has put out. You can tell it's a debut album. Still, good songs and energy.

I remember listening to this album a lot when it came out. There was a certain flair of novelty, it was but different from “regular” indie/whatever revival stuff abundant in those days. But as time has passed novelty has gone, and now it’s clearly just a mid album. Maybe strong mid but still mid. Nothing particularly spectacular, just one of the many “indie” albums from that decade.

Alright. Very same samey

This was pleasant enough whilst driving, but nothing outstanding except for these 3 1. Red Morning Light 2. Happy Alone 3. Mollys Chamber

6.5/10

Might be in the minority, but I enjoy the ridiculousness of the vocal. Kinda Southern Bob Dylan vibe. Overall, solid early 00's rock/indie record.

Det er for meg et mysterium at Kings of Leon er så godt representert i dette prosjektet. Dette er deres debutalbum. Faktisk ganske ålreit southern rock med god “pønsj”. Dras ned av et ganske repetitivt lydbilde. Top 3: California Waiting, Joe’s Head, Red Morning Light

The album was okay, but nothing more. I don't feel like listening to it again. 3/5

Decent.

Clean, modern rock. Nothing to love or hate.

I liked this!

This album felt really familiar even though I'm pretty sure I've never listened to it before. It's almost really good, but (and this is probably not an original opinion) I just really don't care for dude's voice.

Kings of Leonin debyytti, paljon suoraviivaisempaa rokkia kuin mitä odotin. Raakaa garage rokkia. Parhaat: Joe's Head, Spiral Staircase, Wasted Time

Red Morning Light 3.5 Happy Alone 3 Wasted Time 2.8 Joe's Head 2.8 Trani 2.5 Californian Waiting 3 Spiral Staircase 3 Molly's Chambers 2.9 Genius 2.5 Dusty 2.6 Holly Roller Novocaine 3 Score:2.872727273

honestly, kings bro, kings

Not my usual but LOVED the guitars

3.5!! surprisingly fun and i enjoyed it but i cant on this occasion round up - sorry guys

For the most part, it's a pretty good rock and roll record with influences that can be heard from punk rock to southern rock. It's a good record, not really a great one. It is a little uneven in places with a couple of songs I really don't like such as "Trani" and "Dusty", but "Holy Roller Novocaine" and "Molly's Chambers" are really good.

A good album, I liked Joe's Head and Spiral Staircase the most.

good listening!

Rough around the edges but in a fun way. Not very “Kings of Leon” sounding which is also cool. 3.5

Nothing revolutionary but some good greasy grooves. Retro southern rock

Surprisingly enjoyable - their best - it's somewhere around a 3.5

Semi okay. Blander than I thought it would be, based on their hits I know.

this is the kind of mid-2000s british* rock music that made me think i "didn't like" music as a teenager so i was expecting to hate it but it's uh. it's not bad actually? i think the lead singer's voice can be kind of grating but there's some damn good guitar playing here. especially like "california waiting". this is probably a 2.5 but on the more generous end of that *i just learned the band was american today

As a pretty big Kings of Leon fan, not my favorite, but still enjoyable. I will say this is probably the first time I've listen to a lot of these songs since the first time I listened to them 12 years ago, and its having the same affect. I like it but I'm not going back any time soon

They got so charty it's difficult to remember that they were a really cool band when they got started. Really cool vibe and great music.

good

They urgently want me to agree that they are having the best time ever. I'm not buying it. That said, as I got deeper into the record ("California Waiting") I started to 1) love the guitars and 2) get the Pavement vibe they were maybe going for the whole time.

The only KoL album that's worth anything for me. Some fun moments but you could sense that these guys didn't have much in them right from the start

Clairement pas mon préféré de ce groupe

Solid background music but it didn’t jump out other than that

Fine

Best Song: Red Morning Light. This has a great raw personality to it, that unfortunately not all of the subsequent songs possess. Worst Song: Dusty. Sleepy and ordinary. Overall: My enjoyment of Kings of Leon is directly proportionally to how messy they allow themselves to play. On some songs they carry this wild, bordering on sloppy, energy that is really engaging, but then they'll go and follow that up with a straight-and-narrow blues standard. I'm not here for the blues, I'm here for the mess.

Dies out a bit but this is much better than I expected o them

Kings of Leon are alright in my book.

Surprise, I didn't hate it, and I even knew one of the songs

It was alright? Southern tinged modern rock. You could see how it led to their peak, but it just makes me want to listen to Only By the Night instead

First time listening to a Kings of Leon album. Not sure why they needed to have three albums on this list. Sort of just the White Stripes but mid. Favorite track: Molly's Chambers

first listen decent

Not a fan but some decent tunes.

Have always had a bias against this group because their big hit Use Somebody annoyed me greatly. This debut album was surprisingly good, at least for the first half. 2.5, rounded up because I’m in a good mood due to the Oscar nominations coming out today.

Открылись для меня совершенно с другой стороны. Неплохой такой южный рок. Начало альбома было подобрее, конечно - чуть недожали.

A lot better than I thought it would be, but I don't see why you'd listen to this when The Strokes are right there.

Dude rock with solid blues/garage band foundation. A few bright spots

Definitely realizing that I had 0 idea of what KoL sounded like before listening to this just now. I guess they do the southern rock thing well, it's just not for me.

Completely forgettable

Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: None I am actually shocked that Kings of Leon released their debut album as far back as 2003. I don't think I'd ever heard of them until they went mainstream with Only By The Night while didn't come out until 2008. They got really popular then. Anyways, they are vaguely country, which I am not super keen on. I didn't find any of the tracks particularly memorable. I guess there wasn't anything wrong with the music though. Pretty middling overall. I'd be interested to know if they have any other albums on the List.

not the worst, but not the best. some catchy songs but overall not my vibe

Very garage-y. Best song is Molly’s Chambers. It has a good, not overly complicated groove and you can understand the lyrics. It’s the cleanest sounding without losing much of the gritty feel. The rest of it is fine. Not a must-listen though.

I’m definitely not much of a Kings of Leon fan, but this is one of their better albums. That said, it’s still not good enough for me to ever plan on coming back to it. This album leans more heavily into a Southern blues style of the garage rock revival that was blowing up in the early 2000s, which at least gives it more character than a lot of their later material.

Not amazing but good for a debut album, I guess. Why do I keep getting debut albums!!? Music is catchy but the vocals are a bit grating Favourite: California Waiting and Talihina Sky (very beautiful closing song)

Regrettably mid. I like a few Kings of Leon tracks but none really on this album. High 2/low 3

dads music

Decent. This is their first album and the bones of what they become are definitely there, but it’s much more raw than future albums. There are also songs that remind me of like, Jet and The Strokes in that sort of generic early aughts alt rock k sound. It’s not bad, I just think of Kings of Leon as a bit more unique than those bands, which I think they grow into. The thing is, this is my second Kings of Leon, and neither one is their best album, which suggests there are at least three Kings of Leon albums, but no Deftones and no Tool. That’s outrageous. That’s not the fault of the band or album though. I’d give it 3.5 if I could because I enjoyed it, but there are too many songs that are sloppy or annoying to bump it to 4 stars.

I surprisingly really enjoyed this debut album from Kings of Leon! I actually like this sound more than their more commercial sounding music that they have put out more recently. The lead singer’s voice used to bother me but I feel like his vocal quality blends well with the music on this album. Overall, I thought this was a great alt rock album with some southern blues influence and I would check this album out again in the future.

I like some of their other albums more than this one. They sound a little like BlackCrowes or bands along that line on this album.

Some bands fall off after a great debut. KoL is not one of those bands. Their debut is mid, musically it's pretty bland and sounds like every other stereotypical rock band. Caleb Followill's vocals are kinda grating and he does not sound good here. Their later stuff is better (still not elite though).

Solid rock 'n roll.

Kings of Leon is a bubble band for this list at best. I don't know if including their debut over the breakout album with the big hits is pandering or insightful. It's less whiny, and I can respect the sound the band is developing, but is anyone really influenced by Kings of Leon? Influence 1. Hits 2. Quality 4. Intangibles 2. I liked it more than I thought I would 4.

Indie-rock… and Roll… Really cool!

Bueno

01/01/2026 (happy new year!) *1. red morning light - guitar is very 2000s rock. not sure about the vocals.... liking the two guitars. vocals growing on me? i think. turn the bass up!! 2. happy alone - vocals have lost all appeal again. too whiny.... this is too cliche of the worst aspects of indie pop rock. the chorus is alright, i really like the vocals, but the verses are just bland. don't like the bells? feel a bit out of place. the lyrics aren't that great either. guitar solo is nice. kinda surfy? only ever heard snippests of sex on fire and did not think they sounded as rocky as this. *3. wasted time - guitar is really nice. bass as well. constantly flip-flopping on how i feel about the vocals. the whiny sound gets on my nerves sometimes, especially during the quiet bits, but also sounds really great sometimes. guitar solos are really great. liking the country sounds. drums are nice. 4. joe's head - immediately a softer sound. electric guitar started and is so indie. not fond of this one. vocals have def grown on me though, really liking them now. kinda jeffery lee pierce vibes? maybe just bc it's southern rock? piano at end is nice. *5. trani - do not like the vocals. what is he even saying?? enunciate more.... vocals are growing on me actually. this is a bit slow and quiet for me.... guitar solo just started, reallll great :) liking the lyrics. got better as the song went on. ending was nice. 6. california waiting - immediately very indie rock riff. can actually hear the bass in this one :) guitar is really great throughout this album. vocals are great in the louder, rockier parts, but start to grate during the quieter moments. like a squeakier bob dylan. 7. spiral staircase - punkier. liking the rockabilly sound :) bass and drums stand out more in this song. don't like the clapping bit. 8. molly's chambers - liking the guitar in this. is there a tambourine? liking it. nice :) *9. genius - still can't tell whether i hate or love the vocals. the guitar is great in this. loving the energy. can hear bass!!!! screeching guitar solo!!! *10. dusty - slide guitar? heavy brian jonestown massacre vibes. bass!! grrooooovy. bluuuessyyy..... thought i wasn't gonna like this one from the quieter sound, but loving it so far! guitar solo great! 11. holly roller novocaine - bass intro!! drums are great as well. after realising the brian jonestown vibes i can't stop thinking about how similar this sounds. guitar solo is crazy in this. stop clapping. loving the organ. 12. talihina sky - immediately, a bit too stomp and clap.... not enjoying this one as much, but still would be nice as background music. as someone who doesn't usually like 2000s indie music, i didn't want to like a kings of leon album, but i actually loved it. i love southern american rock/blues/country/gospel stuff (the gun club <333) so i can't help liking this. wasn't sure about the vocals at first, but they grew on me throughout and i ended up really liking them. wanted to start this thing to listen to stuff i wouldn't usually, but didn't expect to rethink my prejudice against indie rock.

This was a nice listen as I drove home from a camping trip. Nothing too memorable though.

I really wanted to love this album, howeer I just didn't. it's aright and I enjoyed my time listening to it but it felt very generic 2000s rock (which is a genre I do really love) and it didn't really set itself apart. Some songs were kinda samesy while other offered some nice variety. I think it would have done well with a banjo honestly lmao.

3/5 It was okay. Nothing outstanding. The vocals got a little annoying and repetitive after a while, but there was a good variety of songs. I enjoyed it but not enough to rate it any higher.

I like the music but is difficult to rate the lyrics when they are so difficult to understand. 3 stars or C-. .

Solid 3 stars

This was ok

Nothing super special, but its not bad.

Strong

Vocals are atrocious, but the music is SIGNIFICANTLY better than the crap served up on "Only By The Night". It's just basic southern rock, but it at least has some character. 2.5/5.0: Mixed

the instrumentals feel like they were trying to check the box on southern rock tropes and the vocalist phoned in the entire performance. pretty mediocre but way better than the last album i had from them(not that it took much).

⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Loved the sound but not the most relatable for me

3.0 - Ok

quite good 70s Rock Cosplay Band

Some nice southern fried licks with not too much grease.

Animadinho, legal. Vibes guitar hero. Da horinha o som. Nada que me chamou atenção. Mas bom.

Red morning light - Fifa 2004 nostalgía. Gott stöff. Platan að öðru leyti hit and miss. Molly's Chamber fínt. Söngurinn fer ekki í taugarnar á mér almennt en á sumum lögum finnst mér hann lélegur. Þetta er hresst og þétt á köflum.

Ágætis rokk en ekkert meira en það.