Rising Above Bedlam

Laaaaammmmmeeeee

This was.... rough. I just didn't love it - sue me!

Tiene algun momento interesante, pero en general muy meh.

Syns dette var litt fett

Not on am

Not quite as terrible as I was expecting. That's the best thing I can say about it

Not for me - new age ambient and dub crowbarred together in the most contrived way possible... just about made my way through it

I enjoyed this album, but didn't really hear anything that stood out to me. Not bad at all, just not my thing.

Хто це? Що це? Невідомо) World music) Нормас)

To be honest, I’m really only aware of Jah Wobble as the original bassist in PIL and as a session man for tons of other people’s records. I’ve never really explored his solo work. Although, the first track on this album was instantly familiar. It must have received some play on 120 minutes. I’m trying to remember if Sinead O’Connor (who guests on the track) was in the video. Like a lot of alternative artists of his generation, Wobble ventured into the amorphous genre of “world music” which basically white alternative musicians blending music traditions of Africa, India, Jamaica, South America into trance/house dance music to varying degrees of success. Rising Above Bedlam does a pretty decent job of making a tasty pot of world music stew. Songs start out with dub bass and evolve into raga meditations. It was a pleasant listen, but not really my thing. Good for its niche and successful in its ambition, but ultimately, a litttle boring. 3.3

High 3, has an earthen, grounded divine feel to it

3, groovy and had some nice ones

NOT on apple music

I really like this album. I'd never heard it before and had only vaguely heard of Jah Wobble. I particularly like the songs he doesn't sing on - the first song, with Sinead O'Connor, is great. His own singing voice is not good.

16

It feels strange to label a record with such a large amount of variety as tedious, but I hate pretty much everything Jah Wobble is trying to do. This is dub music made by an ex-member of PiL who is attempting to blend every Global genre under the sun and the fusions simply don't work. I don't want to hear an English guy from a punk background trying to bring together Latin, Arabic and Jamaican influences under one roof. Its senseless and harebrained.

Jah gets a high 2, cool sounds and decent compositions but overlong and a bit confusing to me as a concept

... this is the first album that I did not listen to... Not because I have an issue with the album, but more because I was not able to find it available in a format that suited the moment--yes, I know that I can find it on youtube, but I hate listening to albums on youtube. So, in order not to tip the scale up or down, this get's a 3*

A reasonable relaxing listen but not much more.

Close to unlistenable, like a bad 90’s movie soundtrack.

Not terrible, but definitely not good. A shame because I think his work with PiL was banging. However, this is a bit shite.

Ok…had to use YouTube.

This was terrible I fear

Had no prior knowledge of this band or record but really enjoyed it. A unique sound.

Has a bosa nova pop Indian vibe with some Spanish overtones. It’s sounds as messy as you’d think but it’s got a decent driving techno-lite groove.

Like the world and dub. His voice not the biggest fan of. 3.1

not for me

Some of the music on this album is interesting, with a vaguely Middle Eastern quality. The vocals, however, are terrible

This one started out OK but this mix of extremely British and awkwardly global just does not work. The opening track and the title track are pretty decent, but the rest of this feels like a collection of cultural stereotypes and tourist tchotchkes. What's it doing here? Favorite track: "Rising Above Bedlam"

A Brit making a bad mish mash of different ethnic music and random genres. This shouldn't be on this list (but isn't COMPLETELY unbearable) .

World groove music! A really good mix of flavours from all over. I was exposed to Jah Wooble through Gone to Croatan which is an incredible tune. Wish I remember who tipped me off to that. So the world music album threw me, but pleasantly.

This was cool!

If you asked AI to make a fusion album, it would be this. Feels totally soulless

Pretty interesting fusion sound. Probably won’t revisit but a worthy entry on the list

This was not bad, I liked the vibe they create. The lyrics are worth listening to although the male vocals are the downside. Not really singing or rapping - rhythmic talking? Anyway, quite a different album that I definitely wouldn't have found without this list

Interesting. Needs another listen

Not the worst thing, nice for background music. low 3/5

I don’t really like this. Very atmospheric but doesn’t have a lot of substance to it. It’s giving a trustafarian sound: surface-level exploration of world music and philosophical themes. Not to mention the voice, reminds me of Public Image Ltd.’s vocalist, kinda adds a B-movie soundtrack vibe for this album. Despite having dance beats, it’s quite tiring listening to this. Not sure if this is a sign of burnout in this challenge but I find it more difficult embracing an open mind with albums I’m not familiar with.

kodel jis cia yra bro

An interesting listen, different to what I thought when I saw this record. Cool bass and I liked when Sinead O'Connor appear, that was a pleasant surprise. A decent album in the "world" genre (whatever that means) Fav Songs Visions of You Relight the Flame Bomba Is it Top 1001 Worthy (is it essential)? I'd say not really, white guy doing culturally diverse music like this can only go so far, some decent songs that are worth checking out by the album, not so much

Ik weet niet helemaal wat ik had verwacht van dit album. Maar het is in elk geval niet wat ik heb gekregen. Het is een soort funky progrocky album met ontzettend veel Afrikaanse invloeden? Of Indiase invloeden? In elk geval is dit basically het album van een stoner die gereisd heeft naar een land om zichzelf te ontdekken op yoga retraite. Geen idee of hij zichzelf heeft gevonden of gewoon achterlijk veel drugs heeft gebruikt. Ik denk een combi. Dit album klinkt in elk geval alsof het een combi was. Wel jammer dat er ook wat meer vreemde nummers tussen zitten zoals Sweet Divinity, waar je daadwerkelijk Jah Wobble hoort zingen. Hij is geen fantastische zanger... De vrouwelijke stem is een stuk beter en lijkt ook wat meer bij de muziek te passen. Alles bij elkaar: Dit album is een soort vreemde LSD trip. Denk dat je echt alle kanten opgegooid word, maar is het nou goede muziek? Mwah... Het is een beetje een zooitje, duurt me net ff te lang en ik denk toch de hele tijd dat ik dan liever daadwerkelijk naar een Afrikaans of Indiaas album had geluisterd in plaats van deze guy die zichzelf is gaan zoeken in het buitenland. FAVO: Erzulie

I think this is a good album, possibly a bit dated now, but seems to revel in a variety of international influences.

"Rising Above Bedlam" by Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart is just a decent album for me. This album is not that good to listen but is not bad also. Musically it is okay with standout tracks like, "Visions of You" and "Bomba". But I don't find nothing to praise for this album. There are plenty of filler tracks and unnecessary like "Rising Above Bedlam", "Ungodly Kingdom" etc. Overall the album starts with fun but goes downhill after "Bomba". And also the album is too long to listen as it is almost 1 hour. I don't know why this album was included in the list.

I'd heard one track from this on those 'Pure Moods' compilations in the nineties. The rest is much better than I expected. A fusion of world music influences with heavy dub beats. Very much my kind of thing these days.

De Pet Shop Boys gaan op wereldreis, zo klinkt het. Wat Arabische klanken, etnische percussie, een flamencogitaartje, Spaanse zang, verder dezelfde ingeblikte beatjes en keyboardjes en dito zouteloze stem. Ondanks de saaiere stukken best aardig, zeker als je in aanmerking neemt dat die knakker eerst bij Public Image Ltd zat (!). Uiteindelijk laat ik me dan toch door de wat swingerder stukken overtuigen.

Als het album begint, hoor ik vage klanken die alleen begin '90's opgenomen werden. Maar al snel wordt er licht Dylanesque doorheen gezongen. Later volgen meer oosterse klanken. Inmiddels heb ik op de link geklikt en lees ik dat meneer een voorliefde voor dub had. Ja, dat komt ook duidelijk terug. Daarna lees ik pas goed met welke groep we te maken hebben. Ah, Jah Wobble. Die punk van hem scoorde niet hoog bij mij. Maar dat lag wel wat meer aan de zang. Ik noem daarbij zelfs dat ik nog wel wat creativiteit ervaar. Daar is meneer het zelf niet mee eens volgens wiki. Hij vond PIL maar beperkend voor zijn creativiteit. Nou, we kunnen niet ontkennen dat dit plaatje heel wat creatiever is. 2,5 ster

Als je zo'n naam bedenkt voor jezelf, dan heb je ze niet helemaal op een rijtje of een hele rijke fantasie. Beide kan waar zijn in dit geval. We krijgen in ieder geval een album dat best aardig in elkaar zit, moet ik toegeven. Zeker met een rijke fantasie, maar de manier waarop wereldmuziek wordt gemengd met een sfeervolle loungerock, is toch zeker knap te noemen. Ik kan het niet met iets anders vergelijken, vind het uberhaupt lastig om een vergelijking te maken. Want waar heb ik naar zitten luisteren? Een meanderend beatje met daarover geluidseffecten en gitaarspel. En dat alles best wel chill. Ik kan er zo op de zondagochtend uitstekend naar luisteren maar ik ga het vermoedelijk nooit meer opzetten. Het is niet per se vergeetbaar, maar toch een 3 denk ik. Wel leuk om een keer te horen.

An absolute delight from beginning to end, so many fun sounds.

The album started off alright, similar to something that they would play on those Classic Rock radios. Eventually, though, maybe a few songs in, it started being very repetitive, without any excitement. As a whole, I wasn't a huge fan of the album, although it had some okay songs here and there.

feels like cultural appropriation 2⭐️

I didn't know what to expect here, which is what I love about this. I know very little about Jah Wobble. I really liked this. Like Fishbone, I was surprise at the first chord, this time a synth. And immediately thrown all over the place. Yeah he's probably ripping off lots of other styles and artists, but it works. Visions of You, Everyman an Island and Soledad some of the best. The title track actually the worst.

When this started I was thinking it incorporated some Manchester style backing tracks but hadn't quite captured me. The more it went on the more I just wanted it to stop. I think I've mentioned all the positive elements that sprung to mind while it was on. I did not like it.

This one was surprisingly good, added it to my list.

Interesting moments but ultimately forgettable

Good album. Liked every song really. Kind of a Spanish, 90’s rock, pop, world music vibe.

Heel vet, allerlei wereldwijde invloeden

It was not bad just not my jam.

Wasn't really sure what to expect with this, but I thought it was quite fun

Found this all a bit peculiar.

It was way better than when it starts and it had its fun moments. It is all over the place and thats kinda what makes it so unique and fun. It’s a good 80s movie like Revenge of The Nerds.

Boring.

Some of the albums on here are quite challenging, so that I have to take several listens before I can dare to make a judgement. So it's quite refreshing for a change to find utter crap like this and have an easy 1-star rating. While the default category for the 1001 albums is "white guys in the 90s playing guitar", a strong second contender is "pasty Brits failing miserably at appropriating black music".

Did not rise high enough

Man, we need to make it illegal for Westerners to make music in the style of other culture's music. It just comes off as incredibly cringe and appropriative. Especially when there's a shitton of this on the list and not music from the actual culture that this stuff is ripped off of. I've complained about this a lot when 60's psychedelic bands appropriate Indian music, and it's no different here. Overall, it's FINE-ish, I guess, but it's not particularly good. It just sounds like someone who doesn't really understand the music he's trying to copy. Just incredibly basic. Vocals are pretty awful when Mr. Wobble is on the mic. And why is this even on the list? The thing it seems to have going for it is the bassist was in Public Image, Ltd., and that it was included in the 1001. If anyone can elucidate me on why it should be included, let me know. Man, England will let anything get radio play, huh? Like, I praise the 90's for letting anything get radio play, but generally that "anything" was pretty good. Beck, New Radicals, Butthole Surfers. But even in the wild west of weird but good music that the 90's cornered the market on, you're bound to find some trash. Lastly, bro... can we stop with the English bands with awful names? Jah Wobble. Badly Drawn Boy. Elbow. Klaxons. The Boo Radleys. Enough. Come up with a good name for your band, otherwise I'm putting you in time out.

Why the 8th solo album of the bass player from Public Image Limited is on this list is absolutely beyond me. I could very easily have gone my entire life without hearing this. That said, it's a totally fine, mediocre early 90's world/trip hop album by a British guy. It's like the 6th one of those I've gotten in this list so far.

Là c’est typiquement un album du type « mais qu’est-ce qu’il fout là ? » L’écoute n’est pas non plus super difficile Il y a des moments pas mal assez dansants, mais à la fois c’est ringard. L’ambiance et les paroles de l’album n’aident pas, c’est presque ridicule 3/10

Goeie achtergrond shit. alles wat je doet terwijl dit afspeelt voelt 200% cooler

A quite unknown album. The album starts fun with some summer vibes but nothing too outstanding, but it goes further downhill in the middle of the project showing a lack of consistency. Best: N/A Worst: Rising Above Bedlam

interesting and entertaining!

3.9ish/10 = not terribleeee but it felt like a bit of a chore to listen to and i just didnt really click with it much, had some nice riffs though

Paso bastante

This was weird couldn’t tell if it was Indian or Latin influenced or where it derived from. Don’t really care either. Nothing catchy. Nothing memorable. Getting sick of random records.

super interesting - not dub

i have no idea why i don't like this kind of pretention when i like other stuff. maybe saying "invented by advertising executives" in song lyrics was a revelatory edgy thing in 1991 but hearing it now just feels like it's trying way, way too hard with zero nuance

Had not heard of this. I was really digging the first track, but then the rest of the album didn’t live up to it. Giving this a 3 because I appreciate that it’s a different vibe from what I’ve been receiving.

This is mostly just the kind of irritating "crossover" "world music" that seemed to be everywhere in the 90s. Very varied, but at least some of the tunes are actually enjoyable - Erzulie and Wonderful World were standouts. Overall, not great.

I liked the song rising above bedlam

Real nice

Meh 2

Every time I thought the music was getting good, Jah would start singing or, worse, rapping. I added “Soledad”, which is fairly straightforward flamenco, to my playlist.

Diverse but ultimately bland, what came to, background music. Washed over me, with occasional moments of interest (in the most listened song) and then right back to washing over. Some of these albums....genuinely how did they pick them for this list. It's not garbage, it's just meh.

Now fairly dated sounding, but strong songs are able to punch through some of the 80s production techniques. It probably wouldn't be made today - for good reason - but the core songs are good. I'm surprised there aren't more collaborations on it however and the fact that there don't appear to be other named writers credited for their inputs is particularly poor

This is why I'm still doing 1001. The weird shit. This was pretty awesome.

All of the place, not unpleasant, but overstays it's welcome

Rising Above Bedlam was a chapter in Len Houmous’ sex manual. 2.4 1/10 Visions Of You

The solo album of the bass player from the guy from the Sex Pistol's solo project. The fixation of British music critics with niche aracana offshoots of one summer in the late 70s needs to be studied. That said, this is a pretty fun album that epitomizes a gloriously eclectic early 90s approach: a bit of trippy pyschedelic dub new age multicultural optimist post punk electronica Bollywood sophistipop that is truly all over the place - like taking e and wandering around WOMAD.

Not the kind of music I like to listen to, and this album did nothing to change my mind. The only reason I give it two stars, is the bass playing

p661. 1991. 4 stars. This is weird, but in a good way. A strange and heady mix of world music set to 90s trance with starring roles for female guest vocalists - is that Sinead? Pleasantly surprised by this. Points deducted for the male vocalist and his annoying accent, and for excessive track length.

Ritmos que buscan lo etéreo en algunos momentos, pero a la vez conectan con un ritmo industrial Musica del mundo en sus inicios quizás, vocales de muchas partes que hacen una cohesión muy interesante Visions of You tiene mucha presencia, pero hay muchas otras que no se quedan atrás. La influencia de la India y hispana salen a relucir Recomendado, infravalorado Un músico muy innovador

Jah not wobbling to this one

First it was okay, then it kind of sucked, then okay again, then REALLY bad

I had never heard of Jah Wobble's Invaders of the Heart or Rising Above Bedlam before this challenge, so today’s listen was a complete surprise. It was also a bit of a challenge to track down, as it wasn’t available on Apple Music, which always makes these lesser-known albums a bit more interesting to explore. Straight away, “Visions of You” stood out as a beautiful song and an early highlight. The album itself is a very easy listen, but there’s also a huge amount going on beneath the surface. It constantly throws different sounds, rhythms and voices at you, which keeps grabbing your attention and makes you stop and properly listen. Tracks like “Visions of You”, “Rising Above Bedlam” and “Ungodly Kingdom” were particularly strong. What really struck me was how many genres and influences are blended together here. There are elements of world music, electronic, dub, ambient and rock all mixed into something that feels very unique. It’s highly experimental, yet never feels inaccessible. In some ways it feels almost ahead of its time, multicultural, genre-blending and ambitious in a way that feels very modern. This feels like exactly the sort of album that would be a Mercury Prize nominee, unusual, clever and artistically bold. It’s not always easy to categorise, but that’s part of what makes it so interesting. Favourite tracks: “Visions of You” and “Ungodly Kingdom” are both excellent Least favourite tracks: Every track was worth listening to, and each brought something different from the one before Album artwork: Cool album cover, there’s lots going on visually

I absolutely adore the sounds. I should give this a relisten when I'm not working out

Rising Above Bedlam not on Apple Music, so listened to Without Judgement, which was excellent

First of all, I couldn’t find this one on Apple Music. I had to go to YouTube and YouTube is a crappy platform to enjoy music on. So, I was already annoyed before even listening to this. The music was funky and I like the blending of all the cultures represented. It’s just that Jah Wobble can not sing. This album would be so much better if Mister Wobble just played his bass and let Sinead O’Conner sing all the vocals.

Enjoying. Immediate take is they have to be good people if Sinead OConnor is performing with them. But also why are these vocalists not credited?? Maybe a function of spotify? Her song, the first on the album, is great. Natacha Atlas v good. I like that I don’t know what to expect with each song but there’s still a clear line with the instrumentals somehow? Maybe. It’s different and I needed that during a bit of a lul. But also is this appropriative af? Everyone’s an island is killing me. I need to read about these people. Update: Of fucking course this is a white man in a fedora. Who was squatting as the Sex Pistols formed nearby And was accused of setting a drummer on fire? Amongst other drunken nonsense and “brawls” before sobriety and working for the London Underground. Also I’m sorry how the fuck is “world music” a genre? That is insane. I didn’t realize this was such an accepted term for just… music that isn’t Western and white?

Listenable, but not memorable

Had never heard or heard of JEIotH. I liked it ok, I might go back to the Sinead O'Connor teack

It’s not horrible, but definetly not great.

The soundtrack to a shop that sells crystals and incense.

Listenable, but pretty bad. Feels like cultural appropriation at points.

Do we really need more "World" albums on this list that are put together by a white British guy? It's not the ripping off of other culture's music that is the problem really, it's that it is done so poorly. The music ranges from boring to bad, completely uninspired. The vocals are generally terrible, especially when Jah does it (Jah? white British guy). +.5 points for Visions of You, which is ok to good. I'm crediting Sinead O'Connor for that. Too bad it was the first track. It gave me false hope that this wouldn't be bad. 1.5

this does nothing for me. trying to be too many things / feels like a poor imitation of something in the world music category

This was fun. Not great, not serious, but fun.

Fun listen… I would like to listen to again

I'm not sure what this album was trying to be. I certainly wouldn't call this innovative or anything, as I think there is simply more interesting world music out there. I don't know, just felt a tad inauthentic I guess.

I had no idea what was going on and I don’t know how I feel about it.

the moment this album started it was already quite different to anything I was expecting, and then Sinead O'Connor was on the first track!! great stuff. I actually loved the range of vocals across this album and the soundscapes of each song. It kept sounding fresh. Bomba was so good and Ungodly Kingdom was a lot of fun. Ok the more I listened the more I actually just loved this album and the vibe it created.

Production wise this spunds like Paula Abdul but if she took MDMA one time and sort.of.liked hearing lesser dance.muaic. Electronic music is noty thing and albums like this are the reason why.

Im not quite sure what I listened to, but I didnt hate it.

It’s interesting and the bass playing is killer here. I’m just not sure I took much else away from it.

I really enjoyed this, it had a unique sound that kept me interested. The album flowed well together while also giving every song a distinct sound. I'm a sucker for any fusion music. Favorite Track - Ungodly Kingdom Least Favorite Track - Rising Above Bedlam ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Not too bad...dragged a bit but ok.

me when i increase my elevation at the edinburgh uni student theatre that was shit. i like the bits of erzulie where there wasn't singing and not much else. that said the execution is good aside from the vocals so i won't give it one star

Not my thing, not something I can say I enjoyed, BUT... I at least respect the variety. This is a huge mix of different things - world fusion, dub, trip hop, and all in a sort of 80's/90's pop dressing. I don't like it - as I said, it's not my thing - but at least this is different. I got into this challenge to get exposed to new things. This was definitely a win in that regard. Song one is a pretty of the times pop tune, then song 2 goes almost into Church's Under The Milky Way territory with a world music fusion spin, then when you get to Everyman's An Island (song 7) and if someone was to say "Massive Attack cite this as an influence" I'd totally believe it (almost certainly not true, but the vibe is there). So while from a personal enjoyment perspective this is a 2 star, from a list objective perspective it's a 4 star.

ouais c'était sympa mais ça m'a pas retourné la bite quoi, ce registre j'ai du mal à tenir un album entier sans que ça me prenne la tête

I really enjoyed this one, not going to lie. Can't go wrong with a nice beat, lots of room to breathe, and something else interesting in the mix. Visions of You is a head bopper for sure.

Of course the side project of the BASSIST of one of the bands that have various albums in this list has one spot on his own because why include new music if you can copy/paste the same guys over and over again.

no me gusta

3/10

Hard to believe this is the dude from Public Image Limited. Some bits are very 90’s new age coffee shop where on occasion, a bald dude gives you acid and you dream about the rain forest. Other moments in this album are very not that. Overall, I think I like this more than most reviews here do, but it’s not making my top 100 or anything.

I thought this was going to be some shitty dub album, but then I remembered that Jah Wobble is the white bassist from PiL, a band that bores me to tears. That being said, this album is great when they're doing Spanish and Middle Eastern music and not so good when Jah Wobble is singing. Great bass player though...

I liked the Sinead song and the Indian inspired songs were cool, but overall I'm not sure why this is on the list. Probably a 2.5 for me.

Classified as 'World Music. Wouldn't it be nice if the world was actually as upbeat as this album?

Really surprised to discover that this was as late as 1991 as it feels firmly rooted in an 80s sound, particularly the drum machines. Interesting enough overall to have made it a worthwhile listen, probably not enough to make me come back to it though.

straight booty cheeks

Some of the instrumentals were nice. But Jah’s voice really rubbed me the wrong way. As a whole this didn’t register with me. Side Note: if you’re going to have a song that’s the same name as the album, it should be one of the better ones in the mix.

Surface level world music / new age. Dreamy but not very inspiring and at times badly sung

This grew on me over a few listens. The first track is a banger. Love Sinead O’Connor’s voice. Some great musicians. Not sure I would ever come back to this but I do like what he is going for 3.5

Had to listen on YouTube. No fun. But if this were on Apple Music I would listen again.

meh, nothing great about this one, didn't particularly enjoy the vocals but the rest was ... fine

Ça part dans tous les sens. Du mal à voir la direction artistique de l'album. Chelou

Well I did enjoy some of the orchestration but the album confuses me. Middle Eastern music mixed with reggae doesn't work for me.

This was actually a really nice time, which is some surprise from an artist called 'Jah Wobble'. I think the music itself across the album is really good, and nicely varied. Some of it is vibrant and fun, with a really good beat. Other parts are super chill. The guest singers and backing singers are good. His singing is a bit questionable on some tracks, but actually I'm mostly into it. I have a feeling I would appreciate this even more with more listens, but for now, I'm going... 3.5 rounded up.

This was an acceptable listen. I do not think that the album is able to mix well its cultural influences despite being quite interesting on that regard. 6/10 [DROP]

im fuckin vexxed by this album's inclusion on the list. as far as i can tell the full extent of its "accolades" are a 100+ chart position in australia and a nomination for a mercury award (where it understandably got trounced since it was running against screamadelica), so it doesn't seem particularly notable on that front. but it's on the list, which means it must go hard as hell and just have been slept on at the time, right? ....right?? nope.... it sucks! the opening track is like, kind of ok but after that it goes downhill so fast i repeatedly found myself wondering if this was some kind of joke, but as far as i can tell it's a genuine attempt at world music by a bloke from stepney. a bloke who's a pretty alright bassist, but perhaps not so hot as a singer.... and buddy, u better believe he's singing on near enough every single track. it's handily one of our strongest "would be better as an instrumental album" cases so far. there are, i guess, some enjoyable aspects of the album, but not in the sense that i'd come back to listen to them given their surroundings. the shitty synth-brass solo on "ungodly kingdom" has a charm to it, "everyman's an island" has a pretty nice break sample around 2 thirds of the way in and the guest vocals, where present, are a welcome break from..... whatever wobble is doing otherwise. but every time i get close to enjoying any aspect of this album something happens that pulls me right back out again, whether it's the recurring dogshit synth-brass, wobble's attempts at singing, or at times even just the production. shouts out to the guitar strumming panned 100% to the left near the end of "soledad" for making my headache 3x worse. thanks lads. i almost feel bad for handing this a single star cos if it wasn't periodically punching me in the face i'd probably rather listen to this than a lot of the stuff that i've given 2 stars? but as is, it's an album that actively punishes me for even considering enjoying it. i have no idea why it's on the list, but i hope the critic responsible got over whatever troubles they were dealing with that made them think people needed to hear this before they die.

this album is a world village coffeehaus mid evening liveshow slot and I'm drinking some cardamom scented blonde roast and schnapps nightmare as my ass gradually cleaves through some cheap beanbag material & onto a hard floor.

wow. why in god's name is this on the list AT ALL. this album is crazy from top to bottom. this is truly embarrassing to have released, I think. i looked this guy up and he releases like 6 albums a year, each with terrible awful AI album art??? seriously who the hell is this guy? why did I need to hear this before I died? this has to be THE single most baffling inclusion on this list, bar none.

I would enjoy this so much more if Jah Wobble didn't sing. His voice gets on my nerves lol

Things got a little weird about halfway through. Fun variety though.

Note sure how I made it one time through the whole album. Incoherent blending of styles mashed up into one album, and yet, seems completely forgettable.

It’s alright as a background beat. Not much else

Boring and puddle deep.

Perfectly listenable and solid playing.

This was pretty bad, though I did enjoy the basslines. It's like a sub part rock musician discovered the idea of "world" music and just decided it meant mostly reggae and dub and singing in Spanish. This is like music you'd hear in a resort exclusively for american and european tourists in the Caribbean because real local music would sound wrong to them.

Man ethnic pop music just is such a weird kind of genre. If you just listen to the music it’s decent but then you get songs sung in different languages which is okay but seems disingenuous. I just don’t see why a guy just can’t sing in their own language and make a mark.

Not as cultural appropriation-y as other reviewers would have you believe. It’s a pretty pleasant listen, all things considered.

I feel nothing towards this. Not necessarily good nor bad, just there. There's so many different genres slammed together its often off-putting. I hear Indian sounds, Spanish sounding music, & then the British guy "sings." It often sounds very early 90s. Nothing stands out either. 1

The music itself is just okay but the album’s so disjointed, it made it so odd to listen to.

There is a bit of variety, but in a way that still bored me. Sorry Jah Wobble

Starts off strong with the Sinead collab. After that, some funky stuff happens. Then some "meh" stuff happens. Better than I expected, but my expectations were fairly low.

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would based on the description. Definitely a 3.5, so I'll round up because it was unique.

feo de escuchar, no se merece ni una estrella

This sounds like it was created by the white guy with dreadlocks from the second Inbetweeners movie (the one Will rants at). That being said, there's some really nice, groovy sounds here but the lyrics made me cringe more than once.

Lite konstigt men kul

Go invade someone else's heart because mine hates Jah Wobble

Weird album.

Mr Wobble, your album is a fucking mess. It's got some proper lush riffs and 80s vibes, like real Duran Duran at times. At its worst it feels like an Indian paralysis demon, and I don't know if that is racist or not.

Wildes/weirdes Ding

The absolute jumpscare I felt when I saw this pop up. What do you mean Jah Wobble made a downtempo record? I think this has an interesting sound but his vocals are like a worse version of Sonic Boom from Spacemen 3, who I quite enjoy...Jah, not so much. Sorry man. I think you had it best when you were playing for PiL. And that was a looong time before this one.

2026.05.15

198 / 1089. A silly album that has aged as poorly as most things from the early 1990s. The tracks that leave Jah Wobble off the mic and solely on the bass are worth a listen (notably "Bomba" and "Erzulie"). The other tracks feature Jah's horrendously boring vocals, unfocused experimentation for seemingly little to no reason, and/or poor use of Sinead O'Connor as a backup vocalist. 4/10.

I liked the bass grooves on this album and the songs were kind of a fun adventure. cool to hear it once. would not listen again.

Alright so, I don't think this is very good. It sounds ugly dated in a way I don't like. And I can get behind the 1990 sound usually. Really though, the songs don't have hooks and it really does sound like the guy thought he could out-clash The Clash And that's a dumb thing to do

Turns out the bassist for the Sex Pistols was not, in fact, the most important part of the Sex Pistols.

Let me preface this by saying: any album that I listen to while riding the bike is going to get a higher score. With that out of the way, I thought this was an unbelievably odd and eclectic record. Just an absolute blast from top to bottom.

first time listening to this. I'm glad to have the opportunity to listen to some of Jah Wobble's work under his name. been wanting to check out his stuff since hearing his bass playing & sonic influence on the first two Public Image Ltd. albums. clear through line here to his dub and reggae inspirations. while some of the tracks suffer from some dated production, those bass lines still come through loud and clear. I liked the variety of language and rhythms across the album. "Visions of You" and "Bomba" were standouts for me.

I respect whenever an artist is out there musing spiritually about the nature of life like George Harrison. Speak-sing your truth Jah Wobble. There’s a lot of variety, and it never really falls flat. It achieves true lift off a few times.

This album felt like being on hold with Comcast for most of an hour: in the annoyance and type of music. The only thing missing was the vocalist popping in every now and again telling me I could use the website instead of being on hold, after the website specifically told me I couldn't do the thing online and I needed to call I hate to rate this as low as a Lou Reed album, but here we are. ⭐.49

Well made and boring

Okay.

There was a time where Starbucks would have some kinda album at the cash register. It would rotate once a month or so. The genres bumped along from soft piano pop to easy listening jazz to acoustic singer songwriter to world music. This album would've fit perfectly on a Starbucks counter had it come out a decade later. Just imagine it, 12 or so copies stacked flat with a single copy propped up on top so you can see the hideous album art as you try to decide on your coffee order. Like many of those albums, this is ... underwhelming and a little weird. Not bad, not good.

A bit goofy, one listen through was enough for me.

Initially I thought this will be cool and then it sort of.... Plateaued.

Pretty baffled by the hate for this. Wobble feels like he's sailing close to greatness here, freely picking elements of rock, worldbeat and reggae to create a recognisable signature sound. It's only really let down by his terrible vocals: he knows to talk rather than sing most of the time, but when he tries the dude can't hold a tune at all.

Reknow bassist solo efforts WITH guests …surprisingly was cohesive and an interesting listen

Listened to this after eating an edible and couldn’t decide if it was extremely underrated or supremely wankerish and ersatz. But it kept my attention and was pretty cool. I’d listen to it more if it were on Apple Music.

What a weirdly eclectic album but a very good listening experience.

64/100. Jah Wobble and The Invaders of the Heart create a style that feels rooted in dub, but constantly expands outward into different textures and rhythms. The album has a hypnotic and almost enchanting quality to it. The grooves are deep and repetitive in a way that draws you in rather than becoming stale, giving the music a strong atmospheric pull. What makes it stand out most is its sense of exploration. The fusion of global influences keeps the sound unpredictable and colorful, making each track feel like part of a larger musical journey.

Fabulous! So creative and pretty! Really liked the woman vocals!

It'll probably grow on me...

Honestly, this was really fun. I like how playful it is. The bass lines are on point. The worldliness and mysticism can be a little cringe, but fine if you just lean in.

Okay, there was some stuff here. Fun.

I suppose "world" really is the correct genre classification for this bad boy, because it obviously came from the world(or, a world). The cultural appropriation is tacky, even for the early 1990s. Overall, it had its moments, but never really grabs your full attention. Favorite Track: "Visions Of You".

interesting

This creeps me out

its laright

I liked this album, although it dragged a bit through the middle. It was an interesting listen, but hard to see how this is a must listen. It wasn't a particularly successful or well received album, and by this stage Graceland had been out for five years, so this kind of fusion was hardly innovative. Judged on its own, its pretty good, but can't justify a place on the list

That was OK. Very much late80s/early 90s, but that's fine. As increasingly seems to be the case, not sure what this album did to have made the list but I'm glad I've listened to it.

J'ai arrêté l'album en cours La voix de la dame qui montait super haut dans les aigus à eu raison de moi J'ai eu ce sentiment sur plusieurs musiques C'est dommage vu qu'il y a des bons arrangements sur d'autres musiques et qu'elles sont agréables

Fazolis music

This was not very interesting, might be decent background music if I was working on something but listening to it alone while driving it was pretty boring.

Eh, it was fine. Don’t mind the dub bass or the world music vibe, but it just got old really quickly. The biggest revelation for me was seeing Jah Wobble’s picture in the Wikipedia article. Not what I expected.

I am of two minds about this album. Some of it was not good at all, completely skippable— other parts had me nodding along. If I learned anything at all it is that there is one degree of separation from Jah Wobble to the Sex Pistols and that is just wild to think about.

I want to rate this higher because I really like it, but it just doesn't feel 'important' enough, more of an interesting curio along the way.

I appreciate its place on this list, even if it wasn’t really my cup of tea. Listening it on YouTube with adverts randomly appearing did not help…

There’s a bit of criticism I’ve seen of this about cultural appropriation. I’m not sure that’s the case as surely taking on influences from other cultures and blending it with more ‘traditional’ western styles has the potential to push things forward and create a more interesting soundscape. ‘Rising above bedlam’ takes influences from a range of other cultural sources but doesn’t really make the most of them here unfortunately. Wheras the influences may have benefitted from being more forward, they take too much of a back seat and don’t add sufficiently to it as a result. I’d have preferred for more dub influences to shine through as although the bass is cranked up in a few of the songs, some of the other techniques used by ‘Lee ‘scratch Perry’, ‘Mad Professor’ et al could have been used to create more of that drifting hypnotic sound that would have made this more interesting.

efter det her hører jeg aldrig et britisk album igen

Jeg plejer at være lidt apologist for de her tidlige elektroniske plader fra England, men av den her er ældet elendigt. Forbrændt brite som havde en out-of-body oplevelse på Ibiza ass plade. Ikke nok med at jeg ikke behøvede at høre den før jeg dør, jeg tror faktisk mit liv havde været lidt bedre hvis jeg ikke havde hørt dem.

Some of the later songs felt like "fattened" trip hop. Did not enjoy this record. It felt way too long.

A great album. I love the sense of adventure, exploration and fun captured on this CD. I know that not everything on the album is "authentic", but ... so what? "If it feels good, Do It !"

🎧Although it’s not reggae it’s still giving Ras Trent (the character, not the song…the song is actually great, unlike anything on Rising Above Bedlam). Remove from list immediately.

306/1089 Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart 'Rising Above Bedlam' 1991 I like some of Jah Wobble's work, and I can see what he's trying to do here, but really, it just doesn't work for me. Experimental world music influences are one thing, but trying to fit them all on one album is a step too far. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★★☆☆ (6/10) Total reviewed : 306 Already owned : 69 Purchased : 15 To buy : 4 Nope : 218

Very funky, very 90s, enjoyed about 50% of it

I really felt ??????? listening to this - I like world music and should have expected it with this album cover but if you look up this man he is the most white british guy I’ve ever seen in my life. nonetheless I do enjoy the 90s “maybe the internet will bring world peace” globalism vibes at times.

Wow that was… eclectic. Good dancey vibe throughout but the genre effortlessly switches from samba to Bollywood to Afrobeat and back. Never heard anything quite like this, and I’m pretty sure that is a good thing.

Judging by the reviews, I was expecting something awful. Sounds like a white dude trying to learn different cultures while integrating it with the sounds and textures he already knows. Absolutely fine.

I make a real effort to find SOMETHING positive in every album. Goddamnittohell but this list contains entries that are so thoroughly inartistic that they reveal the fool's errand in that intention. This may be the Archetype of the category. It’s inclusion can only be rationally explained as either (1) ironic or (2) experimental; as in “are there people who will consume, and even enjoy, ANYTHING if an 'authority' tells them that they should?"

Getting outside of my usual genres with this album of world music. Bomba and Ungodly Kingdom were my favorite tracks. Otherwise it didn’t move the needle much for me but I’m thankful I was exposed to this. One of the joys of this daily generator!

3/10 Jah Wobble, former bassist for PiL, collaborator with Can’s Holger Czukay and later Brian Eno, puts together a world music album, combining a variety of styles from Europe, Africa and Asia and including a bit of Dub Reggae. Sounds like it’s got some potential. As is usual for me, I listened to a this album a couple of times though while working before giving it more focus and, while it didn’t really do anything to stand out, it did seem like fairly reasonable background music. When I gave it a closer listen, however, the first thing that jumped out to me was how dated it all sounded. The sound palette sounds like it was gathered largely from the music room of a local school, with a host of horrendous MIDI horns, strings and more all over the record. There was also huge amounts of digital reverb and delay all over the production that really established a very specific time in which this album was made. Unfortunately, while an obvious time period can often be quite affecting in music, in this case it was on the cusp of when this type of equipment was starting to become affordable, but didn’t actually sound any good yet, unless you were spending big bucks, or trying to come up with non-organic sounds with your synths. Which is not what Wobble was doing. As a result, this sounds quite bad. Musically, it was also very repetitive. Jah is obviously a good bass player and the non synthesised instruments were also performed well, but so often the tracks picked one or two ideas and just repeated them ad nauseam for 4-6 minutes, which was hardly that engaging. There were also incredibly few hooks or memorable motifs anywhere across the record. Perhaps it was intended as more of a “vibe” record than a hook one, but the aforementioned production and sound palette issues put paid to that vibe fairly quickly, so I did find this a bit of a struggle. Jah also came across as a pretty limited vocalist and much of his vocals seemed fairly smug and full of self-importance, which didn’t really help endear me to the work. It’s a shame, really, because the core idea behind this blend of musical styles is pretty good, but the execution was just lacklustre. Visions Of You - This is not very interesting. It’s incredibly repetitive and has a very 90s poptronica vibe about it which, while not trerrible, does make it feel pretty bland and generic. I thought the bass line was quite interesting to begin with, but it just keeps on doing the same thing for 5 minutes. Also, if you get a vocalist of the talent of Sinéad O'Connor in to work on a track, maybe give her a bit more to do, eh? Relight The Flame - A slightly weird blend of dub rhythm section and Spanish guitar now. It’s better than the opener and has a bit more about it musically, but his vocal is so uninspiring and lethargically delivered that it sucks a chunk of energy out of the rest of the track. Natacha Atlas’ vocals inject a bit more quality in, but it’s not really enough. I’m not particularly keen on the fairly robotic drum programming either, which makes it feel quite rigid and stilting, despite the attempted blend of rhythms. Bomba - Sonically, this is a bit more interesting, but still sounds incredibly of its time, from the swathes of digital reverb to the basic drum machine patterns. It takes a weird turn where they flip the atmosphere of the production quite a lot around half way through. The vocal is quite nice, but feels melodically unfocused and the backing is just very repetitive and fairly uninteresting. Ungodly Kingdom - Ooh, there are some horrible synth horns on this. Like, really awful. I feel this could have been almost completely created using the preset sounds on the MIDI keyboards my school had in the music rooms in the mid 90s. I mean, it’s not a terrible composition (although I bet he thinks he’s clever coming up with Ungodly Kingdom to refer to the UK), but as with much of the rest of the album, it’s very repetitive and sounds so much of its time that it struggles to rise above that. His vocal delivery is also flat and uninspiring again. Rising Above Bedlam - More quite bland stuff here that is overly repetitive. The production is way better and sounds less “90s MIDI keyboard”, but the almost stream of consciousness spoken vocals feel quite smug while also being not very good. Tonally, there was more to like here, but it still managed to miss the mark. Erzulie - There’s a better mix of styles and rhythms in here and, as with other tracks that Natacha Atlas has fronted, there’s a bit more to grab on to on the vocal side of things. It doesn’t really manage to find any particularly engaging hooks or melodies across any of the instruments though, and the transition from verse to chorus is a little jarring. Again, the very early 90s sound palette doesn’t help things here. There are some decent elements in this, particularly the rhythmic blends later on in the piece, but ultimately it still didn’t do anything to actually grab me. Everyman's An Island - “Fun is a word invented by advertising executives to sell soft drinks”? I feel like Jah Wobble definitely has a higher opinion of his own intellect than he deserves. The track itself here is a little better. The blend of styles is pretty nice and while the production is a tad dated in places, it actually holds together reasonably well for the most part. Unfortunately, there’s still nothing particularly memorable or noteworthy about any of the musical content, despite the vibe being better, Soledad - The rhythms here are pretty good and feel more organic. The sound design also gives it a bit more depth and quality than what’s come before. This is a drifting composition that has a bit more melodic quality in places, but still struggles to pick out anything vastly memorable. The vibe is decent though, despite them trying to ruin it with some overly loud guitar parts and blasts of delay. Sweet Divinity - This just feels messy and a little aimless. More bad synth sounds that clash against one another in places and a fairly drifting, directionless vibe in others. It just doesn’t really manage to convey anything of note and feels largely pointless. Wonderful World - I can actually pick out a direction that this is trying to go in. Although I feel like his jumping off point was “what if George Michael said something other than ‘faith’ after ‘I’ve gotta have’?” and I couldn’t get that out of my head for the whole song. Sonically, this is a better blend, even though the excessive reverb makes it quite muddled. Some cool layered rhythms and a decent composition holding it together. It’s not really enough to save the album, and his vocal still isn’t great, but it’s not bad.

Must listen? This album tells you something about albums and/or pop music that you don’t get anywhere else? I love Jah Wobble as many bass players do but this is not anywhere near essential listening. It did get two for featuring sinead O’Connor. But it lost two for winning a Mercury award. The only decent Mercury in pop was Freddie. 1 star rounded up.

Triple J had playlisted 'Visions of You', which drove sales in Australia. We used to sell this album at the record store I worked at in the early 90s, so I know have heard this before, but can't remember much of it. I recall that it appealed to the dinner party set; tasteful beats, dub basslines, and a smattering of 'world music' influences to give it a sheen of sophistication. I suspect that this album was recorded on a shoestring budget (which explains the cheesy synths and slathering of digital reverb), but it sounds pretty good over-all, except for the over-busy drum machine programming and Wobble's fucking terrible singing. Wobble is a tasteful bass player but should never be allowed near the microphone. It is a welcome relief whenever Sinead O'Connor or Natacha Atlas turn up. Their charismatic presence lifts any of the tracks on which they sing. 2.5, rounding down for Wobble's singing.

weird

C’était plutôt pas mal et un peu original, ce qui est étonnamment inhabituel pour cette liste. Cela dit, ça fait un peu pot pourri de plusieurs culture, de façon un peu superficielle et si le premier titre est vraiment très bon, le reste est moins captivant.

Very 90s. One very spinal tap song. Not in a bad way.

Decent enough world music album. Starts strong but tapers off pretty quickly after the first few tracks. Not bad as background noise but not too much to really dig into and enjoy. Top tracks: Visions of You, Relight the Flame

kind of a more dub version of primal scream? Eh could live without it

This takes me back to the early 90s when music in the UK was grim. I didn’t warm to this. The first song was musically fine, but the guy can’t sing. It didn’t get any better.

Laid-back, fun. I dig it 3.5

Did Howard Dean deserve to lose just because he yelped in excitement? Had he listened to this beforehand, he probably would've been more wary

Budimo realni, nakon prve pjesme ništa nije spektakularno dobro, ali je zato barem totalno drugačije i zanimljivo. Nisam fan ženskog vokala i opet mi je bilo dobro. Nešto što bez liste ne bih nikad čula definitivno.

чёт ниочём. Пустое. Попытка одновременно подражать и регги и восточной музыке. В итоге - ничего запоминающегося. Реально бедлпам

Tällä levyllä oli aivan hyvät rytmit. Bassottelu ja rummuttelu oli groovaavia. Biiseistä ei noussut mikään muiden yläpuolelle. Mieleen jäi Sinead O’Connorin laulut. Tunnistin heti hänen omaperäisen kuulaan laulunsa.

This wasn’t bad, I just didn’t like it.

Wobble’s signature dubby bass lines accompanied with worldly sounds (some Spanish and Indian influences?). He can find a solid groove, there’s some nice cross-instrument rhythms, but in total songs aren’t too memorable or interesting. In a list of necessary albums - why do I need to hear a drunken Brit do it when I can hear the real thing?

I honestly didn't mind it. Meeting it is "skin deep" and appropriating but it makes for enjoyable background music for a white middle aged woman

First impression gets me somewhere at the intersection of Love and Rockets, Big Audio Dynamite, and basically anything on the Pure Moods of. Give me more of this sort of thing, honestly. Something hard to define but ostensibly listenable. It's got that eastern exoticism fascination, which rings a bit uncomfortable now but gives this a more interesting flavor than just having a nasal brit singing across 10 songs. I'd want to listen more attentively but I think this hovers around a 3.5* with Erzulie at the top

It's ok

эспаньола

Curious

guter groove, aber etwas wirr und konzeptlos.

Spannende Vita

Gvd wat kut. Dit album voelt agressief racistisch.

Grote hoeveelheden matig. PiL, maar dan iets minder kut en met een soort oppervlakkige invloeden van muziekstijlen van ver. Wtf doet Sinead hierop.

I enjoyed this. A very suprising record from Johnny Rotten's former bandmate. The highs were high, the rest felt a bit samey but its a good overall experience.

What the fuck was this

I really liked almost everything about this album, except for the male lead vocalist. Maybe it's some of my British fatigue settling in, but I did not think he was very talented. It said on their page that the their band is led by bassist Jah Wobble, and I'm wondering if that was who was singing as well. I thought the bass playing was great and I appreciated that it took a central role in the compositions. I also liked all of the other vocals; "Bomba" was probably my favorite song, partially for that reason. All in all, this album is just the kind of world fusion that I really like, combining styles from the west, the east, South America, Africa, etc., as well as electronic elements. It was also notably psychedelic. For me, this album sit somewhere between a three and a four, and I would have to listen to it again to give a better final verdict, but I guess I'm going to succumb to my bias for this kind of music and give it a four

Oh, look, another early 90s UK album! This one is maybe a bit better than some of the other ones we've heard (to me). Don't like his singing, but he's a decent bassist. The "world music" elements are a mixed bag - probably seemed pretty hip, 35 years ago; a bit clunky, now. But props for adding Sinead O'Connor and (especially) Natacha Atlas. And the Spanish and Arabic elements I think do more good than harm. So, maybe enough positives to just barely give this one a 3, rather than a 2. Without the two women (vocalists), though, it'd be a 2.

I would rather listen to authentic dub like King Tubby's This seems like colonizer music. Using various music styles from around the world without adding much. I'm fine with taking inspiration but this doesn't do much with it. Of course it's another English guy. . .

eh no thanks

British

ummm it's fine. i appreciate the effort to be a little different here! a lil inspired! a lil cross-cultural! the problem is that, for me, it all ends up feeling sort of bland in spite of that effort. also the title track is really bad. but i guess i don't hate it. yet another example of an album that i need the book page for bc i do not understand why this would get included.

Ehhhhhh... I don't know...

World music just isn’t for me. Occasional cool sounds. I dig the synths.

TIL Jah Wobble did things after he left PiL (who, incidentally, are coming to Manchester Music Hall for reasons unclear to me). Pretty good.

This certainly fits within the fabric of stuff I like, but it didn’t grip me. Not bad. Not great.

Relight The Flame is my favorite track on the album. I like the album it’s very exotic.

I've never heard this album before, though I thought I knew how it would sound. I was a bit wrong, pleasantly. It's more interesting than I expected.

I enjoyed this a whole lot more than I thought I would. I thought I'd hate it, but I'd listen again.

It moments, it's groovy. And that's why it's a 2 star

Nah, trying too much to be something it is not. It's probably useful as a stepping stone to some authentic world music?

I'm feeling secondhand embarrassment for Sinéad O'Connor being involved on this record. Why is it on the list, it hasn't aged well.

Not even Sinead O’Connor could save this. This is a dumpster fire but I am glad I can now bring up Jan Wobble to people and spread the curse.

yay! more reggae. . .oh, nevermind.

In which the original bass player from Public Image Ltd forms a world music collective and creates a “dial a style” record with an eclectic mix of non-Western music blended with 90s pop. An interesting idea but most of it didn't work for me. Shout out to Sinead O’Connor (RIP) for bringing life to the one good track, Visions of You

A couple of bright spots. Visions of You is decent and I liked Everyman's An Island, but I mostly found this alternately irritating and boring. It's like an entire album of the song that represents the lull in the running order.

No idea what the goal of this keyboard orchestra is

2.5/3. Kinda intersting but drags on for way too long.

going to take this as a good sign that this one wasn’t on Apple Music!

Another one I had listen to on YouTube which kills the experience a bit! All in all OK but nothing special.

Right off the bat, I’m expecting Bob Marley and instead I get Billy Joel music with Enya as a background singer and a clone of the singer from UB40 taking lead. Is this an 80’s album? Nope. Wow! This is cheese imitation reggae Gross

The first thing I learned about this band was that the singer was the bassist for Public Image, Ltd. and I immediately was thinking "this guy was involved in the creation of one of my absolute least favorite albums, this is gonna be awful." Metal Box is beyond awful, and I'm saying that as someone that loves experimental music. I'm happy to say that this is infinitely better than Metal Box, and anything PiL is capable of making. I could never guess where this album was gonna go next. On one song there was some Dub-inspired stuff, and then in the immediate next one there was some Spanish guitars, and then it went Middle-Eastern. It's like a really weird plane flight around the world where I have to spin a wheel to find out what country I'm gonna land in next. I loved everything about that flight and would get back on in a heartbeat.

There's a lot of hate for this album in the top reviews but I kind of loved it. Fun, wacky world music, kind of Saada Bonaire coded with the electronic elements, and Sinead O'Connor is on a few songs!

not available for streaming

Jamais écouté avant. Top : Visions of You Flop : Soledad

#notforme

Miälenkiintonen paketti, eri fiiliksellä ehkä jopa nelse, mutta tyydytään kolseen

Tämä oli ihan mukavaa kuunneltavaa, monenlaista menoa ja hyvä meininki. Ei tätä kuitenkaan uudestaan tarvitse kuunnella, joten mennään kolmosella.

Tätä vähän tuntus vaivaavan semmonen perinteinen, että keksitään aihio, laitetaan rekki päälle ja sitten soitellaan. Voin olla väärässäkin, mut liikaa jää omaan mieleen jamittelumeininki. Ihan korvamyötästä tää on, mut ei nyt kuitenkaan herätä erikoisempia viiliksiä.

Ei saatana mitä paskaa.

Any moment that Jah participates in singing this goes down towards a 1 for me. The other sounds and artists he brings in are fine, but not his culture and kind of boring. There are a few musical bits that salvage this project, but overall not impressed. 1.5/5 -> 2/5

Unfortunately this wasn’t available to listen to

genuinely quite tickled by this very earnest record, which uses dub as a launching point to access all sorts of music which exists in that deep, repetitious vein. perfectly reasonable mission, unfortunately undertaken by a white British guy with a signature hat. it's really silly, and doesn't feel like it's in particularly productive conversation with any of the genres Wobble's pulling from, but it's far from boring! flamenco, raga, Jez's terrible music from Peep Show - nothing's off limits here, and like. that's Not a Good Thing. but it's kinda fun anyway!

White British guy tries to be worldly. The instrumentation isnt bad, the vocals are atrocious.

Unexpected! Loved half of it but his singin is a very acquired taste

Rätt lökigt

Inte det värsta jag hört, men inga speciellt förmildrande omständigheter heller.

Jomen detta var jäkligt härligt! Stundtals märkligt, men typ bara en låt som inte var intressant. Fantastisk fusion av olika stilar!

Coolt! Men inte riktigt tillräckligt svängigt för högre betyg.

C'était un peu trop ethnique pour moi mais sans savoir dire quelle ethnie ?? Y'a des accents de reggae et des fois ça part en Samba de Janeiro, rien que pour ça je mets un point de plus que ce que je mets habituellement pour ce genre, y'avait quand même de la variété

M’ennuie

Sympa mais sans plus

Definitely not for me.

I'm white but not this white. Even Sinead couldn't save this one.

Like it!

Listens: 3 Standout Tracks: Relight the Flame, Bomba, Erzulie A couple of disparate notes for this one: 1. I dislike how broad the genre "World Music" is. There are literally dozens of different names for genres under the umbrella category that is "rock music" and you could argue that Electronica music sports hundreds of micro-genres. So, why the hell is this album labeled simply "World Music" when Songhoy Boys' Music in Exile and Jorge Ben's África Brasil (to name a few) have actual defined genres (afro rock, desert blues, samba funk, etc.) Surely this album can be qualified into a specific or even multiple actual genres. 2. That rant above, aside, I have mixed feelings about this album. It feels like a proto-Thievery Corporation in some places, and positively cringy in other places. Unlike Thievery Corporation, this does not seem to have any electronica elements. It sounds like this is all physical instruments. So, really the only overlap is the "World Music" elements present in both bands, but there is a bunch of... well I can't really say Rising Above Bedlam actually influenced, say, Richest Man in Babylon, but it sometimes feels like it. 3. This is the sort of album that I like seeing on the list. It's not an all-time favorite. It might fade out of my memory quite quickly, but maybe not. Maybe it will have staying-power. But regardless, this is why the List exists. To discover new stuff. New, interesting, "world music"-y music that's weird and out there and maybe a diamond in the rough occasionally. 4. I like the foreign language elements, the arabic/middle eastern styles and themes, the sitar (I'm not sure if it's actually a sitar being played). I like how it gets funky (not like the genre funk, but more psychedelic, brain chemistry altering funky) on some of the tracks. This is one of those albums I wish I could give a half point. It's a solid 3.5. I am going to round up (which I rarely do; points for being off the beaten path).

I really enjoyed this fusion, it feels otherworldly.

Foutraque

I enjoyed the sound variety and reggae vibes - he sounds like Johnny Marr and is right around when he was fronting The The, so... this album reeks of its time, so early 90s but not acid jazz (think Jamiroquai, Brand New Heavies) which still sounds fabulous, but this isn't sthg I'd go back to really

There will be bass. There will be breakdowns. There will be special guest singers. Like a group of kids playing in a sandbox. 2.5:starsl

This album is a journey, friend. What a whirlwind tour of influences. It's not all smooth sailing, but it's a really fun ride. Spins: 2 Playlist Additions - Visions of You - Relight The Flame - Bomba - Everyman's An Island

You know how Paul Simon took a bunch of heat for “cultural appropriation” on his making of Graceland, even though it was pretty good art made with tact, taste, and a reverence for the places and people it lifted sounds from? Yeah that ire should be directed at this thing. I’ve got quite the tolerance for cheesy songs made with the intent to uplift the world while ripping uncredited non-English musicians (“Komodo” by Mauro Picotto is a good case study in this phenomena), but this is just bad all around. This is the bassist of Public Image Limited, one of the worst reoccurring bands to inhabit this list. I don’t think I need to say much more than that. There are times where this record isn’t outright bad, but those times are few and far between. Some lowlights include “Ungodly Kingdom” and “Sweet Divinity”. 1/5 sadly takes all the worst parts of the early 90’s sounds and puts them into an album

Completely forgettable

When I saw that it was world music and the name Jah, I didn’t expect a British white guy.

There's lots of variety on this album, but it wasn't that interesting to me. Liked Songs Added: Visions Of You

Some sort of abstract art gallery noise more then a coherent album. A bunch of random guitar lifts with bad singing, or talking or whatever they decided to switch to from track to track. I get it the guy can play the bass.

oh weird im kinda into this lol appreciate the departure from english rock

this was weeeeird kinda silly kinda fun i liked the mix of language

A bit... odd. Not my thing really, not sure what folks see in it. Not *bad* per se, just... yeah.

Interesting, guest vocals were nice. 3.4/5