Life Thru A Lens

Never heard of this guy before. First impression; some nice Matthew Sweet style power pop. First 5 songs are catchy and hooky and well executed. The finish of the album more of the same. Worthy of further exploration for sure. 3.5 🌟

it was okay. the voice was kind of annoying at some times but it was completely average.

The unexpectedly good Robbie debut. Snarky, catchy and cute.

Starts off strong as a passing of the torch from Oasis to Blur kind of LP, strong guitar leads with a healthy dollop of facetious wit. Wilts in the back half unfortunately, swapping sardonic rippers for Keane-esque Britpop ballads dripping in cheese.

pop becero ma molto ascoltabile

Better than I was expecting. It sounded like a cross between Oasis, the Beatles, and Elton John at times. 3 stars.

British, 00s, Pop-rock + Funny, Easy, Important = Male, - Alike, {0/11}

Ooh! Bit of a surprise. Beautifully mixed and nice vocal harmonies. The lead vocal is overproduced tho. Sounds very dated to the 90s, but can't help but enjoy it. Highlights: Lazy Days, South of the Border

Would see live, but didn't stand out.

Noticed this was the one with angels, old before I die, and let me entertain you, so hopes are high. I've never actually heard a lot of the non singles on this, but they're not bad. Almost carried to a four on the strength of roaring along to let me entertain you, but not quite

Really bland.

Idk dude it was fine

Decent Brit Pop/Rock record. Evidently this guy's the biggest deal ever across the pond? Good for him!

A couple of gems.

Not really my thing.

Upbeat and pleasant but nothing wowed me (2.5/5)

Best pop album is still bad

Come back to this one

Cool britpop sound with some nice songs and a fair bit of filler. 'Angels' is the standout, when that second verse hits you can understand why it became such a popular song.

not on spotify, so couldnt listen

Alright, decent singles but that's about it

Yes the lyrics are ropey at points, yes there are some absolute dud tracks but there are some good tunes on this ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Angels still a classic and some decent others. Wanted 3.5.

fine. almost a 4. maybe with the music we're not allowed on spotify its better. Just another generic deep voiced white guy.

Not sure if this makes sense, but I feel like if I had heard this in the 90s when I was really into bands like Vertical Horizon, I might be a fan today. As it is, this is ok and fine.

Klonk niet helemaal zuiver, maar misschien lag dat aan spotify. Aangenaam, maar niet iets dat ik bewust ga opleggen.

Nostalgia factor stronger than the music

.

Pretty good music

meh

Coole plaat, coole dude!

5

Unable to listen on spotify, consider at a later time.

Great debut album. Poppy when it needs to be and lyrical when it has to be.

I don't mind Britpop, and Robbie Williams is the classic example of it, but I also didn't grow up with it. Totally fine; don't need to listen again, not mad about it, wouldn't turn it off. Just fine.

You know what? This is actually pretty good. Another 3.5* candidate

Wish I could listen to the whole thing pretty groovy and some earthy vocals 3.4

Not as good as I thought it was going to be... still plenty of solid British pop. Angels is amazing.

Production: 12/20 Songwriting: 7/20 Innovation: 8/20 Bangers: 15/20 Emotional response: 13/20 = 55 It's fun and like I'm 10 years old again

Only a couple of songs worth listening to

angel

Couldn’t get the whole album on Spotify.

Enjoyed much more than I thought I would, but that's not saying much

Lazy Days - 2.5/5 Life Thru a Lens - 2/5 Ego a Go Go - 1/5 Angels - 3.5/5 South of the Border - 2.5/5 Old Before I Die - 2.5/5 One of God's Better People - 2.5/5 Let Me Entertain You - 3.5/5 Killing Me - 2/5 Clean - 2/5 Baby Girl Window - 2/5 Oh so this is where that one movie with the monkey guy was from. No wonder he didn't break into the States, he's very derivative of other Britpop sounds that came before him. He's trying to attach himself to the more popular bands at the time while shedding his boy band label. To be fair, some artists have been able to shake off the latter, but Williams just comes off as trying to copy what's popular. It's funny that the best songs on here is when he isn't trying to imitate anyone! Angels and Let Me Entertain You aren't bad songs but at least he's trying something that isn't being Oasis! Overall: 2/5 Favorites: Angels, Let Me Entertain You

Idk what it was but man was it really forgetable. Nothing really stood out this listen.

As someone who was introduced to Robbie Williams through Millennium, this was an odd listen. Oasisu, then pop punk, next was a ballad more like what I expected, then just, I dunno

I've only seen this guy on Graham Norton and knew he was a singer, but didn't realize how long ago he got his start. Is is rock? pop? I dunno. Not bad, but not interesting. 3 stars? Naw, maybe 2. It got more boring as it went on.

1. Lazy Days (★★★☆☆) 2. Life Thru A Lens (★★⯨☆☆) 3. Ego Agogo (★★⯨☆☆) 4. Angels (★★★★★) -Fav (me duele admitirlo) 5. South Of The Border (★★⯨☆☆) 6. Old Before I Die (★★⯨☆☆) 7. One Of God's Better People (★⯨☆☆☆) 8. Let Me Entertain You (★★★⯨☆) 9. Killing Me (★⯨☆☆☆) 10. Clean (★★★☆☆) 11. Baby Girl Window -+ Hidden Track 'Hello Sir' (★★☆☆☆) -TOTAL = ★★⯨☆☆ (2,7) -Como promedio me dio 3 estrellas por redondeo, pero sinceramente es un 2 y la verdad me sorprende que me haya dado esta impresión... de paso me enteré de dónde salió este tipo y por qué es tan denostado.

Was this guy on Idol? This sounds like the crappy debut album of an American Idol winner (i.e. minor Billboard single and dick else forever). I was riding such a high for so long, I forgot how many gd 2* albums there are on this list.

eh foda pq eu achei o álbum uma merda absoluta, totalmente na linha de que se não fosse inglês nem teria passado perto dessa lista AINDA ASSIM toda vez que toca angels na rádio eu aumento o som e canto junto. linda música!! o resto é ruim.

pop rock britânico bem medíocre, né. de fato angels eh uma PEDRADA CLÁSSICA da rádio, mas tirando isso eh meia boca demais meio doideira esse mano ter ganhado uma biopic como MACACO (?) btw

Surprised to see this on the list. It was a decent pop album in its day, but there is nothing particularly groundbreaking going on. 2.5

The only thing remarkable about this album is how middle of the road it is. MOR production, MOR songwriting, MOR vocal performance. The drummer is good. Let Me Entertain You is a fun single. Ultimately, I didn't need this in my life and don't think it should on the list. 1.5 stars, bumped up to 2 because my 6 year old liked the first song

I tried very hard to ignore the fact that this was Robbie Williams, who I only know as a corn-ball pop guy. I tried to go into this open-minded. And this album did in fact surprise me, but not because it was better than I thought it would be, but because it is so clearly trying to grab onto those Oasis coattails. I mean - so many blatant rip offs. Robbie is clearly trying to imitate Liam's nasally twang...... it sounds ridiculous. The production sounds as if you hired a bunch of studio mercenaries to recreate that "Morning Glory" sound. The songs are generally meh to totally fine musically. The lyrics are absolute dog shit. "I'm Clean, yeah. I'm friends with Mr. Sheen, yeaah." What. Robbie even seems to be copping from Oasis lyrically as well?? WHY??? Are there no better lyricists than Noel Gallagher you couldn't steal from? Holy moly. Overall: This album isn't the worst thing I've ever heard, but it is bad, and even worse - it breaks my streak of above-average albums! Bahhhhhhh TWO STARS

Bad Oasis impression

Apparently, this album was quite well received in Finland. Not so much by me.

1.91

Está bueno, pero no me partió la cabeza

Was I entertained enough? Not really.

Does not move the needle for me at all. Best Song: Angels Rating: 4.5/10 Stars: 2

No thank you.

Acceptable Brit pop, inoffensive, but not memorable.

Is unfortunately the reality for kids these days.

While this sounds fine, it seems to be derivative, as if he knows the sounds (from the Beatles, Bowie, etc.) that sell and leans into that. The hidden track was so obnoxious that he’s losing a point.

This isn't out rightly terrible, but it's the most generic stuff I've maybe heard yet on this website. It has no business being on this list.

Eh

Robbie Williams? You mean that fat dancer from Take That? I let out an audible groan when I see this come up as my album for the day. I've been complaining about this faker for years, so to have to sit through 52 minutes of his narcissism is going to be a chore and a half. I remember when this album first came out. There was a lot of publicity of Robbie being very cringe, trying to hang out with Oasis, drinking heavily and trying his damnedest to publicly shed his boy band image. Nothing about the man or this album feels genuine. It was like he looked at what was popular at the time, and thought, “sure, I'll do that, and it'll be a hit”. This isn't rock ’n’ roll, this is a washed-up boy bander cosplaying as Britpop. What's worse is that a lot of people seemed to think there was substance to all of this. Sure, it was probably the best solo Take That outing, but is that how low we're setting the bar? I like how a Melody Maker review put it: “this album feels more like a press release than an album – and that's not what I call music.” As insufferable as I find Robbie to be, let's try to be objective. We'll start with the obvious one, “Angels”. It's hard to argue that it isn't a great song, so I won't try. It's a great song. I especially love the slide guitar solo. It's so good that it saves this from being a 1 star review. I play guitar with a group of my fiancée’s extended family at an annual get-together, the closest I've gotten to being in a band. When we take a break from butchering Dylan and Young classics, we relent to the requests. Playing a song like “Angels” can cause a proper feral reaction, as the entire room gutterally screams “and through it allllll” like a group of football hooligans. So yeah, there's no denying that it's a good song. I have my suspicions that Guy Chambers is largely responsible for the musical side of things here. Well, it turns out that Robbie, or even Chambers, had very little to do with it. Ray Heffernan, a small-time Irish musician wrote the song and signed away all the rights to Robbie for a small fee. Imagine hearing it everywhere, and hearing Robbie going on and on in interviews about how he came up with it and wrote it? The only other positive in the album is the catchy guitar melody of “Old Before I Die”. The Who wrote aggressively punk lyrics like “I hope I die before I get old”, reflecting the energy and arrogance of youth, while highlighting the cultural distance in the generational gap. Whereas Robbie wrote the granny-pleasing prose “I hope I live to relieve the days gone by, I hope I'm old before I die”. Not exactly the same edge. But yeah, the song itself, for all of its banal mundanity, gets stuck in my head a lot. There are plenty of average pop-rock albums out there that can be ignored and forgotten about. What really gets under my skin about Robbie, and this album in particular, is his arrogance in the face of how much of a fake he is. And how people seemed to somehow lap it up like he was one of the greats. Or as Noel Gallagher put it: “Robbie's the biggest fake ever and yet he thinks he's Elvis.” Let me entertain you. No thanks Robbie, I'm grand.

far fewer banana mentions than i'd have expected after the movie / 5

Life thru a Lens by Robbie Williams is a fun pop album with a handful of genuinely very good songs on it, although a lot of the rest feels fairly forgettable after the listen. The big singles are undeniably strong. “Angels” is a fantastic pop song and still sounds timeless, while “Old Before I Die” and “Let Me Entertain You” are packed with energy and personality. Those tracks really carry the album. Outside of them though, a lot of the material feels overly polished and still a little too close to Robbie’s boyband past, which makes parts of the album harder to take seriously. That said, there are good melodies throughout and Robbie’s voice suits this style of music really well. He has charisma and confidence as a frontman, even if the songwriting is inconsistent across the album. Overall, it’s a fairly average album with some standout pop moments that remind you why Robbie became such a huge star. Favourite tracks: “Angels” is the perfect pop song. “Old Before I Die” and “Let Me Entertain You” are also great fun Least favourite tracks: “One of God’s Better People” is a bit naff Album artwork: An iconic Robbie Williams cover

Inessential British pop detritus. Every English Aunts favorite music. It's like if you took Oasis and the rest of the 90s Britpop scene and turned it into a mass produced slurry. You can feel here that Robbie Williams is desperate to set himself apart from Take That, but except for "not being Take That" it feels like Robbie has no idea what he actually wants to be. Let Me Entertain You is definitely my favorite song here, only brought down slightly by overplay, but its also the most disconnected sound from the rest of the album.

Angels es el corazón del álbum, que caracteriza la carrera de el, porque es realmente una canción muy especial, pero de ahí son canciones un tanto incómodas o muy forzadas

“Cover me in your golden shower” is about how I feel about this album. Lazy Days is a pretty good pop song to open this one, but the rest of the album is covered in piss, I guess. Definitely the solo debut of a recovering boy band member.

Very 90s and UK>. Very boring.

When I got this I wondered why I never had listened to this guy before. I know why now. 2/5

I like Angels. Rest of the album sounds like D-grade Supergrass. Enjoy his pure pop I lot more.

Not my style

Can't stand the bloke to be honest, I'm playing a few tracks anyway just for a flavour.

An album full of perfectly adequate songs, but pretty much nothing stands out. Also monkey movie guy

England is the capital of music that you have to be from there to understand why it's good (see also: Blur, Oasis). That said, if this is on the list there better damn well be a Tragically Hip album or two. I'm starting to understand what that reviewer who had done the whole thing was talking about when he mentioned the overabundance of mediocre British albums on here (though those weren't his exact words). Like...this is fine, I guess. But sheesh.

I remember being stunned the first time I heard Angels on the radio. I couldn't believe the cheeky sod had come up with a song that good, and I had to give Guy Chambers a lot of credit Listening now, I liked Killing Me as well, but much of the rest is blaring pop/rock as subtle as Robbie's ego. And the tetchiness of Hello Sir is... interesting

Let Me Annoy You

I hate his voice and the way he pretends to rock. Meh.

Waitwaitwait I got one: … “So-Soasis” Ok in all seriousness I was tempted to give this a 3 because after a week of down the middle dad rock I was so happy to get something new that I wanna reward it with more than it deserves. It’s interesting listening to this in a world where Harry Styles exists: a former member of a pop group who went solo and made reductive soft rock music. Maybe this is a tale as old as time. There’s not much to love about this album but there’s also not too much to hate. “Angels” is of course a stand out but also I thought “Let Me Entertain You” was such a deliciously fun track. The rest is forgettable and sometimes embarrassing, but I eventually found myself endeared to the fact someone like him made something like this, even if it doesn’t really work. Also, how long has Charlie Sheen been a punchline in the cultural zeitgeist??

I don’t think Robbie Williams was ever forced upon America as hard as he was forced upon Europe. This album heralded an era of this crap being in every commercial, radio station, outdoor cafe, etc for the better part of a decade. I thought I’d never hear “Angels” or “Let me entertain you” again, but alas here we are. This shit was made to be as appealing to the lowest common denominator possible. He was marketed as some sort of bad boy but he was just a guy singing generic pop music with a band that could’ve been assembled out of any instrument sample pack. The lyrics are shit, the music is bland, the whole thing is just commercial garbage in the worst way. At least he can sing. Not incredibly or anything but he isn’t out of tune or slurring his words.

#920. Mediocre wine-mom pop. 2/5: yawn

all i know about this guy is he was in some monkey movie?? i don't have high hopes for this album but maybe i'll be surprised Lazy Days - 2/5 Life Thru A Lens - 2/5 Ego Agogo - 1/5 Angels - 3/5 South Of The Border - 4/5 Old Before I Die - 3/5 One Of God's Better People - 2/5 Let Me Entertain You - 1/5 Killing Me - 2/5 Clean - 1/5 Baby Girl Window - 2/5 Average score: 2.1/5 🐒🐒 well, it's not a 1-star album like i originally thought at least? still very corny and mediocre britpop in my opinion, especially Ego Agogo only track i could say i enjoyed was South Of The Border. it sounds like something off an early Blur album, so i could appreciate it to some extent

Not to feed a fed horse, but it is nothing short of baffling that brits are shocked yankees don't even know who Robbie Williams is. I think this album is derivative and a little boring, so I could see why it was such a hit with the island nation that invented popularizing bland nonsense.

This sounds like a mix between the soundtrack to a soap opera and the music they play in car ads. Maybe I know too much about Robbie Williams as a person to listen to this album objectively, but to me it reeks of pretentious insecurity. Generic and bland.

This is OK. I certainly remember three of the singles. Pretty dull all told, though. Two stars. Mebbe it was important as a solo debut from a member of a big boy band, but it's musically boring.

robbie williams me recuerda de la existencia de amalia granata, y acordarme de la existencia de amalia granata me hace querer morir Igual, realmente solo tiene un tema bueno.

I don't begrudge pop music being on the list, but surely Take That are more deserving of a spot than their coked up dancer is. Maybe they're on here. This is an album of songs Williams didn't write, that he sings adequately at best, and shamelessly copies the sound of Britpop to try to give him some credibility. Angels is a certified banger though, and alone gets it the second star.

Angels and nothing else. Just a bad/lazy/common pop-rock album.

Urg. Have studiously avoided listening to Robbie 'Ego much' Williams. Damn you for making me do this. OK so it sounds like/influenced by 90s indie guitar driven stuff at its peak in this era (Oasis, Supergrass etc) but with Take That calling cards. Something about his voice that grates on me - trying to identify what it is - I put it down to the fake american accent/vowel sounds in the singing style, and the excessive vibrato etc that just feels a bit like a mask. I generally glom onto bands that have a bit of a sense of humour and don't take themselves overly seriously, and Robbie Williams is clearly a 'cheeky chappy' but sames as the vocal style, it doesn't come across as totally genuine, or there is something about the production that is constraining- too 'clean', too much like a pop machine. It is what it says on the tin - life thru a lens. All shiny floor and not much dirt or static. Its not bad, I mean the songs are reasonably catchy, but I'm not going to choose to listen to Robbie Williams again any time soon. 2.5 Number tracks: 11 Fave track: Let me entertain you. 14/04/26

popslop

Not for me but I can see how some might like it.

It’s like Harry Styles or Benson Boone or Rufus Wainwright, if you put in ear plugs, it can trick you into thinking you’ll enjoy it. Then you listen raw dog and it’s pretty damn bad.

Sugaree pop. No thank you.

Abysmal writing. Some of the songs themselves aren't terrible, but they aren't particularly special either.

Meh.

maybe should’ve given it more of a chance but didn’t like all that much

Robbie Williams is a charming interview, but his music has always been insignificant to the United States. I can hear why. This a derivative of an already pretty weak genre in Brit Pop/Rock from the 1990s. If I wasn't intrigued by Blur or Oasis, and I am not, why would I care about a Robbie Williams -me too cash out- of the same dead genre? Unfortunately with the exception of Depeche Mode's ULTRA, Duran Duran's MEDAZZALAND, Prodigy's FAT OF THE LAND, and The Chemical Brothers DIG YOUR OWN HOLE, I pretty much didn't anything else that was released that year.

Meh. This was boring with hint of something interesting thrown in. My eara didn't bleed but this wasn't my thing. Best track was Let Me Entertain You

Puha det er svært at elske desværre, men det er klart at "Angels" løfter albummet fra afgrunden, hvor Beastie Boys kravler rundt for sig selv.

*57 Det er en rutsjebane af kvalitet. Der er alt fra det argeste pis til "Angels". Jeg er generelt tilhænger af britpop, men den variant klinger, for mig, irriterende. Sidste bemærkning er, at der flere gange bliver sunget nogle fuldstændig krudtede tekster. Som Anders R bemærker: "Hide away in your ivory tower And cover me in your golden shower"

Det her fanger mig slet ikke. Robbie har skrevet nogle bangers og det lyder også udmærket, men som album keder det mig HELT vildt. 2,2 søvnige stjerner.

2 stjerner for et par hits. Derudover pænt kedeligt

This was really bad. I don’t know what I was expecting, but this was much worse. This album has no identity. I am glad no one caught me listening to this. I don’t know how I would explain myself.

Hey, it's the autobiographical simian film fellow. I admittedly haven't watched Better Man, but I've always respected it. It's kind of surreal that the most mid-2000s movie idea ever released only a couple of years ago and was actually well-received by critics. I know that Robbie Williams is one of the all time best-selling artists in the UK and that he never managed to cut it in America, but that's about as far as my knowledge of this guy goes. I suspect that this will be some of-the-time pop rock music. Here goes. More of a delicate, alt-rock, Britpoppy sound with the occasional Beatles homage, but I was more or less right. This was okay. The music is definitely competent - it just doesn't inspire me all that much. The acoustic guitars are very of-the-time and irritatingly so. Same goes for Williams' vocals. He has that 70s rock star zeal which doesn't resonate with me, but I can't really fault it. Still, there's some nice bits in here. Some of the electronic ambience and backing instruments are nice, especially the guitar. The power pop electric guitars are good when they have bite, and the same can be said about the songwriting. If there's one thing this album really suffers from, it's the length. The first half holds its own pretty decently, whereas the second half is more scatterbrained and aimless with a few alright tunes. Overall, this was decent. Aw geez dood. I've heard "Angels" before. Yet another song from my Dad's music library that would come up on shuffle whenever he'd drive me around. I had hoped that I'd be untouched by Williams so I could be in the same camp as the Muricans, though I guess it makes sense for Williams to have a presence here in Stroylia. It's a nice song - definitely listenable. The verses trail off a little, but the bridge and chorus are both pretty nice. The instrumental has that kitschy, tacky, sickly sweet feel which persists throughout a lot of British pop rock of the time. While it doesn't bother me as much as some of the other offenders, I must admit that the sound doesn't animate me all that much. I've heard "Let Me Entertain You" as well, once again through my father. My thoughts are near-identical to that of Angels. Good chorus, but I think the instrumental is a little stale. Still, it's fun as an easygoing, anthemic rock tune. Book time. "If nothing else, Life Thru a Lens proved you should never turn your back on a wounded animal. Just as most people had written Robbie Williams off, confining his early attempts at solo success to the bargain bin, his debut album rose from the ashes to elevate him as arguably the biggest British pop icon for a generation." "Williams' bravado sat comfortably with his new-found power-pop sound, which blended his natural cabaret showmanship with lyrics owing more than a nod to cheeky British seaside humor." "...the contrast between autobiographical "Ego a Go Go" and the somber "One of God's Better People" proved Williams was still torn between life in the spotlight and his working class roots." I think it's obvious that Williams is coasting by on his popular appeal, which makes it difficult for me to comment on whether or not this album belongs here. I don't know anything about Robbie Williams, so it's difficult for me to measure how influential and iconic he is, though I generally feel that pop musicians lost their souls around the 80s and 90s. There were just so many of them being pumped out, and their presence within the limelight became less about their personalities/ability to perform and more about whatever the media was willing to print. That being said, it's impossible to understate just how massive Williams is in the UK, so I like to think this album is in here on good authority. I cosign this inclusion.

Angels // Old Before I Die // Let Me Entertain You //

Very popular in the U.K. Some good music.

Middelmådig sanger, middelmådig produktion, alt for lang. Jeg synes det er lidt interessant hvor tæt den lægger sig op ad britpop, det ville have overrasket mig hvis jeg ikke havde set abefilmen og lært, at han var venner med Gallagher brødrene i 90'erne

Some solid bobs.. but ultimately it feels uoriginal.

An admirable debut from someone clearly trying to break away from his previous candy pop genre. But even more obviously trying to sound Britpop. At times Robbie even seems to be trying to sound like Liam G from Oasis. The songs are fine and have a decent amount of variety, but ultimately pretty forgettable.

Allerweltspop für Zwischendurch ohne Langzeitwirkung! Einzelne Titel sind hörenswert, das Ganze am Stück eher nicht. Fastfood, keine Sterneküche!

vocally, honestly pretty decent. songwriting...not so much.

Ughhhhh normally I like pop but I did not enjoy this. Two stars

I don't like

I’m not sure this one earned its spot on the list. It was fine, but nothing to write home about.

It's some pretty good pop music, nothing especially interesting going on here, but neither is it offensive. First time listener so I think I missed its moment back in rhe day.

Usually I underestimate stuff now I overestimated this album and damn even the hit song didn’t hit that hard

You ever have that friend who thinks they’re really talented, and you have to sit through their sparsely-populated solo show, while they earnestly croon cringe lyrics they wrote while playing various instruments badly, attempt different styles and consider themselves a genius, and wrap the whole thing up with elements of opera and drama that fall so terribly flat, yet they are beaming with accomplishment at the end, so sure their triumph, and what are you to say?! That was the experience of listening to this album. I guess two stars for effort.

it's a very typical 90s pop album with some undeniable hits and a lot of filler

Catchy I guess

not my jam

We get it. Its a British list. This has no business being on this list. Its emotionless and it isnt influential.

i’ll listen to train if i want this type of music

Kind of boring. Album dragged on too long. No song really jumped out. 2/5 Won't listen again

Another boring brit pop album...

This is my favorite 90s album we've listened to so far. Versatile Indie rock with harmonic interest, strong instrumentation, and a tone-sensitive singer. The singer and the music Reminds me of Fountains Of Wayne, who I've also been getting into recently. Maybe it was a decent era for Indie rock after all. My favorite track was "clean;" I like the EP pannin I'm gonna bring down the score a little bit because only a couple of the songs were memorable, and this is nowhere near the level of some other albums. I've given a seven. 5/10

Some of the music was fun but overall it felt over produced. Lyrics were not string enough to be clever and the music at its best felt like a bad Oasis rip off. Found myself hopping that the song playing would be the last on the album. Highlights were "life through a lense" and "let me entertain you". 2.5🌟

Actually very solid pop. Not anywhere near my wheelhouse in 1997, but can appreciate it through the lens of time. High 2s

quite enjoyed some of this. other bits were dreadful . 2

Pretty slick, pretty bubbly, pretty pretty. Having trouble grabbing onto anything. Nothing bad here, like pop often is, but it seems like a high school warm-up to what will track more seriously one day.

Mediocre talent meets ridiculous ego! Has no right to be on this list.

Boy, talk about an album that does not need to be included on this list. Or better yet, don't.

Mweh

NOW That's What I Call Shite Music!

Generic Brit pop. Nothing special

"Let Me Entertain You" and "Angels" are, well, entertaining, but the rest is pretty filler-ish. It all feels a little soulless, too.

Starts out ok, but it's ultimately fairly uninteresting.

Oh look another run of the mill pedestrian Brit pop album…

Average

I didn't dislike this album, but none of the songs stood out. It was fine.

This isn't a good album. Angels isn't a good single, LMEY is, to be fair. I'll never listen to this again.

Some of these have not aged particularly well. Feels like a strange inclusion to this list, not sure what merits it. Uneven in terms of quality, just feels like a vehicle for the singles. Maybe the last track rescues it a bit, each song just seems to try on a different style. Didn't expect much and it lived up to that.

Meh

Back in 2013, I took a trip to Munich. While I was there, I toured the grounds for the 1972 Olympics, and when the tour stopped at the track and field stadium, the guide mentioned that this facility was still used for concerts. She mentioned that only a handful of artists had sold out concerts there, and one of the artists she mentioned was Robbie Williams. I remember thinking to myself, ‘who the hell is Robbie Williams?’ Flash forward to the present day, and I know a bit more about Robbie, thanks to his monkey man flop. Just the other week, I saw David Gray on Track Star on Facebook and I realized that I know Robbie’s song “Angels,” which happens to be on this album! I’m not sure what the rest of this album is going to sound like, but I’m curious to hear what my last album of the nineties has in store for me. After listening to Life Thru a Lens, I can see why Robbie Williams never built a big following in the states. This album wasn’t bad, but other than a few songs, it was pretty forgettable. For a pop album, Life Thru a Lens didn’t really have any catchy melodies or snappy choruses, and I found that most of these songs left my brain just as quickly as they left. Hell, I knew “Angels” before listening to this album, and I’m struggling to remember its melody right now. Despite that though, I do think “Angels” is a beautiful song. It has a great introduction, and then goes full-tilt into an excellent pop ballad. Robbie’s vocals are really good, and the song is very well produced. As good as Robbie’s vocal talents are, they just can’t carry this album, despite some good lyrics with what feels like moments of deep self-reflection. In addition to “Angels,” “Lazy Days,” “Life Thru a Lens,” and “Let Me Entertain You” were pretty good as well. But one beautiful song and a handful of pretty good songs just isn’t enough to carry a pop album of this length. Robbie has some talents, but this album was a bit of a dud.

Звичайний альбом, деякі пісні були непогані, але ось текст інколи дуже дивний

Ok

Even at his absolute peak, and at that time he was an absolute MEGASTAR in the UK, I’ve never been overly fussed on Robbie Williams and nothing I heard today changed that. It maybe doesn’t help that the best song on the album is Angels and I’ve heard that song enough times to last me a lifetime. Apart from that the singles are decent enough but nothing else on the album is anything special. As Noel Gallagher famously said "He’s just a fat dancer from Take That". Top Track - Angels

Really only one good song

Another forgettable Britpop album

When I think of musical guilty pleasures, Robbie comes to mind. But that’s usually the hits. There are some hits on this with ‘Angels’ being the most obvious. However, the album tracks are very weak. Weak to the point that you could easily predict the rhyme in the following line, “Wake up on Sunday morning, everything feels so boring” is a shocker. My oh my!

I've got a lot of time for Robbie. But I don't really want to listen to the album. I'm thinking of the long term pollution of my listening history. I know the hits. That's enough for me to give it a 2. It's not music made for me, but I get why it's a thing people enjoy.

Meh, a little too poppy

I don’t even particularly like the one hit song I know on this album. The rest seem like mid-tempo boring 90s pop rock.

Unbedeutend

Hello, I'm an American & I know who Robbie Williams is! The Donnie Wahlberg (the bad boy) of the British boy band, Take That. MTV was always trying to make British boy bands a thing in the States. And Robbie. IT didn't work. I did love that video (Rock DJ) where he does a strip tease & when he's about to take off this Undies. He starts ripping off his skin. The effects were meh at the time but it was a memorable video, not so much song wise. Is this good? Hahaha ha NO! This would only be considered "good," if you worship at the altar of Big Dumb Pop. As I say that it isn't even all that hooky or full earworms that make you want more Dumb Pop Music. The songwriting, assuming he wrote them himself, has a nice motivational message to it on some songs, though they aren't particularly well written either. Most of this screams: "Look At Me!! I'm Free From The Shackles Of My Shitty Boy Band!!" And makes an album that is not too far from the Boy Band Sound. It's intriguing because I've never heard a full breakaway solo album. It's interesting, not good. The Bad Boys Of Boy Bands are never the good singers. They're just there to be slightly dangerous. It shows here alot. 2 Let Me Entertain You is good. And Angels is screaming for some country artist to do mediocre cover of it & make it a hit. Americans won't know it's a cover or who Robbie Williams is.

This is "plastic Britpop." Hints of Oasis throughout, especially the way he sings, but it's nowhere near as interesting or rowdy. And the song "Angels" is empty and just trying to capitalize on that moment in the 90's when everyone had a song about angels. It's not terrible and it's got some catchy songs...but it's definitely Britpop lite.

Shockingly generic. Reminds me of Taylor Swift's Evermore in a way -there's nothing wrong with experimenting in different genres, but theres an artificiality to this where someone already very famous (in the UK at least) is just absolutely trying to capitalize on a moment by ripping off bands like Oasis and Supergrass. Most songs are utterly unremarkable, Old Before I Die is like a kidz bop Oasis song

Ego Agogo and Angels were the only good songs here. Everything else was just generic Britpop and just so, so crap. Generous 2

kojarze robbiego jedynie z cukierkowego traka, ktory byl popularny w czasach gdy ogladalo sie mtv, ale poza tym nie mam pojecia jak jego dyskografia wyglada, a na liscie wylosowalo jego pierwszy solowy krazek life thru a lens z 97, dziwne ze juz z okladki nie wyglada to na jego pierwszy material, bo okazuje sie, ze wczesniej byl on czlonkiem take that, rowniez nie kojarze bandy, ktora miala byc topowym psem lat 90 w muzyce popularno tanecznej wyspiarzy, co wyjasnia okladke i potezny jak na debiut sklad produkcyjny tej plyty, bo pan robbie jest listowany jako autor i wokalista, zaraz obok producenta chambersa, a razem robia dokladnie to co sie robi w muzyce popularnej przyjemne sluchowisko w lajtowej formie, slychac odejcie od bojsbendowania na rzecz rokowania w softowym wydaniu, nie ma tutaj nawet za duzo typowego popowego motywu milosciowego, a zamiast tego wydaje sie byc sporo nawiazan do poprzedniego okresu kariery pana robbiego, czy nawet jeszcze glebiej jak w ukrytym traku o systemie edukacji ktory mial go wypluc jako odpad, a zrobil taka kariere, najlepsze z tego 50 minutowego odsluchu to czesci wokalne, ktore w wiekszosci sa przykryte instrumentaliami calkowicie ponad potrzebe i tylko na kilku trakach mozna dobrze posluchac spiewania jak na najpopularniejszym traku plyty angels, o dziwo ciekawe czemu tak popularny, jak nie dlatego, ze muzycznie jest stonowany i mozna go sluchac, albo na bardziej energetycznym let me entertain you, ktory musialem juz wczesniej slyszec, pewnie w jakis tiktakach czy innych szortach, to wlasnie tego traka dodam na plejke

Gave it a go...

Hmmm. I don’t know. I only knew about Robbie because of his 2012 song, “Candy,” which I really liked. Nothing on this album grabbed a hold of me, but nothing turned me off- that much, at least. I could see myself listening to songs again or maybe even liking them if they found me in the right circumstances. Not great, but not as terrible as I was expecting.

Woof

Yawn.

Sounds exactly as I would expect a British former boy band member striking out with his first solo album to sound like. A few decent sounding songs.

"Mum, can we have Oasis?" "We have Oasis at home, dear."

Generic as hell, but it surprised me by being more in the generic rock realm than the generic pop realm. Better than expected, but still not great.

A couple songs at the start of the album were alright, but the rest of the album was generic and boring. It’s an album not really for me.

Imagine thinking people NEED to - much less MUST - listen to Robin Williams before they die.

I think in the age of streaming it’s honestly criminal not to separate out the hidden track from the final song in the playlist into its own separate track if there’s going to be this much silence otherwise. What if you wanted to put one of those last songs into your playlist? Fortunately I guess I have no real desire to put any of these songs into any of my playlists. Two stars feels a little harsh honestly as I didn’t have a BAD time listening to any of this, but I’ve given plenty of 3 star ratings to albums with at least a couple tracks I’d actively enjoy revisiting, and I’m just not feeling that desire for any of these here. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Ridiculous inclusion

Personal enjoyment: 2/5 Relevance to this list: 3/5

This did not make me feel good or happy. Dislike.

Like many Americans, I'd heard the name, but never heard any his music. And now I know... that's ok. Boy band guy goes solo. Yah, I know what that's going to sound like. While it's not like bad bad, there's nothing to make we want to hear it, or him, ever again. Angels is a decent pop song with a good hook. "Let Me Entertain You" is a fair listen. All the rest just runs together like MOR radio pop. Not much else to say because it doesn't say much. I'm giving it a 2 because while nothing here Annoys me, it's just taking up space and I had to waste an hour of my life listening to something that sounds just like a thousand other things.

I thought this would be some generic-ass garbage. It still was a bit, but not that bad actually. It just sounds like Oasis, but if it was watered down further for the masses. For most of the run-time, all I could think was "Man, Liam Gallagher probably hated this shit". From the Better Man movie (and interviews I probably haven't seen), that seems true. The good thing is that Robbie is having fun and the record isn't complete rubbish to me. In fact, I was going to give it a 3, but near the end, the music became a little corny. That was perhaps my Oasis senses getting the best of me. I have to emphasize that once you've heard Champagne Supernova, you never really go back. So I didn't think this sucked, but it was definitely an "ehh" for me. Whatever that hidden track poem was was funny though (5/10, 2/5 on this scale)

Dosta lejm album. Kužim zašto je tu, ali isto kužim zašto možda ne bi trebao biti. 2/5, 3/10

The fast songs were annoying but ok if you like music like this, I guess. But the slow songs were intolerable, like I couldn't get more than 30 seconds in before having to skip to the next track.

2.5 Nope.

Nope

4/10… britpop / dance rock / *1997

It's an alright album for brit pop, but... you definitely lose two points for putting 8 minutes of dead silence in the last track to hide a "hidden track" and maintaining that silence in this day and age of streaming. For a spoken word track. Don't be a ponce. My Rating: 2/5 flashbulbs

Some of the arrangements are pretty well done, but the songwriting is bland and unmemorable.

For people who weren't there, "Angels" hit a level of drunken pub shout-alongs later demolished by Mr. Brightside, but this song was huge.

Some of the songs are poppy almost bubblegum punk, but I can’t stand the vocals. Not sure how to describe it, but I just can’t get past it… it’s not you Robbie it’s me, I’m sure. I guess I’ll round to 2 stars since I wouldn’t complain if someone put it on, but it’s definitely not fir me.

Not my fav album, but like RW

"I've heard of this thing called rock. I'd like one."

holy cheese

It should be called ‘songs from a room that I wrote while listening to my first album’

Kind of like how I marvel at the fact that there are whole swaths of people who find Trump compelling and charismatic, it boggles my mind that there's a whole country that apparently find Robbie Williams entertaining. There's no vocal talent there, all of the music sounds super derivative, so it's gotta be charisma right? But charisma that clearly fails him the minute he leaves England.

Maybe just not in the mood, but 2.5

Not really my thing but I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it at all and actually there are a few songs I didn’t know on there that I did enjoy. Not dreadful.

Couldn’t finish it

Angels is the hit. Clean is hilarious. Clean like Charlie Sheen? Even in 1997 that had connotation to it. Everything else is mid to bad.

Une chance qu'il y avait Angels parce que tout le reste était très ordinaire.

Maso

Ik vind het choquerend dat je in een lijst met 1001 albums die je gehoord moet hebben Robbie Williams tegenkomt. Robbie, zelf z'n grootste fan, doet op dit album diverse collega's na, onder andere Oasis en blink-182. Misschien ook wat Prince, George Michael, Lenny Kravitz en generieke stadiumcountry-artiest. Uiteindelijk is het gewoon popmuziek bedacht door handige commerciële jongens, dus het lepelt allemaal wel makkelijk naar binnen zolang je z'n zelfingenomen gezicht en vervelende houding even wegdenkt. Daardoor kan ik dit geen écht slechte score geven. Daarnaast staan er twee prima hitjes op die ik beide meerdere keren dronken heb staan meeschreeuwen in een dompige boeren feesttent, waarbij de coverband van dienst dan steevast Angels liet overgaan in Hey Jude van the Beatles. Echt standaard. Ik zou dit een 3 kunnen geven maar ik laat de snobbistische onderbuik een beetje meewegen en ik hou het op 2 sterren omdat ik daar zin in heb.

2.5

This is the kind of vacuous, "easy listening" noise that I do not appreciate from the 90s

Couldn't really get into this. Ronbie has a good voice but there were moments of British drabness on the album.

OK I listened all the way through but please don’t make me do it again! I have nothing against Robbie and I’m sure he’s a great entertainer but this is awful. The music is derivative, the lyrics are puerile and his style of singing with a cheeky wink and tongue firmly in cheek just ain’t for me.

angels is great, rest is meh

Don't really like this, well made enough I guess Will I listen to again: 0%

The production is pretty solid, I find his vocals pretty mid though. Its a good album, but nowhere near an essential listen.

Generic and dull, except for Angels which is a great pop song.

I liked a couple of songs off of this album. (Angels and Let Me Entertain You). The rest of it is arse. Just bland, bubblegum flavored pop. Nothing about it is interesting, let alone needed to hear before I die. 2.25 / 5 stars

This has got to be one of those most generic pop albums I’ve ever heard, boring and bland. It’s like they dined at the 90’s British pop song buffet and took a little bit of each dish to make a full plate, but it all ends up tasting the same. Next time the chef needs to add some spice.

Bubble Gum Rock at its finest (despite the occasional reference to drugs and/or sex). Every song could be the background music that plays during the character development segment of a Disney TV series. Nothing majorly wrong with it, there’s just cheese oozing from my speakers after playing this album.

Music for the 30-somethings in the bachelorette party while they drive between their cosmo-fueled lunch and the Chippies Strip Club on the outskirts of Birmingham.

Generic pop. It was fine, it didnt offend my senses or get me all riled up about the state of the music industry or anything like that. I don't mind how they take a few good looking kids and put them in a boy band, then when they get a bit older they pick the most attractive and least offensive one and give them a solo career singing banal songs with no soul. Nothing off putting about that at all. One of my favorite new albums, ground breaking and awe-inspiring talent this Robbie Williams guy is. Easy 5 star rating, unless I fat thumb it (accidently of course). Ooops

It was fine but will probably never listen again

There were a few alright songs but it does sound like he’s just riding the wave of Britpop. I’m sure the cultural relevance when it came out was huge but it doesn’t help listening decades later. Great album cover though. Rating: 2.4

Now I am become monkey, producer of bland music

2.4 2x first Robbie album, but not too impressed

Tengo la sensación de que muchos las estrellas de pop del 2000 en adelante enfocaron la energía en tratar de generar uno o dos singles que fueran lo suficientemente exitosos como para generar ventas en lugar de pensar en la calidad del álbum de manera integral. Hoy en día cada vez más se prioriza el single y el EP, dado que las ventas de álbumes tienden a ser cada vez menos relevantes con la predominancia del streaming y plataformas como youtube. Esto es muy notorio porque a mi parecer solo "Angels" y "Let Me Entertain You" son temas más o menos decentes en este álbum (dentro de los parámetros de un pop comercial grasa). El resto del álbum es olvidable, e incluso extraño en sus elecciones armónica, temáticas y rítmicas. No me parece un álbum necesario para "escuchar antes de morir".

THE MONKEY GUY IS REAL!?!?!?!?! 3/10

Not for me and definitely not worthy of this list but some decent pop tunes on it

Ravno včer sm šla skoz cdje, k jih še kr mam & je bil vmes Robbie. Ampak ne ta album, tko da prek streaming it is! Ok, taprv ("Lazy Days") komad je čist ok, tadrug ("Life Thru A Lens") me pa aktivno odbija. Nek ta shitty pop punky stil, k je bil sicer mal kasneje ful popularen, but which I've always hated. "Ego Agogo" ma podobn vajb but on speed. Zj pa končno "Angels". Fak, ta komad mu je prou naredil solo kariero, ker so far je album bedn. Ta komad je pa fakin amazing? Njegov glas ne zveni annoying, k recimo na drugem komadu. Lep komad. Uf, "South Of The Border" je bad, sploh začetek. "Old Before I Die" proba bit neki? It's fine. "One Of God's Better People" je dejansko kul, sam akustična kitara in petje. Iiiin drugi znani komad s tega albuma, k mu je verjetn pomagal rešit solo kariero, "Let Me Entertain You". Ta mi je tud kul. "Killing Me" je tud čist fajn. "Clean" sm mislila, da mi bo kul, ker sm vidla na wiki, da je kot songwriter creditan tud Richard Hawley (iz dneva 22), sam ma komad tak butast happy go lucky sitcom ritem in butaste rime. + Clean (sklepam, da od alko in drog) & friends with Charlie Sheen ne gre glih skp? Hm. "Baby Girl Window" - naslov mi je obupn, ampak sam komad je kr ok. Še nek hidden komad je, po pa fertik! Po skor 10 minutah tišine kr naenkrat par klavirskih not & glas od Robbieja, k v bistvu zrecitira pesem s tematiko, k se mi zdi, da je pogosta pr nekih uspešnih ljudeh - da jim je na neki točki nek prfoks/nekdo rekel, da ne bojo nič dosegli, pa so vseen uspeli. Eh, una dva komada rešujeta ta brezvezn album.

Not the worst album ever, but kind drags at times. I just don't love Britpop. 4/10

Unbelievably Mediocre and he’s also a bellend irl. That Hidden Track is GOD AWFUL…

Generic-sounding britpop- it's not terrible, but it suffers in comparison with similar albums I've rated more highly simply because I don't have the same affinity for any of its songs from my youth.

As someone who grew up in the UK in the 2000s, I'm obviously aware of a lot of Robbie Williams' songs. This is the first time I've listened to one of his albums, and I kind of get why it's on the list, but it's just not that good really.

455/1001 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑

Pretty terrible album saved from a 1 by angels

I enjoyed the first few tracks and then it got boring quickly. Favourite Track(s): Lazy Days, Angels Least Favourite Track(s): South Of The Border, Killing Me

Kinda boring, generic pop music. Robbie never really made it that big over here, so this one isn't standing out as anything to me.

Favorite Track: Angels

Sounds normal

I don't like it.

Mwah, tuurlijk wel grote hits, maar geen goed album

This is really just mediocre Britpop slop. it's getting 2 stars instead of 1 because it's slightly more bearable than Williams other stuff but that's a low bar

This is another example of the UK-centric nature of Mr. Dimery’s list. Take That was unknown, and Robbie Williams never made it in the U.S., so I have no none of the baggage listening to this that I’m seeing from others in their reviews. This album feels like it has one genuinely great song - Angels - and a bunch of other generically fine pop music. It’s studio-polished, radio-ready quasi-Britpop from a singer who thought he was George Michael…but was just a bubblegum bad boy. 2⭐️

Extruded

Not for me

I knew he had to appear eventually. This is a pretty huge nothing. Nothing on here stands out, nothing is memorable, it’s all just okay. I understand why he didn’t pop outside of the UK based on this album. He has some singles I like but this is the most neutral nothing I’ve felt towards an album on the list so far. What a terrible poem bonus track.

It was okay. Brit pop

"Let meeeeeee entertai-" no thanks, I'm good.

Ugh

Its Robbie Williams Some of his songs are bangers, but not because of the music quality

Didn't love this one

Because I’m an American, I’ve listened to maybe 1 Robbie Williams song that I’m aware of. Places it seems like this album should be played: 1) Sainsbury’s 2) Warm up at a Swansea match 3) Establishing overhead shot of London in a Hugh Grant movie I enjoyed more songs than I thought I would but when I think about what music was coming out of Britain in 1997, this feels like a much squeakier album with less musical innovation. Also forgot about hidden tracks being a thing!

Monkey guy

Pedestrian. Inoffensive. Far less impressive than the vast majority of albums on this list.

Yet another completely unremarkable album that I can’t understand why it’s here. To me it’s like Lance Bass putting out an album and it making the list. Or maybe Robbie is the equivalent of Justin Timberlake 🤷‍♀️ I’m not British so maybe I’m not grasping the full scope of his genius. I do like his song Angels, and I can remember my British pen pals gushing over Take That back in the nineties. Their song Back for Good is the only song by them I know. The only other thing I’ll say is if he made this list that better mean that the Spice Girls did too. I’ll be waiting in anticipation for 2 Become 1.

i’m an oscars junkie, on top of all of this music stuff, which means that i did watch the robbie-williams-as-a-chimp movie, better man, earlier this year. i remember thinking, the whole time, all of this for some run-of-the-mill britpop? better man brought in $22.5 million worldwide against a budget of $110 million. it’s one of the biggest box office bombs of all time. that stat alone encapsulates how well robbie williams plays out in the year of our lord and saviour 2025.

Didn't really like it. Just kinda boring standard British pop/rock

I can see why Robbie Williams is popular. He sounds like a cross between Liam Gallagher and George Michael. But there’s something I find off-putting about him. Maybe it’s the way he sneers when he sings. I get the impression that I wouldn’t like him if I met him. Also, some of the lyrics talk about average people being bored with their lives. And I find it kind of annoying when a rockstar passes judgement on other people’s lives. Like, easy for you to say! You’re famous and rich! The album’s outro suggests that Robbie Williams came up from nothing, but I didn’t feel that anywhere else on the album. The songs are strong though. Enjoyable pop with a nice rock edge and plenty of hooks. But this isn’t for me. 2.5

There's something that is extra corny about Robbie Williams for me. Some of it is the mix of the band behind him being very thin; the drums and bass sound so perfectly clean and is missing thump and power. His lyrics are on the nose and don't often give me something that really resonates with me. The choruses of "Life Thru A Lens" and "Ego Agogo" just sound very manufactured and sound like they are packed with fake angst. By the time "Angels" comes around I was fully waiting for the big pop ballad because that's what you had to do around this section of your album in this era. By the end of the album and after listening to the standout songs and reading their lyrics again I really feel like I just listened to a caricature of a pop star. Like a director was making a movie about a pop star and hired some handsome actor who doesn't have that special rockstar thing. I'm trying really hard not to be a hater but it just really doesn't jive with me. Maybe there's some nostalgia in these songs? Maybe there's some 90's charm in it's campy-ness? Just really not for me. Even when I tried to not take it seriously it still didn't give me anything.

If Noel Gallagher wrote an album for Avril Lavigne it would sound just like Life Thru A Lens.

Angels natürlich DE Karaoke-Klassiker, für de gits fetti Credits. Und bim rest hani nur gmerkt das mich de Robbie Williams würkli gar ned interessiert was de so für Musig macht, was er zverzelle het etc. Und irgendwie hani sini Stimm ned so höch, buebig und biz nervig in Erinnerig. Chani nüd mit ahfange, tschüss Robbie Zwei mal Ohrläppli chraule gits trotzdem (Okay "let me Entertain You" au absolute Banger, ngl!)

Fun rock album , enjoyed it didn’t stand out particularly some nice dance jams and the mellower songs are alright

This isn’t great. Certainly not pushing the envelope in any way. It’s a fun listen, but just feels like eating candy rather than chowing down on something substantial. Doesn’t really give a good feeling. Thanks for wasting my time. Anyways, didn’t hate it, but I won’t be listening again. 2/5

Enjoyable but no standouts. Angels is obviously very well known but I don't get the hype personally.

Not my favorite. I like a slower tempo

So, this didn't do it for me at all. Pretty generic and basic instrumentals so I'm out. But it wasn't really actually bad so it gets a 2, like I wouldn't be mad if it was playing at a coffee shop. Ego Agogo was the best track for me, some really interesting varied instrumentation and rhythms. The other standard singles like Angels were way too long and repetitive to be actually good.

Day579 - over produced lame pop. this isn’t even in the same league as prime oasis

This is pretty dull

No thanks for me!

2+/5

31/1001 :: Robbie Williams - Life Thru A Lens Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ❌ Rating: 3 Fav Tracks: Old Before I Die OK…So starting this off by saying this wasn’t as nearly as bad as I thought it was gonna be. Frankly I thought it was gonna be a dance album. Isn’t that what he does? Anyway this was more like a poppy, knockoff Oasis. If you’re a big Oasis fan you might find that repulsive but there was way more guitar on this album than I thought there was gonna be. With this album coming out in 97 the Oasis ripoff is probably just what the doctor ordered. All that said, while it wasn’t horrible it wasn’t great. It was pop-rock…fine.

I had never listened to much Take That, so I couldn't say whether this is a debut album in which he really re-invented himself as a solo artist, but the album itself is mostly very easily forgettable. The only stand outs were "Angels" and "Let Me Entertain You", the latter of which I had no idea was from Robbie Williams, having heard it on numerous occasions. Since the songs weren't necessarily off-putting but mostly dull, with the two exceptions this album will receive a 2/5.

Wtf is Robbie Williams doing on this list? Sounds like knockoff Oasis at times. I get that leaving Take That was a culturally significant moment in the UK and Ireland but that doesn't mean a mid album belongs on the list of albums to listen to before you die. Angels and Let Me Entertain You keep this from being a 1. 2/5.

I think there's some kind of bias that is playing out in this list. Perhaps it's some connection between the age distribution of the people that contributed to the list, or maybe there's something about folks who are inclined to be music critics are also likely to appreciate Brit pop. I find this fairly indistinguishable from Oasis. Maybe it's missing a hint of cynicism. I did not hate this album but I am baffled that this is included. Anyway, it's well-executed, just kind of boring and snotty in that Brit pop way.

Mid. Didn’t finish this album and don't feel like revisiting. Not the worst thing I’ve heard but also would not consider this album a “must hear.”

This seemed like pop for pops sake. He meanders through different styles looking for a hit with shallow lyrics and few hooks. Not terribly awful on the ears in the end, but nothing I’ll be revisiting.

I've heard the name Robbie Williams a few times in tabloids during my life and I always thought he was one of those corny celebrities known by shallow people who never really had that much talent to show to the world but had enough money to back it up. After listening to one of his albums it's good to know that I was mostly correct

2/5 Yuck!

cornyyyy as hell very predictable lyrics almost as if a kid wrote them

Oh, another Britpop album. Generic and boring music I’d imagine you’d hear at a supermarket in England.

very very strong, very solid, pretty good 2, not a great album, not great lyrics, boring sound sounds like slip don’t care i csnt believe he’s famous

The thing about a lot of pop music is that you needed to be there to get why it was so significant. In the case of Robbie Williams, if you were young and British in the 90s, it was massive. Like the Justin Timberlake of the UK, he emerged from a bland pop band with a drive to be taken seriously, and massive worldwide stardom awaited. Except for America where he just couldn't break through. Yes, he scored some decent album sales there, but always seemed more like a curiosity than a phenomenon. The fact that he tried to take his cue from Brit Pop probably didn't help. Sure, Oasis and Blur were popular stateside, but a handful of bands was enough. Did we really need a former boyband member trying to copy Oasis? I get the significance of this one, especially if you had really followed his career from Take That. But if not... well, "Let Me Entertain You" and "Angel" are decent songs, but the rest was fairly dull unfortunately. I tried, but it just wasn't my thing.

4.5 songs was enough. Not for me.

Music is time travel. I put this on and i'm a teenager again when he was about as famous as you got in the UK at that time. I was never a fan, but i can still sing 3/4 of the singles from start to finish. Its not a good album musically it lyrically, but it probably is culturally. This would be the uk version of a destinys child album i got a while ago.

It wasn't like, bad, but kinda just sounded like store brand Oasis

It’s ok

2/5 couldn't wait for this to be over

It felt very generic 90's pop. I've heard that this guy is popular in England, but as an American, I don't see what the fuss is about

- Angels ist und bleibt einfach ein emotional Banger (und guilty pleasure) - Rest besser als gedacht, aber insgesamt nur okay und einfach nicht so richtig etwas, worauf ich Bock habe 2/5

"FOR THE NEXT TWO HOURS YOUR ASS IS MINE" 🐵!! Favorite track: Angels 2.5/5

4/10 The bullet in the back of Britpop's head - after this, guitar, jangle indie was deeply uncool. Oasis were never the same again. Death of an era. It's guitar pop and mostly dull, perfectly crafted pop songs with no soul. Hated Angels and Entertain You back then, but I didn't skip em.

Not essential listening for anyone.

Better than I expected going in, but still mostly just extremely generic Brit-pop. Why did they make this guy a monkey for a movie?

Favorite song: Angels. Overall score: 3.7/10

I’m an American, and Robbie Williams really didn’t hit over here. I couldn’t find out how high the album charted in the US, but I did learn that his highest ranking single only reached 53 before I got bored of looking. I’m nearly 600 albums in at this point, and I feel like this project has a slightly British bias in some of the album choices, but this may be the most egregious. It was MASSIVE, apparently, in the UK, but didn’t really hit in many other countries. Anyway, I used to think I didn’t like 80s music, but what this project has shown me is that there are some incredible 80s albums, it’s really just 80s pop music that I don’t like. I’m a 90s kid. It brings warm feelings, even if it’s music I didn’t really connect to at the time, like the Alanis Morrisette album. But what this album has showed me is that I just don’t like pop music for ANY decade, because this is pretty shit.

This isn’t the best thing I’ve heard. I know Robbie Williams more by reputation than anything else. 2/5

Pop rock. It was okay, although it was starting to grow on me a bit more towards the end. On another day perhaps it’d get another star.

Sounds like warmed over oasis

Shitty Oasis, are they any good? They suck! So it’s not just a clever name…

A lot of times I would probably give this a 3, but this one I listened to on a long car ride and could actually listen to the lyrics. That bumped it to a 2. It’s like if oasis wrote really bad songs.

Angels is a very good song, most of the rest is fairly generic Britpop, not something I'll be coming back to

Lame-o. I remember they really tried to make Robbie famous and the States but it just didn’t work. We saw through his bad boy persona and saw that he was a tool. Blahhhh. 2 stars

90’s pop when grunge rulled

Like music in this genre, just didn’t love this.

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...

5/10 monke

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.

Perfectly mediocre Brit pop. I wish it was sung by a monkey, though.

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.

I nearly forgot about him