Picture Book

bleh

I despise that cover of Heaven, just no good at all. Rest of it was blah too

I've never listened to Simply Red before. Overall kind of meh and boring. I was surprised by the "Heaven" cover. It wasn't until "Holding Back the Years" that I was like, "Oh, it's _this_ song."

lame boo boring corny (i'm running out of bad things to say about british artists)

Groupe connu de nom uniquement (il ne m'a pas marqué du tout à l'époque). Bonne surprise dans cet album : 'Sad Old Red' morceaux jazz avec un chorus de sax plutôt réussi. Beau chorus aussi dans 'Heaven', mais sur dans un morceau un peu moins intéressant. Le reste est variable. Je trouve que le son de synthé a mal vieilli, même si basse + guitare sont plutôt bien (Look at you now). Et quand le rythme diminue l'ennui guette (Jericho). Découverte mitigée donc, je ne suis pas sur de l'écouter une seconde fois. =>2/5

Simply Red are just not for me

Not really something I enjoyed too much. Not the type of music I usually listen to, so hard for me to say. Production sounds extremely clean. In my only listen through, there wasn't a whole lot that caught my ear or stood out to me. "Look at You Now" was probably my favorite track. Reminded me a little of Talking Heads.

Sure it fine but so overexposed back in the day. Swerved this entriely

Moneys Too Tight To Mention Holding Back the Years (I don't like when they include alternate versions)

Highly reminiscent of piped music in a hotel lobby. The inoffensive nature almost scored it higher as a kneejerk reaction after Kollaps

Don't really understand why this would be considered on this list. Rather boring and each song blended into each other.

Started off ok, but it really didn’t build to anything. I question what was the innovation that put this album on any list you need to hear.

Never been a fan, not my style.

No es para nada mi rollo

Simply Red must be a band huge in England but as an American born a decade after the formation of Simply Red, I have literally never heard of them until this popped up in the 1001+ album generator. I'm going in as blind into an album as any other band thus far, the closest before was Faces--a band I already knew about. Quite an interesting album: the first sound sounds very disco inspired as the second one sounds like a big band live(?) performance with a crooner. Then they finally go in on the 80s synths on "Look At You Now"(holy DX7 batman). There's a Talking Heads cover of Heaven on here, and it's not good. Jericho closes side one to make this record definitely feel like it's stuck in the 80s. Side two opens with the two biggest hits on the album that launched Simply Red into the UK pop landscape. Money's Too Tight is a cover from an R&B band from Cincinnati that translates well to a UK audience. I'll Keep Holding On is the big hit Simply Red had in America, which is one of those songs you hear extensively in grocery stores and no where else. I used to work at one of those places, which makes me biased against the song when it's played on those crappy speakers. Now at home with a more hi-fi set up, hearing the little extra session music instrumentation adds much needed spice to the song, but it's still not something I would seek or search for, but it makes the DX7 sound a lot more grand. The rest of Side 2: Red Box feels like filler: nothing special happening in this song. No Direction is a nice shake-up of tempo, though at this point in the album I'm getting a bit tired of Hucknall's vocals. Picture Book, the self-titled song, concludes the album in a big (reverb) sounding fashion, with cryptic lyrics that finish an album filled of a variety of different sounds, blurring together as a 1980s cocktail of experimental, pop-infused innovation on a variety of blues/rhythm and blues inspired music. This is probably the most "okay" record I've heard thus far. I see its influence, not as much its importance beyond its presentation. I am so whelmed that it does not change my adamant nature on this album: probably really engaging when it came out, but sounds stuck in the 80s. Not a lot of re-engagement for me on this one, my favorite tracks being Sad Old Red and Look At You Now. I don't really want to write more about this. Is it worthy of being in the 1000+ music to hear before you die? very strong "eh" there, the big hits on this album are still played on 80s stations, but Simply Red did not realyl breakout overseas, they seemed like they were content being a UK/European band or sound of the time, America preferred pop music that was much more into vanity, something like this would not last too long. I would've replaced this album with something like Seal II. Perhaps I discount some good number of artists that loved Simply Red and were very inspired by this record to do their own famous records, but I don't hear any of that discussion.

Emballé au début par cette pop / synthé a la george Michael et finalement ca s'essouffle

I appreciate Mick Hucknall's voice; dude can belt and he knows it. The songs unfortunately just run together and are mostly unremarkable 80s pop. Credit for "Holding Back the Years" which carried over from his previous band, but overall don't need to listen again.

Heaven is half decent. Elsewhere there really isn’t much to enjoy

Ok, but kinda boring

Soft rock from the 80s. Not bad for background music.

Saw that Simply Red was tagged as a Pop act so I figured I’d listen on my run today, thinking it would at the very least bring some good energy. Well, that was a miss assessment, this was dull, listless, uninteresting drivel. Synth Pop can be awesome when it’s done right, I don’t think this was done right. Also, Mick Hucknall looks like a bit of a douche. Apparently he was a punk rocker prior to this… poser. 2 stars

Not for me

Good voice, but overall sounds dated

Wasn’t bad per se, just definitely not my style. Not a record I would ever play myself. I just watched The Burdcage and it reminds me of the music that was in the skundtrack

This is a miss for me, sounded like an 80s album for sure, but it didn't stand out.

Well that's the first time I've ever heard "Reaganomics" in a song lyric. I haven't heard a Simply Red song since the last time I sat through one on the radio with my finger poised over the record button in hopes that the song after it wouldn't suck. I had a good run, I guess.

Ugh. I expect these albums to be really good and/or culturally significant. Where does this even fall? It’s FINE.

Too 80's and disco type pop for my taste. Hucknall's voice is unique which can be both good and bad. I liked "Holding Back The Years". Even with that song I'd only want to hear it sparingly.

Something makes me think they recorded this just because they wanted some money

I bought this album when it came out, and I quite enjoyed it. That enjoyment faded pretty quickly. I guess I got bored with the synthetic quality of the music (a widespread sin of many groups during the 1980s). I like Hucknall’s voice, and (at its best) the band can be quite soulful. But the music often sounds synthetic and soulless.

Followed a couple bangers so this one fell a little flat. It wasn’t terrible but there was a lot of 80s/90s dated flair that didn’t quite hit with me. Not a cohesive album statement with live and studio mix. Not bad, but not for me.

K mart music

This sounds like bad 80’s Aretha Franklin. But at least she used to make good music.

Итс окэй. Лучшая песня - Sad Old Red.

extra point for Holding Back the Years

It was pretty average. It wasn't bad at the beginning, but it got annoying toward the middle

Couldn’t listen to it all at once - it took me at least 5-6 tries to get through the album. It’s not necessarily terrible but man was I not in the mood for this today.

In the words of Alex Horne, in the song "Money's Too Tight to Mention" he mentions money 57 times. The album itself is fine, albeit dated and a bit uninspiring. It's not bad, but there's nothing to hold it in the esteem of a lot of the other albums on this list.

Hucknall can clearly sing, but I don't care for his voice. The production doesn't help; it all comes across as a bit soulless. Also the Talking Heads version of Heaven is vastly superior.

Inoffensive to the point of forgettableness for me - Money's too Tight to Mention a groovy little hook, but otherwise the aimless keyboards and a suffusion of meandering vocals means I won't be back.

It was ok, but nothing special.

This feels like a melding of the last dying gasp of disco and some fairly generic British new wave. It's pretty well produced for what it is, but it's not very engaging or interesting.

Oh well. Does this stem from the period when Simply Red was actaually a band rather than Mick Hucknall and sidekicks? Hucknall has a terrific voice here, and I think the success of this album indicated the appetite for classic souls, with a 1980s production twinkle. I am not convinced this is a truly great album - it's a bit backward looking for that.

Holding Back the Years is a classic. Come to My Aid and Money’s Too Tight (to Mention) are pretty good. Look at You Now is also decent (why does it kind of remind me of Talking Heads? Then again, they did cover "Heaven" on here - not too successfully, though). The rest is a bit too cheesy for my liking, with production that sounds too pristine and dated (though I can’t really fault an ’80s record for this, it’s just that I don’t like this kind of sound). Open Up the Red Box made me very uncomfortable. No Direction would be decent if not for those "spooky" voices Mick is making - I found those pretty hilarious. The playing is pretty good throughout.

Not even a cover of one my favourite Talking Heads songs could save this from being a bit of a slog. Everything in Picture Book is just a bit too “of the time” for me to connect. ⭐️⭐️

I bought this album in my mid 20s in a troubling attempt to move with the times. But the trouble with Mick Hucknall, laid bare here, is great voice, terrible songs. So while Holding Back The Years is fabulous, the rest is, well, very ordinary 😐 Trouble all round.

Errr. OK in parts but nondescript. Like AI generic rock.

Eh, not for me. Seemed weak.

A competent but ultimately forgettable collection of songs that rely heavily on vocal charisma to carry otherwise dull material. Won't actively seek it out to listen again.

Just kinda boring tbh

I didn’t hate this, oddly enough. Seems like something I would hate. Must be in a good mood today. That being said, I almost certainly won’t listen to it again, except for the genius hit, that is.

I have no idea what it is because it tries to be too many things at once.

2.5

simply simple... dunno

Dis moi que l'auteur de cette liste est né dans les années 60 sans me dire qu'il est né dans les années 60. Du 80s slop qui mérite probablement même pas d'être sur la liste des meilleurs albums de 1985.

fine

Started off interesting and dropped off quite a lot. 2/5

This one just didn't grab me like "Life" did.

not as annoyingly stylised as I remembered it

Wonderful voice. Some really great tracks but a good chunk of this album just felt kind of monotonous.

Sounded like a shitty band that would play at an 80's social. Some catchy ish songs, but nothing special. Don't really understand how it made the list.

I guess this could probably be called green-eyed soul. While the boy can definitely sing, it's not my bag at all. Icky schmaltzcore for old-fashioned grown-ups 🫥

I think this album has aged as badly as supporting new Labour and the Iraq invasion. I didn't mind "Jericho", and "money's too tight to mention" reminded me of the Rathergood.com flash video where they swap the word "money" with "bunny", which made me chuckle. Competent music but couldn't wait to put something else on.

While the performances and grooves are strong, over the course of an album this fades into a pleasant but ultimately unmemorable set of easy listening jazzy R&B tunes. That background music feel makes it a rather dull active listening experience.

2 nsterne

Simply Red being simply meh and simply redundant.

Not good

There are some real speed bumps in this as an album but a lot of it was really good stuff

At times kind of reminiscent of Phil Collins? Not bad but also not compelling, 2.5

Mmm I really disliked this, and the cover of Heaven is a crime, but my 1-star albums have a real "gross guy you avoid at the bar" vibe and Ol' Red here seems mostly harmless.

Some of the backing stuff was ok, but I found the vocals annoying and a lot of the lyrics were dogshit

I don't know why but Mick Hucknall has such a damn punchable face for me. I struggled to get past that listening to this album. I kinda liked Sad Old Red. Did not expect a song on Reganomics but sure, why not! (Turns out its a cover and doesn't do much different from the original which is a cardinal sin IMO) Holding Back the Years ain't all that good.

2,4/5

Never been a fan and still not convinced, musically solid, vocals are good, bar 2-3 songs found the album a bit boring

Bland

Det var fed nok egentlig, men ved ikke liiiiige om jeg ville kalde det essentielt

Not entirely horrible.. It does feel like a bit of a weird choice to have so many covers in an album..

Awful schlock. Did not need to hear this.

Cheesy and generic

2.5

Not my thing

Not terrible but not terribly interesting either

a bit boren.

Meh

Jaren '80, witte mannen met funky baslijntjes, de kopstem wordt niet geschuwd, foute jaren '80 synthjes, paar balads, wat gehijg. Met vlagen wat Michael Jacksonesque maar dan met meer percussie. Blijkbaar is het (deels) opgenomen in een studio in Blaricum, daar moeten wij het als Nederlanders qua inbreng in deze lijst zo'n beetje mee doen ook. Dit is niet helemaal mijn ding. Ik kan het uitzitten maar daar is het grotendeels wel mee gezegd. Ik kom niet hoger dan 2 sterren.

Just didn’t do anything for me - English soul just doesn’t seem like a good idea. Meh.

Sounds like the ‘80s. And not in a good way. No thank you. Even the Talking Heads cover is meh.

That was a pretty grody Talking Heads cover. I will never get how this was one of the guys at that Sex Pistols concert, what an odd influence. Anyway, not really my thing. Guy can sing, but the songs are lower case b boring. Dull.

I like a couple songs, but this was overall not good or fun to listen to.

Didn't love it!

The singles are fine. The production is really dated. And the Talking Heads song is giving American Idol week 13 stunt cover vibes. Why is this on the list? It’s stunningly unremarkable…

I could not get through it 😞

Not my favourite thing

Simply average

“Sad Old Red” sticks out like a sore thumb because it doesn’t suck or sound awfully dated, which isn’t true for any other song here. Also, it baffles me that “Holding Back the Years” was a hit, as it’s the worst song on the album. The 80’s really must have been a low point in human history. A lame imitation of Prince, but without the talent.

Ah, 80's cheese. It's a bit moldy, and not in a good way.

Good, but was not my favorite, 2.5 stars

5/10 Ikkje min greie dette.

Not list worthy

5/10

Not much that stood out outside of the first song.

This was quite a middle of the road album, with not too much that stood out and would be quite easy to forget. The song "Heaven" was a nicer change but not strong enough to carry the album further than a two.

Much prefer the slower and mellow tracks on this album. Standouts; Sad old red Jericho Holding back the years

Simply boring. Nice voice, damn shame the music isn’t more interesting

An okay album, but generic and forgettable. I really don't understand how this made the list in the first place. The biggest hit on the album is a cover. This is just another example of the UK-centric bias on this list.

I have a hard time judging some of the albums on this list because I've encountered a few truly bad albums. Then there are ones like this—they maybe aren't "bad," but they're uninteresting and not particularly unique. Some of the instrumental parts were groovy, like on the title track, "Picture book," and on the "Money's too tight" cutback mix (though I found the rest of Money quite annoying).

This is another bang average album that I really didn’t need to hear before I died. My life is unchanged from hearing this album, I’m not sure why it’s here tbh.

This did nothing for me.

Did not love. I remember the hits, and they were okay, but the other songs… they are talented people, but goes didn’t do it for me.

The album cover made me worried this was going to be some Dexys Midnight Runners shit. It does have the 80s sophistipop thing going on; this thing touches a lot of genres and runs them through the sonic filter of the time. I'm really not sure what to make of this one. It didn't bother me, but I was a little baffled by it. I don't know anything about Simply Red as a band after listening to this, except maybe what they grew up listening to. I'm not trying to say that artists can't explore a variety of sounds, but this sounded like throwing a lot of stuff at the wall and not bothering to see what stuck. There were moments I enjoyed, but as a whole I'm unmoved and a little cold about it.

A fine album. Decent jams on here, and the cover of "Heaven" was pretty good. Don't know if I'll ever need to revisit this but wasn't bad.

Drastic change from track 1 to track 2. Holding Back the Years is the standout for me, but I'm not sure I'd revisit the whole album.

Started off fine enough, then I thought I was listening to a completely different album by track #2. Just wasn't expecting the jump to a faux "live" jazz track. The album sort of became cheesy and unbearable from there, unfortunately.

Look, soul is not really my thing and much less soul pop. This felt like it lacked identity. It is the offend-none, lowest-common-denominator type of pop with some smooth soul added to it. Makes me just want to listen to some abrasive punk instead.

There's a lot of actual soul and R&B music out there. A lot of good singers in that genre. I get the urge to play stuff you love, but Simply Red doesn't feel very real, just "chops" before real soulfulness, style over substance. Shallow. Mick Hucknall is a good technician, for what it's worth.

Could've been worse.

Weird Talking Heads cover on this one. I really liked the first song and the rest was just o.k..

I gave this a chance but it didn't change my opinion of Simply Red. To be fair, it is competently played, in fact very well-played by excellent musicians, but the songs are bland soul-pop which approximate '60s and '70s Motown/Stax/Philly recordings without any of the emotional investment. And I really do not like Mick Hucknall or his grating voice. Another dinner party album...

2 - I don’t particularly like anything about it, It’s certainly well done and the vocalist is very talented, but the songs don’t appeal to me

First listen. Meh.

Great voice, one great track

Disco mixed with some jazzy bluesy tunes and some R&B all under the canopy of pop. No thank you. We're it just the jazzy bluesy stuff, I'd have dug it more.

New heights of banality achieved! I literally felt nothing except vague boredom with a dash of preferring to be listening to something else. Music for sex scenes in bad 80s movies.

From the artwork, I was expecting some acoustic and personal album. I did not expect bland soul. This album did nothing to me.

I didn't hate it. 2.5

Decent

Not my kind of thing.

As if it wasn't enough to make the musical equivalent of boiled chicken, they had to ruin a Talking Heads song, too.

lembrou minha avó ouvindo rádio pra dormir quando eu era criança e só por isso ganhou duas estrelas

boring mas sou grato pela música sobre ser um pobre fudido (nem li a letra)

It’s fine, it’s just fine. Why the cover look like Frodo though? 4/10

Too easy listening for me. Why was the second song inexplicably recorded as if live but no other song on the album was? There there wasn't anything terrible here, but it bored me.

We zitten weer fist-deep in de new wave, of hoe je dit ook wil bestempelen. De twee uitersten op dit album, 'Holding Back the Years' aan de blue-eyed soul zijde, en de groovy cover van 'Money's Too Tight' aan de funk zijde, zijn best behapbaar, maar alles wat er tussen in valt weet niet te ontroeren noch te bewegen. Z'n stem is na een paar nummers wel een tranentrekker, maar niet in de positieve zin van het woord. Mijn vraag is dan ook wie er destijds luisterde naar deze witte, ongeïnspireerde vorm van R&B, met zoveel zwart talent in de omloop? Ja, de witte middenklasse natuurlijk, met een plaat voor hun hoofd. 4,5/10 Highlights: Holding Back the Years Money's Too Tight

Simply Red is echt zo'n artiest die door iedereen te pruimen is en dus ook in de plaatselijke supermarkt gedraaid zal worden. Vaak is dat geen goed teken... 5/10 Highlights Money's too tight

Only knew holding back the years before listening. Much of the same really, very banal and forgettable

It's ight, it started good with the first track then afterwards I lost most if not all my interest in listening. I don't hate but I sure as shit didn't love it. Top 1 Favorite: Come To My Aid 2.50/5

A good singer in search of an identity. Not surprised the singer is the only consistent member of this group because there’s nothing here other than his (admittedly good) voice. Every song sounds like it comes from a different group - pop, new wave, blues, R&B, with no consistency from track to track. It becomes, in that way, a vanity project. Just a way for the singer to show off, and we’re not really invited into that club. It feels self-indulgent.

Jesus. I’d love to see the justification for this in the book. Like. Is it just so they can be like DAMN THIS GINGER HAS PIPES. This sucks lol

I like Holding Back the Years, but for some reason the rest of the album was sad and I didn't finish it.

I'm forcing myself through this one. Not something I would willfully choose to listen to without the help of a project like this. 2/5

I tried to keep an open mind but the over cooked blue eyed soul vocals and the selection of the worst 80s keyboard sounds closed it again. A shame because I have always like the comparatively understated Holding Back The Years. Also the one before their version of Heaven sounds like a better Talking Heads cover.

Music my mum liked, I can close my eye and hear this playing in my mum's old VW Golf, it would be followed by Level 42, guaranteed. "Holding Back The Years" holds up but, honestly, Simply Red are an abomination and it still befuddles me how they made a comeback in the mid 90s for one hot minute..

好无聊

Can't escape the Rather Good "holding back the ears" image. I'm not a fan of Hucknall's voice.

A pretty average album, but it was better than I was expecting it would be. The lyrics are shocking in places: "everybody is trying to get to the bar; the name of the bar? the bar is called.... HEAVEN"

Lyrics are kinda cringy, but the actual music is okay background music

Kovin geneeriseksi jäävä kasaripoppislevy. 2/5

Pretty much as dull and bland as I was expecting. Mick Hucknall has a great voice, but what he does with it just isn't for me. "Money's Too Tight to Mention" is pretty good though.

Not sure what this is? Is it New Wave? Is it Funk Pop? Is it 1920s lounge music? Why does it sound like Wham sometimes. It's a little too all over the place for me, though I did like a few of the songs.

I was so hoping this would not be a one hit album. In the end its a one hit album.

2 out of 5. Interesting cover of Heaven but nothing really here for me.

The singer has a silky smooth voice, but man I just can't really get on board with the '80s soft pop-rock thing. It's got a bit of a jazzy thing going, but I just can't get the synth out of my head. I'm just not super into the sound of this overall. His voice is good, but something's missing, it's boring. Plus two of the three best songs are covers, which is not a positive for me ("Heaven" is a Talking Heads cover, but it's the best song on here, better than "Holding Back the Years" which is one of their most popular songs). I also find the term "blue-eyed soul" pretty hilarious (which is what this seems to get classified as frequently). Like, yeah I guess white people can sing R&B and soul music too sometimes. I can see why someone would be into this, but it's not for me. Favorite song: Heaven Other: Come to My Aid, Money's Too Tight (to Mention), Holding Back the Years 11/27/24

#417. Hard to get through the whole thing, if we're being honest. Never heard any of this before, and luckily I'm not likely to ever hear it again. 2/5: bad.

It's okay for background music. Never listened to them in the 80s, even then it felt like something you'd hear in a doctor's waiting room.

Ok, so the music sucks, but we already all knew that. However, I’ll add a bonus point for Hucknall having a decent voice and for his ability to punch well above his weight in the 90s.

..

Sometimes is ok. But don't like 80s pop much Will I listen to again: 0%

Definitely shouldn’t be on this list. Holding Back The Years is great I’ll round up cuz there’s nothing wrong with this album

A big time “this was ok”. It had an ok cover of a great song (Heaven). I can’t imagine ever thinking to listen to it again.

Didn't really get this one

He’s got a nice voice but this is boring

I tired to listen to this with unbiased ears. But I can't get beyond the ginger.

Fine, but this really is JCPenny's music.

Simply Red have always bored me to tears, not actively objectionable so should probably have rated this 3, but I wanted to reflect the lifelong response.

Pretty cool, and completely unfamiliar to me. It's not super well aligned with my tastes, but I have a lot of respect the quality of the work.

just okay, didn't really hit with me, typical 80's sound.

honestly a decent listen just pretty boring to my taste

not a great record in my opinion. I think this Mick guy is a great vocalist actually, but the songs are 80's-trendy synth-suck sonic vortex that makes it hard to pick that out. I bet this guy is really talented but this record was just not my thing.

Found this quite grating tbh! Sort of zoned out after a while. Not my thing

Boring music as then

Not for me.

Didn't really do anything for me

A few tracks in, I was already looking forward to the end. Not the type of 2* where the music was annoying - I can’t even say it was bad, exactly - but so bland and unremarkable that I seriously question its inclusion on this list.

2.4 1x on delta flight to SFO catchup on 10/1

Me gusta mucho más Stars.

Music to be played at the dentist’s office. Technically inoffensive, but so bland. All the instruments sound so artificial. The Talking Heads cover is so bleh. The singer’s voice is good enough I guess. Favorite song was Holding Back The Years.

Annouing

This is the most stereotypical soft rock record I've ever heard. Blech.

Meh….I just didn’t like this all that much.

dosadan

First songs I really liked. Then slowly it lost me and by the end I wasn't having a good time anymore. His voice begins to get very annoying, and that cover of Heaven sucks. This album really drudges on too long. 2.5/3

Neuroscientists, musicologists, and other top academic researchers should study this album to analyse how they managed to suck all of the soul out of soul music. Mick Hucknall has a good voice but this is a truly dismal slice of 80s waiting room Muzak. It also features one of the worst Talking Heads covers ever recorded. kd lang does a great cover of Heaven because she understands the need for a little restraint. This version is amped up into the terrible-stratosphere. I am charitably giving it a 2 because, while it is awful, it is a dull & inoffensive background awful, and I know things would get even worse with 'Fairground'.

I knew as soon as I saw it that the US contingent would go nuts that this was on the list. A well known band in the UK and indeed one year had the biggest selling album in the world (Stars). Sadly, the US contingent are correct. This is an awful album in retrospect. A couple of songs, a lot of filler and the worst ever cover of a Talking Heads song ever committed to vinyl. It was painful listening to him kill Heaven. This "does not" stand up in retrospect.

Seriously?

Yeah uh… why is this here?

Honestly, I think this is kinda wanky, I guess it's not bad and it's probably just not my thing but it's too cheesy and feels like it should just be playing in the background of tesco.

Listening to Mick Hucknall could be used as a form of torture (No Direction is painful). 2 stars based on opening track being decent

Good but not for me

My only tenuous link I have with any rock star is with Mick Hucknell. I used to work with a woman who went to Manchester Poly with him and never let us forget that. That fact doesn’t change my opinion of this album or Simply Red in general in that it doesn’t appeal to my tastes. However, this album does have one redeeming track - Holding Back The Years which is their most famous and one which I do like. Always takes me back to those clubbing nights when that track accompanied the ten to two desperation dash for those wanting a last minute snog. It is also a song which works for me when in a reflective mood. That track aside I do know that there are other songs which are well liked to those loving this type of music but an album which I do not need to hear again. I’ll stick with the best known single. 2/5 6/8/24.

This is abysmal quality. Whoever thought this should be on the list is an absolute ignoramus. This album is just so far below anything that should even touch this list, it’s sad. It’s only saving grace is that it wasn’t a complete chore to get through. This album isn’t even quite sure what good music sounds like and to put it up here with all of these greats is almost cruel. What the actual fuck were you thinking. 2/5

Listened Before? N In The Village Voice, Robert Christgau wrote that there were essentially "only two songs on this album", "Money’s Too Tight (to Mention)" and "Heaven", but that Hucknall and the band carry off the album "on mood and groove alone". I've never agreed with a professional music review more. This album is straight up boring outside of those two songs, and the hit here "Holding Back the Years" is no exception. Mediocre at best. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Money's Too Tight (To Mention)

It's not that bad I guess but pretty boring and not really deserving to be here.

I disagree

This album could have been an email. Instrumentals are little varied, vocals are fine but forgettable, and oh my god the repetitive lyrical phrases - please stop. Listened to: on a bus to Montreal. Favorite track: Heaven

I was fully prepared to trudge through another average pop album. And then Sad Old Red started. A pop track that's fully, inarguably based on jazz?! Alright, you have my attention. Well, it turns out my gut instinct was mostly correct. Not that much interesting here beyond Sad Old Red--even the cover of Heaven was fine but not notable.

Typical 80s. Good voice but hard to sit through all at once. Fat should have been trimmed from some songs. Excess choruses and filler at the end needs to go

Crooner crap

kinda generic, didn't sound like it aged well. I even forget what thei hit song was.

Brian Eno said: "The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band." Justin Yurek said: "4 million people bought that first Simply Red record, but none of them formed a band."

Not to be a crabby American, but it seems that any artist from the British isles that has one hit in America instantly seems to be on this list. The album is the worst kind of straight white male, middle of the road 80's music that is completely forgettable. It sounds like no one in this band is having any fun except the singer. and if it wasn't for that one hit and the last song which some how sounds like a supertramp song if their singer had a head cold I'd give this a 1.

2.5

Some songs were okay. The rest just felt like 80s cheesiness. 2/5

🎧How the hell was Holding Back the Years a US #1 single? Cover of Talking Heads’ Heaven is good.

bland new wave pop

Holding back the years was played and over-played to the point where I'm good if I never hear it again...or the rest of the album.

This is about as dated as music gets. Adult Contemporary and Sophistipop were niche even during their heyday and neither were ever considered particularly cool. Listening now just reminds me of music that might now have been played in the dentist's office. It was an ok distraction at the time while heavy amounts of laughing gas, staring at the ceiling while I underwent root canal. But I'm not eager to relive any of that now. The brightest spot on the album for me was the penultimate track, 'No Direction', which sounded like it could have been a lost Talking Heads song.

2 - This was whatever. Some moments were alright, and others had me groaning, so I'd say it balances out to a 2.

If only the could’ve held back the years. They’ve not been kind to this record.

Not very good. I had never really heard this before and won't be hearing it again

This album is very much a product of the 80s. "Holding Back the Years" is the one song I knew; the rest is somewhat generic. Hats off to the Valentine Brothers for working "Reaganomics" into the lyrics of "Money's Too Tight" (and having a better recording of the track).

Unlike a lot of other reviewers, I can see the value of this album on the list. Simply red were massive in the late 80's in the UK. Their brand of middle of the road, white man soul was very popular and no one can deny Mick Hucknell has a good voice. My parents had the later album stars and I remember it well. A relisten doesn't generate many more positives though. It's not a patch on more genuine soul music, and the 80's wraps itself around this like herpes.

Just another bullshit ass entry to this bogus list. There is nothing done on this album that hasn't been done 100x better elsewhere

svo svo ... ég get ekki sagt að þetta sé mitt ... en ágætt stemningsdót endrum og eins

Aight

Maybe a track at a time is bearable. Listening to this as an album is terrible.

Slowish pop, nothing too interesting

Basic

This is a completely forgotten vibe of pop music. Basically made for department stores. Even the well known songs were very bad. I was relieved to find this album/artist is not secretly some majorly influential inflection point and this is just bargain bin fodder. Do not recommend.

A completely inconsequential album other than 1 or 2 decent singles. Not actively bad, but also not worth listening to.

Seemed like a generic 80s album. I guess it was a big seller at the time, but I don’t think I recognized a single song.

really boring

I was not a fan of this one. The first disco-y track I was ok, and I thought I maybe we were cruising to 3 stars but then it quickly went down hill. This particular take on 80s swing and soul revival was not for me at all. The cover of Heaven sucked all that I liked out of the song. I stopped listening about halfway through when I realized it was an hour and 16 minutes long. Its not offensively bad, but very bland and very much not my thing. 4/10 & 2 stars Worst album cover yet. Full on F grade.

I was only a partial human being while listening to this. I hiked a mountain on Monday for the total eclipse and Tuesday was a total wash. I'd never heard of Simply Red before this. Unfortunately, the album did not interest me and I had a hard time staying engaged. I don't even remember it well enough to write further thoughts. Maybe not Simply Red's fault. Sorry Red. 4/10

A good Pop sound. The songs tend to come off as samey to me after awhile. Generic but good.

For a second I thought this wasn’t so bad but then I realized no it is actually extremely bad. But then I started thinking it’s so fucking weird and awkward that actually maybe it is kinda cool, but not that cool. 2 stars

keyboards are a bit cloying, but holding back the years is a solid timepiece

Hauska kasarienergia! Hyvä laulaja. Biisien sanomat ei jää epäselviksi, helposti nieltävää kauttaaltaan, myös musiikillisesti. Tuo pontta askeleeseen kävellessä. Mutta toisaalta ei oikein muuta. Vahva kakkonen.

Tulee mieleen Heaven-kappaleen sanat: paikka jossa ei tapahdu mitään. Mutta levy herää eloon B-puolen alussa, mikä ehkä riittää matalaan kakkoseen.

Mid

Good morning and welcome to my review of simply red's debut album. I avoided this song like the plague when it was released. I probably would have walked the plank blindfolded versus listening to this album if I had to. Yesterday listening to its entirety was one of the toughest things I've done in life. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Considering the time it was released I was only 14 years old and going through the change entering manhood. I was listening to ratt motley Crue and twisted sister.

Maybe I’m just not adult enough for this adult contemporary album. Sounds like a dentist office in the 1980’s.

Was absolutely shocked to realize I had heard a couple of these songs before, namely Holding Back the Years. Definitely heard on the radio but completely forgot it existed til today. Wild. Such an odd mix of styles that feels both too old and too contemporary for its time? I cant wrap my head around Simply Red. I guess I was glad to remember this is a thing, definitely different. Most adjacent to Genesis maybe? Lead singer kind of reminds me of Rod Stewart in that his voice sounds like he was born at 65 years old. It feels like quite the stretch to label this as soul. Its like the music all over the original Top Gun. 2.5, exactly in the middle, will round down though cuz its just so alien to my ear.

Pretty bad. He seemed to curate the worst parts of 80s music into a mind numbing 45 minutes.

Don't really understand why this is on the list. It is not bad, but... Mainly boring.

Better than I expected. Lis is the only Simply Red fan I have ever met, and I always chalked it up to ginger solidarity, but this is the rare 80s record that manages to transcend the incredibly shitty production aesthetic that prevailed at that time. I don't like it THAT much, though, and he lost points a few hours ago when I learned Money's Too Tight To Mention is a cover and that the original Valentine Brothers version is far superior.

Album got off to a fun groove but then the soul vibe sort of thinned out, redeemed slightly by a nice cover of "Heaven" only to get destroyed by this horrible song Jericho. Now on the second side and I feel as if every song sounds like it was part of a Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, though I do recognize the "holding on" song. "Red Box" approaches "Jericho" in awfulness in terms of lyrics, which is too bad because they can groove.

I didn't really like this. Songs either didn't hold my attention at all, or reminded me of poorer versions of other bands from the era that I'd rather listen to instead. I don't think I would choose to listen to this again.

some slight gems in there, but rest sounds like cruise ship singing

Regular

Well this is just awful. I didn't think it would be as bad as you lot rated it (I've heard of Simply Red, but couldn't name a song), but it really is. It's like if Magic FM decided to do Boring Hour. 2/5, it's not offensive, it's just bad.

Just not for me

And you're lucky you got that

Didn’t do anything for me.

It's alright for this genre of 80s pop but I feel like it's nothing memorable and would get lost amongst more talented artists

It's not bad, just very boring and forgettable. Won't be revisiting. It's essentially worse Sade

Fine. This might be the pinnacle musicianship of a particular strain of synth pop, but it does. not. resonate. with. me. I'm reasonably sure there are better representations of the genre that don't sound like the speaker in the elevator got loose and started chasing me down the street.

Internet ja, Album nö

Simply DRedful

This album is wild. It's all over the place and over the top. I struggle to agree that is something that one MUST hear before one dies. It's fine, but I will not listen to it ever again.

This is not anywhere near as bad as I thought it was going to be. There's some reasonable tracks which actually show of Hucknall's voice quite well, and he is very much better suited to jazz than to pop. I mean, that's not to say that I'd ever listen to it again. But 80s Simply Red does seem worlds better than 90s Simply Red.

so far this first song is not bad idk what everyones complaining about but maybe ill be changing my mind later on yea it got worse.

I actually really liked the first track but then it just kind of devolved into cheesy 80’s music (mediocre cheesy 80’s music to be specific).

These guys aren't nearly as smart as they think they are.

Simply not for me

It was simple that’s for sure

Pull out your pointy shoulder pads and pastel linen pants for this run-of-the-mill-mid-1980's-blue-eyed (and red-haired)-soul-synth-pop. Could have been the soundtrack for a Jim Belushi and Gregory Hines buddy cop movie that includes a montage, a love scene, and a dance sequence.

This deserves a 2.5 but not a two or three

Ganske fælt

I almost gave this a 3, but then got to the end and yeah, no. This album had no idea what it was, or what direction it wanted to go.

Not my thang

Not super interesting

This album did nothing for me. ‘Holding Back the Years’ was a big deal when it came out. It was different from the typical 80s pop sound and it got a lot of attention. I remember really liking it and it still sounds good to me. ‘Money’s Too Tight’ also got some air time. Did not work for me then or now.

Mostly bad to mediocre. I'm surprised that Holding Back the Years was number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, given how nondescript it felt. The instrumentals were good, but nothing mindboggling. 3/10. Favorite track: Come to My Aid

To paraphrase the best review written about this album on this app: ATTENTION K-MART SHOPPERS: SPECIAL PROMOTION ON DETERGENTS IN AISLE 4. BUY 2 GET 1 FREE! Gosh, I can see those horrid eighties haircuts just listening to the many sophistipop songs plaguing this album. I think the radio-friendly "highlights" of this record are the worst for me. All those "Come To My Aid", "Look At Me Now", along with that overplayed signature song "Holding Back The Years". Those tracks are more than decently produced, but the results still sound terribly hackneyed, with overkill-mode synth licks, bland funk guitar riffs, and syrupy, smoochie singing from Hucknall--each of these tasteless elements relentlessly screaming "eighties square" at my poor ears. Speaking of singles from this album, the rapped chorus of "Jericho" is also a cheesefest of unprecedented magnitude. That's a damn shame, because the vocal performance at the end of this track was inventive, layered and technically impressive. But when that finale surged, it was already too late. My cheesometer was already too high. Just as it was high from the very first seconds of "No Direction", an aptly-named song that goes nowhere as it rehashes all the clichés available in the "blue-eyed soul book". The thing is, as terrible as some of this music is for me, I was *also* often pleasantly surprised by the supposed "deep cuts' of *Picture Book*. And I have to say that I can still appreciate the various styles Simply Red went through, without making any jump between those different styles too jarring overall. This suggests that a lot of thought has been put into the way this record should flow from one track to the next at least. I usually like this sort of dynamics in LPs. And even if most of the music on this one is not for me, I can still appreciate the effort. One of those redeemable deep cuts is the jazz lounge tune "Sad Old Red", quite a predictable and not overly original track, but at least a welcome change of pace after the stinky opener that "Come To My Aid" is. On a sidenote, I can also respect Mick Hucknall's concern for socially relevant topics. His heart is in the right place, and coupling those lyrics with those sophistipop shenanigans is, against all odds, surprisingly effective. Yet it's only a couple of songs after "Sad Old Red" that Simply Red *almost* becomes great. First, there's that cover of Talking Heads' "Heaven"--so different from the original version, with its Stax and Motown overtones, that I didn't immediately recognize it. Nice touch, I'd say. I still liked that track even when I didn't recognize which song it was: it sounded like a far older standard, and so the idea Hucknall and bandmates had with this one makes sense, I guess. Speaking of Talking Heads, "Open The Red Box" is the sort of rigid blues rock / hard funk track could have been written by David Byrne and co at a later stage of their band's career. Those sudden interruptions of the rhythm section bring a tension unfortunately lacking elsewhere on this LP. Which is another nice touch. Finally, the title track is a very subtle and deeply atmospheric closer that was well worth my time, thanks to its ambient synths and proto-trip-hop sonic landscapes. Wish there had been more leftfield compositions like that in this album, even with an eighties slant. So all in all, not as downright terrible as I thought it would be, at least *from time to time*. I reckon this app is the most useful when it takes you out of your comfort zone and counters your prejudiced opinions about such and such act. So even if I won't include Simply Red in my own selection, now I can honestly say I gave them a fair try, and that I have nothing but benevolent feelings for old fans of this band. It's not because they have very different tastes from mine that I cannot picture why this record would catch their attention. 2 stars for the purposes of this subjective list of "essential albums", which translates to a 7/10 grade for more general and "objective" purposes (5 + 2). Next, please. Number of albums left to review: 398 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 271 Albums from the list might* include in mine later on: 144 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 188 (including this one)

Ugh

Fine. Boring but not objectionable.

It’s not the worst ‘80s throwback album (and quite representative of the time), but it’s really not my thing. Maybe one or two tracks are passable, but nothing that makes it worth revisiting.

Langweilige Musik die sich hinter Soul/Jazz/Loungemusik versteckt um sophisticated zu wirken. Bischen eklige Lyrics Oberstudienrat-Core

Feels like an album of mostly vibey filler built around 2 big songs

It’s ok

It’s okay. Not my speed though

I'm familiar with Simply Red thanks to "Holding Back the Years," which I like well enough, but I was a little surprised to find that the rest of the album didn't really do anything for me.

A few songs on here were good, but for the most part this one fell flat for me.

One great song doesn't make an album.

Such a meh album, and how I felt when I seen a simply red album this morning. Nothing offensive but such dull music I don’t know why it deserves to be on the list.

great vocals (for a ginger) song writing and arranging, pretty good (for a ginger)! i like the jazzy thing, it’s cute haha. solid three star album. however i have to knock off a star simply because i’m prejudice towards gingers. sorry they’re just nasty and i think they deserve to die! haha.

cheesy 80’s schlock. not for me.

This was tough.

Not my jam.

Two absolute classics and the rest truly awful.

Not the biggest fan of this, but without any hard feelings. Of course my favourite song on the album was written by David Byrne :)

Kids, if you have one of the greatest male singing voices in the history of pop music, I beg you not to pair it with soulless song writing and vapid lyrics. This could be so much better than it is, and I'm a bit baffled as to why its on this list. It's basically just a Michael Bolton album, but with more early 80s flair. Is this album the birth of muzak? Is that why it's significant? 2/5

Come To My Aid into Sad Old Red is a really weird transition. This album is this really weird bland mashup in this 90s fashion. Money's Too Tight (To Mention) is just the most 90s song you could imagine. This kinda sucks.

1/10, 10%

Top 3 Songs: 1 - Holding Back the Years (7) 2 - Come To My Aid (1) 3 - Money's Too Tight (To Mention) (6)

The first couple of tracks are surprisingly jazz infused and led me to think I may quite like this. I was sadly wrong. The majority of it is not-very- good 80s soft rock and cheesy blue-eyed soul. Also, Mick Hucknall dressed up as the Artful Dodger on the album cover looks amusingly ridiculous. Rating: 2/5 Playlist track: Holding Back the Years Date listened: 17/07/23

Not my favorite 2.5/5

On kyllä niin kasaria kuin vaan voi. Ei oikein muistettavia tai erikoisia kappaleita

BAD

Just bland as fuck

Sound exactly like what you think a Simply Red album would sound like. It absolutely sucks 👍🏾

eh

Simply some pipes on the vocalist. Not particularly my jam, but it's also not terrible by most measures. I appreciate that the best or at least most well known songs are in the middle of the record from a "How am I ever going to make it through this?" perspective because I was starting to lose patience.

Ughhh...I hate this type of 80's synth soul. This is literally my least favorite type of music

Niet top dit. Beetje over the top, en slechts 1 goed nummer gehoord.

More of a 5, some solid tracks but overall pretty one note and bland

Holding back the years is the only noteworthy thing on this record.

Simply Red is apparently “immaculately polished” adult contemporary music. I simply hate it. Would rather listen to an immaculately polished turd. Oh, sorry, then we got to “Holding Back the Years.” That song slaps. Doesn’t it? Is that the rare immaculately polished adult contemporary song. Or is it just that those hits were so ubiquitous on 80s radio that I’ve got a nostalgia itch it scratches? It’s a question I’ve found myself asking a lot with albums where the classic hits don’t live up to the rest of the work.

Nice elevator music.

This was fine. But sounds so dated though I still like holding back the years