Reviews (page 5 of 8)
90’s pop when grunge rulled
Oh fuck off. This is Morrissey-level shite. One star.
Like music in this genre, just didn’t love this.
Kind of unremarkable Britpop, but also not offensive. I can see why this album didn’t really make a splash in the United States. But it definitely fits in with the time that it was created. I don’t know that I would go seeking out this album in the future, but I wouldn’t complain if it gets put on as background noise
Not sure that this would have launched Robbie to the heights of pop royalty if he hadn't done time in Take That first. Lazy Days and Life Through A Lens sound halfway between brit pop and US pop-punk. Ego a Go-Go is more the kind of thing I can appreciate from Williams - a bit manic. Angel is the depressive flipside with a low budget Oasis rip off. Let Me Entertain You does its job admirably. Most of the other songs just kind of fade into the background as FM radio fodder.
Se pone uno a recordar los mejores discos del 97, un año realmente espléndido... y este debut de Robbie no termina de encajar. Tiene alguna canción recordable pero nolo pondría en la lista. Ha envejecido bien, Williams sigue teniendo tirón y merecido éxito, pero con uno en la lista (Escapology parece el más evidente) es más que de sobra. Discos del 97: Radiohead: OK Computer, Spiritualized: Ladies And Gentlemen We’re Floating In Space, The Prodigy: The fat of the land, The Verve: Urban Hymns, Cornershop: When I Was Born For The 7th Time, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: The Boatman’s Call, Erykah Badu: Baduizm, Wilco: Being There, Portishead: Portishead, Primal Scream: Vanishing Point, Tindersticks: Curtains, Björk: Homogenic, Bob Dylan: Time Out Of Mind, Yo La Tengo: I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One, The Chemical Brothers: Dig Your Own Hole, Belle And Sebastian: If You’re Feeling Sinister, Shleep de Robert Wyatt Teenage Fanclub: Songs From Northern Britain, Mogwai: Young Team, Daft Punk: Homework, Stereolab: Doots And Loops, The Make-Up: Sound Verite, Eels: Beautiful Freak, Erykah Badu: Baduizm, Echo & The Bunnymen: Evergreen, Prefab Sprout: Andromeda heights, Dinoasaur Jr.: Hand It Over, Blur: Blur, Buenavista Social Club: Buenavista Social Club, Elliott Smith: Either, Or, Janet Jackson: The velvet rope, Smog; Red apple falls, Built to Spill: Perfecto from now on, The Jayhwaks: Sound of lies, Kent: Isola, Ocean Colour Scene: Marchin' already, Paul Weller: Heavy soul, Cotton Maher: Kontiki, Luna: Pup Tent, Foo Fighters: The colour and the shape... Y también: Spice Girls: Spiceworld, U2: Pop o Aqua: aquarium...
Better than I expected, but I really wasn't expecting much tbh. A lot of it sounds like it was written by committee, going down the checklist of current popular sounds to tick off. The production is super slick. There are some reasonably enjoyable songs on here, but I wouldn't actively seek any of them out. The thing is, being over the hill and male, I'm not the target demographic for this. So looking at it in that light I can see the appeal and why it sold so many copies.
So, this is the debut of Robbie Williams, who had been dubbed as the fat dancer of Take That, a boyband group that did not reach me, maybe because I was born just as they were peaking and split just as I was just a toddler, I have heard tracks by them but if you ask me(guy from South America) they weren't memorable. Life Thru a Lens destiles what was popular in the UK over 95 to 97 and sold it in a pretty package. However if you can have the real thing, why get a imitation? Angels follows the balladry roadmap made famous by Oasis and if they weren't so much into the mirror and the razor blade they could have had a big hit like that on that year(Don't Go Away and Stand By Me are the ballads of their 1997 album Be Here Now, which are killed for public consumption by too many guitar overdubs and over length). Let Me Entertain You is a nice change of pace later in the album, but this project is not one that I will listen to very much after writing this review. Maybe my review is too harsh, but I went into it knowing the best tracks and the others were just ok. https://youtube.com/shorts/NkElJrwC3_k a lighthearted moment non monkey man related 5/10
monkey man mid music. 3 banana out of 5.
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5/10 monke
I don't like 90s pop music
Okay and that’s as good as a Robbie Williams album will get but that’s fine. Decent work, nothing too awful, or special.
Good, def has some bangers
If not for the song Heaven this pop schlock would be a 1. He has a great voice, somewhere between a young Elton John and a poor mans Freddy Mercury, the songs just suck.
I'm feeling generous, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would
Fun pop. A few great tunes
Lol, no. I didn’t like this at all, and I’m not sure what about it I found so irritating. My tolerance for britpop is low to begin with, and this album felt like it was rubbing what I dislike about the genre in my face. Aggressively bland. Does this really deserve a 1? By my usual pattern, it would probably warrant a 2 (and “Angels” wasn’t terrible), but I was so annoyed while listening that it only seems fair.
I think if I had rolled this before March 16th I wouldn't have even thought much about it beyond "oh yeah, the DJ Rock dude" and just moving on because like, what else is there to think about him as someone who actually did hear the one big hit but didn't care otherwise? That much changed after watching the biopic about him, Better Man, which not only is it a great movie that does the most out of being a biopic while not falling in the typical trappings of biopic but also it made me interested in his music because the movie heavily featured it of course (albeit in it's own versions rather than originals) But this isn't a Better Man review but instead a commentary on Life Thru a Lens and I was wondering if it would be some pretty ok album with great singles but forgettable deep cuts, not like an actually pretty good album that has songs as entertaining as it's singles Obviously I have my bias towards britpop music or simply nice rock music, but I think Robbie slots in the kind of Oasis sound more naturally than I would have imagined, I mean Lazy Days' melodies and all just have the kind of ear worm quality that I would want out of this genre, same as the following songs up until Old Before I Die which from there the songs aren't as neat but still remain a good time. I think the best way I can describe these songs is that, a good time, they know how to be just the exact breezy and fun sound of the genre and making it songs that initially could seem annoying but manage each time to save themselves from just falling into "meh" territory for me. Idk, maybe the Better Man brainworms makes me feel positive about this but genuinely I think this album is pretty good.
Perfectly mediocre Brit pop. I wish it was sung by a monkey, though.
Britpop at its worst.
Still surprising
This was a fun one
***An ok. Album
This one surprised me. I was ready for cringe, but it turned out to be kind of a hangover cure in album form. Breezy, cheeky, and self-aware in just the right ways. It’s big '90s Britpop energy, but lighter, shinier, with a bit more smirk and personality. There's confidence all over this, even when the actual songs get a bit messy. It’s got that “look at me” attitude of a solo act who really wants you to forget they used to be in a boy band. I won’t overthink it - this was a good time. Honestly, if you’re mildly hungover and looking for something caffeinated without being aggressive, this slaps. Spins: 3 Playlist Additions: - Lazy Days - Angels - Old Before I Die - Let Me Entertain You
I’m a sucker for pop music, and because I’m also a Millennial, I have a particular soft spot for boy bands, although I can be randomly judgmental. On the other hand, I notoriously hate Britpop, probably because I’m American. That also means that, despite being a pretty big music nerd, like most Americans, I hadn’t really heard of Robbie Williams until a couple years ago thanks to Brits on TikTok being shocked that Americans didn’t know who he was. (This was pre-Monkey Movie™️, though, and that only got worse after the Monkey Movie™️ was released.) Like, it’s to the point where I didn’t even know he was in a boy band originally. But then, looking at his music out of context, I wasn’t really sold. In a vacuum of singles, Robbie Williams makes watered-down music for the karaoke masses and an audience with a palette as diverse as you’d expect knowing how bland their cuisine can be. All these things caused me to have a volatile listening experience with this. Life Thru A Lens is a watered-down version of Britpop, squeaky clean to the point where it’s lame. To make it worse, it adds in adult contemporary wedding songs and crooners like “Angels” and “One of God’s Better People” to give it that extra mass appeal for Brits, a market that would be permanently filled by the Pop Idol ecosystem the country birthed a few years later. On its surface, it’s a lame album. It’s also derivative. Those are two adjectives that don’t typically inspire ✨essential listening✨ to most audiences. And considering that, again, I’m a Yank’ who hates Britpop, my initial listen was not a thrilling experience. There were, however, a handful songs that I did like on first listen, and my gut reaction was that this isn’t a bad album. Mass market, trite, and fluffy? For sure. And there were some pretty grating songs on here. But not as unbearable as a watered-down, pop himbofied version of a sincere genre of rock and fuckin’ roll should be, especially considering that I find the original genre to be pretty trite and fluffy on its own merits. This is where the Poptimist (read: Dumb Bitch) in me took over. I started to enjoy my subsequent listens. I found myself vibing with more and more songs. I heard “Angel” in my Brooklyn grocery store and found myself humming along now that I knew the context– and that was one of the songs I still wasn’t a fan of even after a couple playthroughs. It wasn’t like this was my new favorite album or something, but it was growing on me. I still found myself hating some songs for being overproduced (“Let Me Entertain You”), too British (“Clean,” “Ego Agogo”), or too saccharine (“One of God’s Better People”), but there was still over half an album that I wasn’t just fine with, but actively enjoying. What started out as guarded surprise grew into actual pleasure. Why was this happening?! I knew this album was fluff and watered-down pop meant to appeal to the most common denominator, so why did I like it? For one, I think my hatred of Britpop actually benefited my listening experience. Like how a stiff glass of straight liquor can be easier to tolerate once you let it sit on the rocks for a minute, Life Thru A Lens made the burn of Britpop more appealing to my Americanized ears. It wasn’t always successful, but the Atlantic cultural divide is hard to bridge. Secondly, mass appeal means *mass* appeal, and for better or worse, even though my music nerd side wanted to resist it, I am part of the masses. Not only that, but I’m also a Pop fan, and even with its flimsy rock star aesthetic, this is a Pop album, regardless of cultural context. Most importantly, I’ve heard some bad albums thanks to this generator, and I’ve heard what Britpop Proper has to offer, and I’ve generally not loved what’s on the menu. Sure, Life Thru A Lens may be an cheapened, unrefined version of Britpop, but it’s a lot more straightforward than Parklife, Rings Around the World, or either Suede album, and somehow a lot less overproduced than What’s the Story, Morning Glory?, A Northern Soul, or either Pulp album. The fact that it’s more contained and the production is middle-of-the-road actually makes it more appealing to me because those are my issues with Britpop as a genre. I think the best point of comparison for Robbie Williams to me is Justin Timberlake. I grew up in a culture that adored JT and NSYNC. I like their debut and All Strings Attached, and I like some of JT’s solo material. I’m not going to lie, if you played some of his songs at a karaoke bar, I would vibe. I still put some of those singles on playlists. But when I listen to the solo material front-to-back, I get annoyed. When I look back on that time period when he was super-mega famous, I do recall that most of it felt trite and fluffy. 99% of the time, he was appealing to the American mass market of the era. I can kind of understand how someone from outside of America could look at Timberlake and find his music annoying. I also have heavy critiques of his solo albums. But like, I don’t think you can hate from outside the club, y’know? And if you told me you sincerely hated “SexyBack” or “Rock Your Body” because it sounds like watered-down 2000s American hip-hop, I would assume you’re just being contrarian. Those are fair critiques, but only an American with American context can really make them. As an American, hating Robbie Williams feels contrarian. I felt that muscle flexing on my first listen, but I’ve honestly come around. This isn’t my favorite album ever, but it’s appealing and well-made, even if it isn’t essential. It’s also a much better gateway into Britpop for me personally, and I’d rather listen to this interpretation of that genre as an outsider because it’s easier for me to digest as someone missing the context. I get why this is here. It’s no Supergrass, but it’s maybe in my Top 5 personal favorite Britpop albums, which is simultaneously an insult, a compliment, and proof that I don’t really have the right to have too harsh of an opinion without a British context, especially when I vibe to, like, 65% of this record.
The biopic where he’s a monkey the whole time has definitely made this a weird album listen. The random like 10 minutes of silence on the final track was a bit annoying to skip through.
Interesting to experience someone who is an icon for half the world, but a minor footnote in the US. I'm surprised he didn't do better, because a lot of this album sounds like the kind of alternative-rock inspired pop that did numbers here in the late 90s. Wasn't crazy about Angels, which is apparently his biggest hit of all time. Oops
Stunning album
I nearly forgot about him
Just generic post-boyband slop. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt for having some moments that are fun and somewhat enjoyable, but in terms of originality and interest, this album is nothing.
This guy must be the final boss of 90s Brit-pop on the list. Its not terrible but also not good like so many things, just not for me I guess
I liked it!
That was very dull pop music
decent overall not bad
This is a 1 star pop album. But my wife says it's has to be at least a 3...
Might be a sign to watch Better Man.
A couple of good ones
Soft rock
I like Robbie Williams but not sure if it belongs on this list. Boyband pop rock style from the 90s and it is not even his biggest album.
At least for some of the bad albums I can see how it made the list. This is just generic crap
"Angels" and "Let me entertain you" on here. The rest sounds quite similar.
‘Criminally Addictive’ was the first manufactured pop record. Recorded by Houmous & Chutney in 1971 it was totally pioneering and given a nod in every single manufactured pop record since. Prior to this no one thought brainwashing through music was possible. 3.4
Pretty meh. Crazy how much less Angels hits when it’s not being sung at karaoke. 5/10
A bland distillation of a lot what was wrong with music at that time. I have no interest in Robbie’s climb from obscurity to stardom. Knowing without being self-aware.
Refused to listen.
A música mais conhecida não diz nada sobre o que é esse disco!
Pretty average late 90s rock. Has some good nostalgia factor, but not my fav by any means.
Weird pick, but surprisingly fun. Is Sing When You're Winning here at least?
Maybe this seems like a backhanded compliment but this was better than I thought it would be. A lot of the songs are fine, but nothing particularly stands out, with the exception of “Angels”. That’s where his strength lies, less with the Britpop songs that are on this album
i might have gone into this knowing more about robbie williams had i not been going thru Pretty Bad Movie Burnout for many a month and therefore i have not watched the unjustifiably awesome looking monkey biopic. it wasnt necessary to enjoy this tho, this is tbh kind of awesome FHJSHJFHFSJ rather than pure smarm like can wear on me w/ a lot of britpop and adjacent, theres a lot of theatrics and big brash moves on here that rly hook me and make me feel like im actually listening 2 someone who cares about their music. great melodies all around too...rly solid combination of surprising and reassuring. the biggest pull tho is the production from guy chambers and steve power!!! just huge meaty power, super super fun to listen to. gotta be an all time great album cover too lol! i struggle to say much beyond just Listing Out The Traits like a boring book report FHJFSHSJF which is not usually what i wanna do but this just strikes me as obviously wonderfully good music with a lot of stadium power, yet slightly vulnerable all the same. im sure ill watch the monkey movie someday
More britpop but this album is a cut above many others.
Meh
Was actually pleasantly surprised by this one. Recognized a couple tunes from soccer chants. Wouldn't listen again but I expected for it to be a lot less I mean holy shit it's the monkey album
Really?? Of all the records released since 1954. Whatever ridiculously high number that must be, this? Think the editor needs holding to account. Must hear? Mediocrity, generic over produced pop trying too hard to be edgy rock. Lazy rhythms every line, look/book anyone, the sort a Class of 10 yr olds would come up with, cue up the cheeky bad boy shtick, try so hard to not be in a boy band. Set up the image, the producer does the heavy lifting, naff songwriting so I can be real, that is polished by someone else to make it passable. Most definitely not the target audience for Mr Williams, I hadn’t hear this as an album before and don’t think needed to. Side note angel doesn’t sound like it was written by the same crew, no naff rhythmic line shit, a one off lucky punt?? to save the boy band career. Fluff, 2 Stars.
I never bothered with this when it came out (because I wasn't a 13 year old girl) but it's surprisingly rather good. A lot of humour (to be expected, but it's clear from some reviews that non-UK reviewers dont get it). Angels and Let Me Entertain You are great songs and well known (in UK at least). Ok so maybe there isn't the same familiarity and knowledge ouside the UK. I suppose I feel the same way about Elliot Smith (who?), but at least I gave that miserable twat a chance. I particularly liked the 'fuck you' poem to his teacher at the end. Well done, thingy!
Couldn't finish, just not my style
Not what I was expecting from a former boy band member. I know he has a huge following in Europe but never really took hold in North America. Nice to her at least once and have an idea of what his music is like.
Never thought I'd see a Robbie Williams album here, especially this one, it's just so painfully dull outside of 1 to 2 ok songs ("Angels" (which doesn't seem as good some 18 years later) and "Let Me Entertain You" which is probably and alright party starter)... Everything else is bottom of the barrel musically and lyrically (outside of his dated line about being clean with Charlie Sheen) Would he get better? Debatable....
2/10 So...fucking...boring. 3-13-2025
I don't know, not really a huge fan of this artist. Too poppy for me.
Much better than I expected. Angels shines more than usual in the context of the album, and it makes me appreciate Let Me Entertain You more. The (for me) deep cuts are a varied bunch of nice Beatlesy pop (Killing Me, One of God’s Better People), Oasis throwaways (South of the border, Old Before I Die, Lazy Days), uptempo rockishers (Life Through A Lens) and nondescript tracks, as you'd expect. The production is slick and rather soulless, but it works on tracks like Ego Agogo, where the brass and hammond really adds to what is otherwise a really mid track.
Life Thru A Lens by Robbie and his friends is a kick butt debutt! Every song is crafty and entertaining. Album starts out strong and keeps getting better with each song. It peaks at Let Me Entertain You, but the finish is equally as good as the start. Other than the ten minute wait and the hidden track Hello Sir (worst song.) Tough to select a best song ‘cause there’s so many good ones. Will be listening to this album again as well as checking his other works. (4.7*s)
Felt a little corporate and formulaic, "Angles" carries the entire album. I do like his voice and can see how white middle-aged moms would wanna do this dude in 1997. He's certainly entertaining, I wanna see him obese and hear more about his online golf game addictions. I'll give the monkey man a 2.0 because it's not all that bad but also not all that good.
I had never heard of Robbie Williams prior to this past 2024 Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve and it makes since that he would star in a over-produced, over-commercialized pile of shite (lame Iknow but you gotta throw it on). "Life Thru a Lens" is just bland pop-rock that checks all the boxes a label requires...cookie cutter back-up band, typical lyrical content, God songs, country influenced bs song, even a fuck-you haters hidden track. "Clean" was top track but did they have to throw in a wobbly record and space sounds? Yes they did because that's a box checker. List creator's need to explain this one to me...1.45 stars.
Life Thru A Lens was a pretty generic pop rock album for me on this listen. It's not bad, not great. Has a couple songs that I can see why they might resonate or become minor hits upon release. It's mostly forgettable but is perfectly fine filler music for most occasions. What I didn't know was how big of an artist Robbie Williams is/was. His popularity never extended stateside so I wasn't familiar with him previously. A CGI monkey ingesting copious amounts of drugs and acting like a cheeky asshole for 2 hours gave me the perfect context as to why this album belongs on this list. Robbie Williams has a crazy story and it is best viewed through the filter of a digital monkey partaking in classic boy-band turned rock star antics. Album gets 2.50 stars. Better Man biopic also gets 2.50 stars. CGI monkey get 5.0 stars.
Didn't really like this one.
Decent
Not too bad.
Waar is de aap?
Just really joy my think. Not the worst pop record. But to me it just comes off as generic without any hooks that make me want to keep listening. Also, didn’t this guy used to be a monkey? 2.5/5
Rating: 4/10 Very generic Britpop, has a few decent moments though.
Life Thru a Lens is a nice slice of 90s pop if you’re in the mood. https://open.substack.com/pub/richcain/p/project-1001-life-thru-a-lens-by?r=4ztyq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
pretty decent for a debut album a bit too radio friendly for my taste tho
Ugh. 1997 had so much better music.
I can't believe a chimpanzee made this album.
Enjoyable album, the hits haven't aged a bit, and there are a couple of hidden gems. Not a remarkable album still.
Not bad, at least he's a proper singer
For those who don't know, Robbie Williams originally rose to prominence as part of the 90s UK boy band Take That before leaving the group over his behavior. He started pursuing a solo career, taking influence from the then-current Britpop trend, thus leading to this debut album. I will say I didn't have many expectations going into this album, because this could have been either good or a niche relic from when Robbie dominated the British tabloids. What did we get with Life Thru a Lens? Well color me impressed, because this was a pretty great solo debut. It's evident from Robbie's songwriting evoked from his struggles with fame, coupled with top-notch production from Guy Chambers and Steve Power, that they were pulling all the stops to make this work outside of Take That. He's able to play well with a few different styles, from the funky "Ego Agogo" to the ballad "Angels" and the more straightforward rocker "Old Before I Die". Even if it's apparent that Robbie spent a lot of time with Oasis, he's largely effective in taking influence from them. Granted, this is not a flawless album. I did not care for the swampy bass-leaden tread of "South of the Border", and while it was a respectful note to end on a poem where Robbie got to lash out against a former schoolteacher that didn't believe in him, having it as a hidden track ten minutes after "Baby Girl Window" was not a smart decision as it hurt the replay value of the former track. Still, I'm amazed at how solid Life Thru a Lens turned out. I'm glad Robbie made amends with his old mates in Take That, but he was able to carve his avenue effectively.
Ikke i humør til det i dag, men det er god musik. Britpop som er meget artistic
Whats the appeal? He's truly truly awful. This is the type of album that you need a zero star option for.
I know little of RWs music. I had heard Angel and Rock DJ (or something like that). I had heard of Take That - but can’t tell you a song they sing. I do know he is very funny, but that is from watching clips of him on the Graham Norton show. As for this album, it’s pop. Nothing special and nothing horrible. And nothing memorable. I do miss hidden tracks!
Decent listen
Terrible - why is this album on the list?
I love Britpop, I love Robbie, I will watch the monkey film
I got excited when the first song was randomly shoegaze but most of the album is solid but kind of boring
In a nutshell: the ego has landed. This is only on the list for two reasons: 1. Robbie's fanbase exploded after leaving/being kicked out of Take That (a ridiculously popular and overrated British boy band of the early 90s). 2. It was part of the 1990s zeitgeist, mainly in the UK. What I will give to Robbie Williams is that he followed in the footsteps of George Michael: he upended the pop star stereotype. Robbie was pop's "bad boy"... who also likens himself to a "performing monkey. Overall: 2/10
Loses a star for making me listen to dead air for almost ten minutes to hear the hidden track (I was in my car). Back atcha, Bob.
This was ok
Not my type of music. Although the album is good and has great lyrics and continuity as a story teller it is a good album. But pop music sucks
Not for me
The songs on, "Life Thru A Lens" are catchy and have a pop element that is quite commercially accessible, so it was a decent listen that didn't take up too many brain cells with thoughtful subject matter. with that being said, it's too bad it's so generic and "middle of the road" Brit-Pop that it's hard to take seriously as a potential "essential" record, which it isn't. Over produced and overrated, Williams shouldn't be looking at life thru rose-coloured glasses, but through lens of reality that it's not as good as his fans thinks.
Sounds good but not my taste
Obviously he was/is huge in Ireland, and he’s having a moment now with his monkey movie, but honestly why is this on here?
Not bad, not spectacular. Didn't mind listening to it, but I'll probably never think about it again.
C'mon let meeeeee'eeeee entertain you Langweilig :)
Listened to it, didn't remember a single song
Angels AND Let Me Entertain You- on ONE album!
Containing an anthem like "Angels" the other tracks on this album seem to me even weaker than they already are. (To be honest "Let Me Entertain You" is fun too.)
Favourite tracks: lazy days; angel; let me entertain you
It's got some qualities I like and qualities I don't like. It's ok.
Oh sweet Jesus. Why? Is Take That and Party also here? Well I'm listening. I've not listened to 1002 albums just to let this stop me. And ok, I'd forgotten Lazy Days, that's actually quite a fun pop song. I've pretty much always hated Let Me Entertain You so not looking forward to that. Angels is Angels. It's a good song but obviously we've all heard the drunk boys and girls on the night bus yelling it too many times haven't we. Old Before I Die I remember being lame at the time, with Robbie aping Liam Gallagher all over the place, and the song sounded even more like Status Quo than Oasis (if such a thing were possible). Apparently South of the Border was a single also? I swear I've never heard that song before. Everything else is... something. Basically throwaway toss. I don't give out 1s lightly but this was mostly annoying catchy nonsense the whole way through.
This album left me with the same question I had after watching a biographical movie about a Pop music Superstar as played by a CGI monkey - 'Who the Fuck is Robbie Williams?' I still don't know, but my familiarity of this list knows that anything from the UK pop music charts is going to work its way onto this list one way or another. Too bad my Oscar Death Race was also dragged down by this oatmeal. 2/5
Angels and some decent songs but a lot of filler
Decent album, standouts are classics Angels and Let Me Entertain You
You’re telling me a monkey sung these songs?!?
If Oasis went pop
If you weren't around in the 70's and never heard of Queen or the Beatles or the Bee Gees, then this will have to do. 3 stars or C for me.
Is this a mistake? A rare win for America for not falling for this works wide phenomenon. I’ve never heard this album before and I could guess the next rhyming lyric with 90 percent accuracy. His voice is also unremarkable bordering on weak. This sounds like an album of cheap songs you would use on a streaming release of a show that couldn’t afford the original hit songs.
This sounds pretty dated to me. It is catchy, but I don't know if it is that exciting. I love a lot of British things, but this one isn't one of them. 2/5
Robbie is like a modern day George Michael... Or he trys to be anyways. Like a more upbeat James Blunt.... Or a shittier Oasis. Here are my favourite lyrics from the album: From the song Ego Agogo... "Hide away in your ivory tower And cover me in your golden shower" He wants someone to piss on him, lol. Favourite songs: Angels, Let Me Entertain You, South of the Border, Ego Agogo, Life Thru a Lens Least favourite songs: Clean, Baby Girl Window 3/5
This album isn't bad. Although I am a bit confused as to why it made the list. I would have place Angels on a "1001 Songs you have to listen to before you die" list, but as a whole, the album is fairly insignificant and conventional. 2.5/5
I don't like any song on this album
I just can’t
The album cover is better than the album
Solid work here, and only the beginning of Robbie defining himself as an artist in his own right
Garbage.
Angels is a banger tho.
Harry Style v 1.0 - british boy band bad boy goes solo and pumps out popped up brit pop knock offs - I do want to see the monkey man movie
I will not listen to this monkey man
Skipped over most of this. Hard to really take it seriously. No one needs to hear this before they die. Some massive songs on it and clearly a born entertainer, but there’s nothing that makes me think it is anything other than great marketing
Yep that's Robbie Williams. Let me entertain you and angels are good pop songs (plus it's only us from the FIFA 2000 soundtrack was a banger) but I don't know how anyone couldnt be sick of him by this point. Absolutely nothing of note from the album tracks. I can give him his dues that the big songs are classics now but Ive had enough now.
Angels is a wonderful song - was overplayed at the time, and I don't mind Let Me Entertain You being played once a year. From (I think) Sing When You're Winning, I really like Supreme, but otherwise everything Robbie Williams has done isn't great. Very limited vocal range, too reliant on Guy Chambers and charisma that isn't cheeky chappy, but annoying idiot. I bet he's a really intrusive person, invites himself along to barbecues. This album is particularly overproduced, and contains absolute nonsense (Lazy Days, and the whole of the second half).
What is this doing here..... Embarrassingly this reminded me that I bought a Robbie Williams single CD when it was released. I think it was rock DJ, which apparently came out in 2000, making me old enough to know better :( Anyway, this had probably more guitars than I was expecting, but after all, Robbie is a bad boy as he desperately wants us to know. Recognised the singles, they were unavoidable at the time. Angels was huge. It's rubbish though. None of the rest really did anything for me, but I will concede that it probably wasn't as bad as I feared
Not bad, 90s pop ballad vibe. He has that whiny voice that was popular during this time. Most songs blended into one, but I can see the appeal.
I don’t get it.
After taking that level of fame in the U.K. to its eventual yet unexpected conclusion, Robbie Williams felt the need to break out and become free. Life Thru a Lens finds the once seemingly indistinguishable boy band member now rather inscrutable solo singer dipping his toes in the Cool Britannia/Britpop waters and begin to establish his own identity. And, as the musical vision shows throughout the album, it appears as though Robbie would be heading on the right path. Now if only there could be a CGI created monkey to reenact this arc and have it shown to the indifference and confusion of American moviegoers... Favorites: Lazy Days, Life Thru a Lens, Ego Agogo, Angels, Old Before I Die, One of God's Better People, Let Me Entertain You, Clean.
The album contains five singles: "Old Before I Die", "Lazy Days", and "South of the Border" are not bad, but "Angels" and "Let Me Entertain You" were massive; the rest of the album is OK.
Sometimes he sounds a little like Brian Molko and it's kind of jarring. Favourites: Lazy Days, Life Thru A Lens, Old Before I Die, Let Me Entertain You, Clean
I’d think I’d hate Robbie Williams but this album won me over - it’s balanced well and it’s got some hits that have proven to stand the test of time and general a pleasant and well paced collection of songs. Even though I had dismissed him as boy band nerd back in the day - Wiiliams has proven time and time again to actually be relevant and sometimes cool and give an interesting twist to things. I can’t believe I’ve written this.
3
eh
No. Just no.
Robbie Williams is still underratedI believe. 3-3.5
Not my cup of tea, even though the tracks are well produced and Robbie Williams embodies the song’s characters really well!
WTF!!!! I didn’t think this monkey looking twat would have an album on here. I felt in different tracks he kinda vocal mimicked other artists, lazy days had an oasis nasil and life through a lens had the occasional pet shop boys vocalism, like with the way he say well and life through a lens. He just frequently chases all of the nasally singers basically. Also please if you think this is britpop, britpop is far more than this, this album is just it’s commercial shell. With Robbie’s ego a go go. Oasis may not be an original band as such but Robbie’s then ripping them off so what does that make him. I won’t say the songs aren’t good because they are, angels is a highlight but still one I was surprised that I wasn’t too familiar with actually I liked all of the singles (bar let me entertain you, that one wasn’t for me) and one of gods better people is sweet. It’s passable 3/5
These types of albums happen occasionally. This is a boy band member’s solo record attempting to be the one member who gets to escape the sinking ship of nostalgia tours and “Where are They Now?” episodes. We’ve all agreed that there can be only one and this was this guy’s bid to be it from his boy band. This is just the British “Justified”. I could see including this album on a list of the 1001 albums you must hear before you die if (1) I was British 😬 and (2) was of a certain age where this became a phenomenon in the very small place I was from while I was plugged into that place’s popular culture. Oh sorry, I left off (3) if I was a fucking moron and made no effort whatsoever to make an actual list of important and quality records and was deaf and was the stupidest person alive. That was an important one.
Meh. Too pop for my taste.
I suppose the "I'm loving angels instead" song was a surprise to me that that one is him. I am not sure how I feel about this album in all honesty.
1.5
Britpop that leans hard into the pop side. Oasis was clearly a reference point. A little vapid, but I enjoyed it. Best song: Angels
nothing too special, but enjoyable nonetheless!!
➕ego agogo, south of the border ➖angels, old before i die oh my god its the ape. coming back to this several months after i initially received this. i kind of understand why he isn’t popular in america. the lyrics are fun and have substance but the sound is so…. toothless? every song kind of sounds like a montage in one of those late 90s early 00s teen shakespeare adaptations. LOVE this album cover though.
mediocre british monkey man
Reminds me most of an English George Michael. The tracks are either incredible, or forgettable. No bad songs, but definitely an album buoyed by the singles. But those singles are some of the catchiest and head-bopping songs I've ever heard, so all in all very good. Top tracks: Lazy Days, Angels, Let Me Entertain You
++: Ego a Go Go, Let Me Entertain You, Clean +: Lazy Days, Old Before I Die, Killing Me +-: Life thru a Lens, Angels, South of the Border, Baby Girl Window -: One of God's Better People, Hello Sir 6,0/10
Smooth voice, but I don't like it much. Hearing 'She's the one' reminded me how much I like World Party, so I played that version and much preferred it. Wikipedia describes Robbie Williams as a singer-songwriter! Ha ha ha. No wonder there's no soul in the music - he sold it.
Just learned about this guy a few days ago cuz he's got a monkey man movie coming out. Good timing. Music was good, reminded me of Oasis a bit i think
Deb : not my favourite but still a solid RW album Sian : late to this album as at the time I was way too angry at him over TT breaking up. Surprised by how much I like it. I think I am one of the only people on the planet who hates Angels (I think it sounds like it belongs on football terraces)
Listenable. By default, had to listen with headphones because of the morning Christmas activities.
Average BritPop 90s album, not great, not bad, just as I expected.
Some decent ballads. I listened to this immediately after the Paul Simon album that was previous in the list and whenever I had to pause the album Paul Simon's songs would pop back into my head. Overall not bad, not great.
Pass
Never understood the appeal of Robbie Williams but then I am neither a straight woman nor a gay man so that is probably the reason. Don't hate his music but don't particularly like it either.
Not a massive Robbie fan but this feels like one of those iconic albums from my youth where it was a big deal that he went solo. I remember my Mum having this record on quite a lot so this was a bit of a nostalgia trip. Listening to it now, it's not awful and is probably one of his better sounding records. A middling 3
I fully understand how “Angels” was a hit in the 90s. Unfortunately, the rest of it is just another Oasis clone, with a little Queen and Blink-182 mixed in.
Robbie Williams is the most criminally underrated artist of the 90s and early 00s.
I really wanted to hate this album... so I did. How many 90s music bandwagons need to be jumped to revive the career of an overrated boy band singer? Answer: all of them. At its best, it's an album with some inoffensive advert music. At its worst, it's an album with some offensively inoffensive music that would be considered too vanilla for an advert. It's a no from me.
устарело и я устарел, но мелодично
Monkey movie guy
The reason he is not famous in America is because you lot have terrible taste. Mystery solved. Maybe it would be more interesting if he was a monkey or something
Angels and let me entertain you, one star each. The rest is forgettable background music. My wife asked after more than half of the cd, is it all Robbie Williams you're playing? She didnt register that yes. It was all Robbie Williams
3.5! Quite enjoyed this! Solid British pop! Might go see that movie where it’s a biopic of Robbie Williams but he’s played by a CGI monkey for some reason!!
This was not as terrible as I expected it to be. So it passed that low bar. It’s a mishmash of styles - hints of Britpop and Pop Punk and then poor renderings of ballads. Not something I would return to.
Never really heard him before. I enjoyed it!
Although the Angels song is one of my favourites, I'd say I could give 2/2
Truly awful. Can't stress enough that I will never get my time back listening to this. Waste of my time. It is like an even more shit version of Oasis.
I don’t mind admitting to enjoying a bit of Robbie Williams, especially now he’s not so off-puttingly omnipresent as in his heyday. Probably my favourite boy-bander-gone-solo actually - he’s got bangers for days. This album has a couple of his biggest on it but it’s definitely uneven; he was clearly still searching for his sound and maybe trying too hard to jump on the Britpop bandwagon. I suspect a couple of his later albums would better show him at the peak of his powers, but still, it’s not a bad solo effort.
Not a classic for this list
Jolly good time
First time listening to Robbie's debut album, and it actually took me by surprise from the very start. I was not expecting the opening track (Lazy Days) to incorporate the jangly guitar work that encapsulated Britpop in the 90's. The first few tracks do their best to maintain the vibe that the opening created, but the musical composition eventually shifts into a more pop orientated style in the second half of the album. Life Thru a Lens peaks at track 4 with, what is likely to be one of Robbie's biggest hits of his career, 'Angels'. The next song on the album 'South of the Border' is relatively similar in sound to the albums opener with some more upbeat, jangly, britpop-esque, guitar work that really drives the the track along. It's at this point (track 6, 'Old Before I Die') where the album begins to lose me. The slower and more pop-orientated sound from Robbie's previous work with the 1990 Manchester boyband, Take That, really starts to ramp up. The album then finishes with a slow and, honestly, a pretty forgettable piano ballad which then fades out to a solid 10+ minutes of literally nothing, just silence. In the final minute or so of the 14 minute long song, we are farewelled with a spoken-word poem, which I actually kinda liked. (★ ★ 1⁄2) 🤷♂️ 59-50 • Okay // has flaws // unsure
Quintessential 90s
For all the flashiness, it just ends up feeling soulless. And that bonus track is the most cringe thing I’ve ever heard.
a pretty nothing album. not bad, not great. it's fine. it's completely listenable. it's about as middle of the road as you can get. sometimes there's a little hint of something interesting - maybe a harder britpop edge, or something a little beatles-y - but most of the time this is just very plain.
3.75
1 Star (2/15)
This is sort of like a KidzBop version of Oasis or Badly Drawn Boy. Maybe a Christian version of them, too? Not without its pleasures, but pretty soft rock.
Music for people who don't know any better. Plenty power-poppy and polished to a near-blinding sheen, state-of-the-art produced and all that, just not very interesting or artful or anything like timeless; editors say "populist," which reads as mass-produced, cynically marketed and broad (so broad). Any fabulousness is fully faux. "Circus is gone/All that's left are the clowns" feels about right. Just, who cares? (Editors are straining in the extreme to call this glam rock – they do rather extremely overrate that genre's influence, don't they?) People like this sort of thing because they lack taste and refinement and so fall for the most obvious sort of power hooks and mawkish balladry. One supposes this could be called well-made, in the way that bad blockbuster movies, overdone ice cream flavors and gargantuan portions at chain restaurants are well made.
This is the most 1997 album ever
It's '90s male pop, that is all.
Being famous is shite
Sounds like one of the guys from Oasis stole Beck's music and put out a solo album. Sorta works for novelty, but would never listen to it again.
Но Шуфутинский же реально пизже 5/10
Album 596 of 1001 Robbie Williams -Life Thru A Lens (1997) Rating : 3.25 / 5 Decent pop album. Am familiar with the name but that is all. This had some catch melodies and introspective lyrics. On a side note, it brought Oasis to mind a couple of times.
Pleasant, relatively mellow, nothing stood out but was enjoyable
Not bad. Big sound, good vibe, good voice. Surprised I've never heard of him before.
Ja wel bangers maar veelste poppie
its a 2 everyone knows this
Fantastic pop. really need to start on British music
Oasis inspired, with at least one fantastic song
3/5
If you’re a C+ British rocker then you’re probably making the list.
disney channeli musiikkia.. mitä hemppua.. pakko olla teollisuuskasvi, niin älyttömän tylsää musiikkia. jotain tunnistettavia ok hittibiisejå mutta niin hirvittäviä korvaraiskaus hetkiä että mahdotonta nauttia ollenkaan hommasta.robi wilöiamssi... miten voi olla noin htvä näyttelijä mutta paska artisti...heh ivtisuä vaan... this album is listen after die when burn in hell.. hehheh... not in while before you die after in hel(in vainAJala) let me entertain you
It's Robbie innit. 3.6
Listened Before? N Meh. Pretty generic pop without the spirit of Take That. His voice is the same, but the heart is gone here. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Let Me Entertain You
3 phenomenal pop songs. The rest unlistenable
Mostly harmless.
Pretty ok, not great. Not sure why this is on here tbh.
The highs on this album are fun but the lows are pretty low (Old Before I Die is almost single-handedly responsible for knocking off a full star - what a stupid song). Not mad I listened, but not in a rush to revisit. 3/5 Highlights: Ego Agogo South of the Border Let Me Entertain You
Loved it!! Would listen to it again!
I've never heard of Robbie Williams outside of accidentally finding him when trying to Google Robin Williams, so this album was a new venture for me. For me, this was a very middling record. Some quality vocals for sure, but most of the other elements didn't stand out much to me. Was a pleasant listen, but had a very "loudspeaker music at a Kroger" energy to me. Notable Tracks: - Ego Agogo - One Of God's Better People 5/10
In ‘98 when Robbie’s face was on every screen and page, and ‘Angels’ washed out of every speaker in a constant stream of bland warbling I would have rather taken a kick in the nuts than listen to this album. More than a quarter of a century later he just sounds like a holiday camp entertainer.
Would have been better fronted by a CGI monkey. Then again, what wouldn't?
legal
Why the fuck is this on here? A fat washed up ex-boyband member produces a sad attempt at indie rock. He has a couple of huge hits that managed ti get played still on Saturday night terrestial TV and that's about it. The music is meat and potatoes that has gone rotten and the lyrics are so concerned with being cheeky they just don't really say anything. The attempt at a poem at the end to tell the teacher who said he was a twat as a kid is just shit. Sounds like he never really got over it - kind of taking away the point of the "poem." Utter dross. Best Tracks? Lazy Days; Angels; Let Me Entertain You
Perfectly good energetic pop.
Live Thru a Lens is the first solo album from Robbie Williams, who became famous in the boy band Take That. Williams makes brit pop. and this is album is a formulaic, overly produced example of it. This could be Oasis, Blur or any of the 90s versions of Beatles' song. Unfortunately, these songs aren't as memorable as Williams more famous contemporaries. These are good - but the all seem to be derivative. For example, Williams' biggest song is on this album, "Angels," and it could be an Elton John song.
Eh. Not bad for someone do not know, but will not listen again , and probably, will totally forget once album is over. Yep. Sure did, Who is this?
Some of these lyrics are just downright cringe-inducing. All of the music is well-made but utterly bland. I just can't buy into the faux seriousness in every song.
Crap
Besides that one karaoke song, this album makes me want to die.
The addition of this album kind of broke my rating strategy. I wish i could give it negative stars
Robbie, your album, woof
Liked this better than I expected. Not great but not too bad.
Loved this album, great Debut by Robbie. All killers no fillers
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.
I'm sure that this record was a big deal in it's time, that being said, there's little to no reason I can see that it would be included in a list like this. Nothing that Robbie Williams does is particularly unique or interesting and there's very little reason to listen to this record. He turned out a record that is boring, and retreats the same well worn ground as most of the records produced during the britpop movement. It's not an insufferable listen, just an uninspired one.
I recognize this guy’s name from reading celebrity magazines: gossip columns over the years. Hadn’t heard his music before. Pretty generic bubblegum pop. Kind of like off-brand George Michael. Hah! The self indulgent hidden track at the end! Good Lord.
Bubblegum pop artist goes solo and tries to hop on the Oasis/britpop bandwagon. How was this supposed to be good?
It's not bad per se, but there's no freakin' way this should be on this list.
This thing just sound like everything else britpop, but more annoying with a strange feeling of ripping off songs all the way through. Extremely mid stuff. A huge joke to find this album here.
Angels is a forever banger.
Elegant 💅
Excellent debut album
It's weird, you know, all this time I've been exploring music, trying to expand my tastes, discover new and challenging artists, I was totally unaware that the vast majority of important albums to listen to before I die were mediocre Britpop records from the 90s. Crazy.
Life appears rather, well, lifeless thru this vapid prescription.
Why was this on the list? WHY?
A nice album, I liked the songs Life Thu A Lens and Angels the most.
Boring overproduced pop bleh. Struggled to get through this one and come up with something to appreciate about it.
曲风还行但是
Ehh boring british pop,
Well… I’ve listened to this countless times back when it was released - and I do still like the hits, and songs like “One of God’s Better People” but the album takes forever to really get going. And it’s really dated. You can hear that it’s a pop record from 1997.
Not very interesting.
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
Dogshit
Angels is a good song. And Let Me Entertain You had my attention, sort of. I just couldn't get past the lyrics throughout this whole album. That's my biggest gripe, like they were so bad. I'm not even going to take the time to type out specific examples because I don't want to remember. That hidden bonus track truly had me cringing the most, though. I wasn't familiar with him before this, but I looked up his band Take That, and I definitely know Back for Good. Though I'm not sure I ever had strong feelings about that song, I do strongly feel I did not enjoy this solo effort.
I have always been fascinated by Robbie Williams as a US person. He is not famous here... his songs are not that popular. I suppose he's like a UK Justin Timberlake with a harder edge? Angels is a VH1 late 90s CVS ballad and Let Me Entertain You feels like Freddie would have loved it. Everything else? Totally fine!
sometimes popheads ask why robbie williams never landed for americans, and it seems like the answer is some combination of: he's ripping off oasis while they're already on the outs, sonically this album is the most england-in-1997 something can possibly be, and lastly this is pretty generic and kinda sucks. 1.5/5
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!
This whole album is just meh at best. I'd probably turn every one of these songs off if I heard them on the radio. They all sound like someone trying to be a better band that exists. Even then that would be a mediocre band. The most popular song on my streaming service is Angels. I liked that song least of all. My favorite song was Let Me Entertain You. Even though sounds like the first performance or opening theme song to a variety show or AGT or some such nonsense.
Ah Robbie, this hasn’t aged well and is mostly a bit meh, isn’t it? The bangers don’t sound so banging all these years later. I forgot how huge it was when he left Take That and how his cheeky chappie persona was so popular. I think that is what drove his success more than anything else
meh
2 stars
Enjoyed it more than expected
So… the fat dancer from take that tried coke, quit the band, hung out with oasis for a weekend, met a songwriter and rejuvenated his career through lifestyle magazine interviews, documentaries charting the ‘rise, fall and rise again’ and a later career flogging cat food on telly ensued. I don’t need to listen to this to know it’s dog-sh!t 1/5
I thought this one was Killing Me, but since I didn’t see any Angels I figured I was still alive.
Generic pop. Why is this on the list?
Best Song: Let Me Entertain You. I would have really liked this album if it was all as big and high energy as this track. Worst Song: Clean. On some tracks, he uses this really nasal singing voice. The whole song is just a string of loosely connected "eeeee"s. Overall: A couple really fun mega hits in here, surrounding by otherwise pretty dull ballads. He's obviously got a nice voice, but it feels like the songs are too often orchestrated to perpetuate a sort of pretty-boy aesthetic that I could do without.
Not so painful from its Oasis influences that the album falls into bottom of the barrel territory, but this album still suffers from being so incredibly dull and stereotypical, not to mention derivative of the rock sound that came from across the pond at the time, that it fails to have any memorable identity of its own. I couldn't tell you anything about the instrumentation, or Robbie Williams' voice. It'll always pick the route you expected melodically, it'll always hit you with the easiest rhymes, which leads to some truly terrible lyrics, and it'll always make you groan with each track, without fail.
This is soooo British. I thought Robbie Williams was from some classic rock band like the Band or something. This guys must have been the inspiration for aldous snow. Hard to take seriously.
He's trying to sound like Oasis and The Verve and others who did this so much better. It literally sounded like a cover album except most cover albums still try to make it sound like their own songs. I'm chalking this one up to "big in the UK when the reviewers were active."
legal, podia ter menos sexo
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.
Life Thru a Lens is starting strong, surprisingly entertaining. I can see why this was popular. I can do without the power ballad "Angels." "Old Before I Die" definitely trying to sound like Oasis, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Still, pop sentiment, it's all pretty shallow. It didn't hurt me to listen to this and now I am familiar with Robbie Williams.
Not half bad indie affair. Favourite tracks: Lazy Days, Ego Agogo, Angels, Old Before I Die, Let Me Entertain You.
I had never heard of this artist, and at first thought "This has potential." An upbeat & peppy start but then I began to have doubts. When I got to work, I was sad laughing at the horrendous lyrics, and I didn't question why I'd never heard of him.
0 interest in this dribble
Primero que todo, lo quiero a Robbie. El albur tiene unos témanos y otras canciones que no me dicen mucho o no siento tanto.
I'd heard Let Me Entertain You before and thought I might enjoy the album in a lightweight, fun way. Wow was I wrong - that was hard work.
It was okay, not really my thing. There were a couple turns of phrase that I liked and "Let Me Entertain You" was my favorite, especially the line "I'm a burning effigy of everything I used to be".
A great brit and chamber pop inspired effort.
You're kidding me, right?
Whoever chose some of th we songs was not considering the person singing them. A song like "South Of the Border" is fine but Ribbit Williams singing it? I don't care if he's a rampaging coke fiend, it's just not believable. The ballads are fine, the lyrics occasionally come off cheesy. I didn't hate this, but I don't feel lik I needed to hear it at all. Favorite tracks: "Life Thru A Lens"
Nothing I found interesting happening here. Competent work but not groundbreaking or moving in any way.
Didn’t care for it too much. 3.0
Enjoyed this more than I expected
Britpop gold with Robbie doing his best Liam Gallagher on some songs
I don't know man, this album just pissed me off.
Baaaaaad
Did the British government pay the authors of this book?
6/10. It's not as bad as other reviewers appear to be calling this album, but it still isn't a masterpiece by any means. It isn't anything special, but it was pleasant, and it certainly has its audience.
Tras el estrellato colectivo de Take That, Robbie Williams supo buscarse un lugar en el firmamento musical en solitario a lomos del brit-pop y las continuas influencias de Oasis. Éste de 1997 fue su primer LP al margen de la banda, con su primer éxito internacional en la balada espiritual "Angels". Destaca la apertura del disco con "Lazy Days" y "Life Thru a Lens", canciones alegres y empoderantes para la juventud de la clase trabajadora. También las enérgica "South of the Border", quizás una metáfora de su propio salto hacia delante en busca de un futuro diferente y "Let me entertain you", toda una declaración de intenciones. Pero el tema que personalmente más me gusta es el vengativo "Ego A Go Go", con referencias veladas a su antigua banda y su sentimiento de traición por parte de alguien a quien apreciaba. En general, un disco de pop descarado y brillante en el que bajo el manto de brit-pop encontramos trazos de glam, rock alternativo y dance-pop.
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.
I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would, but almost definitely not enough to ever listen to it again. It sounds like a proper anthology of 2000s music, which weirdly felt ahead of it’s time as a 1997 album. All still within the narrow scope of 2000s radio rock but a relatively decent range. Still some proper cringe moments though. Pretty on the nose lyricism about the class divide in the titular song, which was surprising but felt like a gcse English language unempathetic retelling of common people. ‘Clean’ made me feel really weird, the sterilised optimism of a person struggling with addiction really evoked an emotion that I’m not sure was intended.
Had no idea what to expect with this Did not expect some pop punk tho lol (title track) Range of genres on this Fave tracks: Lazy Day Angels - actually can’t unhear the big ange version anymore South of the Border Let Me entertain you
Angels. They just dont teach that. Generational talent.
I wasn't expecting this to be anywhere near a top 1000 albums list. Angels is a drunken karaoke banger but the rest of the album is flat and uninspiring. I wouldn't even say this is Robbie Williams best project.
Так.. Уже так себе. Ну ладно надеюсь понравиться. В общем получилось лучше чем я думал. Некоторые песни были прям отлишными.
It's a great pop album, without much substance, and not my cup of tea at all.
1.5
A few bangers mixed in with yawnfest. Would be two stars without them
Good album. Didn't expect much, but was surprised at how good it sounded.
Released at the fag end of Britpop, a cynical attempt to make stadium pop with echoes of the Dublin Castle. Sub-Oasis (and that's a low bar) - sneering vocals like Liam, really obvious tunes - Ego A Go Go. He's like Tommy Steele - an all-round entertainer, playing a rock and roller, and entirely unconvincing in the role. "To me it's magic, to the landlord it's tragic" - one of many clunking, lazy rhymes.
You know how psyched I was to hear Rock DJ only to be let down? Anyway, its not bad, it feels like he's trying to grab some Elton John magic for this album, Angels in particular. Its okay, wouldnt revisit it though.
Angels is a great song. Most of the rest of the album is enjoyable but none of it was particularly memorable.
So yeah, Life Thru A Lens is a smaller guilty pleasure than his follow-up, which is excellent tbf, but this is a good pop album. The singles do all the heavy lifting and they're outstanding, but the weakness is in the rest of the album, they're basically all fillers and instantly forgettable. On I've Been Expecting You, the singles are a half-step below the ones on this record, but the rest stands up to closer scrutiny (Phoenix from the Flames is one of his best songs period). It gets a standard 3 because the singles are properly iconic and enjoyable, but IBEY would get a 4 if it was on here.
Reading the blurb for this, cannot believe that they had Angels as the fourth single of this and Let Me Entertain You as the fifth one... mad. How do you listen to this album and think anything other than those two are going to be the ones that are remembered? Agree with the rest of you, this isn't as good as I've Been Expecting You, but it's still a decent (if a bit trashy) listen. I think in my head I combined what I remembered from both of those albums into one imaginary top drawer album full of hits, this isn't that but it's OK. 3/5.
Doofer Pop. Stimme ok.
Music taste is so subjective. I SHOULD like a musician who sounds like a poppier version of Oasis…but I fucking hated “Millennium” so much when it was a hit in Canada, that I cannot get past that to enjoy this. I had forgotten all about “Angels” which I never liked either. Maybe a 2.5 but I’ll round up to be generous.
Oasis sound a like. Kæmpe bangers, stadion feeling med fælles sang. Ret godt album. Ikke noget jeg aktivt ville have sat på, men solid omgang musik.
De første 3 sange er svage og ret forglemmelige, men så sparke Robbie døren ind med en perlerække af sange. Angels er måske en af de 5 bedste ballader nogensinde. Hold kæft Guy Chambers ramte guld der. Den er altid kuldegys fremkaldende god. South of the Border og Old Before I Die er habile rocksange i bedste Oasis stil. One of God’s Better People er en lille akustisk perle og Let Me Entertain You er bare en party-banger der kan kickstarte en hver fest for 40 plus segmentet. Killing Me har en storladet James Bond score lyd som indvarsler den retning han tog på senere albums. Clean er igen mere Oasis feel, men efterlader en flad smag i munden. Desværre fader albummet ud i samme niveau som det startede med to svagere sange. Alt i alt et habilt album, men det kunne have været en killer EP med følgende track listing: Let Me Entertain You South of the Border Old Before I Die Angels Killing Me One of God’s Better People Hello Sir (Hidden Track)
Just terrible. Generic ass music with cringy angst lyrics and nursery tier rhymes. I’m glad America won the revolutionary war so that we don’t have to be exposed to this garbage on our airwaves
I echo ben’s sentiment. This wasn’t good
Committed to getting through the albums I missed, which has lead me to skewering this guy on a random Sunday. About 40 minutes into this I started questioning if I actually liked music. Never heard of this fella, but saw his name in the news lately for making a biopic where he’s played by a CGI monkey. Based on this album alone I’m going to say that Robbie Williams is a douche. Jim Jeffries of music maybe, his brand is that he’s a wild rocker. At times the vibe is a 16 year old with a Clash T-shirt. I was particularly bothered by the Elton John impression on his ballad “Angels”. It doesn’t help matters that what he’s going for is Brit Pop, which I’m not learning I don’t enjoy. Two thumbs down on Life Through a Lense.
Listened to this while driving from Escondido to Palm Springs. Meh. I had a friend who adored Robbie Williams. I do not share her enthusiasm. Not bad, not great.
I genuinely tried, but couldn’t get into this. And to think Robbie Williams is the best selling singer songwriter of all time in the UK 😂 Idk, it felt like even the hits (Angel) weren’t interesting. Some of the singing was great
I hated this
Who made this list? Make it stop.
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