Life Thru A Lens

This book of albums sure places British mediocrity on a pedestal.

Sounds like the debut album from your mom’s favorite American Idol Finalist.

How is this even remotely close to qualifying for this list? Incredibly generic and overall pointless album.

‘Life Thru a Lens” by Robbie Williams (1997) Hyper-produced pop—the kind of thing you’d expect from a boy band member gone solo. Pleasant enough to listen to, but not seriously. Williams’ voice is a high throat mewl, desperately chasing the melody, with varied quality across limited range, and incapable of either of mellow lows or powerful highs. Lyrics are too dependent on forced rhymes, and lack depth. Overall, so-so. But a nice collection of cameras on the album cover. 2/5

Really? "Hide away in your ivory tower and cover me in your golden shower"... Feel like my ears have just been covered in piss after listening to this one. Awful pop rock from someone trying to come across as a bad boy. Cringe. Angels stops it from being 1*. 1.5*.

Let's get this statement out of the way- "Angels" carries this and gets the album up to 2* almost by itself. It's an undeniably great pop song that deserves its place in the canon. The rest of the album has the air of "pop artist trying to prove his worth as a solo-act by going rock", channeling all sorts of influences from the current scene and beyond to see what would stick. "Let Me Entertain You" is a rip-roaring ride and the Beatles-esque "Clean" is enjoyable if slight. The rest ranges from decent balladry to cookie cutter 90s Britpop. Good for background but doesn't hold up to much scrutiny (especially those lyrics). Also, what on earth was he thinking with Hello Sir? It's laughable.

generic, boring, not notable in the slightest. Let me entertain you was almost decent but I still wouldn't listen to it again.

“You’re not a middle aged white lady who wants to sleep with him,” my wife replied to my derision at this album. Formulaic and tired, this thing has all of the hackneyed 90s music production tropes on garish display.

I got the feeling this album wanted to make me go out and buy rubbers. I did not go out and buy rubbers. Instead, I learned this dude was in the band called Take That, who had a hit song in the states that everyone except myself loved for a hot minute. This dude surely thought he was the second coming of George Michael. He wasn't George Michael. He wasn't even Andrew Ridgeley.

Que vous le croyiez ou non, quand Robbie Williams ne fait pas de doigts d'honneur à la Coupe du Monde ou n'intervient pas de façon totalement injustifiée dans une émission de télévision dédiée aux Inconnus, il conçoit des albums. Et qu'est-ce que ça donne, alors ? N'en déplaise au père de mon compagnon d'écoute eltrapeze dont les goûts sont ouvertement critiqués par une majorité de musicologues en exercice, cet album nous donne la sensation d'être retenu prisonnier d'un interminable épisode de Glee ou d'High School Musical. Seul point positif au milieu de cette pagaille : mon apparition sur la pochette du projet tout en haut à gauche. J'étais en effet ce jour-là en train de faire la queue à la pharmacie où je me rends habituellement pour acheter un shampoing anti-pelliculaire lorsque, survenant de nulle part, surgit Robbie Williams accompagné d'une foule de journalistes et de photographes. Ledit Robbie se posta rapidement devant l'une des caisses, le regard dirigé vers les sachets de pastilles mentholées avant d'exiger qu'on l'y prenne en photo dans cette position. La pharmacienne, dépassée par la situation, tentait tant bien que mal de prendre ma commande mais je n'osai pas demander mon shampoing devant pareille assemblée. Je posai donc mes lunettes de soleil sur mes yeux pour demander mon shampooing sans être reconnu, et ce moment fut immortalisé par la photo qui sera choisie pour être la pochette de cet album.

No

What a great and uplifting album. Robbie can sing just about anything, fronted by two of his biggest hits, each song belongs on the album and has a unique edge, definitely no standard, boring pop

What really sells this album is his incredibly versatile voice. The songs maintain a consistent pop sound while branching off into various genres. Their production and instrumentation was done so well to really highlight what a top class vocalist Robbie is.

Not at all what I'd expected - in a good way. I've always been aware of Robbie Williams in that "oh right, he's always been huge in the UK ... former boy band guy?" way but I don't know that I'd ever heard anything by him. A bit of reading about this album shows that he wanted to break away from his previous career and was heavily influenced by the Britpop that was so prevalent/popular at the time. After even one song I'd say that's mostly accurate - I like a lot of that mid90s rock subgenre but find a lot of negatives in most of it...some combination of overly compressed loudness and constant whinging (Oasis at their worst, although they were great at their best... I digress). This is ... better? This has a good mix of instrumentation - layered guitars (but not too thick), heavy drums, cool keyboards, the occasional piano (on the semi-cheesy ballad "Angels" in particular), the vocals are mostly not annoying me - tons of melody overall... "Killing Me" has a really great chord progression - might be my favourite. Negatives: when/if I start listening to the lyrics I start to question my judgement ("Angels") which is exactly why I try to ignore lyrics if possible. So yeah, they're a little distracting to me at times - simplicity, cliched, etc (god help me if #$@$ Bon Jovi is anywhere on this list). So some of the songs are probably skip-worthy (e.g. "South of the Border") but even on that one there are a few cool instrumental parts (i.e. the funky organ post-solo). Anyways - for the most part this is a good and fun rock album I'd never have given a look at before. 7/10 4 stars

Corporate britpop

Jolly good time

A rebellious but good-natured attitude combined with a grandiose sound defies expectations and sticks the landing.

This album absolutely bops! I'm from the U.S., so I've never heard of this guy. Great energy in this album and super poppy without feeling dumb. Reminds me of Dishwalla but better (and I love Dishwalla). The songs have some variety and definitely emotion. My favorite songs are: Old Before I die, let me entertain you, Lazy Days, and 100% Angels - that's the best song on the album. I'm giving this an 8/10, but it could be higher due to the fact that it is hard to find all these songs in my country. I'm sure this album is good though and highly recommend it.

Guy Chambers wrote a few great pop songs for this and I do like Robbie’s cheeky chappie, bad boy persona. The whole thing smacks a little bit of a desperation for authenticity and breaking away from his boy band baggage. It comes off as too manufactured for me. But hey, it’s a pop album - a decent pop album.

Overall non-offensive sound; sounds perfect for either the intro or outro credit for a movie depending on the track. Makes me want to stare out of a window of a bus as I take a long journey. Lazy Days and Angels are Outro, South of the Border and Let Me Entertain You are Intro credits. Old Before I Die is the where the kids ended up 35 years later in the coming of age block buster of the summer.

2.6 - Get this mediocre Britpop shit off this list. Get your shit together, Dimery!

Some 720 albums in and just over a year left to go in this project, I find myself thinking about the albums that I know and I’m already a fan of, but haven’t been generated yet. The problem is, I forget about the rest of the 360-some albums that I’ll have to listen to. Like, I’m here wondering when Machine Gun Etiquette or Emperor Tomato Ketchup or Daydream Nation will get generated, completely ignoring the fact that there are apparently Robbie Williams records on the list. So, yeah…surprise! There’s a Robbie Williams record to talk about today. That’s exciting. Not really. Do you wish that more of the Britpop records on this list had the sheen of an overproduced pop album? Well then, this might be the record for you. I guess if there was an American analog for this, it would be if one of the New Kids on the Block (whichever one was the main one, I guess) quit the band and then put out a grunge record in like summer of 1995 when grunge was still popular, but not far from being passé. It’s pretty obvious that this record is the product of a pop star trying to insert themselves into a moment.

Soft boring generic rock. Just not my thing.

Robbie Williams is the most criminally underrated artist of the 90s and early 00s.

Being famous is shite

Loved it!! Would listen to it again!

Loved this album, great Debut by Robbie. All killers no fillers

Angels. They just dont teach that. Generational talent.

You know when a song hits you in a totally different way and you start to have familiar, comforting feelings? That's what happened today. I knew the name Robbie Williams, because I've been a huge fan of Oasis and the Gallagher brothers since I was a teenager, and apparently they didn't get along very well in the late 90s, trading public barbs and shit. And like the stupid fan I was, I wore an Oasis shirt as if it were a football team and I've never heard a single Robbie song to this day, at least as far as I know, and I'll explain why. There is a Brazilian forró band called "Nostalgia do Forró" that recorded a Portuguese version of Angels, which I listened to exhaustively when I was a child. So the moment Angels started playing, it was like coming home, to simpler days and away from problems. Other than that, all the prejudices I had regarding Robbie died today listening to this album. This is more than enough reason to give 5 stars!

Realized I had no idea what Robbie Williams sounded like, and was just vaguely aware of him being a British cultural icon. I started playing this, forgot, and had to double check the artist because of how much I was enjoying Ego Agogo. Why did I think it'd be awful? I just watched the infamous Rock DJ video for the first time and don't know how I should feel. I think I'm a Robbie Williams fan?? Should I listen to Take That?? None of this made it to America, so wasn't a part of my formative years. One reason I'll probably never truly feel British, even after living in the UK for nearly a decade. Great mindless 90s/00s pop.

This was a really fun listen, nice variety and lots of catchy tunes. Enjoyed pretty much every song, what a great find!

Review pre me realising Let Me Entertain You is on this album: Oh boy the Brit pop detractors will absolutely hate this. To be fair to them this is very bad. "Hide away in your ivory tower, and cover me in your golden shower" is a particularly early highlight of some generally horrific writing that permeates the whole thing so far. Can't deny Angels is a fucken good karaoke song though. It does also take me back to listening to mums best of Robbie CD in the study. Really can't tell if this is a one star or five star. Sounds like the bloke was having a few concurrent identity crisises throughout, some even mid-song (South of the Border is particularly wtf worthy). This is Robbie on a bad day. Review post me realising Let Me Entertain You is on this album: Oh fuck yeah Let Me Entertain You is on this album! Easy five. The secret track also points toward my recent Discovery of Robbie's Instagram where he demonstrates some genuinely funny, macabre and existential thinking which for whatever reason I feel is important to flag here as well.

This gets the rare 5 stars solely for the song Angels. One of the greatest songs from the 90s

One the best pop albums ever.

Нежно люблю тембр Робби ещё с детства, обволакивающий такой. Новые для меня песни понравились больше старых при этом:)

Stunning debut. Well deserved five stars

Love this album. Robbie Williams at his post boy band best

What a wonderful solo debut

Surprisingly quite good. Full of poppy attitude and really representing the late 90s perfectly. Loads of hits.

cool

Robbie Williams, have I heard of this dude? Maybe... Oh, I guess I am familiar with "Angels"...but nothing else seemed familiar, and at first run through, I didn't find any interest in becoming familiar. However, as I worked on my grading, I repeated the album 3 or 4 (or 5 or 6) times and it really started to grow on me. This one is a keeper for me!

On our honeymoon in London, we had dinner with an old friend who was living there. The conversation turned to music and he sheepishly admitted to being a fan of Robbie Williams even though his flatmates made fun of him for it. When I returned to the US, I ran across Williams' The Ego Has Landed in a used CD store and picked it up out of curiosity. It quickly became one of my favorites and it still evokes strong and specific memories of where I was living and how I spent my time that year. I only today found out that Ego is a compilation of songs from prior albums, including Life Thru a Lens. So today's listen was a fun mix of songs that I know well and songs that were new to me. I love it!

Most of the album isn't available on Spotify, but found a decent chunk on YT. Actually a really great voice, soothing and upbeat. New artist for me that I really enjoyed!

I really enjoyed all of this album.

Some big Robbie songs on here - Angels and Let me Entertain you. I prefer some of Robbie's later stuff but really enjoyed this throwback of an album.

Il caratteristico timbro vocale di Robbie Williams aggiunge un tocco interessante a canzoni che non lo sarebbero troppo di per loro. Bello il finale di 'Lazy days' e la successiva 'Life thru a Lens'. Le prime 3 sono belle cariche, poi si arriva a 'Angels', un capolavoro, che non scopro ora, che dà una bella svolta all'album. Non è facile ripartire dopo questa e la successiva perde qualcosa, soprattutto a livello del ritornello. Piccola nota curiosa: in 'Old before i die' RW si augura una vita lunga, il contrario di molti suoi colleghi. 'One of god's better people' ha sicuramente un bellissimo testo, ma non comprendo molto la canzone in sé. 'Let me entertain you' ok, fallo, sei bravo (non sono ironico). Le ultime tre dimenticabili, tranne la bonus track 'Hello Sir': wow! Le canzoni sono tutte scritte dallo stesso cantante, non pensavo. Il massimo se lo merita tutto.

I loved every minute of this one!

pretty pretty dope

A nostalgic classic - the man's a great poet

Solid album

I loved this album when it came out, and still a classic. I remember being entirely sceptical of Robbie, being as he was a former Take That member and initially feeling validated in that by his awful cover of Faith (thankfully not on this album). But his brash take on Britpop was infectious and I always felt his arrogance was somewhat tongue-in-cheek.

Nothing revolutionary but I liked all songs.

Never really heard him before. I enjoyed it!

Fantastic pop. really need to start on British music

I liked this. I wasn't expecting to like it, I had never heard of the artist, assumed he was some UK flash in the pan, but musically it's solid. Reminds me of Elton John in places, also some more edgy electro pop feel in places.

Elegant 💅

Excellent debut album

A nice album, I liked the songs Life Thu A Lens and Angels the most.

Much of the album is a pop reimagining of the Rock fundamentals from back in the '60s-'70s (I don't know about you, but I was reminded of a few distinct bands by some of the tracks). The modern sound comes from the clean production and the lyrics that are simultaneously sensitive and direct. And mixed in is some classic romantic and goofy boy band fare, as expected given Williams' background.

Alright

01) Lazy Days - 8,0 02) Life thru a Lens - 7,0 03) Ego A Go Go - 7,0 04) Angels - 10,0 05) South of the Border - 7,0 06) Old Before I Die - 9,0 07) One of God's Better People - 7,5 08) Let Me Entertain You - 10,0 09) Killing Me - 7,0 10) Clean - 7,0 11) Baby Girl Window - 7,0 12) Hello Sir - 7,5 TOTAL: 7,83 (78/100) Current ranking: 122/306 Let's be honest, this is a bit boring and average pop rock most of the time. But there is a but... Thanks primarily to "Angels" and "Let Me Entertain You" and to a lesser extent to the other singles from the album, this album rises by one star and becomes a four star album. Throw in a pinch of '90s nostalgia, spice it up with all the other hits Robbie had later in his career, and that's it. Four stars!

Enjoyed it more than expected

Better than I remembered, and I knew more songs than I expected. Obviously the singles were a pretty big deal in the UK, but a few of the other tracks were also either staples on the radio, or part of his widely televised live shows at the time and after.

Primero que todo, lo quiero a Robbie. El albur tiene unos témanos y otras canciones que no me dicen mucho o no siento tanto.

Enjoyed this more than I expected

Britpop gold with Robbie doing his best Liam Gallagher on some songs

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. It’s nothing mind blowing, but I found it to be a solid record from beginning to end. Angels, Williams’ biggest song, is a banger. It sounds like Oasis at times, and I expected a straight pop record. Perhaps not the deepest or most daring album, but a solid 90’s Britpop record.

Так.. Уже так себе. Ну ладно надеюсь понравиться. В общем получилось лучше чем я думал. Некоторые песни были прям отлишными.

very catchy pop tunes with a hint of theatrical that I’m actually a fan of. Feels a little derivative of stuff but can’t really put my finger on what

Good summer feel good vibes, feels like it could be part of a movie soundtrack for a few of the tracks

Robbie Williams' Life Thru a Lens is a pop album bursting with catchy hooks and memorable melodies. The album’s strength lies in its infectious pop tunes, each one engaging or fun. While Williams' vocal performance isn't the most powerful, his charisma shines through every track. The production is polished and energetic, creating a cohesive sound throughout. Songs like Angels and Let Me Entertain You showcase his talent for blending rhythms with sing-along choruses. The album balances high-energy tracks with softer moments, providing variety. Overall, it's a delightful collection that highlights Williams' skill in creating irresistible pop music. NUMBER OF BANGERS - 7 STAND OUT TRACK - Let Me Entertain You

Would not have guessed he’s the highest selling UK solo artist of all time, but I can see why with how easy these pop-rock tunes go down. Most structures and chords are simple, but there are several quality guitar breakdowns that keep things fresh. His comical approach to casual drug use gets consistent chuckles (but is also slightly concerning). Listened to: walking in Brooklyn botanic garden. Favorite tracks: Angels, South of the Border

Very good album with a couple of excellent tracks

This is actually great. Catchy, clever lyrics and much more well produced than I thought it would be. Shit, do I like this?

This album is surprisingly versatile. Although it's really overproduced, I did enjoy this way more than expected.

Pretty good.

Thought I was gonna get chufties over this but didn't maybe was in a bad mood, giving it 4 since he's the best member of take that

Robbie Williams was new to me and I'm really impressed with his songwriting, singing, and general vibe. Clever guy who seems to have fought a few demons.

It's solid britpop, that's pretty much it. I like britpop, so it clicked a lot for me, but if you don't like britpop you're probably going to hate this album.

I’m feeling a 4. I don’t really understand the criticisms this album has been getting on the site – yes, it’s very radio-friendly safe pop, but what’s wrong with that? Not everything has to be this absolutely blowout balls at the wall album. Sometimes, when pop is good, and it clicks, it just… clicks. This album clicked for me; I thought the instrumentation was pretty good, I really like the tone of his voice, and I thought the tempo and the vibes were pretty varied and entertaining throughout. Lyrically, I caught a few things that were dumb as hell, but overall, I’d say this is good, and worth giving a 4 to. Let me put it this way: I’ve heard worse on some of the previous 121 albums we’ve done before this. To me, this is pretty fun. It’s not blow-me-away incredible, and it breaks the streak of 5’s I’ve been giving (4 albums in a row and 5 out of the last 6 is pretty good), but I definitely enjoyed it, and I’d recommend it. I’d say that makes it worthy of being on the list.

Standouts: Angels, Let Me Entertain You, Lazy Days, Life Thru a Lens, Old Before I Die, South of the Border, One of God’s Better People. 3.75

Fun album! It's amazing how many different qualities his voice can take on.

I love Robbie, but have never listened to one of his albums before. This confirmed that was a mistake - it has some of his greatest hits nothing misses. The middle stint from Ego Agogo to Let Me Entertain You is stunning. Favourite track: Angels (basic).

The Robbie Williams phemomenon largely missed the States. I remember hearing about him during my time down in Florida, which I would prefer to largely forget -- but I'd never heard a single one of his songs that I could remember. I missed out on this for 25 years? If you're looking for pop-rock done well and cheekily, this is for you. Now, I don't quite get how this collection of songs would sell out three days as Knebworth, but then, beans from a can is not my first choice for breakfast. Anyway, plenty of catchy tracks for you to nod along to. "Let Me Entertain You" is certified killer -- and even the ballads are decent, although they're my least favorite points on this album. Unexpected banger: South of the Border

A superstar in much of the rest of the world, Robbie Williams has never quite managed to break through in America—and that’s a shame, because his solo debut shows a keen ear for interesting rhythms and a sharp sense of humor. This is like when Justin Timberlake broke out, but better.

I wanted to hate but it didn’t. Surprisingly decent Brit pop album

Very 90s

We've had a couple of chart-topping pop singer albums, of which I (everyone, really) have heard some of the hits, but never a whole album. To name a few, the Madonna, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake albums were absolutely vapid, soulless, uninspired to the extreme. Good for individual, recognizable karaoke tunes, but otherwise not worth spending any time on. To my surprise, this was actually a pretty good album. Not something to give multiple spins, but definitely solid. Good voice, good performance, solid songwriting. The bad boy act is uninspired, but it's an angle, I guess. 3.5 rounded up.

I like this. He sounds a bit like Elton John.

4/5. Love the energy from this one: loud, in your face, punkish, and beautiful at times. Brit-pop/rock is a hit or miss. Sometimes it is the most boring thing in the world or it can be like this with well-written songs and the energy needed to match the instrumentation. And that energy is here to shine. Not a perfect album but definitely worth the listen.

Robbie Williams's first solo album is not his best, but songs like Angels, Old Before I Die, and Let Me Entertain You set the stage for what was to come in the following years. His superstar status was well deserved, and in spite of this being Pop, this is Pop of the good kind. 3.5/5

Surprising, if you judge a book by it's cover. Melodic songs, to me, reminiscent of Elton John. That isn't meant to be a bad thing.

Has some great hits

Surprised me how much I enjoyed this one. Back in the day solo Robbie Williams didn’t make too much impact in North America until his next album (Want You Back is still a classic) but this was a pretty confident debut.

I'm a sucker for a bit of cheeky lad pop, especially when it sounds like it's been put through a 1965 Beatles song generator. Confident and faintly ridiculous.

Quality britpop. Loved it. Def will listen again.

yesss robbiiee pop off 💅

Not bad actually

Glad to see Robbie on this list because I always thought he was underrated. Granted, I can't put my finger on what's so great about him. Objectively, there's no one thing about him that makes him great, but he's greater than the sum of his parts I guess. He's just high-energy and fun. I love the arrangements and the use of horns on this album. It's great.

Really good Brit-pop album which for surely influenced today’s artists like Harry Styles and Ed Sheeran. Definitely a high on the re-listenable scale. Mid 4