Reviews (page 5 of 7)
-eh
not soo bad but not good either
zwei bis drei
What a shlep
I actually thought this would be a 3 or 4, but the longer I listened, the worse it got.
Yawn, did exactly what it said on the tin. Snoozefest.
Rimelig avant garde rock, blanding af alle mulige genre, ikke vildt catchy
it was all a bit twee and weirdy beardy. Probably be ok when stoned
Not sure what made this album so important to be on this list. First song was alright and then it just blended together
Ois voinut olla yksikin tähti, but I'm feeling generous.
Not my cup of tea
As usual, a heavy accent all but destroys the enjoyability of a vocal. Wyatt's voice isn't particularly good to begin with (with the backing vocals overshadowing him as early as the opening track), but the droopily British accent is the final nail in the coffin. He sounds unprofessional, kind of like most punk vocalists – but at least with the punk genre, that's kind of the point. Light prog/experimental isn't meant to sound deliberately bad. And for the album's remainder, whenever Wyatt starts singing, it distorts the otherwise pleasant experimental feel into this indescribable auditory hell that's almost objectively bad-sounding. If this album were an ambient/instrumental one full of tracks like the outro The Whole Point Of No Return, I could see giving this an easy 4 or 5 stars – but with the singing? No. Songs like The Duchess I feel I have to dislike out of principle. Music that sounds intentionally messy isn't an artistic statement about the nature of the music industry or some other nonsense. It's just bad. Other tracks, including Free Will And Testament and Out Of Season, have the same issue. I tend to give older music some leeway in this regard because the 60s-80s were a time to be harmonically and instrumentally experimental. But by the 90s, random discordant guitar/piano lines and freakish melodies weren't news anymore. Experimenting with production and instrumentation became the meta and artists like Robert Wyatt clearly didn't get the memo. That's why I gave Wyatt's 1974 record Rock Bottom a 3-star rating and this one a 2, despite them being sonically pretty similar. I'm judging it for its time. 2/5 Key tracks: Maryan, Alien, The Whole Point Of No Return
I'm a progressive rock fan and really love it when musicians experiment. I also know that Robert Wyatt has talent - you can clearly here it in the music. But in combination with the vocals everything interesting on the instrumental side is drowned out. Deliberately or not but Wyatt's singing can't hold a note properly and to cover up for that he just puts into some notes off key. For what? It all sounds a bit messy. I'm sorry I can't give this more stars even though somewhere there's material in there that would make this album great.
OK, OK, OK. I get it. Eno is a genius. However, that does NOT mean that everything he touches is worthy of inclusion on this list. This entry for example, what a load of tedious old bollocks it is. But because Brian worked on it, the music press have to work themselves into a frenzy,
< the Beatles The first track would make a nice instrumental piece. The rest feels like a prank.
Listened Before: N I really didn't like this much. Yeah, it's prog rock ish but the songs are just so long and rambling (and not in a good way). I can't get into it. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Heaps of Sheeps
Rating: 2.5/5 | Favorite Track: Heaps of Sheeps --- Usually I am a fan of more artsy, experimental albums, but this came across as a little too pretentious, even for me. I did not care for Wyatt's off-key singing, and when the backing instrumentation wasn't being purposefully off-putting, it was simply boring. My love for Brian Eno couldn't even save this album for me.
weird
2.4/5 So this is what Beck would sound like if he sucked?
Just because the name lampshades the fact it's going to put me to sleep doesn't mean I'm going to enjoy it any more.
Not for me. Mostly because I have ears. 2 starts for the lush instruments and variety, but the vocals and lyrics made it tough to get through.
Music was alright, but the vocals felt amateur
bleh
The opening track is okay and the some of the tracks near the end are all right but they surround a shiiiit sandwich. This album is a prank
Driving down the road. Waiting and waiting for this one to end. But not so bad that I just skipped it.
a few good tracks but also some really bad tracks
Mundane and strange enough on some songs to not be enjoyable. The 1990’s had some phenomenal music come out of that decade. This certainly is not that.
2 - bit weird folksy
Heaps Of Sheeps was quite nice, but The Dutchess was a mess. I liked the instrumental part on the first half of Alien. Blues In Bob Minor was pretty cool. Most of the album was a bit of a bore though.
Folky jazz prog rock?? Maryan is a beautiful song. But a lot of the rest kept me wanting more. Some songs had genuinely beautiful parts but then they would veer off into something borderline childlike nonsensical. I don’t know much about Robert Wyatt, but I think I understand what he was going for. Gives me Brian Eno vibes at times?? Am I making that up
What kind of spider understands arachnophobia? One of many questions left unanswered. Along with "why did we waste Brian Eno on this?" Can admire the originality of this, but it just seems so out of place in the 90s. Vocals are weak and reedy and songs are just meh.
The problem with this undertaking is that having a new album everyday does not really give you the time/ headspace to appreciate more challenging albums - that may give greater joy on repeated listens. My first impression of this was very poor - pondering whether it was a 1 or a 2. On my second listen its getting a bit better. Was excited to see a song named after my birthday. Unfortunately its a bit of a wet fart so will not be adding to future playlists or wowing the kids with it. Not sure I can face a third run through so will stick at 2 and go back to listening to Tusk (to which I 1000% should have scored a 5....rather than 4. If only there was an edit function)
I liked one song I guess but most of it was hideous
Low hanging fruit with the title. Would definitely rather shleep than listen to this one again.
13/1001 Prior to this, I only knew the basics about Wyatt - Soft Machine / wheelchair / covered Shipbuilding - and after looking at some of the ratings on here, I was already queueing up "hilarious" capsule reviews in my head for Shleep ("utter shlit", "preferred Shlipbuilding" etc). So I was pleasantly surprised when I hit play on this one. Opener Heaps Of Sheeps is simplistic but effective slice of psychedelic pop. Right up my alley to be honest. Sadly, it's all downhill from there - but at least it's a helter-skelter of brass and string section noodling, avant-garde noisescapes, nursery rhyme vocals and general eccentricity, rather than a straight drop off a cliff-face. And if that all sounds bad, and more importantly, like the very properties I have already criticised in other offerings - well, yeah, you'd be right, but here the self-indulgence is deployed with a certain charm you can't help but warm to it just a little. Shleep, at the very least, takes you on a journey, albeit one meandering between pretentious experimentation and Barrett-esque whimsy, a project which eventually collapses under its own self-indulgence. There are some interesting musical moments along the way, it's just that very few of these moments arrange themselves into anything resembling a "song" in the traditional sense. Just enough peaks among the, admittedly tedious, troughs to keep you interested. There are occasional hints of trip-hop (Wyatt is from Bristol after all) and, released in the midst of Britpop, there is a strange whiff of the era permeating this album (think Far Out by Blur rather than Wonderwall). Almost every track outstays its welcome and the experiment is, ultimately, a failed one, but there is a strange warmth to this album I can't quite put my finger on. It means no harm. Suffice to say, only 13 albums in, this is far from the worst offering I have heard. If nothing else, Heaps Of Sheeps will definitely be a track heading straight for one of my psych/pop playlists for future listening. Plenty here to dislike, but somehow I found it impossible to flat out hate Shleep.
Every time I hear music in the Brian Eno vein I'm reminded of the episode of FRIENDS where Ross was trying to be a serious musician with his tiny little Casio keyboard on the stairs. There's way too much of this music that is deemed 'must listen' that isn't too listenable. There's enough Brian Eno on hear to justify it. 2.5/5
The album sounds like its album cover. I really enjoy Eno's "Another Green World" album, so this disappointed me to know he had a hand in this, even if Robert Wyatt was the main artist. This long fantasy lullaby could put one to shleep. Favorite Track: "Free Will And Testament".
Is Robert Wyatt related to Bray Wyatt? Probably not, but the fella on this album cover (who I assume is Robert) definitely bears some resemblance, right? Anyway, I thought that I would love this album. It’s the kind of album where, after considering other similar albums I’ve heard, I definitely should love it. But for some reason, it just didn’t really take me in. It was on and I was hearing it, but it didn’t really make me listen to it, if you know what I mean? Anyway, it’s fine. Just not something that took me in.
A couple of great/good tunes and the most annoying voice ever. He should only bellowed to sing on instrumentals.
Strange
pleasant enough. wish it had .5 ratings.
Not really my kind of music, found it pretty long and just bland, not even many memorable moments
A jazz drummer and a bass player grab a couple of friends and try to make music.
Difficult listen, I appreciate it's different and creative, just not something I'll come back to
Nice enough. I don't hate it, so 2
I've never heard of Robert Wyatt or this album before, but I'm hoping Shleep is not an omen that this album will bore me to sleep, although I could use some additional rest. It's Friday, and it looks like I'll be catching up on some Shleep this weekend... "Heaps of Sheeps" snagged my attention right off the bat. I loved the blending of synthesizers and guitars; the song had a great sound, and the vocals and percussion melded really well with the main melody. However, I found the next song, "The Duchess," really off-putting. "Heaps of Sheeps" sounded like a dream, but "The Duchess" sounded like waking up to piss every hour. I didn't care for the weird sound, and the vocals were a big turn off for me as well. From that point forward, the album was comprised of songs that were well made, but mostly bland and forgettable. There were a couple of exceptions to that though. I enjoyed the synthesizers on "Was A Friend," and "Blues in Bob Minor" had an urgent tone that I really liked. Aside from those moments though, I didn't care much for this album, and it's definitely not something I'd come back to.
Decidedly uninspiring.
I’m not interested in pursuing whatever the fuck this is. “The Duchess” is a wild song. I have no clue what the goal was, but it was a new type of annoying. The rest was forgettable. There were bits that I enjoyed, but they were overshadowed by all the irritating parts. Didn’t really enjoy. 2/5
Idk bro, who listening to this? Like at some point I can't purely look at music as an art form and I need to ask if it's actually enjoyable to listen to. The first track is pretty fire and then it just doesn't hit that peak again.
2 of the songs were ok, but otherwise, why???
Garbage pretentious art. It had a few good moments that keep it at 2 stars. Hard to enjoy.
So jazzy but the guy needs to hire a better singer
I didn't really like it.
Mid
This ain’t it 2/5
I wish I was ashleep instead of listening to this god awful album. Musical mush of sounds and instruments that I couldn't get behind. 2 Stars
Not my cup of tea
Interesting as a curio but wouldn’t listen again.
Brian Eno is involved with this album, so I already know there is going to be a lot of "smelling my own farts" going on with this music. Boy, was I correct. This is music for people who really understand music and if you don't "get it," well then you just don't understand music like they do. I think Robert Wyatt is trolling by naming this album "shleep" because he knows it sucks and wants to know if the listeners will be like sheep in just agreeing this is good music. Again, it's not bad but it barely qualifies as coherent music for me.
extremely boring and I love slow songs but there's nothing special about these songs and the songs that aren't slow are just not very good in my opinion
Síðasta upplifun mín af Robert var skrítin. Sú plata sat ekki vel í mér og ég upplifði bara óþægindi við að hlusta á hana. Þessi var skárri. Tónlistin var áfram góð og söngurinn betri en mér fannst lögin bara afskaplega leiðinleg. Mætti alveg hljóma í bakgrunni en það verður ekki ég sem set hana í spilun
really weird vibes and feels very experimental but doesn’t really make any sense to me but i don’t hate the sounds.
Utterly bizarre
Look maybe this is impressive and complex music, but it was a bit too quirky for me tbh. THere was one song I was quite into, reminded me of the band I do like, Caroline, but overall not my bag.
Hmmmm, didn't really get what was going on in this, a bit all over the place and boring. He did have a good voice though.
Meh
Meh
The first song was palatable, but it went downhill from there. I didn't except this album at all, but for some reason I can't hate it either.
Album starts with a pretty normal and average track and then omg, probably the most pretentious and ugly "rock" song I've ever heard. So that 3rd song seems "normal" (but it isn't). 4th track is tolerable. "Free will and testament" is my favourite track, lyrics are truly good imo. The rest is some words and melodies interacting in some artsy ways I cannot understand. I feel like this album would be much better if it was instrumental.
This might have undone any progress British people ever made in the field of music
Sounds like the promising kid in high school released their final project and the teachers were devastated.
The start was not too bad with “Heaps of Sheeps,” and I’m counting sheep wondering based on the album title and cover art if this will be a relaxing concept album about sleep and sheep. But “The Duchess” quickly shook me from that reverie with more of a cacophonous nightmare.
Heaps Of Sheep’s is really good. Unfortunately they are like lemmings running off a cliff because that’s what the album does next. It’s a mixture of music and undesirable cacophony.
Heaps of Sheeps 2.8 The Duchess 2.5 Maryan 2.8 Was a Friend 2.4 Free Will and Testament 2.6 September the Ninth 2.3 Alien 2 Out of Season 2.1 A Sunday in Madrid 2.2 Blues in Bob Minor 2.4 The Whole Point of No Return 2 September in the Rain 2.2 Score: 2.358333333
The jump from Heaps of Sheeps to The Duchess is mind boggling. This whole album has very little cohesion, and a lot of the songs will have a great intro and just devolve into noise experiments. I understand I know little of prog rock so maybe its hallmark, but Was A Friend is probably the worst example of what I'm talking about. Like "hey look how different I am" but late 90's. ALSO did anyone else think this was late 70's album? Its got that feel.
That first song was great! The rest was weird and boring and sounded really amateurish. What a shame because I loved the album cover too!
This album did replicate the sensation of being so sleep deprived that your mind runs away from you and your aching, translucent body has to chase after it, begging it to cooperate. It’s not a good feeling and I don’t like the album. But still.
This is the second Robert Wyatt album that has appeared on this list. Not sure who is selecting this weirdness to be part of this list, but here we are. Fell asleep listening to this one.
A few of these were fine, a few of them rough
Couldn’t really get into this one. Reminded me of Bowie without the upbeat vibes.
If you loved Brian Eno’s work in the 70s and his work as a producer for Talking Heads and U2… well, you will probably enjoy the opening song of this album. And if you are a fan of Bob Dylan, you might appreciate the homage “Blues in Bob Minor.” Each of those songs deserves a star. The rest, not that I can tell.
very uneven album. I wanted to like it.
Ensimmäinen kipale lupaili hyvää, mutta loppu oli melkoista kuraa. Negatiivinen kokemus.
Overall, it was definitely interesting; I didn't listen to the whole album. It reminded me of the Beatles or Pink Floyd when they would "go weird" moments.
Better than his last album on this list (Rock Bottom), but still super abrasive and weird. Not sure why 1 of his albums are on this list, let alone 2. Blues in Bob Minor actually borders on being classified as a song, unlike most of the rest of his catalog. Favourite songs: Blues in Bob Minor, A Sunday in Madrid, Heaps of Sheeps Least favourite songs: The Duchess, Alien 2/5
After the first couple of tracks I was thinking “here we go. Another “Art Rock” artist who thinks making music that sounds bad and is unenjoyable to listen to is somehow clever or interesting”. 45 or so minutes later, however, upon reflection I couldn’t help but think that my earlier assessment was 100% spot on. This album was rubbish, saved from being a 1 only by Blues in Bob Minor which I didn’t hate.
Strange one. There seemed to be some half decent songs on here, which were kind of overshadowed by old Bobbys singing and delivery. Having said that I did kind of get used to it by the end. Not enough to save it from a deux though. Simpsons: No
Not the best, was a little bit of a slog to get through
I did not know Robert Wyatt, I saw the album cover and thought: this might be something great. Oh boy was I wrong.
Didn't hate this. Didn't like it either, mind - it's too rambling, the good, introspective bits are too few and far between, and it comes across in the most part as pretentious nonsense. Does have some redeeming features, particularly earlier on, but not going to revisit this. 2/5.
Nope this is just pretentious nonsense. The vocals and the percussion just went right through me.
el album que saca ese compañero del colegio q era buena onda pero tremendo raro
queeee se yo. Hay un par de temas interesantes y otros que son moy falopa. Not my kind of disco.
I don’t think it is bad, but I don’t like it. All feels like a British children’s show theme.
This was a self indulgent mess. The vocals on most of this album are awful. Alien seemed to be the only highlight, which I think saved it from getting a 1.
Weird album - some cool instrumental parts but his voice was bizarre.
First song was cool then went down from there, very strange vocals and slightly atonal
I didn't enjoy it at all. The vocals seemed to be too high for the singer.
Thoughts before listening: I see this guy referenced on music sites all the time, but I have very little frame of reference for what he actually sounds like. I feel like it's some sort of outsider folk or pop but I'm really just guessing. Review: This is pretty weird and not really for me. Lots of atonal, avant garde sounds happening here. A few songs have some nice melodies but there will be something weird with the vocals or instrumentation that is just too much for me. 2-stars
I like being challenged, but I have to confess struggle when there's no musicality, or rhythm or semblance of a tune. As track one started, I had high hopes, I'd read the reviews and expected the worse and by track two I was laughing. I thought this was the track that was introducing the concept, but it didn't get much better after that.
Love the title and the cover, but everything else is a crime against humanity.
Good music to drift off to, I suppose. Didn't really do much for me, sounded very "ye olde lute player" lyrically though.
Dull. It almost put me to shleep.
Of course Brian Eno had something to do with this. He either hits or misses, and man does he swing and miss here. This feels very 70s, and I was absolutely floored when I found out it came out in fucking 1997. I was interested and relatively on board after the first track, but he quickly wore away any goodwill he had earned. I somewhat enjoy the higher, semi-whimsical vocals but the instrumentals sound, mostly, like a group of people messing around to tape and calling it a day after a take or two. I was absolutely bewildered when I thought, "Alright, sounds like we're coming to a conclusion, can't be that much longer right?" at "Alien". Imagine my shock. Favorite track: "Heaps Of Sheeps"
It was too… stream of consciousness for me. Maybe it’s the vocals, I dunno. After the first song or two I just… zoned out. And if I want that, I’ll listen to new age music or something. Top tracks: “Heaps of Sheeps,” “ The Duchess”
Put me to shleep tell ya hwatt (2.5/5)
This one's weird as shit, but not in a way that I liked. "The Duchess" has got to be one of the worst songs I've ever heard. However, there's an idea here, and the production is pretty good, so I won't give it the 1 I almost did. Favorite was Blues in Bob Minor
I didn’t hate it, but I also don’t see myself ever going back to this one. Very sleepy. So, mission accomplished I guess? I liked the second half more than the first. Best songs were Heaps of Sheeps, Alien, and Blues In Bob Minor.
I wanted to give this a 1, but really I can't justify it. It has the occasional compelling moment, which is then almost always followed by one of the most lackluster things you've heard.
Just absolutely not for me. There were definitely some interesting sounds here but I have no desire to ever hear this again.
Vocals were so annoying that I wanted to turn it off immediately. I suppose some of it wasn't terrible tho? 2.
in the few songs where he actually made music, they sounded good. Can’t forgive him for the rest though. Especially the second song.
Lite småhemlig platta.
Pretty bland but there were some not so bad moments in between .
I like the album art and Heaps of Sheeps is soft and boring and right in the same vibe. From there the album falls off a cliff into a canyon of awful aharmonic pretentious cacophony. Some passages evoked feelings that weren't irritation, like the opening of Maryan and the closing track, but on the whole, nails on a chalkboard.
Oh no, more prog rock. I actually didn't mind listening to this, but wouldn't choose to.
"This first track is great - I don't get all these shitty reviews!" <5 minutes later> "Jesus fucking christ, what is this bullshit?!" <3 tracks later> "Hold on, hold on ... no, this is pretty good actually!" <4 minutes later> "FUUUUUUUCCCCKKKK!!!!"
First track was ok. The atonality was interesting. But his voice was insufferable
What the fuck is this? The only redeeming bits were the trumpets.
Avant-garde Jazz med elementer af progrock. Det bliver aldrig rigtig hyggeligt. Heller ikke rigtig interessant. Hele albummet lullede mig ind i en søvnlignende trance hvor jeg følte mig hensat til en tilstand som manden på coveret. Blues in Bob Minor rev mig mod slutningen ud af søvnen med sit heftige tempo og fremdrift. Havde der været mere i denne stil kunne det måske være blevet mere spændende. Det blev det ikke.
Not for me.
Heaps of shit? That's mean. But pretty in line with how I feel about this one. Some records are very good at smelling their own farts, and this is one. There are a handful of compelling tracks here, most of which are the ones Eno had a bigger role in, but it’s just not enough to keep me interested.
It was way overrated - only two good songs on there. His vocal tones were the worst....
The vocalist’s whiny voice doesn’t work for the high range, which was most of the songs.
I mean...I'm fine with this existing. It's good for lots of different music to exist. But I'm not sure who's donating the money for it to be made. I suppose there was a plan for these "songs", but it really sounds like noise, for the most part. If it's on in the background, you might not go crazy. If you're listening to it on headphones while focusing on the music. You could either occupy a transcendent deity state or decide it's best to murder everyone around you and burn down the building you occupy. I'll never listen to this again but I will recommend it to people as some sort of listening feat, in the same I'd ask someone to taste something that tastes bad but is both singular in it's taste.
Not impressed, just weird to be weird
This is one of those strange cases where the technical qualities are clearly evident, but it's still not good music to enjoy it.
Ok
It's different, disjointed, and will appeal to people who like arthouse films that aren't commerically successful. Overall I can't say it's an enjoyable listen, even if some of the tracks were better than others. It's not really good as background music either.
Really don't understand what I'm supposed to do with this. "A Sunday In Madrid" was catchy though. 2.5 stars
*slaps roof of car* this bad boy can fit so many discordant sounds in it. To be fair, there are moments when it’s not entirely awful, and even interesting / unique - but, ultimately, feels like it’s trying too hard to be edgy and it’s also not something I’d ever want to listen to again.
two very mellow albums in a row. I wouldn't say that it's exciting in any way. just enough to keep me entertained for a bit. Home is Where the Music is does have a bit more energy, though. These two albums also had two consecutive songs that were the exact same length. Is that rare? Has anyone created an album where all the songs are exactly the same length? That would be cool. ish. Maybe someone can create an album where all the songs are exactly the same length? call it 3:12.
Heaps of Sheeps make you think this will be a pretty straightforward folky alternative album that is easily listenable. That thought ends on Track 2. It's just a weird, out-of-tune singing, sour sounding, arty folks that unfortunately I couldn't really find much to appreciate. Glad it was over.
2.5
104/1001 🌕🌗🌑🌑🌑
I had difficulty listening to a lot of it.
Мне тяжко с прогроком. Мне важно чтобы музло играло на эмоциях, а тут просто сидишь и слушаешь неплохую вроде музыку, но не откликающуюся во мне никак((
some of the melodies are cool, a little noisy in places. okay for background music I guess?
When Wyatt retired he said "there is a pride in [stopping], I don't want [the music] to go off," a conclusion that perhaps he should have reached a wee bit sooner? I learned about his very interesting early pedigree but this album didn't inspire me to dive in further.
That first song almost had me. But then it was fast downhill from there. I learned that there is a term called "Wyatting" which is putting on one of Wyatt's tunes on a juke box in a bar, and then leaving. That sounds funny, but also unlikely, because these tunes wouldn't be in any jukebox I've ever seen.
I don't think it's 1 star insufferable because it did have some okay-ish moments, it's still not very good. Throw this one in the never again pile.
Had no idea people were still making these kinds o lf records in the 1990s. You can't say you've ever heard something exactly like this before. On the other hand, I can't say I really want to hear anything like this. I loved the playful spirit in which this record was obviously made, but ultimately the music doesn't move me and eventually got boring.
Interesting personal story about the artist and his comeback from a tragic accident which left him paralyzed. Experimental rock is something new to me. I kind of think of it as the parallel to abstract art?? Didn’t really enjoy much of this album until I heard the haunting jazz notes of September the Ninth.
techno and bumpy. Fine but some songs are downright not for me.
Pitkään arvoin yhden ja kahden tähden välillä. Noh, menköön nyt kaksi.
I can see what this is trying to do, but I feel like it’s trying too hard. Robert Wyatt’s voice sounds very old, which is not appealing. I also feel like the album is not cohesive in terms of sound.
Boring and weird
The opening track was kind of interesting but then, yeah, it devolved from there. I don't even remember much about this album at the end of the day except rolling my eyes at one point featuring a jumble of horns and thinking "great, more shitty jazz fusion no one asked for".
A break from rocky stuff. A bit weird in its instrumentation, some haunting tunes, not my cuppa but aye, gotta make it to 1001
The first track is great and had me hooked in 10 seconds, but is the only recognisable 'song' on the album. It was all downhill after that. Mostly freeform jazz, it's aimless, tuneless meanderings. I lost patience with it - what's the point? There is nothing memorable or even reproducable - it couldn't ever be played the same twice, it's formless and the musicians are just making it up as they go. It makes me cross.
thought the first song was really good, thought I was in for a classic, but then it got worse
Listen, I can navel gaze to the weirdest shit with the best of them, but this is rough.
What in the sweet name of Jesus have I just listened too? Some of the instrumentals were fun, second to last track was good. But there’s was some bloke talk singing about his fat wife at one point? Not for me unfortunately
Vaguely sounded like it could be a soundtrack for teletubbies or similar... Not actually too bad but very forgettable and blah. 46/100
The generator has helped me to a) discover that someone called Robert Wyatt exists, and b) respect his unique brand of experimental fairytale jazz prog and disarmingly plaintive worldview but I don’t think a second album of his on this list necessarily adds anything that Rock Bottom didn’t. He lost me with some of the denser instrumental sections. There are still interesting bits though; Free Will And Testament & Blues In Bob Minor were my highlights. 2.5
aaaaah
Didn’t enjoy this one. Prog rock is hit and miss for me. Interesting musical career, but won’t listen again. 2/5
Nearly skipped a song because it was just noise. But kept going and found the rest listenable.
I wish I could shay that Shleep shlaps, but it absholutely doesh not.
I didn’t particularly enjoy this one, a bit too avant.
The first minute was promising and it quickly deteriorated into some guy messing around with keyboards and other instruments. I'm nearly halfway through this list and it's becoming clearer every day that the number (1,001) was set when they only had a list of 300 or so.
Rating: 5/10
Thanks for the Sunday scaries.
Yeah this was a rough one to listen to. The first couple songs were bad. A couple showed some promise but i wouldn’t listen to this one again.
Ehhh.
Perfectly fine background music for a Hudson Valley coffee shop, but not something I'll be returning to on purpose
2 - I'm really unsure how to feel about this album. It's not like I'm conflicted, it felt like it just kinda happened, I guess? It's not one of those albums I would dunk on for being boring, but I just didn't find myself caring about anything going on. It had this slightly 90s feeling that I didn't really dig either. I'm hopeful for Rock Bottom when I listen to it, but yeah, this one didn't do much for me.
I enjoyed the start of it but the obvious Prog roots wore me down after a while. Some interesting moments, and I like Wyatt’s voice, but not enough here to make me give it another listen.
not my cuppa
Well that was a weird one
Some really great grooves but his voice just didn’t hit for me. I liked each song until I heard him.
Wow, who knew you could use random warm ups and instrument tuning to produce album tracks? WTF was track 2? A handful of tracks stood out to me, the opening track, a couple in the middle and the nod to Dylan towards the end. Overall I was largely bored with this one. 1.5/5 rounded up to 2 just for the unique factor.
Well, this album is definitely unique. Takes a seriously creative mind to craft this, and it’s not just utter chaos. But it was such a tough listen for me. So much dissonance and repetition, I just can’t say I enjoyed it or will ever listen to it again.
So listening to the first song I was thinking “is his singing getting worse?” Then the second song came on and I was convinced someone was fucking with me. You know when you go to the orchestra or theater and all the musicians are warming up, tuning and playing scales. Some of the songs sounded like that. Even with that, I can’t say I hated it. It was interesting and not like much else I’ve heard. Perhaps there will be a day when I’ll get stoned on my couch and let Robbie’s sweet falsetto voice wrap its arms around me while his giant Bristol beard tickles my neck.
i'm not adverse to weird or avant-garde music but it has to hit me the right way. this one didn't really do it for me. it's pleasant enough at points, but mostly i found it a bit dull. his voice also doesn't do much for me, but i think that matters less on this one. it toes the line between somewhat avant-garde prog and jazz, but i don't think it does anything here particularly interestingly. drab jazz meets drab prog. the culmination is just pure drab. not for me!
Free will and testament is good everything else is shit
This man’s singing reminds me of James Corden (not a good thing)
Sure makes me want to shleep. Would be Beetles sound without the notable hits and memorable lyrics
I like his voice
Interesting at points but even as somebody who enjoys rambley music this was a bit much. 2/5
Another very experimental album. The songs here range from very good to very bad; unfortunately more often the latter.
Not my thing
Nope
Oh man, Robert Wyatt. We started out well with this one. I was shocked when I heard how pleasant Heaps of Sheeps was. It was actually listenable. How did we devolve so quickly from there? The music became disjointed and weird, the singing (if you can call it that) was off key, it was just all very unpleasant. There were a few minutes of respite with songs like Free Will and Testament or Blues in Bob Minor which were again, listenable, but then you get hit with four minutes of mumbling in A Sunday in Madrid or an expanded version of the 'wenk wenk wenk wenk.......' sad trombone noise in September the Ninth. I won't give it a one star because it's still much better than this list's other solo Wyatt appearance of Rock Bottom, which was horrible. Shleep, I can actually see the appeal of. That said though, it's still far beyond what my brain can comprehend and appreciate as music.
Too experimental for my tastes. Some of the songs are nearly unlistenable, while the others were mediocre for me at best.
La voz del cantante no me gustó, de hecho, suena desafina en algunas ocasiones. Y musicalmente tiene cosas interesantes y otras que no me convencen.
Wasn’t sure what this was
The energy of this album can make the biggest meth head quite itching.
Wait this is from the late 90s not the 60s or 70s?
Wispy as light fog Pretty sounds arranged ugly Put me to shleep please
Rather experimental and apart from a few nice passages I'm missing the hooks to get into it.
Generally pretty open to a lot of types of music but wasn’t feeling the vibe. Might have been the time and place but wasn’t hitting for me. After reading a bit about the artist while listening, I definitely got a much larger appreciation for the artist (a drummer that fell from window and was in a wheelchair).
I have no idea how an album like that could make it into a list such as this, when there is so much good music to be had out there.
Attempting to ignore the deep disagreement on whether this is an "art piece" album as stated by major magazines, or a cheap imitation that spits in the face of the listener, "Shleep" has its moments. At it's best, the album is grating experimental prog rock that is stretching boundaries. At it's worst however, particularly after "Was a Friend" it feels Wyatt is just throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks. The result is discordant, irritating, and frankly purposeless. The best creative choices on the album are when Wyatt decides to keep things cleaner. His voice, the instrumentation, it can WORK, but this experiment and abstraction serves only to reduce the overall work.
Not for me
Weird. I didn’t like it. Not for me.
Saved from a 1 by Blues in Bob Minor.
Well this was a rambling mess.
Hmm. Some interesting ideas but I feel like this would have made more sense in 1977 than 1997.
Didn’t care for this.
Not the kind of prog I like
There were a couple of songs in here that I was legitimately enjoying but then it evolved into some Buddy the Elf type sh* with a little hallucinogenic trip music thrown in for good measure. Odd.
Started of good, but got weird
2/5. I like soft machine sometimes but it's definitely not the best choice all of the time. Wyatt's foray into solo music comes out with some nice songs and airy, ambience that gives a sense of floating on a cloud, like the cover art suggests. However, sometimes, I would like to come down but it kind of just gets boring up there, and the atmosphere loses its serenity. There are some standouts so not terrible but seem to be missing the enjoyment of this.
This had a couple neat moments, but overall was very boring. And I believe this would be like a full star better if it had no vocals. So yeah... Can't really justify anything but a 2. Not for me.
This has got to be one of the weirdest albums I’ve ever heard. The lyrics are nonsensical, the singing is weird, and the instrumentation is downright odd. That’s not to say the whole thing is rubbish; I enjoyed a couple of songs, but the vast majority I struggled to get through. 1.5/5.0 for me; narrowly avoids a straight 1.0 because of the two songs I do like.
Got that sort of Sufjan Stevens vibe. Not my thing. Boring. Would listen to it in a garden or something
I really didn't get it
I don't get it.
Interesting! Need to do another listen
Experimental, not pleasant-sounding. This isn't for me.
Never heard of this artist. First song I was into, then the second one began and it was all downhill. 2.5/5
Got tired of it by that free will song and it was only the 5th track. Couldn’t endure it in full and had to skip when the cringe got high
Not my cup of tea.
Pretentious comes to mind when listening to Robert Wyatt sing(?) out of tune. I'm not sure if he is even capable of finding the tune, let alone be in it. The first track gave me some hope of a good album, but that hope quickly faded. 2/5 only because I enjoyed the sheep song.
Very strange, not really my style, makes me feel weird (maybe it was the intended result ?)
Je n'ai pas aimé ce style expérimental.
This was such a weird and interesting listen.. I won't say that I necessarily LOVED it, or that this thing is going to show up on my spotify wrapped playlist but.. a one time listen, throughout the whole thing was INTERESTING to say the least, and took me to a few places in my imagination/mind. My favorite songs on this thing were 'Maryan', 'A Sunday In Madrid' and 'The Whole Point Of No Return' all very interesting and somewhat catchy tracks for art rock. I thought I would hate this album, and once again in no way am I in LOVE with it.. but it was like watching a weird film, or reading an abstract book.. I found myself mulling over this album much longer after I listened to it, while I was cleaning I got lost in a meditative state thinking about the sounds I heard on this thing. I enjoyed listening to it. Overall: 2.3/5
This is weird and at times hard to listen to. I like the experimental approach, and I can genuinely say there are sounds on this that I’ve never heard before. Probably because they’re odd and rarely pretty. It keeps you guessing. Probably won’t go for it again, though.
This was fine, but kinda boring.
id not like this but he's undeniably talented
Weird artsy stuff, not my kinda thing
Some pop is too quirky for me, and this is that kind of pop.
this seems to be one of those albums that music critics like just so they can act like they know more about music than you. it’s just weird. however, about 90% of this album is unlistenable and the other 10% really isn’t very good. oof.
This was just weird.
'Different' to say the least. Not offensive to listen to but probably requires a Jamaican woodbine or two to get into the groove.
I imagine this is what a Monty Python take on an avante garde album would sound like.
Vanaf het begin is al duidelijk dat dit een zeer experimenteel album is. Waarschijnlijk moet het het enorm gaan hebben van de muzikale composities. Ik vind onze beste heer Wyatt namelijk geen begaafd zanger. Hoewel ik de sfeer van het eerste nummer nog prima vind, wordt ik heel nerveus van het tweede nummer, maar misschien is dat de bedoeling? Het is allemaal zeer rustig tempo, grenzend aan jazz, maar met allerlei zenuwachtige lijntjes van blazers en strijkers. Ik vind het allemaal maar ongemakkelijk klinken. Het is wel echt bijzonder hoe zoveel genres bij elkaar komen. Het eerder genoemde jazz, maar wel duidelijk rock elementen. En nu op Alien wat meer percussie, wat redelijk in de latijn-amerikaanse stijl past. Het is allemaal net iets te experimenteel, iets te pretensieus. Ik ben daar absoluut niet vies van, maar dit gaat net wat te ver. Dit is duidelijk een luisterervaring voor gevorderden, en zo te merken, ben ik dat niet. Maar de zang, die is voor mij echt ondermaats en dat, samen met het moeilijke luisterpalet, bederft het simpele luisterplezier. Favo's: Alien
so I feel like this album was just very average I don’t really think it was influential in anyway honestly and I don’t mean to sound harsh I just think I’m disappointed with a couple of the albums that are on this list because I don’t comprehend how this album is that influential because I didn’t hear any unique instruments or sounds unless I’m missing something.
No
I very much enjoy writing what would be considered nonsense music as well as listening to Tom Waits, early Modest Mouse, Destroyer, Ween, They Might Be Giants, The Books, Devendra Banhart etc. amongst other avant garde artists but this was something entirely different... The first track was fine. Track 2 felt like listening to a bunch of young kids starting a garage band that exclusively played acid jazz...very poorly. There was enough hints of brilliance spread throughout the record that I would be interested in exploring his other albums and material, however, this album wasn't it for me. Stand out tracks: Maryan, September the Ninth
Couldn't find much going for it. Was surprised it was not from the 60s.
Started out ok but lost me.
One of those cases when an album of utterly 54 minute nonsense becomes a must listen. 2
Wasn’t the best. Wasn’t terrible. Totally forgettable psychedelic rock.
weird, didnt really enjoy it much. What was that second song though
I struggled to get Google to play this and I struggled to listen to it if I’m honest ! Not my cup of tea 2*
Thought it was OK at first but it got a bit tiresome.
This is fucked 2
Net iets te experimenteel en te 'atmosferisch'
I realize there isa good contingent of musicians pitching in but I had a hard time getting into it.
Hmmm I love prog but this is bad prog
Es mereix un respecte per la perícia i creativitat que transpira en tots els seus temes. Però s'oblida de la complicitat amb l'oient. Massa impenetrable per poder disfrutar-lo
What an interesting and diverse jazzy album. The assortment of instruments, noises, sounds, and singing made this album pretty hard to wrap my head around. Overall it wasn’t that great as it was some pretty artsy fartsy stuff that doesn’t appeal to me. Some of the jazz was pretty good though but it was in spurts. Hard to really like this one. 4.7/10
Gostei de umas duas faixas instrumentais. Esperava mais.
Musta listalla on ollut kiinnostavampaa relan ja herkistelyn välimaastoa. Blues in Bob Minor on ihan hauska biisi, mut muuten levy jää kyllä kakkoseen.
At first I was like "God, no" then "ah OK maybe" but by the end I'm ready to cast this back into obscurity as pretentious crap.
One half decent song followed by one unlistenable piece of crap. Repeat. No thanks.
Weird stuff.
Nimensä mukaista eli nukuttaa. Herää kysymys, kuinka viimeisteltyjä biisit on vai kuinka paljolti kokeilua. Ikävän naivistista. Joitain ilahduttavia hetkiä, joissa toivoisi, että tää olisi tehty 70-luvulla.
Just ok
New to me...probably never again. 2/5
Dat isset nich
Interessantisch, maar te wisselvallig om mij te boeien
Robert zit een beetje de ouwe zemelaar uit te hangen. Kom op Robert, misschien moet je het muziek maken maar aan anderen over laten want hier schiet werkelijk niemand iets mee op.
Never heard of this but obviously hipster shit. Title & album art suggest wussy indie rock. The name "Wyatt" hints at USA but most likely UK as always. ahaha yep it's English. Accented voice is hidden in the mix a bit, but it's there. Music sounds like the album art looks, so it's honest... but honest, complete shit. I'm not angry, or even disappointed at this point. I'm just giving out a 2/5.
This did not appeal to me at all. I don't understand why it was on this list.
Some of the songs have a chaotic and disharmonious feel (e.g. "The Duchess"). This is just not really my thing. I am more straight, simple, and basic in my taste. I don't think that the album is bad, but it just does not really align with my taste.
This one only had three reviews before I wrote this one. Presumably because most people, uh, didn't care strongly. Some of the best parts of this sound like Nick Drake, but some of it also sucks. Weird one to rate. We're gonna go mid.
There are some good parts, but then he throws in these weird noises. They accomplish the goal of irritating the shit out of me. Just overall giving off a sense or someone trying really hard to be cool and different. 1/5
Ooof. This was not for me.
I am a progressive rock fan, but I guess it’s more of a certain era - late 1960s through 1980s classical-infused with themes of science fiction, fantasy, psychedelia, etc. This is not that. I don’t really know what this is. That’s not totally true - it’s a pretentious, self-important, and humorless cacophony. 1.5⭐️
I’d listened to Robert Wyatt before through Rock Bottom and, if I’m honest, I really didn’t get it at all. I struggled to connect with that album, found none of the tracks memorable, and was left pretty baffled by its reputation, so I went into Shleep with fairly low expectations. Shleep was definitely better. There were moments on this album that I genuinely enjoyed, particularly “Heaps of Sheeps” and “Maryan”, which at least gave me something to hold onto. However, there were also tracks like “The Duchess” that felt completely bizarre and did very little for me. Overall, though, I still found the album quite hard work. A lot of the songs feel like they’re trying very hard to be clever and experimental, but they lack the melody, hooks and catchiness that I naturally look for in music. I can appreciate the artistry and why some people admire Wyatt’s work, but it still doesn’t really do anything for me. Favourite tracks: “Maryan” Least favourite tracks: “The Duchess” was easily the weakest track for me Album artwork: Lovely album cover
Started okay, but track 2 onwards were atonal nightmares! DNF
I was quite looking forward to this based on Wyatts version of shipbuilding but what a load of drivel. Disappointed
First song was pretty catchy, second was maybe some of the worst music I've ever heard
Thank God I got to album 902 before getting this load of pretentious codswallop. Because if it had been in the first 100 I might not have continued.
I barely listened to the first four songs before giving up.
Waarom staat dit in de lijst? Soms klinkt het als een groep kinders die een bak instrumenten gevonden hebben...
Nope.
What a terribly boring album
Another bad album… 5 of the last 6 have been garbage…
Why??
Day883 - if you made it through the whole album you may be entitled to financial compensation
Nope
To be honest, I could not wait until this album was over.
Awful
Not for me
Kansikuva on jotenkin tuttu. Ompas, ompas progea. Vaiko jazzia. Vaiko jotain taiderokkia. Ehkä enempi jopa sitä, on niin erikoista kikkailua. Laulanta oli jälleen kerran luotaantyöntävää. Vaikeaa kuvitella että kuuntelisin tätä minkäänlaisessa tilanteessa.
This is weird. Idk how to feel about this. I mean sure. It's very out there sometimes in a good way sometimes in a bad way. Yeah I don't really like it. Nevermind he cooked with the first song then kinda went downhill. It's weird in a bad way. Not a fan. What are you doing in my ear. Not for me in short. Favourite: Heaps of Sheep Least favourite: The Duchess
This is like an Ian Dury art cover band that takes itself too seriously. I can respect some of the musicianship at times (I guess this guys commands some respect in his circles so some talented folks step in to back him) but I'm not going to take the singing seriously. I'm sorry but it can't be some artistic approach, it's not good
What if Peter Gabriel was really bad? All of the wierdness and none of the talent? Well, then he would be Robert Wyatt. This guy is the Neil Breen of prog rock, becuase while you wanna laugh at and appreciate the absolute absurdy of the joke he's telling, you realize pretty quickly that he is, in fact, ardent in his endeavor, and you feel like kind of an asshole for laughing even harder at the realization. If you can avoid it, you should, but if you have to engage be sure to drag a friend or two along to laugh with you at the earnest futility of it all. It's a 1/5 that's still slightly better than anything Morrissey's mother ever made.
I simply don’t know what to think about this one. Didnt make it through all the way. 1/5
The first track is quite ok, but right from the second one it’s a total crap.
Top 5 worst things I’ve listened to on this project. And that’s saying something.
winced through every song, and not in a good way. i like the album cover. i feel like he made this for himself. and that's fine.
Albums like these make me question were there really no better albums to put in this list? Last two songs were OKish
I guess i now know how one becomes a music critic. When you hear a terrible record just call it brilliant then eveyone will think you are brilliant
First song started off ok, and then he started singing and it was tolerable... THEN the second song started playing and this album took a turn for the compost bin (because that's where this crap belongs). I just stopped listening to it.
This one was WEIRD. It was terrible for background music, but I'm sure I'll never willingly listen to it again. Who tf was influenced by THIS?
mmmm not for me.
No
I am not sure what that was but it was not my jam. To much going on to follow. I am sure the people making this music had a hell of a time, doing Durga and hangin out.
First listen
total shite!
pass
Whimsy for whimsies sake.
Lo escuché mientras elongaba. Me dió mucha paja escucharlo. La segunda canción da miedo literal
Heap of Sheeps was a solid start and it just went downhill from there. Weird experimental music (sometimes jazzy, sometimes had a singer/songwriter vibe, sometimes it was just discordant noise) and whiny vocals. (1)
Tripe.