Reviews (page 6 of 7)
Special! Not to repeat, but special. I can't put less than ⭐⭐⭐
absolutely vibes for some reason. 5/5
2.7 - Dunno just didn't really do much for me honestly
Funny one, feels like another strange inclusion. Not bad per se, but also struggling to see what differentiates this dub album from any other dub album. Fave Tracks: Bomba, Ungodly Kingdom 2.9/5
I really liked the middle third of this album
No disponible en Costa Rica
Bad. Not good. Should not be on this list
This album is an example of an objectively weird combination of styles that accidentally sounded kind of good. It's easy to hear the influence of Public Image Ltd (of which Jah Wobble was a member) in the form of brutish, ambling (yet melodic) basslines and a punk/post-punk freedom in the vocal and percussion. In fact, the basslines are some of the most impressive elements of these tracks. Mr Wobble definitely knew what he was doing in that regard. There's also a distinctive foray into world music, sort of like the very-post-punk equivalent of Paul Simon's Graceland. The world influence is butchered slightly, focusing heavily on a bright, positive, celebratory atmosphere while kind of ignoring cultural nuance. Feels kind of like cultural appropriation, almost. But it's fun music... what else could you ask for? Well, you could ask for a male vocalist that suits the band. There are two lead vocalists – one male and one female – and while the female one, as well as the backings, are generally very strong, the male one is so incongruous that it feels like a tipsy British bloke had a stack of five quid slapped into his hand and was asked to freestyle-ramble about philosophy. I actually didn't mind it too much. It was such an odd sound that it ended up being pretty entertaining and engaging. Still, it's nowhere near a masterpiece. The album cover is horrendous. Key tracks: Visions of You, Relight the Flame, Bomba 3/5
I liked quite a few of the songs, but I don't really like the narration in some of them, but overall, pretty cool songs
Kind of otherworldly and pretty interesting to listen to.
Not available anywhere. 1 star it is
Visions of You 3 Relight The Flame 3.1 Bomba 2.6 Ungodly Kingdom 2.8 Rising Above Bedlam 3.3 Erzulie 2.8 Everyman's An Island 3 Soledad 2.7 Sweet Divinity 2.5 Wonderful World 2.4 Score: 2.82
Only good song is Bomba. Singer is terrible. 2 stars
Doesn't hurt... Bass lines are cool though...
就那样，融合得有点尬
Has a few good moments. The first song is good. Ez 2.5.
1.5
Idc
I wish I could say this bored me, but it didn't. It annoyed me to the point that it became a gnat on my ass.
Some of the songs (Visions of you, Bomba, Soledad) start off very promisingly until the vocals kick in and everything evaporates into lighter-wielding melodies.
I had to try multiple times to get through this album. The top review for this album is right, but there are some okay songs. I won't listen to them again, but they didn't make me want to turn it off. Those songs were "Visions of You" and "Erzulie." Other than that though, this album was grueling to get through. Plus this guy is connected with Johnny Rotten. Fuck that guy.
Listened to this twice, and if you can I would recommend. On first listen it's a bit unfocused and the plethora of different voices can mean it slips by and doesn't really grab you. While there are passages that are more textural and ambient, on a second listen melodies and structures reveal themselves.
The point of this list is to expose you to things you don't necessarily know and Jah Wobble is the perfect example of this. Somewhere between the lines of prog, reggae, punk, country and whatever else you want to regurgitate you end up with Rising Above Bedlam. I don't know how I really feel about this, but it's very interesting. It's interesting to see someone who was present at the dawn of the post punk era as a member of PiL lean heavily into the reggae sound that he obviously liked. Listening is like reading a newspaper from this time period. You don't necessarily think you'd be interested in the weather or what the weekend sales will be from thirty years ago but yet you still keep reading. And listening. 3.5/5
Bit strange innit
Eh.
It wasn't annoying? 2.5/5
This was certainly unique, I'll give it that. I found it pretty boring overall, though. I couldn't get into it even though it seemed okay? More of a 2.5 but I'll round up to be generous.
Interesante. 3/5.
A little Sinead O'Connor meets Happy Mondays vibe on opener bodes well and no surprise that one was the hit. But, despite the promising start, the rest drifts pretty quickly into generic world music vibes – not terrible, just not compelling.
I didn't have high hope for this. So I was almost pleasantly surprised.
No.
Previously of Public Image Ltd., this is bassist Jah Wobble's experimental attempt at "World Music." This is cultural appropriation at its finest. Jah Wobble's Invaders of the Heart is exclusively British musicians playing with "foreign" influence, with the exception of trumpeter Harry Beckett who is actually of Barbadian origin. This album did not chart, has little to no historical or popular impact, and is just offensive.
It’s aight
I appreciate the effort but this was never more than OK. And sometimes it was worse. ehh could be a 2 or 3
Un peu space comme affaire, pas trop mon style (et pas sur spotify). Avoir su, j'aurais mis un 3 pour Beck, ça me rejoint plus que ça.
I don’t know what I’m listening to. Is it Indian, but she’s singing in Spanish? Is it techno-pop, trance, rock? Is that Caribbean flamenco?? It sounds the Middle Eastern acid-addled love child of Bowie, Shakira and Enigma was delivered by the B-52s! …and I like way more than I should! I get why I have never heard of it: it’s way to weird for a mainstream American audience. It’s a shame! Key songs for me are the opening track Visions of You and Ezequiel. I may be voting way to high on this but I’m blown away. This is getting a few more listens.
I super like this one! I wonder why I’ve never heard of it. Oh, because it was released 6 days after Nirvana’s Nevermind. I vaguely feel like I’ve heard Visions of You before. This shit had to be super popular with the hipster college kids in 1991 when they were dismissing grunge. I’ll be spinning this one again.
Well, that was odd. Let's put feathers on the album cover to make it seem more exotic and worldly. Placing this selection on the 1001 list honestly feels like a bit of a stretch. Not my cup of tea (which especially seems odd to say since I primarily drink coffee).
Pretty good album when the main guy isn't involved in singing. Definite 90's smooth jazz production techniques in play.
I feel like he was trying to do something interesting but didn't quite make it.
Some interesting ideas and exploration into world music by a British guy. There were some stellar moments, but probably won't return to it (especially difficult since this album wasn't available on Apple Music).
Like dubby U2
Bem diferente
2.5
I read the reviews before listening to get an idea of what this was about, so I had very low expectations. but this actually had some interesting parts. It's probably not something I'll come back to often but I don't think it was as bad as some of the top reviews described
Jammer, beschrijving van de band deed me veel hopen
Not my style
This was difficult. Kind of all over the place, nothing really appealed to me.
Rising Above Bedlam by Jah Wobble and The Invaders of the Heart kicks off with the captivating vocals of Sinéad O'Connor, setting an exciting tone. However, the album's lengthy compositions make it hard for some listeners to connect with, especially those not already into world music. It feels like the music is trying too hard to showcase its global influences, bordering on self-indulgence. While ambitious, this approach may overshadow the album's broader appeal. Overall, this might not resonate with everyone and falls short of greatness, particularly for those not keen on world music. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 1 STAND OUT TRACK - Visions of You
After reading the review about the guy from down the hall in college, I felt like that summed it up. Upon reflection I see a commercial outlet for this album. The kid from film school decides to make a combination of Pulp Fiction and Natural Born Killers that will "be this generation's The Omen." The writer/producer/director/star is talking to the assistant he got by falsly promising academic credit for working on a "real film set." "He'll work for a credit and a sandwich? Will he come down on the sandwich? Okay, if Jimmie can't get off from Starbucks, make a PB & J and get him in here."
Not something i'd go back to but it was an interesting listening experiment.
OK.
Ja kuultu albumi kun osasi joskus spotify esittää mieluissaa musiikkia tarjota.. Lopetettu viihde humpuuki kuuntelu ja albumin kopsuttelulla menny.. kopsii kopsii.. päähän menee.. Visions of you tykättynä albumissa ja pakko sanoa ettei sen kappaleen jälkeen paljoon selkään puukota.. hyvä päätös aikanaan kuunnella hyvää musiikkia albumillinen. Loppu osa kuitenkin saatana.. Varsinkin viimeinen kappale.. Jos on yksi sääntö meikäläisellä ollut niin se on että chilling & wibing albumit juotavat yhteen tähteen. Eilisen albumin rento ote tiputti kahdella tähdellä. Onneksi tämä ei ole kokonaan rentoilua, sillä taiteessa täytyy olla pakottava tarve. Kun tuota pakottavaa tarvetta ei ole, lapsi ei opi punnertamaan 30 toiston sarjoja kun viiden toiston sarjoille taputetaan... kun TUOTA PAKOTTAVAA TUNNETTA TEHDÄ HYVÄÄ TAIDETTA EI OLE.. saadaan mediocre kongon paukuttelua.... ketä perkele kiinnostaa kongon paukuttelu.... Toisella puolella spketriä... pink floyd ja jokainen auringon valon väri... sitova kunnianhimoinen konsepti.. kuolema aika.... vakavoittavia kappaleita. Aikuiset. Älkää taputtako leikille. Kumartakaa, kun messias, Jeesus Kristus saapuu. Aamen.
Jadu, inte direkt en favorit! Favorit låten var Erzulie Albumet får 2/5 stjärnor
Groovy
I don't understand how some albums get on this list. Like the first song was ok and then it just got worse for me from there -- fine, I don't have to like every album on here. But what was this album doing that was new or different or that makes it stand out? And my god, those lyrics "Love conquers fear ... in the arena ... of LIFE!" Bleh
Had no idea what to expect here with such a strange band name, the first song reminded a lot of primal scream. The rest of the album is varied and interesting without completely loving this album, I found it interesting and makes me want to go back for more.
Trying very hard to be be influenced by music from a wide range of cultures. Not succeeding in a very convincing way. Rating: 2/5 Playlist track: Visions of You Date listened: 19/02/24
Funky beats. Danceable.
Favorite Tracks: Visions of You Bomba Erzulie
Not on spotify, but it does have Rising Above Bedlam radio with Jah plus an awesome lineup of my 80s idols like Kate Bush, Talk Talk, Echo & the Bunnymen. Had to Jah on the YouTube, and mostly enjoyed it. I understand a lot of criticism from the kids, but hope they can realize that 70s & 80s were a world without internet. Cultural appropriation wasn't a thing when we weren't inundated with vlogs & tiktoks about how to be "correct" and "accepting". It was thanks to albums by artists like Jah, Peter Gabriel, Ryan Cooder et al that different ethnic music and artists were introduced into what is now the mainstream. Couldna done it without them. 👏👏👏
First of all, I'll grant you—I think this is better overall than the last thing I heard Jah Wobble on, METAL BOX. Maybe attribute it to this album's pop sheen, I'unno. Although, with that said, I still find METAL BOX to be, like... More interesting? Now, yeah, the world music stuff is interesting; I'm not gonna deny that. But otherwise, it just kind of washes over me. At least METAL BOX had some parts where I perked up and went "Ah, damn that's cool!" Meanwhile, here, aside from a Sinéad O'Conner feature on the first track, I really didn't get much of anything out of it.
Certainly has dated production, but it still is some pretty decent pop tunes, nonetheless. And to think this dude, was part of the group that made Metal Box. A deserved glowup.
This album could’ve been cut in half, or even into thirds, and I would’ve given it a lot of credit for being (does this sound familiar yet?) a completely competent album with a great runtime that explores a variety of styles and explores them all in short bursts, with some mediocre vocals, and I’d have given it a 3. The completely needlessly long runtime and repetitive production that actually permeates this entire album single handedly ruins it. It’s not an egregiously terrible album, but it just drains on and on, and it gets so utterly boring by the end that you barely realize the final track is the final track. It’s a 2, but it’s an Apocalypse Dudes-style 2 where individually, I’m sure these would be great tracks in bursts, but as a whole album, it’s just a miserable experience to me.
Not as unlistenably awful as a lot of the records I’ve given a 1/5 - I kind of appreciate some of what this is trying to do. I just think its inclusion in this list is such a waste. Trying to be an eclectic ‘world music’ album that just uses the most base level features of the genres and cultures it borrows from over some awfully dated synths. I’d have more leniency if it was a mid 80s album or something but it’s 1991, it should sound cleaner than this
Solid mixing and production. Poor final product of surface level cultural exploitation. Boring. Weird. Not enjoyable to listen to.
Oh cool, today I'm greeted with an album I've never heard of. But wait, it was released when I was a teenager, so why haven't I heard of it? The album cover looks kind of African. Maybe it's something like Femi Kuti which I liked. So lets press play and see what this is. The first track is interesting and is a great start to build off. My curiosity is peaked to see where this goes. Unfortunately the second track falls flat on its face. For me the whole album is hit and miss. There's lots of good ideas here that just don't come together well. At least now I know why I've never heard of it before.
Album 307 of 1001 Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart - Rising Above Bedlam Rating : 2.5 / 5 Nothing I can really recommend. Might mean more if I were British, I suppose. It is listenable but just kind of odd in a novelty sort of way.
really good album, another one for the rotation
There is more to this than I was expecting. The world music influences feel authentic rather than novelties and there are some very enjoyable moments. Jah's vocals are the low point for me though, both lyrically and stylistically.
I'm not the type of person to throw this phrase around lightly, but I think this album should have been called Now That's What I Call Cultural Appropriation. I think that Jah Wobble and company (Sinead O'Connor sings on this album, neato!) had some pretty big aspirations in making this album, but unfortunately those aspirations didn't play out very well in practice. This album is pretty much a mess: there's Spanish singing, without elements of latin music, there's political messaging without any teeth or meaning, and there's a lack of overall cohesion from track to track. This album feels pretty empty in all aspects, and it was a chore to get through. Sinead O'Connor's vocals were nice, but overall, her talents are pretty much relegated to the background, which is incredibly unfortunate. I'm glad this is the only Jah Wobble album on this list, but now I'm dreading the Public Image Ltd albums.
I don't know, man. It's not that I hated this, it just didn't feel... real. Like, all the "world music" bits felt forced. And that's weird, right? That said, the production was great. The songwriting wasn't too bad. Performances were all solid. It just had this veneer of falseness that I couldn't get past.
Interesting...cool mix of world sounds...some tracks a bit cliché. Solid.
Some interesting sounds but I listened to this album twice and nothing really grabbed me. Pretty mid album for me.
Funky beats, probably ahead of it's time for 1991. Awesome spanish lyrics.
Idk, just kinda fine? Didn't really pull me in in any way, but perfectly decent background tunes.
Guilty by association? Possibly. Was never interested, and after about half the album, won't be listening again. Not terrible, just not my bag
WHAT?!?? I kept listening to this without any idea who or where it came from, foolishly thinking the nex song would tell me more about what this is supposed to be. Then I finished the album. I have no idea what this is and maybe that is for the best. Favorite track? "Ungodly Kingdom" I guess. 1/5
Truly a mess of an album. Supposedly lead by a bassist, the bass lines are simplistic. The genre is "world music" while being written and performed by 5 white people from the UK. It's tiring to listen.
Give Jah head a Wobble.
This is what happened in the 90s when turtleneck sweater enthusiasts discovered a box with a midi player, a cow bell, and some incense. World music by and for the whitest people you know trying desperately to be super deep. Emphasis on trying. The musicians aren’t bad…so it’s not a 1 but it wasn’t fun to listen to… 2/5 NPR turtlenecks.
What to make of this?..world-music vibe but his background is so punk…probably another one that deserves a 2d listen
another little world endeavor like duck rock, and i'm being really honest with you? this one is better. even if there's a decent amount of it that's almost... intelligent slam poetry? that may be a weird description. there's a fair amount of sung but also a fair amount of really good beats over... sonnet-level spoken word. it's certainly good in its own right, but, at least for my first listen i was more stunned than interested in it,, there's plenty to like though! a lot of producing techniques are AMAZING.
just feels fake Okay, I was going to give this a 2, but why? What am I giving it credit for? There’s nothing I enjoyed here, so why not give it a 1?
This was fun and jaunty. Not something I'd listen to regularly, but I can appreciate the creativity. Surprised I've never even heard of this.
I wouldn’t have played this on my own, thinking it wouldn’t be my type of music, but they actually liked it more than I thought I would.
Low key techno vibe
What is this fucking shit
This is perfect. I was in need of something to listen to during my peyote ceremony tonight.
This is why I'm doing this list! this was an absolute shocker of an album for me. Some very interesting music and some amazing song saved for the best of playlist. Loved this
Background music. Songs in spanish, english and french.
Very positively surprised by Jah Wobble, especially after I knew that he was the guitarist of public image and I had a somewhat painful experience with the latter. It was refreshing hearing some non-english stuff on this list of albums. I enjoyed it
A couple of decent songs, but overall it just felt off, for lack of a better term, on the beat. The songs also felt too long.
vocals are not my cup of tea, decent instrumentals, but also not enough going on
This sounds like Mr Wardle ended up relaxing quite a lot on his Spanish holiday. I love his work with PiL, but I really can't get past his voice here. Music a bit too mellow and the voice too jarring to really listen for too long.
The bass dominates here, as expected. There's always an ambience to Wobble. It's more sound than songs. The flamenco guitar was a surprise. Ditto the samba rhythms. The album strays a little towards the end. The focus isn't quite there.
This was incredibly bland and boring, never wanted to turn it off but was happy when it was over.
Liked a lot of this especially the tracks with Sinéad O'Connor. Good bass lines throughout but the vocals feel like they drag sometimes.
90s trendy coffee shop music. While not Bjork bad, I still didn't enjoy it.
Didn't really enjoy this one. Not sure what the point of it was. Lots of different styles, but I don't think they went together. Wouldn't have guessed this was the bassist in PiL, but it doesn't make it good, either.
Unmemorable
Chilled out world-dub fusion. I wish I’d heard more of the bass because what I heard was groovy. A strong 3
Om ditt sound ska vara såhär smaklöst och tråkigt kommer du inte undan med att inte ha en enda bra låt att sjunga med i.... alla kulturella inflytanden känns ytliga och forcerade... vad har du att säga dawg...
Spes. Ágætis tónlist samt. Worldly hljómar og áhugaverðar blöndur. Meginþorrinn samt helvíti boring því miður. 2.5/5...
piece of shite
Pretty painful for the most part with one or two decent moments.
Any album containing a song such as "Visions Of You" is worth a listen and this album is no exception. It meanders a little at times, but overall I'd rate it as amongst the best of Wobble's work (that I've heard).
Decent, not earth shaking. Not to be a hater but dont love the (British sounding) singer's voice. arrangements are pretty engaging and i probably liked Bomba the best. Dl whether i really needed to hear this but it was unique.
It's got a festive tone to it. Appropriate for a Christmas gift, I suppose. Everyman's an island is just a long song. Most of the songs are just really long.
Better than i anticipated. The less Jah Wobble sings, maybe the slightly better it is... he has a talky, occasionally Robyn Hitchcock vibe that doesn't always align with the interesting mix of world and pop/rock. Visions of You is enjoyable, while the rest do start to blend together, but overall a good listen.
Afskaplega non-noteworthy. Þolanlegt bakgrunnsdæmi, ekki mikið meira en það.
Great atmosphere record. Tribal EDM groove. Nice listen. Revist
Stockholm Syndrome: The Album I was almost immediately turned off by this record, but as it played on, I started noticing fleeting moments where I grew to understand, appreciate and sympathize with its goals. Those moments would quickly pass and I would be reminded that I didn’t like most of it and I was, in fact, a captive, unable to escape its grip until it ceased playback. Only then was I able to make heads or tails of my situation and truly see how willing I was to overlook its many flaws in favor of the fleeting moments of sympathy and understanding.
Not a fan
Conceptually this album is very good. The album is fun and takes you on a journey with a mix of Spanish and Arabic styles of music along with a progressive bassline that refuses to quit. Some of these tracks are presented very well especially the songs featuring Natacha Atlas. Not a massive fan of Wobble's vocals but it works in some instances, especially the spoken word parts.
Sounds of togetherness.
I liked it, cool fusion of music from different cultures. Every Man’s an Island stuck out as a good one. Overall, I enjoyed listening to the whole thing, it was surprising and strange and unique, and most importantly, pleasant to my ears. 3.5
Yo I liked this mostly. The only songs I really enjoyed is Every Man is an Island, and Soledad, but I liked the sound throughout. So many fusions of different cultures and genres, my ears were pleased listening to this.
Visions Of You is a fairly boring song, but Sinead O'Connor's voice elevates it significantly. The rest is pretty terrible.
I couldn't find the whole album anywhere, so was only able to listen to the 5 songs available on YouTube. This was interesting, but kind of cringe also. It sounded a bit like a worse version of Cornershop
Big swings that are successful throughout
To be fair, when this came out, I'm sure I was listening to Deep Forest or Enigma or any number of those "world music" mashups of this era. I probably saw this and thought "Jah Wobble" was a joke name. It's not a bad album, but it's not great, either. The world music part is kind of fun, but it keeps getting interrupted by the singing growl of a Londoner for some reason.
A couple good ones but the rest is a bit out there
The first song is probably where Enigma got his inspiration for "Principles of Lust". For crying out loud, what a horrible album.
Visions of You - 7.5/10 Relight the Flame - 7/10 Bomba - 8.5/10 Ungodly Kingdom - 7/10 Rising Above Bedlam - 7/10 Erzulie - 7.5/10 Everyman’s an Island - 7/10 Soledad - 7/10 Sweet Divinity - 7/10 Wonderful World - 7/10 TOTAL - 72.5/100
Oh man, this isn’t for me. It didn’t feel like there was much cohesion from song to song and dragged on for me. Next.
Well, this is interesting. It isn't what I expected this album to sound like, but it still isn't really my cup of tea. It gives off that "desert in movies" vibe to a lot of it, and while some of the songs around the 3/4 point are better, it still leaves a lot to be desired. Perhaps were it more engaging up to that point I'd be more happy eith my experience, but it was getting to be a slog, and really only survived because of picking up. I really hate albums at this length. Either commit to the over the hour or cut down your filler.
first listen some fun sounds but overall slooooow
Not my stuff
Sounds like an album a bloke made in his bedroom sipping on stella after coming home from a trip to india where he went to "find himself"
Got 4 songs in and said nah i'm alright
2.5/5 - A few highlights and good moments, a mix of genres, going from very 90's Britain/London to foreign styles. It doesn't quite work for me but the last 2 songs were pleasant and probably my favourite.
It's ok, I feel like it borrows from a lot of places but doesn't really do anything interesting with it. Can't really justify more than a 2.
I’m not really sure how to describe this album. The first track is pretty cool, but the rest is such an unusual, eclectic mix of genres, languages, and instruments that I can’t see it having any clear appeal to any listener. It does so much, but nothing is done particularly well, so I don’t know how to react to it other than by being bored as it lasts over fifty minutes. Not the worst album I’ve heard, and I’m sure it influenced some musicians, but it’s not my cup of tea. 2/5
I can see the talent here and why it’s very popular but I am rating these on my own personal opinion and this just wasn’t for me. Favourite: Wonderful World Least Favourite: Erzulie
Listened to this in bits and pieces (wasn't on streaming as an album) but still enough here to want to revisit. Lots of good basslines and soundscapes.
More than 3, but less than 4. Good Album
It was alright, but got kinda boring over the course of the album. Some of the songs were too long. I don't hate it, but it's something I'll probably forget about. My favourite song was Visions of You.
Huh. They needed all that diverse instrumentation because that man sang literally 1 note. That's when you just have somebody else be your lead singer. And he kinda knew that because he brought in the ladies to do some actual vocals. Rating 2.
Nice bass lines. I do like Public Image Ltd. I am getting tired of listening to albums by white dudes inspired by the culture of POC instead of music by those folks.
Interesting instrumentals.
Apart from track 4 (a dud) and 5 (a filler track), pretty interesting and even often elating foray into "global" sounds. A lot of people noticed Sinead O'Connor's featuring on the single "Visions Of You", but the real star of the show is Natacha Atlas, at least on the many cuts where she appears. Yet some of the tracks where she is not invited are still quite good as well. Is it material for " essential albums", tough? Well, the jury's still out on this one. You could argue that the penultimate track is almost ruined by that (fortunately short) bridge filled with horrid synth horns, also found on track 4. A way to point out how some of this music sounds dated now, even though other parts of it still aged surprisingly well. 1991 is also filled to the brim with far more striking LPs, as interesting as this Mercury Prize nomination is (wonder if an old member of the jury for the prize didn't work with Dimery for that book--heck maybe even Dimery himself is a member of that jury!). So wait and see... Number of albums left to review: 376 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 282 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 149 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 200
Pretty chill and unique
Ugh, I admire the incorporation of African and Middle Eastern elements, but this is really just too unfocused. Jah Wobble's singing voice is horrible, and the best tracks are unsurprisingly 'Visions of You' and 'Bomba' where *actual* singers lend a helping hand.
Momentarily inspiring tunes drawing from both Middle Eastern and African traditions. There’s some great production choices on this record as well. In the end, unfortunately, Rising Above Bedlam is just wildly unfocused, unable to convince the listener that there’s any sort of plan - but most of all it’s just rather tedious.
I don't know seems like a random album, that made it's way in here.
def experimental. Like some of the bass tracks, cool sort of tabla ish percussion in the beats. Overall didn’t love but first track was good
Not a good example of a fusion record. Mostly faded into background noise for me. Jah Wobble (real name John Wardle) seems like kind of a hack. A few songs got my attention and it’s not like it was actively unpleasant to have the record on, but certainly unengaging. Top tracks: Visions Of You, Rising Above Bedlam, Erzulie
Latin Graceland minus all the fun and talent. There were interesting elements but overall kind of a drag. If there was a hit single I might bump it up to a 3, but no. Just a forgettable album
Think I quite liked it, even though raising that statement can be tricky for an eccentric-sounding album
Whoa, talk about all over the place.
That's some world music right there. It was good background music while driving. There were a couple songs that peaked my interest, but it's nothing great.
This 1991 album still carries many hallmarks of the 1980's production values, which sounds dated and in many ways, unappealing to me. Digital recording was perhaps nascent and synthesizers overused. However the bass lines are excellent, and this album is sonically interesting overall, incorporating various elements of world music (Spanish, African). It flows continuously through various attractive grooves and trance inducing states. It's psychedelic and an interesting listen for sure, but the vocals by Jah are by no means exceptional. Meanwhile the lyrics, when not profound and deep, come off occasionally as trivial and of low caliber. That said, on RISING ABOVE BEDLAM, Jah Wobble is reflective, cheeky, and an extraordinary instrumentalist and this album was an interesting and new experience.
So 90s. Very random, the singer sounds like he's too lazy to even say the words fully
Not the worst thing, but not really good either. 2/5
An interesting man with an interesting story. Though there's not much said for the album, reading about Jah as a bass player / singer resonates with me, plus he lived with the guitarist of the Sex Pistols. It's a well thought out album of world music with a lot of interesting sounds and moods to choose from.
Oh another world music album. I winced as I started listening but to my surprise this wasn't too bad. I'll give it a generous 3. It's more like a 2.5 because I didn't dislike it, but I didn't really like it either and will probably never listen to again.
Not as bad as I thought it would be. Did feel like I was in Nando’s at times because of the relentless beats.
very cool
"Rising Above Bedlam" is a studio album by Jah Wobble's Invaders of the Heart. English bassist and singer Jah Wobble had been involved in a number of musical collaborations and bands including Public Image Limited (PiL) when he formed the Invaders of the Heart. The genre listed is World Music; the music does seem to go all over the place, I guess that's as good as any reason for that. The album was self-produced and the band included Wobble (vocals, bass, keyboards, drum programming, timbales), Justin Adams (electric and Spanish guitars, Arabic percussion, vocals), Mark Ferda (keyboards, drum programming, sampler) and vocalists Natacha Adams and Sinead O'Connor. The album was also short listed for the 1992 UK Mercury Prize. The album opens with "Visions of You." Sinead and Wobble on vocals. The guitar and beat sounding very 90's indie pop. The Soup Dragons came to mind. Dreamy lyrics. The guitar solo going up and down the scales. I was confused by its so-callled world music genre at this point. No need to worry, "Ungodly Kingdom" continues the Carribean beat of the two previous songs and adds horns. A percussion adds afrobeats. Great backing vocals by Natacha Atlas. Solid production and also sounds like it belongs on a soundtrack. A simple drum beat and slide guitar begin "Rising Above Bedlam." Wobble is whispering/talking. People screaming in the background. This song is purposedly creepy. Switching gears, "Erzulie" has ambient keys, Spanish guitar and horns. An electric guitar providing echoes. It goes shortly to big dance music and then back. Atlas singing in French (I believe). Well, Erzulie is the Haitian goddess of love in the Voodoo pantheon. "Everyman's An Island" takes us to the Middle East with its guitar and percussion. It's hard not to like a song with keyboards sounding like Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir." We'll, maybe some of you but not me. There's no doubt the variety of music is what kept this album interesting for me. 90's indie rock to Latin/Carribean to Afrobeat to Middle Eastern to soundtracks. I can't say it expands any of those musical genres but the music is extremely well-produced and very happy. Yeah, happy. Natacha Atlas is just fantastic and a highlight on vocals. This album does perk my interest in some Jah Wobble's other works.
This felt like some sort of bizarre time machine back a couple of decades, and not in a good way. Nothing here really stuck with me, except for maybe the somewhat pretentious feeling of it all. Not my cup of tea for sure, but it is music! Highlight: Erzulie Lowlight: Sweet Divinity Surprise Hit: n/a
I tapped out after the embarrassing spoken-word stuff in the title track.
We live in a world where Harry Belafonte is ignored completely in this book, where The Cars and Tom Petty have one album in this book and there are zero Chuck Berry albums represented. I mean, the man invented (waves hand around) the music presented by so many artists on this list. So that's our world and this album IS included on the 1001 Albums I Must Hear list. By no means is this a bad album, but it's not essential or nor does it need to be heard. I have questions about an album's essential nature when the description is three or fewer sentences long. This album has a description that is two sentences long. The description states when the album was made and that one time it was nominated for a list of good albums. It didn't win the Mercury Prize but was nominated. Go to the Wikipedia page and it's just as sparse. Hey, maybe it is an underrated gem, so upon taking a listen and it turns out the music sounds like Paul Simon if he used Phil Collins' production on mid-80's Eric Clapton albums (remember, this album came out in 1991) and then decided he wanted to try some Grateful Dead type of jams. What are we doing here, people? This is not a bad album, though no songs but the first one is going to be remembered by me. There are a lot of not-bad albums and there are a lot of artists who made better than not-bad albums and they were excluded from this listing. Even most of the reviews read like, "Hey, this album isn't as bad as other Jah Wobble's Invaders of the Heart albums." It's a low bar to clear. Listening to this album may rise you above bedlam, but it sticks you with the lunacy of inclusion on this list. If Jah Wobble and his band are trying to invade my heart then perhaps a little artery blockage wouldn't be such a bad thing.
Blind album and artists. Creative for sure... but I did not enjoy this 1 bit. I can see what they were trying to do and step away from the norm at least, but this is not the way to stick out and fuse the styles together.
This is something I've never heard of at all in the slightest!! Love the international almost New Age vibes. There's a lot of different sounds in there! At first listen knowing nothing about Jah Wobble, I thought this wasn't anything that interesting or impactful and wondered why this might be on this list. When I read up on him a little bit I realised why, his life was insane and if I was someone who cared about celebrities a bit more I'd be really interested in his life and the people he spent time with. I am interested to the extent that it's cool the opportunities he had available but also mad how it messed up his life... The music is cool though, I like that bass and bits of this really remind me of Graceland which I love. Cool discovery actually. Some parts have some self-indulgent guitar parts which I don't love though, eg the title track Rising Above Bedlam.
I have no idea what to make of this whether I liked this or not! It was extremely varied, at least. Some I liked more than others so it probably has to be a 3*
I quite liked this but can't say I'll come back to it, not particularly memorable, but fun none the less.
Could only find one song 🤷🏼♀️
Interesting sound. Would listen to in mornings
this one was a little strange for me, didn’t like it Top Tracks: 1) Relight The Flame 2) Visions of You
2.8. Unlike much I’ve ever heard.
Not for me. This probably sounded much fresher and more interesting in 1991, but not now for me. Kind of like how Myst was an amazing video game in the early ‘90s but I probably wouldn’t enjoy it as much now.
Another one not available to stream except YouTube. I’m somewhat familiar with Jah Wobble from PiL and some other projects. This was decent, not something I’d normally check out.
This was pretty good! I liked the bass playing and the overall vibe and sound. This is another album I had no idea about and would’ve never listened to until this project. If the second half of this album was as good as the first, it would’ve gotten a 4.
Sucks Cultural appropriation the album
Interesting sound. I definitely would have enjoyed this when it came out. Not really my vibe today, but I enjoyed it.
bad singing
Decent
Really cooool
I can confidently assert that I'll not listen to this again.
Definitely different. I liked some of the international sounds and singing. A little weird overall.
Surprisingly enjoyable world music album because it is so versatile
AJ/ wobble my ass
Unorganized collection of random genres and vocals. There were some passages of some songs that were average, but no one track is even good on this. Then you add in the bad vocals on each track and there is nothing positive about this album for me.
Uninteresting. Visions of you was ok. close r to 1 star than 3
There were some good moments but overall it was not good
Mega ASS
Kinda cool :)
3/10, 30%
Jah Wobble’s had a prolific solo career over many years, and he’s always experimented with different styles of music from different genres and cultures. ‘Rising Above Bedlam’ is no exception with its dance, dub, latin, middle eastern and African flavours, all often present in the same song. It’s already a lovely mix but things really take off when the female vocalists come in and do their thing. Natacha Atlas, Sinead O’Connor and Margot Vynia take ‘Rising Above Bedlam’ to places Jah Wobble’s monotone simply just can’t rise to and the album is all the better for it.
Did not expect to like this but I thought the music was really interesting and good. The sticking point was the male vocals: just lacking in strength and range - a weakness highlighted by the presence of singers like Atlas and O'Connor. Still, pretty remarkable.
Its like if Indian singers sung in Spanish, pretty solid actually
What an odd album
Coletânea meio sem sentido de catados de músicas pelo mundo.
??????
wasn't really sure what to expect but enjoyed this
Really fun with an album that sounds different from the rest. I had hopes this could be the same revelation that the Massive Attack album 'Protection' was. And the first half kind of had me leading on to that, but then it changed format to a more oriental one, which can be fine of course, but it felt a bit disconnected and messy just splitting the album up in two parts like that. In general it didn't quite hit home for me, but I'll give it plus points for trying.
I just couldn't finish this album. This album sounds like someone went backpacking around Asia, went to a few full moon parties and came back "enlightened". It's pretentious and feels like someone is just trying to hard to be deep and worldly. Relight the Flame sound like someone singing bad karaoke of a lesser known Disney tune whilst trying to imitate Leonard Cohen.
I thought this was pretty fun. File under boutique hotel pool with Latin vibe
Made the mistake of looking into this guy and seeing that he was a founding member of Public Image Ltd (PiL). I think think those guys succcckckkkk. So I went into this with a chip on my shoulder. Turns out the album rules! Really great mix of world musical styles and grooves.
On the one hand, the trend of mindlessly incorporating traditional music from around the world with dub and electronic music probably deserves to be represented. On the other, this is one of the most heavyhanded and poorly executed examples of the above. Two hands, clapping unenthusiastically. 👏👏
Rating: 2.5
Not bad. Good bass. Front half is better than the back half.
Duke, I smell the hippy salad. Are the Gipsy Kings on next? My contemporaneous contempt for the '90's tie-dye revival may have mellowed to indulgent fondness, but don't injure me with an album of the stuff. This is not atypical of the time in throwing revolutionary rhetoric onto an unadventurous soundtrack. Strobing a song with Arabic singing and psychedelic dub effects does not immediately make it interesting. This record is rhythmically soporific, perhaps to let Wobble's shake his flashy bass at us, but the absence of hooks for most of playing time left me bored. I just looked down to see what song had started playing to mention a standout exception, only to see that Spotify had moved onto Julian Cope.
A real blast from the past, if rather incongruous here. I'm probably in the minority having heard this quite a lot when it came out, very popular with the early '90s Camberwell indie squatter set. When it's good, it's pretty great - Sinead's vocals over Wobble's signature bass rumbling. Mostly, it's OK, but always interesting. Check out the original "Becoming More Like God" if you can find it, probably his solo best. 3 for the highlights and because Wardle is the very definition of "Diamond Geezer"
BEST SONGS: - Relight the Flame - Bomba - Rising Above Bedlam - Soledad
I don't even know how to label this kind of music. Very multi genre.
Huh
kymmenissä tuhansissa kuuntelukerroissa suurin osa biiseistä spotifyssä. tällä kertaan huomaan kyllä miksi ollaan nimi pysynyt visusti pois jokatalouden tuntemuksessa... eksperimenttaaliista etnistä fuusiota... enemmäkin fissiota sanoo meikä heh... no hyvääkin tästä löytyy, saa kunnioitus kakosen bomba
It was alright. The dial didn't move much one way or the other. I have no desire to listen to this album again but I didn't hate it. It was just kind of there.
Fun, smooth. I generally like Jah Wobble but had never listened to any solo material. I don't know if this is revolutionary, if I could give it 3.5 stars, I would... It's definitely above average musically but conversely I didn't find it all that super creative. Ah, second listen. Rare, but felt like it was necessary. Feeling four stars now. Very funky world music. Definitely some creativity and some energy.
Weird album. It took a couple of tracks to learn to ignore the terrible singing. Still not that great once you can. Kind of reminds me of the last record by the Clash, which was terrible.
Not my vibe but kind of interesting at first, gets real boring real fast though
Really enjoyed the album. Catchy tunes, great vibes, "Relight the Light", "Bomba" and "Erzulie" were my favs.
Not very good and kinda pretentious.There’s a reason no one really talks about this album.The lyrics kinda suck,the vocals are so so.The instrumental is mediocre and it sounds cluttered.Nothing catchy and sometimes annoying.
Bit of a weird one
How is Jah Wobble on this list?
Sounds like accoustic stuff but I could be wrong. Hopeful about it being a good one! The verdict: It's pretty good, and I see why it was popular back in the day, but I also don't connect with it.
Kinda interesting and fun. 5/10
Very little interesting with this one
Never heard of this guy but this was interesting
awesome
Kind of enjoyable, a nice groove but ultimately not very satisfying. Strong on vibe, short on tunes. Nothing to make me want to go back to it.
this is certainly eclectic. awesome tunes and goes in different directions. Love it
Different than I was expecting
I didn't expect to enjoy this album as much as I did!
Dne
Groovy, loved it
There wasn’t one part of me that liked this.
Dance music with some latin music sprinkled on top. Not bad, but nothing special either. 2.5/5
Best Song: Bomba. Every female vocalist on this album is 300x better than the male one. Why would he set himself up to fail like this? Worst Song: Rising Above Bedlam. Aimed for weird, landed on boring. Overall: It isn't unpleasant, but it feels like the "Taco Bell" version of world music. Everything superficially resembles the kinds of dishes you're expecting, but everything tastes a bit flat.
Not really exciting. Once again an ok album, but why it is in a list of “must hear” I dont know.
Interesting but not really captivating.
I did not like it. Lyrics were gibberish.
Very jam-bandy. Wasn’t really into it
• It’s giving “on my gap yah” • The male vocals are a bit unbearable if i’m honest • I would never listen to this album again • Favourite song: Bomba
No
So this is where Kula Shaker got all their ideas. "Rising Above Bedlam" is patchy as hell, but you can see how its east/west fusion pushed things forwards.
faux ethnic background beats, ranging from groovy Sim City 3000 to passable new wave to self-indulgent filler. extra demerits for distracting vocals, heinously cringy spoken word, and jank MIDI blather on the back half of this album. 2/5
I don't see myself ever listening to this
Popurrí de músicas del mundo. Me ha gustado. Un 4.
No tiene estilo definido. Alguna se parece a James. Otra es como música de honololú. Otra como samba latina. Otra como árabe. Un poco Enigma. Le daré un 3 porque alguna canción no está mal.
Interesting mix of world styles. Very chill. Definitely something I would've smoked hookah to in college. It feels VERY 90s though, for better or worse.
fuck, stop trying to cram some bullshit UK artist no one has ever heard of down my throat. This dude's sad, jazzy-synth, world music was not something I needed to listen to before I died
Significantly better than I though it would be. However, I can't say it rises to much more than background, or mood music.
Ok ish
Weird album, but I liked it alright. Looked into the dude, and he was in Public Image Ltd. And the first song has Sinead O'Connor. More enjoyable than most dub-ish things for me. 3.25/5
Funky, but not really my thing. C-
I mean, not boring. Didn't necessarily grab me much either for the most part, but I might come back to this.
Not really into it.
Really enjoying this. A bit of dub, a bit of Arabic world music, a snippet of 80s indie - all with a positive feel. Only negative is Wobble’s voice which I’m sure he’d agree is not very good! A high three stars.
Well that was fucking weird
Really liked the first half of this surprisingly, will listen to more of his stuff for sure, 3.5
3.3 - A white British bass guitarist named Jah Wobble? Really? That's your stage name, Jah Wobble?? This record seems doomed from the jump, and it mostly is. It's a spliff and mushrooms party that's just one didgeridoo away from becoming a full-on nitrous balloon party. Hippie inspired world music - think trance-like electric guitar à la Santana mixed with Spanish/Arabic chanting, and maybe some wind chimes and massage parlor beats for good measure. Wobble's voice is terrible, spouting psuedo-spiritual drivel. I was, however, delighted to hear Sinéad O'Connor on "Visions of You." Some of the other female vocal performances are good, too (see "Bomba" and "Soledad").
Það eru ágætis hugmyndir og stef hér á ferð, en þetta líður fyrir mjög dated hljóðblöndun og leiðinlega rödd. Sum lögin eru leiðinleg, önnur byrja vel en svo fer hann að syngja...
Enjoyed, unique music
A gem! This is why we 1001
It was fine
Her en der echt boeiend, z'n tijd vooruit in een soort duistere prog elektro iets, maar op andere momenten ineens een soort Spaans Middenoosterse muziek. Dat stuk is dan weer helemaal niks. Dat maakt dat dit niet voorbij de 3 sterren komt.
I remember when I first exposed to Jah Wobble. It was on tv, a clip from Glastonbury in the early 90s. Probably about the time of this album. It struck me as weird hippy shit. Maybe, I figured, if you were in a field on mushrooms, it might sound alright…
Rhythmic background music. 2.5 stars.
I've never listened top this, but dig his bass in P.I.L. sofar...i love it
This turned out to be quiet varied, passable for the most part. Some of the vocals were poor.
Eh, it's different. I'm not really sure how I feel about this. I guess it's average.
This was very interesting to listen too. Very unique, a lot of varying styles. I will give this a 3 and I will add “Relight the Flame” to my playlist.
Meh
The male 'singer' was awful, a lot of the songs didn't go anywhere, but there something about it I enjoyed. I think the drums were great and there was a nice rhythm to a lot of the tracks. Not a brilliant album by any means but decent for one listen.
What on earth was all that about then? Not particularly interesting or enjoyable, as hard as I tried to listen.
It's like someone decided to fuse a load of music together without realising it sounds awful. I found the singing to be especially grating. Couldn't manage to finish it.
This was pretty interesting but don't think I'm interested in hearing it again tbh. Think I enjoyed "Erzulie" with all the trumpets the most
So cool! So many great musicians
Didn't work for me at all. Best track: Not sure? I tried to pay attention and I couldn't
2/5. Yeah it was okay, two songs on the album were great. The rest were not memorable.
Good wobble styff, can hear the bass creep in. I onky know him for Dub?
My memories of this were better than the reality of revisiting it, sadly I was disappointed this time around
A little pretentious but interesting.
More like descending into Bedlam! Opening track was alright, then I kinda lost interest about halfway through.
Yuck
Very naff production and a bit too "World Music" but enjoyed this more than I expected. One I may return to
Visions of You is a kinda cool song and the bass licks are cool throughout, but this is very dated and 90s in the worst way. Sounds like it would have been described as "world music".
I’d have loved it in the 89’s
En ihan ymmärrä, mitä tää on, mutta ok
En raaski antaa ykköstä, basso jymisee niin viattomasti!
Interesting album and concepts to incorporate world music sounds. It ends up sounding like background music in a cafe that tries to be a bit posh. At least the bass lines are pretty solid. Standout tracks: Bomba and Erzulie
interesting basslines
Love the atmosphere created here. Spacey yet vibrant with super diverse instrumentation. This album has such a powerful identity, where style is substance and it comes together to become an enriching quality. Faves: Wonderful World, Vision of You, Relight the Flame
интересный альбом. точно стоит попробовать послушать, некоторые работы мне прям очень зашли (например Soledad) что-то похожее вспомнить сложно, крепкая 3
Милый хиппи рэгги альбом с позитивным Вайбом Мексики(хз откуда эта ассоциация)
Ого, world music... Честно говоря, не ожидал совсем. Наверное, это не лучшее исполнение и не лучшая запись подобного рода (хочется верить, потому что саунд здесь мне не очень понравился), но как минимум пластинка заслуживает респекта за игру с этническими жанрами. Этнофутуризм, чтоб его...
Что-то необычное и интересное. Не сказал бы, что мне очень понравилось, но точно понравилось и послушать правда стоит
Disco desconocido para mí y de los 90 nunca pinta bien. Un pastiche house, chillout con mezclas étnicas y pseudohispanas como en Bomba. Aburridísimo y cero interés para mí.
OK, Jah Wobble, never listened to his stuff but I know he has a cult following. Just had PiL's debut but I doubt this will be similar based on what I already know. 1st track, nice, this could be on Screamadelica. Ha, it was released a week later. 2/ Oh oh, 90s reggae/dub, this took a turn. Wait, Spanish guitar? What's happening here? 3/ The production here is very early 90s, reminds me of Leftfield. Except with Spanish guitar and vocals. Remember Jam & Spoon, right in the night? yeah nothing like that. 4/ ok, proper mix of styles here, I like this. The vocal has a striking resemblance to Alabaster dePlume of nowadays. Something very Talking Heads-y here too. 5/ the dub influence is back. The guitar sting which develops over the nippy dub bassline here eventually reminds me very much of Trainspotting off Vanishing point. So more Primal Scream, but later. I reckon the boys from Lo Fidelity All-stars were fans of this too. 6/ ahahaha, this one sounds more like Jam & Spoon (if they had a brass section) - I didn't plan that. Actually that's unfair, this grows into itself, with the arabic singing, interesting hoppity bass and more Talking Headsy guitar and horns backing it up. 7/ What's this then, desert dub? I like it, give me more. Oh, it drags on a bit, give me less. 8/ so this is more of that. I like it, but I'm not sure I love it. 9/ My mind is wandering at this point and this song didn't bring it back 10/ a jaunty one to finish. Very obviously a band lead by a bass-player, which usually makes for different music. It's reminded me of a lot of things that I like, which came after it. Whether they were influenced by this I don't know but that's a good sign. I wish I had come across this a little closer to the time because there is no getting away from the fact it's production has dated. At the same time the mix of styles and the North African / Spanish influence helps ease that. Spanish guitar doesn't date, that is permanent. Overall a mixed bag though.
Sounds late 80s in it's production. Ethnic pop-orientated sounds with traces of a number of other. It's ok but nothing special.
I wanted this to end so badly. The best of the album feels borrowed. The rest, cringe. There were delightful moments of 90s nostalgia early on but they got swallowed up by the overall awfulness of the rest of the album. Was wavering over 2 stars but song by song, Jah Wobble talked me down to 1.
It's a good world music album with very diverse influences. I liked the second half of it a bit more, it was more interesting.
An eclectic collection of beats. Kinda sounds like generic resort music. Fun is a word invented by executives? Just a bit stereotypical for this time period and the album cover.
Interesante, aunque no es mi tipo de música claramente. Aún así me pareció muy copada la idea que hay detrás del disco y cómo mezclan los instrumentos, especialmente en canciones como "Erzulie". A veces, logran generar una especie de aura misteriosa, sobre todo con el canto de la mujer. Es como si estuvieran tratando de conjurar algún tipo de espíritu en el medio de una selva perdida en Sudamérica. 6/10
muy falopa muy
This album is fine. It's solid reggae but nothing insane. Not sure why it's one of the 1001 albums everyone must hear.
The only track from the album Rising Above Bedlam that I've heard before was "Visions of You". I don't know if I've heard anything else from Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart. I enjoyed listening to something different. There was a track or two that reminded me of Dead Can Dance, which I like. I enjoyed that some tracks had Spanish lyrics, or lyrics in what sounds like it may be a middle eastern language. I like Sinéad O'Connor's guest vocals on "Visions of You" which is my favorite track. "Erzulie" is my second favorite. I would be interested in hearing more from the band, but the album is too uneven to round up to 4 stars.